Then it was time for their council of war. Allarde sat next to Tory, and Cynthia was pleased when Jack oh-so-casually sat next to her. Nick remained standing, almost vibrating with intensity.

"It's too late to start tonight, so we'll have to rescue the Weisses tomorrow night," he said. "Before the three of you appeared, we'd decided Tory and I would go to the castle, and Allarde would collect Dr. Weiss, with Jack's help if he joined us."

"That seems like a good plan," Jack remarked. "There's no need for Elspeth and Cynthia to go to the military camp. They can send us energy as needed without going into the line of fire."

"I'll go with Tory and Nick," Elspeth said in a voice that brooked no disagreement. "A healer might be needed, and hands-on healing is more effective than working from a distance."

As everyone nodded, Cynthia considered kicking Elspeth. Staying in the cave was a lovely plan. The two of them could easily send their power the short distance to the military camp. But no, Elspeth the Fearless wanted to make a target of herself. Which meant that Cynthia would look like a coward if she didn't do the same.

Worse, she'd be left out while the others developed a battlefield bond. Jack envied that bond because he'd stayed in Lackland rather than sailing to Dunkirk. His decision had been the right one, but ever since, it had bothered him. Which was why he'd been determined to join Nick on this mad mission.

Cynthia had no desire to prove her courage. She was a girl, for heaven sakes! She didn't have to be brave. Tory and Elspeth were setting a terrible example.

Jack turned to her. "We need someone to hold our base here. You and I can easily work together on the weather over such a short distance."

Perversely, when Jack said that, she immediately wanted to do the opposite. "I think I should be there, too. If there's a crisis, response needs to be immediate. Magelings have already been in and out of the compound a couple of times, so it's not like leaping into the unknown."

Tory made a face. "I ran into a guard, but he let me go. We've been so lucky till now that it seems time for something to go wrong. Rescuing Dr. Weiss should be fairly straightforward, though. We've been into the laboratory, and we know exactly where he's being held. Getting his family out of the castle will be more complicated."

"Once I'm there, I can locate them," Nick said confidently. "They're on the lowest level of the castle. We go up the tunnel, I find where they're being kept, you unlock their door, and we leave. Simple."

"Optimist," Cynthia said tartly. But he was right that the tunnel would make all the difference in achieving success.

"We'll need weather magic to shut down the power again," Nick continued. "On our first entrance, we destroyed the power pole. This time, we need to take out the whole generating shed since that will take longer to repair. Can that be done, weather mages? It's a building about the size of my family's henhouse, only taller."

"Not a problem," Jack said. "I've been herding a North Sea storm in this direction. I'll time it to strike about midnight tomorrow. Cynthia is good with lightning and can annihilate the shed with a cluster of strikes." He raised his brows questioningly.

Cynthia reached out to the oncoming storm and tested its shape and power. Its energy made her smile. "This should be easy. It's delightfully vigorous."

"Does it have powerful winds?" Allarde asked. "Rather than burn huge amounts of magic flying in and out of the compound, I'd like to knock down sections of fence so we can enter and leave on foot. That will be faster and we won't be such easy targets."

"This storm has plenty of wind to work with," Jack replied. "Do you want me to blow something into the fence, or would you rather do it with your magic?"

"I'll do it with lifting power. More precise than wind."

There were nods of agreement all around. Cynthia was relieved. Flying didn't interest her, not when the magic wasn't under her own control. Much better to go into the compound on her feet. "After, will we meet up outside and return here together?"

"The castle rescue will take longer, so we should probably go separately," Tory said, her brow furrowed. "Smaller groups are less likely to be noticed as well. After we're all safely back here, we'll take everyone to present-day Lackland. That shouldn't be difficult since we've all been there."

"Will it be a problem taking nonmages through?" Jack asked.

"I don't believe so," Tory said. "All people have at least a spark of magic. I think it will go smoothly. At least as smoothly as mirror passage ever goes."

"We'll need to obscure people's memories of their rescue," Allarde said. "Does anyone know the forgetting spell used by Miss Wheaton and Mr. Stephens?"

Cynthia hadn't thought of that. In Nick's time, magic was largely unknown and considered mere superstition. The Weisses would be grateful for rescue, but the magic was going to be a shock.

"I can't do quite what Miss Wheaton does," Elspeth said. "But I should be able to blur their real memories and give them impressions of confusion and perhaps a vague belief that they crossed the channel in a small boat."

"And were seasick so they didn't remember much. That should work," Nick said with a grin. "Easier to believe in a boat ride than the truth."

"I hope all will go smoothly tomorrow," Elspeth said. "But what if soldiers catch us and point guns in our direction? Magic won't stop bullets."

"I've got a pistol," Nick said. "It was my father's when he was in France and he isn't using it now, so I borrowed it."

Cynthia felt chilled. Talk of guns and the chance that they might be needed was sobering. They were taking a deadly risk.

Her face showing a similar reaction, Tory asked, "Do you know how to use it?"

"Yes," Nick said tersely.

"What about the laboratory raiders?" Cynthia asked. "Will we be unprotected?"

"We're less likely to run into armed men," Allarde said. "But if we do, I'll pull down roofs or throw things."

"I can do the same." Tory glanced at Allarde, her expression unreadable. "Since Allarde and I have somewhat similar abilities, it's easy for us to share power in an emergency."

Other possibilities were tossed out and discussed. By the time they were ready to sleep, they'd considered all the problems they could think of and discussed possible solutions. They were as prepared as they could be.

When Cynthia rolled up in her blanket again, she felt more confident about what they would be doing. They were mages with powers the Germans had never imagined, and their dual raid was completely unexpected. They would be in and out before the enemy knew what happened.

But when Jack's hand reached out to her in the darkness, she was glad to clasp it. Even though they were both awake.

CHAPTER 28.

After the war council broke up, Tory was too restless to sleep. Rather than go into the dark woods, where cold autumn rain was falling, she decided to explore the cave a bit. With luck, she'd leave here the next night and never return. If the mages who'd created the mirror portal had left anything else interesting, now was the time to look.

She retraced the path to the mirror, brushing off the old spells meant to dissuade nonmages from finding it. She didn't expect any messages, since almost anyone who could send one was already here. But she wanted to pay her respects.

The mirror was its usual self, an ancient vortex that throbbed with deep power just out of sight and sound. She had the odd sense that it silently acknowledged her presence. She touched it with her own magic in an equally silent greeting. After thanking the mirror for bringing them all here safely, she said that soon they would be in urgent need of its power again. The mirror felt-cooperative.

Feeling vaguely foolish for conversing with an invisible magical space, she withdrew and headed off to explore other passages. One led to a small chamber with the pool of springwater they'd been using for drinking and washing. Others ended in blank stone or became too small to use.

Aware that it would be easy to get lost if she wasn't careful, she tried one last branch. To her surprise, she saw a glimmer of light ahead as she traveled deeper into the hill. One of her friends was also exploring?

She reached the end and caught her breath. The water that had formed the cave had created a gallery of treasures. Stone pillars and curtains and lacy threads glimmered in the reflections of her mage light. She smiled in delight as she drifted among the stone icicles and frozen fountains and clutches of sparkling crystals.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Allarde's deep voice was soft behind her.

She turned with a feeling of inevitability. Awareness caught fire between them as their gazes met.

Even in ill-fitting clothes and with dark bristles on his chin, Allarde was as handsome as a prince from legend as he moved toward her through the magical stone formations, his strong features and broad shoulders barely brushed by light. The sight of him would live in her heart forever.

She'd avoided being alone with him because she didn't want to talk about their separation. Her head knew that she had done the right thing, but that knowledge was a frail barrier against the power of Allarde's presence. Trying to be sensible, she said, "Let's not speak of impossible things, Justin. Our world is too far away to worry about."

"Indeed it is." He reached Tory and put his arms around her. Before she could point out weakly that this was a bad idea, they were embracing and he was kissing her with crackling intensity.

Passion, magic, and need blazed between them, burning away all her reservations. The longing that had been building since Kemperton Hall shattered in a firestorm of heat and magic that flooded her senses and burned away the world. When they broke the kiss, she said dizzily, "When we kiss, it feels like I can move mountains. Literally."

He laughed. "Small ones, perhaps."

She gave him a crooked smile. "Are we kissing to increase our shared power? That will be useful on our raid, I think."

"No." Tenderly he brushed a strand of hair from her brow. "It's because I don't want to die without kissing you again."

She froze. "Does your foretelling talent see disaster ahead?"

"Not exactly, but something unexpected will happen tomorrow night. A great complication that we haven't anticipated." He shook his head, frowning. "I'm not sure how much trouble we'll be in. Because this concerns me so closely, I don't have a clear sense of how it will work out."

Guessing at what he wasn't saying, she said, "But it could be bad."

"Perhaps," he agreed. "But I think we must go ahead. Lives are at stake."

"We have our magic. We can do things the Germans won't expect."

"That's our greatest strength." He kissed her again, his hands roaming in delicious ways. "You give me strength, Tory."

"And you make me weak," she said shakily. "Common sense goes out the window when you touch me. But you can't choose me over Kemperton! Life is uncertain. What if I die? Then you'd have nothing. Choose Kemperton and it will be yours as long as you live."

"So practical," he murmured before he kissed her forehead. "But as you say, life is uncertain. One or both of us might die. We might become trapped in a time not our own. There are a thousand other possibilities beyond our imagination. Which is why I don't want to waste what time we have to be together."

She let her eyes drift shut as her head rested against his chest. "You make it very hard to be practical," she sighed. "But I've thought of a solution. You can marry a girl with no magic and I'll be your mistress."

"That is nonsense in so many ways that I'll ignore it," he said firmly. "Now let us sit on that lovely stone formation that is rather like a bench, and we will discuss possibilities for our missions between kisses."

Eyes bright, she took his hand and led him toward the stone bench. She suspected there would be more kissing than discussion. And that was fine with her.

A day of rest and mental preparation left the Irregulars as ready as they could be, but the journey to Castle Bouchard was silent even with six people. Jack's storm was moving in. Though he was holding back the full fury, heavy wind and rain had already arrived. Cynthia offered to keep the rain off them, but was told to save her magic since it might be needed later.

There was something unreal about the fact that she was heading off to war. She, Lady Cynthia Stanton, the most beautiful debutante of the season she'd never had! Though she'd refused the trousers, she had traveled through the portal wearing a plain warm dress and her best pair of half boots for walking.

She did wear the coat Jack had brought for her. Old and comfortably worn, it was broad of shoulder and fell past her hips. It also carried the irresistible scent and feel of Jack, not that she'd tell him that.

As they walked, much of her attention was on the weather as she gradually gathered the wild lightning energy. She had her hands full with it, too. It was good she and Jack were both here, since controlling the storm and so much lightning would have been difficult for one person.

They crested the hill opposite the escarpment and Cynthia, Jack, and Elspeth got their first view of the castle and the military camp. Cynthia's pulse accelerated and she lost hold of a lightning bolt when she saw the great height and sheer cliff face. No wonder the castle was considered impregnable!

If she and Jack hadn't rescued Comte du Bouchard and learned of the tunnel, they could never have attempted this mission. She gave private thanks that she was a member of the laboratory team. She'd let Tory and Elspeth scale the castle heights from within.

Allarde studied the scene with narrowed eyes. "I can use that tall elm to take down the fence near the church. There aren't any trees near the laboratory, but I should be able to roll that motor vehicle through the fence."

"With luck, we'll be at the cave with the Weisses in a couple of hours and back in Lackland by morning," Nick said cheerfully, but Cynthia suspected he was less confident than he sounded.

"Are we ready to go our separate ways?" Tory asked. "Allarde and I can communicate emotions well enough to synchronize the actions of our two groups."

"One last thing." Jack stepped up to Cynthia, took hold of her upper arms, and gave her a kiss that should have made the rain steam.

She clung to him, knees weak, heart hammering, and brain stunned. He was outrageous! But ... but ...

Her arms slid around his neck as she dizzily kissed him back. The embrace under the mistletoe had startled her with its intensity, yet by comparison, that had been a mere breeze. This kiss was hurricane force, with wind and lightning and rain going sideways.

She might have fallen when he ended the kiss if he hadn't held her steady. She managed a strangled "What was that for?"

"I didn't want to head off into danger without giving you a proper kiss," he explained.

Cynthia slapped him hard on the check. "Don't you dare talk about getting killed!" She glared at him, on the edge of tears. "You need to survive so I can torment you about your utter lack of manners."

He grinned, unabashed despite the mark of her hand on his cheek. "I'd like that."

The others had been watching in fascination. "Now that that has been taken care of," Nick said, "shall we carry on with our mission?"

Allarde said quietly, "Be careful, Tory."

"We will," she replied in a steady voice.

Cynthia realized that the two of them had been holding hands. So much more genteel than Jack. She smiled involuntarily. Though Jack was outrageous, he did keep her intrigued.

The two groups split and headed in opposite directions. Nick and the other girls disappeared almost immediately in the rain and darkness. Allarde led the way toward the laboratory since he'd been here before.

Cynthia had underestimated the difficulty of walking on rough ground in the dark and increasingly heavy rain. When she stumbled going down the hill, Jack caught her arm. "Hold my hand," he said. "The ground is only going to get worse."

"I'm going to make an exception to my usual rule and actually do what you suggest," she returned, trying to sound flippant. Heaven forbid he realize how much she welcomed the excuse to hold on to him.

Not only for help in walking, though that was much appreciated. She also needed him to bolster her fraying nerves. From the top of the hill, she had seen the barbed-wire fence, the massive motor vehicles. Men with rifles patrolled the compound. She should have stuck to her original plan and stayed safe at home.

But she had wanted to be with Jack, who made so many things seem possible.

Since they were holding hands, she felt him marshalling his magic to bring the storm in at exactly the right time. As they neared the compound, he said under the sound of approaching thunder, "Do you have enough lightning, Cynthia?"

"As much as I can handle. I need to use it before I lose control."

They reached the place of concealment near the fence. As spotlights hunted back and forth, turning the perimeter from night to day, Allarde said, "The laboratory is that long, light-colored building."

"That will be easy," Jack remarked. "Where is the generator shed?"

"On the other side of the compound. Can you see it, Cynthia? There's a tall pole running up above."

She followed the direction of Allarde's pointing hand. "That small gray building? That shouldn't be much of a problem. Is it time?"

"The other team has farther to walk and they aren't in position yet," Allarde said. "Another few minutes."