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“I don’t know if he’s coming here,” Ridley continued, “but he’s definitely moving in this direction. He’s … wait.” She squinted harder as Dad rushed to her side. “Is that … Archer?” He was racing along the road, leaping over the cracked parts and dodging flashes of magic as something small and dark streaked ahead of him. “Ember?” Ridley whispered.
A few heartbeats later, Archer was skidding to a halt in front of the shoe shop and reaching for the door handle. There was a moment in which he looked through the glass and his eyes met Ridley’s. Then he pulled the door open, Ember raced in ahead of him, and he tugged it shut swiftly behind him. Before Ridley’s brain had a chance to catch up, she’d thrown her arms around him. He hugged her tightly. “How on earth did you find us?” she asked.
