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"I like him"

"I know you do If this is our world, noe’ll live in it together"

Julianna squeezed his fingers in hers, and Oliver knew that his fiancée wasn’t the only one who had gone through a door that had closed forever behind her The er existed He would not grieve, though For better or worse, he’d become who he had always been meant to be His mother’s son His father’s son Himself

A soft knock caether into the stall they’d used as a shower, even as one of the front doors creaked open Ixchel entered with anotherfelloith silver and black hair They spoke rapidly and Oliver had the distinct i to knohy Ixchel had dragged hi place "Bascombe," he said

Oliver stepped out of the stall, holding Julianna by the hand

The newco like terror, and then his face slowly transformed into a slish "You are really him? You are Oliver Bascombe?"

"I am And you?"

The man clapped Ixchel on the arm, then rushed forward to shake Oliver’s hand "I am Lorenzo Baleeiro Many call me Professor, because I have worked as a scholar and teacher"

"Professor--" Oliver began

"Lorenzo, please"

"All right Lorenzo," he agreed, taking theto his fiancée "And this is Julianna Whitney We’re both very grateful to you for co Ixchel was gone"

Lorenzo waved this away "You have nothing to worry about for the moend-Born It is our honor to be able to give you whatever assistance we can provide"

Oliver glanced at Julianna She shivered, obviously as unnerved by this statement as he was

"Look, Professor…Lorenzo," he said, "I appreciate it We both do But I’m no savior, y’know? I’ve been on this side of the Veil for a while now and I kno ends end has a core of truth Monsters and heroes all have their own true nature that so to do with the stories people tell about the the sensation of being truly clean for the first tih his mind whirled as he tried to determine their nextout for Julianna’s hand, "we’re just people in trouble"

Lorenzo smiled warmly "You may feel ordinary, Señor Bascoend-Born?"

Oliver fought the urge to hide froaze firend, a Borderkind na hunted for that heritage I’ the Lost Ones hos that Collette and I can do, things we’ve discovered, so we knoe’re not as norht"

The professor chuckled contentedly, nodding "Excellent We really have been waiting for you for ages Belief in the Legend-Born is one of the few things that the Lost Ones in Euphrasia and Yucatazca have in common Which leads me to the obvious question"

Oliver raised an eyebrow

Julianna stepped closer to the professor "What ht that be?"

"Why, what to do now, of course You didn’t escape froeon just to spend the rest of the war stashed in the hayloft of an old stable, did you?"

A grin split Julianna’s face "I sure as hell hope not"

"I thought not"

Oliver hesitated to discuss their plans with anyone, yet he felt he could trust this htfall and slip out of the city I want to travel north and find King Hunyadi Someone has to tell him that Atlantis is responsible for all this"

The professor’s eyes went grave "That has been the rumor Do you confirm it, now? That Atlanteans are the cause of the war?"

Oliver nodded, and Ixchel started asking questions Lorenzo quickly translated As the two men spoke, Julianna moved closer to Oliver

"Do you have any idea what you’re doing?"

Oliver fixed her with a glance "So, Jules Maybe for the first time in my life My father--no matter how benevolent hisit back"

Julianna reached behind his head, fingers curling in his hair, and kissed him hard When she broke away, both of therin

"I guess you are And y’knohat? It’s kinda sexy"

Oliver shook his head, sether they turned to face their newfound friends oncerapidly now, hands gesturing too quickly to follow They nodded to one another in agreement

"Lorenzo"

The professor looked up

"We don’t want to interrupt, but we need to get out of here," Julianna said "And not just out of Palenque, but out of Yucatazca completely We’d appreciate any help you could provide"

Lorenzo looked stricken Ixchel tapped the older ue The professor ignored hi at Oliver

"You cannot siood you could do here, not only for Yucatazca, but for yourself The Atlantean scu Mahacuhta They deny the existence of the Legend-Born They send us to war against Euphrasia But already many do not believe the edicts that are issued from the palace in the name of Prince Tzajin If you were to speak to the people--to stand and speak the truth--many in the city would believe you, and others would at least begin to doubt"

"Wait, what about the prince? If they’re doing all this in his name, where is he?"

"In Atlantis," Lorenzo replied "Once, I was his teacher, but Ty’Lis convinced the king that the boy should learn at the feet of the scholars of Atlantis Noith Mahacuhta dead, we do not even know if Tzajin still lives and, if he does, if he knows of his father’s murder"

Julianna looked sick "So this boy who should be king now is basically a prisoner in Atlantis?"

Ixchel watched the it was to be surrounded by people speaking another language, but the conversation ran too fast for Lorenzo to translate