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That makes two of us,I thought.

I said nothing, however; my magic tumbled and spun faster at her sudden nearness, and my head throbbed so painfully I couldn’t think straight.

Zayn, always the more cordial one between us, said, “By all means. Where shall we start?”

His friendly tone seemed to briefly confuse her, as if she’d expected to have to work harder to pry information out of us. Composing herself, she said, “You told me you all have been trapped here since the events at my birthday celebration…but what about the weapon that also fell from the living world that night?”

My gaze lifted automatically at the question, the pain in my head parting long enough to allow me to grind out a response. “Luminor, you mean.”

“Yes. The Sword of Light.”

“What of it?”

She reached a hand toward her shadowy beast, who had slipped free of the soldiers and now moved to sit at her side, fixing its unsettling blue eyes on me as it did. “We came to the underworld in search of that blade,” she said. “Among other things.”

I snorted at the audacity in her tone; she spoke as though strolling into Hell was akin to taking a short trip to the seaside.

Zayn spoke before I could comment. “It isn’t here,” he informed her. “We would have known, if it was; Aleksander’s connection to it is a kind of magic itself. It’s tied to his blood, in a manner of speaking.”

If only Ididhave that blade…then perhaps I never would have lost my grip on my magic. Or my consciousness. Luminor channeled my abilities into something far more powerful than what I could manage on my own; there was a chance I could have used those powers to cut a path back to the world of the living.

If only.

“How can you be sure?” she demanded. “How much of this realm have you explored? Have you trulylookedfor the sword?”

“As much as we could,” Zayn replied, evenly. “Things aren’t that simple here, I’m afraid.”

Her power seemed to flare in indignation, and mine only grew more restless in response. I closed my eyes, tucking my chin toward my chest to try and steady myself through the waves of unsettling energy.

“I’ve researched this blade and its powers,” she said, matter-of-factly. “It caused a tear in the world above that’s still there, still bleeding after all these years, cursing my home and the kingdom around it. It must have caused an inverse wound in this dead land. And the sword is likely near this wound, preventing things from healing.”

“…We’ve seen nothing of the sort,” said Zayn.

“There must besomethingthat—”

“Your little adventure was in vain,” I said, my eyes still clenched tight, pain making my voice even harsher than intended. “And now you’re trapped here in this hell along with us. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.”

“You don’tsoundparticularly sorry.”

“No? Well, I suppose seven years of slow, miserable death have dulled my empathy.”

I opened my eyes to find her watching me with a venomous gaze, her stillness unsettling—like a snake waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

Zayn stepped closer to her, blocking any potential attack she might make. His gaze fell on the pile of blackened leaves behind her. He studied them for a moment before he said, “Let’s get out of this mess before we discuss things any further. There’s something I want to show you, too, Princess.”

“Nova,” she corrected.

“Nova, then. Come with me.” He offered another of his disarming smiles. He’d rendered more people defenseless with that smile than I could count—it was part of why I’d always kept him close, and why I’d intended for him to play a large role in my court when the time came. I could fake charm and niceties well enough for short periods of time, but not with as much conviction as Zayn.

His charm seemed to be working on her, as well; she followed him with only a slight hesitation, silencing the beast at her side when it let out a low growl.

I trailed the trio at a distance, more interested in reorienting myself with the land we were imprisoned in, searching for things that had changed during my latest bout of cursed sleep.

A year.

It still seemed impossible I’d been gone for so long.

We came quickly to a small structure rising up from a stretch of otherwise flat, bleak landscape—the dwelling we’d staked our claim on shortly after our fall into this world.