The soil was tight around him, and Rhys resisted the instinct to thrash against the confining pressure. Siphoning all the groundwater he could, he slowly cut out around him. Though there were only thin, trembling shafts of light from above to guide his way, but he knew the rough area of where they had to have landed.

He cut and crawled towards them, wheezing in the stifling space. The layer of earth below him was dangerously thin, but he knew they had to be close.

There! He heard a faint noise and followed it until he caught a flash of color. “Whoa…” Where his knee hit next, a chunk of dirt collapsed and fell with a sound like rain. “Hey!” He broke through one more layer in front of him and grabbed onto that color.

“We’re both alive,” Gren coughed, and then the delicate layer beneath them fell apart.

Both boys screeched as they were met with free air. While Gren held on to Dorothea for dear life, Rhys concentrated his magic. The water he’d sensed before was growing closer: an underground lake that would likely have drowned Dorothea and Gren, dooming them after a crushing impact against its surface, if he wasn’t there.

Instead smacking against the water’s surface, Rhys landed them against gentle pools. These cradles carried them on and, streaked with mud, he and Gren dragged themselves and Dorothea to shore.

Gren sighed after checking Dorothea’s airway. “Unobstructed. She’s been stirring, but who knows when she’ll regain consciousness.”

“She’s been waking up much faster than usual lately. It used to take her almost a full day of rest to wake up, but now she’s going out every day at the same time.” Rhys studied her wan face. “Which means she’s pushing herself hard to get this all done fast. Probably…that’s how her mother was too.”

Gren gently brushed wet hair out of her eyes. “She’s told you about that as well?”

“Yeah. Telling me about herself was her way of reaching out to me. It…gave me the courage to do the same. If that makes sense.”

“It does.”

It hit Rhys with a simple truth that just hadn’t settled until now that Dorothea, the person he considered his best friend, was going to die decades earlier than she was supposed to all because of Iree’s actions, because of Sharee’s and Cinder Creed’s selfishness and this war. He remembered now that Sharee’s pin had been left behind in the Catacombs, and it felt better that way.

“Will you carry her? I’ll get us out of here.”

Gren nodded, draping her over his back with his arms looped under her knees. “I’ve got you,” he said softly, brow furrowed with concern.

Despite himself, Rhys chuckled. “You really like her.”

“Yes.” Gren followed as Rhys started walking, water from the lake slithering behind him.

“Me too. I love her more than I’ve ever loved anyone else.” He shook his head. “But don’t worry. It’s a different love than yours.” More and more water was gathering in his hold. Twenty gallons. Thirty. More… As much power as he could, for their sake. Protecting them was for himself too.

“I wouldn’t worry either way. It’s her choice.”

“True. I suppose this is just my roundabout way of saying you have my support. I’ll protect her and the things she loves. I…” He trailed off as Dorothea groaned.

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“Gren…?” She croaked, clinging to his shirt. “Rhys… Are either of you hurt?”

“Not at all,” Gren said. “Rhys is getting us out of here. It’s going to be okay. Just breathe.”

Rhys felt relaxed despite everything. They’d take good care of each other from now on. As for him, who knew? He had been shown that people could become good through effort. He could be the same if he tried hard. Did he have that right? Only he could answer that for himself, and he wavered every time he tried to decide.

He found himself thinking back to the day he had met her and all that had happened since. “Dorothea,” Rhys said with a smile, “thank you for everything. Thank you for showing me your vulnerabilities and letting me show you mine. Above all, thank you for giving me the hope to continue living.”

“Well of course, but why are you…?” She gritted her teeth and twisted Gren’s shirt as a wave of pain hit.

All the land she’d healed today would have to be repaired again. The essence of Dorothea Atlin was draining away, and he’d stood there paralyzed by his own demons. “Do you remember what you said to me about your mother?”

“You’ll have to be more specific,” she laughed weakly. “I said a whole lot.”

“You told me that no matter what she had to give up, she was happy because it was worth it to her. The choices she made, whether right or wrong, gave her that sort of peace.” He smiled as he found a suitable spot. “Put her down and hold on tight to each other, okay? Dorothea, I wanted to let you know that that’s how I feel right now. You’re worth it. Our cause, the people at our side, everything is more than worth it to me.”

“Rhys,” she gasped, realizing, “you don’t have to, we can find a way! I’ll—”

“It’s not just your burden.” Water flowed around them, ready to burst at even the slightest twitch of his hand. “Thank you for promising me a life without violence. I’ll get there someday, but that time isn’t now. Not with things much bigger than just my life on the line.” He steeled himself, clenching his hands into fists.

Water surrounded the three of them, a softly flowing shield keeping a bubble of air as the rest of the ammunition gathered underfoot. Rhys let out a slow breath, then unleashed the full force of eighty gallons of water into a geyser. They were launched upwards through the soil and then back into open air, the water sloshing out in great waves as Rhys lost his adrenaline and control. They landed in soaked heaps, but very much alive.

“Huh.” Wesley bent down to seize Rhys’ hand and pull him up. “Guess you’re not so useless after all. I mean pretty useless still, but not completely.”

He smiled in response to Wesley’s friendly smirk. “I try.” He held his hand tighter. “Thank you for trusting me.”

“Yeah, well. Anyone who puts up with me as a roommate so well can’t be all bad.” He shrugged, moving to join Johanna and Pearlie as they helped Dorothea and Gren to their feet.

“What now?” Pearlie asked, looking at the wreckage around them. “We won’t last like this.”

“Pretty sure they think you and Dorothea are dead, Gren,” Johanna noted. “We could use that. And even if they are prepared for you guys being alive, they think they’ve beaten us down just now. We can show them they haven’t. You know, if you guys are willing to, uh…you know.”

Wesley laughed. “Don’t dance around it. You guys are trying to resolve this peacefully or whatever, but this is a good sign of how things are gonna keep going if we don’t fight back.”

Gren and Dorothea looked at each other, hesitating. “I just wanted to believe we could…that we could…” Her words were small, crushed.

He hugged her closer. “I know.”

“Your intentions are good,” Rhys began gently, “but there are people beyond redemption in this world. There are people who want others to suffer no matter what it takes. Dorothea… You’ve changed the course of things and done a lot of good. Lots of people will be saved that wouldn’t have been if you hadn’t chosen to try to change things with kindness. But we can’t change everything that way. We just can’t.”

“And we have to move fast before they try anything else.” Wesley frowned at Dorothea. “Can you handle it?”

She smiled faintly, accepting this as his form of genuine concern. “Give me the tomorrow to rest and so we can plan our strike… Just a day. Then I… I’ll be ready.”

Rhys reached out to squeeze her shoulder. “We’ll carry the burden together.” There was no choice anymore. Ideals and reality had to meet in the middle.

Her hands were clenched into fists, but he could tell Dorothea understood. “Right.” She glanced at Gren. “Back here again… Let’s all put our affairs in order, then. Just in case of the worst.”

Rhys nodded, but he wouldn’t let it come to that, not for any of them. No matter what it took.