Zane appeared at my side, but I swatted him away. I turned for Porethius again only to find her directly before me. Her hand took the side of my cheek, and then it was game over.

“Sleep, Carrier,” she said.

And I dropped into Zane’s arms.

I dreamt of the gardens surrounding Mikal’s home. I absorbed the scents and beauty of the blooms, the teas, the vegetables, and all the other remarkable things Mikal had nurtured in his lifetime. It was the most peaceful sleep I’d had in months.

“She’s lost her mind.” I heard Zane’s whisper between dreams. The corner of my eyelid peeled open enough to see his blur of raven-black, and the deep red of Cane’s hair. Porethius was there too; they were gathered at the foot of my bed.

“She’s exhausted.” The fairy’s musical voice drifted over. “She needs rest.”

“Well, I’m merrily ubbersnugged. She’s right, you know. We’ve put the fate of Winter in the hands of two Trite girls who never asked to be dragged into our muddle. Perhaps we were fools to think they’d stay in the dead world given all that’s happened.” It sounded like Quinten was in the room.

“I can’t let her stay like this. She’s madder than a bewitched snowsquatch,” Zane said. “What do I do with her? I can’t just lock her in the basement.” A pause. “Can I?”

“Let her rest, Patrolman,” Porethius told him again. “She needs to sleep and eat. Her state is muddling her judgment.”

I fell back to sleep for the rest of the conversation.

When I finally awoke, I expected to find Zane by my bedside, but it was Porethius who remained. The room smelled of sugar and plums, fresh blossoms and early morning rain. I inhaled her scents.

Her feet were up on the edge of my bed. I’d never seen her lounge, but she still looked like a goddess when she did it. We looked at each other, neither of us in a rush.

Finally, she pulled her feet down and rested her elbows on her knees. “What did you mean when you said, ‘a Volume woke up to tell her things about the Triad of Signs?’” she asked in a soft voice.

I had to remind myself what I’d blurted at the meeting.

I rubbed my eyes. Above me, glittering butterflies moved in the rafters. Their lines were sharp and clear, and I felt like I’d been wearing glasses with the wrong prescription until now. “It’s exactly how it sounds. A Volume whispered clues about the missing pieces of the Triad to Kaley while she was in your time pocket.”

Porethius glanced out the window to where the rising sun cast pink and yellow hues over the hills. My fingers traced Apple’s quilt. I was in the same bedroom as last year. There were a few decorative changes, but the rest was still the same—the faded mirror by the door; the wiry nightstand beside the bed.