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Adam Parrish sat cross-legged on the rough ground in front of a bowl of clear water. Declan and Matthew Lynch, the eldest and the youngest of the Lynch brothers respectively, stood watching him, Declan’s hand clutched desperately in the hand of a beautiful dark-skinned dream. In fact, dreams made up half of their group, a magician-slash-psychic made up a quarter, and Declan, neither a dream nor a dreamer, neither magician nor psychic, made them whole.
They stood in an empty clearing where, not a week before, an ancient sentient forest had resided. But Lindenmere had disappeared four days beforehand, along with the middle Lynch Brother and Adam’s boyfriend, Ronan, and Jordan’s sister Hennessy. In actual fact, between them Ronan and Hennessy had dreamt the dream half of the current group, and so even if it weren’t for the fact that Adam loved Ronan Lynch, he would have to save him anyway.
They had no idea whether Ronan and Hennessy were alive, and the logical part of Adam’s brain, which was generally the only part of his brain, told him that if they were dead then Jordan and Matthew would have fallen into an endless sleep. However, the part of his brain that worried about his boyfriend was telling him that a million impossible things have already happened in his life, this could just be another one of those impossible things.
He decided to focus on the logical part of his brain.
“If I stop breathing bring me back. Do whatever it takes, I don’t know how far I’m going.” Adam said to Declan. “Also don’t let me be gone more than 10 minutes for now.”
“Got it.”
“Okay,” Adam braced himself. The last time he had scryed, he had seen The Lace and it had seen him. Though he knew more about it this time, it didn’t make him any less afraid. He began to lower his face to the water.
“Wait, Adam.” Declan said. Adam turned to him, surprised. “If you die, Ronan will kill me.” Adam just nodded and then lowered himself to look deep, deep into the water.
He was outside of himself. In a place far, far away. And there it was, already. This time he didn’t even have to search for it, it just presented itself to him. The Lace.
“I want to set you free. I want to waken all of the lines. What do you need me to do?”
The Lace gestured for him to follow it. It seemed to go on forever. Even whilst looking at it, he couldn’t describe what he was seeing, but he also felt as though he could see nothing but it. He followed it, careful to remind himself of his physical body, sat on the ground where Lindenmere should be. He had to wake the ley lines to bring back Lindenmere to bring back Ronan. As he followed The Lace he found himself walking into a clearing in a forest. He hadn’t noticed the trees before but now it felt as though they had always been there. He knew this place as soon as he saw it. This was Cabeswater. He had made another bargain, on another night, in this other forest two years ago.
“Hi Cabeswater.” The trees rustled a reply and Adam felt a small smile allow itself onto his face. Just being here, he immediately felt safer. Calmer.
He saw the pentagram on the floor that had been made by his friend Blue’s half-aunt Neeve. The Lace suggested he go into it, so he did. As soon as he was inside the pentagram all noise stopped. He hadn’t realised there was any noise to begin with but now that there was silence he couldn’t believe he had missed it. He knew what to do. He had done it before. He would do it again. Time was a circle. He stretched his arms out, as if for sometime to take his hands though there was no-one there. He took a deep breath. Then he spoke.
“I will be your hands. I will be your eyes.”
Nothing happened. Then, everything happened. Everything that had ever happened, everything that was ever going to happen, everything that was happening, happened. All at once. Adam, safe inside the pentagram caught snapshots of Cabeswater’s life. He saw Niall Lynch holding the hand of a small sleeping boy with Niall Lynch’s face. He saw spring, autumn. He saw Noah Czerny being murdered by his friend Barrington Whelk, and he momentarily couldn’t believe he ever could have forgotten Noah Czerny. His friend, Noah. Then he saw himself, Richard Campbell Gansey III, Ronan Lynch and Blue Sargent walking through the forest, laughing, and he couldn’t remember why he was crying. He wiped the tears from his eyes, as he saw himself making another bargain, on another night, in this other forest. He saw summer, winter. He saw Blue kiss Gansey and Gansey fall. He saw Ronan go to sleep and as Gansey rose, he saw Cabeswater fall.
Then, he suddenly got pulled out of Cabeswater and he fell on the uneven ground. He looked up to see Declan Lynch crouching next to him.
“Declan!”
“You stopped breathing! And you’ve been in there for 20 minutes.” Declan put a hand out for Adam, and he took it, pulling himself to standing. “And-“ Declan said, but Adam saw. Where before he had been sat in an empty clearing, he was now surrounded by trees, surrounded by energy. He could feel it in the air, it was alive. He grinned. He couldn’t help it. He had done it, he had saved Lindenmere. Matthew ran up to him and hugged him, and Adam ruffled his hair. He turned to find Ronan, but caught Jordan’s eye and she gently shook her head, her face troubled. Declan took her hand again and squeezed as Adam’s elation deflated.
“Have they not come back?” Adam said quietly to Matthew. He pulled away and shook his head.
Adam couldn’t hold this inside of him. He turned away from Matthew, toward the trees.
“LINDENMERE.” He shouted. “WHERE ARE THEY? I HAVE HELPED YOU LINDENMERE, I BROUGHT YOU BACK. PLEASE HELP ME.”
The trees rustled in the light breeze, but there were no words. No Latin, no dream language, nothing.
“Please,” Adam said, quieter. He didn’t know what else to do. If they weren’t here, where were they? He moved away from the group, went through the trees a little so he could see them but was on his own. Lonesome. He sat, leaning against a tree, and closed his eyes. He could faintly hear the others in the clearing, but he tuned everything out and let himself really truly think it. He missed Ronan. He had made another bargain, there were going to be giant consequences and a lot would have to be done but he, Adam Parrish, had saved magic. And yet all he could think was that he missed Ronan.
“Parrish.” Adam opened his eyes. His heart clenched. Ronan Lynch stood next to Hennessy on the edge of the clearing, next to a huge ancient cedar tree.
“Ronan.” Adam breathed, and before he knew what he was doing he was running to him. Ronan’s arms came around him and for the first time in months, he felt as though he could breathe. He burrowed his face into Ronan’s neck “You’re here. You’re here.”
He kissed Ronan, and Ronan laughed gently in surprise. “Everyone’s watching.” He said, though he kissed him back with the same eagerness.
“I don’t care.” Adam said.
“You just set fucking fire to the world.” He said, in between kisses.
“I don’t care.” Ronan chuckled and Adam pulled back, becoming aware that everyone was watching and starting to care a little bit. “Tamquam-“
“-Alter idem.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too, dick.” Ronan pulled him in for a hug.