Stellan glances toward the glass, something calculating in his expression. “That’s our path back, isn’t it?”
Seth’s face goes pale. “I—I don’t know. The creatures led me here once, but I didn’t control it. They just—” He gestures helplessly at the mirror. “I don’t know if I can do it again. If I can open it.”
“You will,” I say, and it comes out harder than I mean it to. “You came through once. You’ll do it again.”
“And if I can’t?” His voice cracks. “What if I try and it doesn’t work? What if—”
“Then we figure it out.” Stellan’s voice is calm. Certain. “But you’re going to try.”
I step forward, forcing myself to meet his eyes without violence.
“You’re going to take us to her.”
Seth nods, shaky but resolute. “I’ll try.”
The chamber settles into uneasy quiet, the mirror behind Seth still rippling like disturbed water.
Zira speaks into the silence. “Whatever magic created you, it did so for a reason. The Void doesn’t give gifts. It trades.”
I hold Seth’s gaze for a long moment. Conflict and fury and reluctant respect warring within me.
Because he came back. He found a way through the Void and came back for her.
That has to mean something.
“We need to talk to the others,” Stellan says, breaking the silence. “All of them.”
I tense. “Not yet. We don’t know—”
“They deserve to know,” Stellan cuts me off, voice firm. “Seth’s alive. Bree’s alive. And we have a way to reach her.” His gray eyes are steady, unyielding. “You can’t keep this from them.”
I want to argue. Want to control the narrative, manage the fallout, keep everything contained until I understand what we’re dealing with.
But he’s right.
“Fine.” The word tastes bitter. “But we do this carefully.”
Stellan glances at Seth, then back at me. “He’s coming too.”
“What?” The word comes out sharp.
“He’s hers, Thane.” Stellan’s voice is calm but firm. “Bonded. Just like you. They need to meet him. See he’s not a threat.”
My jaw clenches, but I can’t argue with the logic. Seth is bonded to Bree. That makes him part of this whether I like it or not.
“This is going to be a disaster,” I mutter.
Zira lets out a low whistle from across the chamber. “Better you than me.” She’s already backing toward the far wall, clearly planning to stay well clear of whatever’s about to happen.
Stellan moves toward the stairs. “I’ll get them.”
Seth looks between us, still shaky, still confused. “What are you going to tell them?”
“The truth,” I say flatly. “That you’re alive. That you found her. And that we’re going to get her back.”
His throat works. “They’re going to hate me.”
“Probably.” I don’t soften it. Wouldn’t be fair to him. “But you’re going to have to face them anyway.”
