“Go! Hurry!” she shouted. The hedgewitch needed no more prompting. Holding Otto firmly by the arm, she dragged him onto the newly appeared road.

Pip scrambled to her feet, the king’s control failing. She glanced at the fight, and then at Thea, who stood frozen in terror, her back against the bars. Pip reached out a hand.

“Coming?” she asked, and the grin that stretched across her face was Jack, through and through. Rescuing the fair maiden. Pip and Thea ran onto the road. Eleanor started after them.

“Stop her,” the Pallid King whispered.

A hand clamped around her arm. She wheeled, nearly falling over as it yanked her to an abrupt stop. She stared into Ash’s face. He stared back.

“Let’s go,” she said. She searched his eyes. He wasn’t Empty. She could see the fear in them. “Ash, we can escape. Just let me go, and you can come with us.”

“Bring her here,” the Pallid King commanded. The Empty now had the hounds at bay, driving them back up the stairs. One of the hounds gave a horrible, high-pitched yelp. Pip was shouting Eleanor’s name, but it seemed to come from a great distance.

“Ash,” Melia said. She stood at her father’s side. Her face was stony. “Don’t be a fool.”

Ash’s expression hardened. “I’m sorry,” he said. His hand tightened around her arm.

The kitten-of-ashes suddenly burst out of Ash’s shirt, sinking her tiny needle teeth into his earlobe.

Ash yelped, dropping Eleanor’s arm as the kitten swung from his ear. He swiped at her and she fell to the floor with a yowl. Eleanor ducked and grabbed the kitten as Ash reared back, hand clapped to his bleeding, singed ear.

Eleanor ran. Pip reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her onto the road.

“Close it!” Pip hollered.

Panting, exhausted, Eleanor turned. The Pallid King had withdrawn. His arm ended above the wrist. It looked more like splintered wood than flesh.

Close, close, close, she willed the road. It began to disentangle itself from the Pallid King’s world. Ash walked toward the road, but he didn’t step onto it. Eleanor couldn’t read his expression. Was that anger, or guilt?

The last ribbon of connection was fading. In the instant before the dungeon vanished, Ash looked her straight in the eyes. “Keep Thea safe,” he said.

“I promise,” Eleanor replied.

And then he was gone.

Thirteen

Eleanor caught her breath. The dungeon was gone, but her fear was slow to fade. That whole debacle had taken less than five minutes, but it felt like an eternity.

“Where are we?” Thea asked quietly.

“Eden Eld,” Otto answered.