Eli rose while the sun was still awake and donned his glittering blue robes. He would have his alibi ready if Dad were to see him. Then, peeking from his doorway to ensure the tunnel was empty, he crept down the tunnel to Dad’s archway, stopping just outside of it. He reached in with his mind and felt for Dad’s presence. It was dimmed in sleep, and Eli released a breath. Just as he’d hoped.

He ducked inside and didn’t have to go far to find what he was looking for. There, in the front room, lay the girls. Their feet were chained to the floor, and they were slumped over in sleep.

He knelt beside Nel and shook her.

She grumbled and pushed him away.

“Nel, it’s me. It’s okay.”

She stopped. Her eyes opened wide, and she sat up.

“Eli?”

He nodded and pointed at her chains. “Do these have a key?”

She pointed toward Luc’s room. “He takes the keys with him.”

Eli heaved a sigh and stood. “Wake up your sister. I’ll try to go get them.”

“Are you serious?”

He turned back to look at Nel.

She regarded him with narrowed eyes, and her aura swirled with red-violet mistrust.

Eli extended his arms, much like he had with Ana, and left all his guards open. “Do you want to get out of here or not?”

Nel smiled, the smile that had been haunting him for days.

Eli grinned back, basking in the warmth of her aura.

“I knew you’d come back. I knew you’d snap out of it.” Her moonlight swelled with a new color, a bright blue-green, like the aquamarine of Eli’s eyes. She was proud of him.

Eli’s joy faded as guilt twisted in his stomach. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I let you… I just…”

Nel shook her head. “Get us out and we’ll call it even.”

Eli glanced at her, felt the rosy pink in her aura, and nodded.

“I won’t fail you again.”

Before Dad’s door, he stopped and took several deep breaths, checking once, then twice, to make sure he was sleeping. Then he crept in, his eyes wide open, his hands feeling along the walls.

When he’d traversed the whole of the wall, he searched the floor. He rounded the divan, feeling beneath it, lifting the edge of the blanket up where it trailed the ground.

As he reached the other side of the room, Dad turned in his sleep.

Eli froze.

Dad muttered something. An object clattered onto the floor.

The keys.

They were on a stone ring, in a heap close to where he lay flat against the ground. He reached for them, and his hand clamped over the ring right before Dad’s fingers brushed it.

Eli examined Dad’s aura. It was still dimmed by sleep, but confusion colored it yellow-green.

Dad groped for the keys. Seeing the glowstone, Eli grabbed it and shoved it into Dad’s palm.

Dad wrapped his fingers around it, then hesitated.

Eli held his breath, trying to make sense of his father’s sleepy grumbling. Confusion and sleep fought for control in Dad’s mind.

Eli inserted a word of his own, infused with a lullaby melody to help the fight along. “Sleep.”

Dad paused, the yellow-green intensifying, but then turned over, the glowstone in his hand, and obeyed.

Eli released the breath he’d been holding and got up, careful to mute the clinking of the keys. He hurried out into the hallway and into the front room.

Mil rubbed her eyes. Nel met his gaze as he approached.

He held up the keys with a triumphant grin.

“Who are you?” Mil demanded.

Nel shushed her. “He’s going to help us.”

“Oh.”

Eli knelt by Mil and tried three different keys before he found the one that worked on her bonds. They fell from around her ankles.

She grinned, her eyes wide. “It worked!”

Eli put a finger to his lips and nodded toward Dad’s room.

Mil put a hand over her mouth. “Oh.”

Eli released Nel next, and when both girls had stretched their cramped muscles, Eli scooped Nel into his arms and turned to Mil, jerking his head towards the door.

“Let’s go. No time to waste.”

Nel put a hand on his chest, and when Eli glanced down at her she was grinning.

“It’s not every day a girl gets rescued by a Tognir in a sparkly cape,” she said.

Eli fought the bubbles in his stomach and chuckled. “It’s a robe.”

He crept to the door, Mil following close behind, and peeked out. The tunnel was empty. He nodded to Mil.

“Now we can go.”

He crept as quickly as possible down the tunnel, urging Mil to keep up.

“Where exactly are we going?” Nel asked.

“The Threshold,” Eli said. “You’ll swim back up to the surface and go back home. You’ll probably have to stay out of the sun for a while—”

“Nice robes.”

Eli whirled and grabbed Mil, throwing her behind him and nearly dropping Nel in the process.

Dom stepped out of the shadow of the tunnel, pulling his hood down. “I might ask what my newly-reinstated Guardian is doing out with two very important humans at this early hour.”

“Stay away,” Eli warned. “Stay out of this.”

“I don’t think I will.” Dom advanced on them. “I think this situation is very much in need of explanation.” Dom snapped his fingers, and his eyes lit up in epiphany. “Oh, I know already. You were in on everything with Luc from the beginning. You were planning on turning against me. You wanted to get rid of Nel and tattle on me to your daddy. As if he has any power over me.” Dom’s eyes began to glow.

“Block your minds,” Eli whispered at the girls.

Dom snarled and charged at Mil.

“Roll,” he ordered Nel, and dropped her as gently as he could. He turned and nearly collided with Mil. He pulled her behind him.

As Dom opened his mouth to challenge him, Eli swung at his face as hard as he could. His fist landed true.

Dom toppled backwards, clutching his nose. “Again?!”

Eli ran back to Nel and grabbed her.

“Yeah, serves you right,” Mil said.

Eli turned and saw her kick Dom’s leg. “Mil! Come on!”

She dodged Dom’s flailing arms, stuck her tongue out at him, and grabbed Eli’s hand.

Eli laid Nel over his left shoulder. “I’m going to need you to swim with me,” he told Mil. “Just kick as hard as you can.”

Mil nodded, and Eli kicked himself up, heading toward the Threshold cavern, glittering with the last remnants of daylight.

Mil struggled beside him.

“I can’t go as fast as you!” she complained.

“You’ve got to try,” Eli called down to her, and saw Dom following them, closing on them despite the blood streaming from his nose.

“I command you to get back here now!” Dom called.

Mil kicked harder.

Eli knew it wouldn’t be enough. With all the strength he could muster in his right arm, he lifted her up and pushed her ahead.

“Keep swimming!”

Something jerked hard on his shoulders and neck.

“Ha!” Dom cried.

“Eli!” Nel’s panic rang shrill in his head.

Eli tore at the ties holding his blues around his neck. They loosened, and he tore them off. The weight on his back released, he shot up, catching up with Mil and pulling her along.

They were high above the palace now, very close to the Threshold.

“Eli, there’s Luc!”

Eli threw a quick glance over his shoulder. Dad was charging after them and about to pass Dom.

He pushed himself faster. “Go, Mil! Go!”

Mil was swimming fast for a human— Eli could only hope it would be quick enough to outpace Dad. She reached the Threshold first.

Eli touched the outside of the cave just as he felt a yank on his foot. He kicked, managing to find something solid underneath.

Dad’s aura lit up lime green.

Eli pushed away and into the Threshold cavern.

“There you are.” Mil helped Nel get down from Eli’s shoulder.

“You have to get out of here,” said Eli. “Right now. Just go up to the surface and go home, stay out of the sun for a while. You’ll both be fine.”

Mil nodded.

Nel’s moonlight flashed bright blue. “What’ll happen to you?”

“That doesn’t matter. Just go. Dad could be here any second.” He pushed them towards the portal.

Nel reached back and squeezed his hand.

“I could see honor in you all along,” she said, and smiled, her moonlight all rose and turquoise.

Eli grinned back. Not quite sure what he was doing, he took the hand she’d placed in his and kissed it.

“It’s been a pleasure serving you, milady,” he said, and then, before he could relish the blush that blossomed on her cheeks, pushed them both through the Threshold.

Eli stood and watched them leave, the ripples of the Threshold distorting their figures as they swam for the surface. They would make it. He’d done what he had to do. He’d kept his promise.

“Eli.”

He whirled to face Dad. “Don’t come any closer. They’re gone. It’s done.”

Dad didn’t move. His heavy eyes pierced Eli.

Eli saw the dark bruise spreading under his eye. A twinge of guilt pierced his bravado.

Dad heaved a sigh and dropped his hands at his side.

“Son, you’re too much like your mother. Far too much like her.” He shook his head and smiled a little. “You’re a bleeding heart. And that’s a very dangerous thing.” His expression sobered as he gazed at Eli. “Why, son?”

“Call him what you will,” Dom said. He entered the tunnel, his hand cupped over his bleeding nose. “Son, bleeding heart, what have you. But he is a traitor to both of us now.”

They both paused and looked at Eli, Dad with the same sadness as before, Dom with a triumphant smirk.

For once, they agreed.

“Son.” Dad stepped toward him.

Eli scrambled to his feet and backed away.

“No. I’m not a traitor. I-”

“You disobeyed me,” said Dad, his voice stern but soft. “You turned against me at the last instant, after I’d promised to give you everything. I don’t know what you call it, but I call it betrayal.”

“Not to mention the fact that you completely and utterly went against your word to me.” Dom sniffed. “And your repeated physical abuse of me doesn’t stand very well for you, either.

“I did what I had to do to protect them.” Eli snapped. “Neither of you have your heads on straight.”

Dad reached forward and snatched Eli’s wrist before he could protest. “What I do, I do to keep my promises and protect the Tognir people. You should know that better than anyone.”

Eli fought not to cower under Dad’s accusing glare. “I used to trust you. I don’t anymore. Not after seeing what you’re willing to do to innocent humans to get what you want.”

A hard silence engulfed them, and though Eli didn’t dare look at Luc, he didn’t dare take back his words, either.

“Dom,” Dad said, “call the Takers.”

Dom grinned. “My pleasure.”

“What are you doing?” said Eli.

Dad’s hand trembled around his wrist. “Nothing that concerns you.”

This wasn’t good. Not at all. Eli twisted his wrist, trying to break Dad’s stone-firm grip on him.

“It’s for your own good, Eli.” Dad’s grip tightened even more, if it was even possible.

Eli winced.

“I would never do anything to harm you.”

“No. I don’t like this.”

Dom returned with a handful of Takers.

Eli fought harder, but Dad was stronger.

“Come. Restrain him.”

Four Takers moved without hesitation.

Eli backed himself up against the wall of the cavern. He took in the cavern even though he knew its layout by heart. There was nowhere to run. Through the Threshold, and he’d be stranded in the human world for who knew how long. And Dad and the other nine Takers stood in front of the cavern mouth, blocking his way back into the kingdom.

“No. Come on, guys. You know me. Don’t do this to me.”

Ned, one of the first to advance on him, snorted. The smirk on his lips made Eli’s blood run cold. “Looks like someone’s in trouble again.”

Cor, who’d moved first, reached for his arms.

Eli hit him, knocking his arms aside.

Ned and another, Jon, shoved his arms against the cavern wall.

“No. This is a mistake.”

Eli kicked at a fourth Taker, but Cor rammed the blunt end of his spear against his knees. His aura exploded with jagged bits of bright green.

Ned and Jon wasted no time locking his arms behind his back as he crumpled to the floor.

“Dad.” Eli stared hard at him. “Why are you doing this? You’re supposed to fight for me.”

Dad met his gaze, just briefly. His aura wavered between white duty and dark blue doubt.

“And you were supposed to obey me. But you didn’t. I won’t tolerate your betrayal any more. Son or not, you are a criminal now.” He turned his gaze on the Takers. “Take him to my quarters. Bind him. You’ll find what you need in the front room.”

“No!” Eli wrenched one arm away. Ned yanked it back into place, and he was pushed forward against his will, the strength of four Tognir working against him.

“The rest of you. Two human girls just went through the Threshold. They probably haven’t gotten far. Find them and Take them if you can.”

“No! You can’t do that! They’re gone now!”

Dom stopped the Takers dragging Eli toward the entrance to the tunnel and smirked at him. “We can and we will.”

Eli strained against the Tognir holding him and forced all the venom he could through his glare. “You’re making a mistake. Mil doesn’t want to be with you. Everything would be fine if you’d just—”

Dom silenced him with a hard slug to the nose.

Eli could do nothing as blood began to cloud the water from his burning nose. The alabaster walls melted before his eyes, then stabilized. His head spun.

Dom smiled. “What do they call that, now? Adding injury to insult?” He shrugged with a laugh. “Close enough.” He waved at the Takers. “Take him away.”

Eli didn’t fight them this time. He slumped into shock as the Takers carted him to Dad’s house and bound his ankles and hands with the chains he’d just released the girls from.

The walls continued their melting and rebuilding. It was over. They would die. And who knew what would happen to him? He’d given up everything. Everything. Eli rattled the chains, pulling his hands up far enough to grab fistfuls of his hair. It had all been for nothing.

He let the pressure in his eyes and nose build until he stopped shaking and drifted into a restless doze.