We arrived back on the main lawn at the Protectorate around noon. The sun shined brightly, a beautiful late summer day.

“Thank fates for transportation charms.” I stared at the castle, grateful we hadn’t had to travel back down the world tree.

“If only we knew where we were going all the time,” Cade said.

True. We could only use them when we knew exactly where we were headed. “That’s okay. We survived, didn’t we?” Delayed excitement thrummed in my chest. “And we got to meet Níðhöggr the serpent, Ratatoskr, the Fire Giants, and even the Valkyrie.”

“You haven’t been this excited about mythical creatures on our past adventures,” he said. “Quetzalcoatl, the giant flying snake at Texochtatlan, didn’t suit your tastes?”

“Ha. Definitely not. I suppose it’s just that this is my history. So now it means something.”

He smiled. “Makes sense. Ready to show off your new wings?”

I moved them slightly, then winced.

“Still hurt?” he asked.

“Never stopped. I need to finish the drill and earn them.” I tested folding my wings back into my body. Pain shot through them, a weird feeling since it was a body part I’d never had before.

“You aren’t going to be able to hide them that way,” Cade said.

I frowned. He was right. Hiding them was an issue. I wanted to be able to go out and about in the human realm, after all. Unless I was willing to pretend to be a movie extra at all times, this wasn’t good.

I closed my eyes and visualized my wings disappearing into my back, becoming totally invisible to the eye.

“Good job,” Cade said.

“They’re gone?”

“Aye.”

I imagined them flaring out of my back. Magic sparkled across my shoulders.

“They’re back,” Cade said.

I looked behind me, catching sight of my silver wing feathers wavering in the breeze. “Cool.”

“Let’s go alert the others.”

“Yeah, good idea. I don’t want to waste a second.” I set off across the lawn, hurrying toward the castle.

A bark sounded from high on the castle roof. I looked up. Mayhem fluttered in the air, the sun glinting on her blue form.

I waved at her. “Hey there!”

She zipped down to me, flying faster than should be possible for such a little dog. But then, who was I to say what was possible for a ghostly PugDragon?

When she arrived, Mayhem butted her head against my arm, then followed us toward the great front door. It swung open, and I stashed my wings, hiding them.

Just as we entered, Florian ran into the great hall, a large book in his hands and his wig slightly askew.

His gaze landed on me and his eyes widened. “Bree! Just the person I wanted to see.”

“Good news?” I asked.

“Yes, indeed! I’ve translated the book of the Rebel Gods.”

I grinned. “That’s great news.”

“Yes, yes. Let’s call a meeting. Jude and Hedy will want to be apprised of my progress.” He scowled. “And probably that no good Saddle-goose day librarian, Potts.”

“Fopdoodle?”

“You think he’s more of a saddle-goose?”

“Um…”

“Scobberlotcher?”

“Hmmm…”

“Lubberwort?”

Okay, now he was just naming off old-timer insults. “Definitely a saddle-goose.”

“That’s what I thought.” Florian grinned. “I’ll go gather the others. We shall meet in the round room.”

The round room again? Of course it made sense, since this was a matter of vital importance. But still, it emphasized the pressure of the situation.

Cade and I headed for the round room.

“Do you know what a Fopdoodle is?” I asked. “Or a saddle-goose?”

“Not a clue.”

“As I thought.”

We arrived at the round room just as Jude and Hedy did.

“Florian is fast,” I said.

Florian appeared in the doorway at that moment. “Of course I’m fast. Centuries as a ghost…. Do you not expect me to learn the quickest ways around this place?”

I grinned at him.

Jude met my gaze. “Did you succeed?”

“Mostly. There’s still work to be done, but I’m on the right track.”

The five of us took our seats around the circular table as Ana hurried in, followed by Caro, Ali, and Haris.

Ana ran toward me and threw her arms around me. I winced, pain streaking through my shoulders. It seemed that even though my wings were stored away, they still hurt.

She pulled away and frowned at me. “Are you okay?”

“Fine, fine.” Mostly.

“Caro, Ali, and Haris, what are you doing here?” Jude asked. “Shouldn’t you be on a case?”

“Lunch break,” Caro said.

“We want to know what’s up with Bree.” Ali nodded toward me.

“Personal interest,” Haris said.

Jude nodded. “All right. You may sit.”

They grinned at me and sat. Ana took the seat next to me.

Jude leaned forward. “What did you discover? Are your powers anchored within you? Do you have control?”

I sucked in a steady breath, realizing for the first time that the magic in my chest felt more secure. More stable. It was like something had been missing, but now it was there. I’d been so distracted by my wings—and the new ache of them—that I hadn’t felt it.

“Yes,” I said. “I do have more control. Not sure how much yet, but I’m on the path to figuring this out.”

“How?” Hedy asked. “What helped you anchor your power?”

I pushed my chair back and stood up, then commanded my wings to unfurl.

Everyone gasped, leaning back in their chairs. The awe on their faces made me grin. Okay, this was actually pretty cool.

“You have wings?” Ali demanded.

“They’re awesome.” The awe in Ana’s voice echoed in the room.

“Quite impressive.” Jude nodded.

“A gift from the Valkyrie?” Hedy asked.

“Not a gift,” Cade said. “She earned them.”

“Of course.” Hedy smiled.

“I’ve almost earned them,” I said. “I’ve completed the first task to actually get the wings. Now I have to prove that I deserve them. I have to use them in battle for the greater good, thereby becoming worthy and cementing them to me.”

“Did they have any suggestion about what this greater good might be?” Jude asked.

“Yes. I could destroy one of the Rebel Gods’ strongholds.”

Jude’s eyebrows rose. “Impressive. That would put a dent in their operations and potentially save lives if they lose a base to run their operation from. It takes an immense amount of magic to create a stronghold. They won’t recover quickly if you destroy one.”

Florian leaned forward and put the book on the table. “That’s where I come in. I’ve translated the book. It’s in Phoenician. We don’t have all of the language—not all of it survived the test of time—but I think I may be able to help you find them.”

Excitement thrummed in my chest. I absorbed my wings into my body and sat. “The Valkyrie said that the Rebel Gods likely operate out of a stronghold that is halfway between the godly realms and the early world.”

Hedy gasped. “That would take incredible magic.”

“They have it,” Florian said. “They are rising again, as we know. They’ve found great magic to jump-start the process.”

“From where?” Cade asked.

“I don’t know.” Florian frowned.

“Where could their stronghold be?” Jude asked.

“The Valkyrie believe that the entrance is through a temple in one of their greatest cities. They suggested Carthage, Byblos, or Tyre, but it may be another entirely.”

“The Phoenicians built temples to their gods,” Cade said. “If we can determine which god they’re particularly obsessed with, that could give us a clue.”

Florian leaned forward. “That’s where I can help. One name kept appearing in the Rebel Gods’ book—the god Melqart. I didn’t know why the name kept appearing, but now that you mention this Valkyrie theory about temples and ancient cities, I believe that you will find the entrance to their stronghold through a Temple of Melqart.”

“How many temples were built to him?” I asked. “Didn’t the Phoenicians create a great sea-trading empire throughout the Mediterranean? There must be dozens of temples, maybe more.”

“None that survived,” Cade said. “Except for the one at Kart-hadasht.”

“Where’s that?” I asked, remembering his fondness for history.

“It’s located on the south coast of Tunisia, not very far from Carthage, the Phoenicians greatest port city. But Carthage was a human settlement. Thousands of years of habitation have occurred there since the Carthaginian Phoenicians built their temples. They’re long gone. But Kart-hadasht was the supernatural city that operated near there. It was on the same shipping line, which was vital to the Phoenicians, but protected from humans. The remains of the city are still there. I think.”

“You haven’t been?” I asked.

“No, but I have two friends who work in the area. Archaeologists.”

“Could they show us where it is?”

“I believe so.”

Excitement swelled in my chest like a balloon. “So this is our best bet. We go to Kart-hadasht and find the temple entrance to their stronghold.”

“I’m coming,” Ana said.

“Me too!” Caro added.

“You’re not getting rid of us.” Ali leaned forward.

Haris grinned.

I smiled at them. “Thanks, guys.”

Having friends—having backup—was awesome.

“Hold on,” Jude said. “This is just recon—not the big fight. You know as well as anyone that too many people on recon can blow our cover and lose the info we seek.”

“But it could become the big fight,” Caro said.

“What if Bree needs us?” Ali added.

“Bree is smart enough to bail if it’s about to become the big fight,” Cade said. “We follow protocol here at the Protectorate—you know that. It saves lives.”

Caro huffed, but nodded.

“We’ll perform recon,” Cade said, taking over as security expert. He looked at Jude. “It’s safe to assume that this can count as one of Bree’s training tests for the Protectorate?”

A small smile tugged at Jude’s mouth. “Bree must do this to keep her wings and her magic. If she can destroy a Rebel God stronghold, then yes, it will count as one of her tests to join the Protectorate.”

“Two tests,” Hedy said. “It’s really only fair. She’s proven much more than normal trainees.”

Jude gazed at me, eyes sparkling like stars. “Yes, she has.”

I shifted, both pleased and embarrassed. “Let’s just get through this first. Cade and I will go to Kart-hadasht.”

“And me,” Ana said. “You’re not leaving me behind this time. I’ve got your back.”

I reached for her hand and squeezed, genuinely wanting her to come along.

“That would work,” Cade said. “We should keep it small.

Caro frowned, then met my gaze. “We’ll be at the big fight.”

“Assuming I don’t fix this without a big fight,” I said.

She grinned. “I have faith in you, but that’s a tall order.”

“Yeah, don’t leave us out of the fun,” Ali said.

“Fine, I’ll try to save some demons for you.” Or whatever we’d face.

“In the event that we must return to the Rebel Gods’ stronghold in their halfway realm, you should create a portal at the entrance,” Jude said. “I can only imagine it won’t be easy to get through Kart-hadasht. Once you’ve found it, create the portal so that we can access it more easily.”

“How do we create a portal?” I asked. “Isn’t that difficult magic?”

“Very.” Hedy leaned forward. “But I’ve developed a spell that can create a temporary portal. It will appear in Edinburgh and connect us to wherever you deploy the spell. Only Protectorate members will be able to use it. But be sure not to deploy it within the halfway realm. It’s not strong enough to cross realms. Neither are our transport charms.”

“We can do that,” I said.

“That’s settled, then,” Cade said. “We should leave soon. I don’t know how long it will take to get to Kart-hadasht.

My stomach growled loudly. “I like that plan. Let’s get a bite to eat then get out of here.”

“Did someone say eat?” Hans bustled into the room. The skinny cook wore his white apron and chef’s hat, an affectation he wouldn’t let go of. “I heard from Mayhem that our fighters returned from the field and would appreciate a leg of ham.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t Mayhem who would appreciate a leg of ham?” Cade asked.

Hans chuckled. “I did think that was the case. So I made you sandwiches. And juice. Juice is good for the soul. And coffee. I thought you might need a pick-me-up. This will revive you.”

I wouldn’t hate a pick-me-up, that was for sure.

He laid a tray laden with sandwiches on the table.

Jude glared at him. “You know you’re not supposed to interrupt meetings, Hans.”

“Psst.” Hans waved a hand at her, clearly unconcerned. “I’m not interrupting. Just delivering sustenance.”

I eyed the peanut butter and jelly that I knew he’d made just for me. I grabbed one. “Thanks, Hans. You’re the best.”

He bowed, then hurried from the room. The first bite of PB&J was divine, reminding me how long it’d been since the breakfast porridge.

“Eat,” Jude said. “Then get cleaned up and come to the main entry hall before you go. I’ll be sure to get transportation charms for you so that you can get to Tunisia quickly. If you aren’t back in twenty-four hours, we’ll send backup. Agreed, Cade?”

“Agreed.”

I swallowed and nodded. It looked like the adventures would never stop. As long as I earned my wings, that was fine by me.

* * *

After a quick shower, I changed into my hot weather clothes and met Cade and Ana.

Cade held up a small black stone. “Jude delivered the transportation charms.”

“Great.” I smiled. “We’re headed to Carthage first?”

Cade shook his head. “To a desert settlement in southern Tunisia, where Doug and Veronica live. It’s the closest town to Kart-hadasht.”

“They’re the archaeologists?”

“Aye.” Cade held up a transport stone. “Ready?”

Ana and I nodded.

He counted down to one, then hurled the transport stone at the ground. The silvery gray cloud burst up, and we stepped through the cloud.

A moment later, we appeared in a bustling village. The sun beat down harshly, and I was suddenly glad that I’d changed back into my Death Valley clothes. Ana always said it made us look like we were in Mad Max, and fortunately, I fit in well in this supernatural village.

“Wow.” Ana spun in a circle to take it in.

I followed suit.

We stood in the central square, surrounded on all sides by merchants with their colorful goods laid out on blankets. Ceramics and cloth, spices and fruit. Dozens of people filled the square, all kinds of supernaturals from what I could see. Except for vampires—because boy, would this sun murder them.

I shielded my eyes to check out the three-story buildings surrounding us on all sides. They were nothing like I’d ever seen before. Made of smooth beige adobe, they were all connected as a united fort like apartments. Roofs arched up at the tops, and narrow, open adobe staircases crisscrossed the fronts, going up to each level. Instead of windows, there were huge open doors at each floor, accessed by the narrow stairs.

“This is incredible,” I said.

“It is,” Cade said. “Come on. Let’s see if we can find Doug and Veronica. I wasn’t able to get in touch with them, but hopefully they’re here.”

We followed Cade through the square, dodging the blankets covered with goods.

When we reached one of the buildings, Cade said, “Wait here. I’ll check their apartment.”

“Sure thing.”

He climbed onto the stairs that ran up alongside the front of the building. Could the little adobe stairs support his weight?

They didn’t crack, at least.

He poked his head through a door at the top and called out, then waited a moment. After a while, he turned around and came back down.

“Not home,” he said. “So they’re either out on a job or trying to convince some locals to tell them where the good stuff is.”

“That’s how archaeologists find things? Just asking around?” Ana asked.

Cade nodded. “A lot of the times, aye.”

We followed him down the row of buildings to the other side of the square. He stopped at a narrow staircase that ran all the way up to the third floor. “We’ll try the bar up here. Might get lucky.”

I followed him up the narrow stairs, which were built right into the front of the building. They didn’t pass in front of any apartments, though I was desperate to peek inside and see what they looked like. They sure smelled good, though, with the scent of savory meat and spices spilling from the doors above and below us.

When we entered the dimly lit bar at the top, cool air enveloped me.

“Wow.” I blinked, letting my eyes adjust.

“Aye, the adobe keeps the interiors cool,” Cade said.

I noticed a small bar at the back and tiny round tables throughout the space. A little stage was occupied by a fae playing a stringed instrument I’d never seen before.

“There.” Cade pointed to a table in the back corner.

Two people were sitting at it, talking to an older man with white hair and a black felt cap. The two archaeologists looked to be in their early thirties, and both were dressed like Indiana Jones, wearing khaki and leather.

I grinned, suddenly liking them.

The man was tall and broad shouldered, with sandy hair and kind eyes. The woman was nearly as tall, strikingly beautiful with her wild black hair tied back with a colorful scarf.

“If you could get a table and some drinks,” Cade said, “I’ll get Doug and Veronica.”

I nodded, then followed Ana toward the bar.

From behind the counter, a woman with gorgeous blue hair smiled at us, her fangs glinting in the light. “What can I get you?”

“Something local?” Ana asked. “Non-alcoholic.”

The woman grinned. “Celestia, then. A popular non-alcoholic beer.”

“Sounds good.” Actually, it didn’t. But it also didn’t really matter what we drank.

She was quick with the beers, and fortunately, she took credit cards. It might look like we’d stepped back in time here, but the technology was up to date.

Ana and I carried five beers toward a table against the wall and sat. I sipped mine, and eyed Cade, who was talking to the archaeologists.

A moment later, they left the old man, who was now beaming, and approached.

The woman stopped in front of our table and stuck out her hand. “I’m Veronica. I hear you’re nuts.”

I grinned and shook her hand. “I’ve heard that before. I’m Bree. This is Ana.”

Ana shook.

“Doug.” The man smiled and stuck out his hand. We shook, then everyone sat.

I leaned forward. “So, am I nuts because I want to go to Kart-hadasht or for some other reason?”

“Not sure about any other reasons—maybe you’ve got them—but Kart-hadasht is a bad idea.”

“She means it’s a death wish,” Doug said.

“So you don’t go there?” I asked.

“We’re not idiots. We do flyovers with our drones and create 3D maps,” Doug said. “Data without the death.”

Veronica grinned. “It’s our motto.”

“Not a bad one, honestly,” I said.

“It’s not. And if you don’t want to die, you won’t go to Kart-hadasht.” Veronica’s dark eyes glinted with warning.

“What’s changed?” Cade asked. “Didn’t you used to go into the ruins?”

“Once, yeah,” Veronica said. “But about four years ago, something shifted. The magic got weird. Buildings started to throw giant bricks at us.”

“Throw bricks?”

Doug nodded. “There’s new magic there—violent magic. I don’t know what changed, but it all went south.”

“Say we were willing to risk it,” Cade said. “Would you take us as close as you can?”

“When?” Veronica asked.

“Now.”

“Ha, dream on.” She leaned back in her chair.

Doug just laughed. “Now’s the worst time to go. We can’t transport across the desert because it’s protected by enchantments. And it’s sandstorm season. You’ll drown in the stuff before you make it halfway across.”

If transporting didn’t work, I hoped our portal would. To my knowledge, portals were a totally different type of magic, so hopefully we’d be in the clear.

“But the sandstorms don’t always come, do they?” I asked.

“This time of year, they’re frequent enough that we don’t cross the desert,” Doug said.

“What if I could block the sands?” Ana asked.

“Shield magic?” Veronica said.

Ana nodded.

I couldn’t tell what kind of supernatural Veronica was. Or Doug, for that matter. They kept their signatures on the down-low. I’d have to ask Cade.

“We’ll pay,” I said.

“We’re not interested in money,” Doug said.

Veronica punched him in the shoulder.

Doug sighed. “Fine. We not uninterested. But it’s not what drives us.”

“It does buy equipment, though,” Veronica said. “And nice hotel rooms on vacation.”

Doug smiled. “True.” He tapped his chin. “This will be dangerous, but maybe we can cut a deal.”

“What kind?”

Doug and Veronica leaned toward each other and shared a few whispers. I tried to eavesdrop, but failed.

Doug pulled away. “Five thousand dollars, a transportation stone so that we can leave once we’ve delivered you, since the protection charms don’t prevent people from leaving the city, and when you’re in Kart-hadasht, you take as many photos as you can.”

“And measurements,” Veronica said.

“Isn’t it super dangerous in there?” Ana asked. “Will we have time to take photos?”

“Do your best,” Veronica said. “We’d like detail shots. Things we have a harder time getting with the drones.”

“I can’t guarantee the measurements,” I said. “But we can do the photos.”

Veronica and Doug nodded.

Veronica stood and looked at her watch. “We’d better get a move on. Sun sets late this time of year, but we still want to get across by dark.”

I polished off my beer and stood, joining them.

“Good work,” I said to Cade as we followed them out of the bar. “I like them.”

“Me too.”

Veronica and Doug led us through the market, toward the other end of town. We made a brief stop at their place to pick up some daypacks, then continued on toward a corral containing giant camels on the outskirts of town. The beasts were a very pale pink color, like flamingos.

“Can you ride a camel?” Doug asked.

“Ummm.” I shook my head.

“Let’s hope you’re a fast learner.” Veronica smiled and pointed to one of the smaller camels who had long, fluttering eyelashes. “You’ll ride Camelia.”

“Camelia the camel?”

“Yep.” Veronica vaulted over the fence.

We followed.

“Why are they pink?” I asked.

“They’re a magical breed.” Doug collected saddles from the small man who appeared to work at the corral, and began to saddle the camels.

I shifted the daypack that Veronica had given me on my back and approached Camelia, who fluttered her lashes at me.

“Hey, pretty girl.”

She honked, the loudest, craziest noise I’d ever heard, and I leapt backward.

“Ooooh, she likes you!” Veronica said.

“Why does she honk?”

“They were magically crossed with geese.” Doug grinned.

“That explains it, because she sounds just like a goose.” I climbed onto Camelia, trying to get a feel for riding a camel. It was weird, but at least I didn’t fall.

Everyone saddled up, and Doug and Veronica moved their mounts toward us.

“All right,” Doug said. “Follow our orders exactly. If I shout in French, repeat what I say. Your camel will know what to do. If I give directions, like ‘riders, go left,’ then do that.”

I gave a thumbs-up.

“Don’t screw this up,” Veronica said. “Your lives depend on it.”