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Faster and faster, she ran, with death itself chasing her heels. She could hear him, could hear Aven bellowing as he followed mere paces behind, bounding into the building right after her.

But she was Chosen.

She was Called.

And she had the favour of the Library.

So when she opened a door down into the cavern, she did so with the specific intention that Aven would be unable to follow. And when she slammed that door behind her just before she fell through the darkness, the last thing she saw was his stormy face and the promise that he would be waiting as soon as she returned.

Only, she had no intention of returning.

Because she was about to do the impossible.

Athora was waiting for her in the cavern, the hood of his cloak pulled back, revealing his milky eyes staring out from his dark, grim face.

‘I am an Oracle of my people.’

He had told her that once. And now, Alex understood. Before she had ever stepped foot on the battlefield today, he had already seen what she would face. He had already been aware of the slaughter that would occur.

‘My time has not yet come.’

He’d known. All along,he’d known.

Time. Always,alwaysit came down to time.

During her journey to the past, the Library had told her that it would never again offer her a doorway through time.

But that didn’t mean it wasn’t capable of it.

She just had to find a way.

Staggering towards Athora, Alex fell to her knees before him, unable to stand against the weight of devastation hanging over her. So much was riding on this, the shattered pieces within her hardly daring to hope, but unable to deal with the finality of any other outcome.

With teary eyes, Alex looked up at Athora and rasped through trembling lips, “Can you help me? Can you take me back?”

Athora just stared at her, his gaze sightless and yet seeing more than she could know.

“Anything,” Alex whispered. “I’ll do anything. Whatever it takes.” She swallowed. “Please, just—please—” She broke off and raised a bloodied hand to her mouth, the pain in her body nothing compared to the agony in her heart.

Athora continued looking gravely down at her as he said, “You were told you would never again be able to take a doorway through time.”

“I know,” she sobbed. “Butplease—”

“And you of all people know the rules of time.”

Lady Mystique’s voice echoed around the cavern, as clear as if she were standing with them.

‘You cannot change events that have already occurred.’

Alex had forgotten. In her anguish, she had forgotten that her time in the past had contributed to the future… but not changed it.

“No,” she sobbed. “No.”

With a rustle of his cloak, Athora lowered until he was kneeling before her.

“Please,” she breathed. “I can’t—” She choked. “Without them,I can’t—”

Breaking.