It wasn't as hard as she expected. The labyrinth was navigated in the same way as Lani had shown her—following the telltale magic traces and ignoring her own sense of direction, though Lani hadn't realized the path had reversed since they'd left. Natalie simply went the opposite direction whenever her magic seemed to indicate one turn, and soon enough, she found another set of trees with silver-grey marks on it. Natalie felt forward hesitantly, and to her relief, she found a sort of key-hole, just as Josh described.

  With the lock turned, the corridor of trees was safe. Gwen took her down the route, with branches and leaves curving overhead to form a dark green tunnel leading them inward. The lock slid back into place behind her, once again protecting the Greywood from intruders.

  When Natalie emerged into the clearing at large, she stopped, dumbfounded.

  It's so much bigger… and there's so much of it. How is this possible? It wasn't this big before.

  Cinza and her people have built themselves a magnificent home. We must learn how, so we can build our own someday.

  They've got so many cabins, and the bridge over the creek is so pretty… and the flowers and butterflies everywhere. It's December. There's snow, but… how is this all in one place at the same time? I want to know so much right now.

  Natalie suddenly felt awake, more than she had all day. She felt out with her magic, and the whole Greywood teemed with life and energy. It was incredible and fulfilling, a place she felt like she truly belonged.

  "Natalie!" shouted Kelsey, sprinting across the bridge to meet her. She was beaming wider than she ever had. "This place is amazing!"

  Natalie nodded, still overwhelmed herself. Tyler and Mitch followed, and in the distance, Natalie saw Scrappy, lounging by the heat spilling out from a fireplace. She almost called out to him, but he was asleep, and she didn't want to wake him up. Besides… she needed to find Cinza.

  We gotta talk about… about Rika.

  Her friends were chattering around her like little birds as Natalie rode slowly through the Greywood. She nodded and smiled, barely paying any attention, while her own fears and worries resurfaced one by one. Natalie could barely name them all, as so many complicated emotions bubbled and swirled in her stomach, in her heart, in her head. Her whole body felt unsettled and disjointed. Between exhaustion and her ever-mounting stress, Natalie felt like she might throw up.

  "I gotta go talk to Cinza," she said finally, cutting off Kelsey and Mitch. They'd begun arguing about which affinity would be the best one to have—Kelsey was firmly attached to Elemental, while Mitch, to nobody's surprise, favored Self. Natalie, of course, was anxious about any of them awakening. She didn't necessarily hate the idea… but at the same time, she didn't think her friends really felt the weight of what it would mean.

  They don't really get how the rest of the world's gonna treat them. I've gotten used to it, and they've seen a bit of it, but it's so much different when you're the one everyone's staring at… when it's people like you they're all obsessed with.

  "Can we come?" asked Kelsey excitedly.

  "Cinza freaks me out," said Mitch.

  Kelsey slapped him on the back of the head. "Dude, she basically owns this whole place. Don't be a jerk."

  "Would you stop hitting me?"

  "I think I'd want Nature," said Tyler finally, in his usual way of adding to an old topic long after the conversation had shifted. "Yours is Nature, right?" he added, glancing at Natalie.

  "...Yeah," said Natalie. "And… no, I don't think Cinza would be okay with that. I'm sorry."

  "Aww…" Kelsey sighed, but she didn't actually look surprised or upset. "Makes sense. They won't give us any Scraps either. We're just guests or whatever."

  "That's a good thing," said Mitch. "You getting awakened sounds crazy to me."

  "Uh huh, and you're the sane one, huh?"

  They wandered away. Tyler smiled at Natalie again before hurrying off to follow them. Natalie hesitated, watching them go, wishing more than anything she could follow and forget about everything else going on. She slid off Gwen and let the wolf pad away too. Gwen, of course, went immediately over to join Scrappy near the fire. Percy fluttered down out of the sky, landing on Natalie's shoulder. He'd recognized her stress and come to comfort her, in his own way. Natalie stroked his head a few times before finally turning around to Cinza's door.

  Ruby had long-since finished the eight affinity carvings. Natalie traced over the Nature square with her fingers—a wide oak tree, intricately detailed, with the eight-pointed star carved into its trunk. Curled up at the base, quite unmistakably, lay a wolf. Natalie smiled, but inside, she felt a little mixed. The Greycloaks seemed to hold her as some sort of paragon for the affinity. Cinza had written in her diary that she believed Natalie to be the strongest awakened in the world.

  So does that make me one of the Gods too? Or is it just 'cause that's what they called themselves?

  Is it so bad to be thought of as the absolute best in your affinity?

  I dunno…

  Natalie went over the other carvings. None of the others seemed to have such a clear tie to a single person. She wondered who they might even pick if they were to choose someone.

  Movement… well, Viper and Alden were probably the strongest at it. Everybody knew Viper better though. Yusuf was also pretty good at it, and they like him more, so maybe…? I don't know.

  Is this important?

  Maybe. It might be useful someday. Elemental would definitely be Hailey or Rika. Probably Hailey. Nature is me, I guess, but I feel like Cinza comes up with way more interesting and useful spells than me, and Kendra's also part Nature. So why'd they pick me?

  You're stalling, Natalie.

  Creation would definitely be Kendra, that's probably why they wouldn't pick her for Nature. I don't think they even know she's got Nature affinity, everybody just assumes she's Creation. She's one of those special dual affinities. I didn't even know that was a thing, but apparently it is. I wonder if I have another one I don't know about.

  Delaying will not keep us from having to confront this choice.

  Mental is Rachel, of course, since nobody else ever really uses it anyway. Self magic is… uhh… Ryan, I guess? Ryan and Mr. McGregor used it the most. But… Mr. McGregor got killed by golems in the Greywood apparently… when Rachel wouldn't let me come help. She got him, so I guess she was right, but… he probably died right over there. If he dies, does that make Ryan the best by default?

  The best is the best.

  So if I died, this carving wouldn't make much sense anymore. 'Cause I wouldn't be the best. I'd… I'd be dead.

  We will not let that happen.

  You can't just promise me I'm not gonna die. We're fighting, and people are killing each other, and there's guns and magic and everybody's angry and scared. I could have died a couple hours ago when that guy tried to shoot me. I got lucky.

  You stopped him. No one else, no luck, just you.

  Natalie shook her head. She went back to the carvings, still stubbornly finishing the list. At the bottom, the two rarest affinities lay, side by side. On the left, an open book with a single candle flame above it, set into a backdrop of stars. Knowledge… Who decides what's best there? Nikki's one, Jessica… Jessica was one. Rachel's boyfriend is one.

  Grey-eyes.

  Huh?

  She is aware, at all times, who is awakening and where. She knows every spell being cast. This must be Knowledge magic.

  Oh… Yeah, I guess…

  Natalie looked at the last panel. Nobody knew the final affinity. They'd never known anyone to have it—or if that person was even aware they had it. Everyone guessed there must be eight, based on the star, but nobody had much more besides vague speculation—except for Rika.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Rika knows what it is. She and Omega could use it. Nobody else. That's why Rachel needed her to try and kill him. Except…

  Except Rika was not there when Omega died.

  So… so someone else could use it. Rika must have taught it to Rachel.

  Except that Rachel is too weak to cast a spell strong enough to hold Omega, even for a second.

  ...Alden was there. Alden helped her. Rachel sent me away because he knew. Because they were going to the Greywood to trap him.

  Alden knows the eighth magic.

  The revelation hit Natalie like a thunderbolt—fitting, as the final panel held a carving of a wide-forking bolt of lighting out of a cloudy sky, striking two points along a vague blurry road. It was easily the least detailed and beautiful of Ruby's carvings. She'd done it so it could be covered up and changed one day without damaging the rest of the door.

  The door swung inward as Natalie finally straightened up, and she found herself face-to-face with Ruby. The girl was clad in her grey cloak, thick and elaborate as always, and her messy red hair was everywhere. Ruby's eyes widened as Natalie took a reluctant half-step back.

  "Natalie?"

  "...Sorry," she muttered, all resolve flying from her at the sight of Ruby. She couldn't talk to Cinza, not now, maybe not ever. If she walked away, maybe it would never come up.

  "No, please!" Ruby reached forward, and Natalie shrunk away even more. Of course, Ruby was the type to hug, and Natalie couldn't do that anymore.

  "My love, give her space," said Cinza, walking forward through the curtain from the depths of their cabin. "She's just been through a great deal, as have we all."

  "Oh… yeah." Ruby shook her head. "I'm so sorry. I heard about what happened at your school."

  Natalie nodded. "I… I need to talk to Cinza, okay?"

  Ruby turned and kissed Cinza on the cheek. "I'll be with Nikki," she murmured. "Call me when it's done, okay?"

  She hurried away. Cinza beckoned Natalie inside, and the door swung closed behind them. Cinza's cabin, bisected as always by the huge starry curtain, was warm and inviting. Natalie saw the rumpled blankets on the bed and felt even more embarrassed.

  "...Were you guys—"

  Cinza shook her head. "No. Ruby was just… well, holding me."

  She sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. Natalie, after a few reluctant moments, took a seat next to her—a couple feet away, but still. Cinza took a deep breath before continuing.

  "Someone took a terrible mission upon themselves tonight, and I'm afraid of what I may have set in motion. I still think I chose right, but I feel haunted. Ruby is my anchor, and when the hurricane blows, I hold tight to her to keep myself from being swept away."

  "Oh…"

  Cinza shook her head. "You don't need to bear this burden. You have so many already."

  Natalie hesitated. She didn't know where to start.

  "We haven't seen each other since the morning in Seattle," said Cinza gently. Natalie realized that she'd dropped her voice enchantment—something she never did, except, it seemed, around Natalie. "I received your messages, and I'm grateful for every single one."

  "I'm sorry I didn't send more…"

  Cinza smiled. "You had your own life to live. Something you'll learn as you grow older is that we rarely get time to spend with our friends as we age. Our responsibilities take over."

  "Like… all this?"

  "Exactly." Cinza fell back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. She picked up a pillow and held it to her chest. It was so… normal. Natalie laid back too, grabbing one of her own. Above them, another tapestry hung—the night sky in all its beauty. "I'm only twenty-one years old, and I'm in charge of everything now. Some days, I just want to lay down and talk to Ruby all day, or spend time with my family, or just take a walk in the forest. I can't anymore. Every day brings new work and new challenges. Sometimes, I feel like I don't even have time to eat!"

  "Me too," mumbled Natalie.

  Cinza turned over on her side, looking at Natalie from across the bed. Natalie mirrored her. This feels like sleepovers I had with Jenny. Except we're not talking about silly things like bands or TV shows or games. Also… I've got magic. To really drive her point home to herself, Natalie grabbed the nearest blanket with her mind and drifted it up to tuck herself in tight.

  "Very nice," said Cinza with a small smile. "I noticed you did end up telling your friends."

  Natalie nodded, her hair brushing against the bed. She pulled it out of the way so she could lay more comfortably. "Yeah. They're really cool friends."

  "Incredibly loyal, too." Cinza's eyes shone with pride. "I wish I'd had friends like that at your age."

  "Thanks."

  "But not Quinn," she added with a clear note of sympathy.

  Natalie's eyes instantly welled up. Cinza sighed. She held out a hand, letting it sit halfway between them on the bed. After a moment, Natalie took it—and to her relief, it didn't cause her pain or discomfort. She didn't get any closer, but that connection, with the only person in the world who truly knew what she'd gone through, gave her some real comfort.

  "I'm so sorry, Natalie," Cinza murmured.

  She cried. Cinza held her hand throughout, even summoning a box of tissues so Natalie didn't need to feel guilty about getting tears all through their amazing blankets.

  "Honestly, it's not the first time they've been covered in tears," said Cinza. "Don't worry about it."

  Natalie laughed weakly, and it helped her come back to normal. She didn't let go of Cinza's hand, but she did manage to stop crying.

  "I can't go back to school," Natalie went on.

  "I heard…" Cinza's face darkened. "The school board and the city will be hearing from me, rest assured."

  "You don't need to—"

  "I do," said Cinza. "For one, you deserve to go to that school. Beyond what you deserve, though, this is a precedent. If they are allowed to run you out of school, others will feel like they can do the same. No child in your position will ever feel safe in a school again. They will be forced to hide who they are, suppress their goddess-granted gifts."

  "Are there…" Natalie trailed off. "Are there other kids like me?" She'd never actually heard of anyone else awakening so young. It made her even more nervous for her friends, since she was the only example—and as she'd learned in the years since, she had not awakened in the typical way.

  "There will never be another kid like you," said Cinza, smiling again. "But no, there aren't any other awakened children. Ruby remains the youngest besides yourself. I believe the youngest past her—that we know of, obviously—is Jonathan Hudson, the magician."

  "He's a magician?"

  "He uses real magic to pretend he's doing fake magic." Cinza rolled her eyes.

  Natalie giggled. "Why would he do that?"

  "Because people are more afraid of the real thing. They always have been." Cinza sighed. "Which is why you're here, I imagine… because of Rika."

  Natalie tensed up. Her hand didn't leave Cinza's, but she found herself gripping more tightly. Cinza held firm.

  "I gave her to them," said Cinza abruptly.

  "...What?" said Natalie, more confused than ever. Her hand snapped back to her side. Cinza winced, and Natalie instantly felt bad. "Sorry… I was just… I don't understand."

  Cinza withdrew her hand before Natalie could take it again. She looked troubled, and her voice wasn't as confident as it usually was. Between that and the lack of echo, Natalie felt like she was almost a different person, like she had been in the streets of Seattle. She was clearly talking to herself as much as to Natalie.

  "Rika is a survivor. I don't think she actually killed anyone, even the first set in Rallsburg I didn't know about. If she did, it clearly had to be self-defense. They'll drag her name through the mud, but she can take it. You can't, and I can't. We're already fighting against so many other prejudices, between my history and your father. Rika is wealthy, from a wealthy family, and without the responsibilities we hold."

  "So…" said Natalie, interrupting her flow cautiously. "You think we should let Rika be blamed for what we did."

  Do I tell her it was me? Both of them?

  Cinza has already made her choice. Telling her would not change anything.

  "I think that the world cannot ever find justice for those deaths. They were committed by a genocidal god bent on destroying us and a man caught up in his insanity." Cinza looked into Natalie's eyes. "Your father was in the battle tonight, Natalie."

  "I… I saw him."

  She nodded. "We don't know what happened to him. He might have gotten away, or he might not." Natalie didn't answer, so she went on. "I don't want him to be hurt, but we have to defend ourselves. You know that, right?"

  "He's hurting us," said Natalie slowly. "Dad has to be stopped before he makes things worse."

  "Yes." Cinza summoned a plate of cookies from somewhere. They landed on the bed between the two of them. "Please. Eat as many as you like. I'm sure you're as hungry as I am."

  Natalie still felt too upset to enjoy anything, but her stomach was complaining after the small dinner they'd had back at their castle. She'd expended so much energy since then, she needed to eat something. So she started downing cookies, one after another. They tasted incredible—Brittany's, she was sure. Brittany always used to have them whenever she visited the Greywood with Scrappy, and they'd only gotten better since.

  Cinza sat up. Her phone was buzzing.

  "I'll be back later, Natalie. Stay as long as you need to. You are always welcome in my home."

  She hurried out of the room while Natalie ate. A few minutes went by while Cinza made some calls—mostly getting updates on people still back at the camp, like Josh, or elsewhere in the world. The cookies were wonderful as always, and Natalie finally started to feel a bit calmer and back to normal again. As she settled, she realized how filthy her clothes were—so much jumping between trees, crawling in the dirt, and the fighting had caked her in mud, sweat, and… blood.

  Natalie started digging through her bag, taking outfit after outfit and laying them out. She wasn't sure what to wear—who knew what she'd be doing next?—but anything was better than what she had on. Still, she couldn't decide, and for the moment, she didn't much care. She just wanted nothing more than to just stay in Cinza's huge comfortable bed and stop moving for hours... but she couldn't help overhearing. She could always hear, no matter how quiet people tried to speak.

  "It's Jeremy. I couldn't do it. Somethin' happened."

  "Explain," said Cinza, as quietly as she could.

  "It doesn't matter. I know where he's goin'."

  "Where?" asked Will, a voice which sent Natalie's head spinning. What's Will doing talking to Cinza and the FBI guy?

  "Rallsburg. He's goin' back home to look for his daughter."

  "We have to… try again."

  "I'll get Ruby and Hector," murmured Cinza.

  "I'm on my way. No fuckin' around this time. I'll get eyes on and call it in. The moment I call, be ready to kill him."

  The phone clicked off.

  Natalie sat up straight in the bed. The cookies fell away, scattering across her clothes. Cinza was still outside, behind the thick and intricately carved wooden door. There was nobody in the room, no one but Natalie, but still it felt too small. The walls were closing in tight around her, and suddenly there weren't enough blankets in the whole world to keep her warm.

  Her blood was frozen. Every part of her felt impossibly cold. Sound filled her ears, a rushing wind louder than any hurricane. Very slowly, very carefully, Natalie stood up from the bed.

  She… they…

  We do not have time. We must act. Now.

  Natalie didn't argue. Without a moment to spare, Natalie flung open the rear window to Cinza's cabin. She hurled herself out into the forest and sprinted down the tree corridor out of the Greywood. Scrappy and Gwen were already rushing to join her, feeling her distress. Percy dove off the roof of Cinza's home to follow her. As soon as Gwen caught up, Natalie leapt onto her back.

  The trees became a blur as they rode out of the Greywood. Natalie only barely had time to turn the lock before they barreled out into the forest proper, closing behind her as they went. They ran straight out of the labyrinth, heading west.

  Heading to Rallsburg.

  Heading home.