Noah and Jalen stepped out of the swirling green portal and into an unfamiliar observation room. There was no sign of Alexandra alongside them — but sitting in a pair of chairs set up before the window overlooking the arena were another two familiar individuals.
“Holy shit,” Todd said, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste to rise to his feet. “Jalen!”
Isabel spun toward them as well. Her eyes locked on Noah and she froze.
“Hullo,” Jalen said. “Anyone order a kidnapping?”
“You really need to stop saying that,” Noah said. He jerked his chin toward the spinning portal. “Hurry. We’re extracting everyone. Vivian—”
“Definitely can’t be happy with you. We saw the message.” Isabel banished the surprise from her features in a split second and gave him a sharp nod. “We’re ready.”
“In you go, then,” Jalen said. “Alexandra is already waiting for you with Lee and Brayden and another random woman.”
Todd grinned. “We’ve been waiting forever, Teacherman. That suit isn’t fooling anyone. You better have a damn good explanation as to what took you so damn long.”
Then he and Isabel strode into the portal.
Jalen looked to Noah. “You next, princess.”
Noah was already moving. He plunged into the portal. The world shifted, and his stomach lurched slightly. Something in his soul shifted in displeasure. It didn’t like getting teleported around this much — but he didn’t care. They were on a time limit.
He found himself standing in yet another observation room. Except, this time, his foot was lodged squarely in someone’s roast chicken dinner. Noah pulled his heel free with a rather sad squelch and a sigh, then lowered his gaze from the top of the back wall to the people seated before him.
Silvertide and Tyler both sat at the table, staring at him with stunned expressions. The old soldier recovered first, snagging a napkin to wipe his face and rising to his feet just as Jalen appeared to Noah’s side and planted both of his feet — with a considerable amount of force — in the center of what had once been a meat pie.
“Hello, you old codger!” Jalen exclaimed. “No time for introductions or explanations! I need you and your snotling to dive into my portal!”
“You could have explained a fair amount with the time you just wasted,” Silvertide said dryly. “Hello, Noah. It’s been some time.”
“So it has,” Noah said. “Jalen’s not wrong, though. Into the portal.”
Silvertide shrugged. He grabbed Tyler by the back of the shirt as if the huge teen were a baby cat and flung him straight into the swirling green disk. Then he kicked his cane up into the air, snagged it with his free hand, and leapt onto the table beside Noah.
“We’ve got some catch-up to do, lad,” Silvertide said. “I’ll be looking forward to it. You have some explaining to do.”
Then he stepped into the portal and vanished.
“Silvertide is one of my favorite old men,” Jalen said. “Did I ever tell you that? I’ve got a list and everything.”
“No,” Noah said. “But somehow, I’m unsurprised. Is the next location set?”
“Yes,” Jalen replied. “After you. And I would put a spring in your step. I can feel the assistance your… creature gave me starting to fade. I don’t get the feeling he’s going to have the energy to do it a second time.”
Noah strode through the portal without another word.
The world shifted.
And, entirely unsurprisingly, he found himself inside yet another viewing room. Jalen had been kind enough not to deposit him right into the middle of someone’s breakfast this time around. Instead, he was surrounded by a pile of strewn about clothes and bedsheets. Someone had dragged their mattress from their personal room into the center of the viewing one.
Who would…
There was a loud yawn. Two arms popped out of the mess of sheets on top of the mattress. Then James sat up, rubbing at his eyes. Then he spotted Noah and froze. He blinked, then let out a grunt.
“Huh,” James said, raising his voice to a yell. “Emily! I told you we could do nothing and he’d just show up!”
“What are you talking about?” Emily’s head poked out of her room. “You don’t need to be so loud in...”
She trailed off as she spotted Jalen stepping into the room alongside Noah. Her eyes went wide for a moment. Then she spun, vanishing into her room for a moment before reemerging with two packs slung over her shoulders. She flung one at James — who had just been starting to rise from his bed.
The back struck him like a bowling ball. He tripped over over the mess at his feet and tumbled to the ground in a sprawl of limbs, only to shoot straight back up a moment later with the bag somehow strapped over his shoulders.
“We’re ready!” Emily said, racing up to them. “Let’s go!”
Then she darted through the portal.
“She’s not gonna admit I’m right,” James grumbled. “I was right! We just had to sit around!”
Then he dove into the portal behind Emily.
Noah and Jalen exchanged a glance. Then, as one, they shrugged and stepped back into the portal in the wake of the two students.
The world changed once more.
Noah stumbled in slight surprise as he found himself standing back in the arena, under the roaring crowd — and with a stream of frozen energy streaking straight for his head. He yanked on Locrian Dissonance and sent a wave of oily chaotic energy tearing out from his palm.
The magic met his and withered away, torn to shreds before it could ever get close to touching him. A woman stood on the sand before him, two storms of frost raging around her hands and her mouth hanging askew in shock. Noah didn’t recognize her.
He glanced over his shoulder.
Yulin stared back at him from where she had fallen to one knee on the sand, her sword planted in the ground before her as she fought for heavy breaths.
“Spider?” She asked, squinting up at him.
Noah nodded to Jalen.
The other man reached down and grabbed Yulin, tossing her unceremoniously into the portal.
Noah nodded to the baffled woman across from him. Then he turned around and stepped right back into the swirling disk, even as the roars of the crowd echoed overhead.
And then Noah was back in another viewing chamber. This time, it took him a moment to recall who the two people within it were. There was a woman with hard features and an icy cold demeanor standing alongside a man a few years older than his average student.
He squinted at them for a moment. Then his eyes widened as his memories clicked back into place.
The inquisitors! Fuyin and Tillian! They ended up working together, huh?
“You!” Tillian exclaimed. “The musician!”
“Explanation through the portal,” Jalen said, pointing at it. “In you go.”
“What?” Tillian asked, aghast. “I’m not going to—”
Noah pulled his mask up.
Both Tillian and Fuyin froze.
“You’re dead,” Fuyin whispered. “I thought you were dead!”
“He is dead,” Tillian said, his hand lowering to the thin blade at his side. “I know it. How are you here, Noah?”
“Explanation’s through the portal,” Noah said impatiently. These weren’t his students. He wasn’t sure why Grim and Jalen had even bothered with them, but they were already here.“We don’t have time right now. Get in or don’t. Your choice.”
Tillian hesitated for a second longer. Then he stepped into the portal. Fuyin followed after him.
Jalen gave Noah a sharp nod, and the two of them stepped back into the portal once more. The world warped. Once more, Noah was in a new viewing room.
Aylin and Vrith stood at attention before him. The two of them didn’t seem surprised in the slightest at their arrival. Aylin just gave Noah a sharp nod.
“Welcome back, Spider,” Aylin said. “We saw your message and are prepared. Please ensure to get Sticky, Edda, Torrick, and Violet. They are not participating in the tournament.”
“Bunch of little demons and a bigger one?” Jalen asked.
Aylin nodded.
“They’re already on the list,” Jalen said. “We’ll get them in a moment. Need to grab everyone at the tournament first.”
The two demons didn’t say another word. They both just plunged into the portal.
“I love your people so much more than the Linwicks,” Jalen informed Noah. “You have any idea how much bullshit I’d have to do to convince a Linwick to go into a portal like this? They’d all think I was about to plunge them into a volcano or something.”
That’s probably because plunging someone into a volcano for no reason is entirely within the realm of activities you would partake in.
“Unfortunate,” Noah said.
“Quite,” Jalen said.
Then the two of them stepped right back into the portal.
Another viewing room took form around them. Noah was starting to get quite familiar with them at this point. He’d definitely seen more rooms than anyone in the tournament other than Vivian’s own people. The inhabitants of this one were two women from Arbalest.
Not students, but teachers.
Bird and Ulya.
Noah had nearly forgotten that Ulya had escaped the fall of Arbalest. He was glad that she did. The puppet-mage had been fairly reasonable when they’d worked together. It was good to see that she was still doing well.
“I know you with or without that outfit,” Bird said, thrusting a finger toward him as a confident grin split her features. “It doesn’t matter what you wear, Noah. I have studied every aspect of the way your body moves. Your stance gives you away.”
“Could you not say it like that?” Noah asked wearily. “You’re going to give someone the wrong idea. Both of you, get into the portal.”
“Are you sure this is wise?” Ulya asked, glancing to Bird. “I mean—”
“It’s fine,” Bird said. “Trust me.”
Then she vanished into the portal. Ulya hesitated for a moment before flicking her hand. Three puppets jerked forward, stepping into the portal before Uyla followed the other woman into it.
Noah and Jalen were right behind them. The portal spat the two men out again, this time in a familiar room.
Moxie stood before them, arms crossed in front of her chest and her foot tapping against the ground as if she’d been waiting for them. A grin split her lips as she spotted Noah.
“There you are,” she said. “Slower than I thought. About damn time.”
Noah grinned. As badly as he wanted to say more, the fact that Jalen had stopped wisecracking meant they really were starting to get low on time.
“Everyone’s waiting,” Noah said, nodding to the portal. “We’ll be a few seconds behind you. Vivian won’t be pleased.”
“I guessed,” Moxie replied. “Get moving.”
Then she stepped into the portal.
Noah and Jalen followed after her.
The world changed again. This time, there was no stone observation chamber waiting for them. They instead emerged into the room of an inn. Four demons sat on the bed across from them. Violet shot to her feet before Noah had even finished stepping out from the portal as the other three flinched back.
He pulled his mask up before any of them could say anything.
Violet’s eyes widened. “Spider?”
“In the flesh,” Noah said with a grin. “Everyone else is already waiting for you. We’re on a tight schedule. Take the kids and get moving. We’ve got some nasty attention headed our way soon.”
Violet tore herself from her surprise and spun, grabbing the younger demons and flinging the over her shoulders like sacks of potatoes. She flashed him a quick grin.
“I knew you’d be back,” she said.
Sticky waved to Noah.
Noah waved back.
Then Violet sprinted through the portal.
“That’s all of them,” Jalen said, sounding relieved. “Now let’s get the hell out of here. My part is done. You’re up.”
Noah nodded, a grin spreading across his lips as he pulled his mask back over his face and followed the demons through the portal.
It was time to get the hell out of Aqua Terra.