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Instead of dwelling on everything currently outside of her control, she focused on what shecoulddo, and that was continuing her own plans to spread word about what was coming. While it hadn’t gone well with her teachers, Alex refused to give up. Now that the weekend had arrived, she would reach out to those with the real power in Medora—the royal family.

“It doesn’t make sense for anyone other than Dix to come,” Alex replied to Jordan, ordering an extra side of eggs from the food court menu. “And besides, once we’re done, I’ll be heading off to Draekora on my own, anyway.”

“I get that Zain and Kyia are protective of Roka,” Bear said, spreading peanut butter across his toast, “but surely they won’t mind if we tag along. It’s not like they don’t know us.”

Alex shook her head. “I’m guessing the surviving Meyarins will be really tense after everything that’s happened. I don’t want to risk upsetting them more, not until I make sure they’re okay with you coming next time. Better to be safe than sorry, especially if they’re all a bit… trigger happy.”

Jordan, D.C. and Bear all grimaced, likely recalling their first encounter with the Meyarin race when Kyia had threatened to shoot them with her bow.

“I don’t like the idea of you going off on your own without us,” Jordan said, his eyes concerned. “You won’t have anyone with you for backup.”

“Dix’s parents know we’re coming,” Alex told him between mouthfuls. “It’ll just be the four of us having a quiet chat, so there won’t be any backup needed.”

“Then I don’t like the idea of you going to Draekora on your own,” Jordan said, relentless. “You have no idea what you’ll be walking into up there.”

“All the more reason for me to go alone.” Seeing his furrowed brow, Alex put down her fork and reached across to lay her hand over his. “I promise, Jordan. Nothing’s going to happen to me.”

Alex ignored the guilty churning of her stomach, hating that she couldn’t tell her friends the real reason she needed to be alone that afternoon. Normally she would take them with her to Draekora despite the edgy Meyarins, but at the end of her SOSAC class on Tuesday, Caspar Lennox had reminded Alex about his promise to contact someone who might be able to help her strengthen her willpower gift. The unknown man owed the Shadow Walker a favour and had grudgingly agreed to meet Alex and judge whether he thought her worthy of his time. But the only way he would see her was with a demand for secrecy. No one was to know about their clandestine meeting—not even the people she trusted most in the world.

If there were only one or two humans Claimed by Aven, then Alex wouldn’t need this stranger’s help. She could just hunt down the individuals and Release them the same way she’d freed Jordan. But thereweren’tjust a few humans Aven now controlled—there was a worrying number of them, as well as an entirecityof Meyarins. So it was vital that she learn the scope of her gift and whether or not she could somehow amplify it and share it with others. Then perhaps everyone under Aven’s Claim could be liberated, all at once. That was her hope, at least, and the reason she was willing to meet with Caspar Lennox’s mysterious friend—to find out if it was even possible.

“Dix will be back for lunch and I’ll be back in time for dinner, I swear,” Alex said, before draining her apple juice and rising to her feet.

“If you’re not, we’re coming after you,” Jordan said, everything about him showing how serious he was.

“Even if we have no idea how we’ll do that,” Bear added, just as serious, “we’ll still find a way.”

D.C. stood and offered Alex a smile, which was enough to help settle her nerves, at least until the princess said, “Let’s go tell my parents about the end of the world.”

Alex couldn’t fathom how D.C. managed to sound so upbeat given her doomsday declaration.

Reading Alex’s look, D.C. laughed, and even Jordan and Bear managed to brush aside their sombre moods to chuckle with morbid humour.

Wondering if they’d overdosed on dillyberry juice without her realising, Alex headed for the exit with the still-snickering D.C. following behind her. Once outside, she reached into her coat for the authorised Bubbler vial Darrius had provided and threw it to the ground, watching as the glass disappeared and the colourful portal rose up in front of them.

“You want to go first?” Alex asked her friend, gesturing towards the bubble mass.

D.C.’s face was devoid of her previous humour when she replied, “What I want is to know the real reason you don’t want any of us to come with you to Draekora.”

Alex’s eyes flickered, but she wasn’t overly surprised. More than anyone, D.C. knew Alex well enough to sense when she was hiding something.

“I can’t tell you,” Alex said quietly, not wanting to lie to her best friend, but also not willing to risk forfeiting her opportunity to meet Caspar Lennox’s contact.

D.C. swallowed. “Is it—Is it because of Jordan? That you don’t trust him after… everything?”

Frowning, Alex said, “Of course not.” Then, seeing D.C. chew her bottom lip, something she only did when she was anxious, Alex asked, “Why would you even think that? What don’t I know?”

D.C. was quick to shake her head. Too quick.

“Dix,” Alex said, stepping closer. “Talk to me.”

Shaking her head again, D.C. said, “It’s nothing.”

Alex brushed her hair off her face and considered her next words carefully. Every night that week, she had awoken to find D.C.’s bed empty. The first time she hadn’t given it any thought, but when it continued, she’d been concerned enough to seek out the boys, only to discover Jordan missing as well. Worried, both Alex and Bear had stumbled out onto the snowy grounds long after curfew, finally spotting D.C. and Jordan huddled together beside the frosty lake. They had looked so peaceful that Alex and Bear had retreated without disturbing them, and Alex hadn’t brought up the midnight search to D.C. in the time since then.

She had no idea why her two friends visited the lake every night, nor what they did while out there. And given everything Jordan had been through, Alex couldn’t help feeling as if their time together was… important. A time of healing for him, where D.C. offered whatever he needed to get through the darkness of what Aven had done to him.

But D.C.’s line of questioning had Alex wondering—did she really think Alex didn’t trust Jordan? Or… was D.C. perhaps fighting her own inner battle, dealing with uncertainty and fear when it came to the boy she cared so deeply for?