She heard an appalling click, accompanied by a hair-raising muffled cry, then a sigh of relief. "Better," Jack said. "Much, much better."

Wishing she could do more, Cynthia asked, "Can we channel some healing energy from Elspeth? It's a long walk back to the cave."

Allarde shook his head. "She's already drained from the healings she did on the family members who needed it. We can't ask her to give more. We're going to need a lot of power to get so many people through the mirror."

It was hard to argue with that, so she didn't. Allarde continued, "Do you see anything here that could be used as a sling? Jack will need support for his arm."

She turned to examine the shelves, guessing that part of the reason Allarde had asked that was so she wouldn't have to watch his swift examination of other injuries. She couldn't block out Jack's gasps of pain, though. If only she could do more!

Back resolutely turned to the two boys, she said, "Here's a stack of rags, nicely washed and folded before the Germans arrived. And an apron, too."

The irregular pieces of fabric were worn and had probably been ragged even before being consigned to the garden shed. Giving thanks to the good French housewife who had washed everything before being driven from her home, Cynthia shook out the apron. "This one is large enough to make a sling," she said, passing it to Allarde. "The smaller rags might work for bandages."

"Of which we need a few," he muttered. After a few minutes, he said, "You can turn around now."

She did, and found Jack pale but dressed again with his left arm in a sling and a piratical bandage over his left eye. There were also crude bandages in a couple of other places. Allarde had obviously paid attention when people or animals needed treatment.

Jack managed a crooked smile despite his drawn face. "How did the rescue go? You must have got the scientists away or you wouldn't have come back for me. What about the families?"

"Success for both missions," Allarde replied. "Nick and Elspeth are guiding the scientists and most of the family members back to the cave."

"But Tory and two of the children were cut off in the castle and had to find another way out," Cynthia said glumly. "We don't know exactly where they are."

Jack swore under his breath. Cynthia had noticed that secret missions and danger brought out bad language even in those who generally never swore. Though she was concerned about Tory, she had reasonable faith in her roommate's abilities. It was Jack she was worried about.

Before his eye was bandaged, she'd seen how damaged it was. They needed to get him to Elspeth quickly, before inflammation set in. If that happened, he might end up blinded in both eyes. Or worse. After the beating he'd taken, inflammation was a lethal possibility.

"Tory will be soon back, Allarde," Jack said reassuringly. "And with the two children in tow. She's ingenious and multitalented."

"I hope so," Allard said, his expression shuttered. "But the countryside is alive with search parties. She'll have to be very, very careful."

"So will we." Jack levered himself up with his good arm. "Despite your excellent repair work, I'm going to need help if we're to make decent speed. Can I have your arm, Allarde?"

As Allarde silently offered it, Cynthia doused her light and opened the door. When and if they got safely home to Lackland, she promised herself a nice bout of weeping hysterics. She really was not cut out for heroism.

CHAPTER 34.

"Are we lost, or should I not ask?" Rebecca asked in a weary voice.

Tory winced. "Not lost, I know the right direction. But I'm having trouble finding the way through this maze of hedges and lanes."

"Not to mention Nazi search parties roaring past on the roads. I thought that one pair would see us for sure. Did magic keep them from noticing?"

"Probably, but that sort of magic has its limits. We were lucky they weren't watching as carefully as they should."

"As long as you know we're heading in the right direction, we'll arrive there eventually." Rebecca sighed and adjusted Aaron, who was asleep in her arms. "Will you be able to take us to England if the others have already gone by the time we reach your cave?"

"That won't be a problem. I'm best in our group at mirror magic." Tory wiped water from her wet face. "Though I might need to rest for a few hours first, I can get us to England. Your family will be waiting for you."

"That's good enough for me." Rebecca's voice dropped to a whisper. "I didn't think I'd ever see my father again."

Rebecca's fear had not been misplaced. If she and her mother and brother had been shipped off to Germany, the family would have been broken forever. Tory really liked the other girl. She hadn't once complained and she accepted the explanations of magic with remarkable calm.

She insisted on carrying Aaron, too, saying that he felt safer with her and that Tory must keep her strength up. But she looked as if she badly needed a rest.

"I have an idea," Tory said. "There's a little barn ahead where you and Aaron can nap while I scout the best route. I'll climb that hill and float up to the tallest tree where I can get a better view."

Rebecca gave a sweet, tired smile. "That would be very welcome."

The barn proved to be an excellent choice, with several cows and goats warming up the atmosphere and a pile of clean hay for Rebecca and Aaron to rest in. "I won't be gone long," Tory promised. "Half an hour or less."

Rebecca settled back, the sleeping boy tucked under her arm. "If I weren't so tired, I'd worry about being separated, but at the moment, I could sleep on hot coals."

"I think we have only a mile or so more to go," Tory said. "After I pick out the best route, we'll join the others very soon."

Rebecca was probably asleep by the time Tory left the barn. Tory longed to join the others, but if she didn't keep moving, she'd never make it back to the cave.

The hill nearby wasn't steep, but floating up to the tallest tree on the crest gave enough height for her to get a better view of the landscape. Finally the rain had ended and a sliver of moon illuminated the ancient hedged lanes that wound through the patchwork quilt of fields. Dawn wasn't far away.

As Tory had guessed, the wooded hillside that concealed the cave was visible. From this height, she saw that there was a farmhouse near their barn with a lane ambling past. If they turned right into that lane, then left and right again, they should reach the hill soon and only have to cross one road.

Her vantage point also showed the lights of the search cars and foot patrols that were combing the countryside. There were so many searchers that she suspected the Germans had enlisted local policemen to join the hunt. The Nazis did not want Dr. Weiss to escape, and she feared they'd rather see him dead than with the Allies.

Praying that everyone else had made it back to the cave, she glided to the ground and headed down the hill. She could have floated, but using magic would tire her even more than hiking over the muddy ground.

The lane she'd seen started at the edge of the woods. Numb with fatigue, she followed it toward the barn. She was nearing the farmhouse when machine-gun fire blasted crazily from the upper floor.

Panic spiked through and she dove, glad the mud softened the impact. Fatigue vanished, replaced by fierce awareness. After taking cover under a hedge, she studied the farmhouse. A chill went through her when she saw that the weapon on the upper floor was aimed at the small barn where Rebecca and Aaron were resting. How to stop that rain of death? She was no warrior.

But she could call on the magical powers of the other Irregulars. A vague plan in mind, she quietly approached the back of the house. Since the rear door was locked, she floated to the upper story. She'd learned so many fine criminal skills lately that it wasn't hard to get inside.

One of the drunken Frenchmen made a sneering remark about killing the filthy Jews that had taken refuge in the barn. Her annihilating rage was swiftly followed by icy determination. She looked up and saw that the old cottage had gnarled beams running across the ceiling. Perfect.

She walked the length of the house to the open door of the room that contained the machine gun, three men in French police uniforms, and bottles of spirits. When she reached the doorway, one of the men turned and looked right at her. He blinked uncertainly, but the stealth stone wasn't enough to conceal a direct stare.

He lurched to his feet. "It's a little girl! Must have hidden here when the rest of the family ran."

A second man turned and smiled nastily. "Old enough that we can use her."

When he stumbled toward Tory, her rage flared again. These men were willing to shoot Rebecca and Aaron for sport. Drawing her focus to blazing intensity, she reached for power from her friends. Most of all, she drew on Allarde's special talent for moving large objects.

Brimming with power, she made a furious sweeping gesture at the beams. "Enough!"

Magic surged as she collapsed the massive beams that supported the front half of the roof. Even before the beams had smashed into the men and their horrible gun, Tory threw herself out the door in a rolling tumble.

The shouting ended with lethal suddenness, but the remaining roof beams began to groan ominously. Devil take it! The whole cottage was collapsing.

In a blur of motion, she dived out the window in the back bedroom and managed, barely, to land safely in the muddy yard. She was bruised and out of breath and her left arm had been damaged by flying debris, but nothing seemed to be broken.

She closed her eyes as she fought the pain and horror of knowing what she'd done. She had never imagined herself as a killer. She never should have come through the mirror.

Yet as she thought back on the events that had brought her to this moment, she didn't see how she could have behaved any differently. Nick had come to the Labyrinth seeking aid. She'd offered to help him survey the portals of the mirror, which had been triggered by Nick's intensity, and here she was. She couldn't not help when she might be able to save lives.

Wearily she struggled to her feet. God willing Rebecca and Aaron were all right, and soon this endless night would end in safety. As she circled the mound of rubble that had been a home, she thought of how it had sheltered families for centuries, and in an instant she had destroyed it.

Again, she didn't see what choice she'd had, so there was no point in berating herself. Opening the barn door, she called, "Rebecca? Are you and Aaron all right?" Terrified she might find their bleeding bodies in the hay, she created a light. "It's me."

"Mon Dieu, you are all right!" Rebecca emerged from the darkness, wild-eyed and with bits of hay clinging to her. "I was so afraid those swine had shot you and were now going to kill me and my boychik!"

"We're safe." Tory gave the other girl a twisted smile. "I pulled the roof down on the swine."

"So that was the crashing sound." Rebecca's gaze went to Tory's left arm. "You're hurt!"

"Nothing serious."

"Bleeding can't be good. I have a handkerchief."

"Yes, doctor," Tory said meekly as Rebecca pulled up her sleeve to reveal a laceration on her forearm. The other girl's handkerchief was large enough to wrap twice around the injured arm. "You're good at this."

"Both my parents are doctors, and I want to be one, too." Rebecca tied off the improvised bandage and gently rolled Tory's sleeve down again.

It still amazed Tory that in this century, girls could plan to become doctors. In her time, such a thing was unheard of. The twentieth century produced ghastly wars, but also more freedom and choices.

Aaron emerged from the shadows with a yawn. "Tory?" he said with a cherubic smile.

"Yes, I'm Tory." She smiled at the little boy, her regret over destroying the cottage fading. If violence was needed to preserve innocent lives, she could and would do what was necessary.

"Time for the last short stretch of our journey." Remembering what Rebecca had called him, she grinned and added, "Boychik."

CHAPTER 35.

By the time they reached the cave, Jack could barely move. Cynthia couldn't even help on his left side because it would hurt him too much. She settled for keeping a hand on his back and channeling what pain relief she could manage. He seemed to appreciate the help, and touching him made her feel better. She was too tired to analyze why when the answer was so complicated.

Nick emerged from the cave just as they reached it. "Good God, Jack! The Nazis did this to you?"

Jack managed a twisted smile. "Of course not. This happened when Cynthia lost her temper with me."

She didn't dignify that with a reply. "Nick, take over from Allarde. He's pretty much carried Jack all the way from the camp and he must be close to collapse."

"Not quite," Allarde panted. "But I'm ready to deposit Jack on the nearest blanket."

Nick moved in and carefully took Allarde's place, causing only one strangled gasp on Jack's part. "I'm so sorry, Jack. If anyone had to be beaten, it should have been me."

"Nonsense," Jack muttered. "I volunteered because I wanted my chance to be heroic. You gave it to me, so I owe you a favor."

Males! Rolling her eyes, Cynthia entered the cave and folded a blanket into a pallet. As the boys lowered Jack onto it, Nick said in a low voice, "Each of the families has found a separate cave room where they can be together. By now, they're mostly sleeping. Where are Tory and Rebecca and the little boy?"

"On their way here," Allarde said wearily. "Not far. She needed to pull a lot of magic a short while back, but she's still free." Looking more tired than Cynthia had ever seen him, he folded down onto the floor, his face haggard. "After I catch my breath, I'll go out to her."

Elspeth emerged from the inner cave. "Even your energy isn't limitless, Allarde," she said tartly. Her gaze shifted to Jack. "Just what I need. Another patient."

Cynthia hadn't known Elspeth could be sarcastic. The strain was affecting all of them. She settled by Jack's side and took his hand. He squeezed her fingers, but was worrisomely weak. "Jack keeps saying he's fine. He's lying, of course."

"Of course," Elspeth agreed as she sat on his other side. She maintained her tartly humorous tone, but her face was grave as she removed the ragged bandage so she could examine Jack's damaged eye. "Remember the story of the Spartan boy who hid a stolen fox under his tunic and died rather than show pain when it was eating his innards?"

Cynthia shuddered. "If that's what one learns from studying Greek, I'm glad I never did."

The banter dropped off as Elspeth cupped both hands over Jack's injured eye and poured in her healing magic. Silently Nick laid a hand on her shoulder, channeling extra power. Cynthia and Allarde followed his lead.

In the distance, Cynthia heard motorcar engines. She wondered how long the Germans would search for the prisoners before giving up.

Elspeth sat back on her heels with an exhausted sigh. "I've done what I can."

Eyes closed, Jack said, "Will I lose that eye?"

Cynthia bit her lip. Of course he'd been aware how serious the injury was.

"I believe I've saved it," Elspeth replied. "But my healing power is just about burned out, so I can't do anything for your other injuries."

"None of which are anywhere near as bad as having a fox gnaw on my vitals," Jack murmured. "Thank you, Elspeth. I think I'd look rather dashing with an eye patch, but my mother wouldn't like it."

Allarde stiffened and turned his head toward the cave entrance. "Tory is almost back, and she's in trouble." As he vaulted to his feet, gunshots sounded outside, the sharp cracks alarmingly close.

The Germans were near, and they must have Tory in their sights.

Dawn was breaking as Tory and her companions crossed the small road at the base of the wooded hill leading up to the cave. She had just sighed with relief when she heard the screech of brakes and German shouts coming from the road only a hundred yards behind them.

Rebecca gasped. "They saw us!"

"We're almost there. Run!" Summoning the last of her energy, Tory took off up the hill. She'd be leading the Germans right to the cave, but where else could she go? Surely six magelings could hold the enemy off long enough for everyone to escape through the mirror!

She sent out a mental call for help. Allarde at least could hear. She sensed his instant response. He was coming to meet them.

Praying she'd not signed his death warrant, she said between gasps for breath, "Rebecca, keep going up the hill! Allarde will help you and Aaron. I'll stay here and slow the soldiers down."