and Isabelle.
“You could all stay here, you know,” Frederick said quietly. “They might see you as a hero now, because of your connection with Maddie.”
“How long would I be a hero if I stayed long enough for people to get to know me?”
“I know you, Silas. Since we were kids. And I think you’re a hero.”
Isabelle appeared at his side. “Even if you are kind of goofy sometimes.”
“Shh.” Frederick rested his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close. “I’m trying to convince him to stay.”
Isabelle smiled slowly, but her eyes were sad.
Even before I said, “I’ve always thought you guys needed me. But it turns out, the Greyworld is in good hands.”
Sebastian rested his elbow on my shoulder. “I don’t like the way that sounds, Silas.”
“I’ve always tried to convince myself that the Greyworld needed me—and Maddie’s world too—and that I didn’t need anyone,” I admitted.
Across the room, I could see Maddie dancing with Rafe to the bright, cheerful music that way playing. They seemed to be taking turns stepping on each other’s toes, but they were both laughing.
“I think I had that backwards,” I said. “I think I needed all of you even more than I needed to be—”
“The incredible Silas Zip?” Sebastian raised his glass in a toast. The others started to follow, but I cut them off.
“I made the incredible Silas Zip up when I was a miserable kid who didn’t know if I’d ever be happy with who I was. I thought that being him would make me happy. But… I was just a kid. Let’s… let’s all let him go.”
They nodded as if they understood, and then Isabelle flew into my arms. “I hate to say goodbye to you, Silas.”
My arms closed around her as my friends surrounded me, hugging me. “Maybe it won’t have to be goodbye forever,” I said, even though I wasn’t sure if that were true.
The torn universe had to heal or it would keep ripping itself to shreds. That meant no more travel between worlds. Sooner or later, it would be damaged beyond the point of repair.
“Dragons!” Someone screamed from the doorway.
My friends—both Rebels and shifters—ran with me, and we headed down the stone steps to see a world on fire.
A rip had formed right in the center of main street, and dragons were rocketing through it.
“Well, we escaped burning once today, might as well go for twice,” Maddie said, as her magic rippled between her fingers.
“We weakened the fabric when Tyson came through,” I said. “We’ve got to stop. Maybe the Establishment was right about one thing. Maybe it’s time to seal this world off from the others so it can’t keep tearing.”
Maddie and I exchanged a long look. Was Alfred right when he claimed I had enough power to pull the same trick as Arthur—to sacrifice myself to magic with a sleep spell, and save the worlds?
“First,” Sebastian said, “Do you think you could help us deal with the crisis at hand?”
“My pleasure,” I said.
It was good to fight alongside Isabelle and Sebastian and Frederick.
One last time.
But as the last dragon crashed into the marble judicial terrace, razing it to the ground, I pulled Isabelle aside. “We’ve got to go now. And I need your help.”
She nodded. “You want me to kill you.”
“What are best friends for?”
“I’m going to miss you, Silas.”
“I’m going to miss you too.”
Neither of us pretended we were saying see you later. If all went well, this was goodbye.
And it would hurt—all my life, I imagined.
I formed a portal, hopefully the last one I’d ever form in my life. Golden magic glowed around the frame of the door, and then I imagined it solid.
It was a plain wooden door that looked just like one of the doors back in the academy dorms.
“Silas,” the king called. He glanced at the four of us, then back at the ripped-open sky. “if this works, no more Rebel magicians will be charged for their past crimes. It’s time to heal our world.”
I nodded back at him. I never thought I’d hear those words.
Jensen, Tyson, then Maddie, walked through the portal.
Rafe waited for me.
“I’ll be right there,” I promised.
His eyes were troubled, but he jerked his head in a nod. “Make sure you do come through. I don’t know what we’d do without you. Maddie needs you.”
I stared at him for one long second.
Rafe’s lips quirked at one corner. “Fine. I need you. Every team needs… every family needs the rebel, the one who brings the chaos and the