“I do,” I said, still coming to terms with the shock I felt at her condition. Even while imprisoned and tortured, Sydney’s mind had remained strong enough to connect at the spirit-dream level. What kind of damage had been done to Nina to put her in this state? Was this the danger I was courting with my continued spirit use?

“I think it’s good for different people to talk to her,” said Sonya carefully. “But I think certain topics are best avoided until she’s recovered. Like unhappy endings.”

She didn’t need to elaborate for me to understand. Knowing the truth—that Olive was dead—was probably not going to be therapeutic for Nina’s immediate recovery. I nodded and stepped back up to the stone cell’s window.

“I’m glad to see you again, Nina. There’s so much I want to tell you. A lot of it’s about Olive. And some of it . . . some of it’s really incredible.” I smiled as Declan came to mind. “You’re definitely going to want to hear about it, so you need to come back to us soon, okay?”

There was no response or change of expression, not even at the mention of Olive’s name.

“It’ll take time,” said Sonya, gently touching my arm. “But all of this helps.”

“Thank you for letting me know about her,” I said. As my gaze shifted back to Sonya, it hit me that she too would probably be very interested in knowing about Declan. I didn’t know for certain, but I had a sneaking suspicion that the way spirit was infused in him was exactly the feat she was trying to replicate for her vaccine. If she could see him, she might make incredible progress—and yet, that was exactly what Olive had been trying to avoid. It was what she’d died for.

“What is it?” asked Sonya, seeing my scrutiny.

I gave her a weak smile. “Nothing. There’s just a lot going on.”

“I can imagine—and I won’t keep you. I just wanted you to know Nina’s progress and see how you could talk to her.”

“Thanks,” I said, giving a Sonya a small hug. “I’ll keep checking in with her. Let me know if she wakes in the real world.”

The dream dissolved, and I returned to my own sleep, surprising myself when I slept in to almost noon at Howie’s. When I woke, another meal of junk food followed. I’d never wanted a salad so much in my life. I also learned from Marcus that Sabrina had sent an update from the Warriors’ compound. They were all inside and safe, and so far, their cover was holding.

That news got me through the day until evening came around, and an unknown car pulled up outside our safe house. I could see Marcus starting to freak out until I recognized Neil in the driver’s seat.

“Jackie Terwilliger sent me to fetch you,” he explained. “I helped get her out earlier and shake the Alchemists who were watching her house. She’s getting things ready for Alicia now.”

At the mention of Alicia’s name, his expression darkened. She had that effect on people. “I’m kind of surprised I get to be the ‘lucky’ one to witness her interrogation,” he added. “But with Eddie off on some mission, and Rose and Dimitri doing something mysterious at Clarence’s, I’m the only free guardian around.”

“Did you talk to Rose and Dimitri?” I asked casually.

“I saw them,” said Neil. “And your mum. I stopped by this morning. That’s a cute little fellow she’s taking care of, by the way. Is he part of the reason Rose and Dimitri are sticking around? I got the impression Rose really would have liked to come with me.”

I hesitated. Neil still didn’t know that he was a father—or that the girl he loved was dead. It was a huge, burning secret he deserved to know, but again, I was struck by the poor timing. I certainly wasn’t going to bring it up in front of Marcus. And it didn’t really seem right to mention it as a “by the way” en route to interrogating Alicia.

“It’s a long story,” I said simply. “I’ll fill you in later.”

“Fair enough,” said Neil. Guardians were used to secrets and a need-to-know basis. He could take it stride—though he also didn’t realize that this secret hit so close to home.

I told Marcus to keep me updated as soon as he learned anything about Sydney and Eddie’s progress at the Warriors’ compound. After stocking up on a few snacks from Howie’s kitchen—though honestly, I was kind of sick of it all by now—Neil and I headed back to the civilization of Palm Springs. Along the way, he mentioned that he’d heard Nina was sick, and I again had to tread very carefully about the extent of my involvement. Naturally, Neil also wanted to know if I’d obtained any news of Olive, especially in light of her sister’s condition. I played it vague, saying I hadn’t been able to make contact, hating that I had to lie to him. Disappointment showed in his face, and I realized I was going to hate having to tell him the truth as well—at least about Olive.

I soon learned from him that we were going to the home of Maude, the Stelle’s leader. Not only was she not under Alchemist surveillance, she also apparently had a bona fide dungeon in her house. At least that’s what Inez told me when we arrived.

Maude, overhearing as she passed by, rolled her eyes. “It’s not a dungeon, Inez. It’s a wine cellar.”

We were standing in Maude’s living room, waiting for a few other coven members to show up. Inez sniffed in contempt. “It’s underground and has stone walls,” she retorted. “And it doesn’t have wine racks.”

“I haven’t gotten them installed yet,” explained Maude.

“I just call it like I see it,” said Inez.

Jackie strolled over to us. “Well, regardless, it’s incredibly useful right now. Underground rooms are excellent for containing magic. We can create a circle to prevent Alicia from attempting anything nefarious, and then you can work your own brand of magic, Adrian. Ah, here are the others.”

A few more newcomers entered, bringing the total number of witches up to fourteen. According to Jackie, there were a bunch of sacred numbers in spell craft, but to offer the best protection against Alicia, a circle of thirteen was needed, as well as someone to work other spells. After two days in that frozen form, Alicia was probably weakened, but after all the times she’d surprised us, no one wanted to take any chances.

With everyone here, we headed down into the basement. There, I found Alicia frozen in exactly the same form she’d been at Wolfe’s. I also found myself agreeing with Inez.