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I saw a guard’s blade fall in a savage arc and cut Merrick’s hand off at the wrist. I ran forward, jumping over Maraulf, who was writhing on the floor in agony. Where was Otto? Where had Mary gone?

We are all going to die.

Finally I found my sister. Her dress was torn, and she was shivering and pleading in a corner. Her little hands were raised in a gesture of surrender to the guard who loomed menacingly over her. “Please,” she gasped. “Please no.”

I rushed forward, aiming for right between his shoulder blades. But even as I lifted my knife, he plunged his dagger down.

“Mary!” I screamed.

When she fell, her mouth open in horror, I fell, too. I clawed my way across the blood-slick floor toward her.

I was nearly to her—she was almost in my arms—when something struck me from behind, and all the world went black.

CHAPTER 19

I awoke, rigid with terror. There was cold bright light everywhere, and I was alone.

Am I hurt?

Am I dead?

“Mary!” I cried out. “Mary!”

There was no answer. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I understood that my sister was gone.

Or maybe I should say thatIwas gone.

I wasn’t in the baron’s castle anymore. I was in the quiet room on Ward 6.

I didn’t know what time it was, or even what day it was. I only knew that I was lying half on the bare floor and half on a thin, hard mattress.

I sat up and put my hand to my cheek, feeling the unbroken smoothness of my skin. There was no gash, no blood.

It’s because the other world isn’t real, Hannah: that’s what everyone told me.

They were wrong. Itwasreal. It was real and true and I needed to go back. I needed to make sure Mary was okay.

But I couldn’t get there by wishing, no matter how hard I tried. I’d have to wait until the way into that world opened up again.

I just never knew when that would be.

I plugged my ears so I could yell as loud as I could. “Get me out of here!”

Pretty soon I heard footsteps coming down the hall. A few seconds later, the concerned face of the new hospital intern appeared in the window. What was his name again? His black hair tumbled over his forehead, and he pushed it back with the easy grace of habit.

“Are you okay?” His voice was muffled through the door.

Do Ilookokay?I thought. “I need help,” I said. “I need to get out of here.”

“I talked to Dr. Klein,” the intern said. “She says you’ll see your therapist this afternoon. Do you need PRN meds? I can ask Nurse Amy …”

PRN stood for pro re nata, or “as needed.” In other words, did I want a blast of tranqs or something? The answer was no.

“I don’t want pills and I don’t want to see Dr. N!” I said. “I want to …” I paused. How could I possibly explain it to him?

I closed my eyes. I just wanted to go back to Mary. But I couldn’t make it happen, and I hated feeling so helpless. Tears pricked hot behind my eyelids. When they spilled over, I opened my eyes and wiped them away.

“What’s the matter, Hannah?” the intern asked. He actually sounded concerned. Not like Mitch, who’d just wave to me through the window as he walked by on his rounds, like,Have a nice day, nutjob!