Noah walks across the room and bends over to pick up a dusty trophy hiding behind a photo of some people in Taegwondo whites. It’s a small, unassuming cup that’s been sitting there so long the metal has dulled to a tawny brown.

“The chalice has been enchanted to automatically return to this position within four hours, so you’ll need to be quick.” He polishes the trophy’s face with the bottom of his T-shirt, and a golden sheen emerges.

“Wait, that’s the Joseon Chalice?” I ask. The six-hundred-year-old sacred artifact is a tacky-looking trophy gathering dust in his dad’s messy office?

Emmett gawks. “It wasn’t even inside a glass cabinet.”

Noah runs his hand through his hair in that carefree way of his. “Sometimes putting a thing in plain sight is the best hiding place of all.”

“Genius!” Hattie beams, and Noah grins back at her so hard his two dimples look like sinkholes on his face.

“Holy shirtballs, get a room, lovebirds,” Emmett says with a snicker.

Hattie throws us a death glare before turning back to Noah. “Thank you so much for helping us. And for lending us the chalice. But we better go. It’s already dark outside, and we need to find a quiet place to do the spell.”

He hands her the chalice, and when their fingers touch, they jolt away from each other as if they’ve been electrocuted.

Noah rubs the back of his neck shyly. “You’re gonna need all the power you can get for the spell. How about I take you through the Saturday School portal to Santa Monica Pier? My brother is on guard duty there tonight, so I can sneak you in. The spell will work best if you go into the ocean at high tide and get the full strength of the moon’s pull behind you.”

“We share the same sky as the Godrealm,” I explain to Emmett, who is looking confused at the mention of the ocean, “so our moon is part of the divine. It gives spells more oomph, if you know what I mean.”

Emmett shrugs. “Whatever you say.”

Hattie nods gratefully. “You’re a gem, Noah. Thank you so much!”

Emmett makes kissy noises and whispers in my ear, “Oh yes, you’re such a gem, Mr. Oh-Noh. You can bling me up anytime.”

Noah’s eyes widen behind his glasses, while Hattie throws up her hands in exasperation. “Dude, what does that even mean?”

I laugh heartily. I know that we’re about to summon the mother of all creation and that Hattie will have to sacrifice her own blood to make it work. But the truth is, I can’t think of any two people I’d rather be with right now. One thing is for sure—I would be utterly and overwhelmingly lost without my sister and best friend.

9: Um, Mago Halmi, Is That You?