Page 78 of The Hocus Pocus Handbook

“How long have we been gone?” Kerboros asks.

Zeph gets out their magical timekeeping device, and we all stare at it, stunned when it displays the date and time. Four months. We lost four months in the In-Between.

Time passes differently in the fae realm. It can be faster or slower depending on the magic and the ruling entity of a territory, and a lot of complicated factors, but either way, we’re certainly past the allotted span that Lord Liskaal set forth.

That’s it. I’ve failed.

It’s a death sentence. My dad must be so worried. I feel physically ill. I exhale unsteadily, trying to control my emotions. Really, all I want is to fall over and burst into tears. But I don’t want my sister to think I’m pathetic. She came all this way. For me. The least I can do is hold it together a little longer.

“Did your parents send you to look for me?” I ask.

Should I have said our? No. I can’t. Mudge is my dad. I don’t know the people who raised Olive. A hot flush washes up her neck and onto her cheeks as her silence tells me what I need to know.

“I came on my own,” she replies. “And I’m not entirely sure how long I’ve been here.” She waves a hand. “I don’t know anyone, and I’ve just been…wandering.” Her voice goes shaky, and I realize she must’ve been frightened. By the journey, by the enforced solitude, and then by our arrival since we came bearing monstrous gifts.

“What a dreadful welcome,” Zeph murmurs in a silky tone. “I can do better for such a legendary beauty.” They eye Olive as if they’d like to eat her up from head to toe.

She bursts out laughing, deepening the dimple in her soft cheek. “I see what Tara means. You really are a liar. That was so thick and greasy, I could butter bread with it.”

“She’s not wrong,” Rosa says, smirking at Zeph.

Their skin flushes. Actually flushes. “I had impeccable reasons for those deceptions! Everything will work out. You’ll see. There are simply a few more hurdles—”

“A lie is a lie,” Olive says simply.

This is the most agitated I’ve ever seen Zeph. I might not be their type, but clearly Olive gets under their skin. They start to defend themself but Kerboros cuts it off with a slash of the deadwood he’s been using to churn the char, making sure the creature can’t rise from the ashes like a phoenix. I don’t think phoenixes ooze, though. Hopefully not.

“Nobody wants to hear it,” Kerboros snaps.

Zeph quiets, visibly chastened.

Govannon tips his face back, staring up at the sky, so different from the endless gray veil of the In-Between. “I’m finally free.”

“Nobody knows you were with us,” Tara tells him. “Our situation is complicated. But yours doesn’t need to be.”

I nod. “Make your way back to the Summer Court on your own if you prefer.”

“No! I’ve certainly had enough of traveling on my own. And I didn’t do so well the first time, did I?”

“I probably wouldn’t take off either,” Rosa admits.

The gnome continues, “Ragh has no idea what befell me. I would much prefer an escort back to civilization since I have no idea where we are. If I set out willy-nilly, it could delay our reunion even more.”

“Then stay with us,” Kerboros invites.

“Indeed I shall. I’ll try to make myself useful,” Govannon answers.

“Then we’ve increased our numbers by two,” Zeph says.

They seem to take it for granted that Olive will accompany us, once we figure out where we’re going. My stomach roils, fear battling with disappointment. I wanted so badly to fix this—to succeed instead of making a mess.

Kerboros whirls from the embers, his face cast in shadows, faintly sinister in the waxing light, likely because he’s wrestling with what I’ve already realized. “My cousin gave us less than two weeks. It has been significantly longer. And he does not take failure lightly.”

Tara curses, and I swear she’s been learning from Rosa. “At this point, I suspect we’re considered fugitives.”

“There will be a bounty,” Kerboros confirms. “Hunters too, albeit not of my caliber.”

That’s not hubris; there’s a reason Lord Liskaal kept Kerboros so tightly leashed and forced him to track Winter’s enemies. Kerboros is the best. So perhaps his knowledge and expertise will buy us some time.