“Do you think we can trust her?”

Jay’s question was, of course, what we were all thinking. It was hard to look Adela in the face without seeing my home bursting into flames in my mind’s eye. Still, if what she said was true, and I was reluctant to write her off so long as Tyler was so confidently vouching for her, then there was more than my quiet Colorado town at stake.

The fate of the world could hang on what I decided to do in the next ten minutes.

Tyler’s unusual certainty didn’t escape my notice. With my new eyes, finding the signs of uncertainty, however faint, would have been as simple as looking at his face. There weren’t any. That meant whatever he’d gone through last night left him no room for doubts. It was like looking at a different person.

“Tyler?” Emily asked. “You’re sure about this?”

Tyler nodded.

I glanced to where Adela stood, noticeably isolated from where the rest were discussing. She leaned against the charred eastern wall of the clubhouse, her arms crossed, eyes distant. A jacket that I recognized as Tyler’s was draped over her shoulders, but from the way her eyes tightened with pain when she made small movements and the sign of blood on her thermal undershirt, visible to me even as red on black, I knew she was injured. And, judging from the quantity of blood that I could reasonably qualify as being sourced by that hidden wound, it wasn’t a minor injury.

I approached Adela. In my peripheral vision, which was now as clear to me as what I was looking directly at, I could see that my sudden movement had drawn Jay and Marika’s attention, though the three wizards who were here for whatever reason remained in quiet conference.

“Are you okay?” I asked, though it was a lot of work to keep my voice even.

“You don’t have to act like you care,” Adela said, her voice low. “You know what I did. You know what I’ve done. We’re not friends here.”

I grit my teeth. It was hard to come to terms with the fact that someone who had been an accepted member of the Tryhard Club was a killer, and not an inexperienced one at that. God, to have a kill-order on your head, at Tyler’s age...There wasn’t a hint of the girl I had been trying to bring into the fold. Just the cold stare of a murderer.

“You led these monsters here,” I replied. “They attacked my city, destroyed my home, and killed my father. Believe me when I say I’m not concerned with your well-being.”

“Ah. You’re worried I won’t be able to do my part.”

“Something like that. I’ve been told you have fortified bodies and something like rapid healing. Will you be in good enough shape by the time we engage?”

Adela scoffed. “I’m glad your head is in the right place, at least. I’ll be fine. But there’s one minor misconception you’re operating under. It’s really important that we not engage. I’ll be able to keep us safe and moving if we only run into a few bloodmages at a time, but if we draw too much attention, or someone manages to get the alarm going...We’ll drown in them.”

“Oh, will you?” Julia called out, turning from where she was standing with Xander and Augustus. “You think there’s a chance that four people, two of whom are Mundane, might be overwhelmed by enemies when invading the capitol city of the most devastatingly bloodthirsty faction of wizards that’s ever lived? You think maybe there’s a chance this won’t end well?”

“Are you still here?” Adela responded. “Don’t you have a high school to subjugate somewhere? This is just speculation, but I assume there’s still plenty of students in the world that think you’re a stupid bi-”

“Enough,” I hissed. “I’m not interested in listening to you two go at it.”

The two continued glaring at each other for a moment until Adela snorted derisively, looking off into the woods to her left. I looked between the two girls.. As unpleasant as this venture was sure to be, I had a feeling I knew what the most trying part of it would be.

“Look,” I said, raising my voice so that everyone in the clearing would be drawn into the conversation. “The way I see it, our odds are best if everyone comes along. Julia, I know things aren’t great for you right now, but you’re still a member of the Rainbow Cabals tonight, aren’t you?”

Still facing away, Julia nodded once.

“So it’s still your duty to act here, right? Even more than the three of us, you have a responsibility to come.”

Tyler stiffened. It was a far cry from the normally petulant way he would express displeasure, but I could see the muscles in his face tense, see his jaw clench as he prepared to argue.

“Yes, I said that right. The three of us. I know that Jay and Marika will be willing to come along, but I’m not about to put you in danger. You’ll stay here with Mr. Jefferies.”

“Not a chance.”

“Not a discussion, Ty,” I said. My voice was dangerously close to breaking. “You’re all I have left. I’m going to keep you safe, no matter what.”

Adela cleared her throat.

“Something to add?” I asked.

“I think it would be a good idea for him to come along.”

“Really?” Tyler and I said at the same time, though my brother’s was incredulous, and mine was spoken through grit teeth.

“I know it’s not something you want to hear, Emily. Normally, I would be against any dead weight at all, which would probably include any Mundanes, but this isn’t a normal situation.”

“What purpose could Tyler possibly serve in a warzone?”

Adela glanced at my brother, her eyes scanning him up and down before returning to mine. There was something searching in her gaze, something intrigued, but also...frightened. More than anything, that concealed fear my magic revealed convinced me that she was being earnest. For what could a girl like her, whose magic let her slip away from danger whenever she felt the need, possibly have to fear that wasn’t cause for everyone to fear?

“He awakens something in her,” she said finally. “I don’t know if it’s love, or friendship, or just the strength of their Connection...But she’s strongest when he’s there. I’ve never seen someone work through Guardiana’s binding before. It was like she wasn’t even restrained. And that light...”

Adela shivered.

“It’s Tyler, no doubt about it. Cheri is the most important piece in the puzzle of this world, but he is the most important piece to her.”

Tyler flushed slightly, but he still stood straight as he stepped up beside me.

“She saved you too, Adela,” Tyler said. “As hurt as she was, bound as tightly as they knew how, she still managed to teleport us to safety. It might have been because of me, but knowing Cheri like I do...I think it was us. I think...She wants us all to be safe. Even you.”

“This is all super touching,” Julia drawled. I saw Adela’s eyes harden even as Tyler turned a deeper shade of red. It was just too much to ask, that she’d help willingly. “But what makes you think I have any interest in joining this little suicide mission? Rainbow Cabals or not, our odds of success are slim to non-existent with such a light crew.”

“So what’s the call?” Augustus said from behind her. “You heard the traitor. The Council’s walking into a trap. They won’t find the girl, and they’ll probably be slaughtered to the last.”

“Since when are you in the habit of doubting the Prism Council?” Julia snapped. “You think a situation where the seven greatest wizards of our time would lose their lives might be saved if you were there throwing fireballs?”

“Why don’t you call them or something?” Marika asked, though from the mischievous glint in her eye she was more interested in stirring up grief between the siblings than actually providing a resolution.

“Not a good idea,” Xander responded. “Even if we could find someone with a Connection power that could reach them, wherever they’ve gone. Either they don’t believe us, and they arrest Adela and maybe even the rest of us for consorting with her, or they do believe us and send the message, and the magic gives away the Prism Council’s position at an inopportune moment. No, whatever we decide to do, it’s on us.”

“For fuck’s sake, you two have already decided to go, haven’t you?” Julia said, the disbelief heavy in her voice. “You’re going to follow a bloodmage, three Mundane children, and a Familiar into the White City?”

And they did look like they’d made up their minds. Xander had been surreptitiously stretching for most of the time we’d been standing here, and Augustus’ eagerness was painted all over his face.

“This is our shot, little sister,” Augustus said. “To make up for what we fucked up.”

Julia scowled in response to “little sister”, but otherwise said nothing.

I arched an eyebrow at Xander, and he shrugged.

“I’m still under orders,” was all he said.

I could tell how much this was getting to Julia. A twitch of one gracefully curved eyebrow, a slight compression of the muscles at the corners of her mouth...The signs would have been impossible to pick out singularly, even with close scrutiny, but now...The whole picture leapt out at me even in the still-growing light of the morning.

Then, it clicked.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to come. She just didn’t want anyone to know that she wanted to come.

I bit back a smile. “Are you really going to let your brother come with us alone? You know how he gets without supervision.”

Julia’s eyes narrowed as she glanced my way. I had a feeling she knew what I was trying to do, and if I knew anything about her at all, she wouldn’t appreciate the hand I was offering.

But she would take it.

“I guess if my only choices are between dying with you idiots or knowing I sent you off to die alone,” Julia said, tossing her head angrily, “I’ll take the stupid choice that I know I’ll have to live with for less time. But we’re doing this my way.”

“I don’t think we have time to make a teenager army,” Marika said. “Didn’t that take you months?”

“Enough,” I said again, giving Marika a stern look. As per usual, rather than accepting my rebuke as it was given, she glanced at Jay. More often than not, Jay would nod in agreement with me, but I supposed that the point of separation between what would normally be following my direct orders was more palatable for her.

Marika shrugged, going to lean against the wall next to Adela. The two of them began whispering to each other, but Marika didn’t seem like she was antagonizing her, so I let them be. Marika had always gotten along strangely well with Adela. Maybe some instinctual awareness that the girl was not to be fucked with, maybe she just didn’t want to screw things up for Roman. It was hard to say, when it came to Marika. She wielded unpredictability like a shield.

“We’ll follow your lead,” I told Julia. “None of us are interested in the credit, so if this works out, it’ll be great for you and your team.”

“And if it doesn’t work out?”

I gave her a wan smile. “Are we likely to be in any position to complain?”

“I suppose not,” Julia said, pursing her lips. “We should still have some semblance of a plan, going in. I assume we’ll be able to enter somewhat discreetly?”

It was pointedly obvious, the way the question must have been for Adela, but was directed at me. Then again, I didn’t expect a history as bloody as theirs to be washed clean at the first mention of cooperation. I just needed them to function, and bridging dysfunction was one of my fortes.

“Discretion isn’t really an option,” Adela said. “I can put us anywhere in the city that I want, but they’ll know the minute I arrive. I’m sure Ignacius has been crowing my betrayal from the rooftops, so the moment they know who exactly passed the barrier...it won’t be good.”

“Won’t a lot of them be busy with the ritual?” I asked.

“If we’re lucky.”

My eyes flitted north, where the smoke from the city-fires still hung in the air.

Not so much, I thought.

“So what makes you think this will work?” Julia pressed, still talking to me. “You seemed highly confident when you were explaining.”

“There’s someone on the inside who’ll be willing to help us. We just need to make it there.”

Julia narrowed her eyes at me, then glanced at Adela for the first time since she’d started talking. “Will you grant us some insurance? It’s not that I don’t trust you, but…”

Adela snorted. “You’d be stupid to trust me. What could I possibly offer you as insurance?”

“Let me use my magic on you. I’ll give you a command, so I can know you won’t abandon us, trick us, or anything like that.”

“Do what you want.”

I was surprised by Adela’s immediate acquiescence. Even if I had nothing to hide, the thought that Julia might use it to get some kind of cruel advantage in the aftermath, or even just the helplessness associated with submitting myself to someone like that...I’d probably have balked. But now, looking at Adela’s expression, it wasn’t confidence I saw. It wasn’t dedication or ferocity. There was something in her dark eyes that was, at the same time, wholly indescribable and hauntingly familiar.

Julia stepped up to Adela, though I didn’t miss the way Augustus and Xander flanked her on either side. Even now, when we were attempting to form a unified front, Julia was unwilling to even approach the girl without some form of protection near her. She leaned in to whisper into Adela’s ear and I saw the flare of Julia’s magic as it flowed from her mouth like a pale blue mist and settled into Adela’s body.

A flash of discomfort showed on Adela’s face as whatever compulsion Julia had just laid on her came into effect, but she returned to her normal stone-faced expression quickly enough.

“Satisfied?”

Julia looked Adela over. Apparently content with whatever representation of her magic she saw, she nodded curtly.

“It’ll have to do.”

“Then group up around me,” Adela said, moving away from the wall to give us adequate room to encircle her. “We’ve wasted enough time already.”

Jay and Marika both had their emergency bags with them, the exchange wizards seemed to be fully kitted judging by the bulging pouches and array of foreign tools strapped to their belts, and I had more than enough for what we had to do. A sword, my eyes...and a desire that burned like fire in my chest.

Adela pulled an amulet from beneath her shirt and clasped a hand around it as its pendant began shining with a brilliant white light. Across the circle, my eyes met Tyler’s, pale blue on brown. He nodded once, firmly.

The world around us peeled away, and I heard the other Tryhards make surprised exclamations as the disorienting spectacle of teleportation set in. I simply closed my eyes and waited.

In the quiet void behind my eyelids, I could see my home swallowed in blossoming fire. I could see the tears on my father’s face, hear the tremor in his voice as he told me to leave. The last time I saw him alive.

My jaw clenched, my fist clamped around the hilt of my blood-red longsword, and I was striding forward as soon as my feet hit stone. Toward my enemies, toward Cheri.

Toward vengeance.