“Prue!” Mona shouted suddenly.
Prue turned to her sister, who was still in Evander’s arms. Her trousers were torn and bloodstained, but she had healed the gash there, and the color had returned to her cheeks.
“Listen,” Mona urged, raising a hand, her eyes distant.
Prue stilled, her ears straining. Around them, the sirens continued to screech. Shouts echoed, mingling with Oceanus’s roars of rage and anguish as he was attacked on two fronts.
Then, she heard it. A loud, echoing cry.
Prue stiffened, then looked at Mona with a frown. “What is that?”
Mona’s eyes widened, recognition lighting her features. “It’s Trivia!”
“Who is… Wait.” Prue’s face scrunched up in confusion. “Do you mean Pandora?”
“No. I mean—Well, yes.” Mona shook her head quickly. “It’s our sister, Prue. She’s somewhere close by.” Mona stood, scanning the foggy surroundings.
Something hissed nearby, and a shape emerged from the fog, slithering toward them. Prue was on her feet in an instant, her heart racing. Was it a serpent? Had one of the fire witches survived?
But when the shape reached them and halted, Prue found herself frowning again.
It was a vine. A thick, rope-like cord, similar to a liana.
Mona lunged, grabbing the vine and tugging hard. She closed her eyes, and earth magic filled the air. “Trivia!” Mona shouted, her voice echoing in the space around them.
Following her lead, Prue crouched to her side, conjuring her own magic to tug on the vine. It went taut, pulling on something within the mist. The end of the vine coiled next to them, gaining slack the more they tugged.
Prue’s magic could sense a powerful presence nearby. But there was so much magic around them that it was hard to tell where it was coming from. The sirens, the strange ghostly spirits, the fallen fire witches, or even Oceanus himself… It was too chaotic to make out a magical signature.
But then, she felt it. It smelled of the sea and palm fronds andhome.
Prue’s heart lurched in her chest. “Mama,” she murmured.
Mona’s head whipped toward hers, and she inhaled deeply. “I sense it, too!” Her magic tugged harder, dragging more of the vine toward them.
A frantic urgency swept through Prue. Her mother was here. She couldfeelher. So close. So close…
Suddenly the vine snapped. Whatever weight it was carrying vanished, and the broken vine slid across the ground toward Prue and Mona, coming to a halt at their feet.
The two sisters stared at it in numb horror.
“What happened?” Cyrus asked, kneeling to inspect the vine.
“No!” shrieked a voice. It sounded close by, close enough for Prue and Mona to run to.
Prue moved toward the sound, but Cyrus grabbed her wrist.
“Prue…”
She turned to look at him, desperation pulsing through her. “Stay with Evander and the spirits. Keep watch in case Oceanus searches for us.”
Cyrus’s eyes burned with panic. “Youcan’t?—”
“I have to,” Prue said softly. “It’s my mother. My sister. Cyrus, Ihaveto. Please let me do this.”
His lips spread into a thin line, and then he nodded, releasing her hand. Prue glanced at Mona, who was sharing a passionate kiss with Evander. Goddess, Prue hadneverseen Mona like this with a man before. Their mouths collided, tongues clashing with reckless abandon. Prue’s normally shy, reserved sister looked like she was about todevour this man whole, without a thought of who was watching.
When they broke apart, Mona’s face was pink, but she looked determined. Without another word, the two sisters sprinted into the mist, heading toward the distant shouting. Prue’s legs pumped furiously, driving her farther and faster as she followed the scent of her mother’s magic.
