A part of me still wonders if the Horangi have fabricated this entire story in order to get their own hands on the last artifact. But time is running out. We have to take the risk.

Emmett turns to me. “I don’t know if I can ever forgive you—you realize that, right?”

I lower my eyes and nod.

He clenches his jaw. “But Hattie needs us, and this is finally something I can do to make my mom’s death meaningful. So for now I’m gonna pretend things are okay. For them.”

I nod again. It’s a start, and I’m willing to work with that.

Emmett turns to Sora. “How do we find the last artifact? What do you know?”

Sora considers her words carefully. “I respect your bravery in coming here for answers, and your courage in telling me your truth. We Horangi uphold knowledge and truth above all else.” She raises her wrist to me. “But we have suffered too much to enter into new partnerships lightly. Unless you are willing to officially initiate into our clan, Riley, I am afraid we will not be joining hands with you or your friend.”

“Me?” I point to my chest.

“You are of Horangi blood, and you were taken from us,” says Sora. “It is time for you to return to your rightful clan.”

I am stunned into disbelief. “But we’re after the same thing!” I say. “We both want to find the last artifact and destroy it. You don’t need me to become a scholar to do that.”

Sora shakes her head. “Oh, but we do. We lost too many of our own during the last conflict. We can’t take any more chances. You are either one of us and we work together as a team, or you’re on your own.”

Emmett fidgets with the hem of his black T-shirt. “And what exactly would she have to do? To initiate into the clan?”

I glare at Emmett, but he avoids my gaze. I think of Hattie’s initiation and how long she had to train for it. There’s no way I’d be able to prepare for one in a short amount of time. Especially without a Gi.

“When we were excommunicated, we lost our ability to initiate our witches in the traditional way,” Sora says. “But we have adapted. In fact, with our biochip discovery, we’ve found that a successful initiation isn’t about the magic—we already have that. What we’re looking for is commitment and loyalty.”

“Okay…” I say, feeling uneasy. “And what does that mean?”