“Fucking hell, Leigh, this is officially out of hand. I’m guessing you didn’t tell anyone about the rift, if you’re the one going inside it.”
I release a silent, strangled cry. Yeah, I could have told the Blades the truth. I could also tell them that there were nights when Wilder was working late that I’d wake up from missing him with my fingers buried between my legs, gasping for breath. There are some things you keep to yourself.
“I caused this,” I say, my voice leaving no room for argument. “Iam fixing it.”
Ravi hesitates, studying my face. His expression is tight with concern. My pulse pounds in my ears. I think he’ll refuse, maybeeven alert Wilder or someone else. He sighs, shoulders slumping over the desk in what I assume is resignation.
“Ugh. Fine. What do you want me to do?”
“Come with me to the lake. In case there are more Dullahan in the forest, I don’t want to be alone.”
Ravi reaches for his sweater that must have fallen off the back of his chair. The weight of what I’m about to do—entering a new realm, confronting mournful spirits, saving a child—settles on me like an anvil on my shoulders.
Fynn needs me. And I won’t fail him like I failed my brother.
Ravi shrugs on his crewneck that readsGlaucus, Corona.
I narrow my eyes at the souvenir. “Did you get that at the train station? It’s not like you aren’t coming back. Did you really need a memento?”
“I thought we were leaving,” he says, dodging my question with lowered eyebrows.
“We are.” I turn on my heel, exiting the library.
Together, Ravi and I sneak down the hall, tiptoe down the stairs, and out one of the side doors that leads toward the lake. No one stops us. Though, a minuscule part of me wishes someone would.
The imagined look of disappointment on my loved ones’ faces pushes me forward.
Fresh spring air fills my lungs as we race toward the stables. A paved path connects the stables to the Thistle Maze, and we follow it until Priapus Forest looms ahead of us. At that point, the path turns to damp dirt beneath our hurried feet.
“Do you feel that?” I ask Ravi, stopping suddenly. The energy emitted by the rift is stronger than it was in November.
Ravi halts beside me, head tilted in the direction of the lake. “I do.”
“Come on.” We need to hurry if I am going to make it back in time to marry Wilder.
The constant hum of energy presses against my mind, growing louder until we leave the clearing between the trees. I push my shadows aside, and we gasp together.
The purple at the center of the lake looks more vibrant than before. Could it be from the Dullahan using it not so long ago? It doesn’t matter because I am about to go inside and maybe get answers to some of my questions as I search for Fynn among the sea of souls I find there.
“Ready?” Ravi asks.
“Ready.”
I remove my shoes, tie them together, and grip the laced pair tightly in my fist. Ravi does the same, his expression grim as we stand in the darkness. I wade into the water first, gasping as it nips at my skin. Ravi follows closely behind, his teeth chattering loudly in the silence.
“This still feels like a bad idea,” he says, but I swim forward.
No turning back now.
After a deep breath, I submerge beneath the water. My skin prickles and burns, but I kick my legs and spread my arms, clenching my jaw against the cold.
The gateway looms ahead—a shimmering purple surrounded by black.
I swim upward until my head breaches the surface. Ravi and I gasp for air.
“I’m going in,” I declare, bones aching from the cold.
“Maybe I should come with you.”
