her sisters. Seconds later, Corrine, Ibrahim, and Kailani also showed up, pale and clearly astonished. Safira was quick to fill them in on who we were.
“Oh, my God!” Kale screeched. She quickly covered her mouth, her eyes bulging. “Harper… You’re in there! You’re okay! Are… Wait, are you okay?!”
“She is,” Ramin replied. “She’s in spirit form, and therefore cannot speak to you directly. Rest assured, I have done all I could to keep her safe. Which is why we are here.”
“Hold on,” I said to him, “what happened to Mount Agrith?”
Ramin relayed the question to them. Rubia exhaled sharply, and the grief was visible on all their faces. “Firr, our Fire Hermessi. He turned against us. He destroyed our home and sealed off the pink waters. It was his message to Wei, our maker, and to us. He is no longer an ally.”
“I’m afraid I could see that coming,” Ramin replied. “I’m only sorry we couldn’t be here sooner to warn you that it might be a possibility. Not just with him, but with any other rebel Hermessi. I’d hoped that both Firr and Wei would still be on my side, upon my arrival. I guess only one still stands against the Ritual on Calliope.”
“For now.” Viola sighed.
We managed to bring each other up to speed on everything that had happened since I’d left my body on Neraka. Needless to say, we were still very much screwed, on a cosmic level. My heart thundered at the thought of Taeral and his crew, stranded in some unknown world, but it also swelled with joy upon learning that Varga and his team had managed to find out the name of the planet where Death had taken residence. There was only the challenge of actually locating that planet and its solar system, but, still, progress.
I found out about Reapers, as well, and I knew I would need some time to fully wrap my head around the concept. We only gave each other the Cliffs Notes for now, given the urgency of my situation, but it was enough to put everyone on the same level.
“We can’t stay here for much longer,” Ramin warned them. Kailani and Phoenix, in particular, kept staring at him—well, more like at the center of him, where I was. Maybe they thought they’d spot me somehow, even though they knew they couldn’t. Soon enough, and if I was lucky enough, I’d get to hug them and thank them for loving me so much. “If Firr is hostile, and he’s undoubtedly sensed my presence, chances are he’ll come looking for me. The word of my betrayal is out, and Brendel will want me destroyed.”
“So, we’re basically in a hurry to get Harper back to Neraka without you, huh?” Corrine asked, wearing a most skeptical face.
“If I set foot on Neraka, I’m done for. I know where the Hermessi children are kept. Brendel will stop at nothing until I am silenced,” Ramin replied.
“That’s a little futile, in my opinion, since we now know more about that twenty-planet solar system than we did before.” Ibrahim chuckled. “We’ll find it eventually, no matter how hard Brendel tries to keep it secret.”
“Okay, so how do we get my sister back to her body?” My brother asked the burning question. “If Ramin can’t get anywhere near Neraka, what options do we have? Her body won’t last much longer. I spoke to Caspian, and he’s devastated. Her temperature is dropping well below that of a healthy vampire.”
Judging by the looks on their faces, I had to admit, I wasn’t feeling all that optimistic anymore. Thunderclaps echoed in the distance. Looking up, Ramin and I understood what would soon unfold. The Hermessi are coming to Stonewall.
It was only a matter of time before monstrous entities and crippling storms would converge on this crater, wiping out everything in their path. I’d come to Calliope for a solution, despite the risks, and I didn’t want us to leave without one.
Ramin glanced at the Bajangs. “You all need to get to safety,” he said. “The Hermessi will be here soon, and you don’t want to suffer their wrath. Go, hide…”
Rebel, one of the Bajang leaders, raised her chin and gave us a cold grin. “We don’t shy away from a battle. Yes, those vulnerable in our pack will go back to the citadel, but the rest of us won’t go. We cannot bring ourselves to leave you here, on your own.”
“They’re not alone,” Safira replied. “We’ve got their backs. Please, Rebel.