Peyton’s brow furrows. “What are you…?”
“I’ve known Mads since we were kids,” I persist. “I know you love her, and that doesn’t change that, but she has more memories of me. Hell, she’s like a sister.”
Killian straightens up, seeming to pick up on where I’m going with this. “Maybe we just haven’t pushed hard enough. If there’s anything left of Mads in that goddess upstairs, Karma might be the only person who can reach it.” He hesitates. “I’m not saying it’s a guarantee, but…”
“But what do we have to lose?” Peyton finishes for him, sounding far away. He runs a hand through his hair, bouncing his knee for a minute, and then he sighs. “Maybe you’re right. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“Nothing that hasn’t already happened,” I throw out, and that seems to make him give me the ghost of a smile. “I can’t promise anything, but I want to talk to her again.”
“Do you want backup?” Killian asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
I think for a moment, chewing the inside of my lip, and then shake my head. “No,” I reply at last. “No, I don’t think so.”
“She’s lashed out at me before,” Peyton reminds me. “Even with the anti-magic cuffs, she’s vicious. Like an animal in a trap.” He gives me a grim look, his green eyes blazing. “She’s dangerous, Karma. Whatever else she might also be now.”
“I know that,” I reply. “But I’m dangerous, too. Besides,” I add after a moment’s thought, “I think it would be better if we don’t all go in, guns blazing. If I can reason with her, put her at ease a little…” I shrug my shoulders. “It’s worth a shot, right?”
Peyton gives me a stiff nod. “I guess you’re right. Just…be careful, sis, okay? If something like this happens to anyone else I love…”
“It won’t.” For once, I actually believe the words coming out of my mouth, my hands balling into fists at my sides. “I swear.”
“Then…good luck,” Peyton says as I stand up from the couch. Killian takes my hand and follows me. “Please bring her back,” my brother calls as we leave the living room. I don’t say anything in response. Now isn’t the time to make promises I can’t keep. Instead, I allow Killian to lead me back to the base of the stairs, taking solace in the warmth of his skin on mine for a little longer before I finally let go of his hand.
“If something happens to me up there…,” I begin.
“I told you,” Killian says in all seriousness, “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Karma.”
I smile tentatively up at him, press a gentle kiss to his lips, and then turn around. It’s time to face the music. Squaring my shoulders, I begin to climb the stairs, feeling like I’m about to undertake the hardest challenge of my life. For all I know, it might be; judging by the feeling in my gut, this could be what tops the prison, the maze, the lava pits…all of it. It somehow feels like there’s more on the line, if that’s even possible.
My feet feel heavy on the steps, my arms hanging limply at my sides as I arrive back on the first floor and make my slow way down the hall. I barely even notice the painting this time, my eyes fixed straight ahead as my feet carry me, seemingly of their own accord, in the direction of the room where we’re keeping Madison. The door is closed and locked tightly, although it looks like someone has hung the key over the knob. It’s likely enchanted, warded against magic, which is fine by me; considering what I’ve seen of Mads’s powers so far, she could probably take me out if she really wanted to.
I realise my hands are shaking as I pull the key off the knob and slide it into the lock, the doorknob issuing an ominous click seconds later. Feeling suddenly both weak and incredibly small, I push the door gently open, almost afraid of what I’m going to find in here after what happened last time. I’m not sure what I’m expecting—for her to jump out at me and hit me over the head with a chair or something, maybe?—so the silence is eerie, almost overpowering, when I step into the room.
Mads is sitting on the ledge by the window, facing away from me. Her hands are still tightly bound with the anti-magic cuffs, and she looks terrible. She’s thin, with marks on her wrists from the restraints. Her snow-white hair is dirty, and her clothes are a mess, and she seems utterly spent. I’m not even sure if she’s awake until I let the door drop closed behind me. The sound seems to startle her, and she turns around, her expression going cold as soon as she sees me.
“Hey, Mads,” I say, holding my hands up to show that I’m not a threat as I take a couple of tentative steps towards her.
“Go away.” Her voice is cold, but it’s lost the angry edge it had the last time I confronted her.
“That’s not going to happen,” I tell her, still moving slowly forward. “I want to talk to you, Mads. One on one. No magic, no fighting, just us.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” she snaps, turning so that she’s facing me. “You mean nothing to me. None of you people do.”
“That’s not true,” I reply. It’s not a denial, but a mere statement of fact. “We mean a lot to you, and I’m not just saying that to gloat.” My mouth twitches in a dry smile. “You mean a lot to us, too, Mads. And that’s why I want to help you.”
“You can’t help me,” she spits back. “No one can.”
“Really?” I ask. “I can’t help you? What about that time your skirt tore back in school? I stole some glue from the art room, and we stuck it back together. Or that time at Roger’s when that asshole kept trying to grope you? Because I seem to recall giving him a black eye.” Mads remains silent, so I keep going. “Or what about that time we fell into a crevasse back in that maze, and I helped you climb out?” I come to a stop right in front of her, slowly lowering to my knees so that we’re on eye level. “I’ve helped you plenty of times, Mads. So have you. Because we’re friends, and that’s what friends do.”
She doesn’t look at me, but there’s a split second when I could swear I see the faintest glimmer of doubt in her eyes. “Go away,” she repeats, her jaw setting.
“Not happening,” I insist. “I was always the stubborn one, right? That’s what you always used to say. You were always the more level-headed one. You’re the kind one. You always knew how to talk me away from the edge when my big mouth got me in trouble.”
“Stop it,” she hisses, another flicker of doubt in her eyes, and I seize on it like it’s my last lifeline.
“Who was it who always helped me with my math homework?” I persist, reaching out and taking her by the shoulders. She flinches at my touch, looking panicked. “Who was it who always told me when I’d picked an ugly outfit or when I had food on my face? Who was it who came through for me every damn time I needed her?”
“Stop!” she yells. “Stop it! Get out! I can’t…”
She’s fighting it, I realise with a surge of hope. She’s feeling something, but she’s fighting it. Looking down, I’m shocked to see green magic drifting out of me in tiny streams across the floor, stretching all the way to her. She doesn’t move as they wrap around her like vines, smothering her body all the way to her head, looking like a crown.
“Mads, listen to me,” I say, pulling her closer. “I’m your best friend. I’m Karma, and you’re Mads. And I’m not leaving you behind.”
“Please…” It sounds half like an order and half like begging. The magic in the room seems to get stronger, pushing out of my soul and hers. Connecting us.
I never thought the way back might be the way she was changed. This magic ruined her…but can it fix her memories?
I lean in, resting my forehead against hers and staring into her eyes. There’s uncertainty there…but also the faintest flicker of recognition. “Look at me,” I command. “Look at me and tell me you don’t know who I am. Tell me you don’t know who you are.”
She struggles, trying to push me away, but I hold onto her tightly, not breaking eye contact. Tears leak out of her eyes, her face contorting with frustration and confusion, but I remain steady, boring into her eyes with a look that I hope conveys my desperation. A second passes, and then another, and slowly, I feel her start to still in my arms. I realise she’s trembling, and moments later, a single word slips out of her mouth.
“Karma?”
And the magic disappears with a slam that leaves me dizzy and smiling.
Chapter 62
