When my eyes reopen, I'm still in a deep green clearing, but it's not filled with Moonborns. Instead, I find myself surrounded by bewildered mortals.

"Get Cyrus. She's here!" 

I'm not sure who gave the order to locate Cyrus because all of the humans begin to scatter in multiple directions once my presence has made itself known. Hushed voices and anxious ramblings fill the air. Everyone runs away from me, grabbing weapons. 

I tighten my grip around my sword, but I don't make any move to attack. I'm only on the defensive and from the looks of it, so are the humans.

The panic among the mortals is silenced when a familiar accent bellows over all of the noise.

"Shut up and get still!" Cyrus barks. My eyes dart around frantically, searching for the freckled Englishman in the crowd. He suddenly pushes past the circle of mortals gathered around me and steps out into the open. "You're late," he scolds coldly, narrowing his eyes.

He stops walking when he's a few feet away from me, spear in hand as he studies me cautiously. I keep the sword in my hand pointed at the ground to subtly tell everyone that I mean no harm.

Vivian's violet-blue eyes are filled with both wonder and fear. Ares, her half-brother, stands at her side protectively, looking determined. The dark-skinned woman who disagreed with Cyrus when he wanted to hurt Juniper is watching me too. But she isn't afraid like the others. She almost looks... pleased to see me for some reason.

"I got here as fast as I could," I say firmly. "And before you ask, yes, I came alone."

He turns his nose up at me. "For your sake, I hope that's true. If anyone else shows up, their deaths will be on you, Moonborn," he declares. I can't tell if his tone is just laced with doubt, or if 'Moonborn' was meant to be a slur. Probably both.

"If you want my help finding Maddox, then you'd do well to stop threatening me, Cyrus."

He scoffs. "Or what—"

"Or I'll leave him over there to die," I retort. "If he hasn't already," I add bitterly after a small pause.

He points the arrowhead at the end of his spear in my direction, and his expression darkens considerably. "You do that, and I'll kill all of those Moonborn twits and your whiny little sister—"

My jaw clenches tightly at his words, but Vivian cuts him off before I get the chance. "Cyrus," she interjects, her tone a few octaves higher than normal. "You don't have to do that. She's here to help us, isn't she?" she snaps with narrowed eyes.

Cyrus merely tsks in response. I relax my jaw, but my distaste for Cyrus has expanded even more now. I want to bust his nose in again just for him thinking about touching a hair on Juniper's head. And his hypocrisy makes his presence all the more unbearable. He'll defend and befriend Maddox, knowing full well that he is a Moonborn but condemn everyone else under the same faction.

Out of respect for Dolion, I won't tell Cyrus that I know his best friend is a Moonborn in front of the mortals. Any human with a hatred for Moonborns would lash out if they knew their leader was one of them, and that could potentially lead to another attack on the Moonborns, which I don't want.

Cyrus clears his throat, but his scowl doesn't diminish one bit. "How are you going to get back to Maddox?" he asks cautiously. 

I throw my damp hair over my shoulder and take a hesitant step forward. "My magic can't be taken, so I can't get back to the second dimension without a Moonborn that hasn't lost their magic yet."

"The second dimension?" he asks, furrowing his brow.

I shrug as memories of Maddox and I wandering through my family's darkened castle flood through my mind. "It's another world that looks like ours, so that's what I'm calling it."

"I think I know of a way you can get back to Maddox without the help of Dolion's people." I raise an eyebrow but say nothing as I wait for Cyrus to continue. "You'll have to speak with me in private about it." He nods his head in the opposite direction, suggesting I follow him.

I shake my head immediately. I don't care how badly Cyrus wants to save Maddox, I don't trust him enough to be alone with him. And if Maddox killed Leo, Cyrus likely knows about it and probably helped him get away with it. I can't wander off with someone like that. "I'm not going anywhere alone with you. You can tell me your idea in front of everyone, or we'll be doing it my way," I announce matter-of-factly. 

He glowers at me in response, but just as he opens his mouth, one of the mortals shouts, "Dolion Locke! Look! He's in the trees!"

All of the mortals begin to ready themselves with weapons, and Cyrus's ire has increased tenfold. I follow his harsh gaze to find Dolion hidden behind the overgrowth of the forest. He slowly steps out into the open with his hands raised when he realizes he's been spotted.

"I told you to come alone!" Cyrus barks.

Dolion speaks before I get the chance to reply. "She did come alone! I followed her!" Dolion raises his voice just enough for everyone to hear. The mortals exchange hesitant looks, and Dolion takes several more cautious steps forward. "I had to make sure you weren't going to hurt her," he explains in an accusatory tone,

Cyrus scoffs in response. "If she's entangled herself with the likes of you, I'm the least of her concerns." He pauses, turning to smirk at me. "You think I'm a horrible person, don't you? Well, Dolion is worse, I assure you. He's not worried about you getting hurt at all. He's worried about what I might tell you about him."

My heart skips a beat. Somehow, there's a part of me that thinks Cyrus may be telling the truth. No matter how truthful and helpful Dolion has been, there is still something off about him.

I made the mistake of ignoring my intuition about Maddox, just to find out that he killed a Starborn to keep everyone trapped on the island for selfish reasons. So, I don't plan on turning my back on the part of my brain that is still fighting for my survival again. 

And right now, that part of my brain is screaming at me not to trust Dolion or Cyrus. Trust no one but myself and my siblings. Whatever pissing contest Dolion and the two Englishmen have going on is nothing more than just that—a pissing contest.  It's not my business, and I will not allow myself to stay tangled between the three of them.

I ignore the curious parts of my mind that want Cyrus to elaborate because I know I can't trust anything he says. I need to stay focused. "Dolion, I'm fine. Go back to the camp. Cyrus, do you want my help finding Maddox, or not?"

"I'm not leaving," Dolion objects, just as Cyrus spits, "I need to talk to you alone, Callie."

I turn to glare at Dolion, encouraging a knowing grin to curve his lips. With everything I can muster, I give him a look that tells him to go back to where he came from immediately. His expression remains complacent, but his jaw clenches stubbornly. "Go back!" I demand.

He shakes his head, becoming serious. The mortals panic when he walks forward, hatchet at the ready in his pale-brown hand. "I can't. You're going to get yourself killed, Callie."

"You barely know me," I hiss irritably. "What is this really about? What are you afraid of?"

Cyrus chuckles before cutting in with, "I already answered that question, Love." 

Hearing him address me as 'Love' takes me aback briefly. I know it's just how people with Cyrus's accent talk, but I had gotten so used to Maddox calling me Love or Darling that it almost sounds criminal coming from Cyrus. I didn't realize how personal it felt when Maddox said it until now...

I shake my head. What is wrong with me? Stay focused!

"I could turn you against Dolion in one sentence if I wanted to," he finishes smugly, earning a dark look from Dolion.

"I don't care about who said or did what between the two of you. I just want to get to Maddox so that I can save my brother, so can we please get on with it?" I nearly shout in exasperation. 

Dolion is at my side now, and the humans are eyeing us speculatively. "I don't care what you tell her, Cyrus. But you're right, I am here because I'm afraid." His gray eyes glue themselves to my blue ones and he frowns. "I'm sorry for this, Callie, but I can't let you bring Maddox back. You're coming back to camp with me, whether you like it or not."

Before I can blink, I am lying flat on my back, barely conscious after Dolion strikes me upside the head with a rock-hard fist. I reach for my sword that has landed off to my left, but Dolion lands a rough kick against my abdomen, knocking the breath out of me. The journal that Astrid gave me is still tucked between the waistline of my pants and my stomach, so the book cushions some of the blow, but not much.

My eyes flutter back open as I suck in a ragged breath of desperation and shock. When I look up, Cyrus has tackled Dolion to the ground just inches away from me, and the mortals are locking weapons with Moonborns that must've been lurking in the trees behind Dolion.

I manage to sit up, but my ribs burn with pain, and the pain bouncing around my skull makes my vision blur. I close my eyes for a moment and flop back down against the wet grass. I don't think I'll be able to stop the bloodbath this time if I can't even manage to stand up.

I feel like I'm going to pass out—which was probably Dolion's intention with the first hit.

To my surprise, Cyrus is at my side after what feels like minutes of listening to the frightening sounds of the massacre around me. "Can you walk?" he asks gruffly. I open my eyes and my mouth, but no words come out. Dolion must've scrambled my brain with that punch. Everything feels like a dream. "Callie?" he urges impatiently.

I'm lost in the tiny pattern of lightly colored freckles that line his pale, well-defined jaw, but he finally manages to pull me back to reality when he jostles my shoulder. My ribs protest and I wince. "Stop," I order through clenched teeth.

The man beside me sighs loudly and gives me a look that implies I'm very much inconveniencing him. I grip the front of his tunic and use it as leverage to hoist myself up into a sitting position. "What's happening?" I croak out. 

My heart pounds in my ears, making my head throb even more painfully, but I try to ignore it so that I can hear Cyrus over the clang of war ensuing around us.

"Dolion is happening. Now, get up. You and I need to make a run for it. My people are keeping the Moons distracted, but that'll only last for so long." With a shaky hand, I reach for my sword just as a knife suddenly whizzes past Cyrus's head. He narrowly dodges it, then jerks me up onto my feet. "Come on!" he yells urgently.

I use the sword in my hand to keep myself upright, but I know that Cyrus's firm grip on my forearm is what's mostly keeping me from toppling over. "They're all going to kill each other. We can't just leave," I argue mournfully as visions of the dead Moonborns from yesterday attack my memory. 

His dull eyes narrow and don't offer any sort of empathy. "Well, they're fighting because of you. The quicker you leave, the quicker they'll stop. Now, come on," he orders, tugging me by the arm.

I remember just days ago Juniper and I were running away from this ridiculously fast mortal. Now here I am, struggling to keep up with him at his side. I know he's only protecting me because he needs me to save Maddox, but it's still nice to know I have an ally in this hectic moment.

My eyes land on Dolion, who is ripping his hatchet out of the abdomen of a more-than-dead human. He turns around just as Cyrus and I breeze past him, and he doesn't hesitate to chuck the bloodstained weapon at the accented man attached to my arm.

Cyrus moves to dodge it, but the weapon still connects with the back of his calf. Cyrus lands face-first in the grass with a yelp, but he doesn't release the hold on my arm, so I go down with him. 

Dolion's heavy footfalls grow closer and my heart rate picks up. Is he going to kill Cyrus and drag me back to the Moonborn camp? Or is he planning to kill us both now that I've gone against Dolion's wishes by coming here?

Cyrus throws himself between me and Dolion and is tackled to the grass beside me. Cyrus is on the lankier side, so Dolion pummels him into the ground with ease. Each fist that connects with Cyrus's face produces more and more blood than the last.

I channel all of the built-up anger I've gathered in just the past few minutes after Dolion struck me and sit up with an outstretched hand. Spróxte! I scream internally. I don't have the breath to speak the incantation aloud, but it looks like I didn't need to.

Dolion is off of Cyrus and flying halfway across the clearing in an instant. His back meets the bark of a tree and a sharp wail of agony escapes him. I'm frozen for a moment. I didn't know that I was capable of harnessing such an intense force of magic. 

If that tree hadn't been there, Dolion would still be flying. I'm lucky I didn't kill him. I used more than enough force to do it.

Cyrus spits the blood pooling in his mouth to the side and sits up. Instinctively, I reach out to him. "Are you okay?" I inquire worriedly. Dolion hit him so hard, I'm surprised he can even see.

He shrugs away from me. "Get up. Now."

I stand up just as he does, but his stance is more unstable than mine. He's off balance, but he's determined to keep going. His shaky hand wraps around my wrist, but his eyes suddenly grow wide. 

"What is it?" I ask. I follow his panicked gaze to see Dolion release another hatchet in our direction, but this time the wily Moonborn is aiming at me.

"Move!"

Cyrus yanks me out of the way, but I'm almost certain the projectile is still going to land just where Dolion wants it to—in my skull.

"No! Callie!" Nova suddenly bursts out of the shadows of the trees and makes a beeline for me. Her graceful and slender frame only makes it about five steps into the clearing before the mortals send their weapons flying in her direction.

The only weapon that lands is a small blade. She digs it out of her leg immediately with a grimace and then resorts to something dangerous. Magic. "Na stamatísei!" she cries, reaching out in the direction of the spinning hatchet.

"Nova, no!" I shout. 

I have no idea what the spell she just used is, as I've never heard that chant, but all that matters is that she used magic on the island as a Moonborn. Like Orion did.

Some of the mortals and Moonborns stop to look at what she's done, while others are still too engaged in battle to notice.

Dolion's hatchet is only inches away from my head and frozen in place. The weapon doesn't continue to twirl in my direction, or even fall. It just... stopped. And if it hadn't, I'd be dead on the ground right now.

A white glow begins to form around Nova's petite figure and her hazel eyes widen with fear. I push away from Cyrus and run straight at Nova, my sword still in hand. She has no idea what horrors await her in that other dimension. She's made a horrible mistake, and I can't let her face it alone. 

"Nova!"

It's too late. Just as I throw myself at her person, she has completely vanished into what seems like thin air. I hear what I assume to be Dolion's hatchet meet the earth with a thud as soon as she's gone. Dread fills me, and I taste grass in my teeth once again.

The fighting between the mortals and the Moons stops abruptly. Their violence is replaced with panic and terror as both factions begin scrambling away from each other. I think they're trying to find shelter, but from what?

My question is soon answered when the ground and the atmosphere itself begin to rattle and rumble viciously. Trees from uphill begin to snap and tumble down rapidly, and I'm on my feet in an instant, dragging the Starborn sword along with me.

Even amid chaos, I am deeply worried about a sword. An inanimate object. But something in me is still telling me that I will need it, so I trust my gut and keep it in hand as I struggle against Mother Nature's ferocity. 

Why does everything bad seem to happen all at once on this island? I don't think I've had more than a second of peace since I've got here. It's exhausting—not knowing what will happen next and having to adapt to such abrupt changes constantly.

Thunder and lightning make themselves known, and the sky is a dreary gray once again. The earthquake nearly knocks me over, but I somehow manage to stay upright.

I'll look for Nova on the other side, but I need to find her sister on this side of the world first. 

"Stella!" I call out over the disarray. "Are you out here? Stella!"

The sudden downpour makes it hard to make out faces or even hear, but I still do my best to search for Stella in the clambering crowd. I know Orion can't be here. He's too injured to even stand, but what if Stella came here with Nova? Was she killed in battle? Is she hiding in the trees?

Another unwelcome question pops into my head and my anxiety grows even more. Where are Atlas and Juniper?

Cyrus grabs my wrist again. "Come on, you stupid girl!"

I don't object. The weather is becoming increasingly worse with each passing second. Wherever everyone is, I hope they're all safe. And I'm sure they're hoping the same for me.

Cyrus shoves me into the oversized hut that I slept in my first night on the island. The winds outside nearly rip the makeshift door off its hinges, but Cyrus and a few other mortals finally get themselves inside and close the door tightly behind them.

The howl of the wind just outside these not-so-sturdy walls makes the hairs on my neck stand up. If I was still in the second dimension, I'd think a monster was making those sounds.

Someone's hand squeezes my arm, making me jump. I whirl around to see Vivian watching me with concerned eyes. "It's gonna be okay. This place has withered the last three storms just fine. We just have to wait it out."

I take a step away from her and blink at all the fear-ridden mortals huddled together in the shelter. I frown, turning my head back to her. "That's not comforting, Vivian. Three storms mean that the structure of this place has been weakened three times. This place could be holding on by a thread for all we know."

"That's why we reinforce and rebuild what's broken after every storm," Cyrus cuts in as he brushes past me. "But that isn't any of your concern. In just a few minutes, you'll be with Maddox and that Nova girl you were whining about."

Ares's green eyes watch me cautiously as he tows Vivian away from my proximity protectively. The only person in this large shelter (that feels beyond small with so many people in it) who isn't looking at me like I'm a serial killer is Cyrus. 

But he's looking at me like I'm a tool. Nothing more.

I shrug it off. I don't care how they look at me right now. All I can think about is my siblings who may or may not have found shelter from this monster of a storm. Are they dead?

"My family," I whisper.

Ares clears his throat. "How are we going to get her over to Maddox without a Moonborn?"

Cyrus doesn't turn to look at Ares. Instead, he keeps his eyes locked on mine as he replies, "Well, that's what I wanted to talk to her about. Privately."

"Why are you trying to keep secrets, Cyrus?" an unknown mortal girl seethes from the shivering crowd. "What trick do you have up your sleeve that we can't know about?"

He turns to glare at the young girl. "It's Leo's trick, not mine. I'm trying to respect his privacy as best as I can. It's bad enough I'll have to share his business with this Moonborn twit, but it's for Maddox's sake." The girl sits down sheepishly and huddles next to a pale-skinned boy, saying nothing in response. 

A feeling of sadness has erupted throughout the mortals before me at the mention of Leo's name. I wonder if they know that he was a Starborn? I already know they don't know that Maddox was the one who killed him, so I'm not sure if they know much at all. 

My thoughts stall and I frown. Maybe I don't know much at all.

Seeing Dolion turn on me so quickly has inspired a lot of doubt. How do I know that he wasn't lying about Maddox killing Leo to scare me into leaving Maddox to die? I don't know what to believe anymore.

I lose my footing when the earth shakes beneath us again. My abdomen pangs painfully when I hit the ground. It feels like Dolion broke a rib! 

I mimic the mortals and stay seated this time. Luckily, there are no shelves or anything that could fall on us. But the roof could collapse...

Stop being negative, Callie. Don't think about stuff like that, I silently chastise myself.

Cyrus is at my side now, motioning for everyone to stay as far away from me as possible. They oblige him immediately.

He crouches down so that we're at eye level. I have to tell myself not to stare at his busted lip that is still oozing blood. "You can get back to the dimension Maddox is in with that sword." Between the sounds of the storm and the other conversations taking place in the hut, nobody can hear his hushed words.

I'm not sure why we need to be quiet, but I go along with it. Glancing down at the steel blade lying across my legs, I frown. "How?" I ask, keeping my voice just as quiet as his. "And why can't your people know this?"

He shrugs. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore. They'll know what you are as soon as they see you use the sword."

Does this mean that Cyrus knows I'm a Starborn? And he was trying to protect my secret? 

Did this guy fall and hit his head while I was away? He's made it more than clear that he has no interest in helping me, yet here he is. Yes, he needs me to rescue Maddox, but why care about hiding my secrets?

"What I am?" I ask, feigning cluelessness. I need to know for certain what he thinks I am before I say too much.

He gives me a flat look. "I know you're a Starborn. It didn't take me long to put two and two together after I saw you use your magic yesterday."

I purse my lips, debating on what I want to say for a moment. After Dolion's little stunt today, I don't care about his wishes. He's probably telling everyone as we speak that I'm a Starborn, and he will probably tell the mortals that I'm a Van Blake as soon as this storm passes. Why bother keeping his secrets anymore?

"Like Leo," I state, watching him carefully to gauge his reaction. His eyes widen briefly and then his face falls. "Dolion told me about him," I add after a moment.

His trademark scowl returns and his brown eyes snap back up to mine. "Dolion is a spiteful twit. You can't believe anything he tells you. Whatever he said to you about Leo was surely a lie."

"He said that Leo died. He said Maddox killed him," I admit. Dolion can shove it. I want to know the truth, and I trust Dolion the least after what just happened before the storm.

His expression darkens further. "He said that?" His voice rises above a whisper and his fists clench. "That's not true. That's not what happened."

"What happened then?" I urge. "Tell me."

"Nobody killed anyone. I-It was an accident. Maddox wouldn't do that. There's no way that's true."

Confusion washes through me. Dolion and Maddox must've taken their pact very seriously if even Cyrus doesn't know what happened to Leo. It sounds like Cyrus was told a lie, or doesn't know the whole truth about the Starborn's death. 

Surprise, surprise. Somebody's lying.

"Why was he telling you about Leo?" Cyrus mutters, averting his eyes.

"He was trying to stop me from helping you. He said Maddox would kill me too if I bring him back here."

His jaw clenches and his knuckles turn white when his fists do the same. "Bloody hell," he curses under his breath. I blink at him, and he suddenly looks doubtful. "Did you believe him?" he hisses.

My throat tightens. "I... I don't know what to believe, Cyrus."

"Then why did you agree to help? How can I trust that you'll bring Maddox back? You're planning to kill him, aren't you? That's why you left him there the first time, right? I swear, if you're lying to me—"

"I'm not," I interject. "My brother is seriously hurt, and Maddox can help him. And I didn't leave Maddox. I was forced out."

Cyrus scoffs. "And I'm supposed to believe that?"

"It's the truth!"

 He gives me a look that tells me to keep my voice down and then asks, "What help could Maddox offer your brother?"

"Well, he's an expert in the medical field... with or without magic," I whisper.

His eyes widen again, and he looks around quickly to make sure no one is listening. "What do you mean?" he insists quietly, giving me a cold stare.

My voice is barely even a whisper now as I lean in closer to Cyrus's ear. "I know he's a Moonborn, and I know that you know."

I pull away from him to see his reaction. His expression is torn between irritation and... humor?

"Did Dolion tell you that too? I nod slowly, confused by his reaction. He clicks his tongue in response. "Well, if the storm doesn't kill him this time, I guess I'll have to see to it for good this time."

I bite my lip. "Maddox told me first though," I admit hesitantly.

He shakes his head. "Of course he did. Doesn't matter. We shouldn't even be talking about this. I just want to show you how to use that sword."

"Are you a Moonborn too?" I ask bluntly, my curiosity getting the better of me.

His nose scrunches up in disgust. "Absolutely not."

I frown. "You act as if Moons are some kind of walking plague."

"Might as well be."

I clench my jaw in frustration. "You're a hypocrite. Even if you're not one of us, your friend is. Maddox might not say anything to you, but I'm sure it hurts him to hear the way you talk about his kind."

"One of us? You're not a Moonborn, I thought?"

I shake my head. "Well, er, yeah. I'm not but I didn't know that until recently so I'm not used to separating myself from Moonborns."

He tsks. "You should count yourself lucky that you're not one of those twits."

I narrow my eyes. He is so unbearably bitter. 

"What about Maddox, then?" I challenge. "Do you hate him too?"

"Of course not. It's... not the same," he grumbles I open my mouth to retort but, he cuts me off. "None of this matters. I'm not here for a guilt trip. Do you want to know how to use the sword, or not?" he snaps.

I roll my eyes but let the subject of Moonborns drop for now. "Yes, but I I want to know my family is safe first. I can't leave yet."

"Yes, you can and you will. Unless your family is completely brainless, I'm sure they found shelter. Maddox has been over there for days. We can't keep waiting."

I cross my arms. "He's only been there for a day and a half since I've been gone."

"That's a day and a half too long. Besides, isn't your friend over there now?" 

Yes, she is. Nova is over there. Alone. Unless maybe she found Maddox. But I'm not sure if I should be hopeful for that or not.

"Fine," I snap, "But you can't hurt anyone while I'm gone. Not my family. Not the Moonborns. Nobody. You will wait peacefully until I'm back with Maddox."

"Fine."

I give him an accusatory look. "Promise me."

He stifles a laugh, and I cock my head to the side in irritation. He sighs after a moment and nods. "As long as Dolion doesn't attack, we won't either. But if he attacks my people, I can't tell them not to defend themselves. I promise I won't start anything, but that's it." He seems sincere. I think I can trust him on this, not that I have much of a choice. He speaks again before I get the chance. "And I don't know everything about the sword. Leo was able to cut through to different dimensions, and I've seen him do it. I don't know anything else beyond that, but I'm hoping you'll be able to mimic it if I describe it to you."

A sudden boom of thunder nearly makes me jump, and the wind continues to howl through the cracks of the building. It sounds like the storm won't be dying down anytime soon and Maddox has waited long enough—if he's even alive.

I look back up at Cyrus's dull, brown eyes, and I raise the Starborn sword with both hands, offering it to him. 

"Okay, then. Show me how to use this thing."