Vortex watched, frozen like the lake beneath his feet. A brown blur flashed past him, laughing.
"Catch me if you can!" it called.
"No fair, Jack!"
Vortex stared. That was her: the little girl with the box. She fumbled on her skates, trying to chase after her much faster companion. Jack. Vortex watched as he slowed down and skated back to the girl's side.
"You're doing wonderful. I'm more experienced," he said, taking her hand. "Tilt your feet out, and push… That's it. You won't fall. Knees bent. Good!"
"Don't let go."
"I have you. We can't all be fen runners."
A spark of memory caught in Vortex's mind. Fen running… yes, that sounded familiar. The rush of the wind, the crowds, the barrels of apples they needed for winter… He was good at it, and it kept Leah and Mother fed. No one was faster than him on skates.
"Let me try," said Leah.
"No," said Vortex quietly.
His word didn't reach them, and Jack released Leah's hand. He turned and ran backwards in front of her, watching her carefully, proudly, his messy brown hair fluttering in the breeze. Vortex wanted to run at them, push them away from the dark spot on the lake, but his legs refused to move.
He remembered this.
Again, his lips parted to release a weak "no" as the two slipped closer and closer to the thin ice. Every tendon in his body strained to stop what was about to happen, but, again, he remained rigidly in place. Instead, a trail of hot, black sludge trickled from a dark eye. His chest tightened, eyes fixed on the pair as they separated just enough…
Leah stumbled, and the ice beneath her crackled. She stiffened in fear and shouted for Jack. He skidded to a stop, picked up a nearby branch, and hurried back to the edge of the brittle ice. Leah trembled as he examined the cracks and kicked off his skates.
"Jack, I'm scared," she cried softly.
"I know," Vortex said as more tears streaked his cheeks.
"I know, but that's okay," Jack assured her. "You'll be fine. We'll… we'll play hopscotch!"
"Is this a trick?"
"I would never!"
"Yes, you would! You do all the ti-!" Leah stopped as the ice snapped again.
Jack edged closer and held up a hand, "Okay, okay, fair. But not this time. I would never let you get hurt, Little Flea. You know that, right?"
"Don't you lie to her," breathed Vortex.
But Leah nodded, and Jack smiled. "Then I need you to trust me. Make sure you hop between the cracks, like this," he said.
Jack slid a foot onto a solid-looking patch, counting, and Leah followed his lead nervously. Vortex covered his eyes and gnashed his teeth. Stupid, stupid, stupid! What was he thinking? There was no way he moved fast enough.
A quick snap flooded Vortex's senses. He didn't need to look. He relived the cold stabbing his body and the short gasp that flooded his lungs. Sound distorted beneath the water.
"Jack!"
Vortex looked up, blue eyes wide in shock. Leah stared at the blue hole in the ice, just inches away from the edge. It crackled again, and she scurried away.
"Leah."
Guilt surfaced in his heart, but he didn't fight it this time. He was… wrong? Once he remembered her, he was sure he remembered them both falling in. Hadn't he been too slow? He swung the stick, sure, but it hadn't even touched her… had it? Something heavy surrounded him, and he broke down crying again.
"It's okay, Jack," a gentle voice said in his ear. "You did it."
Jack grasped the arms surrounding him. North's thick muscles. Toothiana and Vanish's soft feathers. Sanderson leaned into his back, surprisingly light and warm against his neck. Little arms wrapped around his waist.
"Leah?" he asked, opening his eyes.
Instead, Jamie met his gaze with an unapologetic warmth.
"I knew you could do it," she said.
He laughed and wiped more black residue from his face. "That makes one of us."
"More than one," Toothiana whispered with another tight squeeze.
"Maybe," North said slowly, "is too soon to say 'guardian.' But we can call you 'friend,' yes?"
"'Friend,'" repeated Jack. "Let's start there."
Vanish snorted. "Then my friend owes me an apology for dropping a tree on my leg."
"Hush, you're fine," Toothiana said.
"Not the point."
"You're ruining the moment," sighted Jamie.
"I'm sorry," Jack said. "For everything. The tree, the blizzard, the eggs, all of it."
"Eggs were not your fault," North assured him. "Pitch is clever, but so are we."
Jack.
"What was that?" asked Jack.
"You hear him!" Jamie clapped her hands. "You hear Mim!"
You believe in Jamie, and she believes in me.
True, thought Jack. Mim was rather necessary to Jamie's special power. But why-?
I was unsure how to approach you. By the time I did, the voice in his head said, I was too late. I lost you.
Okay, again, that made sense.
Please stay. Learn. Help. Protect the light in the world.
"I will," promised Jack.