I knew women mostly wore only dresses historically, so I threw on a pair of my stretchy shorts and a sports bra before I slid the peasant gown on. There were no pockets but that wasn’t a surprise, so I threw my phone into the bag. Then I cursed and dove for it again. I needed to send Mei-Ling a quick text, along with my aunt and uncle. Once I sent those, I shoved my phone back into the magic bag and fastened the rope around my waist the way Tegan had shown me. Myrtle had conjured me up a pair of brown leather boots to fit with past fashion styles, which I probably wasn’t supposed to wear with, but I ignored that. I wasn’t getting swamp feet and blisters.

Tegan also insisted I put my sais in the bag and not on my body. She said until I knew where I was going and the state of society it would not be safe to openly carry weapons. That note I did not ignore, even though I wanted to. It seemed counterintuitive to put my talisman weapon into the bag around my waist, but I’d trusted Tegan this far, so I couldn’t stop now when it counted the most.

When I turned, I half expected to find Everest silently watching me except he was still sound asleep. My heart sank. I did not want to leave him. It went against every fiber of my being and I couldn’t put my finger on why. He was going to be upset I left while he slept, I knew that. I knew it was a shitty thing to do . . . but I did not have the heart nor the strength to leave him otherwise.

Instead, though I knew it paled in comparison, I ran over to my desk and wrote him a note that said Forgive me. Please be alive when I get back.

There was so much more to say yet nothing would come. If I stalled any longer, I would lose my nerve. So I sat the note on the pillow beside him, gave him a quick kiss, then slipped out the door. I had no idea what had happened after I passed out last night, but we’d all taken to the classic vampire schedule and slept after sunrise. So the fact that the house was quiet and still, without a single person in sight was not a surprise. I hurried down the stairs to the infirmary and into Chutney’s room. A smile spread across my face when I found my dogs cuddled up to her with Olli. They lifted their heads and wagged their tails when I walked in but made no move to get up. That was good, it made this easier.