decision’s made. There’s nothing else to do but focus on getting it done.”
“I guess.” She shrugged, and I could tell she didn’t relate.
“You want me to sleep in here tonight?” I asked.
“You mean you’re finally going to stop avoiding me?”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve been avoiding me,” she said simply. “It’s like you’re afraid to talk to me.”
“Since when?” Panic filled me. It had to have been since the kiss. She’d noticed.
Of course she’d noticed. Mira might not be the most intuitive with magic, but she’d always understood people. Especially me.
“For weeks,” she said. “Ever since you got poisoned by that nightshade.”
“Huh.” Something tugged at my thoughts—something important that had happened with the nightshade—but then it was gone. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I know it must have been scary to be that close to death.”
“As if we haven’t fought for our lives multiple times since getting our magic.” I chuckled.
“Tell me about it,” she said. “But you know what I mean. I knew we couldn’t actually die on Moon Mountain… but seeing you like that… it was awful. There was nothing I could do to help you. I hated it.”
“You made the healing potion,” I reminded her.
“Harper made the healing potion. At least, she did the hard part.”
“You started making it,” I said. “If you hadn’t, Harper might not have been able to finish in time.”
“True.” She smiled for the first time since I’d come into her room. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For believing in me.”
“I always believe in you,” I said. “You’re my twin.”
“True.” She finally moved her gaze away from the ceiling to look at me. “Like it or not, you’re stuck with me.”
“And I’ve always got your back,” I said. “Just like I will in Ember. We’re going to be okay there.”
Hopefully the more times I said it, the more I’d believe it.
She nodded, saying nothing. Mira was never one to sugarcoat anything.
“We have a big day tomorrow,” I finally said. “We should try to get some rest.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep,” she said.
“Me, either. But we should try.”
I hadn’t expected to be able to fall asleep. I hadn’t actually wanted to. Because I was going to do what Ethan had suggested and find someone to get me that memory potion. Probably Rosella. She wasn’t a witch, but she’d know who to tell me to go to.
But I must have been more tired than I’d realized, because when I opened my eyes and glanced at the clock, it was the next day. Well, the next night, because of the Haven’s nocturnal schedule.
Mira stretched and rubbed her eyes. “What time is it?” she asked.
Dread pooled in my stomach, and I said, “It’s time to leave for Ember.”
10
Gemma
Saying goodbye to Mom was tough. She tried to be strong, like she’d been when we’d entered into battle with the demons and gone to Lilith’s lair. But as strong as she was, she couldn’t conceal her worry.
While we couldn’t tell her about the keys, since she’d just forget a second later, we calmed her by telling her we could teleport between realms. We said it was an ability that only a rare number of witches had, which was relatively close to the truth.
Eventually, we hugged, said goodbye, and went to the tearoom, where Mary was waiting. Mary was in Haven whites, but the three of us wore brown tunics and pants made from rough cloth that made me feel like I belonged in a medieval village. A witch had procured the clothing for us after Ethan had explained what the people of Ember wore.
Because once we were in Ember, we needed to blend in. That wouldn’t be possible in modern clothing or Haven whites.
Mary looked us over. “I was alive when clothing like this was commonplace,” she said. “Back then, things were much more… primal.”
“Ember is extremely different from Earth,” Ethan said. “At least, from present day Earth.”
Mary watched me and Mira with worry.
“We’ll be okay,” I said. “We have Ethan looking out for us.”
Ethan nodded, looking pleased with my statement—with my trust in him. There was also a hint of question in his eyes.
He had to be wondering if I’d taken the memory potion.
Would he ask?
No, the answer came to me immediately. Because if he respected my decision, he wouldn’t risk telling me and having me find out what I’d done. And I believed he did respect my decision—even though he didn’t know what decision I’d made.
Mary walked to the back corner of