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"Celeste, put your hand on the last seal and make the silver light go out!"

Oh, no! I tried desperately to resist, but my arm was already moving. The horrible ribbon glowed purple, and my hand lifted towards the enormous circular rune in the center of the doors.

"Garrik!" I cried.

He made a furious sound and lunged towards the seal, summoning another brilliant surge of Gryphon magic. For one wonderful moment, the silver light surrounding the rune flared even brighter. But then my palm touched the stone.

And I felt the Dark Magic begin pulling at me again.

Only this time, it was stronger—much, much stronger! It was almost as though the Gateway itself had reached out and grabbed hold of my magic, drawing it out of me in a steady, irresistible stream. I gasped, feeling suddenly weak and dizzy.

"Garrik!" I whispered.

"Celeste!" he roared.

I could hear the fear in his voice, and I wanted desperately to reassure him. But I couldn't seem to find the strength to speak. The silver light beneath my hand was beginning to fade. And the humming from the Gateway was growing louder and louder, until it was almost deafening.

I could feel the enormous stone doors trembling beneath my palm. Something was moving on the other side—something enormous. Something which had been waiting for a very long time.

No! I thought desperately. I can't let this happen!

I closed my eyes and tried once more to reach for the strange magical connection between Garrik and me. I thought about the night we'd performed the True Love's Kiss spell, and the incredible warmth I'd felt when his spirit became solid beneath my hands. I remembered the way he'd looked at me afterward, with such tenderness in his deep blue eyes, and the way he'd held me close and told me how grateful he was that I'd come into his life.

And I remembered his last words to me before I left Hidden Hollow.

Come back to me soon. Not just to break the curse—because I want you with me.

Oh, Garrik! I wanted to be with him, too—more than anything in the world! And suddenly, as I thought about how much I loved him, I felt another surge of warmth deep inside my chest.

It was stronger than before—a brilliant, golden warmth which seemed to spread through every part of me, fighting against the horrible cold sensation of the Dark Magic.

For a moment, I could almost see a thin thread of golden light stretching from my heart towards Garrik. And when I opened my eyes, I saw that his spectral form was glowing again, almost painfully brightly.

He cried out and clutched his chest. Then, to my astonishment, he turned towards the marble table where his physical body lay.

"Oh, by the Ancients!" he gasped. "Celeste! I can feel it! My body is calling to me!"

I stared at him, feeling a surge of desperate hope.

"Can you get back into it?" I cried.

"I don't know!" he exclaimed. "But something is happening!"

His spectral form flickered, becoming almost transparent for a moment before solidifying again. And on the marble table, his physical body suddenly drew in a deep, shuddering breath. Oh my God! For one wonderful second, I thought he might actually wake up.

But then Natalie shouted,

"Celeste! Stop messing around and finish the spell!"

The horrible ribbon tightened around my wrist, and I felt the golden warmth inside me falter.

Then the silver light beneath my hand went out completely.

For one terrible moment, everything was silent. The humming stopped. The whispering voices disappeared. Even the air seemed to stop moving.

I stood there with my hand pressed against the enormous black stone doors, staring at the darkened rune beneath my palm. The last protective seal was gone.

There was nothing left to keep the Gateway closed.