Persie Merlin and the Door to Nowhere by Bella Forrest Page 0,146
searching the surrounding area for any sign of a ghost. But his love’s spirit was for his eyes only. As a breath of wind sighed over the graveyard, Fergus dissolved into dust and drifted away in peace. And I prayed, with everything I had, that he’d be reunited with his long-lost love. That was the reward for a love that defied everything, wasn’t it? It had to defy death, too.
Like my grandparents… I’d never met them, thanks to the evil of Katherine Shipton, but my mom had made sure to keep their memory alive in all of us. They’d been reunited in the afterlife, and it gave me hope for Fergus and Lorelei. Hadn’t they waited long enough?
“I think we ought to retreat to a safe distance,” Nathan urged suddenly, snapping me out of my reverie. “It looks as if there’s about to be fireworks.”
As a trio, with the pixies still sitting on my shoulders, we backed away from the Door to Nowhere. A deafening roar exploded from the gateway, the frame juddering violently. Charlotte dropped the shield and instructed everyone to run to safety, with Genie, Nathan, and me bringing up the rear. I looked back as I ran, watching the door beginning to break apart into shards of light that swirled in the center, spinning faster and faster as though the realm itself was imploding.
“Take cover!” I yelled, and not a moment too soon. Everyone dove to the ground as the gateway crumpled in on itself, before unleashing a shockwave so volatile that it took the tops off several headstones. When I glanced back, the Door to Nowhere had vanished, hopefully never to be seen again.
Lying flat on the ground, squelching around in the mud, I realized that it was finally over. The Door wouldn’t take any more victims, and the Wisps had paid for what they’d done—not only to Lorelei, but to everyone they’d dragged into that realm, and everyone before that, whom they’d led to certain death. And my friend had returned to me in one glorious piece.
A voice cut through the ensuing silence. “Are those… pixies?” I didn’t recognize the man who’d spoken, and instinctively lifted a hand to protect my monsters. It came as quite the surprise when Charlotte got to her feet and folded her arms across her chest.
“Yes, they’re pixies, and if anyone even thinks about hurling Chaos at one, they’ll have me to deal with,” she said sternly. “None of you would be here if it weren’t for them, so show some respect. The same goes for Persie.”
I struggled not to cry as Genie helped me up and put her arm around my shoulder. “She saved us.” She glared at the Institute folk. “And so did the pixies.”
Charlotte nodded. “Well, these ones did, and a lot of them died to rescue you all. And if we’d kept on thinking they were the bad guys… Well, I don’t need to keep repeating myself.”
“Thank you, Persie, and… uh… thanks, monsters.” Xanthippe took a step forward, looking at Genie sheepishly. “And I guess I owe you both an apology, for things that… I might’ve said. I had a bit of time to think, in that world. I guess people get things wrong sometimes. So, I’m… sorry.”
Genie smiled and gave me a side-squeeze. “Apology accepted.”
“Nathan also helped.” I felt bad leaving him out, when his choice of book had been the catalyst in this rescue mission.
A rumble of gratitude spread across the graveyard, sounding like the murmurs of the dead. But it was a start—a sign of better days to come. Victoria would have to see that my pixies had been instrumental to our success in freeing everyone, and I hoped she’d appreciate their sacrifice. I allowed myself a sad smile, knowing that this victory had come at a price. But I’d succeeded, and I’d proven the innocence of the pixies. Maybe, just maybe, that meant everyone would start to realize that not every Purge beast was a bloodthirsty, mindless monster after all.
Thirty-Four
Genie
Three days passed like three seconds, while life at the Institute gradually returned to normal. Well, sort of. Lessons hadn’t restarted yet. Victoria had put out a blanket order for all of the returnees to spend a week in quarantine, in case of Fergus-world side effects. I’d chosen to quarantine in Persie’s room, or I’d have died of boredom. Plus, Nathan snuck Boudicca out of her orb most mornings so she could keep us entertained.