Finale

Jacks offers to remove Tella’s sorrow and pain first through a kiss, then, when Tella refuses, through a blood magic ritual. They cut their palms and clasp hands, reciting a spell as their blood mingles. The magic burns through Tella, pulling her back into the moment of Paloma’s death. Jacks absorbs her pain and takes it into himself. Though he weeps blood, he doesn’t let go. The moment of mingled pain and grief culminates in a desperate kiss. As it intensifies, Tella feels not just her own longing but also Jacks’s obsession and desire for her. She pulls away but is too physically and emotionally exhausted to leave. She thanks him, but he admits that he is “not sure [he] did [her] a favor” (109).

Tella wakes in Jacks’s arms, not understanding why Legend did not visit her in her dreams despite having his powers restored. She manages to extricate herself and flee without waking Jacks. She is determined to return to her sister and put distance between herself and the Prince of Hearts.

Upon returning to the boardinghouse, Tella is confronted by a hostile landlady who informs her that she and Scarlett have been evicted for causing damage to the property. Tella pushes her way into the apartment to find it destroyed. Scarlett is also nowhere to be found. Before Tella can process what has happened or find a clue to her sister’s whereabouts, two royal guards arrive. They arrest her under the orders of Prince Dante (Legend’s other identity).

Tella is imprisoned in one of Legend’s dungeons and yells for him, refusing to call him by either his royal title or his real name, Dante. When he finally arrives, dressed as the emperor, she confronts him about the arrest. He claims that he never meant for her to be imprisoned, only brought to him. Legend also tells her that he tried and failed to enter her dreams again; Tella suspects that Jacks blocked him.

Their standoff is interrupted when Scarlett bursts into the dungeon, followed by Julian. The sisters embrace, and Tella reveals to Scarlett that Gavriel, the Fallen Star, has killed their mother. The only detail she omits is spending the night with Jacks. Legend creates a magical illusion to soften the cold dungeon surroundings, transforming it into a comfortable room. Though the sisters are devastated, they, Julian, and Legend begin to strategize. They all agree that the Fates must be stopped, especially Gavriel. Tella demands to know Gavriel’s weakness, but Legend is evasive. Before she can press him further, Jovan—a former performer and now one of Legend’s guards—arrives with news of another incident.

The Poisoner has struck again. An entire wedding party was turned to stone, and they were only restored when the bride’s sister sacrificed herself. Although the Poisoner is escalating his activities, Legend refuses to cancel upcoming festivities such as the Midnight Maze, citing that mass panic will only empower the Fates.

The others exit, leaving Legend and Tella alone together. He transforms the dungeon again, this time into an elegant library with a fire in the fireplace, reminiscent of their shared dreams. Tella, however, knows that this change of scenery is an attempt to distract her. She confronts him about Esmeralda, revealing that she knows he stole her magic. Legend defends himself, explaining that Esmeralda previously worked with Gavriel and helped to create the Fates. Delivering her to the Temple of the Stars was part of a deal that he made, sworn on his immortality, to prevent his death. Tella then pushes him for the truth about Gavriel’s weakness, which Legend continues to withhold. He then brings in another guard, Armando, to serve as her guard. Legend justifies this measure by saying that he didn’t risk freeing her from the Deck of Destiny only to lose her to the Fates. Before he leaves, he offers to give Tella her old room in the golden tower, claiming that he never wanted her to leave.

Scarlett is overwhelmed by emotions after learning about her mother’s death. She is also overwhelmed by the intensity of everyone else’s emotions—which she perceives as colors—and she is particularly distressed by the lingering fear that infects the palace. She tries to escape by stumbling toward a stairwell, hoping for fresh air and relief, but she faints just as Julian calls out for her.

Tella navigates the palace, noting that Legend has begun to reshape it now that he has claimed it for himself. She seeks out Scarlett but finds her sister missing from her chambers. Frustrated and restless, she decides that it is time to learn the truth about Gavriel’s weakness and concludes that asking Jacks is the best possibility. She escapes Armando by jumping from a floating carriage mid-air, risking injury to herself, but she manages to successfully escape him. She then sets out alone for University Circle to find Jacks.

After fainting, Scarlett awakens to find herself in Julian’s bed. She admits that she didn’t want Paloma back in their lives, but she still grieves her mother’s death. Julian comforts her and shows her an ancient book from Legend’s library about the Fated objects. He believes that the rusted key that Scarlett received from the little girl might be one such Fated object: the Reverie Key, which can open any lock and lead whoever holds it to the person they imagine, but only if the key is received as a gift. Because Scarlett was given the key, Julian reasons that it might work for her. She also notes that he could have chosen to say he was giving her the information as part of the courtship competition, but didn’t. Touched, she suggests that they test it together.

When Tella enters Jacks’s gambling den, she is confronted not by Jacks but by one of the Fates: Mistress Luck, who recognizes Tella as the human girl who made Jacks’s heart beat again. Mistress Luck warns her that love is fatal for immortals. If immortals feel love too deeply, they become human, and most would rather kill the person who tempts them than lose their immortality. Tella realizes that this is what Legend hid from her; she also realizes that he doesn’t love her and never will.

Jacks appears and proposes a wager: If a roulette ball lands on black, he will answer Tella’s questions. If it lands on red, she must let him into her dreams. Although she is suspicious of a trick, Tella accepts the gamble and loses. However, she still demands to know how to kill Gavriel. Jacks confirms Mistress Luck’s words, saying that love is a weakness for the Fates; however, he also tells her about an alternative. In the Immortal Library, there is the Ruscica, a magical book that can expose any being’s entire history, including that being’s weaknesses. However, the book requires Gavriel’s blood before it can be accessed. Jacks also suggests a detour to the Vanished Market, a Fated place that trades in secrets, where Tella might learn more. Entering the market comes with a cost: every hour spent inside is equivalent to a day in the real world. Tella knows that there will likely be a cost for Jacks’s help, but for now, she walks away.

Scarlett returns to the palace suite after an afternoon of traveling the world with Julian, using the Reverie Key. They have visited a northern bakery, a southern seaside town where sea turtles deliver messages, and a sunset-watching house, all in a few hours. Now, her happiness sours when she receives a gift from Nicolas, along with a letter telling her that he wants to see her again. His gift, a crystal watering can, reminds her of the courtship competition, an endeavor that now feels trivial, given everything that happened. When she reads Nicolas’s note and feels nothing for him, she realizes that her heart ultimately belongs to Julian. She begins to write Nicolas a letter to decline his affections but ultimately decides that he deserves more respect than a written dismissal. Instead, she chooses to meet him one last time in person.

Tella returns to the palace after meeting with Jacks, but she hides when she encounters servants in the gardens. She overhears them gossiping about her, labeling her as Prince Dante’s power-hungry former fiancée, who is now trying to cling to relevance. Suddenly, Legend himself appears, defending her with the lie that he locked her in the dungeon because she rejected his marriage proposal. The servants flee, and Legend teasingly asks Tella to emerge. Their moment is interrupted by the arrival of Jacks. When Legend confronts Jacks about his presence here, Tella realizes that this is another dream that Legend has created. She is wounded by the realization that Legend did not really defend her from gossip. She accuses both men of being awful and wakes to find herself in her carriage, still on the way back to the actual palace.

The following day, Tella receives a gift and a letter from Legend, who invites her to meet him in the Midnight Maze that night. Scarlett also comes to see her. When they open the box, inside is a dress inspired by one that Tella had worn in her shared dreams with Legend; the gift is a sign that he was paying more attention than she thought he had been. Tella feels torn. She needs to visit the Vanished Market to find Gavriel’s weakness, but the possibility of love tugs at her, and in the end, she decides to attend the Midnight Maze.

Scarlett leaves the palace to meet with Nicolas, responding to a hand-drawn map that he sent her. She feels guilty for not telling her sister about the meeting, and she is uneasy about leaving the palace, especially with the Fates causing chaos in the city.

She follows Nicolas’s clues through the streets to the docks, where she finds an opulent ship that feels out of character for the humble man she believed Nicolas to be. Just as she decides to turn back, a stranger calls her name. A bag is thrown over her head, and her hands are bound. As she is kidnapped, she hears one of her captors say, “He wants his daughter undamaged” (178).

Tella enters the Midnight Maze, an illusion filled with magical plants and glowing fireflies powered by the emotional energy of the partygoers. Eventually, she finds herself alone with Legend in a secluded part of the maze. He tells her that he wants to make her immortal so that she can live forever by his side. At first, Tella is swept up in the moment, but she recalls Mistress Luck’s warning that love is an immortal’s weakness. She realizes that Legend isn’t making her this offer out of love, but out of fear. By making her immortal, he could protect himself from the risk of falling in love with her and of losing his immortality. She confronts him about this issue, and despite his insistence that his intentions are pure, he admits that he cannot love her. Tella refuses his offer of immortality, choosing instead to find someone who loves her.

When Tella turns to leave, the maze begins to decay. Legend tells her to run, but two of the greater Fates—the Murdered King and the Undead Queen—appear before Tella can escape. Legend uses his magic to force Tella away through the crumbling maze before the Fates attack. When she turns back, she finds that the entire maze has vanished, leaving only smoke behind. She collapses, convinced that Legend is dead.