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An exhausted Serali chirped as she landed atop my shoulder.

She was alive, if not tired. But how? None of this made any sense….

"Where are we?" Rien asked, sliding off Tye's back. I looked around, struggling to make sense of what I saw …

Stone, covered in glowing moss and vines, surrounded us on all sides, and in the distance, one wall held lit windows and doors that had somehow been carved into the stone. It gave off the impression of an underground version of Dragon's Peak before Frexin's takeover, but older and a little less refined.

Fae glyphs were carved in a nearby narrow pillar of stone, readingDewelCrossroads. That's odd …

I looked around again, realizing what I'd initially thought to be trees scattered around us were actually giant mushrooms glowing with a faint pink light!

And the "sky" was really just a distant ceiling of a cavern covered in patches of glowing pink moss.

Is this some sort of dream?

Tye's growl drew my attention, and I followed his gaze to an approaching figure in a long dark cloak. His steps were sure, his posture giving off an unshakable sense of confidence — the kind I'd tried and failed to recreate during my stint as leader of my village.

I brandished Kaiya's knives, and a growling Tye prepared to attack, but the figure was completely unperturbed.

Stopping in front of us, he pulled off his hood,revealing a familiar head of chestnut hair, and a pair of silver eyes I'd hoped to never see again.

Lynk!?

I lunged for him, lifting a blade to his throat. "I should kill you for what you did to her!"

Tye didn't know our history, but growled in agreement, ready to bite down on the fucking traitor.

Even Jaiel's shadows seemed agitated by Lynk's presence …

Rien held up his hands, looking confused and concerned. "Please, friends," he tried. "The Druid is not our enemy. He is an ally."

Lynk held my gaze for a moment before returning his attention to Rien.

"I'm sorry, Rien, but when it comes to her, that's not entirely true." His cold gaze fell to Kaiya. "Isn't that right, Little Thief?"

Chapter 65

Kaiya

Ineeded to get back … back to Jaiel and the horrible hollow bond that connected us — back to Tye who I could feel was barely holding himself together — and back to the others, fighting for their lives against Frexin.

But pain split my skull as flashes of strange memories swirled around me untilfinally, one took shape …

I was a small child, sitting in someone's lap — a man with short brown hair and a kind voice.

"… and with the mad queen sealed away, the three survivors founded a new kingdom where such dangerous magics did not exist. And the world found peace once again."

He turned the page in the little story book. "The end."

"Again, again," I begged.

The kind man didn't respond, and I looked up to find his hazel eyes glassy with unshed tears.

"Why are you crying, papa? Wasn't that a happy ending?"

He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed tight, snuggling his nose into my hair. Wet drops fell atop my head, and I reached my small arms around the man to squeeze him back.

What was wrong with papa?