"Do you have a spare pair of gloves?"

Recalling the moment I shoved them into the side of my satchel, I nod. "Yes, I have those."

"What about the potion for motion sickness?"

"That is in my pocket." I pat my jacket.

Fidibi presses her finger into her chin, pursing her lips together. She's delaying the inevitable. Recognition lights up her eyes and she throws her hands out, tension bleeding from her palms. "I know you didn't remember to pack Edire's doll."

Furrowing my brows, I ask, "How could you know that?"

She grins a little too cockily, and pulls one of Edire's dolls from her back pocket, waggling it in my direction. "Because I have it right here. Just a little something to remember us by. If all goes well, we'll be seeing you soon."

I take the doll, carved to have long braids similar to Edire's and a dress that she has worn once or twice before. She stands at her mother's side, hugging close enough to Fidibi's hip that she digs her face in, clutching on tight with small grey fists. I have dreaded this moment for days now, my final farewell before walking out the gates of the Void Palace after I don't remember entering.

Clutching onto the doll for comfort, I squat down to meet Edire's eye. "You can't hide in there forever," I tell her. "You have to come out and give me a hug sometime." For my sake, and for hers, I flash a winning smile. If only she knew how much my heart is aching in my chest and how the nerves in my stomach feel strangely like vomit.

Fidibi gives her daughter a little shake to ignite her fire and Edire breaks away, faster than I can calculate, and throws her arms around my neck. I nearly tumble back if not for bracing my hand on the ground behind me, ensuring I don't crush the doll she has taken great care to hand over. The Luminary students practice woodworking when the courtyards or training rooms are unavailable for use; Edire is one of their favorite customers.

I hug her back just as tight until she breaks free, backing away to hide once more.

My only wish would be to shrink them down and hide them away in my satchel so I can take them to the capital. Theoden would be more than happy to provide meals for two more guests; Castiel has always wanted a little sister. Chaska would just be happy that someone else has to face the brunt of Theoden's long stories about his days working for the church. How holy they were, yet rebelling.

"You behave for your mother, all right?" I keep my voice steady, avoiding the urge to snap loose a flood of tears. "She needs you at her side."

Edire nods. Her broken frown shatters my heart into pieces that won't be repaired anytime soon.

She came to my chambers one last time for a nightmare and I pressed my hand to the back of her neck, cooling the sweat and chills raging through her body. Shortly after, she fell asleep on the free side of my bed and didn't wake until this morning while her mother slept on the sofa.

Even at such a young age, she understands the trials of departure. The longing to remain, or keep the other for longer. If I understand the ache in my chest as sadness, she does too.

When I stand on shaken knees, Fidibi extends her arms out to me. I walk into them, holding her close, and squeeze my eyes shut. No tears. I won't shed any tears.

Beyond our embrace, clattering of metal and leather slaps against each other. Wyetta will make most of the jumps through the Void, but what we walk—towards the end—will be accompanied by Luminary servants and the army of the soulless. Some of them, at least. Those that have a heart in their chests and a brain in their skull that isn't shriveled to a stem bid farewell to their friends, family, lovers—anyone that might miss them if they don't return.

"I promise I'll see you again," I say into Fidibi's shoulder. She nods against my own. "If everything works out, you'll have the chance to come to the capital."

Edire brightens at that, enough to smile. At least I can instill hope in her for this small fraction of a moment that will become a memory.

As I pull away from Fidibi, she wipes tears away with the back of her hand but puts on a brave face for her daughter to admire. No longer will she come to my chambers late in the evening with cake in tow, her daughter bouncing at the ready, to share the latest palace gossip. And feel like she's home. With a family. Something she hasn't had in too long.

"Good luck," she croaks and dips her chin in a solid nod. Her tears fade away, eyes shimmering, but she hardens as a mother should to remain stoic. She grips tightly onto Edire's shoulders to quell the rest of those unruly emotions. "Look out for unseen dangers, the capital may not be kind."

"I will." I squeeze her hand one last time, backing away.

The Void Queen makes the final call and I force myself to turn away, waving at them one last time. I can do this. I can leave a place I never should have been, with people I never should have met. Yet some part of me wonders if they should come with me, with us, to the capital. I want Edire to have a safe life with people she can trust, then I'm reminded of the Raven Queen's policy on magic. How she forced Cloak to kill those Luminary children.

I have a new respect for what Cloak did. Seeing Edire, I can't go through the thought process of wanting to keep my life after doing that to so many innocents. If he didn't, his mother would have swung the axe. A large sacrifice for another. Breath. Life.

But I know what Cloak would do if he faced such a decision again. He wouldn't think twice about giving his own life so the children could live. The Raven Queen would find another way. She always does.

Pulling my hood over my head, I join the Void Queen at the front of the pack. Immediately, Mutes looks away, Zikkora staring towards the south as if he can see the capital. The former hasn't bothered to speak a word to me since he deemed me unworthy for further company, and though I expected him to come to my chambers for one last night, he didn't.

Zikkora doesn't speak to me outside training sessions, so his silence is no surprise. But the Void Queen is as cheery as ever. She takes my hand, squeezing it, and squints into the rising sun. "We're off, little elf," she says gleefully. "To the capital."

As if my life isn't on the line, I smile broadly and squeeze her hand back just as tight. If Millicent rejects her terms, they'll find another way. The negotiation might start and end in battle, a Terravale duel just to listen to each other, but my life won't stand in the way of their discussion.

I never thought I would reach the day that involved my trust in the Void Queen. She has proved herself time and time again to be the woman that I should fear, but also someone I should learn to appreciate. The opportunities she has given me came with reward and nothing in return. Nothing but this building fear that I shove down for I know she won't think of using someone she claims to care for. The Void Queen thinks of the Luminaries she has converted as her children.

And as she has said before, she wouldn't dare hurt one of her children. Her family. I am one of them.

"Are you ready?" she asks, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

Out of the corner of my eye, Mutes stiffens. He makes no decision to look at me. "I'm ready."

"Then we're off." She wraps her arm tight in my own and brings her power to light, the same shade as her eyes, and wraps us all in a blistering cocoon of hot wind and gold mist.

This is why Fidibi gave me a motion sickness potion. I feel the effects of it taking hold as the Void Queen's magic wraps around me, yanking at my insides and tearing them apart. We're transporting the majority of our way through the Void with help from Luminary servants. The Void Queen can't take us all at once, and when I look over my shoulder, I see different waves of magic folding over hers to secure the journey.

I squeeze my eyes shut and my body shoves forward, leaping through time and space. Cold wind rushes. I clench down on that need to vomit and trust that the Void Queen's arm locked in mine will keep me steady. When I think we're landing near a bright spot—flat ground—I continue to feel the thrust of her magic yanking us through the Void.

Then, the wind disappears. I open my eyes to see my feet planted firmly on the ground in a patch of shallow snow. A few hurls of vomit echo through the empty landscape and I glance over at the Void Queen. Not a hint of nausea pales her excitement. But she breathes heavy, blinking to clear the exhaustion from her head.

Looming too far in the distance, the Void Palace is out of range. Fidibi and Edire are still there, but the large caps of mountains keep them hidden from traveling eyes. The perfect location for the Void Queen's operations. We appear to be standing somewhere near the large lake to the south of the palace as servants are bending down to splash cold water onto their faces. If I have done my research well enough, serpents live in this dark lake.

The Void Queen's arm slips through mine and she, too, takes a break. Transporting many of us won't be an easy task, and she requires respites. One hour at a time to gather her strength before trying again. In a matter of four leaps, we'll be back to the capital. Four hours and I might see my family again.

Though giddy with excitement and nervous to get to where we need to go, I relish my last moments before having to head back to a land that doesn't care for Luminaries. It's strange to think these two different cultures are in the same kingdom, only separated by territory walls and isolation.

In my pocket, I wrap my hand around the doll Edire gifted me. As I glance out to the south, feet away from the path that cuts through the Void, I can almost see her there. In the village the Panjandrum Corps raided in search of Luminary children. A shiver wraps around my spine. Do I really want to live in a kingdom where magic stands as an excuse for death?

Of course, I do. My family is there. And the Void is still liable to behave against Millicent's orders. Someday, magic's laws will reach there soon. Edire will escape it; I know she will. Fidibi will allow no other alternative.

We rest by the water's edge until the Void Queen is ready to attempt another leap. I stand towards the back this time, next to a Luminary servant with freckled cheeks and bright red hair. He takes a deep breath and swoops his power over my head, closing pale eyelids. The motion sickness potion rests deep in my stomach, and this time, I don't feel the rattling of power shoving back and forth.

Our second leap takes us to the bridge. One leap closer. The Void Queen practically collapses next to the river she constructed, but she trudges on, walking ahead instead of remaining stagnant. Beyond the bridge, we'll come face to face with jagged rocks that lead us directly to the capital and the battlefield we fought on. As enemies. Now we're something short of allies.

Two more leaps. Two more and I'll be home. How bittersweet it seems.