“Right,” I reply, parting my hair with one hand and retrieving the little creature. He lets out a yawn, blinking in the sunlight, and for a moment I wonder if he’ll even be able to teleport us; as powerful as goblins are, he’s still young and has yet to come into his full power. “All right, Kit, you’re up,” I tell him, extending my arms and allowing him to stand in the palms of my hands. “Take us to where Emerald is.”
Kit just stares at me uncertainly before moving forward and biting gently down on my thumb. I hiss in pain, struggling not to drop him, and shoot Storm a glare when I hear him stifle a peal of laughter. “Not funny,” I protest.
“It’s a little funny,” Storm replies.
I roll my eyes and return my attention to Kit. “Take your time,” I tell the goblin. “I know it’s far away.”
This will mark the first time I’m instructing Kit to teleport me somewhere, and it feels a little bit like an imposition. For a while, the goblin just stares at me with his big, perceptive eyes, and I wonder if he even wants to help us. I’ve always relied on him to just know what I need, but he is still young. The last thing I want to do is order him around, especially when he was the one who came to me; the fact that goblins choose their patron goddesses isn’t lost on me.
A few seconds pass, and then a few more, and I feel my stomach sink when Kit just continues to stare me down. Maybe I jumped the gun a little bit, here. Exchanging a worried glance with Storm, I swallow hard. “Is he okay?” Ruby asks uncertainly.
“He’s fine,” I reply. “I just don’t know if he’s going to be able to port us after all.” Turning back to Storm, I continue, “We might need another plan. Is there a way to make a discreet tornado?”
The weather god raises his eyebrows. “It’s a tornado, little one. Discretion is impossible.”
Great. Trying not to let my disappointment show, I lift Kit up so that he’s eye level with me. “You can do it,” I tell him, aware of how ridiculous I must look, but not caring. “Just like when you brought the guys to the island. Same thing.” After a few more seconds of waiting, I finally sigh, running a hand through my hair. “It’s okay,” I say, doing my best to hide my disappointment. “If you can’t do it, we’ll find some other way to…”
But my voice trails off as Kit rises to his full height, which is still not very tall, his eyes drifting closed. A little furrow of concentration appears on his forehead as he extends his tiny arms, shaking with the effort of summoning his magic. I look at Storm, shocked, but don’t dare say anything as the tiny goblin continues to cast the portal spell. I’ve never really gotten a good look at Kit while he’s using magic—I’m so used to the fecker doing nothing but biting and causing trouble—and I’m surprised by how much work clearly goes into it. Presumably, it will come easier once he’s fully matured, although when or how that will happen, I have no idea.
I’m only just now realising how little I know about the world.
Kit continues to work, straining with the effort, and before our eyes, the air above the sidewalk begins to shift and shimmer, like light refracting through water. The distortions continue to increase, the frequency of the vibrations speeding up, and then a small black spot appears in the middle, like a hole in the universe. Slowly it expands, widening until it’s the size of a fully-grown person, a gaping maw waiting for us to step inside. I steal a panicked glance around the neighbourhood; this will be hard to explain to innocent passersby, but there’s no one around. It’s nice to catch a break once in a while, I think dryly, before turning to Storm and giving him a brisk nod. He doesn’t need telling twice, stepping into the portal without so much as a second thought.
“Karma?” Ruby asks, sounding a little worried.
I give her hand a squeeze. “It’s all right, Ruby. I’m right here. Let’s go find your mum, okay?”
She nods, and without another word we step forward and into the portal.
I’ll never get used to the sensation of teleporting, that strange exhaustion that I feel when I reach the other side. Like clockwork, we’ve emerged on the cobblestone streets of the small town where we first met Emerald. We’re in an alleyway between two buildings, the townspeople either not seeing us or simply not caring. “We did it,” I say, relieved. “Kit, you beautiful bastard!” I grin down at the goblin, but my eyes go wide the moment I see him; his starry eyes have gone dull, and he’s unsteady on his feet. “Are you okay?” I ask, panic rising in my voice. Kit doesn’t even bite me like he usually does; instead, he sits down hard in my hands, unable to summon the energy to even go hide in my hair. “Kit, what’s wrong?” I ask, but the goblin doesn’t respond, his head dropping onto his chest and his eyes closing. A second later, he collapses into my open hands, his breathing slow and laboured.
“What’s wrong with him?” asks Ruby.
“I don’t know,” I reply, my voice shaking. I prod at the goblin gently, murmuring his name a couple times, but he doesn’t even react. If it weren’t for the shallow movements of his chest, I might mistake him for dead. Panicking, I look at Storm. “Did we push him too hard?”
Storm shakes his head, at a loss. “I don’t know. I’ve never spent much time with goblins.” I swallow hard, fighting back tears. Losing Hugo was bad enough. After that, losing Kit feels damn near unthinkable. I feel a gentle hand on my arm and look to see the weather god watching me. “We need to find Emerald,” he says. “Carry Kit; I can port us home.”
“Is he sick?” I ask, the fear making my voice shake.
Storm can only shake his head. “I wish I knew. Maybe he’s just resting.” Gently, he takes my free hand in his. “Come on. It shouldn’t be far from here.”
Feeling numb, I allow him to pull me in the direction of the main road. The portal has closed behind us now, and the only evidence that remains of our transport is the fact that Kit is lying comatose in my hands. Struggling to fight off the ball of worry that’s fallen over me, I tuck the little goblin into my bag, giving him one last concerned look as we make our way down to the city centre. It feels strange to be back here, foreign like our last visit was a lifetime ago. It’s hard to believe it was so recent; so much has changed since then. Ruby remains quiet as we walk, almost sombre in her attitude, and my heart goes out to her. She’s already learned not to be optimistic, and she’s only a child. This is what the higher gods have done to us.
Trying not to think about Kit, I follow Storm’s lead; I can’t remember where we went last time, but he seems to, and before long we’re approaching a familiar alleyway. The brick wall still looks deceptively like a dead end, except this time I’m not worried as I watch Storm disappear through the shimmering barrier. Exchanging a look with Ruby, I nod and lead her through. There’s that same strange rush, and then we’re emerging on the other side. The magical market is much like it was last time, although some of the stalls seem to have rotated. The temptation of the products is dulled by my mental state, though, and I doggedly make a beeline for the stairs leading up to the overhead apartments, with Storm and Ruby at my sides. When we arrive at Emerald’s door, I feel a surge of nervousness as I knock once and then twice.
There’s the sound of movement on the other side, and then the familiar blonde woman pokes her head through. She opens her mouth to speak to me and Storm, but before she can say anything, her eyes land on Ruby, and then everything is happening at once. She swoops in, scooping the girl up before I have a chance to react, and she’s crying as she says her daughter’s name again and again. “Oh my god,” she murmurs, stroking Ruby’s hair and squeezing her against her chest. “Oh my god, Ruby. It’s you. You’re back.”
“It’s okay, mum,” Ruby assures her. “It’s me. Karma saved me.”
“Where was she?” Emerald asks us, still not letting go of her daughter.
“Neritous had her,” I reply grimly. “He was trying to use his children as lab rats.” Seeing the panic on her face, I hasten to add, “He didn’t do anything to Ruby, though. We made it out in time.”
“Thank the gods,” Emerald murmurs. “I have no idea how to repay you.”
“You don’t have to,” I tell her. “She’s my half-sister. I’m just glad I was able to bring her back.”
“You can’t let Neritous get away with this,” Emerald says, her eyes flashing. “Ruby was alive this whole time, which means Jade was innocent. He framed her.”
“I know,” I reply, voice hard. “But this will at least clear her name. It’s the least we can do.” Pressing my lips into a thin line, I add, “I’m going to make Neritous pay for this. For everything.”
“Good,” is all Emerald says. Finally pulling away from Ruby, she kneels down to look her in the eyes. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, mum,” Ruby replies.
Glancing up at me and Storm, Emerald says, “I don’t have much inside, but you’re welcome to—”
“No need,” I say, holding up a hand. “We have to get going. It’s risky enough being away from home as it is.”
“Thank you for everything, Karma,” Ruby says, turning to me.
I lean down to pull her into a hug. “You’re welcome,” I reply. “Let’s stay in touch, yeah?”
“Absolutely,” Ruby says, the relief in her voice obvious.
The goodbyes are short and sweet, which seems appropriate. They need time together, and Kit needs to be examined. I can’t help but tear up a little at having to leave Ruby, and as Storm and I walk away from the apartment, I wonder if I really will ever see her again.
Chapter 67
