It turned out that a week of bedrest was just what I needed.

Granted, it wasn't all resting, but it was a quiet week. I spent time in the library, tried to go through a few more of those old Weaver journals, and had a wonderful time going through as many books on Dante's personal shelves as possible. Sylvan history and magical traditions were absolutely fascinating, and I absolutely itched to get my hands on some of the herbs that only grew on the Sylvan side of the Veil. Dante and I also took daily walks outside, and like a flower in the sunshine, I perked up and bloomed.

I did spend some time in bed, too. Sleeping, mostly, but other times... definitely not sleeping.

I'd fallen asleep reading on the sitting room sofa the night before, but when Dante returned, he shuffled me into bed for a more peaceful sleep. I'd mostly stayed in his rooms for the last several days, and no one really seemed to mind. I imagined the Council might have their own thoughts on that if they found out, but I didn't really care what they were.

King Hilbern and Queen Elinor were a different matter, but according to Dante, they seemed to be just fine with me. Later, there might be more things like family dinners and embarrassing photos from childhood, but there was a potential war to worry about at the moment, so they were a bit distracted.

I rolled over that morning with a quiet groan, surprised to see Dante already awake, a book in his hands.

"What time is it?"

"About ten," he said, putting the book to the side to slide back under the blankets with me.

"Damn," I grumbled, rubbing at my eyes. "I think I'm getting in a bad habit of sleeping late."

That wasn't true, and we both knew it. I was just fatigued beyond belief. Everything that we'd managed to come across about soul mates indicated that separation could induce massive depression, though I obviously never found anyone who intentionally cut the Thread between them. I had no idea what the magic surrounding that did to me or how my body was responding to it, but sleep was my best friend right now.

Dante slid a little closer and draped his arm around my waist, hand tracing circles on my back over my soft, far-too-large sleep shirt.

"You're still not at full strength, are you?" he murmured, playing with the ends of my hair.

"No," I sighed. "I'm not sure if I'll ever be again."

For someone who had never liked their own magic, I was oddly bitter about that. It felt like I was just starting to get used to it, and now it was flickering and fading. In a way, that was good. In other ways, it was inconvenient.

Dante shot me a confused look, shaking his head, and I just sighed.

"Calen's magic wasn't a gift from the Moon Goddess like Ataraxia's was," I said, snuggling into his side. "His formed as a balance response to mine, I think partly from him being around Ataraxia and exposed to magic."

"Makes sense... and that also explains why the strength of your magic changes the more you're around each other, Threads included," Dante said softly.

I hummed.

"I should probably get up, shouldn't I?" I muttered, eyes closed. I had no intention of getting up, but I was aware that I probably should.

"Callie arrived about fifteen minutes ago, if you need some motivation," he said, shrugging as though that wasn't significant news.

I immediately sat up, eyes wide. "You could have started with that!"

"I didn't want you to push yourself too hard!" Dante laughed, watching as I scrambled out of bed and frantically looked around to find clothes.

I'd been a bit of a mess since arriving at the Sylvan Court. Sure, I had a few basics with me, but I'd shifted to wearing a combination of human and Sylvan style clothing. I still wasn't accustomed to the floor-length skirts that Sylvans favored, but I did like the tops, and I'd managed to convince the staff to bring me a couple of shorter dresses, too.

For now, I slipped into the first clean pair of jeans I could find and tied on a Sylvan-style halter top with it, slipping a thick sweater over my bare arms.

"Do you want to go down together?" I asked, perching on the edge of the bed. He was fully dressed, but also seemed immersed in his book. I could wait a few more minutes if he wanted to go down together.

Dante shook his head, though, probably sensing that I was anxious to see my friend.

"Go on," he said, leaning over to kiss my cheek. "I'll be down after I finish this chapter."

That was permission enough for me. I pressed a quick kiss to his lips, and then I practically ran from the room.

During the time I'd spent at Court, I'd finally learned at least a few different ways to get around the castle... or, to the important areas. I was chronically bad with directions, but I could get to the entrance hall without a problem. By the time I made it down the final staircase, I was out of breath. Callie was waiting at the door for me with open arms, a wide smile on her face, and I couldn't have been more relieved to see her.

Callie and I crashed into each other like dramatic leads from a romance movie. Let me tell you: Crashing chest first into your best friend, while cathartic, is not nearly as comfortable as the movies make it look. I really didn't care, though. I was just glad she was alive and safe.

I didn't expect the biggest surprise of all, though: My family was there, too.

Mom, Grandma, and Ray all stood with Callie and her parents, smiling brightly when they saw me coming down the stairs. My mouth dropped open, but I ran down to hug them. I was especially surprised that my grandma had agreed to come to the Sylvan Court, considering her personal prejudices, but it certainly was a safer situation with more protections than the safe house could offer.

My grandma held me tight for a long moment when I hugged her, like she didn't want to let go. I couldn't blame her, really. I worried for them, too, and we couldn't really use any form of contact without risking the location of the safe house.

"I'm glad you're safe, baby," she murmured, patting my back.

"So you've... made your peace?" I asked carefully, raising an eyebrow.

"He's acceptable," Grandma said grudgingly. "He's mellowed."

I bit back a snort. It was better than it could have been. At that moment, all I really wanted was for everyone to coexist without constantly snapping at each other.

And... they did. Chatting with Callie, her parents, and my family went so smoothly that it felt like a dream. Her parents were still confused, of course, considering that they'd never been exposed to a world of magic before now, but they took it in stride as best they could. My mom, especially, was happy to take Callie's mother under her wing and explain a little about the culture, and that seemed to help. Even Ray looked calm, while my grandma seemed a bit stiff, she didn't look outright afraid.

The only problem was that after we'd been chatting for almost an hour, Dante still wasn't there. It shouldn't have taken him that long to finish a chapter of his book- the man could read at the speed of lightning- and I was starting to worry. He could have been called away by the Council, of course, but I assumed he would have sent a message if that happened.

"He said he'd be right down," I mumbled, frowning. "Maybe I should go check on him?"

"I'll come with you," Ray offered. "I know my way around if we end up on a goose chase."

"Solid point," I said, nodding. Despite knowing how to get from the front door to Dante's rooms, the gardens, the kitchen, or the library... that was about all I knew, and the Sylvan Court was much, much bigger than that. If I had to go hunt him down to check on him, I'd be lost in a heartbeat.

That, and Ray might have been trying to get away from my grandma. Not that I could blame him for that one. She was getting better, but there was probably still some tension there from the past that couldn't be easily erased.

If you asked me later what we talked about on the way to the room, I wouldn't be able to tell you. It was something about daily happenings, about what I planned to do next and how long we might all be staying at the Sylvan Court. In the end, it didn't really matter.

Everything changed when we opened the doors to Dante's suite.

I didn't bother knocking, considering that I'd been living there the last several days. Expecting to see him lost in a book or caught up in some other activity without thinking of the time, I marched right in and called out for him, but I almost immediately skidded to a stop.

I didn't really register what had happened at first, only that the sitting room was covered in a swath of red. I paused mid-step, blinking at the scene.

"Fuck," Ray whispered, immediately running past me and inside.

It took a few seconds for me to consciously register what I was seeing. I wasn't sure if the dark red spattering was entirely for show, or something much, much worse, but I did see the crumpled, winged body on the floor. I did see the shock of white hair. I did see that his limbs were twisted in an unnatural way, and that he was eerily still. No movement. No breath.

He was dead. Dante was stone cold dead.

How was that even possible? He was alive less than an hour ago. I'd woken up beside him this morning, and he was breathing. He was healthy. How had anyone even managed to get into the room? Where were they now? Who did this?!

Ray clapped his hand over my mouth as it fell open, as all the breath left my lungs, as the world started to spin.

"Don't scream," he said, though his voice shook slightly. "Don't. Scream."

I don't know how he expected me not to scream or why he wanted me to stay silent, but I didn't even think I could breathe at the moment.

I'd never known it was possible to immediately, unexpectedly start sobbing like a child, but I did then. My legs gave out and I crashed painfully to the wooden floor, gasping for air as I stared at the blood.

"Sunday," Ray said firmly, placing himself between me and the scene. "Sunday, I need you to look at me, sweetie."

With effort, I did. I tore my eyes away from Dante, bit back the bile rising in my throat, and looked at him. He was calm in the same way that doctors are calm when they're telling you bad news. He was holding it together so that I didn't have to.

"Good. Now, turn around. Face the doors."

He urged me to spin around so my back was to the blood, and I didn't have the strength to protest.

"Why shouldn't I scream?" I managed through tears, my voice cracking.

"Because the second you scream is the second we lose our chance to track who did this. If we make a fuss, they get away in the chaos," he said from behind me, tone carefully even. I could hear shuffling, but I wasn't sure what he was doing.

I could guess who did this. What I didn't know was how they'd gotten inside the palace. I didn't understand how all the security here could possibly fail-

Unless they had infinite chances to try again, of course. If Calen had them on call to rewind at any moment, then it wouldn't matter how many times it took.

"Shit," I heard Ray mutter. "There's a note. Don't turn, I'll bring it to you."

I didn't dare turn around. I already felt like vomiting, like fainting, like I was about to have a panic attack. Squeezing my eyes shut, I forced myself to breathe slowly and deeply until I felt Ray press something into my hand.

It was a folded piece of clean, thick cardstock, but when I read it, I wanted to be sick. There was no signature, only brief directions. It was just as well, though. I knew who left it.

Come to my side, and he gets to live. You have twenty-four hours.

There was an address on the back. I crumpled the note in my fist, holding it so tightly that my knuckles turned white.

Fuck Calen.

Fuck magic.

Fuck the world, for all I cared at the moment. I would do whatever it took to bring Dante back. He should never have endured this in any timeline.

It didn't matter if we were soul mates. It didn't matter if the universe brought us together a hundred times, or only this once. I would rip the Threads apart with my own hands and rearrange them until they spelled his name.

I loved him that much, and there was no way in this world or the next that I'd let Calen take that from me.

"I have to go," I said, pushing myself to my feet as I wiped tears and snot on my sleeve. "I have to go now."

The longer I waited, the less likely that Calen would or could rewind enough to save Dante. I grabbed by bag from the side table, trying to look away from the blood, trying not to tell myself that this was all my fault. If I'd never gotten involved with him, then this wouldn't have happened-

That might have been true, and it might not. Those thoughts weren't useful right now, though.

"Are you sure?" Ray asked, his eyes flicking between the bloody display and me. "He could be lying."

He could. He certainly, absolutely could be lying, but I didn't have another choice. Dante was dead, and I hadn't been there to stop it, and the only solution left was to get the shittiest bastard of a witch in the world to rewind time enough to save him.

I didn't know how I planned to make sure he actually followed through, but I'd do it. Somehow.

"This is the only chance I've got. It's worth the risk."

"What are you going to do, Sunday?"

"I'm going to Calen, and I'm going to force him to rewind time," I said through gritted teeth.

"I'm coming with you, then," Ray said.

I almost told him not to, but the reality was that... I didn't want to go alone. I wasn't even sure that I could drive in this state, nor did I really know how to get a car, get out of Sylvan territory, and get over to Calen's place while raising as little suspicion as possible. Ray was right: screaming and causing a fuss would only cut that twenty-four hours even shorter.

"That would be great," I finally admitted. "I... I'm going to need to go in alone, though. I don't want him to have any more leads on people I'm connected to."

Ray nodded slowly, jaw set and shoulders tense. It made sense that he wouldn't like abandoning me at the entrance to the lion's den, but we didn't have much of a choice. Calen remembered everything after rewinds while the rest of us were only left with vague impressions at best. We needed to play it safe.

"Come on," Ray said. "I'll get us out without any questions. Just... don't walk too fast. Act normal."

I couldn't act normal. I was trying not to cry again, I knew my face was a mess, and I felt like all the walls were slowly closing in around me. I still kept walking, though, following Ray out the doors of Dante's suite and down the hall. He kept a quick pace, but not so fast as to trigger any warning bells. We passed a few guards on patrol, but they paid us no mind.

Ray took a left turn down a passage I'd never seen before, walking swiftly all the way to what appeared to be a dead end. I didn't have the strength or mental fortitude to question it, too busy focusing on staying calm enough to function, and simply watched as he pressed his palm against one of the bricks.

The wall slid open in front of us, revealing a dusty, disused passage with half-timbered walls. The wooden stairs were dirty, but sturdy, and Ray motioned for me to follow as he took off into the passage.

"Come on. The wall will close in a few seconds," he muttered.

There was very little light in the hidden staircase once the wall shuttered closed behind us, so we carefully picked our way down in the dark.

"Are you sure you're supposed to be showing me this?" I asked absently. Secret passages around the Sylvan Court seemed like something that outsiders weren't really supposed to know about, though this was certainly an emergency situation.

"Definitely not, but if Calen's going to rewind time anyways, I figure that I basically never did," he said, shrugging. It wasn't terrible logic, truthfully. "They're all over the castle in case of emergencies, but not many people know about them."

"Has this one ever been used?" I bit back a sneeze as I swatted at the silky strands of another cobweb. It certainly didn't seem like anyone had set foot here for a long time.

"Maybe about a century ago, yeah. Special forces used it to enter and exit the building in emergencies," he admitted. "Looks like it's been a minute, though, doesn't it?"

I hummed noncommittally, focused on getting down the stairs without falling. The walls were narrow enough that I could spread my arms and brace myself for balance, but they were just as filthy as the rest of the passage, and I was a little afraid of disturbing an active spider in its web. I might be the Weaver, but that didn't make me immune to spiders.

"Here. I'm at the bottom," Ray finally said. It felt like an eternity going down into the dark, but it was probably no more than two minutes.

I couldn't quite see what he did at first, but there was a grinding sound, and another panel slid open. As light filtered in through the open wall, I realized there was a lever on the right side of the passage that opened the door... and that we were facing the back of some very, very tall bushes.

The passage let out between the plants and the castle wall, and we had to slide along the building until we reached an opening in the shrubbery.

"Am... Am I going to go into shock?" I asked quietly, squinting into the sun as we stepped into the open. The passage let out into the back gardens of the castle, where there were no guards in sight. With luck, and if we moved quickly, we could get off the premises and through the Veil without much trouble.

"Don't think about it," Ray said immediately. He turned towards me and started to brush stray cobwebs out of my hair, the motion comforting in the chaos. "Don't replay it. You focus on your footsteps, focus on me, and- you remember that book you used to beg your mom to read over and over again as a kid?"

"The... The Monster at the End of This Book?" I asked, nose scrunching. "How do you know about that?"

"I kept up when I could," he said awkwardly, shrugging. "Just... Try and remember every page."

It sounded silly, but it did help. The more I thought about it, the more I kept myself sane by thinking about watercolor illustrations of brick buildings and blue monsters. It kept me occupied as we walked, as I followed Ray almost mechanically away from the Sylvan Court.

I just had to hold on a little longer.