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Kieran blocked my way. He arched a brow. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“To kick Curry’s ass once and for all.” In fairness, I wasn’t sure I could, but I’d handled him earlier. As long as I got in a few licks and made him bleed, I’d die happy.
“He’s not worth it.” Kieran nodded at the canopy. “We need to focus on getting over that and reaching safety.” He gestured at the roof between the trees. “Sunset isn’t long from now, and getting over that won’t be easy.”
My heart dropped into my stomach. “What do you mean?”
“Let’s just say this is the hardest test we’ll face.” He pressed his lips into a line. “Trust me. That’s why I jerked back. I didn’t expect to hear your—” He cut himself off and cleared his throat. “A voice.”
He hadn’t stopped himself in time, and now I knew that, for whatever reason, I was part of this trial for him.
I sighed. He didn’t want to talk about it, and we were running out of time. “Okay.” I tried to put aside my rage. If this final challenge was that horrible, maybe Curry would die by the screaming monster. “Let’s do this.”
His head tilted as he exhaled. “You’re listening to me?”
I placed a hand on my hip. “Not if we don’t get moving. If we’re going to stand here and stare at each other, I might as well use that time to kick Curry’s ass.”
“Like you said.” His nose wrinkled. “Let’s do this.”
A laugh escaped me, catching me off guard. I felt like Jekyll and Hyde, one minute angry and the next laughing. Something inside me was changing fundamentally.
The corner of his mouth tipped upward, and we turned to climb the canopy. This time, Kieran’s jaw was set as if he was ready to face whatever version of me he’d heard.
Unsure what to expect, I touched some of the branches of the canopy, preparing to hoist myself up.
“Ivy?” A way-too-familiar whisper brushed my ears. “Where are you?”
I released the branches and turned to search for the owner of the voice.
Beth.
My chest heaved. How had she gotten here?
“Alina, it’s okay,” Kieran assured me. “It’s just the canopy.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s not the voice of a competitor here. It’s someone I know from Earth. I’ve got to help her.” The one girl I’d let down more than anyone else in both worlds.
“She’s not here,” he insisted, touching my shoulder and forcing me to turn toward him. A vein pulsed between his brows. “I’m pretty sure this obstacle will make us face our biggest regret in order to cross over.”
I clasped my hands to my chest to prevent myself from falling over. Her voice sounded so real. As if she were here. But cold realization poured over me. Her voice had sounded the same as when she was eight years old, not the eighteen-year-old woman she was today. “How is that possible?” I rasped, hating that they could pull something from me that was so fucking real.
“It’s an illusion spell of Quinley’s.” He blew out a breath. “Only a few people can do it, and she’s one of the best. It’s how she won the Comortas seven hundred years ago.”
I didn’t know who to thank since I had no idea who people worshiped here. But some entity had to be looking out for us because Curry didn’t share that particular skill.
“This way,” Mackenna said. From the sound of it, they were about to round the final turn to reach the hedge where we were.
Kieran and I nodded to each other and reached for the canopy of plants again.
Just like the last time, Beth’s faint whisper swirled around me. “You’re going to be back by seven, right? I don’t want to be alone with her when she comes home from work.”
I already knew where this was heading. The night I’d failed her.
Gritting my teeth, I reminded myself this was an illusion and continued to climb. It wasn’t actually happening. The damage was already done, and I’d live with the regret of failing her for the rest of my entire fucking life, however long that might be.
“She said she’d be here.” Beth sniffled quietly. “Why isn’t she here?” The heartbreak in her voice was evident, and it sounded as if she was going through the experience all over again.
I’d been working on a school assignment at the local public library with some other of the foster kids. I should’ve been able to get back in time.
