All four of us tromped down the hill, and once we were near the eighth hole, I gestured for us to sit. We did, forming a semicircle with David in the middle, Ryan and me on either side of him, Bee across from us. Overhead, the moon was high, reflecting on the pond. I could hear frogs croaking and the occasional chirp of bugs, but there was no breeze. The night was still and warm, almost too warm, but I still felt chilled.

I think David felt the same sense of wrongness. “Maybe this is a bad idea,” he said in a rush, and a sudden whoosh of relief shot through me. Yes, let’s go home, I thought. Forget this whole idea. Again, I saw David like I’d seen him in the Fun House—his skin glowing, his eyes pure light.

My dagger at his throat.

But that was the girl thinking, not the Paladin. It wasn’t my responsibility just to keep him safe; I needed to make sure he could do everything he was meant to do, fulfill his destiny as an Oracle. And that meant having visions.

So I reached out and took his hand. To my surprise, Ryan reached out and took David’s other hand.

“It’s what we came here for,” I said softly.

David turned to look at me, his eyes already bright. The light cast strange shadows on his face, emphasizing his cheekbones and the dark circles underneath his eyes. “And if it goes wrong—”

“It won’t,” Ryan said, his voice firm. “Me and Harper are here, and it’s...” His eyes met mine over David’s shoulder. “It’s going to be fine.”

It was the first time since all of this had happened that I honestly felt like that might be true. It was nice, going through one of these with everyone. Even with the oddness that was Bee and Ryan, I felt better having her here.

Reaching over with my free hand, I took Bee’s and gave it a quick squeeze before letting go and taking Ryan’s other hand.

“Ready?” I asked both boys, and they nodded.

There was a feeling in the air, a slight electric tingle that I recognized but still hadn’t quite gotten used to. My hair felt like it was crackling over my shoulders, and on the other side of David, I heard Ryan suck in a breath.

David closed his eyes, but I could see the glow brightening behind the thin skin of his eyelids, and his hand shook in mine.

The electric feeling in the air got stronger, almost uncomfortably so, and I opened my eyes to see the flag stuck by the eighth hole snapping like there was a breeze, but the air was totally still.

Frowning, I held David’s hand tighter. The flag waved again, then stopped, almost like it was frozen. Another ripple, but there was something off about it, something unnatural.