“Okay,” she whispered. “It’s under control now.”

“I still think we should take you home and have you rest,” Sandor said, turning to Mr. Forkle. “Surely you agree.”

Mr. Forkle dragged his hands down his face. “I… should’ve thought to bring Flori. It slipped my mind, like so many things, now that there’s only half of me. Though, honestly, this entire process seems determined to be fraught with challenges. I’ll never understand why one failure seems so ready to chain itself to another and another. But that has been the case from the minute this memory became a part of our story. And each new trouble seems to outdo the others—though I suppose nothing has been worse than the moment at the hospital.”

“You mean when my allergy nearly killed me?” Sophie clarified, pulling free of Sandor to prove she could stand on her own.

“Definitely not a moment I want to live again,” Mr. Forkle whispered. “And yet, it may be unavoidable.…”

“Um, what does that mean?” Sophie asked, backing a step away, as if Mr. Forkle was about to lunge for her with a giant syringe full of limbium.

He cleared his throat several times, then straightened and smoothed his hair. “All will be fine, Miss Foster. One problem at a time.”

“Okay, now I want to know what that means too,” Sophie noted.

“As do I,” Sandor agreed, positioning himself between Sophie and Mr. Forkle.

Mr. Forkle’s laugh was mostly a wheeze. “I suppose I can’t blame you for those reactions. But I assure you, this visit is entirely about returning Miss Foster’s memory.”

Sophie’s head rang with another ghostly scream.

“There, see?” Sandor said as Sophie imagined another giant glowing mallet smashing the newest shadows to smithereens. “You’re not up for this. We need to take you—”

“No,” Sophie interrupted, stumbling away from everyone to get some fresh air.

She’d spent years trying to beg, bribe, trick, or steal back her missing memory—and then weeks running from it after she’d recovered that terrible piece.

But… not knowing didn’t change anything.

Whatever had happened, happened, whether she remembered it or not.

Sophie, please—stop!

“I’ll be fine,” she said, taking slow, steady breaths as she closed her eyes and replayed more happy memories.

“I don’t think you will be,” Sandor said quietly. “At least wait until we’re somewhere that Flori can help—”

“You are,” a muffled voice told them as the ground parted by the nearest tree and Flori emerged from among the tangled roots. She shook the dirt and pebbles out of her plaited hair and sang a few soft lyrics to make the tunnel close behind her, each blade of grass falling perfectly back into place as if the hole had never been there.

“How did you—” Sophie started.

Flori flashed a green-toothed smile. “Nubiti and I have recently discovered that the language of the earth is connected to the language of everything that grows within it. I can’t understand every word she says, but I can catch the basics, and it makes her able to reach me immediately—and the same is true when I need to reach her.”

Mr. Forkle frowned.

Sophie could tell his mind was flooding with just as many questions as hers was. But he simply stomped twice and called, “Thank you,” toward the ground, before he repeated the sentiment to Flori.

Flori nodded, already humming her healing song as she made her way to Sophie’s side and took her hands, swaying back and forth. Sophie closed her eyes, unable to deny how much it helped to feel the soft sounds sinking under her skin like one of Elwin’s balms. And when Flori was finished, she had to hug the tiny gnome.

“You did not need me this time,” Flori whispered, trailing her fingers across Sophie’s shoulders. “You’re growing stronger and stronger with each brighter day. But I’m still happy to make your struggle easier, so you can save your energy for the larger battles.”

Sophie squeezed her tighter, breathing in Flori’s earthy scent, which reminded her so much of Calla that it made her heart both lighter and heavier. And when she’d soaked up every possible drop of strength, she let go and stood to face Mr. Forkle. “Okay. If you want to give me back my memory, I’m ready. But… I don’t understand why you brought me here to do it.”

He turned to the stately manor, his gaze centering on one of the upstairs windows. “You’re not the only one who needs to have a memory returned.”

“What?” Sophie raced in front of him, shaking her head so hard, it made her neck hurt. “No. We’re not doing that. Amy doesn’t…”

Her voice trailed off as her sister’s screams flooded her mind.

Sophie, please—stop!

“No,” she repeated as Flori started humming again.

Mr. Forkle wrung the edge of his cape. “How much have you remembered?”

“Not much,” Sophie admitted. “Just that… I hurt Amy somehow. She was begging me to stop.” Her voice cracked, and she turned away, wiping her eyes. “What did I do to her?”

“That is a question better shown, not told,” Mr. Forkle said as he slowly stepped around her.

Sophie scrambled in front of him again. “Maybe it is—but you’re only showing it to me. She doesn’t need to know that.”

He slipped by her again, his steps more determined. “She disagrees.”

The words took a couple of seconds to sink in. “Wait. Amy knows about this?”

“Of course. We talked at length this morning. Mind you, I didn’t give her any more specifics than I’ve given you. But I made it clear that it was a difficult moment for both of you, and that I thought it would be best if you faced those complicated truths together. And she agreed. She’s far stronger than you’re giving her credit for. She’s…” His steps faltered for a beat, and his voice had thickened when he added, “She’s something I never expected. I knew I’d be aiding your parents in the birth of one child, and that it was possible they might have children on their own afterward. But I’ll admit, when your mother told me she’d gotten pregnant again, I was mostly concerned about how that would complicate things for you. Your differences from humans would be more noticeable with another child providing a constant direct comparison—and your sister had no problem teasing you as she got older, which sometimes posed a challenge, like it did in your lost memory. But… there was something so special about the bond you two formed. And that connection shouldn’t be ignored, especially when you’re facing a decision like this.”

“And what decision is that?” Sophie demanded.

“One thing at a time,” he told her. “First, we must give you all the facts.”

“But—”

Loud barking cut her off.

They’d gotten close enough to the house for her family’s beagle—Watson—to realize they were there and switch into guard-dog mode.

“It’s fine,” Mr. Forkle promised when Sophie, Sandor, and Flori all froze. “As I said, Amy knows we’re coming. And in case you’re wondering, I asked her to clear your parents from the property. She said she’d invent an urgent errand to send them away on.”