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“What!” Fletcher screamed as his eyes darkened. “You think I’m working with the Cidris? Still ?” The pain in his eyes welled in waves of bewilderment. “After everything—are you serious? Why the hell would I do that in front of you if I was legitimately working for them?”

Aldris rushed up the steps and positioned himself between us, arms outstretched to both of us with my magic glowing in straight lines over his arms. “What the hell is going on? ”

Both Fletcher and I let our magic pool down our hands at the ready.

“It’s Fletcher! He made those cages for the Cidris.”

“No! You don’t know how wrong you are,” Fletcher bellowed, more magic pooling. “You have my fucking magic, Ripley! How could I?”

“Then, explain that tile,” I shouted.

“Calm down you two,” Aldris warned.

“I don’t know! I’m using your magic.” He gave a sharp exhale, let the magic extinguish over his skin, and lowered his voice. “I’m not going to fight you, Ripley.” He came to the edge of the bed and sat with his head hanging.

Aldris dropped his hand that reached out to Fletcher but kept the one toward me steady.

Fletcher lifted his head and looked at me, a wild storm of black fog eddying in his eyes. “I wouldn’t think of ever hurting you. I would destroy this world for you. All I have asked in return is your trust in me.”

I didn’t say anything, still undecided about what I wanted to do.

He stood and squared his shoulders to me, eyes sunken and destroyed.

And for the briefest moment, I thought I could feel a fraction of the pain that rippled through him.

Like maybe the bond had malfunctioned for a moment.

“Ripley, I did not create those cages. I promise . I don’t know what just happened.

” Through clenched teeth, he grated, “I am begging you to believe me.”

“Ripley…” Aldris called, waiting for me to settle down. “Call off your magic.”

I huffed and really looked at Fletcher. The man I loved.

The man who warned me too much time in Elizy would confuse me about him.

And it had. Graff had. What had I done? I slunk down to the pillows on the bed, eyeing the defeated look in Fletcher’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, Fletcher. I…” I watched the last of the stars dotting my skin fade away. “I… I don’t know.”

He raked his hair back with his fingers. “I have to go.”

Before I could interject, he disappeared, and I was left with Aldris staring at me, wearing a harsh look of disapproval.

Fletcher didn’t return that night. I slept alone, crying silently, feeling like the bed was far too large without him.

I spent an hour doing my hair in three French braids like he had done the other day.

One down the middle, starting from the top of my head, and the two others on either side.

I let the tails of the braids get tangled as I raveled myself in the sheets to try and sleep.

I let my emotions run wild in hopes Fletcher could feel how remorseful I was.

I knew what he was thinking. It was remarkable how fast I had jumped to the conclusion that he had betrayed me again after I had given him my complete trust. I had gone back on my word. It was a detrimental mistake. It showed him that I didn’t trust him, not completely.

It had surprised me too.

I thought about him sleeping on that awful cot at the facility right now. I wish I was confident enough in my magic to teleport to his room. I would even if it risked the split magic getting more severe and the possibility of getting caught by a Cidris.

The next morning, Aldris took me to the Elizian barrier, then returned home to continue practicing with my magic.

I explained what had happened the night before to the rest of the group.

Their reactions were as expected. Graff went off, Rosanne had a tinge of an impressed smile touching her lips, and Mirin was tense but focused.

I hadn’t let my reaction be known while I remained true in defending him.

Graff settled down when the rest of us theorized that Fletcher had spent the most time with me and that was why he was able to wield my magic correctly.

After hours of trying to break the indestructible tile to no avail, I finally heard from Fletcher. Relief spread through me like a wildfire.

I’ll be waiting by the barrier when you’re finished.

We ended the session early and left Mirin’s place, but not before Mirin placed a stack of tiles in my hand to give to Fletcher so he could practice placing the magic in the glass and undoing it.

I ran to the barrier, feet flying toward him. Tiles fell from the stack with my swift movement. A grunt of frustration escaped my lips as I screeched to a halt and turned to grab the tiles. After that happening twice, I slowed my pace to a quick walk to keep the stack intact.

In the distance, I saw him, dressed in all black, hands in his pockets, hair in shambles, and glaring at me.

He barely moved as I approached him, crossing the barrier and coming to a stop a few feet in front of him.

His eyes held storm clouds. Words were caught in my throat.

I didn’t know what to say to get him to quit looking at me like he wanted to rip my head off.

I swallowed hard, parted my lips, and tried, but the words just died in my throat.

Honestly? I wanted to know what he was thinking first. Maybe that would give me a better judgement of where his head was at.

Finally, he moved. He reached forward, grabbing the stack of tiles, then vanished without a word.

A sinking feeling flipped my stomach. I should have said something.

When he reappeared with his hands in his pockets in the same position I found him in, I let the words loose. “Fletcher, I’m—”

“I want to show you something,” he said flatly before he held his hand out to me. Cyan spirals whipped down his arms in delicate threads that collected in his hand.

I looked at it, confused. I felt a sense of whiplash at where we stood, but he was offering his hand, and I wanted to take it. And once I did, I let him break us apart.

We came together in a cozy clearing surrounded by trees.

Small scarlet and purple flowers decorated the ground and climbed the boughs until they reached the top.

Sun beams shone down on us, feeding the hungry trumpet flowers.

Their petals spread and bunched like they were eating the sunlight, breathing the air, and chatting with each other.

The whole place was alive with magic and it was like the heart of the ?lden Lands lay here beneath my feet.

“Wow,” I breathed out. “Where are we?”

He stepped beside me, eyes scanning the flowers. “I thought you’d like to see what your magic did for Cuddles.”

I whipped around to face him. It wasn’t the ?lden Lands I was sensing. It was Cuddles. Of course! That playful energy mixed with the committed loyalty. How could I have sensed anything different. “He’s here? This is where you brought him?”

He nodded once.

I turned back around, falling to my knees, and curling up on my side in the middle of the meadow.

Tears sprung to my eyes. “Cuddles,” I cried, inhaling the scent of cloves and wildberries and wisps of sweet nectar.

A small musky scent mingled, the smell of his fur.

He was here. I had made it back to him. Fletcher had taken care of him.

My heart ached at ever doubting him—ever letting Graff sneak into my head .

“I miss him.”

Fletcher slowly sat beside me, hand laying idly on my back. “I do too.”

Through the blur of my tears, I looked up at him and sniffed. “This is perfect. Thank you.”

He offered a sullen grin. “I didn’t want to push you to come earlier. I knew you’d ask when you were ready.”

I propped myself up on my arm, looking up at his towering stature. “So why’d you bring me now?”

He sighed and retracted his hand. “Because it’s all I have to prove how devoted and loyal I am to you, aside from my words.”

I sat up, head buried in my hands. “I’m really sorry, Fletcher.”

His jaw tensed as if there was something more in his mind that an apology couldn’t fix. “I know you are.”

I reached out to hold his hand.

He grabbed it and helped me to my feet. “I also wanted to tell you that I figured out how to deactivate the cage’s magic.”

“You have? ”

He nodded. “And I broke the magic on all of them last night. All we have to do now is teleport in and get them out.”

I perked up, hands covering my mouth with more tears welling between my lids, but tears of happiness. “You what?”

“Yeah. I’m—uh, sorry I did it without you guys. I had an opportunity and I took it.”

I shook my head. “How?”

“When I left last night, I took a blank tile with me and practiced at the facility. Deactivating them took a lot longer than I had anticipated, so I couldn’t get anyone out.”

Tears spilled over my cheeks as I reached over and flung my arms around his neck. “Thank you so much.”

Slowly, his arms came around my torso, head buried in the crook of my neck. “We’re almost done, Ripley. We just have to act fast.”

I kissed his shoulder. “Then we go tonight.”

He released me and tucked an errant strand of long, golden hair behind my ear that had fallen out of my braid. “One in the morning is the quietest.”

I smiled wide. “Then one in the morning it is.”