Leo didn't waste a second. He ran out of the library and into the cold night. He got into his car and started it up. The engine purred. He pulled out his phone, propped it on the dashboard, and opened the picture of the map.Harker’s Gulch. He knew the name. It was state land now. Mostly hiking trails and dense woods about forty minutes outside of town. But the map didn’t show modern trails. It showed an old creek that had probably dried up, and a rock formation called "The Watcher’s Chair."That was his starting point. He’d hiked near there years ago. He thought he remembered a weird, thumb-shaped rock.He drove. The whole way, his mind was a war. One part was all business, following the map in his head. The other part was a screaming mess of pictures.He had to push that down. Deep down. If he thought about it now, he’d drive off the road.He reached the trailhead parking lot. It was empty. Pitch black. He grabbed a heavy flashlight from Iden’s glove box and got out. The air out he

The world seemed to freeze. But Leo's body was already in motion.He heard Bella scream. The words cut through everything. It's Chloe. For one tiny, heart-stopping moment, he knew. A wave of pure sickness washed over him.But it was too late. The spear was already gone from his hand. Throwing something that heavy is a commitment. You can't just take it back.His muscles, all wound up from the run, just let go. The spear flew. It wasn't pretty. It was a hard, fast line.Everything got slow. He saw Bella's mouth still open in that scream. He saw Iden's head turn, his proud look melting into confusion. He saw the stone creature, still wobbly from the spell, start to look toward the sound.The spear hit. The noise wasn't a thud. It was a loud CHUNG, like a cracked church bell.It struck the thing right in the middle of its chest, where the stone had gone dark from Iden's words. The dull point of the spear went through the rocky skin like it was nothing.The Kohras stopped moving. It didn'

Chloe ran. Her legs burned. Her lungs screamed. She crashed through ferns and low branches, not caring where she went. Just away.Behind her, that skittering sound kept coming. Soft. Steady. Patient.She spotted a fallen tree. Big, thick trunk. Rotting. There was a hollow underneath, black and tight. She dove. Squeezed herself into the narrow space, pulling dead leaves over her legs. Made herself as small as she could.Breathed through her mouth. Quiet. Quiet.The skittering stopped.She waited. One heartbeat. Ten. Her whole body shook.Then she saw it. Two small feet in white shoes. Standing right in front of the log. Not moving.Chloe clamped her hand over her own mouth. The feet just stood there. Minutes? Hours? The grey light never changed.Then, slowly, the feet turned. The skittering started again. Fading. Going away.Chloe waited a long, long time before she moved.She crawled out, muscles screaming. Her hands were shaking. She needed a weapon. Something sharp. She searched the

The holding cell was small. Cold. Gray walls. A metal bench bolted to the floor. No window.Leo sat on the bench, his head in his hands. His mind was a mess of pictures. Chloe on the ground. The spear in her chest. Her hand, reaching out empty as they dragged him away.He'd asked for his phone. A dozen times. They said no. He asked to make a call. They said later. He asked about Chloe. They said they had no information.He was alone. Trapped. Useless.The door opened.Leo looked up. His heart jumped. Maybe it was Bella. Maybe they'd figured it out. Maybe—Darwin walked in.He wore the same neat coat. The same pleasant, friendly face. He looked around the cell like he was admiring the decor."Comfortable?" he asked.Leo was on his feet in a second. His hands grabbed the bars. "You. This is you. All of this."Darwin smiled. He didn't deny it. "The police received some very convincing witness statements. And the weapon was right there. With your fingerprints all over it. What were they s

Iden and Bella burst through the library doors. It was late. The place was empty. Just rows and rows of books and the hum of old lights.Iden moved fast. He knew where to go now. The same section. The same locked cabinet. He put his hand on it and the lock clicked open.Bella stood behind him, her heart pounding. Every second felt like a minute. Every minute felt like an hour. Somewhere out there, Darwin was moving. And Chloe was trapped in a place they couldn't reach.Iden pulled out books. Three of them. Four. He laid them on the table, flipping pages fast. His eyes scanned old writing, old drawings."Look for anything about dream walking," he said. "Sending the mind into another place. Into the space between."Bella grabbed a book. It was heavy. The pages were thin and brown. She read, her eyes moving fast. Words like "soul journey" and "spirit walking" jumped out. But nothing clear. Nothing that said how.Minutes passed. The clock on the wall ticked loud.Then Iden made a sound. A