Ca-caw! The sound of beating wings fills my ears as a full-size inmyeonjo blocks the goddess’s attack.

A power surge hits the bird-woman, and she shrieks and falls to the floor, her right wing bent at an unnatural angle.

“Areum!” I fall to my knees and hold her head. She shivers in pain. “Shh, it’s gonna be okay,” I soothe.

“Incorrect,” the goddess declares, raising her hand once more. “Let this be a lesson to all of you. Never start a job you can’t finish.”

She makes a scooping gesture, and I hunch over Areum’s body protectively. I won’t let her get hurt again.

The marble floor in front me begins to curve upward like a stone wave, and I tense, waiting for it to swallow me whole.

At that moment, a gust of wind sweeps me off my feet. For a second, I feel weightless. When I regain my footing, I’m somehow on the opposite side of the room with Areum at my side. And standing next to me are Noah Noh, Cosette Chung, David Kim, and Jennie Byun.

I rub my eyes. Am I hallucinating?

Noah regards me with concern. “I told you guys to be careful. And look where you are now.” His gaze flicks to Hattie’s body on the floor, and his chest hitches with a sob. Noah must have lifted Areum and me up and moved us out of the goddess’s path. And now that he’s seen what’s happened to Hattie, I can only imagine how he must be feeling.

“How did you guys know to come here?” I ask, still not sure if I’m imagining them.

Jennie shrugs. “I’m a seer, remember? I’m actually pretty good, if I do say so myself.”

Cosette nods. “Jennie had a vision that you were in trouble—that all the gifted clans were in need of help. We came as quickly as we could.”

I look between them and suddenly realize they remember me. They know who I am. A surge of gratitude washes over me, and I pull them into a group hug. “Thank you so much for coming, guys,” I say. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you.”

“Watch out!” David calls out as the goddess throws several candle stands at us. Each one is almost as tall as we are, and one of the bronze arms slices my leg as it clatters to the floor. I hiss in pain and clamp down on my thigh.

Noah picks up two of the stands with ease, as if they’re made of cardboard. He leans back to throw them toward the goddess, and I shout, “Please don’t hurt my auntie’s body. She’s still in there somewhere!”

The candle stands fall uselessly a few inches from the goddess’s feet.