"We have a Queen." Oluwa came, with Montrose and Susila behind him. And embarrassingly enough, they went to their knees before me. It was bad enough when the others did it; now the Council was doing it. I slapped a hand over my face.
"Yeah. A foul-mouthed, evil-tempered, bitch of a Queen," I grumped, hoping they'd get up soon.
"Xenides counted on your getting him away from here, my daughter," Wlodek said softly, sitting down beside me. "The army was merely a distraction. Once he had you, he didn't need them." When had Wlodek arrived? The last I'd seen of him, he'd been yards away. "And we will have a discussion later about profanity."
"I'll look forward to it," I snapped. "By the way, Ilaisaane's dead." She was, I'd found the red silk dress she'd been wearing, amid a pile of ash. I'd walked right past it without a twinge of regret.
"Just as well, she was scheduled for termination anyway," Wlodek sighed. And that's when everything slowed. It was as if I was still moving at normal speed, but everyone and everything else began to move at a snail's pace. Words were so painfully drawn out they were unintelligible. Griffin appeared before me.
"Xenides is gone, your mission here is complete," he said. I already knew that, but I was thankful his speech wasn't so slow I couldn't understand it. "Now," Griffin went on, "I need your help. Desperately. If you do not come into the future with me, Lissa, many will die." Griffin had an odd, frightened expression on his normally handsome face.
"What do you mean, many will die?" I gave him a puzzled look. I had no idea what he meant.
"Dragon and the others—the Saa Thalarr. I can't give you any information other than that, baby, because it would be interfering. Please, come with me now. Please."
"But what about Gavin?" I turned to reach out toward Gavin, who wore a frightened expression on his face and the hand he held out had stopped in its momentum to reach me. I felt a chasm between us right then and wanted to stretch out my arm to bridge the gap between us. Wlodek, too, had reached out a hand, as if he could force Griffin away from me. That hand had also stopped, leaving unformed words of denial on Wlodek's lips.
"No, Lissa, you must come now." Griffin pulled my attention away from Gavin and Wlodek. He waved a hand and I was no longer dressed in the aqua gown that had cost so much and was now torn and spattered with blood. I had jeans and one of my T-shirts on, with athletic shoes.
"Lissa, come now. There is no time." Griffin begged. I stared around me. Everything was still and silent. Merrill, standing behind Russell and Will, seemed terrified. Griffin was his friend, why should he be scared? "Lissa, please," Griffin said, and his voice trembled slightly "they're outnumbered and they'll die." He truly was afraid.
"Fine," I muttered and stood up. Griffin and I disappeared.
The End