The Ice Queen brought Ari and I just outside of the kingdom of Far, Far Away. Nova and Richard hadn’t come with us, though Richard did loan his sword to Ari. It was as big as she was and looked a bit comical attached to her petite frame. She was so honored he'd lent it to her that I stayed silent over my concern about her ability to wield it. Genie was already working his way into the realm of darkness with Clara, if not already there. Clara was in for the shock of a lifetime. Even when the Dark Place was all I knew, it was apparent that it was treacherous. She had no baseline for how disgusting a place, or people for that matter, could be. Nonetheless, I had to have faith she would be okay. I had to be confident they would seal the chasm and save the children. I had my own s**t to take

