The planet Cerix was pretty much doomed.

Its Fire Hermessi had been ruthlessly destroyed by the other natural elements because he’d messed with their ritual plans. Inalia, his daughter—and our ally and friend—was somehow expected to take over. We didn’t know what that entailed, but it couldn’t be anything good, since the Hermessi didn’t have bodies of their own. It stood to reason that the process would involve some type of death for Inalia, and none of us were ready to even consider sacrificing her for this.

There had to be another way—or so I kept telling myself as I paced the small garden that my team and I had claimed as refuge, somewhere on the outskirts of the Hadeen Domain. We couldn’t stay in one place for too long, given that the Hermessi were still after us. I had to take that as some sort of compliment. We were definitely doing something right, since they were so determined to kill us.

Inalia was speechless, sitting in the short grass, surrounded by a variety of red and white flowers that reminded me of earthly hibiscus shrubs. Eira sat next to her, equally at a loss for words, both of them staring at their boots. Hadeen was a land comprised mostly of deserts with a couple of lush riverbanks, but it was bound to freeze over along with the rest of the planet unless we found a solution for its lack of fire.

Plus, we still had our huge pile of problems back home. The Hermessi had found another way to use their dwindling cults, by sending them out to forcefully drag our fae under their influence. All it took was a small cut and a whispered spell. The Hermessi’s power had grown enough to allow them such ritualistic artifices. One way or another, nature itself was determined to complete its mission. One way or another, the Hermessi were going to finalize their ritual and wipe us all out. That had to be the endgame, according to what some of their cultists had shouted prior to getting themselves blown up by Brann.

Vita, Vesta, Ben, and Grace were just some of the recent victims of this cut-and-spell strategy. There were reports of hundreds of fae having fallen into the same feverish, glowing state. However, for the time being, Cerix had become our priority. It had one, maybe two days before it froze over. To the local Hermessi, it wasn’t going to be that much of a waste. They could easily move to other worlds by riding stardust, much like Brann had done to warn us—only, they would do it to help destroy us.

Millions of lives were at stake.

“How do we tell the emperor that his planet is about to die?” Varga asked, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen between us.

“We’re not letting it die,” I replied, my tone clipped.

“Then what do you suggest we do?” Inalia asked. Her voice was shaky, her eyes glimmering with tears. It broke my soul to see her like this. “You heard Acquis. And I heard the other Hermessi. I’m to take over… I have to sacrifice myself.”

“No. Let’s not go there,” I said. “We can find another way. Or at least try.”

“Time isn’t on our side,” Lumi replied, giving me a sympathetic half-smile.

I sighed. “I know. But it’s worth a shot. Inalia’s been through enough already. She’s got a life. Why give these Hermessi bastards the satisfaction of snuffing it out? Haven’t they taken too much from us already?”

Raphael cleared his throat, demanding our attention. “I must say, I kind of agree with Tae on this one. Call me sentimental, if you will, but I’m kinda fond of the redhead, and so are the rest of you.”

“I think we could give it a shot. Chicken Wings here is right,” Herakles chimed in. “We keep playing the Hermessi’s game. Maybe we can stick it to them, for once.”

“There’s also another reason as to why I, too, am uncertain about letting Inalia sacrifice herself to become the new Hermessi,” Amelia mused. “They destroyed Brann because he opposed them. Think of what they’ll do to Inalia if she goes down the same route. Say she does it. Say she gives up and becomes the new Fire Hermessi. Then, they’ll expect her to comply, to be a part of their mission for this end-of-days ritual.”

Inalia went pale. The thought hadn’t crossed her mind, until now. Horror soon settled on her expression, her brown eyes wide and filled with fear as she looked at me. “Oh, no… I can’t… I would never work with them—”

“You might not have a choice,” Amelia replied. “They would destroy you, too, like they did Brann.”

“And then, we’d be back to square one,” Eva concluded, nodding slowly. “Cerix freezing to death, while the rest of them wander off to some other planet. They’ll win, either way.”

Inalia shot to her feet. Above, the starry sky unraveled, but its dark shade of tourmaline felt cold this time. The moon and stars were bright, their light shining over the land with an ominous glow. As if even the sky knew what was happening down here. It was only a matter of time before the deadly chill set in. Soon enough, millions of innocent Cerixians would feel the absence of their Fire Hermessi.

“Then how do we save my people?” Trap asked, giving Lumi a hopeful look. He’d been quiet until now, most likely processing everything that had happened. Inalia and Eira were more supernaturally-inclined than he was, and thus more capable of dealing with such sudden changes. Trap, on the other hand, was a much simpler creature. None of this was easy on him.

“I am not sure yet,” Lumi replied, her voice low. She didn’t hide her concern. It didn’t take an expert psychologist to tell that she didn’t trust our odds much. “The logistics of a mass evacuation are insane, to say the least, and GASP’s resources are already stretched too thin. But we can’t take a break from fighting the Hermessi cults. Those catatonic states that our fae are gradually falling under are merely a symptom of something much worse.”

“What if we find a nearby planet to evacuate to?” I suggested, my mind shifting into find-a-damn-solution mode. “Surely, it might be easier for you to concoct an interplanetary spell to move millions of Cerixians from here to, say, across the galaxy, than all the way back to Eritopia, for example. Right? I mean, a shorter distance might make a mass evacuation more feasible?”

Lumi thought about it for a moment. “I wouldn’t dare promise anything in that respect. But I can try. I’d need to speak to the emperor first and see what swamp witch resources they have. And I would definitely need a serium transport from Strava.”

“We’ve sent Cerixian soil samples to GASP already, for you to get here, so that shouldn’t be an issue, right?” Riza asked. “Plus, I could totally help with any magic you might need for the mass evacuation. I’ve studied the swamp witches’ triple tome from Calliope, and I’ve got my own mojo to work with.”

Hope was a treacherous thing. I didn’t dare allow myself to feel it, and still… I had trouble resisting it. Maybe we could find a way to save Cerix without sacrificing Inalia.

Herakles chuckled, though there was a tinge of bitterness in his tone. “You say you need to talk to Emperor Tulla like it’s going to be such a breeze.”

“Oh, dear, Munchies has a point,” Raphael replied. I’d grown accustomed to their banter, ever-present and often injected into otherwise serious conversations. “We’re about to tell him his planet’s about to die and that his surefire option to save it is to let Inalia take Brann’s place. The evacuation avenue isn’t 100 percent sure, right now. Imagine what he’ll be tempted to do.”

“Inalia…” Eira murmured. “He’ll expect Inalia to sacrifice herself. The sacrifice of one for the good of the many. Of the entire empire, for that matter.”

The hits kept coming for Inalia. For a moment, I wondered what would happen if I just took her away. You know what will happen. Don’t be a selfish schmuck. I couldn’t bring myself to let a whole world collapse just so I could save Inalia. But I couldn’t let her take the fall for this, either. I figured she felt the same way. The torment was all too visible, rippling from her saddened gaze.

Lumi exhaled sharply, then got up and crossed her arms. “Well, I don’t think we’ll get much farther from here. We should at least go back to the palace and be truthful with Emperor Tulla. He’s been nothing but kind and gracious to us. He deserves to know everything, so he can make an informed decision.”

“The Hermessi won’t be circling the palace again anytime soon,” Amelia replied, checking her tablet. “Chances are they’ll be homing in on us here, instead. I estimate we’ll have an hour or two over there, before they catch our scent again.”

“Gotta say, it absolutely sucks running around and trying not to get caught by godlike entities,” Varga grumbled.

“At least we still have that working for us,” Eva said. “Imagine if they were able to sniff us out absolutely anywhere, everywhere, and at all times. At least, this way, we can still do a thing or two.”

The delay in the Hermessi’s ability to track us down had worked in our favor so far. We only stayed in one place until we felt them getting closer—the winds were usually the first to give away their impending approach. The larger the distance between us and them, the longer we had to spend in a new location. Amelia had been careful and considerate enough to record all our locations and the time we spent in each. She’d come up with a good pattern for us to follow.

“Come on, no time to dillydally,” Lumi said, then put her arms out. “One step at a time. Easing the emperor into this mess would be the first. If we get this one right, then we’ll definitely be better equipped to tackle what’s ahead.”

We linked hands, and I teleported everyone back to our room in the palace. The chill hit me as soon as we materialized inside. It was darker, the artificial lights severely dimmed. They weren’t strong enough without any fire power left on the planet. Chills trickled down my spine.

The entire building hummed with voices of concern and confusion. I didn’t need to hear any of them clearly to understand what they were worried about. They’d all felt the flame go out.

As if telepathically summoned by our presence here, Emperor Tulla walked into the room, his white brows furrowed. Both of them shot up in surprise at the sight of us. He stilled in the doorway, checking each of us out, as if making sure we weren’t missing anyone.

“Where did you all go?” he asked. “What happened here?”

A moment passed in silence, as we all exchanged knowing glances. Lumi took the lead on this one, and I felt utterly relieved for not having to be the one to break the bad news.

“Emperor, you might want to have a seat,” she said. “We need to talk.”

Somehow, he’d expected this. Or he was just remarkably good at maintaining his composure, no matter what unfolded around him. Still, I had a feeling he was in no way or shape prepared for what came next.