Prologue - Leigh #2
“Here,” I say, relief flooding my voice.
“‘Interdimensional portals reflect the nature of the realm they connect to. The danger level depends solely on what world has been bridged.’” I look up triumphantly.
“And this one says the same thing. ‘Portal stability and threat assessment are determined by the destination realm’s properties.’”
Ravi groans. “But, Leigh, I’m reading about other inhabitants of Mictlan here. It’s not just lost souls. There are mentions of Dullahan, harpies—”
“Creatures of despair?” I wave him off, even as nausea rolls through me.
But the point is not to panic, not until there is something tangible to panic about.
“Mictlan isn’t Hell, Ravi. It’s limbo. That’s why it is nicknamed the Nothing.
The souls there are hopeless ghosts not dangerous daemons seeking destruction.
Even if some escape, what’s the worst they could do? Make people sad?”
My attempt at calming the situation does nothing to smooth the crease between my distant cousin’s brows. “I don’t know. This mentions—”
“Look,” I cut him off, standing on shaky legs and brushing mud from my jeans, “we’ll encase this entire lake in shadow magic. Keep it hidden from any passersby until morning, then figure out how to close it safely. No one gets hurt, no one panics.”
That goes for me, too.
Ravi grudgingly locks his phone screen. “You really think that’s enough?”
“We have to try.”
I raise my hands, a tingling spreading through my fingers as darkness responds to my call, flowing like liquid across the lake’s surface until the portal’s glow is fully covered. To anyone passing by, it will look like an ordinary mountain lake reflecting the night sky.
“There.” I back away, hoping I sound satisfied. “Problem contained. We’ll deal with it properly after some better research. My battery is low, anyway.”
As we walk up the dirt path toward the castle, I glance back, biting my bottom lip.
The shadow veil stays perfectly in place; it will alert me if anything passes through it and conceal any sign of the purple light underneath.
But I know the truth—a portal to another realm has been opened, and it’s only a matter of time before this secret is exposed.
“Maybe we’re looking in the wrong place entirely.
” I push aside another useless book with a yawn.
Pale dawn light filters through the large bay windows of Traum Castle’s library, my family’s mountain chalet.
We’ve been researching for hours with nothing to show for it.
“What if the answers aren’t here but in there?
” I gesture toward the window and the forest of pine trees hiding the lake below.
Ravi looks up from his laptop, bloodshot eyes wide with alarm. “Absolutely not.”
“Listen, we’ve been at this for hours. Every article about portal closure is either theoretical or deals with Hell gates.
” I rub my temples to dull the headache that’s been building since we started this search.
“No one writes specifically about closing a portal to Mictlan. No recent successful missions to reference.”
“That doesn’t mean we go inside a death realm.”
He’s right. I don’t want to go there either, but we may not have a choice. We need to shut the portal before anyone finds out. If something comes through and someone gets hurt because of what I did, I’ll never forgive myself.
“Maybe,” I slowly offer, “there’s something in my father’s journals back at Rowan Palace. They led us to the Hypnos story that brought us here in the first place.”
Ravi’s phone rings, cutting off any response he might have had.
“Turn it off. We don’t have time for—”
“It’s Wilder.”
Fire burns through my veins, banishing exhaustion. “Answer it.”
Ravi clears his throat. “Hello?” He nods, then extends the phone. “He wants to talk to you.”
My chest tightens. There’s no way Wilder knows what I’ve done, the trouble I’ve caused.
“Hey, baby,” I manage, trying to sound normal. “My phone’s been on Do Not Disturb—”
“Don’t panic.” The words still my racing thoughts. “Queen Jorina suffered a heart attack during the Dark Dinner. Mom thinks it was a coronary spasm. She’s been trying to reach you.”
A knot in my throat chokes off my response. My grandmother. Oh gods, is she okay?
“Leigh, are you there? Goddammit.” There’s a brief pause before he shouts, “Soter, bring me your phone.”
“I’m here,” I whisper.
“Did you hear what I said?”
“How is she?” The words barely escape my lips.
“My mom is with her, but until I get more details …” Papers rustle in the background. “Leigh, we need you here. I know you needed your space, and I hate to cut your trip short, but please come home.”
I wrap my arms around myself, trying to hold the pieces together. Of course I’m coming home. But panic hijacks my brain.
We haven’t closed the portal. Do I risk leaving it open?
The image of my grandmother, frail and alone in a hospital bed, surfaces memories of waking up like that at Hebe Hospital when my father and Fynn died, with no family there to hold my hand through the pain.
“We’ll catch the next train,” I promise.
“What about the portal?” Ravi whispers urgently.
I meet his eyes, seeing my own exhaustion reflected in them. We’ve been awake all night without finding anything useful. The answers aren’t here, but my father’s extensive collection back home might have the key. But just in case, he should stay.
“Tell your mom to keep sending updates until I get there,” I tell Wilder.
“I’ll send Isolde to meet you at the station. She’ll take you straight to the hospital.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t worry. Mom’s taking excellent care of her.
Everything will be okay.” His steady confidence anchors me, but my eyes also burn with tears.
We’re supposed to be happier than ever right now—we’re getting married.
But if he finds out I lied about this trip, he’ll think it’s because I don’t trust him.
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
I trust him completely, with my entire being as well as my heart.
I lied to protect us and this perfect bubble we’re in.
But if he finds out, he’ll drop everything to help me fix this mess, derail his training with Soter, and turn our wedding plans into a crisis.
I’d rather get lost in Mictlan than watch him spiral.
I can handle this without him. I will. No matter what it takes.
“I’ll text updates,” he says.
After hanging up, I turn to Ravi. “You need to stay and monitor the situation.”
His brown skin pales. “What?”
“My shadow magic will alert me if anything comes through. I will notify you if there’s any danger.” I wobble as I stand. My adrenaline is wearing off. “A few days, tops. Just until I can find something in my father’s journals.”
“I can’t stay here. People will start asking questions if I don’t return to Borealis.”
“I know, I know.” I reach for his hand. “Please, Ravi. I can’t leave this unguarded, but I can’t abandon my grandmother, either. She’s unwell, and I can’t be in two places at once.”
His shoulders slump. “I don’t like this.”
I nod. Neither do I. “If anything—and I mean anything—seems off about that portal, you call me immediately. We will notify the Blades if necessary. But that’s a last resort. We need to prevent chaos from erupting.”
“Leigh—”
“A few days,” I repeat firmly. “Then this will all be over.”
I gather my things, guilt gnawing at me. I’m lying to Wilder about why I’m in Glaucus, abandoning a potentially dangerous magical anomaly, and leaving my cousin to guard a portal to the realm of the dead without help.
Everything will be fine, I tell myself. Nothing’s happened yet. Just a few days, and I’ll know if I am overreacting.
Though the shadow magic remains calm, something deep in my chest warns that I’m making a terrible mistake.