“I love you, Chase.”

“Of course you do,” I reply, releasing a bit of nervous laughter. “It has recently come to my attention that I’m a bit of a catch.”

“Hell yeah, you are,” Logan says, kissing me again. “You know, we’ll have to figure out some ground rules. I’ve been thinking a lot about it.”

“We will. We’ll figure it out as it comes, until we get it right.”

“Wait,” Logan says, pulling back. “What happened to the Chase I know, the one who obsesses until he has planned his way to the perfect answer?”

“Oh, he’s still in there. But this new Chase wants to be a little more patient.”

“Well, I love this new Chase,” Logan says. “And maybe he’ll love the new Logan, more open-minded and empathetic?”

“I’ll have to think on it,” I joke, hugging Logan again.

Standing here holding each other, I really don’t know if we’re built to be open, even these new and improved versions of us. I don’t know how this will work, but after our trial separation, I do know we’ll find a way to try. Some things are just worth waiting for—usually the same things that are worth fighting for.

Reluctantly, I peel myself off Logan, knowing we shouldn’t fall too far behind. Suddenly everything feels charged with potential, even the most familiar things. But before we keep moving, I reach into my pocket and grab the fidget spinner Logan left me, once upon a time.

“Thank you for this,” I say, wishing I could put into words how much the little piece of metal meant to me. Still, I hold it out for Logan to take back.

He does, not needing to say another word.

Click here

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

AMELIA

THE SUN BEATS down on my face, feeling brighter than ever before. After everything we’ve experienced it might be easy to feel cloudy or confused, but I only feel clearheaded, like the spotless sky above. Maybe it’s this hike, step after strenuous step clearing out the fog. Or maybe it’s the fallout of Rosa’s reads, altering my own vision of myself. Most likely it’s all of it combined, the cumulative weight of this journey pressing me into a diamond.

It really did feel like all that pressure broke something open inside The Hermetic Dawn. I saw so much of myself, vision after vision. The four of us didn’t talk about our experiences as much as I expected, but then again, something about it felt so personal. Revealing too much feels like I’d be sharing my bedtime prayers or a birthday-candle wish.

Despite all the cards I saw myself projected into, only one feels stained into my brain: the Queen of Swords, our final missing card. Call it serendipity or call it spooky, but of course I saw myself reflected as the Queen in the Hermetic Dawn experience. That vision has left me with the Sword Queen’s conclusion: soon I will be rewarded with something of great value, but also the responsibility of how to wield it. This Queen also represents harsh grace, cutting through truth while also causing destruction. I can’t stop thinking about her card quote from the Perillian booklet: Rules are for peasants, but context is for royals. It’s something Maggie said to us at the start of this journey, but now it feels like it applies more than ever.