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"Why?" I question snippily "To torture my soul?"

"Co the train of her dress, she resorts to her chaainst the graphite The Queen’s throne serpents to the bowled ceiling, carved of clear and violet quartz A wooden chair is perched across froathers

"Please, have a seat" She lowers onto the throne and adjusts her dress

"No thanks," I decline "I’d rather stand"

"I’ers Two Water Faeries tackle hs "This is my land and my rules apply Don’t defy me ever"

"But you broke the laws" I tread on thin ice "By bringing me down here I’m not a criminal and no ash was sprinkled into the lake"

"With you, there’s a stipulation that allowsthe laws" She overlaps her thin fingers and places her hands on her lap "There’s a term for people like you"

"A Protected One," I say "I don’t knohat that means"

Her eyes snap cold "Qui redit a mortem The one who returns fro of a zo I don’t have any urge to eat someone I’m pretty sure I’m not one"

"That’s the Undead" Her tone’s like a blizzard "I can assure you Ges as zombies What I speak of is sooes on living One who’s been in The Afterlife, but has returned"

I wonder how bad it is that I’ve done that twice "Then why did your faerie say I was one of the Protected How can I be protected if you brought me down here?"

"Because you’re protected from death, not from me"

"That’s always been the case," I say "I can’t die without Alex"

She laughs uncontrollably "You really think that’s the case still"

"I… ouldn’t it be?"

"You two died, and so did the star There is nothing protecting you froone Well, for your other half anyway But you--you can die over and over again"

I’m struck speechless "I’m not i about I about soer You are now protected from death, from possession of death and Lost Souls You can travel between the world of the dead and of the living All you have to do is die"

"I’ my head "I can die I know I can"

The Queen curls her fingers over the aret it You need proof" Before I protest, she raises her chin and a white blur zips inside the roo its skeletal fingers into th My head wobbles like a bobble head I sluasp my last breath

"Geh perks my ears "Open your eyes You need to see me for this"

I obey Grass indents le rose petal drifts, the powdery edge grazing my nose The twisted roots of atree are half hidden by the ground I roll tobranches of thetree dance above

"Hello Gemma" My , brown hair falls into her face as she helps round and her feet are bare She dusts the dirt out of"I’veback the tears, and wraparms around her "I’ve missed you to" I pull back and look her in the eyes "But why am I here?"

"You’re not technically here," she tells me "You’re here in a dream"

"But it feels so real"

"So do all of your dreaarden, winding and curving freely in the air

"Why am I not dead?" I ask "The Water Faerie broke my neck"

"For the saives my hand a squeeze "Because it’s your destiny You have a free pass now to and from death Helena can’t touch your soul unless you offer it to her"

"But I thought ht it was all over"