"Did I ever have a birthday party when I was about three?"

It was the first thing Lexie said the next morning, during the most melancholy breakfast they'd ever had. Neither father nor daughter had spoken much, except Aiden when he was checking up on her. He'd asked her how she was feeling this morning, and all she could manage was a shrug.

Aiden looked worse for wear too, with eyebags that showed he hadn't slept all night. Most likely, he'd been thinking about the same thing she was, and he'd had to shoulder her sadness and Emma's sadness along with his own.

Emma ended up sleeping over last night in Aiden's room, but she left early in the morning before the other two woke up. Lexie also woke up to concerned texts from both Xena and Dewie, so she guessed that Emma must have broken the news to them. Lexie responded to their texts by telling them she was okay, but she wasn't ready to talk about it yet. Thankfully, her friends understood and backed off.

All morning, Lexie couldn't stop thinking about how they would rescue Max.

Aiden wasn't powerful enough, not yet, not with his collar. She wondered why he hadn't accepted Monty's offer for another collar, which would give him more, albeit supervised access to magic. She had a theory that perhaps that collar would have more magical surveillance, and they would be able to not only monitor his magic usage but also stop it remotely when they needed to. She'd stewed on the mechanics and implications of that during most of the morning, needing to distract herself from thinking of all the horrors Uncle Max was probably facing. Then she remembered the dream she'd had and decided to ask just for confirmation.

Aiden looked somewhat surprised to hear her question. "Yes. You had many birthday parties, until you were around six and decided that you didn't like them anymore."

"That happened when I was six?"

"Well..every year you would go back and forth on whether or not you wanted one. One week it was 'yes' and the other week it was 'no'. We typically ended up having the birthday party anyway, because your birthday usually fell on a 'yes' week. Then after six, it stopped."

Lexie nodded. "Is that part of the soul-merging thing? Maybe I couldn't make up my mind because the two souls weren't in agreement?"

"Yes, probably. The two parts of your soul have a ninety-nine percent compatibility, which means you share many similar traits, but in some things, they differ. Birthday parties were apparently one of them."

Lexie was struck as another memory teased the corner of her mind, like a vague picture that flashed one second and was gone the next. "At one of those parties, was there a tall older man in attendance, with really weird eyes, and…he would stand in a corner and slice all the chocolate off the cake and eat just the strawberry-flavored center?"

"Yes. That was Vacek." He cocked his head. "So you're remembering?"

"I think so," she responded. She shook her head. "Naem said that I won't lose my memories again, right? The cycle won't repeat?"

"As long as nothing disturbs the seal between your souls, it shouldn't."

"Would using my Eldritch mana disturb it?"

That brought a concerned look to his face. "You're thinking of using it?"

Lexie hesitated and took a shaky breath. "I think so. I mean, without it, I probably wouldn't have been able to do much to save people in Hartville. And I wouldn't have been able to save myself either."

"You don't need to be able to–"

"Yes, I do, and you know it too." She leveled him with a firm look. "Things are about to get infinitely more dangerous for us, aren't they?"

He hesitated, his fork scraping idly against his plate as resignation dawned on his expression. "I think so."

"Then I need it. I won't use it often, only when I'm desperate. Do you think Naem can teach me how to control it? Or even maybe to keep it contained while using it?"

"Maybe," Aiden said reluctantly. "I tried to contact him through my dream yesterday, but he did not appear."

"You mean…you tried to talk to him about Max?"

Deep sadness reflected in his expression again, and he nodded.

"I don't understand. Why wouldn't he appear?"

"Several reasons. He might be busy in someone else's dream, or the connection might have been interrupted somehow…"

"You mean by Neqal…"

Aiden flinched when she said the name, and his eyes met hers. "You don't want to mention that name too many times, honey, or he would think you're inviting him to pay you a visit. Neqal is one of the Eldritch to whom names mean something."

"You said he wasn't completely Eldritch. What is he mixed with?"

"Too many things to count. But at least a part of him is Elven, and they have a thing about names. Naem and I can handle him, but you might not be able to."

"Understood." She sighed. "So, how do we get in touch with Naem now?"

"I'll keep trying to contact him through dreams. I'm also going to try to do it the long way, but it's going to take a while to get to him."

"The long way being how you did it last time? It took almost half a year."

"Yeah. That's why it's called the long way, sweetheart."

Lexie didn't laugh at the joke.

"Can't you just have the Heroes take you to the Fae Planet so you can find him? Maybe tell Monty that it's part of your deal."

"He won't agree to that, not without a good reason. And even if he did, [Heroes] don't have such easy access to the Eldritch domain. Only select Fae do. And even those ones will refuse to talk to the Eldritch Lord, not unless there's something in it for them."

"I see." Lexie wondered if Xena could help with this, but that would be a giant conflict of interest on her part, and Lexie didn't want to put her friend in a difficult spot. But if it came down to it…

Lexie sighed. She didn't want to involve Xena in something dangerous and potentially criminal. She knew her friend wouldn't say no, not if she revealed that it was to save Uncle Max, but it would be really unfair to her.

Damn it.

Aiden saw Lexie's turmoil and reached out to take her hand. "I'm sure Naem will be back soon. He said he would, and he can't go back on his word. We just need to wait a little."

Lexie swallowed and nodded. But she also wondered if she could potentially learn how to control her Eldritch powers without Naem? Was there any information on it on the NET?

Or maybe the Undernet?

That reminded her that she needed to go to Isaac to pick up the cell phone. He'd told her it was ready last week, and she'd been waiting for her Uncle Max to return, but now…

Depression dragged her mood down again, and her throat closed up. It still didn't feel real. It felt like any moment now, Max would walk in all grumpy, annoyed about a new tax he had to pay or something Luke had said.

She could see him in his garage, bent over his table and smelting a new gun, begrudgingly indulging her questions as he did. She could picture him on the bus back from Old Mouldng, with her asleep on his arm.

She didn't know she had started crying until her father reached across the table and wiped a tear from her cheek. She met his eyes again, and he came around the table to hold her, lifting her into his lap like he always did.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"I'm not a little girl," she protested halfheartedly.

"I know, honeybee." He rubbed her hair and rocked her. "I know."

Later that morning, Lexie was on the living room couch trying to distract herself by watching the news. Nearly every station was still talking about the disaster in Hartville. Lexie was gathering additional information, trying to figure out any clues that would give her an idea of what those villains were planning again. Now that her dad was involved in the investigation, it was personal for her. It was also personal because the incident had affected a lot of people she cared about and had put key fighters out of commission for some time, including TD, who would reportedly need intense physical therapy to get back into action.

Lexie felt terrible for him. Not only had he been humiliated on a large stage, but he'd been given a likely career-ending injury too. The AFC was probably in trouble without their star boy, and Lexie was worried about her friends and their careers. She often thought about them and Tate. Although she didn't want to be, she was worried about him too.

She still hadn't heard from him. No one had. At least she knew he was still alive, but she also found it weird that he'd walked out of the stadium right when she'd felt the dungeon spawning.

Was it a coincidence?

It felt too convenient to be one.

Tate had left the stadium, not after his match, and not right after his fight with Boris, but right as the dungeon began to spawn. Almost like he knew it was there.

Did he know because he already knew about this game, and knew what would happen? Was that why he'd gotten himself to safety?

If so, why hadn't he told anyone? Why hadn't he told Lexie? If he knew this would happen ahead of time, why had he not done anything to stop it?

The more she thought about it, the more incensed she got.

It was either he didn't care, which was lousy enough, or there was an even more horrifying possibility.

I'm not a good person. He'd told her that out on the lawn and made it known that he had no problem playing things dirty, being the villain of the story. So what if that hadn't just been a metaphor for his fight with Boris? What if he actually planned to join the villain alliance?

Was that why he was hanging out with [Villains]?

No, that was a crazy thought. What would he gain by that? And how would that tie in with his ambition to be the AFC champion, because that seemed to be all he cared about right now?

Lexie couldn't figure it out, and because she couldn't, she assumed she was probably missing important details that would make it all make sense. She put the thought aside for now.

Five minutes later, just as Amira Black was finishing her morning broadcast, the doorbell rang. Her father went to answer it, and she heard him declare, "Bane…"

Lexie was instantly out of her seat and bolted towards the door to see the wolf-man.

He looked terrible. He had bandages over one of his ears and eyes, and his arm was in a magical cast, which meant that it wasn't system-healing properly and needed more intense intervention. He also had a fresh scar on his cheek and, worst of all, his eye was bloodshot like he hadn't slept in days.

"Hey," she said softly. "You look like crap."

The words slipped out unbidden, and Bane managed to crack a smile.

"So do you," he responded just as gently, and Lexie felt so overwhelmed with emotion, she almost started crying again.

Aiden stepped back. "Come in. Have a seat, I'll make you some tea."

Bane nodded and stepped in.

"I came to tell you what happened, but I'm guessing Luke or Emma already beat me to it."

"Emma did," Aiden said as Bane sat at the kitchen table. "But I'd like to hear more from you. What exactly happened?"

"The dungeon ended up being more complicated than we thought," Bane said. "It was a level 7, but acted more like a level 8 or 9 with how confusing it was. We got in, got the loot, but couldn't find the exit. It kept changing location, and it turned out we had spent more time in there than we believed. We had to get out immediately, and this big stinking bat creature was after us. Max…" He swallowed thickly. "Max set a trap for it and told us to get out first because he needed to be the one to activate it. I said no and didn't want to leave him behind, but he made Samara carry me out, and she blocked me from going back in."

His hand gripped his knee, memories haunting his gaze.

"When we got out, I was screaming, yelling at Samara for getting me out of there, demanding she let me go back in or I would go wolf mode. I fucked up because my yelling alerted a horde of angry wolves who then attacked us. We ran and got mauled by them, but luckily survived. Max…"

"There's a chance he's still alive," Lexie spoke up. "Maybe he didn't die, maybe he's just lost in the dungeon.."

Her heart sank when he gave her a sad look. "If he'd beaten the creature, he would've made it out. There were a few minutes left, and if the trap had worked, then he would have gotten out of the dungeon seconds after I did." His expression was pure misery. "If only I hadn't left. If only Samara hadn't made me…"

"Stop." Aiden's voice was quiet but strong. "It wasn't her fault, and it wasn't yours either. Max would be furious if he knew you blamed her for it."

Bane accepted it with a sigh, but there was no conviction there. He still looked like he was struggling with guilt and resentment toward his teammate. Lexie felt a kindred grief, a sorrow that weighed heavily on her and demanded she act.

She didn't want to let go. She stubbornly wanted to hold on to the idea that her Uncle was still alive and that there was a way she could save him.

Uncle Max was tough, the toughest person she knew, and he was always prepared. He had his trusty backpack with him, and he'd told her he had enough food and water to last him months in any dungeon. If he defeated the creature, he could still be alive as they spoke...

If he'd defeated the creature.

After Aiden went to make the kitchen to brew the tea, Lexie told Bane, "Do you think you could take me to Old Moulding later this morning?"

He nodded. "To see Isaac?"

"Yes. He has something for me." He could send the phone by mail, but she didn't want to risk it being intercepted

Bane nodded silently again.

"I'm sorry," she told him. "About what happened, and you getting hurt."

"Yeah," he said. "I'm sorry too."

***

News of Max's demise broke during the day. Amira Black reported it during the afternoon broadcast, and it was super bizarre to see Max's scowling face from his weapon's license picture on television.

Aiden and Lexie got constant visits throughout the day. First, it was Terry and Glinda, with Terry crying almost as much as Emma did. Then Frank and Merryweather showed up. Frank told Aiden they would be drinking in Max's honor at the lake tonight and invited Aiden to join, but Aiden turned him down. He said he didn't want to risk drinking any of Frank's concoctions again.

Emma and a few nurses and other well-wishers also visited shortly. Luke apparently stopped by to tell Aiden that they would be holding a memorial service for Max the day after tomorrow, at the town cathedral. Lexie missed his visit because she'd been taking a nap at the time, but Aiden told her about it while they were having dinner.

"I'm not going," Lexie said.

Aiden wearily sighed. "Lexie..."

"Why are we having a memorial when he's not dead? Two days is too soon. Why is everyone so quick to put him in the ground and move on?"

Her dad said nothing after her emotional rant, watching her in that steady way that made her feel worse.

"Lexie, getting Max back isn't going to be easy, and it's not guaranteed either."

"But you're going to try, aren't you?"

Aiden hesitated, but he nodded.

Lexie felt relief blooming. She grabbed onto hope with both hands. "When Naem gets back, we can do it. I know you wanted to wait until you had more strength, but I can use my Eldritch magic to supplement whatever you need."

"Absolutely not." Aiden shook his head. "I don't want you doing that, Lexie. You could lose yourself, become more Eldritch in a way we can't fix."

Lexie said nothing. She didn't want to argue with her dad right now or make him worry. But she wouldn't let go of this possibility.

She was saving Max no matter what.

***

The next day, Bane showed up early in the morning to take her to Old Moulding with her father's permission. Both of them were quiet during the trip, and she spent most of it finally texting her friends to break the news.

Lexie: I'm going to Victoire.

Dewie was the first to answer.

Dewie: Today?

Lexie: No, in about a week.

Monty said he needed that much time to get all her paperwork ready and give the college time to prepare for her arrival. Not only was her situation complicated since she was on the special research curriculum, but it was also tricky to transfer near the middle of the school semester.

Dewie: Neat! Why are you coming? To visit?

Lexie: No. I'm going to start school there.

Dewie: What?

Xena: What?

Lexie: Yeah.

Xena: When were you going to tell us?

Lexie: Well, I wanted to do it in a fun way. I thought of just showing and surprising you on the day, or planning this elaborate prank, but I don't have the energy for that anymore.

Dewie: Wow. That's great! But I thought you didn't want to be a [Hero].

Xena: Yeah, what changed?

Lexie: It's complicated. I'll tell you guys all about it when I get there. Monty didn't want her to tell anyone about the deal with Aiden, so she would leave that part out, but she would tell her friends as much as she could.

"We're here," Bane said, and though he tried to smile, he looked just as hollow and lifeless as he did yesterday.

Lexie followed him off the bus, and they walked in even more silence to Isaac's shop.

There, Isaac was on his knees working on a medium-sized robot that looked vaguely like a spider.

"I knew one day we would kneel to our robot overlords." Lexie attempted a joke but didn't quite nail the tone.

Isaac glanced at her, and sympathy crept into his gaze.

"Yeah. Just getting a headstart." He got to his feet and went around the counter to retrieve the phone. He came back around and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she said as she took it. She'd already paid him, but she asked, "Can I transfer a tip to the same number?"

He shook his head, to her surprise, turning down the tip.

"I'm sorry about your Uncle," he said. "He seemed like a good guy."

Lexie raised an eyebrow. "He threatened to kill you on several occasions. One time he said he would shove his gun so far up your ass you would taste it."

That got a dry chuckle out of Bane.

"Yeah, well," Isaac shrugged. "I still didn't want him to die."

The 'd' word hit Lexie like a bullet and made her unreasonably angry. It made her want to lash out again, but she swallowed the urge.

"Thank you," she said, and they left.

Oliver and Co. met her on the way out, and they also wanted to extend their condolences. They asked Bane a billion questions about what happened, and thankfully, Bane kept it brief because Lexie felt sick thinking about it. Bane finally pulled her away, and they went home.

Abernathy, Doyle, and Chris also texted her about it. Chris sent her the longest text she'd ever received, and it expressed more emotion than she'd thought he was capable of. Lexie appreciated the well-wishes, but she was also sick of it. It kept rubbing her face into something she wasn't ready to accept yet.

She was happy when she got home to finally be alone in her room with her thoughts.

She turned on her phone and got her first taste of the Undernet.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.