He returned a second later carrying two mugs. When he sat back down, he handed one to me. “Try not to worry your mind or heart on me, my suffering will not be eased soon so you must focus your thoughts on your quest.”

I groaned and leaned into him, resting my chin on his shoulder. “I am trying but . . . I feel your heart hurting and⁠—”

“I know.” He turned so I slid into his chest. He ran his fingers through my hair. “I may miss you every day, but I harbor no anger toward you for leaving me, especially knowing you come back to me. You saved a lot of innocent lives in your death, for that I am proud. Please do not let your heart be heavy with this guilt, for it is already in the past. Focus thy mind now on how to complete your quest so you may end this war with the Unseelies once and for all.”

I will forever feel this guilt. But I nodded then closed my eyes and breathed him in. He rubbed circles on my back. I would’ve given anything to stay in this moment forever.

“Wake up, Francelina.”

I gasped and jumped—-and landed on all fours in the Seelie tunnel. “WHAT?”

Everest was nowhere in sight. I was alone in the tunnel. He must have knocked me out and threw me in here, he had a tendency to put me to sleep so it tracked. Wait. He called me Francelina. Past-Everest had only called me Celina thus far, so that meant the voice was my Everest.

“EVEREST!” I shouted and spun in a circle. “EVEREST?”

I dove for the wall — and crashed into a pile of autumn leaves. I spit a red leaf out of my mouth and pushed to my feet. My heart sank. The oasis. Again. I didn’t understand why I kept coming back here. Time had definitely passed because it had been winter last time and this was clearly autumn around me now. God, what an autumn this place is. It was the kind of beauty that was too beautiful to take a picture of.

With a curse, I hiked my dress and sprinted beneath the long swinging vines of the wisteria tree to the cottage. The front door was wide open, so I hurried inside then stopped short. A man stood with his back to me facing a wall lined with books. I froze, unsure what to do. Everest had said this was our secret oasis. Our home. I couldn’t imagine he would’ve welcomed another person here and risk endangering our family. But this man was as tall as Everest with shoulder-length blond hair.

“Hello?”

The man jumped and spun around. Wide brown eyes stared at me. Then they changed to pink. “Meemaw.”

I gasped. “Rae?”

He grinned and rushed over to hug me. “I am all grown up now.”