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Because it makes him happy, I decide to just take the sword from him after all. I know, deep down, that I’ll never use it—he probably does, too—but I pay close attention as Ash teaches me how to open a pocket of my own to store the sword.
I try not to think about how I’ve seen this kind of parlor trick before. Except, as my dad shows me how to put the sword in, then take it out again, all I can remember is the coy and teasing look on Rys’s face as he pulled a lantern full of faerie fire out of thin air.
Shake it off, Riley.
Don’t think about Rys.
Focus on Nine.
I can do this.
The night before I’m going to shade-walk to the asylum, I decide that I should make a trial run to prove that I can cover the distance. I don’t risk going to Black Pine, just in case, though Acorn Falls is as good a test as any.
And, okay. Maybe I wanted to stop by Madelaine’s grave one last time
The trip to the cemetery is seamless. I land right beneath the overhang of the Richardsons’ mausoleum, picking up for the first time that the dark patch isn’t just dark—it’s another Dark Fae portal masquerading as part of the human world.
Huh. No wonder I always traveled here while I was sleeping.
I don’t stay long, crossing to the west side of the cemetery so that I can visit with Madelaine’s stone angel for a little bit, before returning back to the apartment with a sense of relief and a thumb’s up for my parents.
I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.
Bright and early the next morning, I wake up with a pit in my stomach. It’s Easter, but I’m not looking for any chocolate bunnies or hidden eggs.
I’m waiting to hopefully steal a necklace from my old psychologist.
Fun.
I choke down breakfast, my nerves making it difficult to eat. I repeat my silent promise to Nine that, if all goes according to plan, this might be his last day as a statue. After a quick shower, I change into a black hoodie and jeans I bought just for the occasion. I’ve practiced with my shadows enough that I’m confident they’ll cover me. Nothing wrong with giving them a little help.
I braid my long hair in twin braids, purposely plaiting the strands so that they cover my pointed fae ears. I’ve got my sneakers and my gloves and a really bad feeling about this.
It’s not gonna stop me.
Nothing can.
The three of us gather in the living room.
“Are you ready?” asks Ash.
Not even a little. But, since I’m pretty sure that I’ll never be able to answer that question with a yes and mean it, I shrug and lie. “Of course.”
“Good luck, sweetie,” Callie tells me.
Ash nods his head. “You can do this.”
I’m glad one of us thinks so.
Taking a deep breath, I lift my hand. Spreading my fingers as wide as they go before the leather glove groans, I twist my wrist and close my hand into a tight fist.
The portal pops into existence right in front of me as if it was only waiting for my signal.
Welp.
Here I go.
7
