Most were dressed in old-timey wear, like the hapless souls who’d crossed this desert in carriages in the nineteenth century, looking for a better life. They hadn’t found it. They’d died here.

“They’ll go for your worst memories or fears.” I panted. “Try to close off your mind.”

Easier said than done. There was no fighting Phantoms with blade or bow. Only Del could do that, because she was half Phantom. I was about to press my fingertips to my comms charms and call her when the Phantoms surged forward.

They were fast. And hungry.

Within a second, they were nearly upon us, their soulless eyes devouring us. I felt the cold tendrils of their magic inside my mind, reaching for my darkest memories and dredging fear to the surface.

Too late to call Del.

I sprinted forward, trying to avoid them. We just had to get past them before their influence drove us to our knees with misery and pain.

But that was the hard part. Their dark magic seeped inside my mind, tendrils of dark mist that pulled at memories of my time in the Monster’s dungeon. Of being all alone in the dark and the cold. Once again, I was fourteen, huddled against the wall of my cell.

Then an image of my deirfiúr, killed by Drakon. Their bodies, lifeless in the dirt.

A sob burst from my chest, but I pushed myself faster, running past Phantoms who tore at my mind with their magic. They reached for us, flowing toward us as we passed their haunting grounds. I dodged around them.

A glance at Ares showed his face twisted with pain. What was he reliving?

There were more Phantoms ahead, and we were only a quarter of the way through the crater. My muscles weakened as I ran, as if the strain on my mind were too much for my body.

“Failure,” one of the Phantoms hissed.

“Unworthy,” hissed another.

They’d found other fears to go for. I could feel their glee at my pain, a dark magic that pulsed on the air.

I sprinted harder, but somehow only managed to run slower. They were too strong, too fierce. And we were only halfway across.

We wouldn’t make it.

“Go!” I cried to Ares. He was fast enough.

But he stuck by my side, actually veering closer. Like he was considering picking me up or something. But that wouldn’t work. He’d still be too slow.

We wouldn’t make it across. He wouldn’t make it across. Images of him being devoured by the Phantoms’ dark magic streaked through my mind. I couldn’t bear it.

I stumbled, going to my knees. He dragged me up, though he didn’t look much stronger than I was. The strain was too much. The misery overwhelming.

Desperate, I called upon my new destroyer magic. I’d never successfully thrown it before, and it wouldn’t work against Phantoms, but I had to try. There was nothing left to do but try. I gathered it inside myself, then hurled it outward at the Phantom who reached for me.

A blast of gray smoke collided with him and he stumbled back. Victory and hope lightened my heart, lending strength to my muscles.

Until he surged forward, stronger than ever. He glowed brighter, his magic battering my mind. Pain surged through my skull, a migraine that would lay me out if I weren’t so driven by adrenaline and fear.

The Phantom had liked the destruction power. Of course he had.

And why was I throwing that at him, anyway? I was Life. It was such a weird power to have.

I shouldn’t be using that. It was counter to my very being.

Instinctually, I called upon the magic at the core of my being. Not a magical gift, like conjuring or destroying, but the power that actually fueled those gifts. The power that lived within my soul. It was raw magical energy, the battery that fueled my magic. I’d never used it this way before—I didn’t know that it was even possible—but fear could make a person try crazy things.

The magic was a golden light inside my chest, fierce and strong. I let it free, calling it up from inside myself until it filled me with warmth and hope. I sprinted through the Phantoms who stood between me and the other side, stumbling only once.

I gathered up the magic like it was spun gold, then threw out my hands and hurled it at the nearest Phantom.

Golden light shot from my palm, colliding with the monster. He shriveled to nothing in an instant, blinking out of existence like he’d never been.

Shock stole my breath—though that could have been all the sprinting—and I tried it again, this time aiming for a group of Phantoms coming for Ares.

The golden light flashed, hurtling from my palm and colliding with the oncoming enemy. They blinked out of existence, the magic too much for them.

We had a chance!

We were still fifty meters away from the other side of the crater. I was beyond exhausted, and there were at least a dozen Phantoms between us and safety.

But I had a weapon.

“On your left!” Ares shouted.

I threw a blast of golden light at the Phantoms. It was smaller this time, but it collided with two of them and obliterated their glowing blue forms. We dodged the next group, my legs straining and my lungs aching. Though they ran to keep up with us, we were just fast enough.

There was one last group between us and the other side. Five Phantoms, all with their arms outstretched and their gazes hungry. There’d be no dodging this many—not when they stood directly in front of us.

I gathered up the last of my magic, every single bit of it, and hurled it at them. Golden light burst from my palms, flashing toward them. It bowled the Phantoms over, destroying them in seconds.

Joy surged in my chest as exhaustion dragged at my legs. But we made it to the edge and began to claw our way upward. My lungs burned and my muscles ached. I scrambled toward the top on hands and knees. Ares wasn’t doing much better, the mental strain of the Phantoms was enough to give even him trouble.

We reached the rim and I scrambled up, flopping onto my back and panting as sweat rolled down my face. It was warmer up here, the unnatural chill of the Phantoms long gone. I rolled over and peered into the crater below.

It was empty, as barren as when we’d first looked into it. Though we’d left some Phantoms behind, they’d disappeared as soon as we had left.

“Well done, Nix.” Ares panted, rising to sit at the edge.

I dragged myself up into a sitting position, scooting toward him. The sun had sunk fully behind the horizon and the dark was creeping in on us.

“What kind of magic was that?” he asked.

“I have no idea.” But I felt empty inside, totally exhausted. “I think it was my core magic. I just threw it out of me. I didn’t even know I could do something like that.”

“You blasted them with life.”

“Maybe?” It sounded crazy, but… “I guess it makes sense. If the plants on Elesius all died to give me their magic, that’s what it would be, right?”

“I think so.” He reached for my hand, squeezing. “You saved us back there. Phantoms… I’ve only ever heard of them. They’re worse than I ever realized they could be.”

I shuddered at the memory of the horrible fears they’d dredged up, the awful things they’d made me relive. “They’re the worst. Something so terrible that you can’t even fight.”

“But you can fight them.”

“I guess I can. Now.” I smiled. That was a good power to have. Except for the fact that I was tapped out. I could feel the slightest tingle of magic inside me. My power had started to regenerate, a battery recharging, but it’d take more rest.

And now was truly the worst time to have no magic. It was dark, the air was growing colder, and I was thirsty. Soon, I’d be hungry. “I’m pretty tapped out. Won’t be able to conjure water or a tent for a while.”

Ares started to rise. “I’ll go look for water.”

“No.” I reached up and grabbed his hand, pulling him down. “Remember what Bree and Ana said? We need to hang tight when it gets dark. Who knows what’s out there?”

“My vision is good. I’d see them coming.”

“All the same, I don’t think we should separate.” I tugged his arm again, and he sat. “I’ll be able to conjure some simple things soon. Then we’ll camp out till morning.”

He sighed, then sat. “All right.”

He tugged me closer, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. His warmth flowed into me, seeping into my tired muscles. I sagged against him.

“How’s your hearing?” I asked. “Extra good, right?”

“I’ll be able to hear any approaching threats, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“That’s what I’m asking.” I leaned my head against his shoulder, enjoying the closeness. “Though I do trust Bree and Ana. If they said to camp here, it’s safe.”

“Mostly.”

I laughed, but he was right. You never could quite tell what would come at you. And those girls were so brave that their idea of safe could still be pretty dangerous.

The night grew darker as I rested against Ares. Wind whistled and the air grew cooler. Stars came out, glittering high in the sky above. Eventually, I had enough power to conjure us some water and sandwiches, along with a big sleeping bag.

“You’re impressively resourceful,” Ares said.

“Conjuring is a good skill to have.” I polished off my sandwich and took a sip of water, then huddled into the sleeping bag.

Ares joined me, and I curled up against him, seeking his heat. The desert was cold at night, down to the forties at this hour. Though being close to him set my blood on fire, I was too exhausted to sit upright, much less do anything else.

“Not just the conjuring,” Ares said. “You created new magic today. You saved us from the Phantoms.”

I sighed. “Yeah. A bit of a surprise.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. The new magic was a shock. And… I’ve been doubting myself a lot lately.”

It felt good just to say the words out loud. Even feeling doubt could be guilt inducing. Like I should be strong enough not to feel uncertain in the first place. Which was just a vicious circle.

But saying it out loud… kinda took the burden off.

“You’re one of the strongest, most resourceful people I know.” Ares’s arm tightened around me.

“It’s just that I only have the conjuring power. It’s super handy. But if you’re up against a seriously powerful magic, conjuring a sword doesn’t get you very far.”

“It’s gotten you pretty damned far, I think.”

I smiled. “I’m proud of that. I am. But one day, I’m going to be out-powered.”

“That’s a risk for anyone. But fate wouldn’t choose you if you weren’t worthy.”

“Thank you.” And maybe he had a point. I’d blasted those Phantoms away with my new magic. Magic from Elesius, which had chosen me over all my ancestors. “Considering everything that my city had given me, I really ought to have had some faith. To honor its sacrifice.”

“Doubt can be a tremendous burden. It will slow you down.”

I looked up at him. Moonlight cut across his face. “You know something about that?”

“I do. For a long time, I thought I couldn’t uphold my father’s legacy as Enforcer. Or be worthy of the post at all.”

“But you are.”

He shrugged. “Took some time to realize that. But I’d have been better off if I’d have realized it sooner.”

“How did you realize it?”

“Just forced myself to do the job and give it my best. Eventually, I started to believe in myself.”

“Not a bad plan.” It was something I needed to do. Just try—try to succeed, try to believe I could do this.

Yeah, there was a lot at stake. And sometimes I felt like I was standing at the base of Mount Everest in flip-flops.

But getting mired in doubt was a terrible way to spend the magic that Elesius had given me. I owed it to myself to have a little faith in my abilities. I owed it to my home.

“You’re going to be fine, Nix. I’ve always believed in you. And I don’t say that easily.”

I smiled. Whatever came my way, I’d do everything in my power to stop Drakon. To finish what fate had started for me.

“Thanks.” I snuggled closer to him, exhaustion dragging at my muscles. It was pretty awesome to confide in Ares. Scary, to get this close to another person, but awesome. Really freaking awesome.

* * *

I ran through the forest, leaping over tree limbs and dodging boulders. Tears poured down my cheeks, fear turning my chest to ice.

All around me, the forest died. Trees lost their leaves and grass shriveled to nothing. Elesius was dying, but Mum wouldn’t tell me why. She said I was too young to know, but I was thirteen! Nearly an adult.

I scrubbed the tears from my cheeks, but my blurred vision made it impossible to see the tree root. I tripped, sprawling on my hands, pain shooting through my knee. A rock.

I sobbed, head bent.

The forest was betraying me. As if it were my fault it was dying. I shook my head.

“No,” I whispered. That was crazy.

I rolled onto my butt, sitting with my back against the dead tree that had tripped me. All around, wind whistled past the trees. But there were no leaves to rattle. No grass to wave in the wind.

At my side, there was a tiny, struggling vine. It leaned toward me, as if blown by the wind. But the wind came from the other direction. I reached out to pet it.

A footstep sounded behind me.

I whirled, catching sight of the old man who occasionally visited me when I was in the forest.

“Grandfather Ademius!” I called. I sniffled, shoving back the tears.

He turned his head in my direction and smiled, as if he’d been looking for me. I hadn’t seen him in ages.

“Where have you been?” I asked. Happiness fluttered in my chest.

He approached slowly. He said he was slow because of his old bones, but there was something timeless about him.

“Well?” I prodded.

“Calm down, child.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s harder for old Ademius to get around these days.”

“You could just come live here, you know.”

He tutted. “That I could not. And I have my reasons.” He held up a finger to still my usual arguments. “But it doesn’t mean I can’t visit you.”

I smiled, leaning back against the tree. He sat down to join me, his joints creaking. Ademius had started appearing to me years ago, but only while I was in the forest. I thought of him almost as a woodland sprite, though he wasn’t very spritely at his age. He’d said he was my family, one who’d had to leave Elesius long ago. He looked a lot like my mother, especially around the eyes, so it was clearly true.

I loved his company. Though I had my parents, my grandparents had died before I was born. Ademius was the closest thing I had to a grandfather.

“Have you done your gardening today?” he asked.

“Yes.” He always asked about my garden, giving me tips and tricks. “But I’m worried. Not only has the forest been dying faster, now my garden is starting to look wilted. The herbs are failing. That’s never happened before.”

Ademius’s eyes turned sad, but he nodded knowingly. “It was only a matter of time.”

“What do you mean?”

“Things can’t live forever, child.” He gripped his walking stick. “Not even me.”

Mention of his death distracted me from my worry over the forest. “You’ve lived a long time, but why not longer?”

He smiled. “I’ve lived plenty long. You have no idea. But don’t you worry about me. It’s you we have to talk about.”

“Me?”

“Yes.” His gaze met mine, suddenly serious. “I will have to go away soon and won’t be able to visit you as often.”

“You only come a few times a year, at most.” I dug my hands into the dirt. I couldn’t lose Ademius.

“Be that as it may, I must leave.” His eyes were kind. “But you will find me again, one day.”

“How?” Tears pricked my eyes. This felt final.

“You’ll know the way. It will be inside you. But I have left something for you that will help. When the time comes, your mother will give it to you.”

“Like a map?” This was like a game—except it was sad. What was the point of a sad game?

“Like a map, yes. But it’s inside of you.” He held out a hand, silencing me. “While I’m gone, you must take care of your garden. Learn to tend it.”

“Why is that so important to you?” I loved my garden, but I almost thought he loved it more.

“It is important to you, Phoenix. You must tend to the life within your garden. It will reward you tenfold.”

“Okay.” That was weird. What did he even mean by that? “Do you really have to leave now?”

He nodded, then slowly rose, leaning heavily on his cane. I jumped to my feet, throwing my arms around his frail body. I sniffled, but the tears wouldn’t stay back any longer.

“I can’t believe you’re leaving,” I sobbed.

“I must. Someone is hunting for me. Someone evil. I must not fall into his hands or…” I drew in a shuddering breath. “Just tend to your garden, Phoenix. It will love you in return.”

* * *

I popped awake, gasping. The sun peaked over the horizon, spreading a golden glow over the valley.

“What’s wrong?” Ares’s voice was groggy as he sat up.

“A dream.” I scrubbed my hand over my face to dry the tears. “I knew Ademius when I was a child.”

Suddenly, things were falling into place.

“How?”

“He visited me in the forest several times a year. He must have known what I would become. But then he disappeared. He said he was being hunted.”

“By Drakon?”

“I think so. He said he was evil.”

“That means Drakon has been seeking this prophecy for over a decade. He didn’t have the Vessel of Truth at that point, though, did he?”

“No. He first got it by stealing it from us. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t know the legend of the beaker. Vessels of Truth are rare. He could have learned of Ademius first, then found the beaker.”

“And Ademius got wind that he was coming for him and ran for it,” Ares said.

“Exactly. But not before telling me to tend to my garden.” I smiled. Though I couldn’t remember the other times I’d seen him in the forest, I could recall how comforted I’d felt to be in his presence. How much I’d enjoyed talking about my garden with him. “I’ve always liked older people and I wondered if I had a grandparent. I didn’t—not technically. But I’d had Ademius.”

“He’s a grandparent.” The corner of Ares’s mouth quirked up. “If you add about one hundred ‘greats’ in front of his name.”

I smiled, my heart suddenly light. We were going to find Ademius. More family for me.

I climbed out of the sleeping bag and stretched my sore muscles. “Come on. We’ve got to get a move on.”

“Excited?” he asked.

“Yeah.” I gazed out at the rising sun, hope filling my chest. “Last week, I knew nothing about my family. Not even if they were alive or dead. Nothing. I’ve been desperate to know for ten years. But now, I have parents. And Ademius.”

“That is a good streak of luck.” Ares smiled.

“Yep. And I’m going to keep it going.” I called upon my magic, conjuring a breakfast of cheese sandwiches and water. I handed one off to Ares.

“Cheese sandwiches for breakfast?” he asked.

“Cheese for all meals.”

“Thanks.” He bit in. Chewed. Swallowed. “You’re a good cook.”

“Only with the conjuring. And cheese.” I ate my sandwich quickly, then conjured a simple nylon backpack. I crouched down and bundled the sleeping bag up into a tiny packet. I’d been careful to conjure one of those compressible ones. I hated leaving trash behind, so I’d just carry it out of here, along with our used water bottles.

“You don’t want to use your destroyer power to clean up?” Ares asked.

“No.” I shoved the sleeping bag into the backpack. The destroyer magic felt too dark inside me, more so than ever. Was that because I was becoming more in tune with the Life magic and the two couldn’t coexist easily? Though it was controlled and no longer making me ill, I didn’t like using it. “I don’t want to use it more than necessary. And I should save my power anyway.”

“Fair enough.” Ares reached for the backpack and swung it onto his back.

“I don’t mind carrying it.”

“It feels like a feather on my back. Literally.”

“All right, Superman.”

Ares grinned. “Just a vampire. But I’ll take the title if you insist.”

I laughed and punched him playfully on the shoulder. “Lets get a move on.”

We set off across the desert, following my dragon sense toward the mountains in the distance. The sun blazed down, making me wish that Ana and Bree had been able to stick around with their buggy. Too bad I couldn’t conjure a car. I was getting close—all that practice with fixing up Fabio and his siblings was giving me enough of an understanding of a car’s inner workings that I should be there soon.

But for now, we were on foot. The ground was too uneven for a bike, so we were stuck with walking for at least two hours. In the blazing sun.

Yuck.

“I think we’re almost there.” I pointed ahead of us, to the mountain that loomed in the distance. There was a massive rock at the base, like a huge flat boulder that had rolled down the mountain and settled at the bottom.

When we neared, it became clear that the rock had been placed there intentionally to block something. An entrance, probably. Hider’s Haven was in there. Or through there. Hard to say.

I eyed the massive rock in front of us. It had to weigh several tons, no question. “Well, that’s not going to be fun.”

“We have to move it to get to the path beyond?” Ares asked.

“Yep.” I inspected it. Magic shimmered around the stone, a haze of white that indicated a spell could remove it. “There must be some kind of password to get by.”

“Perhaps that’s what Ana and Bree meant when they said it would be difficult to get in without an invitation.”

“Makes sense.” I examined every inch of the stone, then started checking the mountain around it, looking for some kind of clue. When I helped Cass and Del on their jobs, we sometimes had to figure out riddles to get through the tricky parts of tombs and temples. Usually, I was pretty good at them.

But this time? “I’ve got no idea how to get through.”

“I’ll try to move it.”

“It weighs thousands of pounds.”

“True.” Ares approached, eyeing the slab of stone. I could almost see the calculations going on behind his eyes. He rubbed his hands together, then crouched at the edge of the rock and gripped a small crevice. He heaved upward.

Ares strained, veins standing out at his neck as he grimaced. The rock shifted, scraping against the mountain. It lifted a centimeter off the ground. Two centimeters.

Sweat rolled down Ares’s temple. His face turned red. He grunted. The stone lifted another few centimeters, then dropped to the ground.

Ares cursed and stepped back. “Too big.”

Hmmm. That left me then.

I probably couldn’t destroy the whole thing with my magic—this was about a thousand times bigger than the dishrag I’d obliterated in practice a couple weeks ago. But I had to try.

I called upon my magic, stepping forward and pressing my hand against the stone. I shuddered, not wanting to call upon the destroyer magic, but forcing myself to. It felt weird, especially once the power rushed up inside me, but I focused on pouring the magic into the stone. It rushed out of me as a breeze, filling the rock.

Slowly the stone cracked, a fissure crawling from the top to the bottom of the enormous rock. The slab didn’t crumble away—I wasn’t strong enough for that—but the crack grew slowly.

I focused, feeding more of my power into the stone, envisioning it splitting in two. Finally, the crack crawled all the way up to the top. It was now in two pieces. Hopefully I could destroy at least one.

Panting, I stepped back. “Just give me a moment and I can try again.”

“Not necessary.” Ares stepped up and gripped the rock on the right, heaving it upward. His muscles strained, but the boulder crept up inches. Then a foot. He shifted it a few feet away from the mountain, then dropped it. It thudded to the ground. He stepped back, sweat trickling down his brow.

“Nice one.” I held up a hand for a high five.

Ares grinned and held up his hand so that I could smack it with my own.

“Good teamwork,” Ares said.

“We should make our own motivational poster. I’ll be the kitten hanging off the branch and you can be the eagle who is soaring toward his goal.”

Ares chuckled.

I joined him at the crevice where the stone stood away from the mountain and peeked inside. It was dark and narrow, but there was a darker bit and the cool scent of earth flowing out.

“Definitely a tunnel back there, and just enough room to squeeze through.” I was about to step inside when Ares slipped past me and went first.

He had to exhale fully and slide through sideways, but he managed to disappear into the tunnel entrance. I shuddered at the close quarters, then followed him.

Inside, Ares held his hands up, letting his magic light shine inside the dark space. It was about seven feet tall and ten feet wide, a railroad track disappearing down the tunnel.

“It’s an old mine,” Ares said.

I crouched, examining the track and the footprints in the dirt. “The track hasn’t been used in decades, but the footprints look fresh. Sorta.”

“Hider’s Haven could be a repurposed mine.”

“I’d almost bet on it.” I stood and started down the track. Ares kept at my side, his hands illuminating the passage in front of us. The air was dark and cool down here. For the first time since the sun had come up, I wasn’t sweating. “Hider’s Haven has got to be in this mountain. It’s not a throughway.”

“Between the heat and the monsters out in the valley, I agree.”

I kept my ears pricked and my senses alert as we went deeper into the mountain. Soon, a pale glow shined from up ahead. I pointed. Ares nodded.

We crept toward it on silent feet. As we neared, the glow coalesced to form a figure.

“A ghost.”

“Not a Phantom?” Ares asked. There was a slight shudder to his voice. I couldn’t blame him.

“No. Phantoms are blue. This guy is just a ghost.” They didn’t normally give the living too much trouble. This one was transparent white, about forty years old, with long messy hair covered by a hat. His overalls and old-time hat making him look like he’d stepped out of another century. “A miner.”

We neared, and I waved awkwardly. “Hi.”

He chewed on something, his jaw working furiously, but I couldn’t tell what he was chomping on. Then he tipped his hat. “Howdy. You got your pass?”

“Um.” I tensed, ready for a fight. “No.”

He frowned. “Hmm. Then I reckon you ought to turn back.”

“Can’t do that.” Ares stepped forward.

The ghost seemed to debate, then shrugged. “Can’t stop ya. But you’ll regret it.”

“Going farther?” I asked.

He grinned, revealing several missing teeth. “Yep. But it gets boring down here, so I wouldn’t mind the company.”

“We won’t be here long,” I said.

His smile widened. “You will be. Once the mine gets ya.”

“Because we don’t have a pass?” Ares asked.

The miner nodded and hiked a thumb behind him. “You won’t make it two hundred yards. But give it a try.”

“You’re quite the welcoming committee,” I said.

“Like I said, I’m bored. Heard that boulder crack and came to see what’s up.” He waggled his brows at me and licked his lips. “And you’re real pretty.”

“Ew. Haven’t you ever heard of subtle charm?” He’d really lost me at the lip licking. Blech.

“You’ll change your tune once you’re stuck with me for a century.” He smacked his lips.

“I’m quite confident that I won’t.”

“Well, we’ll see. No one’s ever made it through who don’t have a pass.”

And now they were ghosts haunting this place. Probably avoiding the creepy advances of the lip-licking miner.

“Then where are the other ghosts?” Ares asked.

“You’ll meet ‘em.” He cackled. “And then you’ll be one of ‘em.”

“Great. Thanks.” I left him, Ares at my side.

“Come and find me later!” the miner hollered after us. “I’ll be lookin’ for ya!”

“Ew, no,” I muttered and continued on. The path felt like it could go for miles, the railroad running deep into the mines. We’d walked for ten minutes or more, the tunnel dark and quiet. Eventually, a ghost hovered along the side of the path ahead of us. “Fingers crossed for a non-sleazy ghost.”

Ares chuckled. As we neared the second welcoming committee, I got a good look at him. My stomach dropped. Half of his head was crushed in.

“Looks like he fell from a great height,” Ares said.

I swallowed hard. “Yeah.”

We were close enough to see his ghostly brains and sightless eyes. Though we passed him, his head didn’t turn to look at us. A shudder ran over me. Apparently the brain injury had wounded even his ghostly brain.

We were a few feet away when one horrible whisper slid across the back of my neck. “Run.”

Fear poured ice water over my skin.

I’d never been more convinced in my life that I should do as I was told. The one word was desperate, terrified.

I glanced at Ares, heart in my throat, then took off, sprinting down the corridor. Running toward our doom.