“Screw you, Ava.” Ez became green, and I was thankful Eldin was so tall and strong. She’d be able to carry Ez if he didn’t make it to the hospital. Otherwise, we’d have to tie him to my chair and drag him behind me.
We headed to the hospital at a turtle’s crawl. We got Ez into a room fairly quickly, though I was right and most of the doctors and nurses weren’t around. I ordered a servant to go search for my mother and bring her back here, so she could heal Ez’s loveable, stupid ass. He was passed out within minutes of lying on a medical bed, giving small cries of pain in his sleep.
“Eldin, stay with him until I send someone to get you,” I ordered. “He’s not able to help himself right now.”
“Of course, Empress.” Eldin pounded her spear against the floor, and I left the room.
Usually, I’d stay with my brother. But I had a decision to make that was weighing heavily on my mind, and had been since Charlie had taken those lashes for me. I had to be alone to make it.
“Princess Ava.”
A regal voice interrupted my journey to the NICU, and I turned my chair. Queen Emmaline stood there, appearing triumphant, self-assured… and, in my opinion, on the fringe of utter exhaustion.
“It’s Empress now, actually,” I said blandly. “At least, according to everyone else.”
She smiled. “Interesting how the public forms its own opinion of things, isn’t it?”
“I’m the ruler of this city. Aren’t I the one who’s supposed to be calling the shots around here?”
Emma shook her head. “You’ll come to find during your reign, as I did, that your subjects are more unpredictable than you realize.”
“I haven’t seen you in a while. Are you making progress on getting into the afterlife?”
“The news is better than that. I’ve been looking for you since you returned from the battle. I meant to tell you our job is done. Lucas and I have broken through the boundary.”
“You have? That’s incredible!” I didn’t think they’d be able to. A broad smile spread across my tired face.
“Yes. We just returned from Edinmyre’s borders. We’ve managed to create a big enough gap into the Great Hunting Grounds for you and your friends to slip through. When you’re ready, I can portal you to Edinmyre, and help you get through the opening into the fae afterlife, though I suggest you don’t take too long. We don’t know how long that hole will remain open.”
“We need some time to recover from the battle, but I know this can’t wait. We’ll leave in twenty-four hours.” We needed to reach the Ancestral Lands and find the mutabeecha as soon as possible, and get their help creating a time vortex so we could throw the Warden into it. Then this war could be done with. “Thanks, Emma. For everything.”
“Anything to help my daughter and her friends, and to be a thorn in the side of Doctor Taurus. I admit that I enjoy getting under his skin.” She smirked, looking me up and down. “You appear quite bloodied from battle. Your rage is a more powerful tool than your magic, and you wield it well.”
“I never back down from a fight, no matter how high the odds are stacked against me.”
“A quality you and I share.” Emma crossed her arms. “It was a very difficult process to open a hole in the afterlife, but it is done. My powers as the Worldweaver go beyond limits even I understand.”
“She’d be proud of you,” I said, knowing Emma would understand who I meant.
Emma’s green eyes darkened with sorrow. “Ethan and I knew Professor Hemlock for many years. We’ve failed to catch her killer, but we will not fail in punishing the person responsible for giving the order for her death. Doctor Taurus is waiting for you, Ava. I know more than most people about giving justice to a malevolent god.”
Emma leaned down, and in a spiteful whisper, she hissed, “He dared to cross you. When it’s your time to face him, make him pay for it.”
She rose, dignified, her red hair fanning behind her as she elegantly strode away.
Reassurance bloomed within me. This crazy idea just might work. If we could reach the mutabeecha, we could end the Warden. We’d done the hardest part by getting through. We just had to cross the afterlife, then we could bring a stop to this chaos.
Opal opened the door once I got to Casey’s room within the NICU. “How’s he doing?” I asked, rolling close to the incubator. He looked as peaceful as he ever did, but he’d doubled in size in the past few weeks. How had I not noticed until now? Marina slept on the hospital recliner, curled up on the cushion.
“He’s just fine. Hasn’t fussed a bit,” Opal said. She looked me up and down, covered in mud and gore, unsure if she was seeing her friend and not something entirely different. “The doctors say he’s ready to leave the NICU. Weren’t you planning on bringing him home today?”
“We were, but we can’t now,” I said. “Emma told me she was able to get through the afterlife’s boundary. We’re going to find the mutabeecha.”
“That’s good news. Though if that’s true, why aren’t you in bed? It’s nearly daybreak. You need to rest if you’re going to leave again.”
“I wanted to take Casey somewhere, but…” I was still wearing my stained armor.
“I’ll wrap him in a blanket,” Opal offered. “Then you can take him out.”
