Not yet. Upset the balance, you have. Even those who are nearly faded have come back, and now they will linger even more. Because of you.”
“Not…yet?” I could barely get the words out. The crowd of Forgotten had gathered again, surrounding us with open mouths, their combined pull so strong I nearly collapsed. The thin man looked at me, surprised.
“You do not know?” He tilted his head, and for a moment, it vanished.
“Your essence is unraveling. Bit by bit. Soon, you will be unable to remember your name, your promise, who you are, and you will be consumed with filling the emptiness inside. But it will never be enough. In time, you will find your way to Phaed, to remain here with the Forgotten, and the Promise-breakers.” He nodded, a sharp gesture in the coiling fog. “But not yet.”
“Then…you’ll let us…go?”
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“Of course you will go,” the sharp thin man said, as if that was obvious.
“You will go, and life will return to normal. Everyone will forget, as is their way.
You do not belong. But, her—” his gaze sharpened, staring at Ariel a
“—she must stay. She is the reason you found this place. No essence.
No life.
She is empty, like we are. She remains.” I felt a f lare of anger, but it was immediately drained away by the thin man. “No,” I muttered, trying to find the strength to pull back, to resist.
“I…need her.”
“She remains,” the thin man whispered again, and reached to take her from me.
No! A fierce protectiveness roared to life, drowning out everything else. She would not be taken away. Not again. I would not fail her again.
With the last of my strength, I lunged to my feet and drew my blade, pressing it to the thin man’s neck.
He seemed surprised that I could still move. “She does not belong with you,” he said, watching calmly as I fought to remain on my feet, keep the blade steady and hold the girl to myself with one arm. “She belongs here, with us.”
“I don’t care,” I told him. “I’m not letting her go.” A roar shattered the still ness, and the Wolf came bounding out of the fog, scattering Forgotten like wispy birds. Shoving his huge body between myself and the thin man, he bared his fangs at the crowd and 168/387
snarled. “Get going, prince,” he snapped, as the sharp thin man turned to the side and disappeared. “The boat is already leaving. Go!” Sheathing my sword, I gathered Ariel a in both arms and staggered onto the dock, where Puck met me halfway. “Geez, you love to wait till the last dramatic moment, don’t you, ice-boy?” he muttered as we hurried over the planks. At the end of the dock, a small, faded paddleboat covered in moss and vines was pulling away, easing back into the River of Dreams. Grimalkin sat on the railings, watching us with glowing yellow eyes.
“Hurry!” the cat urged as the boat pulled farther away. “They are coming!”
Behind us, I heard the Wolf ’s growls as he backed onto the dock, and felt the emptiness of the Forgotten sucking at me, even from this distance.
And then they were crawling onto the dock from beneath the water, reaching for us with ghostly fingers, mouths gaping like dead fish.
Puck slashed at one, cutting through it like paper, and it frayed into coils of mist, but there were always more, grasping for us, starved and relentless.
The ferry drew farther away.
Thumping footsteps shook the dock, and I turned to see the Wolf hurl himself out of the fog, bounding toward us. Dozens of Forgotten clung to him, hanging off his back and neck as he snarled and growled and snapped, shaking himself free only to have more take their places. The Forgotten crowding around our feet drew back, slipping away toward the Wolf. I started to go after them, but the Wolf turned, meeting my gaze with his burning green eyes, lips peeled back in a snarl.
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“Get going!” he roared, and we went, hurrying after the ferry. Puck reached the edge of the dock first and leaped, f lailing his arms as he hit and grabbed the railing to keep from falling off. I was right behind him, f linging myself over the dark waters, Ariel a featherlight in my arms. I struck the edge of the boat and rolled, curling my body around the girl to protect her, wincing as the edge of a bench hit me in the back.
I staggered upright, laid Ariel a on one of the seats, and hurried to the side of the boat, looking for the Wolf. But the fog had curled around the dock, hiding it from view. I still heard the soft splashes of the Forgotten as they hit the water, and the Wolf, snarling through the mist, but I couldn’t see him anymore.
“Pity,” Grimalkin remarked, sounding as if he almost meant it. “I was nearly used to his smell, too.”