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The Nine took their seats, their guards looming behind them.

The absence of Adrian on Bryn’s other side left a bitter taste in my mouth. He should be here. There was no guarantee The Nine would make good on their promise to keep Bryn safe. He should be here, protecting her. As commander, his unsanctioned absence was treason.

Raphael’s ancient voice carried throughout the room as he addressed Bryn. “You have returned to us, Brynlynn Stewart, Princess of Two.” His old eyes sparkled mischievously. “And it appears you’ve found victory in Delirium.”

I’d always guessed the old man was a Seer, knowing parts of the future before it happened, and doubled down on my presumption based on his nonchalance at Bryn’s success.

“I have,” Bryn said. Her voice more powerful than the last time she was in this room. “And with my earned freedom, I have made the decision to join Leo, on One . . .” She glanced my way. “Permanently.”

I wrapped shadows around my bones, underneath muscle and tendons, bracing my knees, so they wouldn’t give out from relief at her declaration. I was thankful the use of magic was permitted in this moment.

She took a quick breath and spoke again. “I have much to learn about my powers, but I will fight alongside all of you, to defeat the Decodons that have disrupted our livelihoods, and stolen the lives of our loved ones.”

Raphael’s lips were drawn in a thin line, but the skin at the sides of his eyes crinkled. He was pleased with this outcome. “I would expect nothing less from you, Your Highness. I shall enjoy watching you ascend to your previous greatness.” He bowed his head in respect.

Hector’s voice rang out before Raphael had even lifted his head back up. “So that’s it . . . We let her live?” he asked, his voice filled with malice.

I wanted to reach inside his yapping mouth and pull his jaw apart, tearing his head off with a shredding sound, so only his protruding chin remained attached to his body.

Raphael, a man of reason and restraint, responded in his casual way. “Those were the terms agreed upon by this council. We will honor our agreement, and that will be the end of it.”

My eyes narrowed at Hector, silently begging for him to make a misstep, but he remained quiet, like a good dog.

Raphael continued, his attention back on Bryn. “For those without the ability to feel the magic that sings from you, please allow them a show of your powers.”

Bryn nodded, stepping forward on a deep exhale, and opened her palms toward the high arched ceiling of the Dome, toward the black chandeliers affixed to the dark glass panes.

Two beams of soft light shot up from her hands, the light bouncing off the obsidian and back onto the midnight floor before her.

For a moment, I thought she might expose her earth magic, too. I hadn’t had time before the meeting to explain the full consequences that came with being a dual-wielder, both of us distracted by the events with Adrian. I’d only ever shared my story of hiding that part of me away when I had told her about the fawn in the woods. But Bryn drew her light back into herself, ending her display, the soft glow of daylight making the skin of her hands glow slightly pink.

Callum beamed at his daughter.

“Magnificent,” Alvin awed.

Cynthia nodded her head in agreement. Her delight evident on her face.

Five’s ruler had always been fond of Bryn; the two of them inseparable once upon a time. Any journey to Five for council business had always ended with me stuck handling the business while the two of them found the quickest way to Cynthia’s enormous wine cellar, hidden far below her castle the color of sand. Then they would sit, staring out at the turquoise seas surrounding her small isle. The same seas that comforted me so deeply at my cottage.

Bryn bowed her head to Raphael, her demonstration complete.

“It’s finished, then,” I spoke, quickly leading the topic away from Bryn. “We must continue to ready ourselves for the next attack. I call a motion to meet weekly until we can figure out how to stop the Deks from accessing the portals.”

“Agreed,” Raphael said, standing to adjourn the meeting. “We will meet in one week, at the midnight hour, with the help of King Leo.” He looked at me as if he’d always known what I’d been capable of. “I call this meeting to a close⁠—”

It happened fast.

The hum of my powers snuffed out one moment, the next moment, the flames of the black candles high above flickered as a gust of rotten wind blew through the room, swinging the grand chandeliers. A small army of Decodons descending on us.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

BRYN

Leo stood in front of me, guarding me from the Decodons that had marched inside the Dome.

Unlike the creatures that had invaded the city of Gray—the four-legged beasts with high-arching spines of vertebrae sticking out in a horrific way—these creatures stood upright on two legs, giving them a towering height, nearly twice the size of everyone inside the room.

These Decodons were humanoid, their long, spindly fingers gripped around Mag-Guns.