Toot and I drove in relative silence to the connection that led to my quarters in Arctis Tor. Mab had it made last year when all that business with the Outsiders had gone down. Toot hadn't needed to remind me, but a deal was a deal, so he perched on the passenger headrest and did his best not to stare at the box that sat beneath his dangling feet. Instead he busied himself by sharpening his sword - probably so he could split sugar molecules. He would speak up whenever I needed to make a turn, and even though he didn't really need to, I didn't mind. I parked a couple of blocks from the Historic Water Tower and got out. I let Toot off the hook, and after a moment of indecision, he gleefully assaulted the box. I closed the door before the slaughter began, and started walking.

It wasn't even lunchtime yet, so the foot traffic was nonexistent as I crossed the street and walked to the stone building. It looked similar to the Brighter Futures Society building. There were no merlons or embrasures, and the corbels weren't elaborate, but it still reminded me of old world architecture. The doors were modern wood and glass, and a sign hung from them that read 'Out of Order, Please use theatre entrance'. I looked both directions and only saw an elderly couple walking away. Satisfied that nobody was going to see a giant disappear into thin air, I raised my staff at the entrance and intoned, "Apartum."

A circular opening appeared in front of me that looked into my quarters in Arctis Tor. The gateway actually opened into the linen closet, but the door stood open. I could see Lea sitting on the couch. I stepped through and closed the portal with a whispered word. When I emerged from the closet, Lea didn't acknowledge my presence. She was intently focused on something held in her hand, which turned out to be a clear crystal of some sort.

"Thank you for meeting me, Lea," I said as I took a seat across from her.

She smiled and placed the stone on the table between us, and then reclined into the couch. "It is nothing to me, godson. I am pleased that you chose to seek me out, though your servitor would not say why." Her grin exposed long canines framed in blood-red lips, which, coupled with her slitted amber eyes, never failed to disturb me. I mentally shrugged it off and got straight to the point.

"I need to learn how to Whisperwalk, and since Mab won't let Molly talk to me, it seems like I have to look elsewhere." I wasn't happy about it, but I managed to keep the aggravation from my voice. "Can you teach me how to do it?"

Lea responded with tinkling laughter, which she cut off abruptly. "No, I cannot." The mirth never left her eyes. There's the Cheshire Cat, and then there's Lea, who seemed to take a perverse pleasure in the art of disappointment. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that was all she needed for sustenance.

"Cannot, or will not?" My calm exterior was starting to erode; it wasn't helped by the unchanged look on her face as she shook her head slowly.

"I cannot, my godson. Such a thing is not for mortals." Dammit. Why would Ulsharavas send me on this wild goose chase if I wasn't even capable? "What reason would you need to do so?"

I crossed my arms and considered telling her to mind her own business, but she might have something useful for me. "I need to get to the far edge of the Dreamlands," I said evenly, but didn't elaborate. It hardly mattered, though.

"Ah, your lost lamb finally needs to be returned to the fold." She tilted her head, and I glowered at her. "Come now, child, put aside your vexation. Such details don't escape my notice." I wasn't surprised.

"Ulsharavas seemed to think I'd be able to learn it. You're not holding out on me because you were told to, are you?" I knew she couldn't lie, but she'd only said Whisperwalking wasn't for mortals. There wasn't necessarily anything in that statement that said we couldn't physically do it. Fae were tricky like that.

A frown marred Lea's lips upon hearing the spirit's name. "The Night Maiden is not wholly wrong, even strayed far from her path as she's become. Is it possible for you to learn? Certainly, though not for some time." When I raised an eyebrow, she elaborated. "What you ask is part of the nature of the Sidhe. If you survive long enough, you may be able to learn it." My blood curdled at that statement. I thought back to something Kringle had said to me at my introduction to Winter as Mab's new knight. 'None of us is what we once were.' Was that what I had to look forward to, assuming the job didn't kill me first? Was I slowly turning into one of them? Was that what would happen to Molly, or had it already? My thoughts must have been plain enough for Lea to read, because she gave a laugh that sounded like crystals tinkling together. "Fear not, child. You are still mortal; as the Mantle intertwines with you, so too will that same nature give you the ability. That does not, however, solve your immediate problem." I didn't quite breathe a sigh of relief. The possibility of being corrupted by Winter's influence was scary enough.

"No, it doesn't. We have to get out there, sooner rather than later. What else have you got?"

Her eyes narrowed, but her lips twitched. "Got?" she asked. "What makes you think I've 'got' something, hmm?"

This time I couldn't keep the growl from my throat. "I don't have time for this, Lea. My 'lost sheep' is more like a bull in a china shop, there's a gangster wannabe with delusions of grandeur aiming to take over an army, and oh, let's not forget that an Outsider managed to sneak in. Again." I mean, seriously, for as often as they managed to get past Mab's defenses, one had to wonder just how useful they really were. "I'm prepared to bargain in good faith. If you can't help, I'll find someone who can."

I started to get up, but my godmother stretched out her hand. When I relaxed back into the chair, she lowered her hand to the table between us. The crystal she'd been so engrossed with earlier floated up and lazily settled into her palm. She tapped it against her lips pensively for a moment. "There is no need to be so hasty, my godson. As it happens, I do have another way for you to complete your journey." I bit my tongue against the amazing coincidence. She held up the crystal, which practically hummed with power. I averted my gaze slightly, opting instead to focus on the razor sharp nails of her fingers instead. "Know you what this is, child?" I shook my head. "It is a Membrance." My eyes widened slightly. I'd heard of them, but had never actually seen one. Membrances were mystical stones that supposedly were invested with knowledge or skills imparted to the consumer. They were also notoriously hard as hell to make, even for Fae, because whatever they gave was permanent. "This stone contains the ability of Wayfaring. It isn't as efficient as Whisperwalking, and can attract… unwanted attention. It will suffice for your needs, though."

I leaned forward and rested my forearms across my knees. "And what price would you ask for such a thing?" As soon as I asked the question, Lea's eyes lit up with predatory glee. I remembered what she'd asked for the first time we'd ever bargained with a mental shudder. My life and fortune, though her idea of what that entailed would have left me four-legged and hunting. What? I was a stupid kid, and I hadn't known any better at the time. Did she still want me to be one of her hounds? Would Mab allow such a thing? I mean, this is Mab we were talking about, after all – it was entirely possible.

"Your mother's namesake – your lovely child." I jerked back like I'd been slapped; I sure as Hell hadn't expected that. "I would like to spend time with her." My jaw must have made a terrible clatter when it hit the floor, because Lea's laughter bubbled from somewhere deep and dark. "Come, child, I have no desire to harm your little one. Your choices are limited, and she has such potential." I shot to my feet, and the temperature in the room dropped about thirty degrees. I was shaking, though I couldn't tell if it was from rage or the bitterly freezing well of the Mantle that sprang up within me. Lea hadn't moved or changed her expression – if she was expecting me to get violent, she showed no concern.

"You," I rasped. "Leanansidhe, you stay away from my daughter." She shrugged and tossed the stone into the air once, and then snapped her other fist around it with a winsome grin. I turned and stalked toward the closet and jerked the door open.

Lea's voice froze me in my tracks. "Call me," she said. The closet door squealed out of its hinges as I turned and hurled it at the couch, but she was already gone. The door smashed into flinders and knocked the now vacant seat onto its back.

"Bitch," I growled.

I'd driven back to the apartment in silent fury, which caused Dragula to cough, shimmy, and sputter the whole way. By the time I got there, my mood wasn't much better, but at least I'd stopped strangling the steering wheel. The Sidhe were interested in Maggie. She had 'potential'. I was having a hard time grappling with those facts. Of course, I knew that she very likely had inherited my gift. Three generations of wizards in her family tree all but assured it. That didn't mean the Sidhe were going to be a part of that; not anytime soon, and over my rotting corpse if I had anything to say about it.

The security guard took one look at me from the guard station, and then paled and pressed the gate button while he jerkily waved me through. I pulled into an empty parking space and just sat there, taking time to calm the turmoil of emotions. Once I started breathing easier, I reminded myself that Maggie had Mouse, the Carpenter family, and a Host of angels watching over her, too. When this was all over, though, Molly and I were going to have a serious talk. I had no idea what Lea - and possibly Mab, by extension - wanted with my little girl, but I intended to find out.

I clambered out of the car and walked to the building entrance. I considered for the umpteenth time that week that I was probably losing my mind. Damn the Fae and their stupid games. I was about – no scratch that, I was completely sick of them and their bullshit. When I opened the door to the apartment, it was almost as quiet as I'd left it an hour ago. I say almost because Bonnie was humming some little tune, and she kept right on going even as I stepped up to the workbench.

"Hey, dad! How'd it go?" she asked. I sighed heavily, and didn't say anything right away. "That good, huh?"

"I threw a door at her," I said, simply.

There was a beat, before Bonnie said, "Oh. Did you get her?" I stifled the urge to growl. "I'll take that as a no, then. Plan B?"

"We don't have time for plan B, but I have an idea," I said. I told her about plan C. She didn't say anything for a full two minutes.

"Are you crazy, dad?"

By the time I pulled up to the Whatsup Dock, it was two in the afternoon. Bonnie had been quiet the whole boat ride out to Demonreach. She'd tried to talk me out of going through with it and had given up somewhere between Old Town and the marina. She had reiterated what Rashid's warning, that I shouldn't try to use the ley line that welled up from the island. It was smart. I had no business doing what I was about to try, but this wasn't just about getting Yang home anymore. If one of the Dreamlands had been infiltrated by Outsiders (because you just know there'd be more than one), Mab would be fighting a war on two fronts. I might not like her, but at least she didn't want to tear the universe apart. Desperate times, yadda, yadda.

After tying up the Water Beetle and grabbed the duffel, I made a beeline for the cabin. As soon as my feet hit the shore, I cast my thoughts to the genius loci. 'Alfred, we've got work to do.' Then I relayed images of what I needed.

"IT IS UNWISE."

'Don't I know it. Can it be done? Are there any precautions we can take?' The intellectus pondered those questions, which was a strange sensation; images riffled across my mind. Had it not been for the extra sensory information that I constantly had while on the island, I would have probably fallen down. I did stop walking, though.

"IT IS UNWISE, BUT POSSIBLE." And then I knew what needed to be done. It also made me a little weak in the knees, not only because of what was involved. For all intents and purposes, my mind would become part of my mother's gem and the 'spirit' we would awaken. If the working went wrong, I could be trapped there, and that was the best case scenario. In fact, I almost turned around right then and there. I could do just that: Run home and take my chances that a month of time passing on Remnant would be fine. Part of me also childishly felt like this was as much Mab's responsibility as it was mine.

But leaving things up to her was a lot like trusting a wild pit bull not to hurt you when it was caught between you and something else bite-worthy. I started forward again with that lovely thought in mind and reached the entrance down to the well a few minutes later. As I descended the stairs, the light slowly faded. The rational part of my brain tried to point out that the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel was shrinking. The rest of me couldn't really disagree with that assessment, either.

Alfred was waiting for me at the bottom. The chamber itself was a rough-hewn circle about twenty-five feet across, and small glowing crystals dotted the walls at regular intervals. That was new, and it let me see that the granite floor had been scrubbed clean, which revealed a very interesting detail. With the better lighting, I could see that a Greater Circle had been carved right into the stone and filled with a silvery metal – probably actual silver. It consisted of three rings; one about five feet across, which sat inside the inner hexagon of a Seal of Solomon. The six points touched the inside of the next circle which was about two feet away from the walls. The outer circle was several inches beyond that, and between the two, runes of power were oriented at each point of the star. I gave out a low whistle, which echoed down the tunnels.

Merlin hadn't played any games, and I spared half a thought to just how many secrets about the island I didn't know. It was a humbling thought, and not the first one I'd had about this place. It probably wouldn't be the last, I was sure. I set the duffel on the last step and brought out Bonnie's wooden skull. She looked at me, and then she looked at Alfred.

"Oh," she said with a touch of awe. "Hi."

"GREETINGS, WARDEN SPIRIT-KIN. ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THE DELVING?" Alfred asked telepathically.

"Yeah, I guess so. Are you sure we can't talk him out of it?" I squinted at her plaintive tone, but said nothing.

"HE IS THE GUARDIAN," he replied as he stretched out an upturned claw. It reminded me of withered, leathery roots. I set the wooden skull down into it and waited while the two of them shared in some silent communication.

When they finished, Bonnie spoke within my mind. "Okay, so you understand what we're doing here, right? He's going to be your anchor, and I'm going to run the circle while you delve the stone."

"Yes, Bonnie, I get it, you-"

"Dad, I really don't think you do. He's going to keep you grounded, but that doesn't mean he's going to be able to stop you from taking in too much. I won't be able to help you either. Once you're in, getting through to you will be next to impossible." Her tone was so stern that for a second I felt like I was talking to Charity Carpenter. "And don't take too-"

"Don't dawdle, yeah," I said, more from nerves than impatience. "The longer I'm in there, the harder it'll be to leave." I went over everything in my head again. I would infuse the circle and hand it off to Bonnie. After that I would tap the node and feed the energy into the spell. I was basically setting up a magical feedback loop between my mind and the stone, which would in turn awaken my mother's imprinted spirit. There wasn't much left to do, so I took off the amulet and looped the string around my fingers. Then I pulled the pin from behind my duster's collar and pricked my index finger. I knelt down and held it toward the edge of the circle. "Are we ready?" I asked.

"WE ARE READY," They said aloud in unison. I touched the bead of blood to the metal and pushed my will into it. The circle faded into an ethereal greenish light, and once it was closed, I mentally passed it to Bonnie. Alfred placed his other rooty paw against my chest, and tendrils slowly grew out of his 'fingertips'. They spread across my upper body, wrapped around my arms and back, and then, ugh, this next part was so going to suck.

The tiny vines crept up my neck and cheeks, and two more slowly wormed their way into one of my eye sockets. Even though they were so small and smooth, it felt like my eyes were being gouged out as they pushed their way back into my brain. I'm not gonna lie, my legs gave out while my skin tried to crawl off in protest, and I tasted blood from biting the inside of my cheek. If Alfred hadn't been holding me up, I'd have collapsed in a heap. When everything not mine stopped twitching, I let out a shaky breath that I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

The pain faded to a dull ache and I became aware of another presence within my mind. I say presence, but it was more like standing next to the ocean while it regarded you and swept back and forth. There was a depth to it that held so much, and I instinctively reached out for it with a mental hand. It- He stopped me with an inexorable push toward what lay below us, and I dimly realized what I was supposed to be doing. I sunk my mind deep into the earth and carefully drew on the power of the node. I had done this once before, at Chichen Itza, and where that had been like trying to ride a storm, this was so much more. Nobody had a right to this much power. I could still stop this, and the presence of Alfred would have pulled me back – I could sense the will to do it. But I was here. This was happening.

I drew on that energy and my vision blurred with tears and colors, and a ringing sensation resonated with my entire body, setting it buzzing. It was all I could do to hold onto it, never mind doing anything with it. I drew until I was sure I had enough and just held it as my entire frame vibrated with it. I waited for what seemed like an eternity, and then started pushing it into the circle. The room echoed like the aftermath of a massive gong being rung. I set the magical construct between my mind and the stone, which was now firmly underneath my thumb. I spoke a word – I'm still not sure what it was, but the effect was immediate. One moment I was standing at the bottom of the pit, and the next I was on a featureless plain with a red sky, and two purple suns. I only felt a phantom of the pain I was experiencing outside the spell, and it was a curious, dipolar sensation, holding that much power, directing it, and running the spell.

A dark haired woman materialized a few steps away. She was shorter than me, long curly hair waving in the breeze, and she was wearing a simple white dress. She looked just as she had in the soulgaze with Thomas, and her brown eyes lit up in recognition at the sight of me. She smiled.

"Hey, mom."

A/N - Hey guys! I'm so sorry this took as long as it did. I got majorly sidetracked with personal stuff. I know some of you have been dying to get into the next phase. I swear, I tried to trim this down so that we could get to Remnant, but it looks like we have one more chapter! As always, thank you for all the reads and reviews, and I'll see you soon!