Fallon-Kabbah and the three Reapers joined us in The Shade, where we were welcomed with warmth, hugs, and kind words. Sofia and Derek, Rose and Caleb, Mona and Kiev, and all the other GASP founders were present, beaming at us as they escorted us into the Hermessi children’s new sanctuary.

They’d been given lodging on The Shade’s beach extension, in spacious glass apartments overlooking the midnight ocean. Those deemed hostile had been cuffed and locked inside their dwellings, but the friendly ones had been allowed to roam freely through the entire Shade, as their hearts desired.

“Of course, we’ve fitted all of them with tracking bracelets, just to be sure we know where they are at all times,” Sofia explained as she and Derek took us to the extension. The rest of GASP had stayed behind, preparing a feast for the evening—which we’d all agreed was well-deserved.

“Won’t they be able to remove them?” Amelia asked.

Sofia shook her head. “Not without our safety codes. We’ll also be warned if they try to get off the island or if they’re too close to the portal.”

“That’s understandably restrictive, yet it doesn’t make me feel any better,” Varga muttered.

We were all on the same page. But Derek put it best. “In times of war, tough choices must be made. In the end, the Hermessi children’s safety is all that matters.”

“Where’s my father?” I asked, my pulse already racing at the thought of seeing him back and as far away from Brendel as possible.

Derek pointed at the first glass house on the extension. “He’s there. Corrine is always with him, making sure he’s cared for. They had to put him in a crystal casing, though. We’re not sure how the Hermessi’s influence can affect him all the way here in the Earthly Dimension, but, since he’s still under it, we figured we couldn’t risk it.”

“That’s understandable.” I sighed.

“And you, Kabbah? Will you stay with Taeral and his crew?” Sofia asked.

Fallon-Kabbah nodded. “It’s Fallon’s best shot at survival, and he knows it. He’s a precious fae hybrid. If any of the hostile Hermessi get their hands on him, we’ll all be in danger. Taeral is safer now than before, with two thirds of Thieron on him and three helpful Reapers,” he said, nodding at Seeley, Widow, and Soul. “But Fallon is still vulnerable without me. You all know how susceptible he is to Hermessi presence.”

“The future is a little brighter, then,” Sofia replied, as we made our way up the extension’s stairs. I welcomed the ocean breeze brushing through my hair and tickling my skin. Its salty taste lingered on the tip of my tongue, while my ears were delighted by waves rolling and rushing toward the sandy shore. This was a good place for my father to be. In the arms of the ocean itself, in a way.

“Mind you, none of us can guarantee Brendel’s defeat,” Seeley said. “We’ll do our best, but I don’t want anyone getting their hopes up too high.”

“That’s a ridiculous statement,” Eva said. “We’ll do our damned best, and that’s all that matters. We’re not five-year-olds, Seeley. We can handle the truth.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Can you?”

Eva didn’t respond. Neither did any of us. Could we, really? He’d asked a good, albeit difficult, question. Back on the bottom of the Fire Star’s ocean, I’d had a choice between Thieron and my father, my friends, my loved ones. I refused to accept the truth that Brendel had forced me into. Fortunately, I’d found another way.

How many times would I get away with that before reality came back to pin me down and demand my undivided attention? Before the worst-case scenario somehow found a way to stab me, to drag me back into the pits of despair, with no way out?

“All I know is that we are better off with the four of you on our side,” I said, stopping outside my father’s glass house. I could see him inside, resting in his crystal casing, his chest rising slowly with each breath. His amber glow persisted, but it seemed slightly more faded than the last time I’d seen him. Corrine sat next to him, mixing some herbs in a stone bowl. Undoubtedly some kind of additional protection spell.

“I suppose you’ve put Devil’s Weed on all of the Hermessi children.” Fallon-Kabbah sighed, his eyes following Corrine and my father.

“We have. The hostile ones are farther back, and there is a protective detail here, at all times,” Derek replied. “We’ve secured them as best as we could, and we’ll start engaging them soon enough. I know many succumbed to Brendel’s request because they had no better option, but that has changed now.”

Seeley frowned. “I don’t see Sherus’s Reaper anywhere.”

“What do you mean?” I asked him, not liking his expression.

“Given his condition, there should be a Reaper by his side at all times. Yet there isn’t,” Seeley explained. “It’s not right. I’m going to look into this soon. Ghouls might catch his scent and come after his soul.”

“Can I trust you to keep an eye on him until then?” I asked, and Seeley nodded. “Thank you.”

“What about Whisper and Gennen and the others who still serve Brendel willingly?” Amelia asked, referring to Derek and Sofia’s account of their trip to Yahwen and its unexpected twists and turns. They’d been through their own brand of hell, from what I’d understood.

“We’ll have to reason with them, as well,” Sofia said. “Whatever damage Brendel did to their minds, I’m sure we can at least try to undo it.”

“How safe are they in here?” Soul asked.

“Brendel doesn’t know where the children were taken,” Sofia replied. “We’re in another dimension here, one that isn’t so easy for them to reach. Of course, that’ll change if they complete the ritual, but until then—should that come to pass—the children are safe here.”

“Unless someone figures out they’re here,” Soul muttered.

“What are you trying to say?” I asked him.

“That Brendel is no idiot,” Soul said. “I think the children aren’t safe anywhere, at this point. Don’t you have some other place to hide them? Some other planet in this dimension?”

“Oh, he has a point,” Widow added. “Brendel knows where GASP hails from. Once she’s done turning the In-Between and the Supernatural Dimension upside down, she’ll come here. She’ll find a way to come here.”

“Hopefully, by then, we’ll have found Phyla,” I replied.

“Do you really want to gamble on ‘hopefully,’ bucko?” Soul asked me. I didn’t have an answer. I wanted to say no, but I was too tired. I just wanted a moment with my father. Everything else could wait a while.

“Right now, Brendel is in a thousand pieces back on the bottom of the Fire Star’s ocean,” I said. “She’ll take a while to put things together, to start searching for the children and so on. In the meantime, I’d like to see my father, if it’s okay with you.”

No one objected. They waited outside. I could feel their eyes on me. I went inside the glass house, and Corrine finally noticed me. She jumped from the low armchair and hugged me with all her might.

“I knew you’d make it back. You and cockroaches, Tae, I told you many times. You’ll survive anything.” She chuckled.

“I’m actually luckier than cockroaches, remember? I’ve got Death’s mark on me.”

“You’re also much better looking,” she replied, wiggling her eyebrows at me. She’d always been like this with me. Playful and kind, sometimes foul-mouthed, and full of sage advice. Corrine was like a second mother to me, for all the wisdom and care she’d bestowed upon me over the years.

Glancing down at my father, I let a sigh come out from the pit of my churning stomach. “How is he?”

“Oh, he’s fine, Tae,” Corrine said. “He’s stable and in a deep sleep.”

“He’s not as glowy as before, is he?”

“No. You noticed, huh?” She smiled. “Nothing escapes you, does it?”

“But why?” I asked.

She gave me a shrug in return. “Wish I knew. It likely has something to do with his distance from the Hermessi that are influencing him. We’re in a different dimension here.”

“He’s still affected, though.”

Corrine grinned, and confidence oozed out of her. It felt invigorating. “Only until you find Phyla, fix Thieron, and give it back to Death.”

I couldn’t help but laugh lightly. “You make it sound so easy.”

“And you make it look easy. I mean, here you are, with two thirds of it strapped to your leg,” she said, nodding at the incomplete scythe. “Who’d have thought, huh?”