Chapter 27: Emory

Baz administers a sleep-infused tonic so Emory can attempt the sleepscape. This time she reaches the star-strewn path but cannot sense Romie. As umbrae encroach, Emory fails to wake herself and is pulled back only when Baz shakes her awake. Exhausted, she concludes something is blocking Romie.

In the quiet aftermath, Emory and Baz share a tender moment that hints at mutual attraction, but Emory withdraws, reaffirming her commitment to Keiran. Seeking distraction, she attends an exclusive Decrescens party where Keiran publicly avoids kissing Lizaveta during a game, undercutting rumors of their past.

Privately, Keiran pressures Emory about contacting Romie, and they confirm with a Dreamer that items might be brought into the sleepscape. The revelry is broken when Penelope, drunk and grieving Lia’s mutilated death, stumbles in. Emory and, surprisingly, Lizaveta help Penelope to Emory’s room.

There, Lizaveta reveals Farran had secretly dated Kai and pursued waking the Tides to prove the Shadow and Tides were allied. She warns Emory not to confuse Keiran’s interest with his hunger for power and challenges Emory’s strength. Stung but determined, Emory returns to sleep with a vial of salt to test their theory.

Emory successfully carries the vial into the sleepscape and activates her Selenic Mark, calling for Romie with all her will. No answer comes. Amid oppressive darkness and distant danger, she glimpses a glittering hourglass down the path and realizes a new course of action is needed, resolving to pursue it.