It didn't seem possible that none of them had made it to the mortal world. It didn't seem possible that a Watcher had saved her.

"You survived."

Jenn nodded without turning. The Black God came into view, trailed by his storm clouds. Jonny's dark eyes had taken on a new spark of intelligence, his air settled where it had been agitated before.

"You're different," she voiced.

"Yeah. A little less nave. Far less forgiving, Jenn."

"I understand, ikir."

"That's the first time you've called me that."

"It's about time, don't you think?"

Jonny smiled faintly. "I wanted to thank you and warn you."

Jenn looked up at him. As with Darian, she sensed this change was permanent. The boy-god had figured out something about who he was.

"The thank-you is for protecting me when no one else would. The warning is that, next time we meet, there will be no discussion. I will not spare my enemies, and you are my enemy."

"Yes, ikir, I am," she said softly.

The Black God held her gaze for a moment before turning away. Jenn struggled to her feet. Her body was streaked with blood, sweat, and dirt. Her magic was but a trickle, and her head pounded with fatigue.

"Jonny," she called.

He froze.

"I still believe in you."

"Farewell, Guardian."

He disappeared, leaving her alone again in the desert. She expected to feel the turmoil she'd felt before at his transition. She didn't. If anything, she couldn't help feeling at peace knowing what she did now about salvation. It came in the form of letting go of her past and embracing her future, not trying to fix something that couldn't be fixed. Whether or not Jonny would ever know that same sense of peace, there was always a chance he could. He could be salvaged, if he chose to be.

That was good enough for her.

"Gods." Her gaze turned to the desert. She didn't have the magic to Travel, and this place was as barren as barren could be.

Jenn looked north and began walking. She needed to know what happened to Darian, if Xander followed through and delivered the Grey God home. Her walk turned into a trot as she pushed her weary body as fast as it would go.

Chapter Twelve.

Four lives down.

Darian awoke feeling as if he'd just survived a hurricane. He'd had another of his episodes; his body hurt as it always did. One second, he'd been in the immortal world. The next ...

"Jenn!" he breathed.

He threw off the covers, gaze sweeping the room. It was his room at Damian's. Darian yanked open the door and strode into the hallway.

"Sofi!" He pounded on her door before opening it. Her room was empty. "Bianca! Yully!"

"I'm here, Darian," Bianca's voice came from down the hall. She appeared at the top of the stairwell.

"Bianca, where's Jenn?" he demanded.

"Darian ..."

He saw the answer on her face and stopped. "Where's Sofi?"

"Resting. She had Adrian. Darian," Bianca said quickly as he turned away, "we can't find Damian, Dusty, or Jule."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, they're still gone."

"What does Sofi say?" Darian's body rippled with power and emotion.

"She says they're alive but she can't find them."

"I need to talk to her."

"I'll wake her up. She's in the study."

Darian retreated to his room and pulled on clothes. His hands shook as he fumbled to lace his boots. He wouldn't think the worse, not unless Sofi confirmed it. He didn't know how he left the immortal world, but if he made it, Jenn could. She was the strongest woman he'd ever met. She must survive; he wanted nothing to do with a world if she wasn't in it.

He jogged down to the study, stopping at the sight of the bassinet beside Sofi's favorite chair. A tiny form, with white-blond hair and swathed in a blanket, slept peacefully. The Oracle looked exhausted, worry on her features. Bianca was pacing.

The sight of the child hammered home his desire for a future with Jenn.

"Sofi, tell me she's not dead," he said. His heart pounded hard.

"I don't know. I can't See anything. It's like my vision is being jammed. I can See other things, but nothing about any of us. Or Damian. The Watchers said they'd be safe. I thought when we got back, they'd be here." The note of distress in her voice was echoed on Bianca's face.

Darian was pensive. He stepped closer to the bassinet and peered at the sleeping child.

"I'll find them, Sofi and Bianca, I swear it," he said. "There are Others and Watchers on the planet. They must've escaped before the immortal world collapsed. No one could do this but them, especially to an Original like Jule. Where's Yully?"

"Sleeping. She's been up with me for over a day," Sofi said. "Bianca knocked her out."

"I think I know where to start," he said, focusing on the sense that told him where the immortal intruders were. "Sofi, can you see Jenn?"

"I can't see anything, Darian."

"How did I get back?"

Bianca and Sofi shared a look before Sofi said grudgingly, "Xander brought you."

"And where is he?"

"Gone. We think he went after Jule, but we don't know. Something about how Originals stick together," Bianca said.

"Even if he finds them, he won't help us. I traded my trump cards," Sofi added. "Darian, you have to find them."

Darian nodded, hearing the strain in her voice. His gaze went to Damian's son again.

"I'll go now. What of the Guardians, were they brought back?"

"With their powers. Whatever you did down there, you reset the balance," Bianca said. "Jonny ... I don't think he'll wait for the truce to be up." Her words were hushed.

"It's okay, Bianca. You know he loves you, but he has a duty to fulfill," he said. "Sofi, did you recall Pierre from his vacation?"

"He's on his way back."

"If anything happens, contact me," Darian ordered. "Anything, Sofi."

She nodded.

Darian left them in the study, wired with energy. He located the nearest Watcher and Traveled, appearing in a small attic. The Watcher turned away from the window, surprise on its face. Darian snatched it by the neck and slammed it against the wall.

"Talk," he snarled.

"They're alive."

"Who is alive?"

"Your brothers."

"What did you do to them?"

"Saved them."

"Bullshit!" Darian said and shook the small creature. "If you lie, I'll snap your neck and move on to the next one."

"Ikir, I am serious. The Others planned to snatch them all. If they couldn't find them, they couldn't take them."

"Where could you hide them that no one can find them?"

"You were supposed to close the gateways," the Watcher said with a note of sadness. "The immortal world is gone."

"Because you brought your war here!"

"Because there was no other way."

The Watcher Traveled, disappearing from Darian's grip. He spun as the creature materialized on the other end of the attic.

"Now I can hunt you all down one by one. You can't disappear into the immortal world. Fish in a barrel," he said.

"Your kind is not exactly protected against us. You can't stop us all."

"I think sending a message or two of what happens if you fuck with my family will be enough."

"For us, yes," the Watcher said. "We've never meant any harm to you. For the Others, it's a different story."

"You've always used us."

"Whatever you think, it's for the greater good. We set this chain of events in motion before the Schism. It was necessary."

Darian wanted to destroy him, but he needed to know where his little brother was first. He drew a calming breath.

"Ikir, I can take you to them."

"Do it."

The Watcher held out his hand. Darian took it, and they Traveled to a locker cold enough for his expelled breath to hang in the air. Three bodies were lain out on three separate tables.

"They're frozen," he said, shocked.

"A form of stasis. Neither living nor dead. Off the Others' radar. We used magic on their minds and the freezer for their bodies. They're undetectable."

Darian strode to Damian's side, touching his cold skin. Panic rose within him at the thought of losing his little brother, especially now that Damian was a father.

"They could've interfered with our plan."

"You've used everyone to win a war that none of us understood. How can you consider yourself acting in the greater good?" he snapped, moving to Dusty's body next.

"This was the only outcome we could allow. You were the only one who could do it. You never would've done what you did if we didn't ... stack the deck, I believe you say here."

Darian wanted to explode, release the fury and energy within him.

"It had to be done." The Watcher's words grew quieter.

"Tell me how to wake them up."

"Bianca."

"That's it? No aftereffects?"

"None that we know of. We've never frozen immortals before."

Darian looked at the Watcher, who seemed amused at the idea.