"I know that," said Archer, backing down. "And I know...Look, I know Sophie is a demon. She could wipe the floor with any of us, magically speaking. But what exactly does going to the Underworld entail? I mean, are there other demons down there? Monsters? What could happen to her?"
My parents exchanged a glance, and then Aislinn cleared her throat. "We don't really know. No one has ever attempted this before."
"So, what?" Archer asked, clearly angry now. "You're just sending her and hoping for the best? That's insane! There has to be some other way to fight the Casnoffs."
Afraid that he was going to bring up The Eye again, I tugged at his shirtsleeve. "Hey," I said softly, wishing we weren't having this conversation in front of my entire family. "No one is making me do anything I don't want to do." I looked at Aislinn. "The demons that Lara has raised...Is demonglass the only way to defend ourselves against them?"
"It is."
I paused to take a deep breath, hoping my voice wouldn't shake as I said, "Then I'll go into the Underworld."
"Thank you, Sophie," Dad said, and Aislinn gave a brisk nod. "So it's decided. Tomorrow morning at dawn, Sophie goes to the island in the middle of the lake, and from there, through the portal."
My stomach in knots, I stared at all the people I cared about most in the world, and quietly agreed. "Tomorrow."
CHAPTER 28
The next morning, I paced along the rocky shore of Lough Bealach and tried to figure out the best way to get across.
The barest hint of pinkish-gray was just starting to appear over the horizon. I had no idea what time it was, but my body told me it was roughly
"Ouch, This Is Way Too Early" o'clock. I'd only gotten a few hours of sleep. After Dad's announcement that I'd be heading to the freaking Underworld the next day, no one had really been in the sleeping mood. Aislinn, Finley, Izzy, and Mom had spread out sleeping bags in the hut while I'd conjured up tents for Dad, Archer, Cal, me, and Jenna. They weren't anything to write home about (and the one Jenna and I shared was kind of saggy in the middle), but they were still the first things I'd magicked up in a while.
When I was done, Dad had said, "You created something out of nothing. You realize that, don't you?" I let that sink in. Creating something out of nothing was nearly impossible for regular witches and wizards to do. Under Alice's teaching, Elodie had mastered it, but the spell had always been tricky for me. And Dad was right: I'd just done it, almost without thinking.
"It's so good to see you using your powers again," he said softly. I looked at the purple marks on his face, and just wrapped my arms around him in response.
Now, as I stood by the water, I felt my powers swirling peacefully inside me. When I'd wanted to go through the Removal, Dad had told me that taking away my magic was akin to trying to rip out the color of my eyes. He'd been right. Without my powers, I had felt like a huge piece of me was missing.
I rubbed my arms, even though I'd used my magic to transform my Hex Hall uniform into a thick black sweater and jeans. Ireland in September was a lot chil ier than Georgia had been. Of course, the cold wasn't the only thing making me shiver. Rising up out of the water was a big freaking rock.
I rubbed my arms even harder and sat down next to Aislinn on one of the boulders ringing the shore. I'd gotten up before dawn in the hope of avoiding any more tearful farewells, but Aislinn had already been awake and waiting for me at the edge of the lake.
"I told Grace to let me see you off," she had said. "I was afraid it would upset both of you too much if she did it herself. Same for your father, and you need to be focused right now." Her voice was gruff, but I was still grateful to have her there.
"So should I just conjure a boat?" I asked her now.
She shrugged. "I'm not the one with magic. Just get over however you think is best."
"I could swim," I suggested. "Ooh! Or maybe magic up like, a sweet Jet Ski?" I held my hands out in from of me as if I were clutching the handlebars of said sweet Jet Ski. Aislinn watched me for a moment before saying, "Is this what you always do when you're nervous?" My hands fell back to my sides. "Pretty much."
I turned back to the water. "See, the thing is, I'm pretty sure I could make a boat. But then if I do, do I give it a motor? Or a sail? Or am I expected to row myself all the way-"
"Please be quiet until you think of something." The words themselves weren't particularly threatening, but Aislinn had a way of looking at you that made you feel like she was mere seconds away from kicking you in the face.
The only sound was the lapping of the waves against the shore, and the chattering of my teeth. I peeked over my shoulder at the ring of tents.
Jenna had been sound asleep when I'd crawled out just before dawn. I hadn't woken her up, partly because I thought she could use the rest. But the main reason was that waking her would've meant telling her good-bye, and telling someone goodbye when you're planning on walking into hell would've felt kind of...final.
It was the same reason I hadn't gone into the hut to find Mom, and why I'd skirted around Archer's tent. I'd been nearly to the shore when I'd heard him softly call, "Mercer."
Kneeling in the doorway of his tent, his hair a mess, his Hex Hall uniform ridiculously wrinkled, he'd nearly broken my heart. And when I ran to him as soundlessly as I could and practically dove on top of him, I'd told myself that our kiss was just your normal boyfriend/ girlfriend saying good morning thing. Even when he pulled me inside, the tent warm and cozy and smelling like him, I hadn't let myself think that might be the last time I'd see him.