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The audience remained silent as they looked down upon the dais with solemn faces. Some appeared relieved, others disappointed—a clear line between those who were willing to come to Medora’s aid and those who were not.

Finally, Saefii stood. And when she spoke, her words, while unwanted, weren’t unexpected.

“You have displayed great strength and courage over the course of this week, as well as shared secrets, shown wisdom and endured judgement,” the empress declared. “But unfortunately, that was not enough. You needed to pass all six Gates in order for my people to join yours in the battle for your world. And today, you were unsuccessful in completing your final test.”

Her voice echoed around the stadium as she continued, “I’m sorry, mortals, but this means you have failedTu’eh Saeron ess Telari. And as such, Tia Auras will not be venturing with you back to Medora.”

If not for both Kaiden and Bear’s strong grips keeping her from falling, Alex would have collapsed from the devastation of Saefii’s announcement.

“Please do not believe we are unsympathetic to your plight,” the empress went on. “Despite our lack of allegiance, we truly do wish your people well.”

Alex didn’t want to hear well wishes. Flowery words weren’t going to help with anything.

“To show our respect for what you have achieved, a feast will be held in your honour tonight, after which, you may return to your world.”

Alex’s fingers tightened around the hands she held. They wanted to hold afeast?

Sensing that she was about to lose it, Kaiden called out, “If you don’t mind, Empress, we’ve been away from home long enough. We’re anxious to return as soon as possible.”

His tone was polite, but the intent behind it was clear:There’s nothing here for us any longer. Let us go lick our wounds in peace.

“Be that as it may, we wish to send you off properly,” Saefii said, a clear indication that their dinner attendance was not a request. “It has been a long time since mortals have stepped into our world, just as it will likely be so again.”

“We’re not some novelty for your enjoyment,” Jordan called, his voice shaking with anger—and with the crushing feeling of defeat that was hollowing out Alex’s insides.

“Novelty or not, you cannot travel theeidenpaths from our world to yours throughSoraya de lah Torrawithout a gatekeeper,” Saefii responded. “Therefore, once our evening has ended, a doorway shall be opened for you. In the meantime, theremainder of the day shall afford you a final chance to enjoy the splendour of our fair city. I suggest you don’t waste your time, mortals, as you will likely never return.”

The cutting edge to her words along with the implication regarding their fate was enough to cause something inside Alex to snap. She released Kaiden and Bear and moved a furious step forward, but before she could so much as open her mouth, a blinding flash surrounded them. Instantly, she and her friends were back in their common room.

Disoriented for only a second, Alex cast her gaze down and noticed that she still wore the golden cuffs, Tayros never having retrieved them once the Gate was finished.

In a fit of despair and frustration, Alex violently yanked them from her wrists and launched them across the room. She ran her hands through her hair, tugging painfully at the roots. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She didn’t know if she was more furious or devastated; if she was more upset with herself or with the consequences of the choice she’d made.

Unable to meet her friends’ eyes, she choked out, “I’m sorry.” Her breath hitched but she got a handle on it enough to continue. “I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t—I just couldn’t—”

A snort interrupted her, the sound so out of place amongst her ravaged emotions that it prompted her to look up in surprise.

“If you think any of us are angry that you chose not to kill anyone today, you’re crazier than your usual crazy,” Jordan said, his tone dry.

“But I—”

“—did the right thing,” Kaiden cut in firmly, walking over to pull her into his arms. “You did exactly as you should have done.”

She collapsed into his embrace, leaning heavily against him.

“That Gate was a joke from the beginning,” Bear said, closing ranks along with the others. Alex drew away fromKaiden enough to see that Bear’s face was pale—all of their faces were—but still, he continued, “You did the only thing you could. You made the same choice that hopefully any of us would have made if we’d been stuck in your position.” He speared a narrowed glance at Declan before saying, “Most of us, at least.”

Declan raised his hands. “Hey, I’m sorry, okay? I was only trying to help.”

“Help differently, next time,” Bear said sharply, with Kaiden nodding firmly in agreement. But then Bear sighed and pulled Declan into a rough hug, full of relief. That prompted more hugs around the group—though, D.C. did punch Declan in the stomach before she wrapped her arms around him, telling him to never do anything like that again. For Alex’s part, she just held his eyes and said, “What Dix said,” to which Declan grinned sheepishly and nodded his promise.

“That was an impossible task,” Jordan said once their relieved embraces abated. “There was no way to come out victorious.”

“‘The surest way to become a monster is to follow in their footsteps’,” D.C. quoted Alex. “If you’d passed the test today, you would have become the very monster that we’re trying to fight.” She drew Alex close and whispered into her ear, “We’ll find another way. We always do.”

Shuddering, Alex returned the hug, more grateful for her friends’ support and understanding than she could ever say.

Moving back to Kaiden’s side with his arm curling reassuringly around her, Alex looked at her friends and mustered the strength to say, “We all know this is a massive blow, but as Dix said, we’ll just have to find another way.”