I appeared on the lawn of the Protectorate a moment later, muscles aching and breath heaving. The sun shined brightly overhead. “Is everyone here?”

I could hear Jude’s voice counting. I held my breath.

“All accounted for!” she shouted. “Let’s get to the infirmary.”

Those who could walk carried those who were wounded, while I collapsed, the cold ground freezing my butt.

Caro plopped down next to me, her face red and her platinum hair messy. Bree and Rowan joined us, along with Lachlan. There was chaos all around, but I needed to catch my breath.

“Are you all right?” I asked Caro.

“Yeah, mostly.” She smiled, but it was wan. “Thanks for saving us.”

“Of course,” Bree said.

“What does ‘mostly’ mean?” The Fate’s words echoed in my head. You’re too late.

A shadow passed across Caro’s face, and her eyes turned stark. “We have a problem.”

She held out her arm, palm up. In the middle of her hand, a black tattoo was drawn.

The cross with the circle around it. The same symbol I’d seen back in Orvieto.

My skin chilled. “What’s that?”

“Their symbol. We all have it,” she said. “It appeared a few hours ago.”

“The cauldron,” I said. “It had to have something to do with that smoking cauldron.”

“They were working on a spell while we were there,” Caro said. “It took time, but I think they completed it. And now we’re their slaves.” Horror filled her voice.

“Wait, what?” Shock lanced through me.

“No, you’re not. You’re free,” Bree said.

“Sort of.” Caro’s face was so pale that she looked like snow. “We’re here. That’s better than being there. Now we have a chance. But this symbol—it represses our magic. They control our magic now. They control us. If we leave the castle grounds, where we’re protected, I think we’ll be under their control.”

“But you weren’t under their control back there,” Bree said. “You fought with us.”

“It wasn’t easy.” Caro laughed, a slightly bitter sound. “It took everything I had to resist their pull. I think they were distracted by you, so it was harder for them to control us. And the spell is young.”

“Holy fates.” Fear iced in my veins. “This is terrible.”

“No kidding,” Caro said.

We really had been too late.

But it didn’t have to stay that way. “We’ll figure a way out of this.”

“We have to,” Caro said. “They’ve just built the most powerful army in the world. Us.”

She was right. It was a genius plan. “They wanted the power that they lost. When people once worshipped them and believed in them, they controlled the fate of the world. Now they’re trying to recapture that power.”

“And what they can’t do for themselves, they’ll get others to do,” Lachlan said. “So they’ve branded you and will compel you to do their bidding.”

“We won’t let them,” I said. “We’ll find a way.”

Like Caro had said—we had to. The Protectorate was made up of some of the strongest supernaturals in the world. Dozens of us, all with amazing magic, now at the control of the Fates. With people like Caro at their beck and call, they could do anything. Wreak any kind of havoc in the world.

It was a nightmare.

That night, after showering and tending to our wounds, we sat in the kitchen at the Protectorate. No one could leave the castle grounds—at least, not those who had been branded. Hedy had confirmed that as long as they stayed on the ground, the magic that protected the castle would protect them. The Fates couldn’t control them.

But we needed a plan, because they couldn’t stay inside the Protectorate forever. Magicless.

Hans served bowls of stew and bread to everyone gathered around the table. The FireSouls were with us, and Jude had joined us after having her wounds tended to. I sat next to Lachlan, our hands grasped under the table.

There was a heaviness in the air. Word of what had happened to our friends had traveled fast. Since we didn’t have a plan yet, it just made things even scarier.

“We’ll fix this,” Jude said. “Together, we’ll come up with a plan to get the tattoos removed and to destroy the Fates.”

Everyone nodded, their faces grim.

“We’ll help,” Cass said. “Now that most of you can’t leave the castle, you’ll need more boots on the ground.”

Jude nodded. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” Del said.

The other FireSouls nodded.

I squeezed Lachlan’s hand, drawing strength from him. I was glad he was here. My partner, in a sense. It hadn’t been long, but I felt it, strong and true.

Near the fire, the Cats of Catastrophe sat with Boris, the Celtic rat. Mayhem, the winged Pug of Destruction, sat next to them. They were plotting something together. Maybe a heist. Normally it’d make me nervous, or at least intrigued, but now, I could only focus on the problem at hand.

Jude had begun to make suggestions for how we might fix this, but I could barely hear her. My mind whirred with memories of the fight against the Fates.

Half a Dragon God.

That was why I hadn’t been able to defeat them.

My mind buzzed with the knowledge while my chest felt empty.

Then my druid sense pulled, tugging me hard. I stiffened. What the heck?

But it pulled harder. My head began to buzz. All I could focus on was the pull. It made the chatter at the table disappear.

I obeyed the call, squeezing Lachlan’s hand and then slipping away from the table. I muttered some excuse—I didn’t even know what—and climbed the stairs up to the main level. The halls were quiet as I walked, my boots thudding on the ground.

My druid sense was pulling me toward the library, tugging hard toward the collection of books that was the heart of this place.

Florian was nowhere to be seen as I entered. The fireplaces burst to life, sending a golden glow over the colorful paintings and leather-bound books.

I went straight over to the book I’d found earlier this week, the tiny volume that had caught my attention when we were searching for the location of Orvieto.

Despite the exhaustion that pulled at me, I moved quickly, my druid sense growing stronger and stronger. With a trembling hand, I reached for the book. It fell open to the same page.

The crow stared out at me, dark eyes bright.

I gasped.