Dev seemed to consider that. “Yes, that would be a reasonable explanation. They were both fully charged when we went through.”
“Okay,” Danny allowed. “Let’s say we did lose them when we walked back into the painting. It would have been a good final strategy for Myrddin. I don’t see how that changes anything.”
“If it was a wormhole we walked through, and we lost time there, we could potentially reverse the effect,” I explained.
Dev was quiet for a moment. “Did Alexander know anything useful?”
So he’d heard more than I thought he had. “He seems to think even if I can manage to add the time component to a wormhole spell, it won’t change this timeline. It will simply start a new timeline. But he’s not exactly an academic, and the ones we have here aren’t into science.”
I was wrong, of course. Henri was very much into science, but medical science and biology were his fields of expertise. And Hugo was a lawyer. Neither of them were experts on physics. And yes, neither was Alexander or Lily or anyone I’d talked to up until this point.
“You’ve been asking around about this?” Danny had sat up straighter.
I took the time to sit up as well, leaning back against the headboard. “I’m exploring possibilities.”
“Zoey, if our allies find out we’re trying to leave, it won’t help us,” Daniel said with a frustrated sigh. “I do know a bit about science, and I don’t see how this possibly works out in our favor. The entire scenario is fraught with potholes, and you know it. If we go back, we probably make things worse. We can only play the cards we’re dealt.”
A bit of bitterness welled inside me. “Says the man whose cards made him all powerful and invulnerable.”
Danny stood, his eyes going wide with anger.
Dev put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t. Don’t make this worse. You know how she processes loss, and she’s been handed a huge one. Let her do what she needs to do and trust her to make the right decision when the time comes.”
Danny looked like he wanted to argue for a moment, but he seemed to calm down. He took a long breath and then held out a hand. “Okay, Z. I only ask that you talk to us before you do anything. Can you promise me?”
I nodded and took his hand, allowing him to pull me up and wrap his arms around me. “Okay. I won’t do anything without telling you.”
It wasn’t like I would ever leave them behind.
Would I be leaving Lee and Rhys and Evan behind? Would these versions of them remain here?
I shoved the thought aside because Alexander was wrong. He was trying to throw me off. If I allowed this timeline to stand, I abandoned my children and Sarah and my father. I abandoned the vampires Myrddin had killed.
There was a brisk knock on the door and then it opened and Neil was walking through, a big tray in his hands.
“Good morning, royals. Ooo, that tie is perfect, though the suit needs some work.” Neil crossed over and set the tray at the end of the bed. I could smell coffee, and it looked like Albert had made another glorious buffet of breakfast goodness, including his ridiculously indulgent potato hash. My stomach growled. Baby girl and I were hungry.
“That’s what I said.” Dev glanced at the clock on the mantel over the fireplace. “I would love to stay and steal some of that breakfast, but we need to get going. The flight’s going to take us a couple of hours. We’re using the portal to Reykjavík and flying from there. That should save us half an hour.”
“There’s a portal?” I probably should have paid attention to all the meetings we’d had.
Neil perked up. “There is. We’ve got a portal to Reykjavík and to Húsavík and Bolungarvík. All the viks.”
“The Fae set up a small portal system long ago,” Dev explained. “Reykjavík is the furthest we can go, but we’ve been told it’s safe to use.”
Neil’s eyes lit. “Dev, there is shopping there. And the queen…oh, to see her in rags…”
“They aren’t rags,” I argued. Though I was already thinking that I had at least three towns I could search for my godparents. “They’ve just been through a lot.”
“They’re practically vintage.” Neil looked at himself in the standing mirror. “And honestly, I don’t look like the queen’s bestie.” He gasped. “Oh, my god. I look like a dad. I’m wearing dad jeans, and I haven’t had a haircut in years.” There was a little panic in his eyes as he turned my way. “I wouldn’t do me, Z. I. Wouldn’t. Do. Me. What is Chad thinking? I’ve turned into the kind of man who gets asked directions by families.”
“Yes, everyone needs new clothes,” Dev said with a chuckle. “I already put the wheels into motion, so to speak. Albert shut down most of our accounts, but they’ve been safely managed over the years. I’ve had a human security firm taking care of my company. A few million have been transferred to European banks. I think you’ll find Rhys is going into the city to ensure that we have access to funds. He’s picking up credit cards for everyone.”