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Wrenley’s scowl deepens, and she turns to me, hissing under her breath, “Even if she can’t fight, she has information. Her knowledge of Sira and the realms could help. But why am I surprised? She never fights. Never fought for me.”

I place a hand on either side of my sister’s face. “I take it this means you’re coming.”

She bites her lip and avoids my gaze. “Someone has to watch your back.”

I pull her into a hug, holding her close no matter how stiff she is. Then I look over her at my mother. Is that regret in her expression or relief?

“Besides,” I say, “someone needs to watch the cabin and the garden.”

“I’ll tend to everything here,” Mom says. “Richard might need help in the Gullet with Wrenley leaving.”

I pull back from Wrenley and stare at my mother. “Won’t he recognize you? Papa said he used to be your friend.”

“Of course he will,” Mom says. “But it’s time for Orca Cove to know Anya O’Connell has returned. If anyone asks, your father was right. I really was kidnapped by a wicked faerie.”

I give her a soft smile. Returning to Orca Cove isn’t the same as returning to the Enchanted Vale, but perhaps it’s the first step she needs to take.

“Alright, we’ve got a plan,” Dayton says. “Possibly not a very good one, but hey, they never are, isn’t that so? But I do have a question. How are we going to get back to the Vale? As I recall, we destroyed the rosebush Wren made, and that was our way here.”

“George spent decades looking for a path into the Vale,” Farron says. “Perhaps in his notes…”

Keldarion stands, placing a hand on Farron’s shoulder. “That won’t be necessary.”

Caspian smirks. “Are you finally going to tell us what you’ve been doing while cryptically sneaking off into the woods?”

Keldarion eyes us. “Pack everything you need. We’re going home.”

8

Keldarion

We spent the night packing and preparing. At the break of dawn, we stood on the porch. Rosalina and Caspian each had a tearful goodbye with Aurelia. Even Wrenley gave her mother a stiff hug.

“Love stokes a mighty fire within us. It is the greatest strength we possess,” Aurelia told Rosalina as they parted.

Then the seven of us started the trek, making our way through Briarwood Forest. We each carry a pack filled with supplies. Farron’s bag is nearly as large as he is. Seems he took a fancy to too many of George’s trinkets. Ezryn’s donned his armor for the first time in months, and it was surprisingly reassuring to hear the familiar reverberation of his voice.

It’s a beautiful morning, the only time in summer I can stand, before it gets too hot and sticky. I appreciate the bright greenery, the music of the birds, and the way the air is soft and moist.

“So where are we going, Kel?” Dayton asks, not for the first time.

“Back to the beginning,” I reply. I haven’t told them how we will return; it’ll be easier to show them.

I can tell they’re getting antsy.

Suddenly, Rosalina stops. “I know this part of the woods. I’ve been here before, though it was darker last time…”

“We’re almost there.”

Her brow furrows, and she starts forward, pushing past the pines and ferns before she pauses with a gasp. “The rosebush.”

There it stands, half-shrouded in mist, nestled between two ancient trees: a wild tangle of thorny red roses, their petals rich as wine. Ice still clings to a few of the outer leaves, but most of the frost has melted.

The very bush Rosalina crawled through to pass into the Enchanted Vale. The one I froze as I sent her back to the human realm.

“Kel.” Rosalina turns to me. “You unfroze it? How?”

“I came here after we first arrived. I wanted to see if it was still affected by my frost,” I explain. “It was, but regardless, I began to sit before it.”