Long.
My heart nearly lurched out of my chest.
“There,” I whispered.
The moon door had no handle. There was only a smooth surface carved with thin silver lines.
Gideon stepped closer, studying it. “She changed this section.”
“You helped build it. Open it,” I told him.
“I helped create the logic. The Priestess changed things since. I don’t know what the cost will be.” Gideon’s gaze stayed on mine.
“What cost?”
He studied me as the chamber trembled, and every other door sprang open.
Keegan shifted instantly, his wolf filling the space between me and the opening doors as low growls slipped through the chamber.
Twobble backed toward me. “Maeve…”
Masked fighters stepped out of the thorn door first, then quickly followed from the flame and mirror doors.
Their curved blades caught the cold light spilling from the darkness above.
Gideon moved to the moon door, pressing both hands against the silver lines.
“Keep them off me,” Gideon said.
Keegan lunged before the first fighter crossed the room.
Twobble and I moved together. He tossed green powder at the floor while I sent vines whipping across the chamber, snaring legs, wrists, and blades before the fighters could surround us.
Gideon muttered faster as I heard bits of a chant I didn’t understand as the moon door began glowing.
And the noise came again from the other side.
Short.
Short.
Long.
“Mom!” Celeste screamed, clear enough now that every bit of me wanted to tear the door from the wall with my bare hands.
“I’m here,” I shouted. “Celeste, I’m here.”
The silver lines across the moon door flared violently as Gideon staggered back.
“She changed something,” he whispered hoarsely.
But the door opened an inch as Keegan threw one fighter hard into the wall.
Twobble shouted something deeply goblin and launched himself at a fighter’s knees. I sent every vine I could summon toward the remaining masked figures, binding them in thorn and hedge magic until my palms burned because I needed to get to my daughter.
The moon door opened wide enough for a hand to reach through.
Celeste’s hand.
