The creature attached to my legs drags me so far away from Maddox that I can barely hear him calling out to me now. My face, my hands, and all of my other exposed skin are bleeding. My body is being towed across what feels like protruding spikes and stone, but all I can do is hope that the spikes don't grow too tall. My legs are losing circulation. Strength alone is not enough to break out of this monster's grasp. But maybe I can with my magic. I struggle against the unrelenting limbs connected to me until I'm finally able to roll off of my stomach. But the back of my shirt rolls up, exposing my skin. More wounds open up. I grit my teeth.

A threatening rumble reverberates in the darkness, making me tense in fear. I can't see anything in this dark void, but I know that whatever it is that I've turned to face is looking at me. Even if I do get free, the likelihood of me outrunning this thing is a joke, but still, I can't just allow it to carry me to my probable death. If I can stun the unknown creature and free myself, then maybe I can have enough of a head start to get away. 

I shove my hand in the direction of the unknown entity and shout, "Spróxte!" This is the incantation I used against Maddox's would-be murderer, Dolion, to knock him off of his feet. But the spell doesn't prove to be very useful against this beast. All I've done is antagonize it. 

Another guttural rattle resounds in response. The cold, wet limbs wrapped around my legs tighten even more. I feel something in my leg pop, making me wince. I wouldn't be surprised if my legs were to detach from the rest of me right now. The constriction worsens with each passing second, but I try not to panic. A sharp cry finally escapes through my clenched teeth when a jagged spike protruding from the ground penetrates the skin of my lower back. I can feel blood pouring from the wound as I'm yanked off of the spike with ease.

"Callie!" Maddox's voice sounds like it's a bit closer, but I can tell that he's still not close enough to help me. Not that there's anything he really could do. At least not—

My eyes widen, and my hopelessness diminishes. I take it back. Maddox has already helped me. He might've shown me just the thing I need to save my own life. The spell he used against the harpies to subdue them— what was it? Vramós? No, that doesn't sound right. Vratmós? That's not it. I close my eyes in frustration. Trying to focus on replaying the memory in my head while tolerating so much pain is a battle. 

Just don't think about the pain.

I grimace again when another prong on the ground pierces into me. Something that feels like teeth bite into my calf, and my blood runs cold.

Don't think about it!

I continue to silently chastise myself until all I'm thinking about is Maddox's incantation that inflicts torment. Juniper was being carried away by the bird-like creature, but Maddox brought them down with a spell. What was it?

Callie! Help me, please! Help! 

Those were my sister's words when she was taken. I chased after her and called out her name. I thought for sure Juniper would be taken and killed, but then Maddox interfered when he said—

Vrasmós!

With nothing else to lose, I hold out my hand in the direction of the mysterious entity that is still bound to my legs and repeat the unfamiliar incantation just as I heard it yesterday. "Vrasmós," I choke out. My voice cracks.

The frigid feeling that usually spreads itself throughout my body when I use magic travels to the palm of my hand, but dwindles almost immediately. It feels like every vein and nerve in my hand has frozen over, but then it all melts into a fiery liquid in just a matter of seconds. The searing sensation makes me suck my teeth. Why didn't it work? Why is this spell causing me pain? Am I doing something wrong?

The monster entangles another extremity around me, but this time it ensnares itself around one of my arms. My body abruptly leaves the ground for a moment, making my stomach flip, but I'm slammed back down just as quickly. A sharp point stabs into my leg, opening yet another gash. The creature gurgles and roars. Another scream rips through my throat. I don't know how much more of this I can take.

I shove my free hand back in the monster's direction, ready to attempt the spell again. With everything I have in me, I wish for nothing less than agony to befall the malicious creature as I shout, "Vrasmós!" into the intense darkness.

I don't know if it's desperation or luck, but my magic doesn't fail me this time. The dark being screeches deeply, instantly releasing me. Even though I'm now free, I'm incapable of picking myself up. I can hardly feel my legs and the blood loss is catching up to me. My heart pounds loudly in my ears, but I can still hear the creature thrashing and wailing. The temperature clustering around my palm and fingertips is scalding. It feels like my very nerves are being singed with fire. The pain in my hand makes me want to cry, but I don't. I know that what I'm enduring isn't anything compared to the torture I'm inflicting upon this creature. I almost feel guilty for it, but I don't dare drop my hand.

"Callie, where are you?" Maddox's voice rings out. I can hear his footsteps echoing around me, but I can't tell which direction he's coming from.

He calls out to me again after the beast lets out another strained roar of pain. I want to respond to him, but I'm worried that I may lose focus if I do. I use the arm that isn't being used as a weapon against my attacker to prop myself up. After a moment, I'm able to fully sit up, but I still can't stand. My legs are too numb... and potentially broken. 

The creature's shrieking grows quieter and quieter with each passing minute. I hear something bubbling, and before I know it, the dark void surrounding me is almost eerily silent again. Maddox's heavy footfalls and a trickling sound are the only things I can hear now. The smell of rust and smoke hangs heavily in the air. My nose scrunches up in disgust. Is that blood?

"I'm over here!" I respond when Maddox calls my name again.

Reluctantly, I lower my outstretched hand. A hot substance pools at my feet. It feels like I'm sitting right in front of an open flame. The unknown liquid seeps into the fabric of my pants, making me yelp. It burns! Still unable to rise to my feet, I have to use my arms to scramble away from the fiery fluid. I freeze in place when the darkness looming around me begins to disperse. It's still quite dark, but I can at least tell that I'm in a room. A room that is dimly illuminated with lamplight and candles. 

In front of me is a seemingly endless pile of blood. The crimson substance oozes and simmers between the cracks and spikes on the floor. My eyes zero in on the sharp objects jutting upwards. They look like bones. That's what stabbed into my flesh. My eyes drift down to my body to assess the damage. Almost every inch of my skin is cut and bruised. My clothes are tattered. I'm still losing a lot of blood from my deeper wounds. My hand is inflamed with burn marks, and I'm sure the parts of me that made contact with the scorched blood on the ground are too.

I try to put pressure on my deepest wound, but it's useless. I'm too lightheaded to tend to my injuries. My head reels, making my vision blur. I'm unable to keep myself upright anymore, but instead of meeting the cold, hard ground as I expected, my back falls into Maddox's sturdy chest. His heart is pounding just as hard as mine.

"You'll be alright, Love. I've got you," he says shakily. I think he says something else after that, but I black out for a few seconds and miss whatever it is.

His strong arms wrap around me. I flinch at the touch. My wounds throb in protest, making me inhale deeply. I try to move away, but his embrace tightens in response, keeping me still. Warmth radiates from him. His hands. His arms. His chest. Every part of him that is in direct contact with me makes me tingle. The stinging pain in my body slowly dissipates. He's healing every lesion that mars my body.

The deepest gash on my back is pressed directly to his front, so it heals rather quickly. After the injuries on my face and head have been taken care of, his hands go on to traverse my arms and legs until all of my lacerations cease to exist. I struggle to keep my eyes open, but stay hyper-aware of his fingers tracing along my body. His touch is comforting, yet disarming. I don't think I've ever been this physically close to someone. Be it family or a friend, I've always preferred that people keep their hands to themselves.

My mother has always felt responsible for this quirk of mine. The hex that affects her body's health has also sickened her mind many times, causing her to act out of character. My father and siblings have encountered her outbursts too, but I have experienced the brunt end of them. Regardless of her guilt, I choose not to blame her. It's not her fault that she's not always herself.

I wiggle my toes to test my lower half. I can feel my legs again. With the pain mostly gone, Maddox's healing on my already mended skin feels somewhat pleasant. It almost tickles. His magic is warm and constant, making my nerves hum in a salubrious way. After double-checking his work, he finally lets his hands rest at my arms. He may not be using magic anymore, but his touch still makes my heart stutter.

"We'll have to find something else for the burns. I can heal everything else, but that," he announces softly. My eyes drift down to my blistered hand. So, there are limitations to healing magic? Maybe that's why he wasn't able to save everyone in his village. He gives my arm a soft squeeze to gain my attention. "Are you okay?" he urges gently.

I blink at the glass lanterns floating around us as I process his question. "Uh, yeah. But I feel dizzy," I breathe. I try to lean forward so that I can remove myself from Maddox's personal space, but my head reels at the motion, making me slump right back into him.

"That's to be expected. You lost a lot of blood," he says, tapping a nervous finger against my skin. He clears his throat before asking, "What was attacking you?"

I shrug meekly. "I don't know. It felt like snakes wrapping around me. And it bit me."

"Well, that's all healed up now. And I'm aware that you lost some blood of your own, but I'm assuming that the enormous puddle of blood in front of us didn't come from you. So, what did you do to whatever it was?" he asks warily.

I place my hands against the cold ground and force myself to sit up. My reddened hand twinges, making me wince. I feel so weak and wobbly. My body is begging me to lay down, or at least rest against Maddox again, but I don't allow either. Instead, I keep myself steady and shuffle my body around to face the accented man sitting behind me.

"You tell me," I reply ardently. "I used your spell."

He stares at me in both disbelief and contusion, raising his eyebrows. "What?" he blurts.

Unable to withstand the woozy feeling in my head any longer, I curl up on my side, pressing my sweat-coated cheek into the chilly stone. "The harpies," I mutter almost incoherently. 

"Really?" he says dubiously. "That's not an uncomplicated spell, Callie. I'm surprised you were able to do that on your first try. It took a long time for me to master it myself."

Another wave of dizziness comes over me. I shudder. "I didn't get it on my first try. But that doesn't matter. Tell me what I did to that thing behind me. I want to know more about the spell," I persist.

He scratches the back of his head, staring past me at the blood-soaked ground. "Er, well... it's a boiling spell. Use it on water and it's simple," he explains. He hesitates for a moment before continuing. "Using it on a living creature is a bit more complex. I didn't even know that it would work on a person until I—"

"A person?" I croak, watching him with wide eyes.

He frowns down at me. "It wasn't done lightly. I had to find ways to use the magic I already understood to defend myself, but that doesn't mean that I enjoy hurting things, Callie," he murmurs, crossing his arms defensively.

I bite my lip. "I didn't mean to kill it," I admit after a moment. "I was just trying to incapacitate it so that I could get away. I didn't want to kill anything."

"That's what makes it a tricky spell. It takes a lot of control to keep things from boiling over," he declares solemnly. His expression makes me think there's a double meaning behind his words. Before I can question him though, he continues, saying, "I'd suggest practicing on water." His tone is much lighter now.

Is Dolion the person he used the boiling spell on? Is that why he wants Maddox dead? For someone who is seemingly so kindhearted, Maddox tends to tangle himself up with a lot of dark characters. There's Dolion, a menacing and wily foe. Then, there's his friend, Cyrus, who greatly despises Moonborns. Why befriend someone who would hate your guts if they knew that you were one of the things they hate most in this world? And now... here I am. A selfish girl he continues to protect, even though she is admittedly using him for her own benefit. What is he getting out of all of this?

"Do you think you'll be able to walk?" he asks, breaking me out of my engrossment. 

I nod and when I'm confident that my head has cleared enough for me to sit up, I do just that. Maddox watches me carefully, his brow furrowing with concern. I look away to take in our surroundings. The dimly lit room is empty, apart from the lanterns and candles floating about. Then there are the bones scattered around the room. I don't know if they're human or animal bones, but both are enough to make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I look to my right and notice that there are two windows, but they're covered in brick on the outside of the glass. Off in the distance behind Maddox is a rather large door that resembles the ones back home in my family's castle.

All of the events that took place before I was grabbed suddenly catch back up with me. My head jerks back in Maddox's direction. "What happened to Juniper and Atlas? You said they gave up their magic, but why?" I behest.

He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "Atlas gave up his magic so that Juniper wouldn't be alone back on the island, but I'm not sure what pushed Juniper to give up her powers."

"Wait, I passed out?" I implore.

He nods. "Yes, but not for long. And then—" He sighs, stopping his sentence short. A flicker of annoyance graces his chiseled features. Before I can encourage him to continue, he places a hand on my face. "Here," he says gruffly. 

I feel the magic emanate from his touch again, but this time his hand pries my mind away from reality. The dark castle we're in falls out of existence, and before I know it, I'm watching from an outside perspective as my sister points a threatening hand in my direction. Atlas bats her hand away, setting her on the ground to scold her.

"No!" she objects. 

I watch the past version of my body collapse to the ground. I want to run over to her(me), but I'm stuck in place. Only able to observe. I watch as I hold my head in my hands, just like Juniper was on the beach. I'm screaming for Orion and Juniper. Atlas whirls around instinctively. His expression is torn between worry and panic. He doesn't know what's happening to me or Juniper. He's scared.

Our little sister doesn't hesitate to break away from him while he's distracted. Atlas catches her wrist, but she knocks him clean off his feet with her magic almost immediately. As she turns to run, I notice that the grass beneath her feet begins to blend into a deep, blue color. Each step she takes leaves a patch of blue behind her. I step forward. I can move now.

"Juniper's losing her magic!" Maddox shouts, sprinting to catch up with Atlas who is already several steps ahead of him. "If we're not with her before she vanishes, then she'll wake up alone on the island!"

"I have to save him!" Juniper sobs. "Orion, please!"

I chase after Maddox and my siblings but take one more look over my shoulder at my writhing body. It's trembling uncontrollably. When I face forward again, I notice that Maddox is running slow on purpose. He doesn't want to leave me suffering on the ground, but he doesn't want anything bad to happen to Juniper or Atlas either, so he's trying to stay in the middle of both conflicts.

"If that's the case, I have to protect Juniper first! She won't make it alone!" he bellows in response. 

"We all have to be together! Grab Juniper and bring her back to Callie!" Maddox demands.

Atlas soon catches up to Juniper, dragging her to an abrupt halt. Her eyes are wide with terror. She looks like she's having a panic attack. Her heavy breathing becomes shallow and her eyelids droop. Her feeble frame finally topples over, but Atlas catches her. It's as if the very life is being drained out of her. The grass and any other nearby overgrowth blossoms into a cerulean color. Our surroundings are more blue than green in just a matter of seconds. Her magic is depleting quickly. 

"Juniper!" That's my voice, but I didn't open my mouth. It was the 'me' that is in this memory.

Maddox, who has stopped to catch his breath, twists in the direction of my voice. Atlas is trying to shake Juniper awake and doesn't hear it. Our baby sister is barely conscious now. My voice is closer this time when I call out for Juniper again. Atlas's head pops up in alarm.

"She's coming this way," Maddox breathes.

He and my brother must think I'm searching for Juniper outside of the false reality I had fallen into. Little did they know that I was very much unaware of my actual surroundings. Mentally, I was trapped in the dark, unknowingly chasing after my sister in a memory that wasn't my own. 

Seeing myself sprint past Maddox and my siblings is surreal. One look at my expression ensures that I'm not all there in the head. I truly thought that I was running after Juniper in that black abyss, but I now know that I had been chasing nothing. But what pulled me out of reality to begin with? Why did my mind temporarily bridge with Juniper's?

"Maddox, wait!" Atlas booms when the golden-haired man turns to follow me. "There's not enough time! Look!"

Juniper is cradled in my brother's arms, fast asleep, but her body has a faint glow to it. She's fading away. Atlas looks torn, staring off in the direction I ran to. Maddox's expression is just as distraught for a moment, then becomes more prudent. 

Only one thought is stirring around in my head at this sight though.

"Save Juniper!" I order. Not the past version of me running around, but me. The one observing Maddox's memory. But no one hears me. They can't. I'm not really here, and I can't decide what happens next.

Maddox looks between Atlas and Juniper. "No, I can catch up to Cal—"

"Stop." Atlas is stern, but there's also a desperate look in his eye. "Just save my sister. Please."

Before Maddox can blink, Atlas and Juniper vanish before his very eyes. The blue vegetation seeps into the ground, leaving nothing but dirt behind. Maddox said blue nature means magic. Loss. Where did Juniper and Atlas's magic go? A visual image of the solitary blue tree back on the island pops into my head, distracting me.

Maddox's loud huff of air restores my awareness. I follow him when he sprints off after the version of me that is still looking for Juniper. He inevitably catches up to past 'me', but isn't close enough to grab her. I watch as I loop him back around to the shore we all woke up on just hours ago. I can't help but feel bad for him. The stress he is under is nearly tangible.

"Callie! Stop running!" he dictates loudly.

I see my body react to his command. My heels dig into the sand along the shore as I come to a full stop. Not expecting me to obey, Maddox doesn't have enough time to catch himself before slamming right into my back, overturning us both.

My breath catches when everything suddenly goes black again. Maddox drops his hand from my face. Hesitantly, I open my eyes. I'm still sitting on the cold ground, bordered by floating light sources. Brown eyes observe me expectantly.

"Callie, are you—"

I cut him off. "What did you just do?"

He shrugs. "Shortened a very long story. Your siblings are safe on the island, so we need to focus on ourselves right now."

I shake my head. "Maddox, I was chasing after Juniper in one of her memories. I don't know how, but it was like I was trapped in her mind. I didn't know I was running away from you... I... I don't even remember passing out," I admit shamefully, averting my eyes. "I'm the reason we're stuck here. We could've all gotten out if I had just—"

"It's okay. We'll figure another way out," he interjects, giving me an urgent look. "None of this is on you. It's whoever put us in the Autolycus Cage's fault."

At least Juniper will be safe with Atlas. They'll have each other, which brings me some relief. I rake an unsteady hand through my hair. But how did Maddox show me all of that? "I didn't know it was possible to see into someone else's memories with Moon magic. How do you know so much about magic and I don't?" I ponder aloud.

"I've gone out of my way to learn a lot throughout the years. But that's not important right now," he says, rising to his feet. He offers me a hand after dusting himself off. "Right now, we just need to stay together and find our way back to the island."

I give him my left hand since I somehow burned my right with my magic. He tugs me to my feet with ease. My head rocks like a boat, so I close my eyes to try and compose myself. This dizziness is almost more unbearable than the burns on my legs and hand.

My eyes flicker back open when Maddox wraps an arm around me. He's about to pick me up, but I shove away from him. "No, stop. I can walk," I say defiantly. "I'm tired of having your hands all over me."

He chuckles. "Never heard that from a woman before. First time for everything, I suppose."

I throw a bored look in his direction but otherwise ignore his sly comment. "Why are you in such a rush anyway? Getting back to the island is impossible without a magic-drained Moonborn at the ready. And you already lost your magic once, so I assume you can't get us back there."

He scratches the side of his head. "About that... I knew there was a possibility we could get separated from Juniper, so I had a backup plan in mind before we got here."

"What do you mean had?" I insist impatiently. 

He clicks his tongue. "Remember when I said that I'd take you back to get that sword, but then later told you that I can't keep that promise?" he asks tensely. 

"Yes..."

He gives me a sheepish look. "Well, turns out I'm keeping that promise after all."

I do a double-take. "Wait, what? You mean the Starborn sword lying at the bottom of the ocean?" I ask incredulously.  

"Well, I—"

I inhale sharply when an idea comes to mind, cutting him off. "Wait, what about my compass? It could take us back to Atlas," I suggest eagerly. 

His face falls. "I don't know when or how, but I lost it. The compass isn't an option, but Moon magic can't defy dimensions, so I don't think it would work anyway now that Atlas isn't in the same one as us anymore."

I stare at him insistently. "But you used it to bring Juniper and me to the dimension Atlas was in."

"As I have said, Moon magic can't defy something like that. Your brother had to have been in the same dimension as us, just in a different location when we used the compass."

My lips turn down at his words. "How do you know so much about magic?" I demand for the second time. He averts his eyes, staying silent. What is he hiding? Impatience gnaws at me and I huff, "I want to at least try it. Atlas's magic is more powerful than you think, and he spelled that compass."

He gestures to the door behind him. "Well, I have no idea where it is, but if we happen to find it along the way, you are more than welcome to give it a shot if you don't believe me."

"So, for now, you want us to go fishing for a sword that is now guarded by a giant water snake that tried to kill us?" I grumble doubtfully.

"Want isn't the word I would use. We're just out of options, Love."

"It's Callie—"

He turns on his heel to approach the large door on the opposite end of the room, ignoring me. I blink at the back of his head. Where is he going? He's not serious about this, is he?

"Hey, wait!" I huff, scrambling after him to catch up. "We're not even on the beach anymore! Even if that sword is our way out, how do you expect us to find it? You just said that Moon magic can't defy dimensions."

He pushes on the oversized door and peaks through the opening, then turns to me after a moment, lowering his voice considerably. "Yes, but Star magic can, which is something that you possess. And how do you know that we're not still in the same dimension as before? The beach could very well be within walking distance, for all we know. We just have to find a way out of here first."

"And then what?" I press, matching his noise level. "Why are you so certain the sword is our ticket out of here?"

He shrugs. "I just am."

"But why? What do you know that I don't?" I pry. His jaw remains locked tight. He seemed like an open book when I first arrived on the island, but now he's anything but. Could it be because I shook his trust when I stole from him? Or was it when I told him I'm only keeping him around in the hopes that he will help me escape the island? I clench my fists. Fine, let him keep his knowledge to himself, but I'll be damned if I get myself killed over it. "You know we could die trying to get a sword that I don't even know how to use, right?" I remark.

"You know we could die just sitting here, right?" he counters dryly.

I cross my arms. "Do you really want to risk your life on a maybe? Because I don't."

"Callie, go grab one of those lanterns," he orders, brushing me off entirely. 

I suppress a sigh. I guess we're doing things his way. I do understand his logic, but at the same time, I can't help but wonder if there's a better option. When I don't reply or oblige, he glances down at me in anticipation. A childish part of me wants to ignore him back, but my rationality keeps me in check.

While eyeing one of the glass lanterns, I extend a hand in its direction. "Travíxte," I whisper. The lantern flings across the room and into my uninjured hand. I turn back to the English man, offering him the light source.

He takes it from me, but he still doesn't exit the room. Instead, he holds the lantern through the door and pokes his head out again. I'm unable to see anything past the door with him in the way, so I wait patiently for him to tell me what he sees. After a long moment, he leans back into the room, bringing the lantern back in with him.

"I think we should set some ground rules before we go out there," he suggests.

I blow a loose strand of hair from my face. "Such as?"

"First rule: we hold hands in the dark. And we don't let go."

"Absolutely not," I scoff.

He gives me a flat look. "You act as if I want to be all over you. It isn't exactly comfortable for me either, but we're more likely to survive if we stay together."

I know he's right, but I still don't like it. "This is ridiculous," I mutter.

"Do I need to remind you of what just happened when we got separated in the dark? What if the boiling spell hadn't worked? What if I hadn't found you? You very well could have bled out and then what—"

"I get it, Maddox!" I whisper harshly. "Give me your stupid hand." Without a word, he transfers the lantern to his left hand and offers me his right so that my blistered skin can remain untouched. Begrudgingly, I slap my hand into his.

He uses his elbow to nudge the door the rest of the way open, but neither of us takes a step forward yet. The dark hallway in front of us is less than inviting. Apart from the flame fluttering inside of the lantern, there is not even a glimmer of light beyond this room. I wonder if more monsters are lurking about in the shadows. An icy breeze abruptly whooshes past us, making me shiver.

"Did you feel that?" he asks, peering down at me expectantly. I swallow the dryness in my throat before giving him an affirmative answer. "There must be a door or a window open. That's our way out," he proclaims.

Maddox takes a step outside of the room. He pauses briefly, then takes two more steps. A foreboding feeling keeps me rooted in place until he finally gives my arm a short tug. This isn't my family's castle, but it reminds me of the unsettling parts of it. The first rule Maddox set is definitely not unwarranted. 

My heart races, but after taking a deep breath, I tighten my fingers around his before finally following him out into the baleful hallway.