Chapter Seven

For a moment, excitement bubbled around me. Then Leanna brought everyone back to reality with a shattering suddenness. "You didn't say 'we', Celia." She pointed out with a questioning in her tone.

Everyone stilled. All eyes turned to me expectantly.

I froze, suddenly realizing what I had said. Suddenly realizing that I had said it aloud. Damn, where was that internal monologue when I needed it?

Eyes still closed, I stood there gathering my thoughts and my wits. Suddenly, I realized how that had to have sounded to the others. I sighed and turned, eyes coming open and meeting each set around me before settling on the soft and intensely expressive eyes of Jonathan Willaway. And then the full weight of my words settled onto my shoulders and into my mind. I winced, shaking my head to negate what I could feel him thinking, what I could feel them all thinking.

"I know how that sounded," I began, "but I have no intention of abandoning you here." I let my eyes touch each set once more. "We've come this far together, and I intend to see you safely out of this Zone. I was just . . . shocked. I told you before that this place, this Triangle as you call it, diminishes me. I told you I couldn't get out of this Zone. And that was the truth. But-"

"But that was Strrae'hel's doing, not the Triangle." Varien finished for me softly.

"Yes." I confirmed for the others' benefit.

Silence hung between us again as they all considered that. I could see them each processing it in their own way. Varien had the least processing of that information to do since he was privy to it before my speaking it aloud, a dubious "honor" at best. Leanna took a moment to cast a look to Varien and read the look in his eyes; then her expression became one of acceptance. She trusted Varien even if she did not know how to take me entirely. Scott looked between the adults, seeming to take Varien and Leanna's acceptance as a sign that he should do so as well and settled on petting the cat. Said cat just looked indifferent as if the humans should have known better all along and he was not going to waste energy on the matter. Fred frowned, looking the most skeptical but taking the other two's acceptance for what it was worth and letting the matter go . . . for now.

And that left Jonathan. For several long moments, he stared at me, holding my gaze with his. In those soft, gentle eyes I could see the path of his thoughts. First came worry. Worry that I would abandon them. And that worry brought with it pain, that pain caused by the thought that I might abandon him. That emotion reached into me and made my heart stop for a second with my own pain, inexplicable as it was. But that emotion, too, was replaced, giving way to relief. He believed me, that I would stay, at least to the next Zone. But that last bit brought back the worry, though not the pain this time. There was a silent question and plea in his eyes then, one I longed to answer, to assuage the worry held there.

Fortunately, we were close thanks to our packing, and I reached out to touch his hand, taking it into mine gently but firmly. I held his gaze, needing him to see my Truth in my eyes.

"I am still diminished, Jonathan." I explained. "I cannot remove your party from this place. That much is the Triangle's doing. But I want you to, no I need you to, understand something. I will not abandon you. I will stay as long as you wish me to, as many Zones as you wish. Until you no longer wish me to be here." I gave his hand a gentle squeeze and smiled warmly. For the others, I had promised to stay through this Zone. For him, I would do more.

Much more.

I saw the relief wash through him, felt it poignantly. He squeezed my hand and smiled, a silent expression of gratitude and pleasure shared only between us. Then we continued our packing.

We soon understood why Strrae'hel had become so desperate. Three more turns, and we felt it. The Doorway flowed up around us, and we found ourselves in an entirely different landscape . . .

THE END