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I passed through several walls until I saw a group of radiant beings surrounding a woman on a table. All but one person in the group had their hands on her body. The pulse of her life increased as they sent healing energy into her cells.

Rasmus bent over the table as he talked to the radiant beings. Curious to see what he was doing, I moved closer. Unlike the scene in the forest, this time there was no barrier keeping me away.

It surprised me to discover that the woman on the table looked like Rasmus—the much younger version of Rasmus I’d finally grown accustomed to seeing. Feeling wicked, I waved my hand in front of his face. He paused speaking, waved his hand in front of his own nose, and looked around.

Did he sense me?

I snorted at the irony. Since I’d come this far, I moved around the space looking my fill. In the end, I could only conclude that it was a lab. A shiver of unease went through me. This room reminded me of the lab Jack’s military scientists had used.

But where was I? What was this place?

Before I had time to ponder my location, something tugged at me before actively pulling me away. I passed slowly through the walls of where I was before zipping back through space and down into my body.

I came out of my scrying trance gasping for air. I put a hand on my chest and felt a hot spot where the Dagda stone rested. “Okay. Ya got my attention. Now what are ya trying to tell me?”

I stretched my legs only to find Mulan staring at me strangely. She looked at the darkening sky and then pulled out her phone. I rolled to my knees and gave my legs time to wake up before standing.

When I trusted my legs again, I stood and turned back to douse the fire. There was nothing left but cold ashes. There was no fire to put out. I’d been gone more than a few minutes.

Mulan rose from her seat on the ground and met me as I broke my casting circle.

I put my hand on my chest over the Dagda stone before I asked the unavoidable question. “Was I gone the whole day?”

Mulan snorted. “Almost two days.”

“What?”My dry throat rasped the question a few octaves higher than my usual. “How is that possible? The scrying necklace only showed me three brief scenes.”

Mulan shrugged. “At least you did not die this time.”

I didn’t die last time, either, but I knew what she was trying to say. The last time I scried for Rasmus, I came back with bleeding eardrums and couldn’t move for several weeks.

This time I was mostly unharmed, despite feeling that I returned much faster than Mulan said. Being gone had felt like only an hour had passed. It hadn’t felt like two whole days.

“We watched you in shifts. Henry and Gale took turns too. High demon paced and did not sleep.”

I swallowed to ease the dryness in my throat and mouth. “I’m sorry I worried him.”

“Everything worries high demon. He hides it well.”

Mulan reached out a hand and wrapped her fingers around my arm. “Come with me. I make tea while I tell world you live.”

Other than being stiff, I felt fine. But I let Mulan hold on to me as we walked out of the woods to her house. My brain still struggled to believe I’d been out of my body for two whole days. And worst of all, I’d been gone a long time and yet not learned anything useful.

The only real answer I got was where Rasmus was and what he was doing. Taking a page from Conn’s book of tricks, I felt sure the guardian was changing Zara’s appearance so she would look like his sister. Maybe the vision was supposed to make me feel better, but it didn’t. All it did was creep me out on a level I only felt when guardians were involved.

Was I a hypocrite living among demons who chose their form? Yes, I guess I was, but I couldn’t seem to help myself.

I slowly pacedthe small space of Mulan’s kitchen to loosen my limbs. Conn came in and snatched me up, hugging me tight.

“What happened?” he demanded as he pushed me away.

“I don’t know.” And that was an honest answer. “I saw a cave with a giant egg in it about to hatch. I saw a group of witches in black robes in a forest clearing but a barrier prevented me from getting close enough to hear them. One of the witches—a very tall male one—kept his back turned to me. His power signature was very strong.”

“Sit now,” Mulan ordered.

I pulled away from Conn and sat at the table. Mulan set a cup of tea loaded with honey in front of me. Beside the tea were several cookies.

“Drink all of it. Eat cookies,” she said.