Russell held his teacup, his thumb brushing its warm porcelain as his gaze drifted between The Ancient One's perpetually serene eyes and the churning sea of clouds beyond the window.
"The Time Variance Authority." He set down his cup, casual disdain in his voice. "Aside from whoever's really pulling the strings, the Time-Keepers and bounty hunters don't amount to much in my eyes."
The Ancient One took a sip of tea, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
In that perfectly measured silence, the air rippled like water. An orange Portal tore through space with a hiss, and Mordo stepped through in his pale-yellow training robes.
When he saw Russell sitting across from the Sorcerer Supreme with his legs crossed, leisurely pouring himself tea, his brow tightened almost imperceptibly.
"Teacher." Mordo bowed to The Ancient One first, then turned to Russell, his voice stiff and businesslike. "Kaecilius tried to sneak into Kamar-Taj. As you instructed, I drove him out."
"Well done, Mordo." The Ancient One nodded and tapped her fingers lightly on the table.
But Mordo's expression did not ease. If anything, he looked more troubled.
After a moment's hesitation, he finally asked, "Teacher, isn't attacking the Dark Dimension ourselves too risky?"
The Ancient One set down her teacup, a trace of serene certainty in her smile. "High rewards come with high risks, of course. But this time, we've reduced the risk as much as possible."
Russell listened quietly, his gaze passing through the Portal to the apprentices practicing Sling Ring gestures in Kamar-Taj's courtyard.
He had to admit that this Sorcerer Supreme, who had lived for who knew how many centuries, had built Kamar-Taj into something more sprawling and orderly than any magic academy.
Earth's peace had been built on countless corpses in war after war against invaders. The Ancient One drew