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Ifollowed the hunter through the hallways, but he didn’t lead me where I’d been expecting to go. Most chidings took place in Victoria’s snazzy office, but he seemed to be taking me to the Repository.

My heart plummeted. Maybe she’d found out about Boudicca’s trips out of her orb and planned to give me a warning about it. Although Nathan would technically get the rap for that, since he was the one who kept dropping Boudicca off like my room was some kind of pixie daycare. Not that I minded having her. In fact, I loved it, which was part of my concern. I didn’t want Boudicca to have to go back into her orb full-time, not after what she’d done for me and the abductees.

“She’s in there.” The hunter ushered me through the Repository doors before turning on his heel and striding back the way we’d come.

Drawing in a deep breath, I stepped into the bubble jungle. Victoria stood by the window on the far side, staring out at the verdant scenery—the clash of greens and gray-toned blues, where the clifftop met the sea. Forcing my legs forward, I walked toward her.

“You sent for me?” I said to her imposing back.

She glanced over her shoulder at me. “Yes. I thought you might appreciate the change of scenery.” She beckoned me to stand beside her, so the two of us were looking out at the landscape together. Her arms were slotted into their usual position behind her back, her torso straight like a soldier’s. And I felt as though I was about to be put through my paces.

“Thanks,” I replied dumbly.

She kept her gaze on the horizon, and the lack of eye contact unnerved me. “We haven’t had a chance to properly discuss what happened. As you know, I have been busy arranging quarantines and having teams scour the new wing for any more unknown entities. Now, however, I think it’s time we spoke frankly with one another.”

I fidgeted awkwardly. “I… don’t know what else you want me to say.”

“Then allow me to begin.” She sighed quietly. “First, I must thank you, once more, for the part you played in rescuing our missing people. I do not wish to minimize what you did for them. That being said, matters might have concluded more smoothly had you been truthful about the pixies being Purged from the outset, and had you come to me as soon as you discovered the existence of the Door.”

I lifted my chin, just as my mom did when she was going into an argument. “Not to be rude, Ms. Jules, but you laughed it off when I told you about the Door to Nowhere. If I’d come to you, you wouldn’t have believed me.”

Victoria surprised me by laughing. “It’s not rude at all. You’re quite right. I should have trusted you, but you have to understand it from my perspective. You omitted the truth about the pixies being created, and that led me to believe that you might be lying again when you told me of their innocence. It sounded an awful lot like you just wanted to protect them.”

“I did, becausethey were innocent,” I muttered. And one omission of truth didn’t make someone a chronic liar. “And you said you understood why I didn’t tell you about the pixies being Purged, initially. You can’t double-jeopardy me.”

She nodded. “I concede that I was mistaken, and yes… I did say I understood, but that doesn’t negate the consequences, even after forgiveness has been given. What I am trying to say is, we need to be able to trust each other from now on. That means I want you to feel like you can come to me with anything. I will not judge you for a Purge, or I wouldn’t have invited you to join the Institute. You must never be afraid to ask me for help, or fear for your position here. If we are honest with one another, then you do not have to worry. I’m concerned because you seem to be expecting an axe to fall, and it clouds your judgment.”

I bowed my head. “I guess I am expecting an axe to fall.”

“Then it will be all the more important that we have an open line of communication, especially since some bad news has revealed itself.” A muscle twitched in her jaw, her eyes turning steely. “It is to do with something you mentioned to me, about your mother.”

“My mom?” I peered up at her, confused. “What do you mean?”

“One of the people who disappeared has not come back, a scientist called Charles Burniston. He went missing around the same time as Xanthippe, though he’d told one of his colleagues that he needed to go into town. That is why I did not, initially, add him to the list of missing parties. However, when he did not return to the Institute, I thought he might not have made it to town at all—I thought that he was taken from his quarters. Now, it is my belief that he was not taken by the Wisps as the others were, and that he did venture into town, but did not return.”

I understood what she was getting at, though it sent a spike of terror through me. I’d assumed everyone who was missing had returned. Evidently, Victoria wanted to keep this within a very small circle of people, or the Institute would descend into panic mode once again.

“Are you going to speak to my mom about it?” At the beginning of the Wisp mess, I’d thought the missing Institute people were linked to the missing magicals in the wider world. Now, to hear that one person might be embroiled in that mess… It made my blood run cold.

Victoria finally turned to look at me. “I have instructed a team to liaise with her in due course. I apologize for not heeding your advice regarding the disappearances; I have grown so used to the Institute being insular that I forget there is help to be found beyond these walls.” She smiled. “I imagine this experience has been educational for both of us.”

“You can say that again.” I lowered my gaze shyly, her black eyes too intense for comfort. Still, it felt good to be acknowledged. Fresh troubles might’ve been brewing on the horizon, but at least Victoria was reaching out to the right people. Maybe, with everyone putting their heads together, the issue of the missing magicals might get solved sooner rather than later. Although it set a dangerous precedent if this Charles guy had been snatched so close to home.

“Then we should part on good terms and move forward with honesty and trust.” Victoria put out her hand, and I tentatively shook it. “You have my heartfelt thanks for what you’ve done, and the thanks of this Institute. However, I would urge you, as the head huntswoman, to be careful as you walk your path here—for your safety and the safety of those around you. Take risks only when they are necessary, and when someone is too stubborn to listen.” She flashed me a knowing smirk and released my hand.

With that, she dismissed me. I’d gone in anxious, and I was coming out feeling anxious in a different way. The notion that someone from the Institute had been taken had thrown me, even if the theory suggested they’d been snatched from a nearby town instead of from within this magical fortress. It was way too close for comfort, and I knew my mom would freak out when she heard.

Slipping through the Repository doors, I almost ran headlong into Nathan and Genie.

“What are you doing out here?” I asked, grabbing Genie’s hand and pulling her behind a statue of a Nimean lion. Nathan hurried to join us, all three of us crouching low in the shadows in case Victoria came out.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay, and I found this one on the way.” She thumbed at Nathan. “How did it go? Are you in trouble? Did she find out about Boudicca?”

I shook my head. “No, nothing like that.” I peered through the lion’s legs to make sure we were alone. “She told me that one of the magicals didn’t come back, and we think it might be related to what my mom is working on.”

“What?!” Genie gasped, her eyes bugging. “How come no one’s mentioned it?”

“She’ll want to keep it quiet until she knows more.” Nathan frowned, evidently miffed that he’d been left out of the loop.

My gaze flitted between the two of them. “The thing is… I had this feeling that I was being watched when I left the Institute with Charlotte that night. I put it down to paranoia, and to being in a graveyard at night, and to all the crazy stuff going on with the spirits and the Wisps. But now I’m not so sure.” I glanced up and down the hallway. “I don’t think I was imagining things. I think someone really was watching me, and I don’t think it’s over.” Our troubles with the Wisps had ended, but new troubles were stirring.

“We should be vigilant,” Nathan said. “If there is someone watching the Institute, then we should do our best to act as lookouts. It could be nothing, but it could be something, and if Victoria is keeping things hushed up, then we will have to be her eyes and ears wherever we can.”

“Which may mean giving the pixies a bit more freedom, if you can manage it?” I looked at Nathan hopefully. “After all, they’re good at finding things that the rest of us can’t see.”

My fresh start hadn’t gone exactly according to plan, but one incredible thing had come of it: I’d learned to tame the pixies and discovered that they had more heart than their size suggested. I’d stood on my own two feet and had rescued trapped magicals from a secret world. A few weeks ago, if someone had told me we were in danger, I’d have run to Genie, or my parents, and asked them for the solution. Now I knew I was capable of getting myself out of a scrape, and I intended to use this newfound courage and confidence as best I could to save more magicals from meeting a similar fate.

Whoever you are… We’ll find you.

It was only a matter of time.