“There you are!” Lily’s voice interrupted our hushed conversation. She wrapped me in a hug, then took a step back and studied my face. “I heard you were here in testing. How are you? Are they putting you through too much torture?”
I gave a smile, feeling more touched by her sheer concern than I wanted to admit. For so long, I’d been graded on the value I brought to others, especially to my parents. My failures had felt like grave disappointments to them. For Lily to care more aboutme than what I could offer here at Ranger HQ, well, it meant a lot.
“I’m worried,” I confessed to Lily. “We’re struggling to get backup wards in place.”
“You’re just getting started,” Lily said. “There’s a whole room of Rangers working on it. Not to mention you and Dr. Lewis, and more scientists. Me too. Don’t put it all on yourself.”
“How are your potions coming?” Silas asked. “Have you made any progress?”
“I’m researching flesh-weaving countermeasures,” Lily said. “The biggest development is that I’ve come up with a way to freeze spirits if they make an appearance again. At least, I think I have, but I can’t be sure without testing it on an actual spirit. I’m working on the second half of the potion now—the ability to attack those frozen spirits. Right now, everything just goes right through them.”
“I’ll come by your bungalow in a bit,” I said. “You can show me what you’re working on, and then later when I go through the Fae manuscripts, I can have a better idea of what I’m looking for, something that might help with your potion.”
“That would be great,” Lily said. “A little magic from the Fae Queen never hurt anyone.”
“Well,” Ranger X hedged. “I’m not sure that’s true.”
Lily laughed, and I had to admit, it was good to see a smile. I loved that she could find moments of humor in an otherwise stressful situation. What else could we do, really?
“Okay, let’s release this girl from Ranger HQ.” Lily put her hands on my shoulders. “She’s got other things to attend to tonight, including helping me out at the bungalow. Not to mention, she’ll need her beauty sleep for her a coronation ceremony tomorrow.”
Lily squeezed that last line in like I wouldn’t notice. But I sure did.
“Tomorrow?” I gaped at her. “But a coronation ceremony takes a lot of planning! Not, you know, that I’ve planned one before, but I can imagine.”
“Yes, tomorrow,” Lily said. “Don’t worry about the details; they’ve all been handled.”
“But—”
“I’ve got to go,” Lily said. “I’ll explain more when you come by the bungalow. Get something to eat, and I’ll see you soon.”
three
Silasescortedmeoutof Ranger HQ. When we emerged into the fresh, shadowy air of The Forest, I breathed out a deep sigh of relief.
Some of the tension that had been crammed inside my body while I’d been trapped in that sterile white room, seeped out now that I was back in nature, my happy place. I kicked off my shoes, let my toes bury themselves in the dirt and grass. I took a few more slow breaths, soaking in the dappled sunlight and the creaks and cracks from critters crawling through the underbrush. Silas stood silently by my side until I was ready to move.
I took his hand, and we strolled toward the castle. When we arrived at the river’s edge, I saw the outline of Liza scampering across the bridge. She grinned when she saw me.
“If you don’t mind, I need to speak to Liza,” I told Silas. “After, I’ll probably head to Lily’s bungalow. There’s no sense wasting time, seeing as I need to get back to the cottage with enough time to review my manuscripts tonight. I’ll meet you there later?”
Silas pressed a kiss to my lips in answer and made me promise to be careful. I watched as he took the path toward Wisteria Cottage as Liza sidled up next to me in his absence. When she reached my side, she carefully, cautiously, slipped her tiny hand in mine.
We stood there, watching the setting sun together in silence. The castle rose bone-white in the sky. Daisies nodded in the breeze, and the river pooled beside it, glassy-clear, the surface revealing the color of every stone along the bottom. No restless souls tonight, no moon portals—just peace. It looked as though it had always belonged here.
The warmth of Liza’s callused, child-sized hand in mine was comforting, a pleasant weight tied to a responsibility that felt so wonderful and terrifying all at once. To have the trust of this little girl was something special; to know that my actions could affect whether she was safe on this island or not was something else. A tug that pulled hard against me.
“How are you?” I finally asked once the sun had more thoroughly set, and she slipped her hand out of mine. “How do you feel after seeing your mom last night?”
“I’ll miss her, but she’s where she belongs. I know some part of her is still with me.” Liza gave a small smile. “The spirits are much better off now, all thanks to you.”
“Thanks to all ofus.”I gently ruffled her hair. “Will you let me know if you hear from her again, or any other spirits, especially if they’re relaying information that could be useful with everything that’s happening now?”
“Of course.”
“Have you heard from your mother since she passed through the portal?”
Liza shook her head. “I still sense her, but not in the same way. I sense her in the way most people mean it. Like you mightremember a loved one, feel their general presence around you. I slept deeply in the castle, no dreams of any sort.”
