“You won’t forget what I showed you, right?” Emmett asks from behind us. He twists the ring nervously around his finger. “How you have to open the compartment gently so it doesn’t break?”

“I’ll be careful,” Hattie assures him. “I know how important it is to you.”

Emmett nods but looks nervous. He takes a cookie out of his backpack and nibbles on it to calm himself.

“Like I was saying,” said Hattie, “I’ll take Emmett’s ring, and once I’m in the water, I’ll activate my Gi, cut my palm, collect the blood in the chalice, sprinkle in the ashes, and then recite the incantations. Sound like a plan?”

I swallow the lump in my throat. It basically sounds like Hattie is doing everything while Emmett and I sit around and watch. This should not be a spectator sport.

“I’ll go into the water with you,” I offer. “You don’t even like the ocean, and you might get caught in a riptide. I’m a better swimmer than you.”

She nods gratefully and passes me the chalice. “Thanks, Rye.”

Emmett passes his ring to Hattie. “Protect it with your life.”

She puts it on her finger. Then, holding hands, my sister and I step into the surf.

The water is freezing, which shouldn’t surprise me, since I’ve grown up swimming in the Pacific (it’s always colder than you think). But it’s not every day I go for a dip in the middle of the night, and we both shiver as we wade in up to our knees. By the time we get chest-deep, the current picks up, and my sweater billows around me as if it’s desperately trying to swim. If I’d known ahead of time we’d have to go into the ocean, I would’ve made us wear wet suits. Hattie’s gorgeous ceremony dress is going to get trashed. I check the shoreline, and Emmett is looking at us nervously. He’s standing a safe distance from Boris.

We’ve got this, I tell myself.

Hattie takes a big breath and rubs her wrists together. As her gifted mark activates, she flips open the Swiss knife and holds it in front of her open palm. “I can do this,” she says confidently.

I’m sure she can—Hattie is the bravest person I know. But it still doesn’t make it any easier seeing her hurt herself for a spell I need.

“I can do this,” she says again. But this time, she doesn’t sound as confident. She remains still and stares intently at her hands. Then I hear her say something so quietly, I’m not sure if I imagined it. “How do I do this?”

“If you want,” I say softly, “I could help you.”