After a heated argument, I finally win him over. As the vault door grates open with a whoosh and the tang of dark magic washes over me, I nearly hesitate, everything becoming real.
But then I remember the video of the darkling attack inside the restaurant. An army of darklings will decimate everyone in the forest today. Everyone.
And I cannot let that happen.
Magus grunts behind me, his hooves stamping the damp stone floor. “Hurry and choose your weapon, human. And let’s hope it does not kill you.”
“Not necessary,” I say, pressing into the shadows. “It’s already chosen me.”
I find Ruby asleep in Mack’s dorm room, surrounded by Kit Kat wrappers. She screeches when she wakes, and immediately pledges her services to me. Outside, we discover the portals the first years used near the Lake of Sorrows.
I send Magus off to alert Mr. Willis and then Ruby sniffs each portal before pointing at the farthest one down the line. “The prince and your friend went through that one.”
“Are you sure?” I ask. We only get one chance at this.
She flashes an impish grin. “Kid, I’d know that Fae hunk of meat’s scent anywhere.”
“Which one? Asher or the prince’s?”
“Both.”
Okay, then. That’s not creepy at all. I drag in an anxious breath, steadying my nerves. Then we count to three and cross over.
The second we step foot on the other side, a gray, lifeless world envelops us. Dead trees wend and tangle into a canopy of gnarled branches strangling the sky. There’s no life anywhere. No budding foliage or grass or insects. The air is laced with the stench of decay, and snowflakes float around our heads.
No, not snow. Ashes.
“This has to be a mistake,” I say. “This portal lead directly into the scourge lands.”
“Um, kid, we have a problem,” Ruby whispers. I glance behind me and my body goes cold. The portal is gone.
“No mistake,” I growl. “Whoever wants the prince dead must have messed with the portal so it spit them out in the wrong spot and then wouldn’t let them back in.”
Earlier, I stuffed the forbidden weapon inside a bright pink backpack I stole from the commons room, and I sling the bag higher onto my shoulder. Ruby uses her abnormal sense of smell to track the group through the woods, leading us deeper and deeper into the Forest of Eyes.
I see immediately where the name came from. Eyes snap open along the tree trunks as we pass, their eerie gaze following us wherever we go. They’re all different colors, each pair of eyes unique and too human for my liking.
Ugh.
An hour passes, and I’m sure Ruby has lost the scent, when I hear voices. Frantic voices.
I sprint toward the sounds, sure it’s already started. A small clearing opens up. I see figures moving through the dead grass, and my heart leaps at the sight.
Mack and Asher stand side-by-side, holding up swords that glint in the muddled gray light. Eclipsa is near them, legs spread wide in a fighting stance. She wears all black leathers, her silver hair pulled into a simple ponytail that swings well past her shoulders.
A twig snaps beneath my boot, and Eclipsa’s head swivels my direction. Her forehead wrinkles slightly in confusion, but then she smiles and rushes toward me. Her hug nearly crushes the life from me.
“What are you doing here?” she demands, pulling back to examine me.
Behind Eclipsa, I see Mack and Asher both turn our way. Then Mack is screeching and running toward us. She slams into me, hard, and joins the hug.
“What the Fae hells is this?” Asher booms, lumbering over. “A love fest in the middle of the Wild Hunt? This isn’t a slumber party, girls.”
Eclipsa glares at Asher. “Pipe down, smoke-breath. We’re having a moment.”
“Well, have that moment somewhere else. That medusa spider is still out there.”
Medusa spider? Yep, not even asking about that one.
Curiosity dances in his green eyes as they shift to me. “Summer, it’s not that I’m not happy you’re here. But . . . if you’ve come to talk to the prince, it’s really not the best time.”
Eclipsa’s face darkens. “It’s true. The portal was spelled with forbidden magic and the prince’s powers have been bound. He’s in a mood. We think it was a rival court, but we still can’t figure out how—”
Suddenly, Eclipsa stiffens beside me. Asher glances over his shoulder, releases a long breath, as if shit’s about to hit the fan, and then moves.