“I’m looking forward to never coming back to this place,” I said.
Gage scanned the area, his gaze stopping on the Blood Mountains, and then he nodded.
Harley pulled a chunk of her hair forward and sniffed it. “You and me both,” she said. “I smell like rotten eggs.”
She scrunched her nose in disgust, but Dash just shrugged like it didn’t bother him.
Gage and I took a moment to update Dash and Harley, letting them know that Aurelia had opened a portal to Tartarus and was funneling our Lumen army there as we spoke.
“If I open a portal from here, can you bust another hole in that concealment spell?” I asked.
Harley cracked her neck. “Sure. I’m going to have to bring the whole thing down anyway, so if making another hole is an issue, we’re in trouble.”
She wasn’t wrong.
Reaching into her pocket, Harley pulled out the small silver-winged charm that was her talisman.
Dash’s gaze flicked to the object, a clear reminder that Harley was a Shade, and he frowned.
Lifting my hands, I opened a portal to Tartarus. It was easier than before. I now had clear memories of the place and could also pull on power from the Netherworld.
Within moments the round opening was large enough for Gage and his massive wings to pass through, but just like before the portal was covered in the black mesh of Apollyon’s concealment spell.
“You’re up,” I said to Harley. She stepped forward, holding her talisman out in front of her.
A beam of green magic shot from the talisman like a laser and she cut a circular hole in the spell. We didn’t waste any time leaving the Netherworld and entering Tartarus. When we were all through, I closed the portal behind us.
I’d portaled us right next to the stone cube, knowing that once Harley got that concealment spell down, my job was to work on the cube, reversing its magic so that I could suck the souls from the Netherworld and return them to Tartarus.
In the distance, I spotted the portal Aurelia had made between Tartarus and the Lumen Compound. Hunters were still pouring through, practically single file. Not far away from where we stood, groups of Lumen that had made it through were already congregated on a hill. Drea and the others spotted us and broke away from one of the groups, jogging over to us.
“Harley, we were all so worried about you,” Indigo said sincerely. “You look so much better.”
Jacob and Marlow nodded their agreement as well.
Harley blinked back at Indigo. I wasn’t sure if her shock was from hearing that people cared about her, or Indigo’s delicate new golden wings. It was probably a bit of both.
“Yeah, I’m as good as new,” Harley said, rolling her shoulders. She jerked her chin toward Indigo’s wings. “Cool,” was all she said.
A huge smile broke out over Indigo’s face. “Thanks,” she replied, and then fluttered the wings, reminding me of a pixie. “You could probably get a pair too if you’d be willing to switch to the light side.”
A half-smile appeared on Harley’s face. “Naw, I’m good,” she replied, and then released her own shadow wings. The black and gray smoke that her wings were made of swirled and undulated as she stretched them.
It was then that it really hit me that Harley wasn’t a Lumen and was going to be all alone after I was gone. That didn’t sit well with me. When I died who would be there to counsel her to join the Lumens? I’d assumed she would eventually, but now I wasn’t so sure.
Drea started to tell everyone how her mom had been up all night making a semi-permanent portal when I pulled Dash to the side.
“What’s up?” he asked, a small crease between his brows.
I swallowed, wetting my dry throat, nervous about how to ask this of Dash without giving myself away. He’d always been someone I could count on, and I could tell he cared for Harley, even if it was complicated.
“Harley,” I started, “she like, doesn’t have anyone, and I’m kind of worried about her when this is all said and done.”
Dash’s gaze slid over to my sister, lingering for a couple of seconds before coming back to me. He cocked his head, clearly looking a little confused. “She’ll have you,” he said.
“Yeah. Yeah, of course she will. It’s just… if something should happen to me I’d like to know that she won’t be alone anymore. You know, just in case.”
Dash narrowed his eyes, studying me, and I did my best to wipe my face clear of any guilt.
