Someone in my mind screamed. Shock chilled my skin.

The woman was my sister.

In the flash of an eye, the other Rebel Gods ran from their fights and joined the horned god. I flew toward them, determined to reach Rowan.

But I was too far away.

The horned god threw a stone to the ground, and a blast of golden light plumed upward.

I made eye contact with Rowan as she was dragged into the light by the horned god, transporting away. I reached for her, tears blurring my vision.

Recognition flashed in her eyes, then she was gone.

“No!” I screamed, landing hard on the ground. “Rowan!”

Cade raced to me and grabbed my arm and pulled. “Come on! We have to get out of here.”

Del and Cass sprinted out of the temple. The constant roar of the world collapsing was nearly deafening.

That had been Rowan.

Ana ran up to me, tears in her eyes. “I saw her!”

I wasn’t crazy.

“Come on!” Cade shouted.

I snapped into action. He was right. Rowan was gone. And we had to get gone, or we’d be crushed within this world.

I sprinted out of the temple, my foot aching from the lightning blow. Cade and Ana ran at my side, Mayhem leading the way. All around, the world was lit with an orange glow. Dust billowed up from all sides, growing closer as the world collapsed from the outside in, toward the harbor in the middle.

I prayed that Jude was right—that the harbor would be the last thing to go because it was connected to the real world.

We raced across the courtyard, but the destruction was too fast. We were too slow.

Ahead of me, light shimmered around Cass as she transformed into a large griffon. The beast had the head of an eagle and the body of a lion. Massive wings flared high. Del and Nix leapt onto her back, and she took off into the air.

Next to me, Cade shifted into his wolf form, then howled. I jumped onto his back, Ana following. We clung to him as he sprinted through the city, his wolf speed blowing my hair back from my face. We raced after Cass, Nix, and Del, keeping up easily. Mayhem raced alongside, her dark eyes wide.

All around, dust billowed up as the destruction neared. Buildings cracked and toppled, and the roar of thunder grew louder.

Would we make it?

Fear chilled my skin as I began to breathe in the dust. It became hard to see.

When we spilled out into the harbor, the sight of the hippokampoi was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen.

Aidan, Roarke, and Ares waited at the edge, their gazes glued to Cass, Nix, and Del. Cass landed, her claws clattering on the stone. Del and Nix leapt off her back and hugged Roarke and Ares.

Cass shifted back to human and yelled, “You shouldn’t have waited!”

“Ha!” Aidan climbed onto a hippokampoi. “As if we’d leave.”

They all piled onto hippokampoi.

Cade stopped in front of the water, and I jumped off his back. All around, the world was chaos. Destruction was breathing down our necks.

I scrambled onto the back of a hippokampoi and shouted, “Did Jude make it out?”

“She took the documents and left,” Ares said.

Thank fates.

Ana and Cade climbed on behind me, and the hippokampoi shot through the water, speeding toward the portal. I turned around to watch the world devour itself. Mayhem flew alongside, silent and determined.

There was nothing but dust and destruction. As the golden light of the portal flashed, I realized that for the first time, I felt no pain in my wings.

* * *

On the other side of the golden portal, Kart-hadasht was dead silent. The portal back to Edinburgh glowed orange. We scrambled off the hippokampoi, and Mayhem zipped for the portal.

I turned back to them. “Thank you.”

They each gave one of their burbly neighs, then swam off. I rushed through the orange portal with everyone else, spilling out into the darkened alley.

Tears stung my eyes, and my breath heaved. I sought Ana, grabbing her hands. “You saw her, right?”

Tears filled her eyes. “I did. I really did. It was Rowan.”

“Your sister?” Cade asked.

The others looked on, eyes wide.

“It was her. I know it was her!” My mind raced, trying to remember every detail of what had just happened. “It was like she was under some kind of spell. The black oil that covered her had changed her eye color. Changed the signature of her magic.”

“Then when it fell away, she looked like herself,” Ana said. “Her eyes were blue again.”

“She recognized me.” I was sure of it. “As soon as the spell was lifted, she recognized me.”

“It happened right when Nix finished removing the magic from the flame,” Ana said.

“Oh, fates.” It all clicked into place. “The Rebel Gods returned five years ago. When Rowan disappeared, they were the ones who abducted her. They used her magic to jumpstart their operations. That’s why the magic in the stronghold felt strangely familiar.” I spun toward Nix, who watched with wide eyes. “Can I see the rock? The one where you put the magic from the eternal flame.”

“Sure.” She handed it over.

As soon as I touched it, my jaw dropped. It was like holding Rowan’s hand again. The scent of lilacs and the feel of a breeze hit me. Tears welled in my eyes.

“This is her magic,” I said. “They took it from her and used it to fuel the stronghold.”

Ana touched it and gasped, her gaze meeting mine. “It is hers.”

“We have to save her,” I said. “She didn’t mean to do those things with the Rebel Gods. She’s a captive, under their spell.”

Cade wrapped an arm around my shoulders, supporting me when my legs turned weak.

Cass stepped forward and laid her hand on the rock. “All of the magic in here is pure. Good.”

“They took her goodness and used it to create the stronghold,” Ana said. “We have to get it back to her.”

“We have to get her back.”

We had to.