Chapter Nine - Leigh
After my mother leaves, I spring into action.
Dropping my robe on the floor, I hurry into my closet.
I put on my jeans, fasten my bra, then grab the first shirt I see.
It’s cold, and the weather in Mictlan will probably be even colder, so I reach for one of Wilder’s sweatshirts.
It smells like him—woods and smoke—and it calms my racing heart.
Gods, I wish I were curled up with him right now, not about to attempt the unthinkable.
With a sigh, I finish the outfit with a pair of white sneakers.
Everyone thinks I am asleep, and I plan to keep it that way.
No one must ever find out I’m going into Mictlan to rescue that little boy. At least not until he’s safe back home.
I opened the rift, and my failure to close it is costing an innocent child, who shares my brother’s name, his life. I must find Fynn and seal the rift before more people get hurt. But I need Ravi’s help.
I crack open my door, peek into the hallway, and once I’m sure the coast is clear, I pocket the ancient brass key and dart down the corridor toward the library. I am quick but light on my feet, so the ancient floorboards don’t give me away.
I refuse to dwell on how I am lying to Wilder—on the eve of our wedding, no less.
But it’s not just him; I’m lying to everyone.
If I had admitted the truth in that meeting with the Blades, everyone would have panicked.
Wilder would have wanted to cancel our wedding, the president would label me unfit and call for an immediate vote of no confidence in me, like she did in Aurora.
It’s not like I hid the rift to be cruel; I want to keep my friends and family safe.
No one will suffer because of my mistake.
Ravi and I will take care of the rift, and everything will go back to the way it was.
Reaching the library door, I twist the knob and go inside. Maybe, with any luck, Ravi found the spell to close the portal while I’ve been dealing with the Dullahan threat.
Ravi looks up from the journal he’s reading, surrounded by shelves of leather-bound books. “Leigh?”
“Find anything?” I ask in an urgent whisper.
Ravi digs the heels of his palms into his eyes. “Not yet. I sense I’m close, though.”
I nod as my heart sinks. “Care to take a break? We need to talk.”
“Is there time for that?”
“A Dullahan stole an orphan boy.” Ravi blanches at the reveal. “I need to save him. Tonight.”
“Fucking hell, Leigh, this is officially out of hand. I’m guessing you didn’t tell anyone about the rift, if you’re the one going inside it.”
I release a silent, strangled cry. Yeah, I could have told the Blades the truth. I could also tell them that there were nights when Wilder was working late that I’d wake up from missing him with my fingers buried between my legs, gasping for breath. There are some things you keep to yourself.
“I caused this,” I say, my voice leaving no room for argument. “I am fixing it.”
Ravi hesitates, studying my face. His expression is tight with concern. My pulse pounds in my ears. I think he’ll refuse, maybe even alert Wilder or someone else. He sighs, shoulders slumping over the desk in what I assume is resignation.
“Ugh. Fine. What do you want me to do?”
“Come with me to the lake. In case there are more Dullahan in the forest, I don’t want to be alone.”
Ravi reaches for his sweater that must have fallen off the back of his chair. The weight of what I’m about to do—entering a new realm, confronting mournful spirits, saving a child—settles on me like an anvil on my shoulders.
Fynn needs me. And I won’t fail him like I failed my brother.
Ravi shrugs on his crewneck that reads Glaucus, Corona.
I narrow my eyes at the souvenir. “Did you get that at the train station? It’s not like you aren’t coming back. Did you really need a memento?”
“I thought we were leaving,” he says, dodging my question with lowered eyebrows.
“We are.” I turn on my heel, exiting the library.
Together, Ravi and I sneak down the hall, tiptoe down the stairs, and out one of the side doors that leads toward the lake. No one stops us. Though, a minuscule part of me wishes someone would.
The imagined look of disappointment on my loved ones’ faces pushes me forward.
Fresh spring air fills my lungs as we race toward the stables. A paved path connects the stables to the Thistle Maze, and we follow it until Priapus Forest looms ahead of us. At that point, the path turns to damp dirt beneath our hurried feet.
“Do you feel that?” I ask Ravi, stopping suddenly. The energy emitted by the rift is stronger than it was in November.
Ravi halts beside me, head tilted in the direction of the lake. “I do.”
“Come on.” We need to hurry if I am going to make it back in time to marry Wilder.
The constant hum of energy presses against my mind, growing louder until we leave the clearing between the trees. I push my shadows aside, and we gasp together.
The purple at the center of the lake looks more vibrant than before. Could it be from the Dullahan using it not so long ago? It doesn’t matter because I am about to go inside and maybe get answers to some of my questions as I search for Fynn among the sea of souls I find there.
“Ready?” Ravi asks.
“Ready.”
I remove my shoes, tie them together, and grip the laced pair tightly in my fist. Ravi does the same, his expression grim as we stand in the darkness. I wade into the water first, gasping as it nips at my skin. Ravi follows closely behind, his teeth chattering loudly in the silence.
“This still feels like a bad idea,” he says, but I swim forward.
No turning back now.
After a deep breath, I submerge beneath the water. My skin prickles and burns, but I kick my legs and spread my arms, clenching my jaw against the cold.
The gateway looms ahead—a shimmering purple surrounded by black.
I swim upward until my head breaches the surface. Ravi and I gasp for air.
“I’m going in,” I declare, bones aching from the cold.
“Maybe I should come with you.”
I study Ravi’s face. Determination burns in his eyes, while there’s a slight tremor in his blue-tinged lips. Ravi may be my cousin, my ally in magic, but I need him to stay.
“N-no,” I manage through chattering teeth. “Go back to the castle, find the spell to close the rift. If I am not back by morning, alert the Blades, and close it without me.”
“Why morning?”
“If it takes longer than that, something went wrong.”
I’ll be safe if I keep out of sight from the Dullahan and other rangers like the harpies.
Kosac rules there like a king, much like the devil rules Hell.
But unlike Hell’s active torment, Mictlan inflicts hopeless despair—like entering the depths of depression.
Still, if I want to find Fynn, I must endure it.
Time flows differently there, with days in Mictlan feeling like mere hours here.
“I can’t let you go alone,” Ravi insists, kicking his long legs to stay afloat.
I shake my head, sending water droplets flying.
“If we both go and something happens, then who will close the gate?” I place a freezing hand on his shoulder, my legs fanning beneath me.
“I need someone I trust to keep my people safe if I can’t.
” Felicity’s snobbish face enters my thoughts, and I push it away.
I will be fine. I’m not leaving my people in her care.
Ravi falls silent for a moment before reluctantly nodding. “I’ll figure it out.”
“I know you will.” I manage a smile I don’t feel. “And, Ravi? If … if something does happen, tell Wilder I love him. Tell him to be happy.”
Before he can respond or comment on the tears forming in my eyes, I submerge beneath the water, following the light trail before kicking my feet and swimming straight into the rift and the unknown.
I’m coming, Fynn. Hold on.