The sunlight hitting my face wakes me from a deep sleep. A groan drags from my lips and I roll over.

A pain stabs into my side and I sit up with a gasp, figuring there's a knife sticking from my ribs. I blink blearily at the person bustling about the room. Jill glances up, her eyes clearer than I’ve seen in years… and they also seem more blue than the green they used to be.

She sits on my bed. “Jack told you about my Gifts.”

It’s not a question, but I nod anyway.

She looks down at her fingers, picking at a thread on her silken blue dress. She’s still skin and bone beneath the silk, but it makes my heart glad that she is where she needs to be, taken care of and finally finding some answers… even if they aren’t what we wanted. How I wish I could take this from her, but one Gift is quite enough, thank you.

“Could you teach me to be brave, like you?” she asks, still not looking at me.

I scoot up beside her, nudging her with my shoulder and hiding a wince. “Why don’t you tell me what happened? From the beginning, hmm?”

She darts her gaze up at me, tears bristling on the bottom of her lids. She bites her lip and nods.

Haltingly, she tells me her story.

My brain comes to a blinding stop halfway through. Surely I didn't hear right.

“Hang on, you did what?”

She wrings her hands, tears pattering the blue fabric and darkening the sky blue silk into an ocean cerulean.

“I-I pushed the witch, Lycus ran her through with a sword… and I k-kinda killed a bunch of plants and stuff and brought Jack back to life.”

I lean back, taking a deep breath, my brain breaking.

She fought a witch for Jack and saved his life—on another world—all the while running from Darshius and falling in love with his son?

“SIS!” I say, and she glances up sharply at my tone. “You are already brave. Heck, girl, you’re a hero!”

She leans her head on my shoulder when I put an arm around her. “You really think so?”

I nod, even though she can’t see it. I pull back far enough so I can force her to look at me. I stare at her, allowing a little smile to come on my face. “You fell in love with the enemy?”

She huffs out a breath, running a hand along a crown braid that Jenny must’ve done, and looks away… but not before I see a little smile on her face despite the tear streaks.

I tickle her ribs. “You fell in lo-oove!” I sing, and she laughs.

“Oh, and what about you, Mr. Tall, Broad, and Silver?”

I duck my head, feeling a blush.

I sense her gape-mouth staring, feel it drilling into the side of my head.

“You like him. Like, like him, like him!” Her voice is part incredulous, part amazed, and all parts sisterly-teasing.

“He’s a good friend. Helped me through a lot.”

“Mmhmm,” she says in a good imitation of Mom.

I side-eye her. “Not you, too.”

“Someone else seeing the signs, eh?”

“Shut up,” I hiss, looking away from her blue eyes and smirk. “Besides, you haven’t told me all that much about Lycus, besides his dreamy eyes and kindness and skills with a sword.”

She gives a love-sick sigh. “He’s like a storybook prince, sis. All brooding good looks with a kindness about him that draws you in… but he has it so hard, Ria,” her voice drops, sorrow making it break as she grows close to tears.

A smile pulls at my lips and my voice comes out slightly teasing. “Is that the reason you’ve been pouting ever since coming back?” I sense the words are wrong as soon as they leave my mouth.

Her glare is icy cold and her lips pinch into a frown. I try to touch her shoulder, but she jerks away.

“You know, sis… and you make light of it?”

“Jill… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. You know me.”

The glare recedes, but the hurt remains. She curls in on herself, much like she did before all this when she was hurting.

My heart aches and I taste the bitter hint of regret deep in my soul. She’d just started opening up to me, and I shut her down. My shoulders bow as my heart hurts.

“Ria, I know,” she whispers, and I perk up. “But you… you always know what to do. I feel like I’m flailing.”

I choke on a laughing sob. She glares at me, but I can’t help a self-deprecating smile. “Are you serious? I was an absolute mess while you were falling in love and saving lives. I didn’t know if I was gonna be able to keep going… I didn’t know what steps to take next. All I knew was that you and Mom and Jack were coming home, no matter what it took.”

She rolls her eyes. “And they call me the melodramatic one.”

I grin, and she nudges my ribs. I can’t hide my wince this time.

Her eyes grow wide. “Ria…”

I wave off her concern as she flutters around me like a butterfly, picking up a glass of water then a pillow and looking at both in her hands and offering them to me. I take the water just to make her feel better and take a sip. It's cool and I realize I really am parched, so I drain the glass. “I’m fine, sis. Really.”

She bites her lip. “You sure?”

I give a firm nod, hoping she doesn't see through it. “I’m certain.”

She looks at the door. “I can go get the doctor?” She looks at the floor and back at me shyly, almost as if I’m gonna croak.

I stand and grab her shoulders to stop her shuffling. “Sis, quite fidgeting. I’m fine!”

“It—it’s not that. I kinda snuck up here against Momma's wishes.”

I give her a stern glare… but I can’t help it. “You did what?” She glances up, her eyes hopeful when she hears the amusement hiding in my voice. “Who are you and what did you do with my perfect, obedient little sis?” I ask, taking her by the shoulders and trying to hold my glare.

She grins at me. “I fell in lo-oove!”

She turns to prance from the room and I smack her behind on the way past. “That’s your punishment for waking me!”

She winks, but right before she opens the door, she looks back at me. “Will you help me find Lycus… and help him get away from his father?”

I remember the boy with Darshius that night. The night that took me deep underground and it was kill or be killed. My family survived, but pieces of me died down there.

But I remember the boy, how his eyes pleaded for help and how he almost chose to walk toward me while The King spoke through me… until his father grabbed his arm and hauled him through the portal.

“Yes, sis. I will do everything I can.” I mean those words with all my heart. Lycus deserves all the chances we can give him.

“Thank you, Ria.”

“And Jill?”

“Yeah?”

“What you did… you are the bravest girl I have ever met. You’ve fought sickness, death, and evil yet still managed to love your enemy. You are so much braver and stronger than me.”

Her parting grin is worth all the pain in my ribs for getting up and pretending to be ok.