Page 90 of Guardian of Exile

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After arriving back in Raveras, it took two days to get Belas Veld settled to Tristen’s content, and to convince her that, yes, her son did need to leave again right away, and no, she couldn’t come with him. She’d only relented when Tristen had promised he would come back within a week. Even so, they were leaving at an unscheduled time—Tristen had left Amelia with a letter for Belas—and now that the departure was upon them, Nyx was anxious his mother would show up out of the blue and derail everything.

Nyx paced Amelia’s reception room while Morgen walked Evra to the Station, since the Amazon needed to return via the ley lines so that her papers showed she had legally returned to Earth. Once he returned, Nyx wasted no time in portaling them back to Earth between. They arrived Hidden, as was her habit when portaling to Earth, because while few people ventured to the small section of Earth Between on the other side of the Station’s boundary, “few” wasn’t “none”, and she never wanted to risk being seen.

Unlike normal, she didn’t immediately drop that Hiding after verifying no one was in sight. A sense of unease crawled up the back of her neck and she scanned the Station’s exterior, searching for the cause.

Kaden came up next to her. “What is it?”

“I don't know. Something isn’t right.” She finally realized what it was. “Where's Temerex?”

“Maybe Griff has her inside?” Morgen offered. “Or perhaps Jevryn has returned.”

“Maybe.” If Jevryn was back, Tem would be plastered to his side whether he was indoors or out. She took a step forward, but only one before she realized what else was wrong. “The windows.” The every window facing the back, from the regular ones to the glass on the sliding patio doors, had turned to stained glass, impossible to see in or out of.

Nyx skirted the perimeter of the Station, and they arrived at the front to see the windows on that side were perfectly normal.

“That message couldn't be clearer,” Morgen said.

Tristen looked between them and the Station. “What message?”

“Arrive in plain sight from the front, so it looks like I’ve been in Earth Between. Someone’s in my Station who shouldn’t be.”

Nyx saw the moment Morgen realized Evra was inside the Station with that someone. “I know what you're thinking,” she said, “but she’ll be fine. She’s traveling legally.”

“What’s going on?” Tristen asked. “Who is in there?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t know. But I have two guesses on the latter question, and neither of them are good.” Either Laiveran had returned, seeking Nyx and the Harvester, or there was a councilor in her Station. “Here's what’s going to happen,” Nyx said calmly, a basic plan coalescing in her mind. “We're going to walk down the hill so I can drop the Hiding on myself, so we can walk back here and look like I’m returning alone from Earth Between.” She turned to Tristen. “Those controlling threads you saw when you looked through me to the Station? If one or more of them matches the people in the Station, could you cut the ones belonging to them?”

“I can try.”

“Then try.” She hesitated. She didn’t believe in coincidences. Jevryn suddenly going off the radar at a pivotal moment and now someone—a councilor, in all likelihood—showing up at her Station? Either the two were linked, or she had the universe’s worst luck. If it was the former, it was possible Jevryn was inside. And if Jevryn was inside, it brought up another problem. “One more thing. One of those controlling threads might feel a little more like me than the others. Don't cut that one, even if the person it belongs to is inside.”

“Your father’s, you mean?” Tristen asked.

“How did you⁠—”

“Shaman, remember? I’m better than any paternity test.”

“Yes,” she said finally. “Don’t cut my father’s. And don’t cut the threads belonging to anyone who isn’t currently in the Station. You’ll bring them all here, and that’s not something we can handle.”

He studied her. “Those threads. They belong to the councilors, don’t they?”

No point in lying when it was obvious. He’d have put it together sooner if he hadn’t grown up in Dead Earth. “Yes.”

“And your father is one of them? Your father is a councilor?”

“Yes.”

His voice turned accusatory. “You said you grew up here.”

“I did. It’s a long story that we do not have time for right now because in all likelihood at least one councilor is inside with Griff and Temerex and Evra. If cutting that councilor’s thread is going to be an issue for you, then I’ll send you back to Raveras. If we live, I’ll come get you. In fact, that’s probably what you should do.” It was safest, and didn’t risk him dying while she—hopefully—sorted this out.

He considered it, but then he shook his head. “I’m glad I found my mother, but I have no intention of living the rest of my life on Raveras if you die. I can’t travel the ley lines without revealing who I am.”

“Then you could stay out here and go back to Dead Earth if we never come out.”

“And have my mother think I died because I can’t get in touch with her? I’m not putting her through that.”