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“Take a knee, Westvane.”

He opened his mouth to argue.

Worried about disrespecting the Hollow, she pointed at the ground. “A knee, Assenta.”

The formal redress did the trick. Folding forward, Westvane knelt. He winced as his knee touched down on brick, but held steady.

“One.”

The word came through mind-meld, tapping across her temples.

Truly shifted to face forward again.“What does that mean?”

“One or the other,”the Hollow whispered.“Choose, Truly, Master of Doors, Protector of the Ecotone.”

Comprehension bloomed.

Truly tore the pedals off the rose, refusing to accept the ultimatum.“No. I need them both.”

A pause.

A shift as the Hollow moved more fully into her mind.

Holding steady, she didn’t fight the intrusion. Truly dropped her mental shields instead. She might be a new Door Master, still unclear about her responsibilities, but every hour brought more insight. The forest spirit needed to understand. The stakes were too high to remain stubborn and uncooperative. So instead of fighting, she opened up and shared her hopes, her dreams… all the things she wished to accomplish in both Earth Realm and Azlandia.

“Three in one.”Fog rolled into the clearing, frothing between tall monoliths, over mosaic-laid brickwork.“Triad of power.”

“Yes,”she said, confirming the coalition.“Please release him. Let us go in peace.”

The Hollow hesitated.

Fog-filled fingers caressed her cheek as she felt the forest spirit retreat. The presence inside her mind withdrew. Sucked out by invisible threads, the mist exited the clearing. Scions scurried over the hill and disappeared from view. The wreathing vines imprisoning Montrose opened. Without warning or mercy, the cage ejected him, throwing him head-first toward the ground.

36

FOREVER YOUNG

Gargoyles snored. Worse than bulldogs.

A miracle by all accounts, but the noise didn’t keep Truly from sleeping. Exhaustion had long set in. She’d been tired for days. For months, actually, given her nighttime gig as Montrose’s eyes, ears, and purveyor of sleazy photos in Philadelphia.

The thought opened her eyes. Slouched in one of the high-backed chairs in front of the fireplace, she stared at the rough, timber-beam ceiling.

Philadelphia. Her job at M&B.

It felt like years, not just days, since she’d crossed theEcotone, leaving home behind. Nothing approaching normal had happened between then and now. But then, normal always ended up being a matter of how a person chose to look at things. Divinity lay in the details. A matter of personal perspective, more photoshopped reality than unvarnished truth.

She lived inside a new normal now. One that included sharing a rustic cabin with a hybrid Assenta warrior and a foul-mouthed gargoyle.

Blowing out a long breath, she shifted in the chair, straightening her legs to prop her sock-clad feet on the hearthstone. Sore muscle stretched. Tendons lengthened. She nearly groaned in relief. She swallowed the sound at the last second, afraid of waking Westvane and Montrose. No sense disturbing the pair. Both were out — Westvane lying belly-down on the bed, head turned away from her, Montrose splayed flat on his back on the floor beneath the kitchen table, claws twitching, snore constant… and almost as loud as a chainsaw.

Tuning him out, Truly listened to the crackle of the fire, then pushed the blanket aside, and stood. Her back complained as she straightened. She rolled her shoulders, working out the twinge, and realized she felt alright. Better than she had in a while. Less anxious. More focused. Or…

Turning her head to one side, she cracked her neck.

Maybe that wasn’t it.Less anxiousdidn’t make the grade. More awake seemed a better fit. More settled and alive too, less oblivious to the world around her.

Something had happened while chatting with the Hollow. The channel inside her mind stayed open after it retreated, leaving her plugged into a powerful outlet. Now, her senses hummed. Her magic flexed. Her ability to tap into the stream electrified.The pulse sizzled through her, amplifying everything — sight, sound, touch, taste, and scent — making her more aware of her surroundings.