“Maybe we’re lookingin the wrong place entirely.” I push aside another useless book with a yawn. Pale dawn light filters through the large bay windows of Traum Castle’s library, my family’s mountain chalet. We’ve been researching for hours with nothing to show for it. “What if the answers aren’t here but in there?” I gesture toward the window and the forest of pine trees hiding the lake below.
Ravi looks up from his laptop, bloodshot eyes wide with alarm. “Absolutely not.”
“Listen, we’ve been at this for hours. Every article about portal closure is either theoretical or deals with Hell gates.” I rub my temples to dull the headache that’s been building since we started this search. “No one writes specifically about closing a portal to Mictlan. No recent successful missions to reference.”
“That doesn’t mean we go inside a death realm.”
He’s right. I don’t want to go there either, but we may not have a choice. We need to shut the portal before anyone finds out. If something comes through and someone gets hurt because of what I did, I’ll never forgive myself.
“Maybe,” I slowly offer, “there’s something in my father’s journals back at Rowan Palace. They led us to the Hypnos story that brought us here in the first place.”
Ravi’s phone rings, cutting off any response he might have had.
“Turn it off. We don’t have time for?—”
“It’s Wilder.”
Fire burns through my veins, banishing exhaustion. “Answer it.”
Ravi clears his throat. “Hello?” He nods, then extends the phone. “He wants to talk to you.”
My chest tightens. There’s no way Wilder knows what I’ve done, the trouble I’ve caused.
“Hey, baby,” I manage, trying to sound normal. “My phone’s been on Do Not Disturb?—”
“Don’t panic.” The words still my racing thoughts. “Queen Jorina suffered a heart attack during the Dark Dinner. Mom thinks it was a coronary spasm. She’s been trying to reach you.”
A knot in my throat chokes off my response. My grandmother. Oh gods, is she okay?
“Leigh, are you there? Goddammit.” There’s a brief pause before he shouts, “Soter, bring me your phone.”
“I’m here,” I whisper.
“Did you hear what I said?”
“How is she?” The words barely escape my lips.
“My mom is with her, but until I get more details…” Papers rustle in the background. “Leigh, we need you here. I know you needed your space, and I hate to cut your trip short, but please come home.”
I wrap my arms around myself, trying to hold the pieces together. Of course I’m coming home. But panic hijacks my brain.
We haven’t closed the portal. Do I risk leaving it open?
The image of my grandmother, frail and alone in a hospital bed, surfaces memories of waking up like that at Hebe Hospital when my father and Fynn died, with no family there to hold my hand through the pain.
“We’ll catch the next train,” I promise.
“What about the portal?” Ravi whispers urgently.
I meet his eyes, seeing my own exhaustion reflected in them. We’ve been awake all night without finding anything useful. Theanswers aren’t here, but my father’s extensive collection back home might have the key. But just in case, he should stay.
“Tell your mom to keep sending updates until I get there,” I tell Wilder.
“I’ll send Isolde to meet you at the station. She’ll take you straight to the hospital.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t worry. Mom’s taking excellent care of her. Everything will be okay.” His steady confidence anchors me, but my eyes also burn with tears.We’re supposed to be happier than ever right now—we’re gettingmarried. But if he finds out I lied about this trip, he’ll think it’s because I don’t trust him. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I trust him completely, with my entire being as well as my heart. I lied to protectusand this perfect bubble we’re in. But if he finds out, he’ll drop everything to help me fix this mess, derail his training with Soter, and turn our wedding plans into a crisis. I’d rather get lost in Mictlan than watch him spiral. I can handle this without him. I will. No matter what it takes.
