Chapter 44

FORTY-FOUR

COLLINS

I marched through the front door of Peggy’s house and found our entire gang in the living room. Ellie was draped over Stellan’s lap on the sofa to my left with Nickel stretched out beside them. The other couch held both twins, Savina, and Maren. Jada walked in from the kitchen and the couch grew another two feet long at Nickel’s feet for Jada.

They all looked up and frowned at what was probably a wild expression on my face. I stopped in front of them and threw my arms up. “Tallulah is the Stone Keeper of Fifth Realm.”

Nickel let out a heavy sigh. “Finally.”

I flinched. “What?”

Nickel gave me a small smile. “Tyra, the Nephilim inside Fifth Realm with her is my sister. Kind of.”

“ You knew? ” I shrieked.

“I didn’t know you didn’t until recently,” she said softly like it took all of her energy to speak.

The stairs creaked, then soft footsteps hurried down the stairs. Zita rounded the corner holding an iPhone. “So, in ten years this is the level of growth we’ve had? This is basically the same as it was in 2009. Why bother— oh. ” She’d looked up and found us watching her.

I smiled. “Hey, Zita.”

Her eyes widened. “Is it over?”

“Hell yeah. She’s dead-dead.” Weston and Shylock high-fived.

Zita relaxed a little. “Thank God.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Why are you in here and not celebrating?”

She grimaced. “I didn’t want anyone else to see me before my parents saw me.”

Bash sighed. “I promise I’ll escort you home just as soon as we finish this.”

“Thank you. I’ll be in the kitchen eating my feelings.” Zita nodded and hurried into the kitchen.

Ellie watched Zita leave, then frowned at me. “Your best friend is the Stone Keeper for Fifth Realm?”

“Yes! Tallulah.” I spun to face her. “She fell through a portal in Tephine’s portal room.”

“In my defense, she looked like you and that portal had been locked my entire life.”

I reached up and squeezed Bash’s arm. “I know. It’s not your fault. But I’m just telling them what happened.”

Phil groaned. “Wouldn’t it have been impossible to concentrate on your mission in Third if you knew Tallulah was in Fifth?”

“Of course it would have!” I grumbled. But then a thought occurred to me. “I don’t understand. If you’re her Nephilim, what are you still doing here? Why didn’t you go after her?”

“I’ve been trying since she fell in.” Phi’s voice was barely more than a growl. “We cannot get in. The portal in The Emerald is sealed shut from the inside. We’ve been trying.”

Vic shrugged. “Araqiel . . . Well, it’s complicated.”

Phil held his palms up. “I’ve been talking to the other Nephilim Tyra. She told me Tallulah did something and locked everything down.”

“Oh for the love of—of course she did.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Okay, well, I’m here to try and contact her.”

Stellan frowned. “How?”

Ellie tapped on her bicep. “The Chaos Stone to the Creation Stone?”

Bash squeezed my hand, then sat down on the armchair. “I’m just going to sit right here.”

I sat crisscrossed on the floor right in front of a candle, then I pressed my hand to the Chaos Stone in my armband and pushed with my magic.

Hello, Chaos, can you hear me?

That was fast, the Chaos Stone purred back.

I smiled and ignored that they were all watching. I need your help.

What can I do for you?

My best friend is the Stone Keeper for Fifth Realm. I need to send her a message through you to the ? —

Creation Stone, it whispered back. I can send it.

With a grin, I pressed my palm to the stone in my armband and thought about my best friend. Tallulah, bro, can you hear me?

Silence.

Just when I thought I wasn’t going to get an answer, I felt electricity shoot up my arm and then words lit up my vision. “ brOOOOOO. ”

I gasped. “Tallulah!”

It’s me. I’m the idiot. I fell through, bro. I heard her laughter and it filled me with the warm and fuzzies.

Phil and Vic moved closer.

This connection won’t last long, the Chaos Stone whispered to me.

I cursed. Listen, bro, I can’t linger like this. What did you do to lock Fifth down ? No one can get in. ”

Her cringe was so visceral I felt them. “ Bro . . . it’s Jumanji level bullshit here. I don’t know.”

“I don’t care what I have to do, I will open that damn portal and get in there,” I gripped the rug below me. “ We are coming for you, okay? Do you hear me? We’re coming for you .”

“ Hurry, bro. Hurry, ” her voice faded away.

And then she was gone.

Thank you, my friend. I lifted my hand off my Chaos Stone and cursed. “Well, I found her?”

Vic chewed her fingernail “But how do we get to her?”

“Your mother had that room of portals. I assumed it was destroyed but we can check it out?”

Bash frowned. “I highly doubt it still stands, and if it does, I’d be afraid to use it.”

I looked to my stepfather, then his mother, then around to our friends. “Then we ask Araqiel or MoVaun. One of them will have an answer for us.”

Everyone nodded.

I opened my mouth to discuss broaching that subject with Araqiel when the front door flew open and crashed into the wall. Prince Riven stood in the open door with his all-black attire a stark contrast to the snowy, sunny day outside.

“Prince Riven?—”

“I’m ready for that favor now, petite chuchoteuse .” He strolled inside like he owned the place.

My stomach tightened into knots.

He stopped in front of me and arched one eyebrow. “You’re going to ask your friend to steal the key from King Cirrus.”