CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Esther groaned again. Oliver felt relieved that she was alive, at the least. But she was unconscious.
He cradled her in his arms, rocking her gently to try to bring her back to consciousness.
Suddenly, he saw movement nearby.
Please don’t let it be a rogue. Don’t let them have followed us through!
But as the figure drew closer, Oliver saw with relief that it was Ralph dragging himself over to them. He winced with every movement.
“The portal,” Ralph stammered when he reached Oliver. “It must have dropped us.”
Oliver nodded. “Yes. And then it fell apart behind us. There’s no way back. Are you okay?”
Ralph sat there, panting. “I think so. All in one piece, somehow. I think I’m suffering more from having traveled twice through time than falling ten feet through the air.
