“Or maybe it was really you doing the search.”

“This is serious, Christiana.”

Beside me, Saskia was frowning.

“They can’t just do that, can they?” she asked.

“Apparently, they think they can.”

“But—”

She broke off and I could feel her stiffen beside me, but there wasn’t much I could do because it hit me at the same time. I don’t know what it felt like for her, but for me it came like a sharp pain riding up through the back of my head, leaving in its wake a spreading wave of irrevocable loss. It was as though a little black hole had opened up inside me, sucking I don’t know what into itself. But whatever it was, it felt like it was gone forever.

Saskia was the first to put a name to what I’d lost. Her anguished gaze met mine.

“It’s Geordie,” she said.

As soon as she said his name, I knew she was right. That was what I’d felt—Geordie pulled out of the world. This world, the otherworld, any world. The little subconscious fishhook of connection I kept attached to him was gone. The line holding it tethered to him, severed.

Christy got up from behind his desk and hurried over to us, worry plain in his eyes.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “What happened to you two?”

Saskia looked up at him.

“It’s Geordie,” she repeated. “He’s just . . . gone.”

“Gone? What do you mean ‘gone’? Gone where?”

“I don’t know. It’s like he doesn’t exist anymore.”

Christy dropped to the floor in front of us.

“I don’t understand,” he said. “What’s happened to him? Where has he gone?”

Saskia wore a pained expression. “There’s no way I can tell.”

“But I can guess,” I said, getting to my feet. “This stinks of magic, and magic means fairy is involved. I told her to leave him alone.”

“Told who?” Christy asked.

“Mother Crone.”

“But she’s—”

“His girlfriend? Don’t kid yourself, Christy. Fairy don’t have relationships the way we do. It’s all about how useful we are at a given point in time.”

“But she wouldn’t have . . .”

“Hurt him?” I said. “That’s what I’m going to find out.”

“Christiana!” Saskia called before I could step away into the between.

“What?” I asked. “Don’t beat the crap out of her?”

“No,” Saskia said. “Don’t lose your temper.”

I didn’t realize how tightly I was clenching my fists until she said that. I forced my hands open and took a steadying breath.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll let her tell her side of the story.”

“Thank you.”

“And if she’s to blame, then I’ll beat the crap out of her.”

“You’ll have to wait in line,” Saskia told me.