Free Gateway by Sharon Shinn

if to fetch an antidote. Aurora came to her knees and tried to grab hold of Kalen’s flailing hands.
    “Kalen!” Aurora said urgently. “Kalen, can you hear me?”
    “You said the copper was harmless!” Daiyu cried.
    Abruptly Kalen sat up, laughing, and pushed his hair back. “I was joking,” he said cheerfully. “I figured there’d be some kind of uproar when Chenglei disappeared, so—”
    Aurora sagged back on her heels and stared at him. Daiyu shoved him on the shoulder. “You practically gave me a heart attack,” she said.
    He grinned unrepentantly. “Well, I think you ought to prepare yourself for the idea that something pretty dramatic is going to happen,” he said.
    Ombri had slowly crossed the room again and now he stood looking down at the three of them, his dark face even more serious than usual. “In fact, Kalen is correct,” he said. “Daiyu should brace herself for chaos.Well done, Kalen, if somewhat—unnerving.”
    “I suppose we should try that again,” Daiyu said a little doubtfully.
    “I don’t know how many more tries I have left in me,” Aurora said dryly, but she let Ombri pull her to her feet. “One or two more, I suppose.”
    The four of them completed the dance three more times. Once Daiyu dropped the bracelet—a very bad outcome, all of them agreed—but twice she managed to get it around Kalen’s wrist and then brace herself for whatever lunacy he would try next. The first time he shouted for guards to come arrest her. The second time he simply grabbed her in a bear hug and hung on.
    “If I’m going to another dimension, you’re coming with me,” he said.
    She broke free and then turned to stare at Ombri. “That wouldn’t happen, would it?” she demanded.
    “I doubt it,” he said. “The talisman should work so quickly that he should have no time to react.”
    “But if he’s holding my hand at that moment and pulls me along with him—”
    “We’ll come for you,” Aurora promised. “As quickly as we can.”
    “Take out the quartz,” Kalen said. “If he drags you with him. Just pull it out and let it send you home immediately.”
    She was getting flustered. “But what if I’m so confused by ending up in another dimension that I can’t remember what I’m supposed to do—”
    “Write yourself a note,” Kalen suggested. “Put it in the bag. ‘Shake this stone into the palm of your hand—and hold on tight.’”
    Daiyu put her fingers to her temples. “Sometimes I’m really not sure I can do this,” she said. “I’m not sure I want to.”
    “Obviously, we should stop for the night,” Aurora said. “We can practice more tomorrow. Xiang has commitments the rest of this week—it will be a few days before I take you to her house.”
    Suddenly Daiyu was exhausted and ready to seek her bed. But before she could claim first dibs on the bathroom, the night was filled with a rich, mournful, metallic clangor.
    “What in the world—?” Daiyu exclaimed, turning jumpily toward the door.
    Kalen reassured her with a hand on her arm. “It’s just the river bell,” he said. “Telling everyone the water will be held back tomorrow. Stonepickers should be at the banks in the morning.”
    “So you’ll go to work?” she asked him.
    He shook his head. “I’ll stay and keep you company.”
    “I don’t think you can afford to lose too many days of wages for me.”
    “Aurora and I can take care of household expenses,” Ombri said. “There is no need to worry about funds.”
    “So don’t worry,” Kalen said, smiling at her.
    She smiled back. “You know what? I want to come with you.”
    “Really?” he said. He looked delighted.
    “Just tell me how to dress,” she said. “And I’ll be ready in the morning.”

EIGHT
    THE RIVERBED WAS a muddy mess, and before she’d taken three steps into it, Daiyu was grateful for the knee-high pair of old boots that Kalen had lent her. He had his right arm extended protectively, ready to catch her if she fell,