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her weight from one foot to the other.
    “What’s wrong with you?”
    Her brows rose. “What?”
    “You’re,” he waved his hand. “Fidgeting.”
    “Oh, that. I always start moving when I’ve
lost patience. Jiggle my leg, tap my foot, drum my fingers on the
nearest available hard surface. The guys back at the station always
teased me about that. Dee’s ready to go, they’d say.” Her sheepish
smile faded and he knew she was remembering she no longer had her
job.
    Her next words echoed his thought.
    “Sometimes, I really miss my job.”
    He didn’t understand. In Rune, work was work,
play was play. “Why?”
    “Because we were like family.” She blinked
rapidly. “Those guys still call me, but I won’t take their calls.
I’m too embarrassed.”
    “Over what? You said you’d nothing
wrong.”
    “True.” She looked miserable. “But someone
thinks I did, or they wouldn’t have suspended me. I couldn’t bear
to see doubt and disgust in the other cops’ faces.”
    “Come on.” He held out his hand.
    She shook her head. The frown was back, along
with the tiny line. “This is absolutely lovely, but we really don’t
have time for this,” she said. “Seriously. We need to go back.”
    Blinking, he wasn’t sure he’d heard
correctly. “What?”
    “All this.” She waved one hand dismissingly
at the lush landscape surrounding them. “I’d love to explore this
place, if I was on vacation. But I’m not and there’s no time. So,
take me back. Now.”
    He blinked. She had to be the first human
he’d ever met who, once seeing Rune, wasn’t overcome. “I told you,
time passes differently here. Though we might spend hours here,
when we go back to your world, it will be like a matter of minutes.
You have all the time you want.”
    One arched brow told him she didn’t believe
him. “Despite that, this feels wrong. We’re wasting too much
time here. Let’s go.”
    “In a moment. There’s one more thing we’ve
got to do before we can leave. I want to look at the ones who’ve
been harmed. Mick’s friends. I wasn’t able to do so before I
traveled to your world.”
    “I don’t know…”
    “I would think as an officer of the law,
you’d want to see the people you’re going to help. And, though you
seem inclined to think Mick is the victim here, evidence points to
the opposite.”
    She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck with
her free hand. Again she checked her watch, shaking her head when
she realized what she’d done. “Sorry, it’s a habit. Will this take
long? And don’t say time is relative.”
    “No. This shouldn’t take long.”
    “You honestly believe Mick is behind all
this?”
    “Unfortunately, yes.”
    Considering him, she cocked her head. “I
would argue with you, but what you’ve told me means Mick’s been
lying to me about nearly everything. So yes, of course I want to
see the victims.”
    “All right.” He nodded. “Take my hand. The
afflicted ones are with the Oracle, a great mage who resides across
the Plains of Lothar. Getting there will require another
spell.”
    Chin up, she held out her hand.
    As he gripped her fingers with his own, again
he felt that click of connection, of rightness.
    Three words, repeated twice. They were
ancient words; the meaning of which were no longer known. An
instant later, the lush meadow of his home faded.
    Another breath, another heartbeat, and they
reformed in an alpine meadow. The sparse grass and delicate flora
were at home in the thin air. Here, the breeze carried a chill, the
likes of which reminded Cenrick of winter.
    “Ah,” Dee sighed, pleasure obvious in her
face. “This reminds me of Colorado.”
    This time, she didn’t immediately yank her
hand free of his. Oddly, he found he liked this.
    “This way.” He pointed to a narrow path
winding up the side of the mountain.
    “Don’t we need an appointment or something?
Surely we can’t just barge in on this person, especially if she’s
caring for sick