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In the craziness I’d completely forgotten that I was still wearing the glamourous ball gown.
“Never mind all that,” Sven cut in. “What of Red Armand? Is he dead?”
Vas and I shared an uneasy glance.
“We can’t be certain,” Vas replied. “Darya managed to cut him across the face with the dagger. If they don’t have any antidote to hand he’ll be dead by now.”
“Then what should we do? If he survives he’ll be able to track us. Maybe we should return to the Blaze,” Sven said, his features drawn and tired. All five of us were exhausted.
“No,” Ren argued. “You can’t go back there. We’ve come this far. Besides, by the sounds of it Red Armand is going to die. What are the chances they’ll have an antidote?”
“Sepial daggers are extremely rare,” Vas said. “So rare they’ve almost been forgotten about. Ren is right. There’s only a tiny chance they’ll find the antidote.”
“So, we’re going?” Sven asked.
Vas nodded. “We’re going.”
Right after he said it, a hole appeared before us. It grew and grew until it revealed my bedroom at home. Belinda hovered by my dresser. “Oh my goodness! You’re there! I was so worried you wouldn’t be able to get back!” she exclaimed. “Come on. Hurry through. I can’t hold this portal open for very long.”
With that, all five of us stepped through, landing in my bedroom with an almighty racket. I panicked, worrying my parents would hear, but Belinda reassured, “It’s okay. They aren’t home yet.”
“Did they notice I was gone?”
“I don’t think so,” she replied and I looked out the window. It was still dark. The clock next to my bed said it was almost three in the morning. Being mostly nocturnal, my parents wouldn’t be home for another hour or two. Relief allowed me to flop down onto my bed just as Belinda closed her portal.
“Who’s the kid?” she asked, eyeing Demi curiously.
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later.”
Then Sven was before her and Belinda’s ghost form began to judder. I took this as a sign that she was unhappy in his presence. She might’ve helped me get to and from Oreylia, but that was a favour to me, not to Vas and Sven.
“I owe you a debt of gratitude,” Sven declared. “And whatever bad blood might be between us, I’ll endeavour to repay you in kind.”
“I don’t need any favours from you,” Belinda replied evenly then disappeared from my room.
“Well, don’t say I didn’t try,” Sven muttered to himself.
I turned to Vas. “What now?”
He stepped close, taking my hands in his. “Sven and I must stay on the move in case Red Armand survives and comes after us.”
My heart sank because I didn’t want to part with him. Not now. A deeper connection had formed between us and I’d grown attached. “But you can’t stay on the move forever. Think of before. It took years for him to come after you. You’ll need to be on the run for such a long time before you can rest assured that he’s truly dead.”
Vas bent his head, holding my gaze. “Darya, even if we knew for a fact he was dead, I still couldn’t remain in this city. Sven and I aren’t just escaped prisoners in Oreylia. We’re wanted here, too.”
A lump formed in my throat. He was right. If he stayed in Tribane the Guard would recapture him and send him right back to the Prison of Thorns. I suddenly felt all twisted up.
I searched his eyes, not knowing what to say. Sven cleared his throat. “What of the girl? Who will provide for her?”
Our attentions went to Demi who clung to Ren’s side, her lip quivering like she wanted to cry. I didn’t blame her. She’d been through so much, and now she found herself in a strange new dimension with people who in the grand scale of things she didn’t know very well.
Ren put his arms around her small shoulders. “She can come live with me and my Gran.”
My eyebrows lifted at his offer. I hadn’t expected it. “Really? But what about your grandmother? Will she not want to know where Demi came from?”
“Yes, but it’s impossible to lie to Gran. She might’ve already had a vision of my trip to Oreylia. And if Demi is meant to be in our lives she’ll already know that, too.”
Demi glanced up at him, her eyes full of hope. Ever since Maya died, the little girl had latched onto Ren and he’d taken on a sort of big brother role. “Is your grandmother a nice lady?” she asked in Oreylian.
He smiled down at her, replying in her language. “One of the nicest.”
“Okay,” she said, her throat bobbing nervously. “I’ll go with you then.”
“It’s late. Let me drive you,” I offered.
Ren held up a hand. “Gran’s house isn’t far. We can walk. Besides, you need to get rid of that gown before your parents come home and wonder where it came from.”
