Liza sat quietly in the truck beside Jacob as he drove back to Halden’s Mill. Tobias had chosen to ride with Marcas. Liza had wanted to stay at the hospital, but Dr. Gallavan had assured her that Fallon was stable and would sleep through the night. There was nothing anyone could do by waiting.

Liza thought of Cullen and Ana. Fallon’s parents didn’t even know what had happened to her. Where were they? How could their spirits be trapped somewhere and in deadly peril when their bodies lay safe in their bed?

She closed her eyes and thought over what she knew of the Finn family’s individual purposes. Cullen and Ana could travel the Mist region between the mortal world and Tír na nÓg but were now stuck there. That alone was more than Liza was able to understand. Brianna was the Seer who communicated between worlds and somehow knew things to come, yet her powers weren’t working so well of late. Marcas and Conall could sense those drawn to the evil that emanated from Tír na nÓg and somehow direct them away. They could only do it together as the Twins. And Fallon?

Liza opened her eyes. “Jacob, what’s Fallon’s purpose in the family? They all have special abilities—what’s Fallon’s?”

“Fallon is the Mate. She will take Cullen’s place someday.”

“Who will take Ana’s place?”

“Whoever Fallon marries. There’s only one person in the world she can be mated to. That is that person’s purpose. She doesn’t know who it is, but according to Cullen and Ana, the draw is very strong when the two come together.” He smiled. “I used to think it would be me. I had this huge crush on Fallon when I was a teenager. I’d imagine that one day the time would suddenly be right, and she’d know that I was the man for her.”

“Any chance that could still happen?”

“No, I don’t think so. Anyway, I have my own purpose, and it isn’t to be stuck in this backwoods town. Don’t get me wrong—I love the Mill, but there’s so much more out there, and I want to experience as much of it as I can. I won’t be a servant of the Finns like my mom.”

Liza detected more than a hint of frustration in his voice. Is that what Ruth was, a servant? If so, Liza thought the friendly woman took pride in her role and would never consider it a position of servitude.

“What did your grandfather mean when he said he left a part of himself behind?”

“It’s a thing the Dadai do sometimes. It takes a lot out of them, though. You saw how weak he was in there? He’d left a part of his soul back at his house to maintain the Old Ones’ barrier. I don’t pretend to understand it, but I know it’s dangerous for them to do. You saw how he was shaking, how he could barely stand. He put himself in an incredibly vulnerable position by doing that. Especially with someone out there killing them off.”

“Why would he do such a thing?”

His face reddened. “For Fallon, of course. Everyone loves Fallon.”

You do, too, don’t you? You still love her. An unexpected pang of jealousy jolted through Liza at the thought. She felt a connection to this young man that she’d thought might be more than chance. Why was it that every time she thought she found someone who cared about her, she was wrong? Why couldn’t she just fit in somewhere?

Jacob patted her knee. “Hey, don’t worry about Fallon. She’s tough. She’ll get through this. We all will.” Liza nodded but didn’t answer. Nor did she say anything about his hand that remained on her leg.

Liza’s phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and glanced at the caller ID. It simply read, FINN. “Hello?”

“Liza, it’s Brianna. I need you and Fallon to get to my house as fast as possible.” Fear was clear in the woman’s voice. It sounded so out of place, a contrast to her usual quiet, commanding tone.

“Brianna, didn’t Ruth call you?”

“No one’s called me. Why? What’s wrong?”

“Fallon’s in the hospital. Jacob and I are coming from there now.”

“What happened?”

Liza couldn’t imagine being trapped in one’s own home, never able to leave. Then again, Brianna was the Seer. Shouldn’t she have known that something was happening? It was like the murders of the Old Ones.

“Liza, I asked what happened.”

Liza shook herself out of her thoughts. “I’m sorry. The doctor says she should be fine. I’ll tell you when we get there. Should be less than ten minutes.”

“Please hurry. Come straight to my house. Don’t stop for anything or anyone.” The line went dead.

“Take me to Brianna’s,” she said to Jacob. “Something has her scared.”

“Brianna doesn’t get scared. She’s so disconnected from the world she doesn’t even know the meaning of that emotion.”

A chill ran up her arms. “Judging by her voice, she does now.”

It was dusk when Liza and Jacob pulled up in front of Brianna’s house. A few lights illuminated neighboring windows, but otherwise the neighborhood was quiet. Brianna’s house lay dark except for the porch light that offered a warm welcome but didn’t settle the sense of dread that filled Liza. She opened her door and started to get out of the truck. “Are you coming?” she asked Jacob.

“I can’t go in there. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

Liza wanted to ask him what was up with him and Brianna, but there wasn’t time. Brianna needed her. She nodded and got out. Closing the car door, she turned toward the peaceful-looking house. Something stirred within her, and she felt an icy touch on her chest. She reached toward the spot and felt the pendant tucked away beneath her top. She pulled it out. It was like holding a piece of dry ice—so cold it burned. She dropped it, leaving it outside her shirt, away from her skin, another puzzle to figure out.

Liza crossed the yard and climbed the steps to the porch, where she paused a moment. This was the first time she’d ever come to Brianna’s house on her own. Fallon always opened the door without knocking and invited herself in. Liza didn’t know how comfortable she felt about doing that. Instead, she knocked.

“Come in, Liza,” came the instant reply. Liza did so, noticing once again the quaint comfort of Brianna’s home. Brianna sat in her usual chair. Aside from appearing even more pale than usual, she seemed her calm self. But her eyes told another story. The woman was terrified.

“Brianna, what’s wrong?” Liza hurried across the room to the chair beside her friend. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Brianna sipped her tea. “Not a ghost. Something worse, I fear.”

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“First, tell me about Fallon.”

Liza did, beginning with returning to the farm to find that Cullen and Ana were somehow lost in the Mist.

“Wait, Mother and Father lost? How? I know none of this.”

“No one told you?”

Brianna seemed to fold in on herself. “No one should have to. I should know. I always know when anything important happens. But all I knew was that something was wrong. It seems I also find myself cut off in the darkness.” She closed her eyes and turned her face toward the ceiling. “Am I no longer worthy?”

Liza didn’t know what to say, though she doubted Brianna was talking to her anyway.

“Continue, please,” Brianna said.

Liza told her about the run-in with Conall and Fallon’s injury. She considered leaving out the part about Conall calling her a princess but thought it best to include everything.

“The Prince and the Princess,” Brianna murmured. “I have dreamt of them, but the memory is always quite fuzzy when I wake. I remember every detail of my dreams. Every tiny detail. Dreams are where much of my information comes from. I remember little of the Prince and Princess, though. They are powerful. And more dangerous than one can imagine apart—unstoppable together. That is all I remember. I always wake from those dreams with feelings of terror and awe, like standing in the center of a terrible storm, knowing that I’ll be annihilated and yet awestruck by the sheer magnificence and power of it.” She leaned forward and studied the pendant on Liza’s chest. “What is that?”

Liza touched the pendant. The unnatural cold had dissipated. “Just an old pendant that a friend gave me.”

Brianna’s eyes half closed. “Don’t take me for a fool, Liza. I’m not completely in the dark. What is it?”

“A friend gave it to me before I came out here. He said he saw my mom throw it in the trash the night I was conceived. He believes it belongs to my dad. My real dad.”

Brianna gave her a hard stare. “What do you know of your real father?”

“Nothing, really. My mom remembers little of that night, though she swears she hadn’t been drinking.”

“Much like my dreams of the Prince and Princess.”

“Trust me, there’s no connection between your dreams and my mom’s one-night stand.” Liza sat back in the chair, feeling the familiar depression overcome her. “My stepdad never forgave her for it. They were well known in Hollywood at the time, so there was no way to keep any of it quiet. He wanted her to get an abortion, which made perfect sense. Neither of them had any qualms about aborting a fetus. For some reason that she still can’t explain, my mom refused to do it.” Liza felt like she was sinking deeper into the chair. “She never forgave me for ruining her life. It was always my fault.”

“I’ll never understand how humans can devise such rationalizations.”

“My friend Manny would say it’s for that very reason—because we are human.”

Brianna studied Liza a moment. “You think of Manny as your father.” It was not a question.

“How did…oh, yeah. I’m glad to know you still know some things.” Liza smiled when she said it but couldn’t miss the look of pain on Brianna’s face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Think nothing of it. You are right—at least I still have something. Go on, please.”

Liza shrugged. “There isn’t much more. My parents split up, and my stepdad had almost nothing to do with me. Mom locked herself in the mansion and lived off the alimony her husband was forced to pay her. Of course, there was no child support since Mom never denied the affair or that her husband wasn’t my father. No one ever understood that, either. It was almost like she was compelled to be honest about the whole thing.

“Anyway, between that and her investments from the money she’d made on her movie roles, she didn’t have to worry about working. Surprisingly, she wasn’t much of a spender, either. She paid to keep the house and grounds looking nice and was able to use her sad story to keep her place with the other socialites who had nothing better to do.

“The staff raised me, and, yes, I thought of Manny as my dad. He was always there when I needed him and never treated me like I was any different than anyone else.” She felt herself drifting in the memories. “He could work magic in the gardens and taught me a lot. I’m actually pretty good around plants. Much better than with people.”

Brianna smiled. “That does not surprise me. You have the feel of the land about you. I noticed it the first time we met. I do not believe your biological father was from Los Angeles. I believe he was from much farther away.”

Liza sat up. “What do you mean?”

A loud knocking sound came from the kitchen. Brianna jumped and spilled her tea over the front of her dress. Her eyes were wide.

“What was that?”

“I don’t know.” Brianna’s words were little more than a whisper.

“Is someone else here? Paulie?”

“No. Not in here.”

The knocking came again. Liza thought that Brianna might actually faint. Liza stood and went into the kitchen. It was the first time she’d been any farther than the living room. The kitchen was simple and comfortable. Yellow walls with white trim were covered with more pictures of families and children from town.

Jacob had said that everyone loved Fallon. Brianna obviously had her share of admirers as well. The room was small with a table surrounded by four chairs in one corner, a small stand with a microwave, and a counter covered with cookies that Brianna had been baking. Beyond the sink and refrigerator, an alcove held a small pantry and another door.

The knocking, louder this time, came from behind that door. Liza backed away into the living room. “What’s behind that door?”

Brianna swayed in her chair. “Nothing. Nothing is back there.”

“There has to be something. A basement? The back of the house? Where does it lead?”

Brianna gazed up at her. “You don’t understand. It leads to the Great Nothing where nothing is, nothing exists. Nothing at all.”

The knocking sounded once again.

Something exists out there, Liza thought. And whatever it is, it wants in.

“You can’t stay here, Brianna. You have to leave.”

“You know I can’t do that. The Seer cannot leave this house…ever.”

“Well, you said there can’t be anything outside that door, either, and it sure sounds like that’s no longer true.”

“It can’t get in. Whatever it is cannot get in. I’m safe here.” Her pale face and shaking hands belied her words.

The knocking had stopped, and Liza found herself moving back into the kitchen. The door looked like any other door, solid and windowless, painted white with a brass knob and deadbolt. “How do you know what’s through there?”

“The mysteries of Tír na nÓg and the Finn heritage are passed down through the centuries. The Great Nothing and much else that we know are part of those histories.” Liza sensed Brianna move up behind her. “The Great Nothing is what existed before creation. It is the very edge of God’s world. A blank canvas, you might say.”

Liza considered Brianna’s words. “I don’t know much about God, but if he created everything, why would there be a void like you describe? Where did it come from?”

“It was always there, since before time.” Brianna’s tone was that of a mother explaining something to a two-year-old.

Liza’s mind was working on something, but she couldn’t quite get a grasp on it. “Never mind. I’m not sure what I’m trying to say. I understand so little of any of this. What matters right now is that, possible or not, there is something on the other side of that door, and whatever it is probably knows there’s something on this side. You aren’t safe here.”

“I’m not safe anywhere else. This is all I have, safe or not. I cannot leave.”

Liza felt the urge to scream. All she’d heard from this family since arriving was how things were changing, how all of their ancient assumptions were proving to be wrong, and yet Brianna still held to her ways. Why couldn’t she see that her comfortable little world was crumbling around her?

“Okay, what do we do now?”

Brianna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I still feel Tír na nÓg, not as strong as I should, nor do I feel your world as I once did, but it is still there. I must seek my parents in the Mist. At the moment, that is all I can do.”

“And me?”

Brianna looked down at her hands clasped in her lap, her customary confidence gone. “I don’t know.”

Liza felt a tinge of guilt as she left Brianna’s house. She hated leaving the woman alone but was afraid of staying.

Part of her wanted to know what was behind that door. She had a strong feeling it wasn’t what Brianna thought. She wasn’t sure where that feeling came from, but she was sure it was right. Brianna’s Great Nothing of legend was something else entirely.

Outside, night had fallen. Liza found it incredible how long dusk lasted in this part of the country. In Los Angeles, one could watch the sun drop below the horizon as the sky went from pink to dark in minutes. Here in Halden’s Mill, the sun disappeared behind the trees but the light of dusk held on until she wondered if it was ever going to get dark. Around Brianna’s well-kept yard, a few fireflies flickered their welcome to the night. The air smelled of greenness and life, and again, she felt a strange attraction to this quiet, rural place.

“Everything okay?” Jacob asked from beside the truck.

Liza wrapped her arms around herself. “Brianna’s spooked. Things are changing for her just like everyone else, and she doesn’t know how to handle it.” She didn’t mention the knocking. If Jacob had never been in the house, it wouldn’t mean anything to him. The place already made him nervous. No sense adding to it.

“I don’t understand any of this,” Jacob said. “The Finns and the Old Ones have always been the center of the Mill. That someone could be killing off the Old Ones and harming the Finns is unthinkable.”

“And yet it’s happening.” Liza gazed up at the stars that filled the sky. So beautiful and, like Halden’s Mill, so much more than they appeared. Her stomach rumbled. “I’m starving. Is there any place to get something to eat this time of night?”

Jacob smiled. “I hear the Roundup has pretty good food. I’ve never tried it myself.”

“What’s the Roundup?”

Jacob laughed. “The local bar. I may have strayed from the Amish fold of my grandfather, but I haven’t gone so far as to hang out in bars. Want to give it a try?”

“I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. I can get something at the farm.” She didn’t really want to go back there yet, though. She wanted to go someplace where life felt normal. Bars were not her thing, either, but it sounded good right then. It sounded real.

Jacob shrugged. “I’m fine with it. A greasy burger sounds good.”

The Roundup was less than half a mile away. It wasn’t much to look at on the outside. Wedged between a closed-down movie theater and an auto parts store, the bar’s brick front had a tired feeling about it. Only a block away sat the main town square that Liza had found so quaint and Norman Rockwell-ish, but the block on which the bar was located looked like it came from a different place entirely. Cars were parked diagonally in the middle of the street, which was something she’d never seen before. Country music and the sound of voices rumbled from within the building. Jacob took her hand and led her through the door.

The inside of the Roundup was much as Liza had expected—a rough wood floor, a long bar on the left with backed stools, and pool tables in the back. There were pub tables in the center of the floor and some booths along the right wall. The music came from a jukebox made to look old, but Liza guessed it was fairly modern. Jacob led her to an empty booth, and they slid in across the table from one another.

“First time in a bar?” Liza asked.

Jacob smiled. “I’m not that clean and squeaky. First time in a bar in the Mill, though. I’ve been in a few in Columbia. Never figured it was worth the hassle of someone telling Tobias they saw me in here.”

“I think that would be the hardest part of living in a place like this. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s a wonderful town and all, I just…”

“Don’t know if you could handle everyone knowing your business? Yeah, I get what you mean.” The twist of Jacob’s mouth showed how well he understood. He looked around the bar. “Is there a waitress or something around here?”

Liza laughed. “We probably have to go to the bar to order. I’ll do it.” She stood up, but Jacob grabbed her arm.

“You wait here. I’ll order the food. Burger and beer?”

Liza nodded. “Sounds good.”

While Jacob went to order, Liza looked around the bar. People watching had always been a sort of hobby, and since coming to Halden’s Mill she’d seen a very different type of person than she was used to. In LA, she’d seen tourists from all over the world, including Midwest America, but they always looked like tourists. No matter how they dressed or talked, she could always tell when someone didn’t belong. It felt strange seeing those same people in their own environment where they were the locals and she the stranger. They seemed more real, more human.

Laughter from one of the pool tables drew her attention. Two men a bit older than herself were throwing darts at a board on the back wall. As she looked in that direction, the room tilted, and she pressed down on the table to steady herself. At the same time, a wave of fear washed over her. Sweat broke out under her arms, and it was suddenly difficult to breathe. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. The feeling abated some but didn’t go away.

“Liza, are you okay?”

She heard Jacob’s voice but wasn’t ready to respond. She nodded, but that only made the dizziness worse.

Panic attack?

She felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Liza?”

She recognized the feeling. It was the same as the night she was attacked in her house, the same as in the hotel in Kansas City. She had to get out of there. Had to run. Escape.

“What’s wrong? Talk to me.”

Liza struggled to calm herself. The feeling was as tangible as the table she clung to like a life ring. She felt Jacob sit beside her and put an arm around her shoulders and his other hand on her arm. She took in deep breaths, almost tasting the beer and greasy food that permeated the air. The sensation nauseated her. The scratch on her leg burned and, though it was still on the outside of her blouse, she knew the pendant would burn as well if it touched her flesh. She forced her eyes open. The room seemed darker, more foreboding. She heard the sound of the pool balls clacking together. The music and conversation blended into a harsh buzzing in her ears. Around her, people moved in slow motion.

Her eyes locked onto the pool players and then on something beyond. In the shadowed corner of the room, at a table she hadn’t noticed before, sat a lone figure. She could make out little detail, though she was certain it was a man. She could feel his gaze on her like a physical touch.

Liza was on her feet before she knew what she was doing. Someone touched her, and she pushed the person away. She could feel the room closing in and had to get out. She spun and stumbled toward the door, knocking into people along the way. Voices floated around her, some harsh, others amused. Making it to the door, she staggered out onto the sidewalk. She wanted to run, to get as far away as possible, but the unfamiliar streets confused her panicked mind.

Liza lurched into the street and fell to her knees. Harsh sobs forced their way out of her, and she buried her face in her hands.

“Liza?”

Jacob’s voice. Gentle hands on her shoulders.

“Liza? What’s wrong?”

She could only shake her head. What was wrong? She felt like she was going insane.

“Hey buddy, why don’t you get your hands off the lady?”

The voice came from behind them. Liza felt Jacob turn, but his hands remained on her arms.

“Leave us alone,” Jacob said. “She’s had a rough few days. She’ll be all right.”

“Hey Jackie, he’s one of them Amish I was telling you about. You don’t have them out in Colorado?” A different voice, slightly slurred.

“Nope,” Jackie said, his eyes never leaving Liza.

Liza wiped her eyes and opened them. She should get out of the street. She allowed Jacob to help her to her feet. They turned toward the sidewalk where the two men stood. Liza recognized the pool players from inside.

“He doesn’t look Amish,” said the one Liza took to be Jackie. He was tall and pale with dark hair and eyes that belonged to someone who enjoyed inflicting pain. His friend was another of those Halden’s Mill contrasts. Short and stocky, he wore dirty jeans and a t-shirt and a dirtier John Deere cap. He had the tanned skin of one who spent a lot of time outdoors.

“I think they kicked him out or something,” the friend said. “Probably ‘cause he hangs out with the Finns. She’s been hanging out with them, too. Don’t get many like her around here.”

Liza knew he was referring to her dark skin. Many of the people in Halden’s Mill were tan from being outside, but she suspected these men thought her complexion exotic.

“I think she’s pretty,” Jackie said. “Bet you think she’s pretty, too, don’t you, Amish?”

“Come on, guys, let us be.”

Liza could hear the tension in Jacob’s voice. She wondered if he’d had problems with the locals before. A few other men and a couple women came out of the bar. None of them said anything. Though her earlier panic was still dissipating, this situation felt more threatening. She had the feeling there was some kind of design to the night’s events, like it was choreographed.

Jackie stepped off the curb into the street. His friend stayed where he was but looked ready to jump in if necessary. “I think I’ll take her home,” Jackie said. “You wouldn’t mind that, would you, Amish?”

Jacob turned toward the two men. “Actually, I would…” That was as far as he got before Jackie lashed out with his fist and caught Jacob in the abdomen. Jacob gasped and bent over double. The next fist slammed into his temple, and he went down in the street moaning and clutching his midsection.

“Jacob!” Liza rushed to him, but Jackie grabbed her arm and yanked her against him. She felt panic rising again, this time accompanied by a surge of anger. How dare this man put his hands on her. How dare he hurt her friend. “Let go of me!”

The burning cold of the pendant seeped through the material of her blouse to her skin. Somewhere deep in her mind, a part of her welcomed it, embraced it. As she struggled against the man who held her, another part of her grew calm. She could feel the power in the air. The power of the forest, the power of Tír na nÓg. It was all there for the taking. She didn’t know how she knew this, but there was no doubt.

She inhaled a deep breath, smelling the scent of life all around her.

Almost without thought, Liza took hold of the hand that grasped her. She squeezed and was rewarded by a gasp of pain from Jackie. She twisted her body and spun toward him, wrenching his wrist and arm in the same motion. The strength that flowed through her was like nothing she’d felt before. The cut in her leg burned, pulsing with the cold of the pendant.

Kill him.

Yes, she thought, it would be so easy. She had him dancing in a circle now as she held his wrist. It would be so easy to grab him by the hair with her free hand and snap his worthless neck. So easy. As though watching herself in a dream, she reached out and grasped a handful of his hair and jerked his head back.

Kill him.

This lowlife had hurt her friend, put his commoner hands on her. He deserved to die. For a moment, she looked up at the people around her. Some pointed and laughed. A few appeared shocked. The shadowy figure from the back of the bar stood in the doorway. Instead of fear and panic, she now felt a deep-seated hatred. She knew that this thing was manipulating the man she was so close to killing. She also knew its power was growing with the death of each Old One. The pathetic human whose life she held in her hands was not the one who should die this night.

With a scream of fury, Liza released Jackie’s wrist and hair and kicked him in the backside hard enough to send him tumbling. She felt a sense of rage and surprise from the thing in the doorway, and then the sense of it was gone altogether. The strength drained from her as the icy cold of the pendant faded. She stumbled to where Jacob now sat in the street and fell to her knees beside him.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He paused, staring at her. “Where’d you learn to do that?”

Liza was so tired she thought she might lie down in the street and go to sleep. “I have no idea.”