“The ring is gone,” Rowan said, patting his pocket. “The bag, too.”

  Meg nodded, unsurprised.

  “I can’t feel any magic,” Gretta said.

  “Same,” Rowan replied. “Really wish I’d figured out how to conjure a shirt before we got here.”

  “It’s not all bad,” Meg said.

  “His chest looks better without the black tendrils,” Gretta muttered.

  “I’m a little tired, but otherwise feel great,” Rowan said.

  “We’re all winners,” Meg said, deadpan.

  Gretta gave Meg a look.

  “What? Bool isn’t here,” Meg said innocently.

  “I think we’re outside the reality we were in,” Rowan said, turning in a slow circle.

  “Nah,” Meg replied. “We’re deeper in. This is the heart of Fairy.”

  “You think that little girl was Fairy, and we’re inside her soul?” Gretta asked, glancing up at the towering crystal spires.

  “Can’t you feel it?” Meg asked.

  Gretta shook her head. “I’ve never been able to feel Fairy’s magic like you can. Reconnecting with my goddess was the first time I’d touched magic in decades.”

  “No magic at all,” Rowan murmured, running a finger down the surface of a crystal wall. “Must’ve been nice to let that go.”

  “It was terrifying,” Gretta said. “I knew martial arts, sure, but it was always just sport and endurance training. I never relied on it—until I had no choice.”

  “Worked out,” Meg said. “Looks like we’re meant to go that way.”

  She pointed down a wide lane between glowing crystal towers, where a flicker of warm light pulsed like a distant hearth.

  “Well, these rocks and crystals won’t make much of a bed,” Gretta said. “Let’s see what Fairy has planned.”

  “Should we really go where she wants us to?” Meg asked.

  Rowan snorted. “If she wanted to destroy us, we’d already be dust.”

  “Wouldn’t you just bounce out to somewhere else?” Gretta asked.

  He shrugged. “Not unless she lets me. And honestly? She could do worse than kill me.”

  “Let’s not give her ideas,” Gretta muttered. “Come on.”

  They started walking.

  “Why are we even doing this?” Meg asked.

  “Didn’t we just cover that?” Rowan said. “Cosmic child, infinite power, eternal torture?”

  “No,” Meg said. “Why save the Summer Queen? She’s never lifted a finger for us.”

  “This isn’t about her,” Gretta said. “It’s about saving my goddess. If we don’t get Thadius back to Purgatory, the gods die.”

  “You’d still be alive here,” Meg pointed out.

  “I took an oath to the Wild Mother,” Gretta said. “In exchange for her strength, I swore to uphold her ideals—on Earth.”

  “She wouldn’t expect you to throw your life away,” Meg said.

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  “She has a point,” Rowan added. “Abby wouldn’t want you dying for her.”

  “If we don’t fix magic, you’ll die too,” Gretta said, eyeing him.

  Rowan gave a half-shrug. “Had a good run.”

  Meg tilted her head. “Then why are you here? If you’re done being immortal?”

  “My best friend needs me,” Rowan said. “And someone has to stop my brother from tearing apart another reality.”

  They walked in silence until they reached a narrow door glowing with golden light.

  Inside waited a cozy fire, a table piled with food and drink, and three beds set around the hearth.

  “Wow,” Rowan said. “That little girl knows how to host.”

  “Is it safe to eat this?” Gretta asked, eyeing the feast.

  Rowan grabbed a turkey leg and took a bite. “Seems fine,” he said through a mouthful.

  Meg shrugged. “She offered hospitality. Turning it down might be ruder than eating it.”

  Rowan pointed a clean drumstick at her. “Exactly. We’re being polite.” He reached for a roll. “Also, this bread with honey is divine.”

  Gretta sighed. “If we wake up as enchanted pigs, I’m blaming you.”

  She picked up a brilliant red apple and took a bite. “Chilled. Fancy.”

  Twenty minutes later, they’d eaten their fill, and Rowan was eyeing a bed.

  “Just going to rest my eyes for a moment,” he muttered.

  “No point debating safety protocols,” Gretta said, flopping onto the middle bed.

  Meg lay down closest to the door, well away from the fire.

  Gretta fell asleep instantly.

  She woke to the sound of splintering wood. Her eyes snapped open. She was on her feet, dagger drawn, before her mind caught up.

  Meg had a short figure pinned to the wall with one hand. In the other, she held her massive bronze sword. It lacked its usual magical shimmer, but it still looked far too sharp to be pressed against someone’s throat.

  “Elf,” Meg said flatly. “You’d better have a damn good reason for sneaking in here.”

  The elf swallowed hard. His face was one massive bruise, his nose obviously broken—like someone had smashed it with a chair.

  “Aren’t you Dorian?” Rowan asked from his bed.

  Gretta lunged, dagger raised.

  Reflexively, Meg hurled Dorian across the room and snatched Gretta’s wrist mid-strike. He hit the far wall with a solid thud.

  “Steady, Dew,” Meg said. “We can’t kill him until we know what he knows.”

  Rowan chuckled, pushing himself upright. “You sure? That toss might’ve already done the job.”

  Meg shrugged. “Might’ve broken a few bones, but he’ll live. That was a warm-up. If Dew stabs him, though, he’ll bleed out before we get answers.”

  Gretta’s eyes blazed with fury. “First he sends my mother here—then me. How many others?” She took a step forward. “How many?”

  Dorian coughed and winced, clutching his clearly broken arm. “Plenty.”

  Rowan stepped toward him. Dorian flinched hard.

  “Sneaking up on us while we sleep?” Rowan asked.

  “If I were sneaking, the troll wouldn’t have heard me,” Dorian muttered.

  “I’m not going to stab him,” Gretta said. “For now. You can let go.”

  Meg studied her a moment, then nodded and released her grip.

  “What are you doing here?” Meg asked.

  “Running from the demon lord. I stumbled in here by accident. I’ve been wandering for days.” He glanced toward the table. “I haven’t eaten since Earth.”

  “Does he have any artifacts on him?” Gretta asked. “Back on Earth, he had a whole list.”

  “If he does, they’re dead weight here,” Meg said.

  “Weren’t you working for the Summer Queen?” Rowan asked. “Why are you running from Thadius?”

  Dorian kept his eyes on Meg. She gave the slightest nudge with her sword tip.

  “Thadius is gathering power,” Dorian said. “He’s absorbing artifacts.”

  “He’s eating them?” Rowan asked.

  “No, you—” He caught himself, biting back the insult. “When he touches them, he drains the magic out. Makes him stronger.”

  “Stronger how?” Meg asked.

  “I’ve only been back a few days, but already you can feel it—his influence spreading through the Summer lands. If he gets enough power, he could push into Winter.”

  “The Winter Queen would destroy him for that,” Meg said.

  Dorian gave a humorless smile. “She can’t cross into Summer. You know that—as someone who's been hiding just outside her reach. But Thadius can destroy her from within his own seat of power.”

  “That’s impossible,” Meg said. “He’d have to extend past the heart of Fairy itself.”

  “Like where we are now?” Dorian said quietly.

  Meg’s eyes narrowed. “What proof do you have?”

  “Give me some food,” Dorian said. “I’ll show you. His power is already reaching this deep.”

  “We could probably find it without you,” Meg replied.

  Gretta sighed. “There’s no harm feeding him scraps. If he’s lying, we kill him later. Not the same as starving him now.”

  “Thank you,” Dorian said.

  Meg leveled her sword one last time. “If you’re lying, you’ll wish you starved.”