“I hate you,” I grumbled, turning away from him. I had almost forgotten about all the extra goblins watching. They were pretty far back, but close enough to have seen everything, and now they all muttered amongst themselves.
“Well now I see why you asked me to send word if any darkness was spotted,” Avery said to Mistral. “I see you have things well under control.”
Mistral bowed his head in acknowledgment, though his eyes remained on me, thoughtful.
“Can we go home now?” I groaned.
“Always so whiny,” Sebastian appeared out of nowhere to take my arm.
“Better than always a jerk,” I snipped back.
“You would think she doesn’t even like any of us,” Crispin whispered to Gabriel.
“Speak for yourself.” Gabriel took my other arm as Sebastian stepped us in front of the portal.
Patting his uncle’s shoulder, Mistral joined us. “We’ll be in touch once I’ve gathered any goblins in the Bogs who wish to travel.”
Seeming irritated that he hadn’t been the one to best the shadows, Sebastian stepped into the portal, pulling the rest of us along with him. With my celestial blood it was a short journey,but I still had long enough to wonder, just where had the guardian and all that darkness gone?
We jumped straightpast the waypoint and into the Bogs, currently recognizable by the glowing blue water and stone cavern where the celestial symbol had been carved. Now in its place was a fully glowing pathway, alive and healthy. I felt bad for anyone wanting to travel it, because they would have to swim through to the cave on the other side first.
Mistral was closest to me when we landed. “Do you have the strength for one last jump?” he asked softly.
“No, but better that than swimming.” I shivered at the thought, then pictured the Citadel before my mind could catch up with how tired my body was. We’d gotten plenty of sleep, but traveling so far took it out of me.
Our landing in Mistral’s sitting room was far less graceful, and I would have sprawled onto the floor without Sebastian’s quick reflexes. I held a hand to my brow as he steadied me, then startled as a crackling fire burst to life in the hearth. Someone was rubbing my shoulders, but I suddenly felt too sick and dizzy to open my eyes.
“A bath, I think,” Mistral said somewhere behind me, uncharacteristically chipper.
“I volunteer to make sure she doesn’t drown,” Crispin said, apparently the one rubbing my shoulders judging by the closeness of his voice.
“I’ll fix her something to eat,” Gabriel grumbled, followed by the sound of a door creaking open.
“And I’ll see if there are any new developments after the bloodbath at the Circus.” Before I could argue, Sebastian poofedout. I didn’t have to see it to know he was gone, because suddenly the cord between us felt stretched and thin.
“Up we go.” My world spun as Crispin scooped me up in his arms.
“I hate you,” I groaned.
“You adore me,” he teased.
“That too.” The sleepiness took me then. I was pretty sure I would not be making it to that bath.
12
Iwoke alone in Mistral’s room, gentle sunlight streaming through the glass doors leading out onto the balcony. Everything rushed back all at once, and I couldn’t comprehend that we’d only been gone two days. Not even twofulldays. I lifted my palms in front of my face, observing them, but nothing seemed any different. I wondered if Mistral had told his people yet about the pathway, and when they would start traveling.
“You know this isn’t what your mother wanted.”
I sat up abruptly at the sound of Marcie’s voice, spotting her standing near the head of the bed on the side opposite from where I’d been lying. She still wore the same outfit I’d last seen her in, and I wondered what had prevented her from showering or changing.
Realizing there was a more important thing to watch out for, I looked around for the Realm Breaker, then realized one of the guys must have it.
Relaxing—sort of—I leaned against the pillows and looked at Marcie. “Had your plan worked, the end result would have been the same. She would have healed the pathways to save me. She wouldn’t have just left me to die.”
“I think I know her better than you,” Marcie sniffed. “Together she and I could have figured something out. She already gave up her life once for the greater good. Now you are throwing that sacrifice back in her face.”
“So you really were going to leave me to die.”
