Time.

So much of it had been wasted. Years and years of waiting, of wondering, of tormenting myself into inaction.

America was in an uproar. The newspapers made a big deal about how America was going to defend their poor, frozen neighbors to the north. Every ounce of excitement from the common folk made those of us in the know more anxious. The world expected an American victory, as prone to overreaction as the US was.

There were no survivors.

Both the Canadian and American fleets were simply destroyed. Regular airplanes could get close enough to spot the German ships, and saw that there were only three of them.

Halifax surrendered quickly, and two of the fleet remained to keep it under German control. A single ship, the smallest one, broke off from the fleet and approached the eastern seaboard.

America released a truly staggering amount of military might onto the ship. Bombs dropped, submarines launched torpedos, and more ships sank.

Terror replaced the hope in American hearts, and the nation was in a panic.

I explained to General Richardson that I expected one of two things, based on what we saw. If the ship was manned by extremely powerful spellcasters, then we were doomed. However, I thought it more likely that they simply had a large reserve of stored enchantments, and the American offensive would make them run out.

The issue was, Richardson hadn’t shared my ability with the American leaders. As such, he wasn’t in a position to notify them that a steady bombardment would wipe out any spellcaster - not even my parents could maintain active defenses of that caliber for hours at a time. They’d flee. The fact that the Germans were using a boat suggested that they didn’t have easy access to long-range magical transportation.

As a result, rather than continuing to bombard the Germans, America kept changing its attacks, trying to find out what would work. This meant that there were gaps between attacks - long gaps, too - allowing them to rest (if it was from spellcasters), or swap out and repair enchantments.

The army began to gather, and the draft went into immediate, full force. The German ship began to approach.

On the bright side, Alice and Slick were now engaged. After all, being married kept people from the first stage of the draft. Alice had me create a quick enchantment that would make her look pregnant for a few months, then “seem” to miscarry. She didn’t want kids, yet, but that was more insurance against the draft.

America as a whole didn’t know what the Germans were targeting. The fact that they were using a single ship threw the world into wild speculation. Most people guessed that they were going to strike New York, and make their way to Washington, DC afterwards.

Each hour that passed was a strange sort of torture and I felt dazed. Things happened so fast, and yet, it was like nothing was happening at all. I continued to be useless, doing nothing.

A number of wealthy people just up and went on “vacations” elsewhere, from practically the entire eastern seaboard. Small towns were given sanctuary in the larger cities, with the promise that the military would protect the cities. Most people couldn’t afford to evacuate, and simply were in panic.

The Germans turned west too soon to be headed for New York. Speculation now had Boston as the target, though the Germans were aimed a little bit north.

Another part of the US Navy sank to the depths of the ocean, joined by several brave pilots in experimental fighter planes.

Riots broke out in the streets. The police department was practically dismantled, as they needed every available officer from any department to help keep things under control. Lou and Liam paired up, trying to keep the civilians from overrunning the airport. Only the wealthy were able to escape the city.

The gathering armed forces were shunted in droves to Boston. A temporary base was erected just north of the city limits, and I was sent there. Albert, Pash, and Richardson were with us, along with the trainees.

It only took a single day from the time that Halifax was taken till the Germans landed in the port town of Portsmouth, just an hour north of Boston.

I felt slightly reassured, though no one else was. It was more evidence in favor of enchantments instead of strong spellcasters - were this driven by individually powerful spellcasters, they could have just come straight to me. Taking their time suggested that time benefited them.

The world waited with bated breath to see what they would do.

“So what now?” I asked, hours later. I tried to suppress a yawn.

“Patience, Ms. Koryn,” Pash said.

“I’m tired of waiting,” I said. “Other than training the soldiers, I haven’t been doing anything. There’s a plan, isn’t there?”

“Yes, but you must understand…” he began.

I cut him off with a gesture.

“It’s ‘need to know,’ and I don’t need to know,” I said, grumbling.

“Then why do you ask?” he said, smirking at me.

“Because I don’t understand this,” I said. “The military as a whole is acting like the people in charge don’t know what they’re dealing with. The president doesn’t act like he knows what we’re dealing with. I’m sitting here uselessly. What is Richardson thinking?”

“He’s keeping the information contained,” Pash said. “He is working diligently, I assure you.”

“That made sense a month ago,” I said. “But now, things are desperate! I should be used for something. The military shouldn’t throw away its soldiers in suicide missions by keeping information from them! This is madness.”

“He has his reasons, Ms. Koryn,” Pash said.

“Do you agree with those reasons?” I asked.

He hesitated, and I caught a glimpse of his soul briefly. A hint of guilt made the barrier twist, and I saw uncertainty blended with desire beneath that guilt. His stoic defenses returned instantly, leaving me with nothing but a flash.

“He is a friend of mine, and I trust him,” Pash said simply. “I can assure you that he puts the welfare of America, and humanity’s future, above all else.”

So you disagree with him, but aren’t willing to fight over it? I thought.

Albert chimed in, “I don’t know what reason he has to keep the president ill informed, or to let the soldiers lose their lives so freely. I do, however, rather suspect that revealing you publicly would cause even more of an uproar than we currently face.”

My hand clenched.

“Maybe I should just march down to DC myself,” I said. “Tell Roosevelt that my services are available, and...”

Pash gave me a disappointed look, and Albert shook his head.

“I fear that would do no good at this juncture,” Albert said, taking my hand in his. “Time is needed for such persuasions, and time is something we do not have. Until we know what the Germans intend to do, you must remain to counter them.”

I smiled and felt an impulse to hug him. He wasn’t trying to just protect me senselessly, like everyone else. He saw that I cared, and respected that. I wasn’t just some frail little girl that needed protecting - he actually accepted my preference to be the one who does the protecting.

A second later, it occurred to me that I had no reason to resist the impulse. I threw my arms around him and squeezed, pulling a laugh out of him in the process.

“I appreciate your support,” I said to him, and he grinned at me. I turned to Pash. “How about the German base they’re putting up? I could go scout it.”

“And if things go wrong, we lose the one and only chance of resisting their advance,” Pash said.

“I imagine you’re already gathering information,” Albert said, giving Pash a curious look.

“As I said, all current military operations -”

“Are need to know,” I finished, and sighed. Pash looked amused. “But I’m the only one who could understand half the things they might find.”

“If it is determined that your aid is required, it will be called on,” Pash said.

“So you’re continuing to insist that I sit here and do nothing,” I said, glaring at him.

“Not at all,” Pash replied. “I would recommend you do whatever you need to maintain in peak condition, because I expect you will be called upon soon.”

I made an inarticulate noise of frustration at him, and Albert laughed.

“If you really require something to do,” Pash said, “perhaps making more of those bullet protection enchantments would be a good use of your time.”

“I can’t make quality ones under the time pressure,” I said. “Especially not if we want me to stay in prime shape.”

Pash gave me a curious look.

“The ones you gave General Richardson...” he began.

“Inferior,” I said. “They’ll help, but the ones I made my friends took a full week’s effort each. The military ones can take a few bullets before breaking. The ones I’ve made for my friends, I’ve been tweaking and improving over time - they give comprehensive defenses against a number of threats, from bullets, to knives, and poison gas.”

“Can they protect against magic?” he asked.

“I’ve told you the problems with that before,” I said. “That said, they will provide a little help that way. Mostly, it tries to make them harder to see with magic senses.”

“This would have been good to know before,” he said, frowning.

I shrugged.

“We weren’t expecting to need a small number of highly powerful defensive enchantments,” I said. “Richardson specifically asked for me to equip an army. That means quantity.”

Pash sighed.

“Thank you for the information,” he said dryly. “Under the circumstances, I believe these enchantments will be extremely useful. We will be acquiring them. Who has them?”

“You’re giving them back, after,” I said.

“Naturally,” he agreed.

“Liam, Lou, Slick, Alice, and Albert,” I said.

“You don’t have one?” he asked.

“I do,” I said. “Mine’s a little different, though, and requires an aquas spellcaster to use properly.”

“Understood,” he said, and turned to Albert, reaching out his hand. “If I may?”

Albert looked at me and said, “Aera, if they decide to keep these, would you be able to find them?”

“Absolutely,” I said. “They also have a tracking enchantment built in, so I could find them in case of emergencies.”

“In that case,” he said, and took off the necklace, handing it to Pash.

“Thank you,” Pash said. “I will be off.”

---------

The airport was a mess. Liam and Lou had been working hard trying to keep the rioting under control. When they’d discovered that the planes were leaving Boston less than completely full, only carrying those who could buy their way, it had resulted in an argument. Lou wanted to “accidentally” open a way for the masses to board the planes, but Liam was concerned about the ways that could go badly.

They compromised by simply informing the reporters of the situation.

A few hours later, and the airport had been strong armed into accepting passengers who couldn’t immediately pay for tickets. Public relations could be a powerful force for good.

It was getting towards the end of a very long day when a familiar presence popped up on Liam’s magesense. He frowned as he looked over. What was Pash doing here?

He nudged Lou to get her to look.

Pash was walking towards them, followed by a few soldiers and a sullen looking Slick. Lou tensed up. Lou and Liam had been pretty isolated, so no one was close enough to eavesdrop.

“Greetings, Lieutenant O’Brien, Ms. Williams,” Pash said. “I heard about your exploits on the way here. Commendable.”

“Cut the crap,” Lou said. “You’re here for a reason. What do you want?”

Pash smiled amicably, as though entirely unbothered by Lou’s rudeness.

“With the Germans so close, the military has need of better close range defenses,” Pash said. “Ms. Koryn has informed me that the amulets you wear are the highest quality she can produce. As such, we require them temporarily.”

Liam sighed and started taking off his necklace. Or “amulet,” as Pash called it. It did sound more manly that way.

Lou, though, got a fierce grin on her face and started laughing.

“Is that so?” she asked, her voice thick with anticipation. “So let me get this straight - you need something from me.”

Slick went from looking frustrated to perking up. His spirit was easy to read, and Liam suppressed a chuckle. Slick had seen Lou like this before. Pash, on the other hand, was a bit taken aback.

“Yes, though keep in mind that it’s for the benefit of America,” Pash said.

“Yeah, yeah,” Lou said dismissively. “The important thing here is, you’ll be in deep shit if you don’t get this from me. So I have something you need.”

Pash frowned.

“And what is it you need from me?” Pash said.

“I have everything I need,” Lou said brightly.

“So what will it require to get the amulet?” Pash said, annoyance thick in his voice.

“Hmm, let’s see,” Lou said, putting her hands behind her back and walking closer to Pash. “Just about anything I want, that you have access to. What could I possibly use this position over you to get? Getting nervous, Pash?”

Pash frowned.

“We don’t have time for games,” he said.

“We have a little time,” she said. “I know. I’ll let you have it for free… as long as you say ‘pretty please.’”

Pash blinked and then sighed.

“Ms. Williams, this is ridiculous,” he said. “Please just hand over the amulet.”

“That didn’t sound very sincere,” she said, an exaggerated pout on her face. “It doesn’t sound like I have something you really want and can’t get any other way.”

Pash stared at her. Slick was suppressing the urge to giggle, and Liam completely failed at keeping a straight face.

After a long moment, Pash spoke again.

“Please give me the amulet, Ms. Williams,” he said, his tone more subdued.

“That’s more like it,” Lou said, reaching up for the golden chain.

“Now, wait a minute,” Liam said. “I didn’t hear a ‘pretty.’”

“That’s right!” Lou said with a laugh. “It’s supposed to be ‘pretty please.’”

Pash grit his teeth.

“Pretty please,” Pash said, sounding disgusted.

“Almost there,” Lou said. “Make it a sentence. Beg me properly.”

Pash glared at her, but she didn’t so much as flinch.

“Pretty please give me the amulet,” he said at last, almost sounding like he was about to choke.

Slick was staring in gleeful astonishment as Lou took off the necklace and handed over with a smug look on her face. Pash took it and then looked at Liam.

“And yours?” he asked.

Liam held it out and said, “What? No ‘pretty please’ for me?”

Pash simply took the necklace and turned around to leave.

“That was wicked, Lou,” Slick said, grinning.

“Thanks,” she said. “Why are you with him, anyway?”

“He wants both me and O’Brien at the base,” Slick said. “I think you pissed him off something fierce, because he forgot to ask.”

“Wouldn’t have mattered anyway,” Liam said. “I have my duty here, and I’m not letting them push me around.”

“Why does he want you anyway?” Lou asked. “You’re useless in a fight.”

“You think he cares?” Slick asked, and sighed. “I told him he could get Alice’s necklace over my dead body, and he got pushy. I….”

He hesitated, and Liam gave him a curious look. His spirit looked a little torn up.

“What’d you see?” Liam asked.

Slick looked surprised, and then flustered.

“Look, he was sort of threatening Alice,” he said. “Not directly, just saying that the military could cause us some trouble, like with the draft or whatever, and if we want peace and quiet, we oughtta listen. So I got mad and I saw past his weird numbness.”

“Weird numbness?” Lou asked.

“Pash’s sort of barrier on his soul, against magesense,” Liam explained. “It ‘looks’ like scar tissue, and ‘sounds’ like the creaking of a haunted house, and feels like that feeling when you get novocaine at the dentist.”

“Creepy,” Lou said.

Liam nodded and said, “Aera thinks it’s childhood trauma combined with an intense desire for no one to see who he really is inside. Anyway, Slick, what did you see?”

“I’m no good at figuring out what this stuff means,” Slick said with a shrug. “He was pissed when he felt me get through, looked like he wanted to kill me. It just looked like a bunch of craziness, you know? All souls look crazy complicated. His, though, was slippery, and hungry. And dark.”

“None of those things is necessarily bad,” Liam said with a frown. “Everything you perceive with magesense is interpreted through your own biases and feelings. But the hunger - that’s curious. Can you describe it?”

“I dunno how to describe this shit,” Slick said, looking in the direction of Pash. The lieutenant appeared annoyed and looking like he was considering coming back for him. “But I guess, it’s like when you’ve gone without food for ages, and you’re feeling so tired and weak. And then you get a taste, and it all comes back, and it hurts, your stomach is all ripped up, and it’s all ‘need.’ And… and fear, too, that he wouldn’t get what he’s hungry for.”

Pash was starting to walk back towards them, looking irritated.

“Maybe it would be worth forcing my way in, to get a better look,” Liam mused aloud.

“And it’s shit like that which proves my point about magic,” Lou snapped at him. “Random people is bad enough, but to force your way into someone’s soul, when they know about it and want you to stop?”

He raised his hands.

“You’re right,” he said. “I won’t. But it’s… it’d be nice to know, that’s all.”

“I’ll grant that,” Lou said. “Anyway, Slick, quick question before Pash gets here - did you give him the necklaces?”

“Mine, yeah, but not hers,” Slick said. “I told her to wear it in her sleep and shower, and never take it off until this all gets sorted. I did give him the lighter, though.”

Ah, yes, the communication enchantments Aera had made for them.

“Fair enough,” Lou said. “Now get out of here before I have to smell his bullshit again.”

Slick laughed, and playfully saluted her as he turned to rejoin the slippery, hungering darkness.

---------

Pash returned late in the evening with Slick and all but one of the necklaces. When I asked, Slick answered instead, advising me that it was Alice’s, and that’s all there was to it.

I went to bed as usual that night, and was awoken at about two in the morning.

“Whaaaa?” I asked vaguely, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

“Ms. Koryn, you are urgently needed,” Pash’s voice said from the shadow by my bed.

I was too sleepy for this. I vaguely squeezed at my magic, forcing adrenaline into my veins. The drowsiness faded almost instantly, and I shook off the last vestiges of sleep.

“What is it?” I asked, as I hastily threw on clothes before he could even leave.

“The Germans are constructing something in their base, and we have no idea what it is,” he said. “We’ll bring you to the closest vantage point we can. I know where it is, so I’ll drive you.”

“Makes sense,” I said as I followed after him.

I was finally useful! This was exciting.

Scarcely minutes passed before we loaded into a jeep, which had bottles of water and rations. Pash quickly sped away to the north. The temporary base was already fifteen minutes or so north of Boston, and we arrived at the “vantage point” after a mere twenty minutes of driving. Pash encouraged me to eat and drink on the drive, since he wanted me at my best, just in case anything went wrong.

The “vantage point” was a hastily constructed tower, attached to a tall tree. We climbed to the top and had a good view for miles. I saw the German base easily - they’d put up some hastily made walls, and the area was well lit. Whatever they were doing, they were very active. Pash handed me a pair of binoculars.

It took me a minute to adjust to the strange sight from the binoculars, but when I finally locked my gaze on the camp, I gasped in recognition.

The shape was blurry, distant, and poorly lit. But it was clear enough to see, and my memories filled in the details. It was a beautiful, circular ring of stone, with glowing sigils along the sides, mostly of Lum and Aeros, most likely. The platform at its base was too low for me to see, but I was sure it would be there, with a series of steps leading up to a place in the middle to stand at or place goods.

“You know what it is?” Pash pressed.

“It’s… a portal,” I said. “Most of them were made for traveling between distant cities, for trade and such, though this looks a lot like the one my parents made.”

“The one that brought you here?” he asked.

I nodded.

“I can’t be sure if it’s like my parents’, not from here,” I said. “It’s definitely a portal, though.”

“And, to clarify, what is a portal?”

“Er, like teleportation,” I said. “Everything standing on the central platform gets instantly teleported to a matching gate somewhere else. As far as we know, there’s no distance limit, if the portals are made correctly. And well made ones can make a continuous connection, so it’s like a doorway.”

“You’re saying they can step through that and get to Germany and back?” Pash said, his voice tight.

“It doesn’t look fully complete, yet. But when it’s done? Maybe,” I said. “But for all I know, they can get to Camelot.”

“Isn’t that what your parents were aiming for?” Pash asked.

“Yes,” I said. “Thing is, they’re nice. Were it opened randomly? This world would soon be run by spellcasters.”

He frowned.

“This portal, then, connects to either Germany or your home world, most likely,” he said. “Either way…”

I nodded.

“If we don’t stop them, this is the end of the world as we know it,” I said.