Sure enough, my aunt glared at my mess and pulled herself back out the bedroom door. I tapped a pencil against the cover of the Volume of Wisdom in my hands—the gift the library had left beneath our tree last Christmas.

“Did you just get one of Sylvia’s epic scolds?” Kaley came in next. She eyed the napkins before heading over to the bed, and I rubbed my eyes.

“It was a mild one.” I slapped the book shut and spun to face my sister. “I’ve been wanting to ask you: You said you felt a tug in your chest and then you followed it, right? That’s how you found the door to Winter? And how exactly did you get it to show itself?” I asked.

Kaley pursed her lips. “I don’t know, Helen. It was just there.”

I glanced off, twirling my pencil. Kaley was watching the pencil when I spun back to face her again. Her gaze flickered up to mine.

“You have no idea how you got it to appear?”

“I don’t think it was opened from our side. You should leave it alone, Helen. The last thing we want right now is to open another one. What if that shadow—”

“Nightflesh,” I corrected. “It had to be him.”

She shifted in her seat. “Okay. What if Nightflesh had chased me through the door? Do you really want to give him another chance?”

I blinked and moved on.

“You said the Volume that spoke to you mentioned a drum, right?”

Kaley chewed on the inside of her cheek. “I’m assuming it was talking about a drum when it spoke of a magic cylinder that plays to the heartbeat of the Truth itself. It talked about a wreath and a star too. I don’t know why that’s important though, after what happened at the end of my time in the pocket…” I glanced up when her voice trailed off and I caught her staring at the wall. My hand tightened around the pencil.

“There had to be a reason,” I said, tearing my eyes away. “The library gave me a book that had the story of Day and Night, right after Zane told me about the Triad of Signs and how the only way to make more Carriers is to put the Triad back together.”

Kaley fell back on the bed. “I’m just supposed to store the Volumes in my mind, Helen. I don’t think I’m supposed to read into that chatty book.” She paused. “No pun intended.”

“I think I figured it out,” I said, and she lifted her head.

“Figured out what?” Her gaze darted warily to the mosaic of coffee-coated napkins.

“Think about it; Elowin created the Carriers of Truth when he was in Winter. That had to be his plan—to make Carriers to bring the Truth into every corner of Winter. Elowin also created the Triad of Signs; the one thing that can create more orbs, and thus, more Carriers.” I paused as I waited for the gravity of this revelation to settle in her. “I think that’s the way to overthrow Nightflesh, and that’s why Nightflesh has been so intent on hunting all the Carriers down. It’s why he tore apart the Triad of Signs; not just because he’s trying to silence the Truth, but because he knows that Carriers are his weakness—the ones who were immune to even Mara Rouge’s power.” I twirled around one last time to look at my sister. “I think the answer has been in me all this time.”