Emmett breathes out, and I look over to see his eyes all wide and curious. I know he’d never admit it, but he’s enjoying this gifted legend as much as I am.

“Mago Halmi was saddened by the goddesses’ actions, because their selfish vanity led them to destroy her precious creations. So the Mother punished them by closing the doors between the realms, thereby preventing the goddesses from entering the Mortalrealm at their will. This is why the gifted clans came to be, to do the will of the goddesses on Earth.”

Adeline turns to the audience and raises her arms in a final flourish.

“And so Mago Halmi left the twinkling shards of the dark sun and dark moon in the sky—what we now call the stars—to serve as a reminder of what the world had lost.”

The clip ends, and Cosette leans back in her chair. “She’s good, right?”

“That’s pretty epic.” Emmett gives Cosette an approving look. “Your sister’s really talented.”

As they excitedly discuss whether or not Adeline should get an agent, one line from the monologue keeps playing in my head.

Some smaller fragments fell to the Mortalrealm—our Earth—to be lost to the Godrealm forever.

I slap my palm on the table. “Oh my Mago! That’s what we have to find. The last fallen fragment of a dark sun or moon!”

The color drains from Emmett’s face. “Holy shirtballs, how are we supposed to find that?”

Cosette puts her phone in her pocket and swivels in her chair a few times. “I’m getting the sense that this is a need-to-know mission, and I respect that.” She stops spinning and faces us. “But if I wanted to know more about the star, I’d try the gifted library. According to my mom, it’s a treasure trove of info. I know no one’s been able to activate the sacred texts since the Horangi left, but I dunno—maybe you could figure it out?” She glances meaningfully at me and I quickly look away before Emmett can pick up on the subtext. “That is, if you can get in. It’s still restricted entry.”

I swallow. It’s actually not a bad idea. But the library’s inside the temple, and Emmett isn’t allowed to enter—not since his dad had the council ban him from the grounds. Plus, after what happened at Hattie’s initiation, I won’t be welcome there, either.

Then there’s what Jennie said at Saturday School. The strongest Miru are guarding the entrance. Even if we managed to enter the temple, there’s no guarantee we could get past the protectors.

Emmett and I both grimace, and Cosette pauses, reading our expressions.