Page 76 of Edge of Wonder

“What do we do?” I asked. “He could be hurt, or—” I couldn’t make myself finish the sentence, but Shire knew what I meant.

“Well, Sebastian’s not haunting the forest. I’d know. So that leaves one of two options. He left you hanging, or he was forced through the gateway and that blood is his.”

“We have to go after him.” I climbed to my feet, already making a list of what I might need.

“I’ll go, Alice.” Peter stepped into the clearing, slinging a pack over his shoulder. “You’re needed here. I’ll find out what happened.”

Relief poured through my panic. “Are you sure?”

Peter nodded. “We need to know who we can trust. If Sebastian didn’t leave on his own, and he needs our help, then we owe it to him. For everything he’s done for us.”

“Thank you, Peter.”

“You’ve made us proud, Alice. Now let us help you.” He moved toward the gateway, and the purple glow reflected on his skin.

“Wait! Once you’re on the other side. Find the witch, Tessa Daniels. She can send you back.”

He stepped through the gateway and vanished into the swirling light. I sank to my knees, my hands planted against the ground. My thoughts were spinning. I didn’t know for sure what Peter would find on the other side of the portal. He might still come back alone. But I still believed in Sebastian. In what we’d shared. I just needed to hold on a little longer.

“We have to play this cool, Alice. Until Peter returns, we can’t let Tristan suspect anything.”

I blew out a shaky breath. “So then we wait. Tristan is our enemy until he’s not.”

Chapter 26

Alice

Tristan paced the floor, his fists opening and closing as he wore a hole in the wooden beams.

“Alice, it’s been four days. Sebastian’s not coming back. It’s time to move on and finish the last challenge.”

I ignored him and examined the weapon in my hand. To pass the time, Duchess demonstrated some of her inventions, and this one was my favorite. On the surface, it looked like an ordinary dagger, except it was missing its blade. Well, not missing, it was stored inside the hilt. You could strap it to the underside of your arm and activate a trigger that extended the blade. It worked in reverse too, snapping back into place.

I was busy fashioning straps for my sleeves while Tristan had a meltdown. Shire was right. He’d been acting quick-tempered and impatient ever since Sebastian vanished. The man had been in hiding for years, and now, suddenly, he was racing to the finish.

My finishif we were being candid. I was the one with the keys.

“What’s the rush?” I asked, taking a sip from my mug. “It’s not like the challenge is going anywhere, and it’s safe and comfortable here. You said yourself, the mercenaries are no longer after us. Time is on our side.”

Tristan’s scowl deepened as he smacked his palm onto the stone hearth. He took a breath, trying to control his rising anger. A strained smile formed on his lips. “I’m just eager to mend the kingdom, and I hate to see you so miserable since Sebastian left. You shouldn’t waste your energy on someone who’d leave you like that. Without even a word.”

My thumb smoothed over the razor’s edge of the blade. I didn’t have proof, but my suspicions were growing stronger that he was responsible for Sebastian’s absence. But if Sebastian had been forced to leave against his will, why hadn’t he come back? Peter should have found him by now. That was the thought that kept circling in my mind. I hated that a part of me was still worried I hadn’t been enough for him to want to stay. In my darkest hours, those thoughts threatened to undo my resolve. But I couldn’t stall forever. I’d have to make a move and finish this.

I slipped my new dagger into the straps on my sleeve and angled it in the light. Sebastian would have liked this one. He probably would have wanted one of his own.

Tristan paced the floor again, coming to an abrupt halt when Duchess shuffled into the room holding an envelope. An image of a clock was stamped on the outside.

“This came for you, Alice. A guard spotted it by the gate. He didn’t see who delivered it.”

I took the envelope and slid my finger under the flap. A single card rested inside. An invitation to mayhem.

The Bloodless Forest awaits.

Find the rose painted red. Watch out for the Gursuss or you’ll be dead. Collect the key, and you’ll have three.

The realm will be yours, so say the fates.

“What’s a Gursuss?” Shire asked, seeming to appear out of nowhere.

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