Angele held out her hand and was smiling. “Come with me, Torija.”

Torija stood and was shocked to see her body left behind her, unconscious or dead.

Angele smiled. “You found your way back, then?”

This was so strange. “With your help.”

“And Daisy’s help.”

It was a strange feeling, talking to your first love about the woman you loved now.

“You love her?” Angele asked.

“Yes, I do.” Torija felt terrible saying that, as if she was betraying Angele’s memory.

Angele’s smile never faltered. “Don’t feel bad. I told you both that I was your beginning, and Daisy was your end. We both had our destinies.”

Torija remembered what she had done since Angele last saw her, and shame rushed through her. “I’m sorry, Angele. I turned to darkness. I’ve done so many bad things and killed so many more.”

“The Grand Duchess and Sybil told you that you had to walk willingly into death and face those you have hurt and killed, yes?”

“Yes,” Torija said.

“This is your chance to choose. You can come with me on the lighter path, and face those souls, or you can go where Drasas did and never have to look them in the eye.”

There was no contest. She hadn’t come this far to do the wrong thing.

“I wish to face them, Angele.”

“Then follow me.”

Torija followed her to the cliff edge but saw nothing beneath where they would be walking.

“Angele, there’s no walkway.”

“There is if you trust me. Take my hand, look towards the light, and walk with me,” Angele told her.

Torija tried to summon her courage and believe in Angele. She took her first step and didn’t drop.

“Thank you for trusting me,” Angele said.

“I always will.”

Angele encouraged her to walk, and she followed her into the light.

Chapter Twenty

Daisy saw Drasas’s unconscious body blown back through the portal.

“Did you see that?” Amelia said.

Byron was standing with her arms around both Amelia and her sister.

“I’m really sorry. I should have handled this much better. Some leader, eh?” Sera said.

“It’s not your fault. We can talk about it later.”

“Why does Drasas get to come back, and Tor doesn’t?” Daisy said.

She wasn’t having it. Daisy started to run as fast as she could towards the portal.

“Byron, stop her,” Amelia said.

Byron sighed. She zipped with her supernatural speed and was able to grab Daisy just a few yards away from Anka.

“Let me go, Byron.”

“No, she’ll kill you.”

Anka shot a blast of red energy at Byron’s back. Byron dropped to her knees, and Daisy was able to run at the portal.

But just as she got near, Anka closed it. “Too late, Ms. MacDougall. She’s gone forever.”

Daisy dove onto Anka, and a struggle ensued.