No, I tell myself with a firm shake of my head, Gaia can’t be dead. Doug couldn’t possibly have overpowered them both. And yet the longer I sit, the chill of the catacombs sinking deep into my bones, the more I wonder if he was telling the truth. If Lyon and Gaia are truly dead, who’s running the Observatory? Who’s watching over the Seasons and guaranteeing our Handlers’ health and immortality?

If Doug is free, who’s watching out for Jack?

I scramble to my feet. Julio and Amber . . . I have to find a way to reach them. They can travel. They can get to him. If I can shake the door loose and get out of this cell, if I can make it to the Control Room and get a message to Marie, the three of them can find him.

My fingers curl around the bars. Static crackles as I rest my forehead against them, focusing my mind on the walls as I summon my magic.

“I know you’re pretty badass and all, but are you sure that’s such good idea?”

I lift my head. The hoarse voice comes from a cell farther down the tunnel. I peer through the bars to see a pair of eyes staring back at me.

“Chill?” His name comes out on a sob.

“In the flesh.”

“What happened? How did you get here? Is Poppy with you?” The bars press into my forehead as I crane my neck to see into the other cells, but as far as I can tell, they’re all empty.

“Honestly, I’m not sure how I got here,” he rasps. “Poppy was locked onto my coordinates. I slipped into the ley lines, expecting to wake up at home. But I woke up here. Same as you, I guess.” I breathe a sigh of relief that maybe Poppy is okay. That she might still be safe in Fairbanks. “What about you?” Chill leans against the bars of his cell as I sink down against mine, too tired to hold myself up anymore.

“Jack and I were at home. We were . . .” My throat swells at the memory of Jack’s lips on mine, both of us oblivious to what was happening around us. “A team of Guards broke into the villa. I tried to fight them off but there were too many of them. They were wearing the old patches on their jackets. I think they’re working for Doug.” My eyes lift to Chill’s. I wonder if he knows what happened to Lyon and Gaia, but I’m not sure I’m ready for the answer. Or what that would mean for Poppy and Jack. “The Guards must have brought me here through the ley lines. I don’t know what happened to Jack after that.” My voice cracks on Jack’s name. I don’t want to imagine what Doug’s friends might have done to him.