She didn’t have to finish that thought. Nina and Olive were half sisters, sharing their Moroi father. Because he wasn’t royal, he’d received no guardian protection, so dhampir Olive had made herself his protection—and gotten herself turned Strigoi during an attack. Nina’s spirit magic had brought her back. It was a rare distinction Olive shared with only a couple of others—Dimitri and Sonya, to be precise.

“Shall we bring Olive here?” I asked, not wanting Nina to dwell on ugly topics from the past. At my question, though, her frown grew.

“It’s not quite that simple . . . you’ll see. I mean, maybe it’ll be different with you here. I hope so.”

I still didn’t entirely understand what the problem was but decided to wait and see what happened. Really, if Olive was asleep, this should’ve been a piece of cake. Nina should’ve been able to use spirit to bring Olive to this country house, just as she’d brought me. Nina grew still, gazing off at the horse pasture, and I sensed the spirit magic welling up in her as she attempted a dream connection with her sister. So far, so good.

A few moments later, a translucent form started to materialize near us. I recognized Olive’s shorter stance, her dark hair and coppery skin. A billowing cloak swirled around her, obscuring what I knew was a more muscular build than her sister’s. Olive’s eyes widened as she realized what was happening. “No, Nina. Please. Not again.”

Normally, this would be the point where Olive would’ve completely solidified and been standing with us. Instead, the country scenery began to fade in the distance, growing increasingly insubstantial. I jerked my gaze back to Nina.

“What are you doing?”

She sighed. “I’m not doing anything. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

The beautiful green landscape disappeared, replaced by a black, ashen terrain that was dotted with rocks. A jagged mountainside rose steeply before us, climbing into a sky growing gray with thunderclouds. Occasional flashes of lightning danced between the clouds. There was no sign of Olive.

“What is this?” I exclaimed. “Did we get transported into a dystopian movie?”

Nina’s expression was grim. “We’re in Hawaii.”

I glanced around. “I hate to disagree, but when I think Hawaii, I think palm trees and bikinis.”

Nina glanced down at her feet, and a moment later, her sandals transformed into sneakers. She began hiking up the slope. “It’s a volcano we visited when we were kids on vacation.”

“That doesn’t seem so bad,” I said, cautiously following her. “But why change it? The farm was nice.”

“I didn’t change it,” she said, clearly frustrated. “Olive did.”

“Olive’s not a spirit user,” I protested. “She can change her outfit, yeah, but not something this big.”