The end of Rainbow Road came quickly, plunging me into darkness once again.

  Just once, I’d love to translocate to a place with welcoming earth tones.

  “Welcome back, Rachel.”

  Raedine’s voice floated into the void just before she did. A soft glow bloomed to highlight her silhouette, her gauntleted hands clasped in front of her chest plate.

  “Before you open your eyes,” she said calmly, “I’m here to say what must be said before I move on.”

  “Move on? Raedine, wait—”

  She flickered, her spirit dimming.

  “I did my best to preserve your body’s function over these last three months,” she advised gently. “But I can no longer remain without becoming a burden to it. Simply put, I drain too much amity to remain.”

  A harsh, somewhat familiar voice shouted from somewhere beyond the dark.

  “What will you do now, Captain?!”

  Raedine closed her eyes and exhaled a long, steady breath.

  “Your timing is flawless, as always,” she murmured. “Your arrival will turn the tide, for friend and foe alike. Focus on what comes next, but don’t rush. And look after Nora. You’ll need each other now more than ever.”

  “Surrender, Captain! There is nothing else you can do!”

  “That voice—who—?”

  Raedine merely shrugged, smiling faintly. “I have never been good at farewells, so I won’t even attempt one. All I will say is, whatever strength I had came from all of those who stood beside me, just as it is for you.”

  A bright ray of light shot across the dark.

  “Raedine—!”

  “Stand tall, Captain… and open your eyes.”

  All I could do was comply.

  A tall and skeletal, ghoul-like figure towered over me, his skin drawn tight over his features, eyes sunken but burning with grim purpose.

  Where’s my sword and shield?

  I’m only wearing a simple robe! Wait… His weapon of choice is… cards?!

  “Surrender, Captain!” he barked, slapping a card down on a tiny table between us. “I know you cannot beat the Empress of Moons!”

  “I—What?”

  His hollow eyes widened, then clouded. “That was a most impressive move, Raedine…” He set the rest of his cards down with trembling fingers. “To go such lengths never to lose… Too bad you’ll never be able to duplicate it…”

  I dropped the Three of Stars that was in my right hand. “Ambrose?!”

  Ambrose. The once-human, now over-lived subordinate of Mistress Aziza. Dark mage and lost companion of Captain Raedine Wisewarden, Fourth Hero of Legend.

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  He pushed back his chair with a brittle sigh. “No doubt you have questions, Captain Lightbringer. Ask them if you must, but not of me.” He clenched his fist as he turned away. “I must mourn the loss of my friend.”

  A full-length mirror rose from the wall behind him, shifting slightly to meet him head-on. Without pause, he stepped through. With his exit, the small room changed, growing and materializing into what was once Aziza’s tearoom.

  I stood up slowly, fatigue pulling heavily at my arms and legs.

  At least all my parts are still mine.

  The elegance was still there in its borders, but everything had been rearranged for practicality. No doors. Where a noble might have wallpaper trim, there were scrolling runes that pulsed along the walls, occasionally glitching as a downshifting hum came from the floor. Three beds lined up with one wall, with generous space and silk screens in between. The far end of the room had training mats. The mirrors behind me showed no reflections at all, only empty glass.

  Shoot. I wanted to get a look at myself.

  What is this place supposed to be now anyway? A bunker? A last bastion?

  Amos quickly burst through one of the mirrors, his scholarly robes flying.

  “Miss Rachel!” he shouted. “You’re awake! Alive! But where is His Majesty? Did he not accompany you? Is he injured? Did he get delayed? Did someone—”

  “He’s fine! I mean, I think so…” I put a hand to my head, noting that something felt a bit off. “Where’s Nora?! You said she was here! Did Mistress Aziza—”

  “Nora is also fine, she just stepped out,” Amos replied hastily. “The Mistress is not here. Ambrose now oversees defending this space. But back to Master Olethros—why did he not come with you?”

  A sleepy lassitude fell over me as I tried to process the multitude of questions forming in my head. “You know how he is,” I said eventually with a sigh. “He didn’t tell me what he was plotting, but he told me not to leave until he gets here. Which means whatever he doesn’t want me to know about won’t take too long.” I pointed at the mirrors. “Which one leads to Nora?”

  Most of my questions are for her, anyway.

  “None. She is with Master Galenus.”

  “The goat who made the fast-traveling gauntlet?”

  Amos hesitated, his hand adjusting his monocle. “I… yes. They’ve restored its function.”

  “That means we can go anywhere, right?!”

  “Not exactly. The area needs a certain concentration of animus to translocate to. They are testing its capabilities now.”

  My hand, which had been exploring my crown, slipped down the back of my head. “That’s still better than—What happened to my hair?!”

  “As I understand it… Master’s scythe…”

  “Two mirrors. Now.”

  Amos flinched, then summoned a set of silver hand mirrors. Without an utterance of gratitude, I swiped one from his fingers.

  “Hold out that one,” I ordered.

  It wasn’t that its length was gone. It had been sheared off diagonally, the ends brittle, dry, and sickly pale. The left side was shoulder-length, while the right was at mid-back. My hachimaki was gone. With some finagling, I was also able to peek down the back of my robe with the mirrors, where a ruddy scar graced my back. Startled, I glanced down the front of my robe only to find I had a matching set.

  They’re horrible.

  I should be thankful to be alive.

  Scars are a show of strength.

  It’s permanent.

  They’re hidden under a top.

  You have other scars; what’s the big deal about two more?

  No one will ever find me attractive now.

  Tears welled in my eyes, and Amos, innocent and naive, tried to console me. “A shoulder-length bob would highlight your cheekbones and frame your face. With a little layering…”

  I laughed suddenly, tears and spittle flying. “How can you be an expert on human hair and fashion?”

  His hands went up to his own silky locks, his fingers brushing through the black strands. “I… May be a bit vain… in my own right…”

  After wiping a few tears, I managed to smile. “You have to love the body you’re in, but it doesn’t always come easy…”

  He looked confused for a moment. “Ah… I suppose so. But I’m sure the Master can help with an appropriate trim. Oh, and speaking of hair?”

  “Hmm?”

  He took off his monocle to polish it with the hem of his robe. “You may wish to exercise caution around Nora. She’s not exactly happy about what happened to hers.”

  “Did he hit her, too?!”

  “No. But she seems quite convinced Naught has punished her for demanding the ability to heal you. Personally, I think it brings out her character a bit more, but she seems quite put out about it. Whatever you do, do not refer to her as a skunk.”

  “A skunk?”

  With that, a portal of vines formed, and Master Galenus and Nora stepped through.

  At the peak of her hair, a single, vivid lock of white blazed against her brown, catching the light like a glowing comet. Impossible to miss, I could now only see her as something otherworldly.

  “Rachel!” The word burst out of her in a half-sob, half-laugh, as relief and anguish collided in one unsteady breath.

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