The room falls into silence for several loaded minutes. I don’t speak; I just continue kneeling on the carpet, weeping into my hands, while Heloise tries unsuccessfully to comfort me. It’s Pen—sweet, nervous Pen—who ends up dragging me back from my almost-inconsolable state.
“Um, Gwen?” Pen says. “What do you want me to do with this one?”
I raise my swollen, tearstained face. Pen is holding Danny Wong hostage against the wall, a loaded syringe in their shaky hand, pointed at his neck.
“I wasn’t sure what was happening,” Pen says, their voice tremulous. “He came out all bloody, and I didn’t know what’d happened, so I kept him here until one of you could tell me what to do.”
This is so unexpected that I almost gasp a laugh. But grief quickly snuffs it out. Instead it emerges as a strangled sort of wheeze.Of course Pen wouldn’t know what had happened in the Void. All they had seen is the three of us—and Percy—go through the portal to rescue Harrisford. Then we’d all come out again with Danny, but no Harrisford.
“It’s okay, Pen,” I finally manage to rasp. My throat is scratchy, my limbs all weak; the crying has exhausted me. “Wong was in there trying to take Harrisford’s Source out. You can let him go.”
Pen shoots Danny a loathsome look before grudgingly stepping away. Danny lets out an audible sigh, rubbing at his neck.
“You’re not off the hook yet, though, Wong.” Fury is beginning to displace my sadness, beating a tattoo inside my chest like a drum. Angrily, I dash my tears away and scramble to my feet, advancing on him.
Even though Danny’s much taller than me—almost as tall as Harrisford—he must feel the scale of my wrath, because he backs up against the wall, pressing himself flat.
“Whywere you in there with Harrisford?” Eyes narrowed, I ram my finger against his sternum, hard. Rage is bursting from my pores. I’m almostspitting.
“I was—” he starts, but I cut him off and continue to hurl questions at him.
“Did you kidnap him?”
“I didn’t—”
I lean in close, my face only inches from his. “How did youknow?”
He swallows. “Know what?”
I bare my teeth. “About his Source, dammit!”
“It’s because…” Danny is stammering; he can barely look at me. When he finally speaks, his words come out all in a rush. “It’s because I’m from the MLO, okay?”
“The MLO?” I repeat, reeling. Could it be true? Was it the MLOall along?When you hear the sound of hooves, assume it is a horse, not a Pegasus.
My finger is still jammed against Danny’s chest. I can barely process what it is I’m hearing.
“Wait.” Pen whirls around, their fists clenched by their sides. “You’reMLO?”
“Yeah.” Danny frowns. “Why, are you?”
Pen’s red-painted mouth sags open before finally, they say, “I—uh…Yeah. I just joined last month.” On shaky legs, they stagger backward and sink onto a chair. It’s like the entire foundation of their world has collapsed, and Conall clasps Pen’s rounded shoulders as they take several heaving breaths.
Ignoring Pen, Danny continues. “I was meant to rescue Harrisford, Chan. The plan was”—he lets out a shuddering exhale—“to remove his Source and send him into hiding. To give him a new identity.” He slumps against the wall and shakes his head. “Man, I reallyfucked upin there.”
Heli snorts from behind me. My head whips around at the noise. She has both eyebrows raised in an expression that clearly says:Hell yeah you did.
I turn back to face forward and scrunch my eyes shut, trying to process everything. “I don’t understand.” My voice tremors. “Harrisford said he was causing the explosions. But the common room…for that first surge…he wasn’t there…”
“He was,” Danny says. “Just briefly. He stopped by after the explosion at the museum gala.” He raises his eyes to mine. “He was looking for you, actually.”
My pulse starts to hammer. My hand trembles. Releasing Danny, I bring my palm to my forehead, trying to retrieve my murky, panic-fueled memories of that night. “For me? Why?”
Danny stares at me for the longest time. Finally, he says, “Bloody hell, you’re as bad as he is.”
My fingers twitch, and I almost slap him but manage to stop myself just in time. “What do youmean?” I’ve had enough of people talking in riddles.
Heloise pipes up from across the room. “Jesus, Gwen, haven’t you noticed?” She’s preoccupied with trying to heal the wound she’d sustained from Mrs.Mason-Price’s gun. It’s bleeding again, which makes sense, since Danny said exiting the Void strips all magical enchantments. But because it’s on the back of her shoulder, she’s having trouble reaching it.
