Paul lowered his voice and continued, "There was no matter there, no time. We could exist only as souls linked together, unable to move far from or hide from one another—there was nothing there besides our own forms. I think you understand what I mean."
He looked a little embarrassed.
"A soul space?" Mariana repeated softly, unconsciously rubbing the rim of her teacup with her fingertips. "That is a realm beyond the reach of ordinary magic."
"We spent... in any case, it was an extremely long time there. Time simply couldn't be measured." Paul's gaze was calm. "From hostility to coexistence, from wariness to dependence, Frostine went from an enemy to... an intimate member of the family."
Mariana asked, "Let me guess. That included the others too?"
"Ahem, yes." Paul blushed faintly.
"It wasn't until Auffina, one of Catherine's subordinates, found us through a mental connection that we were able to return to the real world. To bring us back, she entered that space as well, and then it was a long time before she could open the exit again. Uh... you know..."
Mariana sat completely still on the sofa, as though an invisible spell had frozen her in place.
The firelight danced across her face, reflecting an expression of disbelief. Her fingers still rested on the rim of the teacup, but she had long since forgotten that the tea was there.
"A soul space... six people..." she murmured, her voice so soft that it was nearly swallowed by the crackling fire. "You... couldn't separate, there was no time... and you became a family?"
She lifted her head, her gaze settling on Paul's face. Even this well-informed Witch needed time to digest the information coming from her son.
After a long while, she slowly closed her eyes, took a deep