Obsidian could resist her power, but the energy she emitted was different than before. The orange haze shed clarity on the situation and revealed an obvious truth. Before us was a tormented old man, disrespected, used as a tool, and a younger woman whose intentions were nothing but pure.
Obsidian bowed. “It’s yours.”
Not a second to waste. I disappeared, nervous to leave my friends behind but happy to move further from the hypnotic music. I was still doing what I set out to do in the first place: save Pyrite.
The dining hall contained a long wooden table, smooth on the surface but carved on the side with intricate landscapes. It was empty, but still littered with dirty plates and mugs. The anteroom connected the hall to the outside of the tree, a secret entrance for certain guests.
Whoarethey? I wondered. Who came to visit at a time like this?
The anteroom door opened just before I reached it. A soul emerged, an illuminated patchwork of varying shades of blue, green, and red. Smaller white lights interlocking these patches made it look like crookedly stitched fabric. Pyrite.
Another light was beside him, a viscous orange shade that struck me as familiar, but I couldn't remember why. “Stop,” it said, with the voice of an older woman. “Someone else is here.”
I could feel eyes looking directly at me, so I reappeared.
Pyrite leapt with fright, but then his haggard grimace broke into an uncharacteristic smile. “It's you! You're all right!”
His next action was even more unexpected: he pulled me into a tight hug. I returned it, then pushed away to get a better look at his companion. “Are you… That's right, the woman from Benzay. Ore.”
Her skin was light mottled gray. Despite the blackness of her elbow-length hair and the absence of earrings, I could tell she was even older than Obsidian.
Pyrite’s eyes glowed green and volatile. “Ore is the Dark's live-in fortune teller, and a constant pain in my neck.”
Questions clouded me, but the interrogation had to wait. The music was near. “We came here to save you,” I blurted. “Obsidian surrendered the throne to Ivory, and right now they're in the center of the tree trying to protect all those kidnapped kids from Melodia. I think—"
The sound of her name made his body shutter. Something shifted, and his voice turned dull and monotonous. “Don't be a fool. We need them to stop Wyvern.”
I took a step back. “You look strange. What’s happening?”
My words washed over him. “I have to go to her,” he growled, all his previous joy forgotten. Rays of light shined from his eyes and wavered in uncanny ways. He pushed towards the throne room.
“No!” I exclaimed. “You need to stay away!”
He moved without hearing, and when I tried to follow behind, Ore's arm stopped me. “Pointless. He’s so deep under her influence, his personality is splintering. Follow me for a moment before going after him.”
“Why should I?” I pulled away. “Did you know who I was when we were in Benzay? Were you trying to control what I did?”
Her voice creaked like uneven floorboards. “If you recall, I only told you how to find what you were already looking for.”
She was right. Nothing would have changed either way. “Then why were you there?”
“Simple. I was worried about Pyrite and wanted to keep an eye on him.” She opened the anteroom door and shouted, “Come out. The boy is here now.”
“Who are you…?”
Two figures ran desperately through the door. A tall man, and a woman with yellow shoes.
“M-Mom?” I couldn't believe my eyes. “Glass? What—?”
Puma flung her arms around my neck. “Oh, thank the Reaper. We’ve been worried sick!”
“But how?” I stammered, my heart buzzing. “How did you get through the borders? Where’s Mama Robin?”
A graceful tear cascaded down her cheek, a soft hand on my head. “Pyrite's power could only take two across the border, so she stayed to watch the farm. We didn't hear from you for three days, until finally the scroll showed a reply from Pyrite. He said he needed our help to find you again.”
Glass wore his own set of classic City armor, but instead of bone-blades, he had a belt of medical equipment. “Where are Sharp and the others? Pyrite told us someone is trying to assassinate the king, but the fortune teller thinks otherwise.”
I gasped and grabbed my hair as I remembered what I was supposed to be doing. “Agh! I need to head back and help them!” I narrowed my eyes at Ore, her mouth curved in a deep frown. “No one is getting assassinated, but it’s still not safe for you to be in this tree right now. Ore, can I trust you to lead them out?”
Before Ore replied, my mother nodded her head emphatically. “I've known her since I was just a kid. She’s been trying to convince us Pyrite was not himself, and I can see now she was right.” Her grip on me tightened. “But you must come with us too. I knew I made a mistake, sending you here. A day after we didn't receive a message, one of the neighbors heard a rumor about an uprising brewing deep in the Dark. There's so much I should have told you, but—"
“You can tell me later.” I peeled her hands away. “But now I need to help, and I need you to trust I can take care of myself. You shouldn’t have come after us.”
Glass raised his hand. “Wait—”
“Don’t worry about Sharp,” I assured him. “She can definitely take care of herself.”
His eyes shined with pride. “I know she can.” He turned to my mother. “You need to go with Ore. I’m going with him.”
“No!” I argued. “Did you not hear what I just said? You’re vulnerable if you stay in this tree!”
“Dr. Gold-and-Silver. Is he with you?”
I hesitated. “He…had to stay behind.”
Glass gripped his belt with certainty. “Then I’m coming whether you want me to or not.” Just like Sharp, once he resolved to do something, he would not be deterred.
My mother looked ready to punch him, but Ore spoke up before she could. “You named this boy for the poem you once read in the prophecy room, didn't you?”
