Page 83 of The Innocent Sleep

“We head for the Library of Stars,” I said. “Magdaleana will be able to confirm the truth of what I’ve told you. The Library’s nature prevents Titania’s enchantment from reaching past the doors, and those who dwell there do so all unchanged.”

Really, we would be keeping ourselves occupied until Ginevra and October returned with the sea witch. It would prevent us—prevent me—from dwelling too deeply on the situation at hand, and that could only be to our benefit. It never does to wallow. As these past four months had provided me with plenty of time for wallowing, I was quite happy to play at purposefulness for the benefit of October’s family, keeping them from joining me in fretting themselves into despair.

The walkway was as smooth and stable as it appeared, bearing us down to the sandy shore without misstep. A few early beachcombers were already out, walking the tideline, scanning for shells and washed-up treasures. None of them so much as glanced in our direction, which could have been Garm’s magic, but could honestly just have been human self-absorption. I am forever impressed by how well they can close out the rest of the world.

Gulls and ravens wheeled far overhead, and I spared a thought for Jasmine, whose whereabouts were still unknown. I should have asked after her while we were in Golden Shore, just for my own peace of mind, but what good would that have done, really? Knowing she was there wouldn’t bring her back to us, or let May out of the Library.

No. It was better to focus on finishing this. We walked down to the edge of the water, watching the waves crash against the shore, and stopped.

“Okay, now what?” asked August.

“I passed the message along,” I said. “They have one of the Firstborn among their number. She’s been testing the barriers between land and sea since this all began. If anyone can find a way through, it’s her.”

“How will she find you?” asked August.

I looked at her flatly. “Magic.”

August had the grace to look mildly embarrassed as she turned her attention back to the sea. “I guess it just seems a little impossible that the Undersea still exists. It’s been lost for longer than I’ve been alive. Could it really have been out there this whole time?”

“You thought the Cait Sidhe were lost as well,” I said.

Above us, the sky continued to grow lighter, and between one breath and the next, sunrise hit like a hammer. The air blazed with the smell of ashes, magic dissolving around us, and I saw Garm grit his teeth as he fought to keep the screen which shielded us from dissolving. Not many can hold an illusion through the dawn. I suppose the Gwragen are among that fabled number, because as the pressure of the dawn began to fade, the humans who walked the shore continued to ignore us.

August gasped, staggering backward, and I realized this version of her might never have experienced a mortal dawn before. What cause would Amandine have for taking her perfect toy of a daughter out among the humans at sunrise? What benefit could it bring her?

There was so much about the world that August had yet to learn, and some of it would hurt.

That thought made me stand a little straighter, another thought occurring to me. I had asked Raj to tell Peter where I would be and when, and asked for Amphitrite by name. I hadn’t asked that she come alone, if it was possible for her to come at all. If she did come, she might well come with company.

“Simon,” I said, voice low.

“Look!” He pointed to the water, where a blue-silver glow was starting to form beneath the surface, glimmering and effervescent. It was like looking through a hundred sheets of diamond gauze, each invisible on its own, all combining to form something of breathtaking beauty.

“Simon,” I said again. He glanced at me, clearly startled, as the glow intensified, moving swiftly upward like a falling star in reverse.

It was moving too fast. My heart sank, and I bit off an oath because I should have realized my omission sooner; now there was no more time.

Still, I had to try. “The Merrow Firstborn may not come—” I began.

The glow struck the surface and kept rising, bulging upward until it became a gleaming pearl of force, pure magic held together by Amphitrite, who stood at its center with her arms straight out to her sides, framing the space through sheer force of will. Ripples of distortion raced across its surface, like oil shimmering atop clear water, and it was obvious that the world was trying to repel her creation, at least to some degree. With an expression of intense concentration, she gave a mighty shove, and the bubble burst, popping in a glittering hail of droplets that left three people standing at the surface.

Amphitrite slumped forward almost instantly, resting her hands against her knees as she breathed heavily in and out, trying to compose herself. It didn’t seem to be going well for her. She looked shaken, to a degree that was frankly terrifying in one of the Firstborn, who are supposed to be endless wells of power. But then, she had just squeezed her way through a spell originally cast by Titania herself: maybe a little bit of unsteadiness was warranted. She didn’t fall down, which was probably a good sign.

Behind her, Patrick and Dianda looked around with eyes full of awe and wonder. They hadn’t been sure she’d get them to the surface. They’d decided to come along, willing to take the risk for the sake of their missing loved ones, but that didn’t mean they’d been sure.

Simon made a choked-off sound. I grimaced.

“—alone,” I finished. “You remember, I told you, my version of you was heartbroken when his best friend left him to marry a mermaid and live in the sea.”

Simon took a stumbling, unsteady step forward. I caught his arm, preventing him from wading out into the water, and he shot me a poisonous glance.

“Let go,” he said.

“Simon, you don’t understand,” I said.

“I understand well enough,” said Simon. He yanked his arm out of my grasp. “I understand that Patrick is not dead, and I haven’t seen him in over a hundred years, and I don’t intend to go another minute without embracing him.”

“That’s good to hear,” said Patrick, walking across the surface of the water toward us. They had come up close enough to the shore that the water should have reached their knees at the very most, but instead, all three of them balanced atop it, light as soap bubbles, even the clearly exhausted Amphitrite.