"When they die, it goes out."
Jordan tilted his head. "Why are you even here?"
Elias glanced at him, then shrugged. "I was..." He glanced back at the candles and pointed to a single one. "That one belongs to the person I saw."
Jordan’s eyes narrowed. "The masked person."
"Yeah."
Jordan glanced at it. "How did you know?"
"The energy."
"It’s still burning."
"Yes. The person is still alive."
"Probably in a coma." Kael muttered.
They all glanced at him.
He shrugged. "the candle light is dim."
Elias turned around and walked out, his footsteps echoing down the bare passage.
The students stood a moment longer before following too.
They followed him out of the cavern, up the stairs and through the polished corridors of the palace. They met up with Rowen again and Coco who had arrived.
They began to hear into the underground building where the portal was located.
While the rest walked ahead, Elias seemed to be pouting at that time.
"So, since he saw the cave where those dragon children were staying, all he wants to do is sleep there! He won’t even come back with me."
Jordan sighed. "Irue, Mona is the same as you. I don’t see why you’re pissed."
"He betrayed me." Elias scoffed.
"You mean you betrayed yourself?" Quil asked.
"You shut up!"
"Right," Jordan waved his hand. A guard stepped forward with a box and handed it to Quil.
"What is this?"
"Father said to give you." Jordan shrugged.
He stopped and turned to Elias.
"Later brother."
"Later."
They both bump a fist on their chest twice, then Jordan turned around.
"That’s a surprisingly casual send off." Quil muttered.
He and Elias hurried to join the rest.
That was when Tiana glanced back at the corridor they had left behind.
The guards were there. Behind them, the hall stretched empty.
She frowned.
Jordan had been with them in the cavern. She remembered him standing near the entrance with his arms folded.
She had not seen him leave the group.
"Where’s Jordan?" she said aloud.
"He went back." Quil muttered, slapping Coco’s hand away from the box.
The words hadn’t left his mouth before she bolted down the corridor.
"Tiana!" Tyler yelled back. "What the hell—!"
She didn’t stop to answer. Her boots slapped against the floor as voices fading behind her. She rounded the corner and took the stairs two at a time, until the doors to the outer bridge swung open and the wind hit her face.
There.
A figure walked slowly along the bridge, shoulders relaxed, hands folded behind him as if he had nowhere in the world to be.
"Jordan!"
He stopped and turned.
She was already running again. She crossed the last stretch of the bridge and threw herself at him, arms locking around his neck. He stumbled half a step, caught her, and stood there stiffly, one brow lifting in quiet confusion.
"Tiana?"
She didn’t answer. She held on a moment longer, then pulled back, dropped to her feet and looked up at him. Then, she frowned and jabbed a finger toward the ground.
"Come down here."
"What?"
"Cower down to my height. Now."
His brow rose higher, but he sighed and bent forward until they were eye level. The wind tugged at his hair. He looked far too calm for someone who’d just been tackled.
She reached up and pinched his cheek, hard.
"Ow—"
"No goodbyes?!" she demanded. "I thought we were a thing! You didn’t even look at me!"
For a second he only stared at her, cheek reddening under her fingers. Then a low chuckle escaped him, warm and a little rueful.
"You ran all the way here for that?"
"Don’t laugh at me!"
"I’m not." He wasn’t even trying to hide the smile. "Technically, we were going to meet again."
"That’s not the same as saying goodbye."
"No," he agreed softly. "It isn’t."
He caught her wrist, gently drawing her hand away from his cheek, and held it there. Then, he leaned in and kissed her.
It was brief at first, soft enough to throw her off track.
Her fingers curled into the front of his coat and she rose onto her toes to meet him. The kiss deepened. That was an action on her part.
He chuckled.
When they finally parted, her face was hot and her breath irregular.
"Will...." She breathed out. "Will I get pregnant?"
He was stunned. "What?"
"We kissed. Will I have a baby?"
This time, he leaned back and laughed. "Who the hell told you that?"
"They said it in the orphanage where I grew up. Kiss the opposite gender, and you get pregnant."
He laughed harder. "Opposite gender? Which one?"
She scratched her head. "Flat chested ones like yours."
"Okay, first off, your teachers are ridiculous."
He leaned back to her height and patted her head. "I’ll come for you. Hm?"
A smile found its way to her lip. She nodded.
"Go on now."
"You’d better come find me," she said, backing away a few steps.
"Count on it."
She turned and ran, and this time she didn’t look back until she reached the end of the bridge. When she did, he was still standing there, one hand raised in a lazy wave, his smile soft in the fading light.
She smiled back, her cheeks burning, and ran to rejoin the others at the edge of the swirling portal.
Tyler was the first to pull out the look.
"Why is your face red?"
"Why are you ugly!" She shot back.
"Ouch. Yikes." Kael muttered.
She glanced sideways and saw Haliad.
"Wait, you came with us too?"
They all glanced at him.
"He was here the whole time?!" Anya gasped.
"I didn’t see him one bit." Lane muttered. "Then again, our professors also wandered off so I’m not surprised if a student does the same."
Haliad ignored them and walked into the portal. Elias didn’t look back. He just followed.
Rowen went next.
Then, one by one, the rest began to step into the portal, back to their own world.
The trip had been an odd one, but it was finally over.