save you and went into the mirror and found you in a dark prison.”
Teague didn’t miss a beat. “It is that place. You came here in your dream—to the In Between—and it remembers you. I have to take you out of here, but I wanted time to speak to you alone.”
The sound of the shadows moving and the cold made her skin prickle. “Is my mom here?”
“Yes, I promise I’ll find her and get her to the other side, but there’s something you must understand, Mina.” His voice sounded so earnest, she felt the bubble of worry start to overtake her.
“What?”
“Annalora’s planned this all along. She has the bone whistle, the one item that can control me. I still have to take a soul, and I’ll try and delay the reaping. But Mina, I can’t touch her if she holds that whistle. When we go back, you have to get it from her and destroy it. Then we’ll both be free of her. Can you do that?” He lifted his hand a second time to caress her face.
She swallowed and grabbed it, feeling the coldness of his skin against her warm cheek. “Yes, I can.”
He nodded. “Good. Because if she commands me again, I’ll have no choice but to take your soul. I’d promise to help you to the other side and not leave you in the In Between, but I’d rather not even have to go that far.”
Mina didn’t say anything else as black smoke surrounded them, and then they were back in the tower.
Annalora stood proud, full of herself, and oblivious, at the tower window chanting in a Fae language. Mina assumed she was celebrating. But as Mina moved toward her, Annalora turned, and her eyes went wide at seeing Mina still alive.
Mina lunged for the hand that held the whistle.
Annalora screeched and clawed at Mina’s throat, but Mina pulled back her fist and punched the gnome girl in the face. Her head snapped back, and she dropped the whistle to the ground. Mina dove for it.
Annalora grabbed Mina’s foot and dragged her along the floor and away from the bone whistle. Mina rolled over, summoned power, and shoved a blast of power into Annalora’s chest, knocking her into a chair. She turned back over and watched as the whistle rolled to a stop at the top of the stairs.
In front of Ferah, who had stealthily returned.
Ferah bent down and picked up the whistle.
Annalora began to beg and cajole. “Ferah, give me the whistle, and I can make all of this go away. I just need to get rid of her.”
The elf-girl stood up, still looking battle-weary and terrified. “I should never have told you of the prophecy which foretold the dark prince’s reign and the end of our world.”
“Grow up,” Annalora snapped. “You and the Godmothers would never have been able to stop the prophecy. This is the end. Can’t you see that?”
Mina got up from the floor and glanced around the room. She caught a reflection in the glass—Teague pacing in the corner of the room, unable to strike because the whistle was still in play. It seemed that none of the others could see him.
“You killed the Fates,” Ferah cried out. Her hand holding the whistle shook in fury.
“Something you should have done long ago.” Annalora tried to play it off as no big deal. “Now we can start fresh, build the Fae world anew. Just give me the whistle, and I’ll end her. You can be head of the Royal Guard. I’ll give you anything you want.” She’d continued to walk and talk until she was only a foot from the elf.
Ferah shook her head. “No, this world will not be built on your darkness.” She turned to look at Mina. “I see light when I look at you. I’ll follow you till the end.”
She reached out to hand the whistle to Mina, but Annalora grabbed one of Ferah’s own daggers from her bandolier and stabbed the girl.
Ferah’s eyes fluttered in disbelief. The whistle fell from her limp fingers followed by a trickle of blood. It dropped and bounced on the floor.
“No!” Mina let the fury she had been holding back burst forth.
The room erupted into a ball of light, and Annalora backed up, her arms in front of her face. Mina turned her anger on Annalora and did as Teague had done centuries ago. She blasted the girl through the glass tower window.
Annalora screamed, and then silence followed.
Ferah lay on the ground, unable