by Nicole Hall
“I’m glad no one was…eaten, but I don’t understand how the situation is a problem.”
“Well, it seems Will’s mental stability had come into question because of his ranting about ghost shadows and killer trees. They actually had to sedate in the Kilgore hospital under twenty-four-hour watch. Whatever happened, it seriously messed him up.”
Satisfaction swept through Ryan. The guy had spent almost two years trying to convince Sera she was crazy so he could have access to her grandmother’s assets. It was sweet karma that he’d be the one to end up in a hospital. “I don’t see how that’s bad.”
Jake rolled his eyes at Ryan. “If he’s sedated and under watch, how are we supposed to question him about the mysterious people-eating woods where he had a psychotic break? He could be sent home or released before we can find out what he has to do with all this.”
“Okay, yeah, that’s bad.”
“There’s also one more minor problem. I went and checked out the place where Will had his episode—”
“What the hell, dude? You know better than anyone not to go into the woods.” Ryan really didn’t want to have to form a rescue mission to extract Jake from an elemental forest. Especially since they didn’t know if said forest was, in fact, eating people or not.
“I didn’t have to go in. They hadn’t made it very far past the fences. At first, I didn’t see anything weird, but when I pulled on Sera’s magic, these roiling shadows appeared deep in the trees. Normally when I use her magic, I get swarmed by sprites, but there was no response. I think something’s happened to them.”
Ryan was considerably less worried about the sprites, but Zee’s brows pulled together. “The sprites are gone?”
Jake shrugged. “I didn’t do an exhaustive search, but they didn’t show up as usual. Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen any sprites for a few days. And Sera had another zombie bunny nightmare last night. We tend to wake up with a room full of them at that point. Nothing appeared.”
Zee sat on the arm of the couch. “The sprites are native to the Wood. They’re physical manifestations of the connection between the various magics. They provide a measure of protection against the magics that formed them.”
Ryan held up a hand. “What do you mean by various magics? There’s more than one type of magic?”
He could feel her urge to lecture, so he was grateful when she kept it short. “Yes. The one I use is Fae. Yours is human. The Wood is elemental. There are others, but all the magics operate slightly differently. When they collide, sprites are formed.”
Ryan sat back against the couch. This was new information to him, and the idea that there was more than one type of magic shifted his worldview. Despite what Sera claimed, he’d always thought sprites were some kind of magical dust balls. Jake looked equally stunned.
“What does it mean if the sprites are gone?”
“That something is very wrong with the Wood.”
Jake narrowed his eyes. “Are we sure this isn’t Torix? He ran away from the last encounter, but he’s not dead. At least, we don’t think he’s dead. He could’ve been hit by a bus or something. The world is a dangerous place if you’ve been trapped in a tree for a century and a half.”
Ryan hated Will, but he despised Torix. He’d known Maddie since he’d moved to Mulligan, even dated her for a little bit, and knowing Torix had been in control of her pissed him off to no end. He’d bet Jake felt the same way and then some. They didn’t know the full extent of what Torix had made her do because she’d refused to talk about it and then moved to Europe to be near their parents.
Zee tilted her head, thinking. “It’s possible, but unlikely. Even if Torix had been caught the way I was, he’s powerless to affect the Wood.”
“Will’s powerless.”
“There are other types of power besides magic.” Zee sent him a knowing look, and Ryan thought he understood. She’d been demonstrating her power over him on the couch not too long ago.
Jake eyed both of them. “Right. Well, Sera got the hospital to give her some information. She’s still listed as his emergency contact. They’ve sedated him for his own safety, but will evaluate him again in twenty-four hours. Even if we could get into his room, he’ll be out until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.”
“We should come up with a plan to get to him,” said Zee.
Jake ran his hand through his hair. “Agreed, but I left Sera alone at the house, and I want to get back.”
“Dude, she’s not going to disappear if you’re gone for more than ten minutes.”
Jake flipped him off. “She doesn’t want to be alone right now, so I’m going home. We can touch base tomorrow and see what we can do then.”
Zee walked over and opened the door for him. “Give Sera my regards. We’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Jake waved on his way out. Zee closed and locked the door after him. She met his eyes, and he knew they were both considering picking up where they’d left off.
Zee shook her head slowly. “Magic lessons will have to wait. I need to find more information on what could make the sprites disappear.”
She stayed by the door, with the couch between them. Her demeanor told him that the situation needed to be taken more seriously than he’d initially thought. Ryan was disappointed, but he could wait. He had some paperwork from the semester to finish up anyway. It was tempting to linger and try to convince her differently, but she was right. They needed more information. Besides, now that they were done avoiding each other, every day was a new chance. There was no rush.
He nodded, rose, and went to his bedroom, but turned at the door with a little grin. “I can’t wait to see what you’re going to teach me next.”
A slow smile lit Zee’s face. “I look forward to it.”
“Goodnight, Zee.”
“Goodnight, Ryan.”
He closed the door between them and adjusted his pants. That smile was going to stay with him all night.
ZEE
Zee got very little sleep, but she did find the information she needed for once. She took copious notes for the others and saved the page before passing out on top of the blanket. When she woke up, well past dawn, her arm was asleep from lying on it awkwardly and the light hurt her eyes. She stumbled out of the room in search of donuts and found Ryan making something at the stove.
He looked over his shoulder and grinned. “Good morning.”
“No. It’s a bright morning and far too early for good.”
“I’m making French toast. You want some?”
She grabbed a glass of water and took a seat at the breakfast bar so she could watch him cook. The food smelled amazing, and she could see syrup and butter waiting on the counter. Anything covered in syrup and butter would taste good. She hadn’t been hungry when she got up, but she was ravenous now.
“Yes, please.” Her voice came out in a croak, so she chugged half the water glass and tried again. “I would love some breakfast. Thank you.”
The smell of warm bread, eggs, and cinnamon-sugar wafted over her, and she was thankful once again for Ryan’s cooking skills. She reached her arms up and arched her back to stretch. When she finished yawning, Zee found Ryan watching her, his gaze caught on her chest. His eyes blazed, but she was hungry for food first.
“Are you going to serve me burned toast?” She nodded toward the stove where smoke had started to trail up.
Ryan blinked and tried to salvage his cooking. “Damn.”
“I’m sure it’ll still be delicious.”
She’d tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he snorted. “It’s fine. I’ll eat this one. Why don’t you grab two glasses of orange juice and bring them to the table?”
He carefully avoided looking at her while she did as he asked. Zee had to smile at his reaction. She was wearing her usual outfit of leggings and a shirt, but this one was a tight tank top with the words “Gamer Girl” written across the chest. It didn’t seem like Sera’s type of clothes, but it had been in
the drawer where she’d put away the piles Ryan kept bringing home.
It was fun to see him distracted, but not at the cost of her breakfast. “I’m safely out of eyesight.”
He glanced up to confirm she was sitting at the table, then flipped several pieces of bread onto two plates. She wasn’t entirely awake yet, but they might as well stop wasting time and talk about what she’d found.
“I know what happened to the sprites.”
He turned and pointed with the spatula. “That’s no way to start a morning.” He moved the last of the bread. “We’re going to eat and enjoy the fact that I’m off of work for the foreseeable future and not mention woods or trees or magic creatures of any kind.”
Zee was a little taken aback, she was a magical creature after all, but the bond told her he needed a break. He strived to be normal, and on his first day off, he’d wanted to have breakfast with her. Not for her position or her power, but because he liked her. She wasn’t sure he’d even acknowledged that yet, but the bond didn’t lie.
“What do you do when you’re not at work or dealing with woods or trees or magical creatures?”
He carried both plates to the table and sat down. “Usually play video games or harass Jake, but today is different.”
Zee took a bite and nearly moaned in ecstasy. “This is my new favorite food.”
“You say that about everything you eat. Yesterday, pears were your new favorite.”
“This would be great with pears.”
Ryan considered his plate then nodded. “Actually, it would be good with pears. Next time.”
“What’s different about today?”
“I need to go Christmas shopping, and you’re going to help me.”
Zee nearly choked. “Unless you plan to get everything on Amazon, I’m not going to be much help.”
“You’re female. Sera’s female. My mom is female. I need help.”
“Even if your reasoning wasn’t extremely sexist, I think a forest that eats people should take priority over gift-giving.”
“It’s not gift-giving; it’s gift-buying. Part of being human is admitting that sometimes life sucks and you have to deal with it, but it doesn’t have to consume you. We can put the concerns aside for a little bit and shop for Christmas presents.”
“Doesn’t that feel irresponsible?”
“Not when there’s nothing we can do. Will is going to be unconscious for a few more hours, and we need him responsive to tell us what he’s been up to.”
Zee pushed her empty plate away and sat back. He had a point, but he also didn’t know what she’d figured out last night. “Let me tell you what I found about the sprites. Then we can decide what to do today using all the information we have.”
Ryan got up to refill his juice. “Fair enough. Hit me with it.”
“Sprites aren’t elemental magic, they’re a composite of several kinds. They form where elemental magic specifically meets other kinds. A nexus of sorts. My ancestors used the nexus in our Wood to help keep Torix contained. They used their magic, the elemental magic surrounding them, and they tapped into the other bits available to them through the nexus.” Zee paused to see if he was following.
“So, you guys trapped a powerful dark Fae, conscious I might add, in a place where even more power converges, which is also the birthplace of sprites?”
She couldn’t tell if he was mocking her, but the judgement was quite clear. “I’ll say it again. It was before my time. The only reference I could find to sprites disappearing was if the flow of magic was blocked or stopped in some way.”
Ryan was quiet for a moment. “When Sera absorbed the barriers, she broke something else, didn’t she?”
Zee nodded slowly. “It’s the most likely answer, though I can’t see how Will and the developers could make it worse. They’re a nuisance at worst, but they don’t have the magic to touch the nexus. If Sera had done irreparable damage on Samhain, the effect would have been immediate. You all would have suffered the consequences. That leads me to believe it was more subtle and it’s been growing since then.”
“Okay, but can we agree to not tell Sera it’s probably her fault the woods are eating people?”
“Of course, though I don’t believe eating is the correct term any more. I found a reference to a shadow realm deep in the Wood, but that particular entry enjoyed embellishing the facts with nonsense for dramatic effect.”
Ryan grabbed both plates and took them to the kitchen. “A different realm? Like alternate universes and superhero stuff?”
He sounded so gleeful that Zee almost didn’t explain. “Not quite. It’s an in-between place, but between magics, not realms. There aren’t people or creatures living there. At least, according to the author.”
“I have to admit, I’m very disappointed. You got my hopes up with that one.”
“How can you be so excited for superheroes with powers when you have power and you want nothing more than to be rid of it?”
“I’m full of contradictions. What does the shadow realm—I’m going to keep calling it that because it’s badass—have to do with the Wood eating people?”
“I think the shadows we see are a portal of sorts. When you went in, you entered the shadow realm.”
“But…why?”
“It holds the magic in place. In your case, your latent magic triggered it, and it deposited you in the shadow realm to contain you.”
Ryan glowered. He apparently didn’t like the idea of a magical prison, but that was what she’d found. “How were you able to get me out then?”
“That I don’t have an answer to.”
“Okay.” He nodded. “Let’s go shopping.”
Zee sighed. “You’re very stubborn.”
“Take a day off with me.”
“What about Will?”
“I talked to Jake this morning. He’ll call when Will’s awake.”
“I don’t even celebrate Christmas.” It occurred to her that Yule was approaching, which explained the edgy feeling that hadn’t completely gone away. She wasn’t sure she could sit still for another day doing research when the shifting magic was urging her to do something instead. “Very well. I’ll go along, but don’t expect me to be helpful in picking out gifts.”
Ryan grinned and did an awkward victory shimmy. The answering warmth in Zee’s chest made her think his genuine happiness was probably worth a few hours of procrastination.
“You’re going to want to change.”
Zee inspected her tank top. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“Despite how much I really like that tank,” his eyes lingered on her chest again, before he nodded toward the window. “It started snowing this morning.”
She gasped and rushed to look out. Large, fluffy flakes were drifting down in lazy spirals. A couple wearing puffy jackets and boots walked their dog arm in arm with their breath making clouds in front of them. She supposed the temperature would have to drop considerably for snow to form. It melted as soon as it hit anything, but the falling was the beautiful part anyway.
Ryan came to stand behind her and watched over her shoulder. “It doesn’t snow in the Glade?”
“No. The weather stays temperate thanks to the protection of the Wood. I've seen snow on the television, but never in real life.” Her wonder was tempered by the knowledge that the protection was probably non-existent at the moment, and they couldn’t do anything about it. Another item on the list that might be falling to chaos.
Ryan put his hands on her shoulders and gave Zee a gentle push in the direction of her room. “Go put on a couple more layers, and I’ll find you a jacket. It snows here sometimes, but usually only once or twice a year.”
She had exactly one long-sleeved shirt, so she pulled it on over her tank and added a short-sleeved shirt over that. Her sneakers would have to do. It wasn’t very wet outside, so she thought she’d be fine. Ryan was waiting for her in the living room with a hoodie over one arm. She recognized his school logo from
the gym, but she’d never seen him wear it. Come to think of it, he rarely wore a jacket either.
Zee slipped the sweatshirt over her head and was surprised when the arms extended past her fingers. She was taller than most humans, and she’d found that a majority of the non-legging pants Sera had provided were too short. The long-sleeved shirt she was wearing under it barely hit her wrists. The soft fabric of the sweatshirt engulfed her. Ryan must have worn it before because the best part was that it smelled like him.
The scent reminded her of when she curled up with her head on his shoulder during the evenings. He’d watched TV, but she’d relaxed and let her mind wander. There weren’t a lot of opportunities for her to relax in the Glade. She pulled the collar up over her nose and inhaled deep.
Ryan opened the door. “Ready?”
She let the sweatshirt drop back into place and nodded. “Do you know where you want to go?”
He closed the door behind her then led her down the stairs. “Nope. I thought we’d wander around the shops in town until we got hungry, then we’d grab some food at Rosie’s.”
“You all keep raving about Mr. Hogan’s food, but I’ve never eaten at Rosie’s.”
Ryan glanced over his shoulder, his brow furrowed. “What about that time you summoned him?”
“Fae business.” His shoulders tensed up, so Zee changed the subject. “He did well in the class for being paired with Sera.”
Her gambit worked, and he relaxed then snickered. “Yeah, I didn’t expect him to be the warrior princess sort, and Sera did not take it easy on him.”
Most of the shops in town were on the edges of the park. Ryan’s apartment also happened to be on the edge of the park, so they were crunching over frozen grass as Zee blinked snowflakes off her eyelashes. She made sure he wasn’t looking, then caught one on her tongue.
“I wish you’d stop calling it a warrior princess class. I’m not a princess. We don’t have any concept of royalty.”
Ryan sent her a sidelong look. “Maybe not a princess, but you look like a warrior, and the best nicknames are the ones that are annoying at first. There’s no going back now, princess.”
