She stands, slowly, reaching for my dagger, which lay on the desk next to her.

"I'm not like them," I whisper. But what does that mean? What does that mean to either of us? It's not like I know Thomas. It's not like I know my mother either.

"I'm meant to believe that?" She asks, lifting the dagger. "Do you have any idea what she did to me!? To my family!?"

My lips tremble. "I shouldn't know," I whisper. "I was so young when she took us." I jab my tongue into my cheek and look down. I can't tell my friends about the memories. I haven't even been able to admit it to myself.

But this woman, who saved my life, is one of the people who suffered my mother's actions. She needs to understand what she's done by letting me live.

What monster she's given life to.

A tear trickles down her cheek. "He was seven." Her voice cracks. "He was seven when she took him." She steps towards me, holding my dagger all wrong.

It would be easy to disarm her.

I don't.

"He was a twin, you know? We had a little sister. She was barely a week old when she disappeared from her crib. My moms stopped looking after a couple years. I did too. But my brother, the oldest one, he wouldn't give up. He was a child. And when our youngest brother was taken... By your mother-." She grabs my shirt in her fist and presses my dagger under my chin. "He was supposed to be watching him. He looked away for two seconds. Then he was gone. Our mothers tried not to look at him differently, but they did. Only took him a month to run away. To find what your mother stole from us. He was barely a teenager."

I keep my gaze steady on hers. "I'm sorry."

She slams me into the back of her couch, pressing the dagger deeper. "You're sorry!? How old were you!? Five? Six?"

I nod, nicking my throat on the blade. "Six."

Her eyelids flutter. Her chest heaves. She sniffles and pulls the dagger away. "What's Thomas really here for? The people she took? Or to kill you?"

"I don't know. I assume both. He wants them to fight in his war. But he doesn't want me there. I don't know why."

She scoffs, "you don't know why?"

I shake my head. "My memories... are spotty. They were blocked until the power went out. They've been returning. Slowly. But not all of them."

"You don't know who you are?" She asks. "To Thomas? To Ebony? To Zorcath?"

"I don't know anything," I whisper. "I barely know how my mother is wrapped up in all of this. I don't know why Cat looks like me, or why Charlie vowed to protect me when I caused all of this, I don't know why the hell my mom kidnapped dozens of kids and brought them here. I don't have answers."

She steps away from me.

"You should kill me."

Her gaze snaps to mine. "What?"

"Thomas is offering a reward for my death."

"I don't want his damn money. It's worthless here! It's worthless to me!"

"Then you should kill me because this is my fault! Whatever reason my mother kidnapped people, that's on me. I know it was because of me. Thomas is here, terrorizing people, killing people, because of me. Everyone I love dies. Margot, Oliver, Will, Rae, D-." My voice breaks and I look away. I can't admit it. I can't believe I've lost so many people. I know Death told me Will and Rae are alive, but I won't believe it until I see them. Until I feel them in my arms again.

"I don't know those people," Andelain whispers.

"I do." I stand, forcing her back. "They're dead because of me. Maybe I am my mother. Maybe I'm exactly like her. I cause pain and suffering wherever I go. I cause death wherever I go. The people in this forest won't stop hunting my friends if I'm with them. But they won't let me go alone. Tell them you couldn't save me."

"I thought you had somewhere to be," she whispers.

I look down. "If they believe I'm dead... they'll let him go. If he's alive."

"You're doing this for some boy?" She hisses.

I lift my lip in a snarl. "He's not just some-." I bite my tongue and shake my head. "He's my friend. They're all my friends. And I know that things are going to get worse if I walk out of here."

"No."

"What? But my mother-."

"Is a psychopath," she snaps. "But she took you too." She shoves my dagger against my chest. "I'm not helping you give up. I'm not your damn suicide ticket, Raven. Your mother and Thomas made this mess. Not you. But you're in this too. That makes it your mess to help clean up. I don't trust that Thomas is searching for your mother's victims out of the kindness in his heart. He's a king now. All he wants is power. You care about these people, right?"

I give a nod.

"Then, don't let him hurt them."

"They're already hurt," I whisper.

She grabs my shoulders, sending a jolt through my bullet wound. "Hurt has to end at some point."

"Does it?" I ask.

She glances out the window behind her, towards her house. "I have to believe it does." She steps back from me. "I know you've been through a lot, Raven. I know you've suffered like the others she took. But you can't stop fighting. I know the prophecies. Raven Black will kill Thomas Black. But that won't happen if you die here."

"Why does it have to be me?"

She studies my face and shrugs. "I dunno. But it's gotta be someone. So, take your damn dagger and shove it up his ass."

"I don't think that'll be as effective as you think."

She gives a wild grin. It immediately falls and she lurches forward.

I catch her by the shoulders, my IV tugging. "What's wrong?"

Her head snaps towards the door. "Someone's breached my veil... They're bleeding."

"What!?" I rip the IV bag off its pole and dash from the shed with my dagger in hand.

The first thing I notice is how beautiful the mage's territory is. We're in a meadow, lit by the sun shining overhead. The grass grows freely, with plenty of flowers and dandelions. Kids toys are scattered through the lawn in front of a nice house with a wrap-around-porch.

Then, I notice Nick, stumbling up a hill towards us, clutching his stomach.

Blood seeps out around his fingers. He's unnaturally pale.

"Raven," he coughs when he sees me. He reaches a hand out, but trips and collapses into the grass.

I drop to his side, putting my hands over his wound. "What happened?"

He points to where he came from. "The- Daniel." His eyes flutter closed.

Andelain sprints up, her cardigan flapping behind her in the wind. "Is he dead!?"

"He will be if you don't help him!"

She pales. "I've-I've put a lot of energy into saving you. I don't know if I can-."

"Can you take from me?" I offer my hand.

She stares at it like a moldy slice of cheese. "It's not really a power mages have."

"Try," I order. "I'm not losing anyone else."

She grimaces, but takes my blood-soaked hand. She places her other hand over Nick's wound. She closes her eyes, her mouth moving in that strange language without sound, her hand beginning to glow.

I close my eyes too. I don't know what I'm doing, or if this is even a thing you can do. I imagine flooding her with everything I've got.

I hear her groan into her teeth and bite back a curse.

I open my eyes and find Nick's wound healing at a rapid rate. It mends itself like someone hit rewind on it.

His eyes flare open and he gasps. His skin returns to its normal brown color. He searches around him, like he doesn't know where he is, but he settles when he sees me. "What-what happened? I thought I was-."

"You're okay. Can you stand?"

"If I'm okay, why are you asking if I can stand?"

"Because you're on the ground."

Andelain struggles to her feet. "Uh, we've got company."

The golem is being backed up the hill by Charlie and James.

My heart stutters. Where are the others? I turn to Andelain and hold my arm out. "You have to remove the IV. I need to fight."

She glances at the half-full bag of liquid. "I don't know what could happen to you if-."

"Remove it!"

She bites her lip, but pulls the needle from my arm.

Nick grimaces and looks away.

"Really? You shoot arrows into people but you're scared of needles?"

"Oh, forgive me for being scared of something, unlike you."

"Do you always bant before a fight?" Andelain asks, watching Charlie and James as they force the golem towards us.

"Where's everyone else?"

Nick scrubs his face. "He came out of the water. We didn't see him coming. He knocked Izzy and Alex out while they were away from camp. I was on watch, so I tried to stop him, and he stabbed me. That's when I came in here to get you."

"What about Ava and Cat?"

"They were okay, last I saw. Cat was trying to draw a map back to the cave we found-." He nods at the golem. "Him."

"You brought that thing here?" Andelain growls. "I can feel the power spilling off him."

"He can't use it," I assure.

He punches Charlie in the chest. Charlie arcs through the air and lands thirty feet away, skidding across the dirt.

Andelain and Nick turn to me.

"I must've misunderstood what Charlie was saying earlier. I was dying."

"Nice excuse," Nick says.

"C'mon," I growl. I tighten my grip on my dagger and take off towards the golem and James.

The golem pulls his fist back while James is off balance.

"Hey! Ugly!" I shout. I throw myself in front of James.

The golem's fist stops inches from my chest and trembles with unreleased energy. His eyes snap to mine. "This isn't your fight, Raven."

I slash my dagger at not-Daniel's throat. "You made it my fight when you hurt my friends."

He backs up. "I am fighting my orders! For you! I am trying not to hurt you, Raven! Don't make it harder on me."

"You're fighting?" I snarl. "You're hurting the people I care about! Which means you are hurting me!"

He grabs my wrist so I can't swing my dagger at him. He pulls me flush against him, breathing against my face.

He smells like fish and sand.

"Your friend tried to let the waves dissolve me. He stabbed me through the back. He hurt me too, Raven. Don't you care?"

My jaw trembles as I try to answer. The answer should be no. You're a monster. You hurt the people I love.

But you have his face. And that hurts.

I slam my head into his nose.

He cries out and stumbles back, releasing my arm. "I pulled myself from the depths of that lake!" He roars. He draws my dagger from his waistband. "I found this! For you! I put myself back together and crawled back here! For you!"

"You came back to turn me over to the person that created you," I snarl.

He swings my dagger at me.

I jump back.

He advances towards me. "I came because I can't watch you get hurt anymore. Nothing matters except you."

Everything stops for a second as I stare at him. "Who's saying that? You? Or Daniel?"

"I am D-."

"You're not!" I shout.

His breath lurches out of him like I've hit him. "I could be," he whispers. "I've got his memories. I've got the things that make him tick. I've got the words you said to him in here. I've got the crappy childhood and the friendship with Cat. I've got it all." He spreads his arms. "But if that's not good enough for you. I don't want to turn you over, Raven. I don't want you to get hurt."

I lunge, and he doesn't try to stop me as I plunge my dagger towards his chest. But I freeze. The blade grazes his chest. My breath rattles around in me like a bird in a cage. "Where is he?" I whisper. "Is he alive?"

"You don't want me," he whispers.

I stare into his eyes. They're almost perfect. But they lack the spark Danny's had. Something shimmering and... hopeful. Something I haven't seen since...

He's a carbon copy. But he's different.

"I-," I start. But I can't offer him anything. I can't offer Danny anything, either. I've got nothing. A psychotic mother. A bounty on my head. Scars. What could I give that would be good enough? "You're not him," I whisper.

A tear drips down his face. He roars and slams his arm into my chest.

I drop the dagger and go flying. I hit a tree and fall face first in the dirt with a groan.

"Raven!" Nick slides next to me. He looks up as the golem starts towards James again. "I-I don't have my bow," he stammers. He searches the grass for my dagger, but Andelain picks it up before he can go for it.

"Hey, douchebag! This is my property! Raven Black is under my protection and I guess that means their friends too!"

She plunges the dagger towards his back.

"Yes!" Nick says.

The golem whips around, grabbing her wrist and holding the dagger away from him.

Andelain freezes, the dagger hovering inches from his eye. "Daniel?" She whispers.

He plunges my dagger into her stomach, twice, in quick succession.

"ANDY!"

The door to her house slams open, cracking against the wall behind it. A man in boxers and a bathrobe comes sprinting out of it. "Andelain!"

James cracks a large tree limb across the back of the golem's head as Halsey gathers Andelain in his arms and sprints inside.

The golem turns, lifting my dagger.

"No," I moan, struggling to my feet.

"Raven, you're hurt," Nick rasps.

"Go! Get your bow!"

"What about you!?"

"I said go!"

Nick steps back, then nods, and takes off towards the veil.

I grab my blue-gemmed dagger, which Andelain dropped when the golem... I kick him in the back of the knee and he dips to the ground like he's proposing to James.

I get him in a headlock.

He slams my other dagger into my leg.

I scream and stumble backwards.

"Raven!" James slams into the golem, knocking him away from me. He catches me before I can fall. "Are you okay?"

"Look out!" I drag us both to the ground as the golem slices the air where James's throat had been.

"James!"

Goosebumps break out along my body and I gasp, "no."

James's head snaps up towards Ava. "Ava? Get out of here!"

The golem smiles, coldly, at James. "You care about the girl? That's too bad."

He starts for Ava.

"Go!" I slap James's chest. "Go!"

"What about-?"

"Get Ava!"

He leaves me on the ground, racing towards Ava. "Run! Ava! Get out of here!"

But the golem is going to make it before him.

Ava is grabbing her head, squeezing her ears. "Stop! Don't show me that! James!" She squeezes her eyes shut.

My heart stops and I grip my leg.

No.

Not Ava. I can't lose any of them, but especially not her. If she dies-.

The ground starts to tremble under me and the golem stumbles.

James sprints past him, grabbing Ava and pushing her towards the veil. "Run! Now! Hurry!"

She sobs and shakes her head. "I can't stop it! It all leads to the same-!"

"Ava! Go!"

The golem raises my dagger towards Ava.

James's eyes flash and he seems to understand everything that's about to happen.

He throws himself at Ava, coiling around her.

The dagger pierces his back and he arches back into the blade with a bellow.

Ava screams and the golem stumbles back from them.

His body starts to shake like the earthquake is traveling up his body.

James collapses, unable to move.

Ava grabs her head and screams again.

A fracture travels up the golem's body, cracking the skin between his shoulder blades and traveling around his neck.

A sinkhole opens in his chest and he grapples at it with his hands until they dissolve.

Ava falls to her knees and the crack splits all they way through, separating head from body.

They fall in opposite directions, the head rolling in my direction. The body shatters on impact with the ground, breaking into a pile of sand.

I yank the dagger from my leg and force myself to my feet. "James!" I stagger towards them, but collapse before I can get close. I start to army crawl, dragging my dead leg through the grass and dandelions, smearing blood over them.

I grab his arm once I make it to his side.

He's crying, but he doesn't move. "I can't-I can't feel my body, Raven."

I let out a sharp breath. "It's okay. It's okay. You're okay."

He whimpers, "I can't feel anything."

"James," Ava begs, reaching for his face.

He gasps when her fingers make contact. His breath shudders out of him. "Ava."

She sobs, bending over him. "Please. Please. I thought I could stop him. I thought I could save you this time. Did I save you?"

James locks eyes with me. His lips quiver. "Yeah, Ava. You saved me. You saved all of us."

I cover my mouth, trembling as I hold in sobs. I put my other hand on Ava's shoulder as she strokes James's long hair.

"James?" Nick holds his bow at his side.

I put my hands out.

"Hey, everything's okay, Nicky," James breathes. "I'm okay."

"Okay?" Nick's voice breaks. He steps forward, but his legs give out. He collapses to his knees. "You're-."

"I'm okay," James insists.

Ava's tears float off her face, dancing through the air.

Ava's fingers reach the dagger.

She freezes and James shuts his eyes.

"I'm okay," he whispers.

"Get Charlie," Ava orders, in a voice I've never heard before.

Quiet. Demanding. Calm.

"Ava," I whisper.

She tilts her face towards me. "Get. Charlie. Now."

I stagger to my feet, blood still gushing from my leg. I stumble to where he'd fallen when the golem hit him. I fall beside him and he stirs.

He moans. "What-what happened?"

"You need to call your friend," I whisper, "the rebel."

His eyes focus on my grim face and he pushes himself up. He sees Nick first, bent over his knees and sobbing.

Then he sees the dagger in James's back.

His chest stops moving. "No." His wings pull in. He rises to his feet and stumbles towards them.

Ava lifts her head when he falls to his knees at their side. She hits his chest. "Save him! Save him!"

Charlie's mouth opens and closes. "I-I don't know what to do."

"No!" Ava screams. "Save him!"

"Maybe we can do something for him here," I say.

"No! I've seen the paths. We have to send him to Zorcath. Please," her voice cracks. "Please, it's the only way he'll live. It's the only way he'll ever walk again."

Charlie reaches for her, but she smacks his hand away.

"Save him."

Charlie glances at me.

I nod.

"Raven," Nick protests, through his tears. "Do you trust them?"

I glance between the four of them. "I trust Charlie."

"What about the rebels?"

"I trust Charlie. And that's enough. It has to be enough if we want to save James."

Nick's eyes flicker down to James's unnaturally pale face. He closes his eyes and nods. "Okay."

James meets my eye. "If there's a way back... I'll find it."

"You can't die," I whisper.

"I won't die," he promises.

I want to believe him.

I should stop the rebels when they come.

They load James onto a gurney between them.

His hand slips from Ava's and the ground starts to tremble again.

I let it.

I should stop the rebels. I should tell them they can't take anyone else from me. I should try to save him.

I grab one of the rebel's arms.

She stops and turns to me. She's got slim, kestrel wings that fold behind her. Her skin is black with white splotches, as if someone splattered paint on her.

"Are any of you healers? Can't you help him here?"

She offers a smile. "I'm sorry. We're warriors, not healers. There's nothing we can do."

"You don't understand," I whisper. "He's one of my best friends. I love him. I can't lose him. I can't lose anyone else."

She grabs my shoulder and squeezes, luckily the one that isn't injured. "You won't lose him. We're going to protect him."

"Shay," Charlie mutters. "You should hurry. Get him to the portal as soon as possible."

She glances at me. "We're running out of rebels to cart your friends away, Charleston. Sooner or later, we're not going to have anyone left to protect you and Raven."

Charlie waves her off. "Get James out of here."

She sighs and nods to the other rebels. "You heard the man. Let's head out." She spreads her wings and takes a running start.

I collapse as they disappear beyond the veil.

The ground shifts under me and a crack opens under my foot.

It starts to close, nearly crushing my foot.

Ava tenses when I yelp. "Did I-did I hurt you?"

I grab her hand. "No. No, baby. I'm okay."

I reach for Nick, but he pulls away.

"I'm okay," he whispers.

Charlie settles a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay if you're not."

Nick takes a shaky breath. "No, I'm-I'm fine." His voice cracks.

Charlie drops next to him and pulls him into his arms. "We're here," he whispers, wrapping his wings around him.

Nick sobs and buries his face in Charlie's chest.

Charlie squeezes his eyes shut, holding Nick to him, gently. "They're going to help him," he promises. "We'll see him again."

Nick sobs harder, balling Charlie's shirt into his fist.

Charlie quiets, running his hand over Nick's curly hair.

We make eye contact, me holding Ava, him holding Nick. We silently agree to ignore the tears streaming down our faces.

We'll see him again.