“Oh, Alessia.” Lily was far more exuberant in her display of affection. She threw her arms around me and squeezed. “That must have been something. I’m so glad you got to connect with her, even for a second. I know when I saw my mom…”
She trailed off, and I hugged her back. There was nothing else to say or do but cling to her. Until even that wasn’t enough, and we were drawn back to the present need to keep things moving.
“The ancient Fae Queens are the ones who reconnected my spirit and my body,” I said. “My mother told me they could only do it once; I surmised it took a great deal of magic, or some bending of the rules, or something of that nature because I was warned that if it happened again, there was no saving me.”
Silas licked his lip in thought, gave a gruff nod. Gratitude was scrawled on his features.
“Once they did that, they sent me back to the underworld. In turn, I sent Dr. Lewis through the portal. He landed in The Glade.”
Lily’s brows lifted. “Like, forever?”
I gave a little shrug. “I don’t think people belong there unless they’re Fae Queens. I was under the impression that my mother wanted…a word with him.”
The implication silenced the room.
“I think it’s safe to say he won’t be returning to the realm of the living,” I said. “But I think it’s of the utmost importance that I review his work. Can someone take me to the lab he was using? Did he leave any notes behind? I need to see how badly he screwed up the wards and see if I can fix them before it’s too late.”
“But you’ve only just returned.” Lily stroked my hair gently. “You’ve been through a lot. I’m sorry.”
“I just wish it had helped more,” I said. “All that risk, and I’m not sure it paid off.”
“It did,” Liza said softly. “It did, Alessia.”
I knew she meant that it had given the opportunity to meet my mother which, I agreed, had been worth it. But that was a very selfish reason to feel like it had been worth risking my life with a voyage to the underworld.
“I’m sure it helped,” Lily said. “For starters, you uncovered the truth behind Dr. Lewis before he could do any more damage.”
“Not to mention,” Ranger X added, “the spirits are here, but they’re waiting. They’re not running free. I’m wondering if you prompted an attack earlier than planned. Your breaching the underworld—and then living to tell the tale, not to mention banishing the Harbinger, could’ve caused him to panic. Maybe he would’ve waited for the blood moon otherwise and thenwould have been too powerful to stop. This, maybe, gives us a fighting chance.”
“If the Darkest Lord launched an attack before he was ready,” Silas said, “that’s of great benefit to us. We’re not ready either, but we wouldn’t have been in four more days anyway. This puts us on a slightly more even playing field.”
I hoped they were right. We’d need every possible advantage.
“Either way, they’re here now,” I said. “How can I best help?”
Ranger X glanced at Silas. “Any word from your brother?”
Silas shook his head, then said for my benefit, “He’s been here. Atlas. He’s worried about you, of course. We sent him back to Olympus yesterday to see if they’d help in your absence. No word yet.”
I bit my lip. “I don’t think we can count on them.”
“I agree with you,” Ranger X said. “Which is why in your absence, I’ve also reached out to the Sixth Borough, Magic Inc., and other magical entities. They’ve been sending resources. Dani DeMarco and a team from the Sixth Borough are handling investigations and security on the island. Magic Inc. has people at Ranger HQ working on potions, defenses, logistics.”
“What about the islanders?” I rested a hand on my chest.
I could still sense that jar of glowing, marble-like beads when I focused. A collection of what mattered most to me, the people I now lived to protect.
“We’ve issued evacuation orders,” Ranger X said. “Most of the elderly and children are gone. Some of the women too. Whoever’s left has chosen to stay here voluntarily.”
“There are a lot of people left,” Liza said softly. “Because they believe in The Isle. And they believe in you.”
My heart warmed. As I glanced down at the small child, I realized how much I’d missed her. That bond between us was growing, and this felt like only the start of something trulyspecial that could bloom between us. If only given the time, something that felt like a precious commodity at this point.
“If nobody objects then,” I said, “I’d like to review the wards. Can someone take me to his lab?”
“I will bring you there now,” Ranger X said. “As far as I know, he was planning to return. With any luck, he left his work behind. No one was suspicious when he went to the underworld, so it’s possible he wouldn’t have taken extreme precautions to destroy his work. Follow me, Alessia—I need to return to HQ anyway. We’ll need to update our plans now that the spirits have arrived.”
thirteen
