Page 71 of Forgotten Monsters
Dead pine needles crunch under my bare foot, but the unending forest is quiet. The woods feel different, the mud at the foot of the trees smells different, but I try not to let my senses distract me from my task.
“Are we close?” Cole asks, surveilling the darkness like he expects Darkwood’s ghost to attack us.
“We’re almost to the center.”
Wearing the crown has rewritten parts of my memory, and I recognize every rock slab and every ridge of the mountain.
Cole slips his fingers in mine. “We could have done this another time. You’re still figuring out your new powers, and killing hollows took a lot out of you.”
“It’ll only take a minute.” Less than two days have passed since the show-down with Darkwood, but I need to do thisnow. As long as the Underworld tear exists, I won’t be able to sleep properly.
I guide Cole through the trees until we reach the epicenter of the earthquake—the origin of the timesink that sucked parts of the academy into another world.
The rapid throbs of the earth under my feet call out to me, and I crouch to touch the ground. I can feel the void below Dark Falls clearer than ever before. The crater bleeds at the edges, the entire fabric of our realm stretched thin.
I close my eyes and let the pain flood through me, feeling every inch of the tear.
Small stones quake near my feet as I draw in a deep, controlled breath and press my palms to the ground. My new powers build in my palms until the void below us, a void that stretches for miles beneath Dark Falls, seals itself back in one breath.
It’s frighteningly easy—no harder than twisting a lock with the right key.
The air stills for a moment, and the peace that follows coaxes a sigh of relief out of me.
Here, old friend. You can rest now.
“You did it, Jules. You closed the biggest tear in history.”
I press my lips together. “It wasn’t as hard as I thought it’d be. I just have the right set of tools, I guess.”
A smile warms his handsome face. “Don’t sell yourself short. What you just did is extraordinary.” He holds his arm out to escort me back to Faerie. “Now, your Kingdom awaits, my queen.”
He zaps us to his hall of mirrors, and we hike up to his apartments. His sister Helena planned a big party to celebrate my return, but I’m not in the mood.
I visit Flynn in the convalescence room we organized next to Cole’s office.
A team of shamans watches over him day and night, but it’s beendays, and he still hasn’t woken up.
“Any change?” I ask the shaman.
The old Fae crushes a few sage leaves with a mortar and pestle as he shakes his head. “He’s still unconscious, but every spell tells us he’s recuperating. It shouldn’t be long now.”
I’m terrified that I messed up when I tore the hollow out and that Flynn suffered permanent damage. His rhythmic breaths tickle my ears as I sit on a chair next to him and grip his hand.
Flynn’s fingers twitch in mine, and his breathing pattern changes ever so slightly.
My heart stops. I lean forward and check for any sign of consciousness, but he slips back into his earlier state.
Cole wraps his arms around me. “He just needs time to heal.”
My superstitious side urges me to remain cautious. “We should wait before having a party.”
He places a sweet kiss at the nape of my neck. “Our people need some good news. They want to see their queen, alive and well. This isn’t about dancing or having fun, but celebrating your return and cementing our intention to rule together. Flynn will understand, and we can celebrate our victory when he’s better.”
“Still…” I stand up and face him.
He cups the side of my face. “It’s only a party, and I’ll be standing by your side the whole time.”
I hug him close, his heat melting my fears. “Alright.”
