Perilous Light (24 page)

Monty nodded. “Stan was right. I thought he was out of his mind, but he was the one who understood.”

“
Stan? You mean Dad?” Dad seemed so far away, it felt strange to hear his name in Energo.

“
What are you saying, Monty?” Mom sounded as surprised as I was.

“
You know how Stan was so interested in the old stories about Energo?”

Mom released my hand. “Yes. He used to spend hours translating the old books.”

“
He was convinced he knew how Blake was able to overpower you, and he kept telling me over and over how it was playing out like an old story. That is why he went to Alaska and now Siberia. He is trying to find a way to stop Blake.”

No one said anything for a few minutes. Monty’s information had more implications than I could handle. My dad hadn’t been trying to distance himself from memories of Mom; he was trying to save her. His actions made more sense, but they also forced me to accept that I could no longer view my life in two pieces—the real world and Energo. There was no turning back.

In that moment, looking at the faces around me, I knew that I would stop at nothing; I would sacrifice everything to protect the people I loved.