“Miracle, yes,” Liam said. “I suspected her identity when I first saw her up close and noticed the powerful shaping keeping her from her abilities. I’ve been helping Declan track the embodiment of her powers. It’s such a puzzle. Even right there in front of me, I still had no idea how they did it. Amazing work, really.”

“No fun for her,” Cole said.

Liam pointed at Cole’s chair, and it toppled over sideways. “Don’t be a downer. Of course it’s no fun for her. It’s still incredible.”

Cole had managed to break his fall with his hands. “Thanks for that.”

“I try to teach little lessons wherever I go,” Liam said. He waved a hand at his couch, and the support vanished. Rather than fall, the couch started floating gently.

“Why are you here?” Cole asked, shifting into a kneeling position.

“That’s deep,” Liam said. “I’m not sure I have enough focus to answer.”

“You heard what Declan said about you,” Cole realized.

Liam gave a little shrug. “At least when he talks behind my back, he sticks to the same things he says to my face. It’s actually kind of admirable.”

“Do you lack focus?”

“Absolutely. He was telling the truth. I’m not very serious. But I’m not sure it’s as big a weakness as he thinks. Get too serious and you freeze up. I may lack focus, but some important things catch my interest.”

“Like what?”

“Flashing lights. Dominoes. Pinball.”

“Pinball has flashing lights,” Cole said.

Liam grinned. “I’m sensing a pattern.”

“You guys have pinball?”

“In Zeropolis,” Liam said. “I went there as a slave. We know about a lot of stuff from your world. Most of us have our roots there. I notice many things from your world on the castles when they head down the void. I’m not sure how the items get there.”

Cole stood up. “Would you fix my chair?”

Liam snapped his fingers and the chair lurched upright. “You must hate it here.”

“I don’t know,” Cole said, sitting gingerly, making sure the chair would hold him again.

“They enslaved you!” Liam said. “Not a great way to encourage tourism.”

“How did you end up a slave?” Cole asked.

The couch had drifted up to the ceiling. Liam pushed off gently, and the couch glided lower. “I saved a bunch of orphans from a fire, and my freemark got charred. I was enslaved the next day while I was recovering.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Yes. Ready for the truth? My parents sold me. Not my real parents. I never knew them. They supposedly died in a riot. The parents who raised me decided to sell me.”

“Really?”

“Yes. We lived on the border between Junction and Sambria. My parents didn’t like my shaping. They tried to get me to hide it. I didn’t. It was the only thing I was good at! One day, I got sold, marked, and chucked into a slave wagon. Thanks, Mom! Thanks, Dad! Don’t spend it all in one place!”

Liam talked like he was joking, but Cole heard real bitterness behind the words. “So you came here.”

“Not right away,” Liam said. “I had to escape first. And it took some effort to find Declan. Long, boring story.”

“Was it hard to find your way in?”

“Much harder to get in than to get out. I found where Declan had entered and followed the faint path he left behind.”

“Wait,” Cole said. “Didn’t he come here years before you?”

“The woods he came through make you turn around without knowing it. The Boomerang Forest. You walk in, stay on a straight course, and walk out the way you entered without ever turning.”

“Really?”

“Yes. But Declan performed counter-shapings wherever the forest tried to turn him around. He adjusted certain places in the woods so he could move sideways or diagonally instead of backward. His shapings were left in place, and I followed them here.”

“How do you like it?”

“Beats slavery. Beats parents who would sell me to slavers. I’ve learned a lot. It’s kind of like a voluntary prison where I get to shape amazing things all the time. I won’t stay here forever. Sounds like you four won’t stay here past tomorrow.”

Cole nodded. “Looks that way.”

“You’ll have fun,” Liam said. “New experiences. Fighting a monster made of shaping power? Nobody has done that! Nobody can even guess what it would be like. The idea is revolutionary.”

“Do you think we can survive it?”

Liam scrunched his face in thought. “I should probably make a tomb. You know, the kind of memorial they use when you can’t retrieve the bodies? We can have the funeral before you leave. I could whip up some black clothes.”

“Is it that bad?”

“Who knows? It’s unprecedented. Sounded bad to me.”

“Me too.”

Liam fluttered his fingers and the couch drifted back to its former position. The single, slim support reappeared. “I should let you get some rest.”

Liam stood and went to the door.

“Liam,” Cole said, rising. “Why’d you come by?”

“I was curious about Happy. What a small world!”

“Is that all?”

“I couldn’t sleep and felt a little bored.”

“Okay,” Cole said. “Good night.”

“We’ll keep watch tonight. You’ll be safe. Try to settle down. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I have. Mine.”

Liam laughed. “Nice. I’m sorry you can’t stick around.” He walked out and snapped his fingers. The door banged shut.

Shedding his clothes, Cole crawled into bed. Liam was right about one thing at least: He needed sleep. Who knew when he would get a good rest again? Hugging a pillow against the side of his head, Cole tried not to obsess about what the next day would bring.

Chapter 23

GIFTS

Breakfast was spectacular the next morning. Eggs had been prepared in numerous ways—scrambled, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, poached, fried, deviled, baked, and pickled. Thick strips of bacon glistened in their crinkly glory. Various kinds of toast and pastries vied for attention, along with butter, honey, and jam. A vat of oatmeal had been sweetened with berries and sugar. Pies bulged with spicy potatoes, veggies, eggs, and sausage. Milk was available, and fruit juice, and numerous hot drinks.