“Oh, Starlight,” she whispers. “My sweet girl. I couldn’t be more proud.”
Then, in a soft, melodic chant, my mother weaves her spell.
The World brings an end, a journey complete
And thus begins another
The light of the Star will carry you home
Returning you to your brothers
Through love and joy and light you’ll lead
To help them through their pain
And in your heart you’ll keep me close
Until we meet again
She chants the spell three times, her voice growing quieter and quieter until I can barely hear the breath of her words. On the last recitation, she repeats the final line over and over until her voice fades away.
Until we meet again. Until we meet again. Until we meet again…
Her touch leaves my hands.
Her scent leaves my awareness.
The darkness envelops me once again.
When consciousness finally dawns, I’m shivering in the mud, and a familiar voice echoes across the mist, setting my heart on fire.
“Cass!” Baz cries out. “Here! She’s here!”
Twenty-Seven
BAZ
We find her face down in the mud, clinging to the edge of the Void, shivering in a hideous white dress.
Anna Trello’s lifeless body lies next to her, blood soaking her clothes.
All four Arcana objects are scattered on the ground between them.
I can’t even begin to understand what happened.
Crouching down next to Stevie, I run my hands over her body, checking for injuries. Other than a few minor scrapes and cuts, she seems unharmed.
“Baz,” she breathes, stirring to life at my touch.
I damn near break down into a hot mess of tears. I’ve never been so fucking relieved to hear my name.
“I got you, Little Bird.” I scoop her into my arms and get to my feet. “I got you.”
Cass kneels beside Anna, his face pale and gaunt. After a long moment, he says, “She deserved better.”
None of us can argue with that. For all Anna Trello’s faults, in the end, she was an ally—maybe even a friend. That much is obvious.
Without another word, Cass picks her up. Kirin and Ani gather up the Arcana objects, securing everything in the pack.
