Guardians of Power: The Guardians: Volume 3 (Jayne Thorne, CIA Librarian) by Joss Walker & R.L. Perez

Author:Joss Walker & R.L. Perez [Walker, Joss & Perez, R.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781948967747
Publisher: Two Tales Press
Published: 2023-10-25T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Seven

Valeri got word to Henry, who, in his excitement at the idea of opening a pocket into the Torrent, arrived in Tetiiv a week earlier than they had planned.

Though excited to see his friend again, Valeri was worried. He had been trying to work up the courage to tell Henry not to come; between the nuclear disaster that was disrupting the country, the pocket in complete ruin, and his moment of accessing the utter grandeur and sanctity of the Torrent only to promptly lose it, Valeri was concerned that perhaps experimenting with the Guardian magic so soon after a disaster was not the best idea after all.

But the pocket had spoken, and how could he tell Henry he was chickening out? They had worked so hard on their research and theories, and Henry was so excited that Valeri hated to let him down.

Besides, if he turned his friend away, where would that leave them? Valeri was a Guardian without a pocket, called to his fate, but with nothing to protect. He had to open a new pocket, and he had to do it soon; anxiety buzzed like bees inside him, and he knew the only thing to calm his anxiety was that golden glow.

And to be honest, he was going to spend the rest of his life monitoring this volatile pocket of energy. Someday, Henry would have the same responsibility somewhere else in the world. Their time together was already limited. This was all they had left. One last experiment. One last attempt.

Valeri could not deprive his friend of that. Or deprive himself. He had never been so close to discovery before. Time travel. Was it truly possible? Had Tesla achieved it? Could Adept magic—or Guardian magic—really power it?

If they could open the Torrent in Tetiiv, he’d find out.

And he had to know. The aching in his bones, the yearning in his blood, called for it.

“It’s a ghost town here,” Henry muttered as he set his bag down on the dusty floor of Valeri’s flat. The place was small and dank, but better than moving back to his childhood home, with his parents looking over their shoulders all day.

“It is better than up north. They say it could be a hundred years before the Pripyat area is safe again. All that natural life, extinguished.”

“Right. Of course. It’s terrible.” The words sounded automatic as if Henry felt obligated to speak them instead of earnestly lamenting the loss. Valeri scowled but said nothing. One day, his friend would actually feel the depth of a truly great loss. And Valeri dreaded to think of what would happen to his brilliant mind when that time came. Would it break him? Would it temper his enthusiasm? Would it alter him completely?

At times, Valeri wished Henry could be more grim. More sober. But then he thought of how much he would hate to see Henry change. To be altered, transformed into someone unrecognizable. The idea of his optimistic comrade being hollowed out by grief and change made his heart ache.

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