She ran harder up the hill. A log tripped her, and she rolled partway down the other side of the hill then bounded to her feet. Jenn focused on the sound of her breathing and the placement of her feet on the trembling ground. Her lungs were burning and her legs aching by the time she spotted the tree ringed by stones. Hope soaring, Jenn sprinted as hard as she could. The tree was on fire but still standing. She caught herself against it, squinting back the way she'd come.
Struck by the familiarity of the scene, she paused as the fire reached the top of the hill. The last time she'd seen the orchard, it'd been on fire. This time, it wouldn't survive. Nothing would.
There would be one world, the one she shared with Darian.
Jenn balanced herself against the tree and worked her way around it. The ground dropped out from under her, and she landed in the desert on her belly. Gasping for air, she rolled onto her back. The hot midday sun was reminiscent of the immortal world, but the screaming was gone, replaced by silence.
The ground rumbled. She forced herself up and half stumbled, half ran away from the portal. When she felt she was a safe enough distance, she stopped and looked back. White fire spewed from the ground upward, towards the sky. It blazed before fading to a flicker. It died completely. She straightened. A shockwave exploded from the gateway and knocked her back. The magic swept through her outward.
Jenn waited for the ground to stop rumbling before she stepped forward uneasily, gaze on the area where the portal was. She picked up a rock and threw it into the center of the gateway. It didn't fall through but remained where it landed.
Exhausted, she sank to her knees. Her thoughts went to the Watcher that had spoken to her and healed her. She looked around for any Others or guardsmen that might've escaped through the portal. There were none.
It didn't seem possible that none of them had made it to the mortal world. It didn't seem possible that a Watcher had saved her.
"You survived."
Jenn nodded without turning. The Black God came into view, trailed by his storm clouds. Jonny's dark eyes had taken on a new spark of intelligence, his air settled where it had been agitated before.
"You're different," she voiced.
"Yeah. A little less naïve. Far less forgiving, Jenn."
"I understand, ikir."
"That's the first time you've called me that."
"It's about time, don't you think?"