“What are you doing?” I hiss.
She shrugs. “I’m thirsty.”
I scan her for any signs she’s been enchanted or worse. Stories about people losing their minds to fairy wine or spirit drinks flash through my mind. Why should Mictlan be any different?
“How do you feel?”
She smiles, unbothered. “You worry too much.”
“You shouldn’t be so careless.”
Leigh takes another sip, keeping her eyes locked on mine.
“Don’t,” I warn softly.
She groans. “We’re no closer to finding Fynn. Aradia isn’t here—what else am I supposed to do?” She lifts her glass. “I had something profound and meaningful to say at our wedding, but all I can say right now is ‘bottoms up.’”
“That sounds a hell of a lot like giving up,” I say under my breath.
With heavy shoulders, Leigh sets her drink down. “I don’t know what else to do.”
Neither do I but getting drunk will only weaken us. Fynn is somewhere in this realm—maybe even this castle. “You said you tried exploring earlier. What did you find?”
“Empty rooms.”
“Upstairs?”
She nods, catching my urgency. “What are you thinking?”
“Does this place have a dungeon? Kosac doesn’t want us to find Fynn. I say we tear this castle apart until we do, starting from the ground up.”
A gleam of resolve sparks in Leigh’s eyes. “Then we’d better hurry before he gets here.”
Everything is a mess.
Aradia’s journals are scattered throughout the Traum Castle library, opened to random pages that contain pieces of information that may or may not be useful. However, I haven’t found anything concrete about how to close the rift. Aradia was a powerful Lunar Witch, but her journals mostly focus on her life at court and her early days as queen, especially after the First War and her sister’s “death.” While many believed her sister Ivah was killed, she was actually banished. Sama and I are living proof of that.
I flip to another page in the journal where Aradia writes about a meeting with the Council. They proposed new laws aimed at punishing the Nebula who supported Ivah with Labor Laws. I pause briefly on the entry. These are her accounts of the birth of the Labor Laws—the laws that Leigh abolished and laws Felicity wants restored. My stomach knots.
The library door swings open, and I slam the journal shut. I twist in my seat. I still have two hours to figure this out. The Blades can’t be here already.
“There you are.”
Sama smiles at me. She steps into the room, and the moonlight shining through the windows threads through her shimmering pink aura, illuminating her oval-shaped face.
I exhale. “What are you doing awake?”
Sama takes a seat at the table beside me, still dressed in her navy party dress. “I couldn't sleep. There was too much sugar in the wine.” She laughs. “I went to your room, but you weren’t there. You weren’t at the party earlier, either.”
I keep my voice quiet. I’ve spent my whole life trying to keep her safe, moving her from place to place under the cover of darkness. I’d hoped we could finally settle down and make a permanent home with Leigh, but it might be time to leave again. And this time, it’s my fault. I never should have helped Leigh open the rift. If she doesn’t come back, we’re all in serious trouble. Especially if Felicity follows through on her promise to get rid of my sister and me for threatening her throne.
“I made a terrible mistake,” I mutter, rubbing my eyes.
Sama sits quietly, unmoving.
“I-I’ve been trying to fix it.” My voice cracks. If she knew Leigh was in Mictlan, she’d insist on going inside after her. I can’t lose them both. “If I don’t, they’ll blame me. If I don’t, everything will fall apart.”
The Council, Queen Jorina, and Cynthia will want a scapegoat to justify their grief. I’m new to this family and disposable, like I’ve always been. They might even align with Felicity if she takes the throne.
