Cressida sinks slowly to the ground, her face bright with relief. Her hands are still tightly locked around mine and Sky's, so we end up on the floor next to her.

I notice something shining on her cheek. She realises that I've seen and lets go of our hands, wiping her sleeve fiercely across her face. "Are you alright?" I ask her. She nods, clearing her throat and standing up.

"What did you see?" asks Sky, looking concerned.

"Memories," replies Cressida, her voice clear and perfectly composed. "Something was inside my head, telling me to give up, that there was no escaping the future... But it's gone now."

"You passed," says Sky, smiling at her. "You didn't let it control you."

"I almost did," confesses Cressida. "It was only thanks to you two that I didn't. Thank you."

I look around the field and my heart stills. Where a second ago there had been nothing but soft, golden grass, there stands a strange, iridescent marble podium, shining softly in the sunlight. Something lies on top of it: a short, silver chain.

"There's a podium over there... It must be time for my test."

"Is there a crystal ball on top of it?" Cressida asks, squinting over at what must have looked like thin air for her.

"No... It looks like a chain..." I walk over to it tentatively. As soon as I get closer, my heart lurches and dark memories flood into my mind. The chain is actually a wicked-looking iron manacle.

The worst part is that the test hasn't even started yet; the sight of the manacle had sparked horrible childhood memories that are entirely my own.

I exhale, collecting myself, and reach towards the manacle. Suddenly it springs to life, snapping around my wrist.

Suddenly, the field is gone. I'm back in the cellar of my mother's house. The chill in the air clings damply to my skin, making my teeth chatter. An iron ring encircles one of my wrists, chaining me to the wall. My breathing quickens and my fingers scrabble uselessly at my wrist, trying to free it from the manacle.

"You know that won't work."

I look up slowly. My mother stands in the doorway of my cell, her eyes gleaming red as blood in the candlelight. She smiles at me, a smile that still scares me even after all the years I've spent with her.

"You've tried to escape those chains enough to know that they're unbreakable."

I stop struggling and stare at her. This can't be real. This is part of the test. I have to stay calm. I can't let her into my head.

"This is real, girl," she hisses at me. "This is the only reality you can ever have."

I shove my fears away. "Now I know this isn't real. You can't read minds any more. You lost all your powers years ago; that's why you need me. The test is trying to make me give up by exploiting my weaknesses, but it isn't going to work."

My mother laughs icily, the sound cutting through the air like a knife. "This doesn't need to be real for you to fail. Because you're right. I'm here to make your weaknesses your downfall, Iris."

Doubt creeps into my heart. I stare at her.

"In fact, you're right about this not being real, too. Because your real mother never called you Iris, did she? She didn't even care enough to give you a name. She always called you It. Didn't she?"

I swallow, trying to block out her words, but they only get louder.

"Remember all the families you've seen? Remember when you used to visit them to predict their futures or read their minds? Think about the mothers and daughters you've seen. How many of them live their lives chained to the wall?"

"Shut up," I whisper. "Please shut up."

"The only time your mother has even pretended to care about you is when you're in public. And what do you do then? Her bidding. You're nothing but a way to gain money for her. And how much of that money does she spend on you?"

I squeeze my eyes shut, hunched against the wall. A hot tear slips between my eyelashes and slides down my cheek. Then I open them again, watching the vision of my mother pace the room, those scarlet eyes piercing me straight through.

"Nothing. Nothing. You're nothing to her. Lower than a slave. Just something to get her money. And even you know that isn't how it works. Mothers are supposed to love their daughters... but she doesn't love you. Face it, Iris. It's not as though this is a surprise to you. You've always known it, haven't you? You've seen what love looks like. In fact, you know what love feels like. And that's the worst part. You love her. You love her so much it hurts. And why does it hurt so much? Because you know she could never, never  love you back." The vision smiles at me again, that achingly familiar smirk. "So, in the end, it doesn't matter that I'm not real, does it? Because everything I'm saying is true. If your mother was here now, she would probably be telling you the same thing."

More tears seep from my eyes. I have to block the words out, I know, but I can't. They slice their way inside my head, catching the pain that has always been inside me and making it grow until it almost consumes me. I try to stop myself from listening the only way I can think of: by reading her thoughts. I try to see what's inside her mind, but there's nothing inside her head. It's like her mind is an empty slate. If she's nothing but a vision, she doesn't have a mind for me to read.

But then I sense a voice in my mind. I sense somebody's thoughts. I may not be reading the mind of the vision, but I'm reading the mind of somebody else. Two people, in fact.

Not my mother's voice, but still very familiar.

What's going on...?

What's happening to her?

Is she alright?

How do we stop it?

Why isn't my magic working?

Can she hear us?

Then I realise. If the figure I see in front of me is just a vision, then this whole cellar must be a vision too. I'm still in the field, the gateway to Orbis, even if all I can see is the dank cellar of my childhood. Cressida and Sky are still with me, even if I can't see them.

As soon as I register this, the cellar starts to fade slightly. I hear their voices, not their thoughts, but their words.

"Hey, Iris! Listen to us! You're here, with us! You're safe!"

"Nothing's real, remember? Nothing can hurt you!"

I feel them shaking me. I feel Sky's magic trying to pull me back to reality.

The field starts to come back into view. I look back into what's left of the cellar, stare into those burning red eyes that are slowly dwindling away.

"She doesn't have power over me any more," I say, looking into the face that has trapped me my entire life. It looks back at me, every feature burning with hate.

"Nothing has changed," hisses the woman. "Your mother doesn't love you. She never has, and never will."

"I know," I answer. "And it hurts more than anything. But there's nothing I can do to change that, and it isn't my fault. So now I'm walking away. I'm starting a new life in a new realm, and I don't need her to love me. Not anymore."

Then the vision disappears, and there's nothing left but reality. I gasp, wiping away my tears and gazing up to the sky above me. Blue, endless and beautiful.

"Iris?" Cressida grabs my hand. "Are you okay?"

I nod, looking down at them both. They're staring anxiously at me. "Thank you," I say hoarsely.

"What was it?" Sky asks. "Memories?"

Her mind is filled with dread, and I imagine the memories she could be forced to watch when she takes her own test. I grasp her hand too.

"No," I tell her. "A vision... Of my mother. But it wasn't real. You have to remember that, promise? None of this is real."

She grins at me, a brave grin that doesn't quite disguise her fear.

"Don't worry," she tells me. "I'm not going to let a stupid test beat me."