Book Four: Chapter 153

“You okay?” he asked.

“You go ahead,” she told him. “I’m curious about something.”

“She’s not right,” he warned her. He was aware that she already knew this, but it needed to be said. “And be careful. She was barely in control last time I came, and I haven’t been able to get her to tell me anything. It’s like she’s stuck in a loop.”

“Oh, don’t worry about me.” She headed up the stairs with a determined look on her face. “I’ll meet you out back in a few minutes.”

He watched her ascend and then headed out back. Amymone was lying against the fountain, and her face lit up when she saw him. By her side was a stack of books he had brought on his last trip, and he suspected she had already plowed through most of them.

“Hi!” Amymone hopped to her feet and adjusted her dress, then carefully tucked a leaf into the book she had been reading. “Did you bring me more?”

“Yes, I did,” he announced, then set the bag down. Each book he handed her was treated like a