My thoughts returned to Fable and the others. The bond between us was still there, faint and distant, but no amount of mana I'd drawn from the Shard had managed to reach him. Whatever the Realm Seal had done, it remained intact even after the fall of the Divine Throne.
"Luke?" I asked, tugging at his sleeve. "I want to go back for them now."
He glanced toward the Shard, then nodded. "Of course. We've done what we came here to do."
I gathered my mana, contacting Haven, and the Star Guard gathered close. A moment later, the world twisted, and when it straightened, we emerged into the ruins of the chamber we'd fought in, or rather, what remained of the passage leading into it. The walls were split by enormous cracks, and the ceiling had partially collapsed, leaving the floor covered in shattered marble and dust.
