Page 33 of With the Key in the Office

Vanderflit stopped short. “Freddie,” he whispered.

A moment later, the crystal shimmered. The glassy shell unwound, slow and careful, like silk unraveling from a dream. It spiraled away until it vanished at the man’s feet.

Freddie blinked. Air rushed back into his lungs, and he exhaled. Breath fogged soft and white.

He stood, steadied himself, and looked around. No confusion. No panic. He spotted Vanderflit first.

“You made it,” Freddie murmured.

Vanderflit let out a ragged sound, that was half laugh, half sob.

He reached out. “Freddie.”

Freddie smiled. “Vandy. You look terrible.”

Vanderflit crossed the space in two strides, grabbed Freddie by the shoulders, and just held on while his worry shook out.

Freddie patted his arm. “It’s all right. I came down here because the ward-anchor on this little gem started to fracture. I thought I’d patch it up and be back for tea. Guess the patch didn’t hold.”

Vanderflit managed to gather himself. “The failsafe?—”

“Exactly. I tripped it trying to stabilize the anchor. It put me in stasis. I never even saw it coming.” He turned to the group, eyes raking over our whole crew. “You’re the rescue party?”

“Glamorous, aren’t we?” Lucifer put in, examining his nails. “But effective.”

Freddie gave a little bow to the entire circle, then went right back to Vanderflit. “Sorry for the trouble, Vandy.”

Vanderflit swiped at his eyes, grinning wide enough you’d think he’d been given a new holiday. “It’s not your fault. I’m just glad we found the key and found you.”

They stood there, laughing and sniffling and probably reliving every prank they ever pulled in grad school.

The magic anchor in the chamber pulsed soft and blue, the cracks seaing right up. It was all safe now. Freddie was alive and well. The rest of us watched and didn’t even pretend not to tear up.

Lucifer, who’d been so quiet I forgot he was there, sidled up next to me and motioned to the key. “May I?” He smiled hopefully. I wrapped it back into the cloth Fizz kept it in and handed it to him. “Thank you. I’ll keep this safe,” he promised, and before anyone could mount a protest, he simply wasn’t there.

Fizz shuffled closer to Vanderflit. For the first time, she looked like she genuinely regretted her life choices.

“I’m sorry,” she said, hands in her pockets. “I made a mess. I mean, not as big a mess as you would have if I hadn’t stolen the key, but still.”

Vanderflit fixed her with a teacher’s stare. “You did what you had to. But next time, try words first. Less risk of stasis fields and trauma.”

She nodded, shrugged, then turned to me. “Sorry, too, Cendi. That chameleon stuff gets out of hand. I didn’t mean any harm. Luci thricked me.”

I almost hugged her, but contented myself with a half-smile. “No harm, no foul.”

Jessie folded her arms, but her tone was gentle. “You have enough power to make trouble. You might as well learn to use it for something better. Ever thought about enrolling at the Academy?”

Fizz snorted. “Me? Study here?”

Jessie grinned, sweet but unyielding. “If you don’t, we’ll probably have to come find you, so we might as well keep you where the snacks are better.”

Fizz rolled her eyes, then smirked. “Fine. I owe you one. Or ten. Maybe I’ll hang around, see if this place is as weird as it looks.”

Jaylyn finally let go of the tension she’d been holding. “Good,” she said simply. “Everyone gets a happy ending for once.”

We retraced our steps, back up the winding stairs and echoing corridors. Freddie and Vanderflit led the charge, already arguing about next year’s syllabus. Freddie wanted to add more field work, while Vanderflit shot back with something about burnout and undercooked transfer students. It was like they’d never skipped a beat.

Ava and Drew were in the office when we returned. “You did good,” Ava told me and Jessie as we walked in.