BETWEEN

 Marda stepped up to a window, gazing out at the field mirrored twenty times over on the monitors circling the interior of the turret. This quiet stretch of land hosted the Eastern Quadrant Portal. It usually remained invisible on both ends, but she carried the instrumentation on her belt to reveal it as the glowing, pulsing tunnel that it was.

“Two days,” she said. “I’m going through in two days. It gives me time to gather the equipment I need and to talk to Billy, or whoever is going to come with me.”

“We both know it should be me.”

Marda clamped her lips tight before turning around. Yep, there was the reflection she didn’t want to see in his vibrant eyes. 

“I need you here,” she said simply.

“Marda—”

She hoisted her palm flat in his direction. “You’re the only one I trust to get me back here.”

Air fled Hornan’s chest and he sagged back in his seat. “Well, that’s the most reasonable thing you’ve said in days. It gives me faith that you’re worried about coming back.”

“I don’t have a death wish, Hornan.” Was that true?“My whole life has been about guarding that bridge.” She pointed out the window. “My duty—” she raised her eyes to the vaulted ceiling, always suspecting they were listening, “—is not to the Council. My duty is to Carpes, and even to Earth. Someone has to be their advocate. They don’t even know about the portal, so someone has to protect them.”