16. Jack
Chapter sixteen
Jack
I watch Violet’s face contort as she sees her friend through the viewing portal. The snow in her town has reached dangerous levels, and Alana struggles to make her way through the drifts. My chest tightens at Violet’s obvious distress.
“I have to go back.” Her voice cracks. “She needs me.”
The thought of Violet leaving creates an ache deep within me that I’ve never experienced before. But the image of her friend fighting against the brutal winter I created...
“The journey between realms could kill you.” My hands clench at my sides. “We tried once already.”
Violet turns to me, her soft green eyes filled with determination. “I don’t care. I can’t stay here while she’s in danger.”
She would risk death to help someone she loves. The realization hits me like an avalanche. The words punch me in the gut. Her determination, her willingness to sacrifice—it mirrors my own choices from centuries past. I too gave up everything, my mortal life included, to protect those I cherished. Even now, I serve countless humans who will never know my name, who curse the frost I bring while remaining ignorant of how it preserves their world’s delicate balance.
I would have done the same for my sister. The thought rises unbidden, painful and raw. Now here stands Violet, ready to risk everything for someone she loves, just as I once did.
Damn it all. We’re more alike than I wanted to admit. The realization makes my chest ache, the ice in my veins stirring with an unfamiliar warmth.
This is who she truly is. She is someone who puts others before herself, who fights for what she believes in. And I’ve been pushing her away, treating her like a threat when she’s anything but.
“There might be a way.” The words leave my mouth before I can stop them. “But it will weaken me significantly.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “What do you mean?”
I step closer, fighting every instinct that screams at me to keep her here, safe. Protected. “I can create a stable portal, but it requires channeling a massive amount of power. Power that normally maintains the barriers between realms. ”
“Will it hurt you?”
The concern in her voice makes my chest constrict further. “Not permanently.”
Violet hesitates, and I see the conflict in her eyes. Even now, worried about her friend, she’s considering my wellbeing.
I’ve been such a fool.
“Do it.” She squares her shoulders. “Please.”
Violet’s hand brushes against my arm. “Jack, wait. Those texts I found—” She bites her lip, hesitating. “There was something about a missing summer, in 1816. Your realm’s magic has affected Earth before, hasn’t it?”
My body goes rigid. How does she know about that? The memory of that devastating time floods back—my despair. How my magic had leaked into the mortal realm, bringing endless winter, even in summer months.
“The texts mentioned crop failures, widespread famine.” Her voice drops lower. “Just like what’s happening now in my town. Maybe there’s something in those records that could help us understand how to stop it?”
I can’t speak. Can’t move. The parallel she’s drawing is too precise, too painful. But there’s no time to dwell on it now. Not when every moment we delay puts her at greater risk. If it’s anything like what I faced centuries ago, Alana and the others won’t stand a chance against its destructive power.
Drawing myself up to my full height, I let winter’s power surge through me. My skin darkens to deep blue, clothes dissolving into swirling ice crystals that dance around my now-massive form. The temperature plummets as I gather the magic necessary to create a stable portal.
Ancient words of power tumble from my lips as I tear a hole between realms. The magic fights me, resistant to being bent to my will. My muscles strain with the effort of holding it open.
The portal stabilizes, edges crackling with frost. Through it, I can see the snow-buried streets of Salida.
Blood trickles from my nose—the price of defying the natural order. But seeing Violet’s determined face, I know it’s worth it.
“Go. Now.” My voice booms through the chamber, otherworldly in this form. “The portal won’t hold long. This will take you directly to her.” My voice strains with the effort. “But Violet—”
She meets my gaze, and for once, I let her see everything I’ve been hiding. All the fear, the longing, the regret.
“You can come back. If you want to.” I’ll find her. I’ll tear down every barrier between realms if she wants me to.
Her eyes widen at the admission, understanding its weight. I’m giving her a choice—something I should have done from the beginning.
The portal stabilizes, and I feel my power draining rapidly. Violet steps toward it, then pauses. She turns back to me one last time.
“Thank you, Jack.”
Then she’s gone, and I’m left with nothing but the echo of her presence and the hope that she’ll return.
I slump in my office chair, completely exhausted from maintaining the portal. The taste of copper lingers in my mouth from the strain of the magic. But something nags at my mind, preventing me from resting.
Violet found those records so quickly. How?
Gabriel enters without knocking, his usual smirk in place. “Well, that was quite the display of power?”
My jaw clenches at his casual tone. “You told me there were no records of similar events in our history.”
“Did I?” He examines his nails, unconcerned. “Perhaps I missed something in my research.”
“You’ve been around the library for centuries, since the last historian left.” I lean forward, studying his face. “You don’t miss things.”
His gray eyes meet mine, a flash of something dark crossing his features. “Are you questioning my loyalty, Jack?”
“I’m questioning your competence.” The lie comes easily. In truth, I’m questioning far more than that. “A mortal found crucial historical information in days that you claimed didn’t exist after months of searching.”
Gabriel’s posture stiffens. “The girl probably misunderstood what she read. Ancient texts can be... misleading.”
“She mentioned 1816 in the mortal realm specifically.” I watch his reaction carefully. “The Year Without Summer.”
His face remains neutral, but his fingers twitch. It’s a tell I’ve noticed over our years together. “That event was caused by a volcanic eruption. It’s well documented in mortal history.”
“Is it?” I stand, ice crackling beneath my feet. “Or is that what we wanted them to believe? ”
Silence stretches between us, heavy with unspoken accusations. Gabriel’s usual easy manner has vanished, replaced by something more calculating.
“You’re tired, Jack.” His voice carries a note of warning. “The portal has drained you. Perhaps we should discuss this when you’re thinking more clearly.”
Jack . He’s used my name twice now, when he typically maintains formal distance. My suspicion deepens.
“Leave me.” I turn away, making a show of fatigue. “I need to rest.”
I hear him hesitate before his footsteps retreat. The door closes with a soft click.
Alone, I pull out the ancient journal Violet had tried to show me earlier. The one I’d dismissed without truly examining it.
What else have I been too blind to see?