Try as she might, Aazzi could catch no sign of the intruders on the chilly, thin air. She and the rest of the crew armed themselves anyway. Not wanting to arouse suspicion in anyone who might be watching, however, they took casual positions around the ship. The rain lightened into a fine mist while Arabel busied herself in the high rigging near the balloon, which happened to give her a wonderful view of the surrounding mountain tops. Zayle and Captain Davis took a stroll around the edges of the open deck, seeming to talk pleasantly about the weather as they watched the sky. After a small rest, Jonas, Aazzi, and Twist returned to the palace hall. Both Jonas and Aazzi kept their weapons concealed.

  “Myra?” Twist asked gently of the dusty air. As the sun began to fall, the shadows seemed to fill the palace hall to bursting. Something stirred in the air in response to Twist's voice. “Thank you for your warning,” he said, keeping his voice low enough that only he and his companions could hear.

  A soft murmur, almost too low to hear at all, rippled out from the shadows. Though none of them could pick out a word, the distant voice sounded pleasant.

  “My dear, we may have to move your body, to keep you safe,” Twist said. “But I'm not sure you will be able to return to it if your spirit remains here.”

  Jonas shifted nervously beside Twist, while Aazzi muttered something under her breath.

  “What is it?” Twist asked them quickly.

  “She's moving,” Aazzi said.

  “I think she's trying to appear to us again,” Jonas said, his uncovered eyes peering into the seemingly empty air before them.

  “My dear,” Twist said to the air, “I have a plan, but I need you to trust me again.” The air chilled sharply around them, sending a shiver down Twist's spine, despite the warm buzz of Jonas's presence in his neck.

  “There she is...” Jonas toned, staring with glowing eyes at nothing Twist could see. Aazzi made a gesture over herself with another soft murmur. “She's staring at you, Twist.”

  “I need you to return to the crystal now,” Twist said. The coldness in the air took a sharper, more biting turn.

  “Oh, she doesn't like that...” Jonas said. “She looks angry.”

  “I know,” Twist said to the air. “You won't be able to move. You'll be trapped. But it's the only way I can protect you. Please, trust me.”

  “She's still angry,” Aazzi muttered.

  “She's crossing her arms and glaring at you,” Jonas said to Twist. Twist took a moment to reorder his thoughts.

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  “You said you wanted me to stay with you,” he said finally. “Did you mean it?”

  “She nodded,” Jonas said. “But she still doesn't look happy.”

  “I'm asking you to stay with me,” Twist said gently. “I don't want to be without you.”

  “She's coming closer,” Jonas said quickly, stepping in front of Twist as Aazzi did the same.

  “No, it's okay,” Twist said, reaching out a hand to hold them back. They both stilled before he had to touch them. A frigid breath wafted between them, to Twist, and he held his hand out to it.

  The cold licked at the tips of his fingers, and his Sight burned to light. A dim, translucent image appeared in the air before him, building like smoke into the shape of the princess. This time, however, nothing else changed and Twist was still completely aware of Jonas and Aazzi as they watched beside him. Myra's tiny hand rested lightly in his as she stared into his eyes.

  “They said you were dying,” she said, her voice half whisper, half echo, to his ears. “They said I was killing you when I touched you before.” Her childlike face darkened with confusion as she spoke. “Why do you keep coming back? Why do you trust me?” she asked, looking to the hand she held ever so lightly.

  Twist smiled when she looked back to him. “Because I don't care what happens to me, as long as you are safe and happy.”

  Her eyes opened wide, but her little mouth took on a smile. “Oh,” she said softly, as if only to herself.

  “Twist...” Aazzi said, her tone warning. “Your heart is slowing down.”

  Myra looked to her quickly and snatched her hand away from Twist. The moment she did, his vision of her wafted away to nothing, and he suddenly found it incredibly difficult to stand. He fell to one knee, breathing hard, and his eyes drifted closed.

  “You have really got to start caring about yourself, Twist,” Jonas hissed, as Twist felt his gaze pour over him. Twist let the feeling flood through him, wrapping the warmth around his mind again.

  “The princess,” Twist said, keeping his eyes closed. “What is she doing now?”

  The warmth of Jonas's attention chilled for an instant. “She looks very scared.”

  “I'm all right,” Twist said, looking up to where her apparition had been. “Don't worry. But please, will you do what I ask?” He and the others all waited for what felt like a long moment, in silence.

  “Yes,” Jonas said, a relieved smile on his face. “She's nodding.”

  “Thank you,” Twist said, smiling in her direction as well.

  The darkening dusk outside, blurred with thick mists, had slowly stolen the last of the daylight away. Nevertheless, the shadows inside the palace seemed to lighten and draw back. Jonas stepped forward, toward the clockwork puppet, and the others followed after him. Aazzi watched the shadows recede around them, her eyes sharp as starlight. Twist knelt down beside the puppet and placed a hand on the cracked crystal heart. As the biting chill in the air faded away, he felt the crystal chill instead. A peaceful, gentle, sleep filled the crystal in his Sight, and it began to vibrate ever so softly under his hand.

  “That had to be the strangest thing I've ever seen,” Jonas said, staring down at the crystal as well.

  Aazzi turned slowly, peering into every shadow that was left behind. “This air is empty,” she said. “She's gone.”

  “She's asleep,” Twist clarified, drawing his hand away. “She'll be safe now, no matter what happens.”