It was funny when you knew such a narrow yet deep slice of someone's life.

What Vanessa knew of Warren, she knew well. She knew deep.  She knew how his face looked when he cried. She knew his desperation,  his anger, his fear. She knew his deepest, most vulnerable state. She  knew it well.

But, as for breadth? Well, she couldn't tell you his favorite sports team. Or how he celebrated his birthdays.

And  when a gap like that appears, you tend to fill it in. You spread your  thin slice until the frosting covered a semblance of a cake and you  called it a day. Vanessa felt like she knew all of him.

But, she didn't. That much was obvious when she entered the final chamber.

The  way his shock turned to anger and hatred, betrayal curling his lip. The  way he straightened and stepped in front of Kendra, not once taking his  eyes off Vanessa. The way vitriol poured off every syllable. These ways  were foreign. She didn't know the Warren that spoke to her now. "We've  got company."

Vanessa felt Kendra's eyes fall on her and Errol's  shadow trailing her ascent, but all she saw was Warren. It was Warren.  It was always Warren.

But, that was the past. That was two years  ago—flying free with the windows down, spooning soup from warm hands,  tumbling and kissing like lovesick teenagers.

The now was harsh,  cold. The humongous white cavern reminded her of where she should  probably be—an asylum. Warren and Kendra both had short rods in their  hands and hovered about thirty feet below a catwalk that cut through the  chamber.

Kendra and Warren discussed something under their breath  and traded weapons. Terror struck at Vanessa. Warren with a sword? She  knew his abilities. She could not be on the sharp end. Could she fight  him?

Yes.

But did she want to?

"I propose a truce,"  Vanessa said. She saw surprise flicker over Warren's face before  hardening back into hatred and anger. This face—this Warren? She didn't  recognize him.

She bet he could say the same for her.

"A convenient idea, since we have the weapons," Warren growled.

The  verbal blow blew over her. Fully smothered under the weight of the  mission, Vanessa snapped into order. "How many times have you slain the  guardian?"

"None of your business," Warren said. "Come no closer."

He acted like he didn't know her.

Vanessa stopped her ascent, with Errol following suit.

That was probably fair. He didn't really know her anyway.

But, Vanessa knew him.

"You do not look well, Warren," she said.

Warren shifted his hands on his pole and nodded at Errol. "Neither does your friend."

Was he jealous? Maybe that was Vanessa's egotistical side saying that. But...

"I think you two could use some assistance."

"What got him?" Warren said, still stuck on Errol. "The hobgoblin?"

Vanessa smiled. This was too good. "He was injured before we entered the tower."

"I  picked up a bar of gold on the back porch," Errol said. "Apparently it  was stolen from a troll. He took it back very impolitely after we left  the yard."

Muffled laughter came from beneath Kendra's hand, and  Vanessa held in her own. Kendra faced Errol's glare and tilted her head.  "Your real name is Christopher Vogel?"

"I have many names," he said stiffly. "My parents gave me that one."

"We  elected to fight the Cyclops," Vanessa said. Enough of Errol's talk.  "Lots of bare skin for my darts. And we deduced from the ax and the ape  not to enter the nearby chamber armed. But this cat may pose a problem.  How many times has it died? We've seen once."

"You better turn around and clear out of here," Warren said.

To  Vanessa, she almost felt like they were on a mission again. She kept  sliding into it—debriefing what she had been up to. But, Warren wore the  betrayal freshly.

Also, as Vanessa squinted, she saw bandages  around his midsection and claw marks on his legs. She felt muted  concern, but took inventory efficiently. If he didn't work with her,  she'd have to get rid of him. Panic threaded her pulse.

"I hope  you aren't counting on other help." Vanessa adjusted her ponytail. They  needed to realize a truce was the only way forward. She couldn't fight  Warren and Kendra. Please. Not them. Time to bend the truth. "We found  Tanu in the woods and took care of him. He will be asleep until this  time tomorrow."

"I'm surprised you came in person," Kendra said bitterly.

"Where finesse is required, I prefer my own body."

"We  have no intention of harming anyone," Errol said. "Kendra, we just want  to take the artifact and leave all of you in peace. This can still end  well for you and your family."

Warren's eyes narrowed as he took  in the offer. With a flick of his wrist, he soared closer to Vanessa,  yet stayed far enough away to be safe.

His hand twitched for his sword and Vanessa noticed. "Sorry if we're out of reach," she said drily.

"Either  you will depart, or I will emphatically insist." Warren raised his  sword to a fighting position and locked his eyes on Vanessa. She  couldn't believe it. Logically, she knew that one day she probably would  end up fighting Warren. But, her heart had just never believed her  brain. She stayed silent, and Errol answered instead.

"We could  fight," he said. "But trust me, brave as she may be, it would not take  much for me to wrest that lance from the girl." Errol pushed off of  Vanessa, and they both drifted and landed softly against opposite walls.

Vanessa  reigned in her annoyance at being pushed like that, and took a deep  breath. "A contest between us will end in injuries none of us can  afford," she said. "Why not first slay the beast together?"

"Because  I don't want to be stabbed in the back," Warren said. His knowing eyes  found hers and for the first time, they truly looked at each other, raw  and real. It burned through her.

She looked away.

"You don't  imagine you can walk out of here without the artifact?" Errol asked.  "There are always safeguards against such actions."

"I'm well aware," Warren said. "I can handle the cat."

Vanessa  eyed the black cat on the catwalk. It was massive, larger than a  full-grown lynx. Light rippled off its sleek screen as it prowled the  catwalk. This could not have been the first iteration. "How many times  have you killed the beast?"

"Three times," Warren said.

"So this is its fourth life," Errol said. "Hang me if it has less than nine."

For once, Errol was probably right. And, looking how Warren did? He was not going to survive five more fights.

"At  your best, uninjured, this guardian is too much for you or any single  person," Vanessa said. "All together we may have a chance."

"I will not arm you," Warren said.

Vanessa  fought against rolling her eyes. They needed to convince Warren with  something stronger than words, and also needed to get the spear Kendra  had. She nodded at Errol, and they both kicked off the wall and fell  toward Kendra. Warren fell with them, but had nothing to kick off to  propel him.

Panic widened Kendra's eyes and she shot up, out of  grasp, but Errol and Vanessa just shot up with her. As they closed in,  Kendra threw her spear towards Warren and yelled. "Catch!"

Now, she was going to play keep away?

Warren  narrowly missed another impalement, and the spear clattered down on the  catwalk. The big cat jumped to it, and bared its teeth in defiance.

Together,  Errol and Vanessa shot down to the catwalk, but Errol hit the catwalk  hard. As Vanessa landed with her feet gracefully, she rolled her eyes at  Errol's crumpled form. Could he do anything right?

Warren moved,  sword in hand, toward the cat and the fallen spear. Absolutely not. Two  weapons for one person was not fair. Vanessa dashed to the lynx from the  other side.

Panic twitched the cornered cat's whiskers, and it jumped away from the spear and towards easier prey: Errol.

With  the background noise of Errol's screams, Vanessa dove and grabbed the  spear. Unfortunately, so did Warren, and his hand wrapped right on top  of hers. It was just as coarse as she remembered, but so, so warm. His  eyes met hers, and he pulled his hand away, burned.

Warren  retreated and ran to Errol's rescue instead. Vanessa got the same idea.  It would be dumb to lose the only person solidly on her side  immediately.

The cat sprang for Errol, but he vanished and  reappeared a few feet to the left. Turning, the lynx locked its eyes on  him once again, but he used his elementary magic and raised a shower of  smoke and sparks.

Seriously? This was her partner? A birthday party magician?

The  lynx stalked through the mist and latched its teeth onto Errol's  forearm, shaking and dragging him like a freshly caught bird who still  needed a broken neck.

Vanessa finally made it to his side and  stabbed straight through the lynx's side. Warren alighted beside her and  decapitated the lynx in one fell swoop. The head rolled to the side,  and Vanessa and Warren both breathed deeply as their eyes locked on each  other.

What did Dougan always call them? The dream team?

It seemed that that was still true.