“And it never occurred to you that the gateway was closed for a reason?”
“I…” He shook his head. “I didn’t think too hard about it. It was a puzzle to crack. That’s all.”
She stood, fury whipping through her. “Let me tell you then. Last night, at Bella Boingo’s concert, the Wild Hunt materialized. In our world. Do you know what that means?”
He sucked in a breath. “Oh, hell. We have to close that gate.”
“How could you be so stupid?” She shook her fist in his face, then whirled away.
She’d never wanted to actually attack someone, until now. Mastering her fury, she stalked the length of the room, then back. Aran watched her, his shoulders bent in what had better be remorse.
“We need to get into Feyland now and fix this,” she said. “You can fix it, right?”
“Yeah. I think.”
“Stay there.” She pointed at him, then grabbed some fresh clothes and went into the bathroom. As soon as she was dressed and somewhat groomed, she messaged Vonda.
:Come to my room, please? It’s urgent.:
:Be right there.:
Bless Vonda for not asking questions.
Spark emerged from the bathroom to see Aran still in his chair. He was turning the pink stone around between his fingers, the one he’d given her. The one that, despite herself, she put on the bedside table each night in order to feel a little less lonely.
She was still so mad at him she could spit.
“Give that back.”
She didn’t wait for him to hand the stone over, just snatched it from him and put it in her pocket.
“We’re about to have a visitor,” she said. “Keep your mouth shut, all right?”
“Got it.”
At least he knew better than to push her with questions. Spark pulled the cover up over the rumpled sheets of her bed, then went to the door. Before Vonda could knock, Spark opened it and gestured her inside. Across the hall, Joe watched from the open door of his own room, but made no move to come in. Smart guy.
“Whoa.” Vonda halted in the middle of the room. “What’s he doing here?”
She cast a suspicious glance at the bed, then back at Aran, and Spark hurried to answer.
“He arrived a few minutes ago, that’s all. We need to use a couple of the FullD systems, just the two of us. I can’t explain—but trust me, it’s important.”
“What about your wrist?” Vonda set her hands on her hips. “This is not okay.”
“I know. But we have to do it now. Please.” Spark went up to her manager, hoping Vonda could read the truth in her eyes.
Vonda studied her face, then exhaled sharply through her nostrils. “I don’t know what you’ve gotten into, but I can give you an hour. One hour, that’s it.”
“Thank you.”
“I bet you haven’t eaten breakfast.”
“Not yet, but—”
“Whatever’s going on, you need to eat. Raid the room’s snack bar.” Vonda held up her hand. “Don’t argue. You’re the only one who never touches it. Niteesh decimates his, and the Terabins always eat the most expensive stuff.”
“Okay then.”
Spark opened the hotel fridge and pulled out a couple of nut-packed candy bars and cans of soda. However Aran had gotten there, she’d bet he hadn’t stopped for a hearty meal along the way.
“I’ll let you into the conference room where we’ve set up the systems,” Vonda said. “And I’ll tell the others not to barge in. But when your time’s up, we talk.”
She glared at Aran, then swung back to Spark.
“Right,” Spark said. She tossed a bar and a can of soda to Aran. “Let’s go.”
Aran silently followed Spark and her manager to the conference room with the FullD set-ups. On the way, he ate the candy bar and chugged the soda, grateful for the sugar rush clearing his head. It still wasn’t enough to wash away the guilt.
This was going to be tricky, in more ways than one.
He had to fix the code without giving away the fact he’d been trying to hack Feyland all along, try to get Spark to forgive him, and—hardest of all—escape the wrath of the Dark Queen.
He geared up while Spark argued with Vonda about wearing an oversized gaming glove. They sorted it out, and soon Spark was ready. She gave him a sharp nod, and he logged in, sending his avatar into Feyland.#p#分页标题#e#
Golden light swirled around him, making his stomach churn. He clenched his teeth against the sensation, and a moment later his Saboteur materialized in a faerie-ringed clearing full of shadows.
Spark’s Kitsune flickered into being beside him.
“Good,” she said. “We’re in the right place. I wasn’t sure this would work.”