My beautiful Silvia is ruined and we’re no closer to figuring out what the hell happened out there. I’m under strict orders to stay indoors until we figure this out. The waiting part is what's breaking me. I couldn’t get Alaric and Kayla out of my head.

Were they okay? Did they make it out in time? Where the hell are they?

I hear Harlan and Declan arguing over something in the kitchen, their voices muffled.

I slump back into the couch, lifting my feet up and tucking them underneath me. Jolie groans beside me, thrashing her arms around in her sleep. Her face is screwed up tightly, eyebrows drawn. It looks like she’s having a nightmare. At least she could sleep. I’m wide awake, living one hell of a nightmare right now.

Lifting my gaze away from Jolie, I find Blair sitting on the couch opposite. His face is pale, and he’s staring out into space. I knew this would hit him hard, especially since he knew exactly what Kayla would have gone through.

That, coupled with the devastation outside… It’s a double blow. Silvia is their home. They’re connected to it far more than I am. They’ve spent their whole lives here, experiencing all the beauty.

Now it's burnt.

Everything surrounding our village is nothing but black ash on the ground for miles. Not all of Silvia got affected, but everything within our radius did, according to Oliver who took to the skies to see the damage. If that’s anything to go by, I think James is sending us a message that he’s capable of much more.

Our homes within the village only survived because Jolie protected our homes with a magic bubble.

Oliver catches my eye as he paces back and forth in front of the kitchen table. Unable to sit still. It didn't bother him or anyone. We all need time to think and be by ourselves.

Jolie's piercing scream fills the silent house.

Shuffling over, I turn towards her. She’s as white as snow. Her eyes are wide, the red veins clear as day. Placing both hands on her shoulders, I shake her to make sure she’s with me.

Declan claps his hands together in front of her face. She blinks once, then twice. Her chest rises and falls in a steady pace and I realise she’s coming back to us.

"What the hell was that?" Declan asks, stepping back.

Jolie nibbles on her fingernail, the colour coming back to her checks. "It was just a nightmare. I was replaying what happened out there," she mumbles with her eyes downcast, pointing outside.

"It's not a dream. It's fucking reality," Harlan mutters under his breath, walking back into the kitchen without a backward glance.

Good job Harlan, I think. Didn't he know how to comfort someone in need? Shaking my head, I sit back down next to Jolie, putting my arm around her and pulling her close. I don't bother telling her it's going to be okay, because honestly, who the hell knew that. I just hold her close, being there for her just as much as she’s there for me.

Time passes in slow motion. Time moves, but everything around us stops.

Once night falls, I need to do something other than this. We have to take charge. As much as I want to sit here on the couch and cry the day away, I know it’d be useless and get us nowhere.

We have to start searching for Kayla and Alaric. Even if we’re able to just look around this area, at least we’d be doing something. Pushing myself up off the couch, I find Declan, Harlan and Blair in the kitchen, whispering around the table. Tapping Harlan on the shoulder, he turns in his seat. I bring my eyes up. "We need to do something." My voice comes out in a hoarse whisper. Harlan's mouth lifts slightly at the side. "We know.” He motions to the seat next to him. “Join us."

Making myself comfortable next to him, I take a deep breath and say in a rush, "Okay, what’s the plan? Where do we start?" I’m keen to do something productive.

"Declan tried to get on to Alaric again with no luck," Oliver tells me, his eyes concerned.

That is the one advantage that we had. Being able to mentally talk to Alaric. It's how we received news from the kingdom. Without that, we were royally screwed. Declan runs his hand through his short hair. "That's shit, but what’s the next step?"

Declan pauses, clicking his tongue in thought. "We have to send out a search party, but not all of us can go." "But p…” I try to interject Declan, but he stops me by putting up his hand.

"No buts, Dara. You are the most precious person here. We need to keep you safe." He looks towards the door. "What’s going on out there is no mistake. We can't afford to lose you to this."

"He’s right,” Harlan says. “You need to focus on the next stone.”

I pout, I know they’re right, but it bloody hurts that I couldn't go out and help. I just have to put all these new skills to use and find that last stone. Then we could hopefully end James and get rid of all the evil for good. Something told me it wouldn't be that easy, but I had to try.

"Okay, fine. Who is going out?" I ask, getting back to business.

"I’ll go.” Jolie's weak voice carries over from the couch where she’s still sitting. “I need to get out of this house."

"All right, Jolie will go with—”

Harlan's words are cut off by banging on the front door.

I look towards Jolie, motioning for her to answer it. It's probably her parents or someone from the neighbourhood wanting answers - answers we didn't have.

Jolie starts to scream, and everyone pushes back from the table at the same time. Running towards her, I stop dead in my tracks when I see what Jolie's seen; Alaric carrying an unconscious Kayla in his arms.