Valerie's panic was total. Her magic was locked and buried inside of her, untouchable because of the depth of her fear. She couldn't fight this. Thai, Cyrus, Henry, Kanti—she would never see them again, never have the chance to say goodbye.

No.

The word was like a pinprick of light in the darkness. She wasn't going down without a fight. Whatever—or whoever—was doing this wouldn't stop with her. Everyone she loved would be next.

The dam holding back her magic burst, and it flooded her to her fingertips. It had been right there all along, held back by a wall of her own making. She reached out for Henry's mind. She shouted with all her power and was surprised by how close he was, as if he was standing next to her.

His power flowed into her. She breathed it in, and with every exhale, the darkness receded a little more. A dim light entered her vision, and she heard shouting, though it sounded like it was at a very great distance. She knew she was returning to life.

But before the void vanished altogether, she heard a voice that echoed inside her mind, as if someone was whispering in her ear.

"Get rid of your friends and come to the edge of the forest. Keep me waiting, and they'll all die."

Reaper, she knew with certainty.

Her vision and hearing came back the rest of the way in a rush, and everything was chaos. She couldn't make sense of the colors and sounds at first. Then she recognized that Henry was sitting next to her, gripping her shoulders so tightly they ached.

"Come back! I'm here!" he shouted at her.

"Is she breathing?" Midnight asked, her usually soothing voice high with fear.

"Yes, but what's happening to her?" Henry asked as he leaned down to examine his sister with terrified eyes.

"I'm okay," Valerie croaked. "I'm back."

"Let's give her some room," Midnight commanded. Henry sat back, and Valerie struggled to sit up.

"What happened to me?" she asked.

"Henry and I found you like this an hour ago. At first, it seemed like you were in a deep sleep, and nothing could wake you," Midnight explained.

"And you screamed and screamed..." Henry broke off, his voice cracking.

"I'm sorry," Valerie said, as Henry's palpable terror blasted through their mental connection.

"I couldn't see anything in your mind but darkness, but I knew you were reaching for me, needing me. I thought I was going to lose you," Henry said softly.

"Tell us who did this to you," Midnight said, her voice calm but with an undercurrent of rage. "They will be punished."

Valerie wasn't even remotely tempted to tell them the truth. She knew that Reaper's threat was one he was prepared to execute. Normally, lying was something that lay heavy on her conscience, but guilt didn't even enter the equation as she crafted her story.

"I'm so sorry for scaring you. It was only another of my nightmares."

"The ones that are linked to your abilities as a vivicus?" Henry asked. "I thought those were gone. You helped Azra months ago."

"I didn't want to worry you," she said. At least that was the truth. "I need to clear my head—alone."

Henry nodded, and he gently tried to see inside her mind, but she kept it firmly locked against him. He seemed to respect her desire to keep him out, and the soft hum of magic from him stopped.

Out of sight of the house, Valerie broke into a flat-out run. She headed straight for the edge of the forest where she had met Zunya, unsure of how much time Reaper would consider "keeping him waiting" before someone died. Inside the tree line, she searched frantically for Reaper. The forest was still.

"Hello? I'm here!" she called out, trying to keep the desperation from her voice. Was this the wrong spot after all? Why hadn't Reaper been more specific?

Something flickered at the edge of her vision and she spun to the left. She saw a tall man in a dark, heavy robe and a hood that entirely hid his face standing several yards from her. He held a weapon of some kind in one hand—a sickle. Her stomach turned. He was dressed like the grim reaper. She walked toward him, swallowing her fear. She had made it in time to save her friends, if not herself.

"Do you know who I am?" Reaper spread his arms, gesturing to his macabre costume.

"Death," Valerie said, proud that her voice wasn't shaking as hard as her knees were.

"More than death—justice. An impartial razing of the old to make way for the new. Do you understand?"

It was twisted logic, and her heart and mind rejected it. But she said nothing. He was a madman, and trading verbal jabs with him wouldn't save Jet's life.

"I'm here, as promised. Now where's Jet?"

Reaper didn't reply, but she didn't really expect him to. What were promises to such a man? She drew Pathos slowly from its sheath. At the sight of her sword, Reaper narrowed his eyes.

"How did you come by your weapon?" he asked.

"It's yours for Jet's life," she quickly offered.

He shook his head. "There will be no more trading today. You came as I asked. A bony, pale hand emerged from the folds of the robe. He extended one long finger and drew a circle in the air. Inside she glimpsed Jet in his cell.

"Come," Reaper commanded.

Jet wearily raised his head and trotted through the opening.

"Jet!" Valerie couldn't help shouting. "Run, you're free! Get help!"

But Jet didn't look at her. Instead he lay down at Reaper's feet, like a dog obeying its master. He was alive, but he wasn't whole anymore. He had been broken, maybe past repair.

"You want him? Come and get him," Reaper said, and he made a vicious sound in the back of his throat. He raised his hand, and she heard a hum of magic just like she had when she'd been unconscious and he'd contacted her.

Before she knew what was happening, Jet began to whine, and his whine turned into the most terrible scream she had ever heard. Before her eyes, a spot in the middle of Jet's torso began to dissolve.

"Stop," Valerie shrieked. She ran to Reaper, ready to kill him even if it meant sacrificing her magic—or her life. The world was better off without this monster.

Reaper dropped his hand, but it was too late. A hole the size of her hand was in Jet's chest, and he bled profusely.

"If you are all they say, then he isn't lost yet." Reaper's tone was curious.

She suddenly knew why he'd brought her here. He wanted to see her power in action. The thought gave her hope. Jet couldn't be past saving if Reaper wanted a display of her magic.

Her fear vanished; she knew exactly what to do. An immense amount of power rose in her, ready to rush forth into Jet. She barely registered that Reaper was beside her, gripping her shoulder.

"Incredible," she thought she heard him murmur, but her mind was far away.

With all of her force, she unleashed her magic into Jet. It hit a brick wall. Mentally she hurled herself against it, increasing the flow of her magic impossibly higher, making the blood pound in her ears.

"Yes," Reaper breathed.

With his last breath, Jet turned his head and his eyes connected with hers. An image of the last, dying flames of a fire being blown out by the wind swept through her mind. With it came the understanding that Jet was both the flickering fire and the wind—it was his choice to die now, with honor. To ignore his wish would leave him a slave to Reaper, and it could possibly kill her in the process. Her death would be a dishonor that he could never live with.

She let out a choking sob and stopped attacking Jet's defenses. An image of a full moon and a long howl filled her mind—sweet freedom. Then she saw a bright image of Chrome that faded slowly, slowly, until it was gone, along with Jet's life.

"You failed." Reaper's voice sounded strange, triumphant but underscored with disappointment. "But it was an impressive display. You'll never be able to channel the power you possess—you're too weak. But with the right mentor, perhaps..."

Valerie's magic still sizzled inside her, begging to be unleashed. Her grief morphed into fury, and she lashed out with a punch that was so fast that it should have left Reaper unconscious. But the world seemed to turn on its axis—up was down, left was right. She was disoriented.

"I can see that before we can accomplish anything together, you will need to be broken. Only then can you be remade into something I can use," Reaper said, unfazed by her attack.

Valerie regained her bearings and turned on her heel, preparing to execute a jump kick. But gravity seemed to suddenly increase, pinning her to the ground. Crushed by its invisible hand, she fell to her knees.

"Exactly where you belong," Reaper said. The pain she had experienced when he came to her in her dream returned, a stinging burn that felt as if she was dissolving, like Jet, molecule by molecule.

She refused to let him see how much it hurt, gritting her teeth and struggling against the force that pinned her down. It had to be in her head—something psychic like Sanguina's or Ani's powers.

In the corner of her eye, she registered that someone was running toward them, someone with streaming white hair. Oberon hurled himself against Reaper. Valerie thought the groundskeeper had lost his mind, but then she realized that the window in the air Reaper had created to Jet's cell was still open. The force of the impact sent both Reaper and Oberon toppling through the opening. How had he even seen it, blind as he was?

"Run!" Oberon yelled at her. Then the window vanished, and she was alone.

Valerie raced through the woods as Oberon had commanded. She burst from the trees and tripped on a rock, landing face-first onto the ground. The pain was minor, but she couldn't stand. Instead she curled into a ball and let out a sob. She began to shake, realizing the enormity of what had happened. Jet was dead, and she couldn't imagine Oberon surviving his encounter with Reaper.

The echoes of Jet's scream wouldn't leave her mind, and she began second-guessing herself. Why had she let him die? Chrome would never forgive her. She'd never thanked him, never said she was sorry for being too late to save him.

Valerie was unraveling, tempted to give in to the grief and pain. Pain was what she deserved, and in a way, it would be a relief to suffer for her mistakes. But she couldn't fall apart yet. There was still a chance that she could save Darling—and maybe even Oberon—if she acted quickly.

She remembered the box that Gideon had shown her in her mind to hold her pain, the same way Dasan had boxed away her worry for a night. She imagined pouring all of her grief and guilt into that box and locking it tight. Once this was all over, she would let herself open it.

With a new resolve, she forced herself to stand and continue away from the forest. She had to find directions to Dunsinane. As she focused, she saw Sanguina hobbling toward her as fast as she could with her prosthetic leg, panting from the effort.

"Oberon made it in time," Sanguina said, shutting her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"You sent him?" Valerie asked in disbelief.

Sanguina lowered her eyes as if she were ashamed. "I know what you're thinking—I should have confronted Reaper myself. But without my vampyre powers, without my leg, I knew I'd be no match and we'd both die. Oberon is the only friend I have left that I could ask this kind of favor."

Valerie shook her head. "It's not that. I never believed you would do anything to really help me."

"I would do much more," Sanguina replied.

"Oberon's as good as dead, isn't he?" Valerie asked, her voice wobbling.

Sanguina shook her head. "No. They were allies in the past, and Oberon's magic is a force to be reckoned with. Reaper will try to regain his loyalty first. If that fails, he will break him. But Oberon is strong. We can save him."

"We?"

"Yes. You'll never find the Black Castle without me. I will be your guide."

Valerie took a shuddering breath as she examined her old enemy. All she saw was sincerity in Sanguina's eyes.

"Thank you," Valerie said. "Let's go. Point the way."

"We'll need help. Reaper has assembled an army. Most of them are scattered around the Globe on missions, but a core defense remains to protect the Black Castle. Even with all your power, we won't even make it through the front door without a team to support us."

It went against everything in her not to immediately set out to rescue Oberon and Darling, but she couldn't deny the logic of Sanguina's words. Was there any chance that this was a delay tactic? She had to decide right now whether she could trust Sanguina.

"We'll gather the Knights," she said.