She was just about to ask the Guardian more about hisinteractions with her parents—partly to make small talk while she waited for Braedan and Reeve, but also because she still couldn’t believe the bedtime story she’d grown up hearing was true—but her stomach got in first, rumbling loudly and reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since before the wraith and the lake monster. She looked sheepishly at the mage, who chuckled and waved his hand, a tingle of ellixen producing a platter of fruit and pastries, along with a crystal chalice full of sparkling elderberry juice.
Viri moaned her thanks and began to scarf down the food, which only made the Guardian’s chuckle deepen.
“I don’t often have visitors for breakfast. Or any meal, for that matter.”
“Breakfast?” Viri repeated around a mouthful of honey cake, washing it down with a hearty swig of the sweet juice. Its bubbles tickled her nose, making her sneeze, before she was able to say, “Don’t you mean dinner?” She glanced pointedly toward the windows but then did a double take, startled by how much lighter the sky was, almost as if dawn were touching the horizon. “Are your windows enchanted?”
The Guardian cocked his head to the side. “No. Why do youask?”
The food Viri had just binged sat uneasily in her stomach. “Why is the sky getting lighter?”
The Guardian seemed unsure whether or not to laugh. “That’s what happens when the sun rises.”
Viri’s unease grew. “But…the sun only just set before we arrived here. It shouldn’t be anywhere close to rising.”
Understanding hit the Guardian’s face—as did alarm. “Just to be clear,” he said slowly, “what day do you believe it is?”
“It’s Friday night.” Her last twenty-four hours might have felt as if they’d lasted three thousand years, but she wasn’t so confused as to have lost track of them. A pang of sadness hit her as she realized she would normally be at family night right now; last week’s game of Mage Quest seemed like forever ago. She thought of Jessalyn and her bright yellow pajamas, praying the young girl had been found and was back home, safe and sound.
“Viridia, I’m sorry to tell you this, but you’re wrong,” the Guardian said, banishing her plate and chalice with a flick of his fingers. “Time passes differently in the Mistwood, sometimes faster, sometimes slower, depending on the path you take.” He held her shocked gaze and declared, “It’s Sunday morning.”
Viri’s ears rang, certain she must have misheard, but knowing from the look on his face that she hadn’t.
“What?”She leapt to her feet, the food she’d just eaten roiling within her as she realized the Aurora sacrifice was happeningtoday. They didn’t have two days left. They didn’t even have a full day left. They had untiltonight.
Panic flooded her as she all but shouted,“Where the hell are Reeve and Brae?”
The Guardian raised his hands helplessly, having no answer.
Viri spun around once, twice, so overwhelmed that she couldn’t think straight. “Can you use your magic to locate them?” Desperation crept into her tone. “Or to call them back here somehow?”
A shake of his head. “The castle has many rooms spread across multiple levels in each of the different towers, all full of distracting magical wonders. The grounds are even more expansive and equally enchanted. There’s no telling how far they might have wandered.”
Viri wanted to scream her frustration, something that only grew when he asked, “Are the two of them together?”
She had no idea. If Nevarnost was as vast as the Guardian claimed, then Braedan might not have evenfoundReeve yet, let alone told him they were ready to leave.
“I’m not—I don’t—” Viri was at a loss. She raised shaky hands to her mouth and said, “The comet is coming inhours. We need to leave. We need to plan. We need to—”
“How about this,” the Guardian interrupted in a soothing voice, rising beside her and placing a calming hand on her shoulder. “You go on ahead of your companions, and I’ll track them down and send them after you.”
“But—I—” She looked at the door, praying Braedan and Reeve would materialize, but there was no sign of them, making her realize the Guardian was right. She couldn’t risk waiting however long it might take for them to appear, not when they were now at the point when everysecondcounted.
Unwilling to waste any more time deliberating, Viri gestured to the wayportal in the center of the room and asked, “Does that connect to the city portals?”
“No. Only the roaming Mistwood one.”
Viri cursed, though she was unsurprised, given how secretive Nevarnost was. But at least the magical map would allow her to skip another journey through the forest. She quickly pulled it from her cloak and pricked her finger with her dagger, using her blood to send the Mistwood portal to the very edge of the forest, right by the necropolis. Reeve had his own blackmist talisman, as did Braedan, so she would just have to pray that her ring held enough magic to protect her until she reached the boundary of the Southern Obelisk’s wards.
“Here.” She handed the map to the Guardian. “Reeve knows how it works, and Brae has Solace blood. Once you find them,please tell them to hunt down Sage, Ardin, and Soren for news, then meet me in Wynter’s lab. Make sure they know how little time we have left.”
“I will,” the Guardian promised somberly. He squeezed her shoulder once before releasing her. “Best of luck to you, Viridia Solace. If anyone can stop the Reaper Lord, it’s you.”
Viri wished she had his confidence, but all she felt was knee-weakening dread. “Thank you,” she choked out. “I hope I’ll see you again.” Mostly because that would mean she was stillalive.
“I hope so, too,” the Guardian said quietly, lifting a hand in farewell.
That was the last she saw of him before she turned and leapt through the wayportal, coming out the other side to find the forest bathed in the first light of dawn, with no blackmist in sight.
