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I shut my eyes as the rocks did their work, slamming into the creature with one loud, chorused thunk. The road fell still and silent.

Todd sank to the ground, cradling Aeldyn’s limp body.

Doctor Harlowe glanced back at Roinan as the door slid open. “You. Don’t move from that cot until I get back. You need to rest.” He slipped out into the hall before giving any of us a chance to respond.

Faolan stood, planted in the path, as the creature galloped toward him.

Striker peeled out onto the main road and gunned it. We were speeding down the highway toward that empty field with the LeyGate as fast as my poor truck could go.

The door to the room slid open suddenly, causing me to jump. The stern, honey-haired woman from earlier stood in the doorway, hands crossed in front of her waist. She looked at Pops and me. “I still need to speak with you both about how you got here, but unfortunately, something has come up. Our conversation will need to wait a bit.” She didn’t wait for our response before turning to Doctor Harlowe. “I need to bring in another patient. Dr. Garic is tied up with some wounded

We left Veylden just before daybreak, sneaking up the stone ramp in the still-quiet city to the entrance Faolan had first used to bring Fiska, Mother, and me to his refuge. Faolan pressed his hand to the stone wall at the end of the corridor, and as the hidden door hinged open under the force of his magic, the first rays of dawn spread across the hills outside.

Because he could open Nooks, too. I processed Aeldyn’s words for a moment, then glanced at Striker. His alarm mirrored mine.

Doctor Harlowe lowered his hands and looked at Pops. “Yes, I can do magic.”

Faolan tensed. “Teionyr? The FireFae kingdom? To get there, we’d have to cross the mountains beyond Veilwood Forest and Eldervine Valley. That’s a two-week journey, at least.”

I stepped toward Aeldyn, who was still holding that eerie carousel of magical images up in the air. “What do you mean, you’re not supposed to exist?” I asked her. “Does this have to do with the person who killed your parents?”

Pops kept applying pressure to the wound on Rake’s head, while I knelt over Rake’s torso, applying pressure to a wound on his stomach I hoped wasn’t very deep and praying for help to arrive quickly.

Mother squeezed my hand, then settled back onto her pillow. “You must leave me.”

Todd squealed and leapt sideways off the bed as the Fadehound vanished in mid-air above him.

I blinked as what had just been the motel parking lot became a bare stone wall right in front of me. A crisp, saltwater scent flooded my mouth and nose.

I stared at Vannie. “How is Faolan the prince and a wolf? I mean… does the wolf represent something?”

I carefully descended the slope with the girl held tightly to my chest.

Happy New Year, everyone! This rollover to a new year has been a little unusual for my family, because we are also in the middle of packing up for a big move. Lord willing, we move to Tallahassee this weekend to start a new season of our lives (and a new adventure). Amid all the moving chaos, I'm not quite feeling the usual, peaceful "fresh slate" of the new year -- but I am still so very grateful for everything that 2023 brought, and looking forward to what's to come in 2024

I leaned forward. “If you think what these teens are doing is so dangerous, why don’t you report them? Don’t the LeyGuard have rules?”

Silence struck the room as Fiska, Mother, Vannie, and Kian all stared at me. My outburst left a residue that felt almost tangible, a shocked tremor hanging in the air.