Destiny Series Boxed Set

by Bronwyn Leroux

  The annoyance that flashed over Taz’s face amused Jaden. Yeah, she really didn’t like being told what she could or couldn’t do. Then Taz’s face softened as she saw Kayla’s own determination. Jaden chuckled.

  “What?” Kayla asked.

  “It’s like you and Taz were made for each other.”

  “What does that mean?” Taz sniffed.

  “Never mind,” Kayla said. “I don’t think we want to know. Shall we?”

  In seconds, they were gone. Above them, the dome that formed the ceiling was visible. Jaden studied it. Would they be able to get out that way too? If they had “fallen in,” would they be able to “fall out” again? He pondered their options.

  Abruptly, he was aware of the time. Where were Taz and Kayla? Jaden was about to contact them when they returned. Leaping off Taz, Kayla landed gracefully, several branches clutched in her hand.

  Han sniffed. “Yes!”

  Jaden grinned. Kayla held the branches out for Han, and he tucked in. Stepping up behind Kayla, Jaden slid his arms around her waist. “I was just getting worried. Did you have any trouble finding the berries?”

  Kayla tilted her head back against his shoulder and angled her face up at him. “No, they were just further away than we’d hoped they’d be. But I like the result of taking that extra time and making you miss me.” Kayla snuggled back against his shoulder.

  “You do, huh?” He dropped his nose into her hair, inhaling her sweet scent. They stayed like that until Han finished devouring the berries. Unfortunately, that didn’t take long. With a sigh, Jaden released Kayla.

  He studied Han. Already, the glider was more stable on his feet, and some of the spark had returned to his eyes. “How much longer should we give you before we start opening doors?”

  Han flexed his wings, then rolled his shoulders. “I’m good to go.”

  “Excellent!”

  The others had heard and were already preparing to leave. They were just as anxious as Jaden to get out of this place, so they took to the skies. Iri directed them to the next door, blue this time.

  “What doe blue mean?” Jaden asked.

  “It usually signifies love or true friendship.”

  “In that case, let’s take it to mean the opposite,” Jaden said.

  They landed, and Iri opened the door. Jaden couldn’t tell if her reaction meant what was behind the door was good or bad. “So?”

  “It looks just like the rest of this place,” Iri murmured. “Lots of foliage and not much else.”

  Jaden scanned the ground until he found what he was looking for. He handed a stone to Iri. “Here, toss it inside and tell us what happens.”

  Iri did as requested, then jumped back quickly, scaring the rest of them. “Uh, yeah, we’re not going through that one.”

  “What happened?” Kayla pressed when Iri didn’t explain.

  “The stone was attacked by the vegetation.” Iri gulped. “Those plants came alive like some alien species, all trying to get their jaws around it.”

  “Jaws?” Kayla giggled. “I know there’s a joke in there somewhere.”

  “Hah, jokes aside,” Jaden interrupted. “Iri, were they really trying to eat the stone?”

  “Yes, like overgrown Venus fly traps. They had mouths and sharp teeth. And they were all snapping at each other like the stone was theirs. Absolutely no love or friendship evident anywhere.”

  “Okay, let’s move on to the next door,” Jaden ordered.

  In minutes, they stood in front of another door, this one red.

  “I’m almost afraid to open it,” Iri admitted. “Red means anger, or in this case, danger.”

  Jaden thought a moment. “Atu, how much rope do we have?”

  “Only the short piece that was left on the outside of the white door.”

  “That will have to do.” Jaden took the rope and tied it around Iri. Then he took a firm hold, asking Atu, Han and Aren to add their strength. “Alright, Iri, if something tries to nab you, we’ll get you out.”

  Iri didn’t even open the door two inches before she slammed it shut again.

  “No go?” Jaden asked.

  “Not when there’s lava flowing towards you!” Iri looked back at the door apprehensively. “I think we should get back in the air as soon as possible. Just in case the door can’t stop it.”

  The rest of them hastened to follow her advice. And so it went. A black door with an inky interior that Iri couldn’t see into and that no amount of light could penetrate. Well, what could you expect from the color signifying death? Then an orange door, with a world inside turned upside-down and inside-out. Iri described paths curving into the sky, animals strolling on vertical walls like gravity had been subverted, and insects with soft innards where shells should’ve been. Getting lost would have been too easy in a place where nothing was as it seemed. According to Iri, the place even smelled wrong, like the laws of nature had been perverted.

  The pink door (signifying joy or happiness) was the last. Despite being the furthest from the end point, it held the most promise. Iri described pleasantly rolling hills, a rushing river, and orchard trees offering sustenance. A rock thrown through the door produced no reaction. They would have made a fatal mistake if a bird hadn’t flown through the open door. It made it only a few feet in before dropping dead. Even Iri’s sensitive nose hadn’t detected the toxins emitted by the environment. Iri hastily shut the door.

  “Now what?” Kayla asked, sinking onto the soft earth in front of the door.

  Iri frowned. “Would you all indulge me? Could we go back to the place where we fell through?”

  “Is something wrong?” Jaden’s sense of foreboding flared for the first time since entering the accursed place.

  “I’m not sure. I know I saw something when we came in, but I can’t work it out. Going back might jog my memory.”

  “Since I’m getting one of those feelings of mine, I think we should do as Iri asks,” Jaden said.

  Kayla turned her lovely green eyes on him. “You are?”

  “Yeah. I have to say, it’s a little disquieting. They’ve been notably absent since we got here.”

  His words put a damper on the already silent group. Well, that can’t be helped, Jaden thought as they flew back. If nothing else, all this flying around had shown them the only wall in the space blocked the path to the end point.

  They reached their starting point, and Tinks turned so Iri could survey the area. “Red, blue, orange, green, white, black, and pink.” Iri pointed at each door in turn.

  “Wait, say that again,” Jaden ordered.

  Iri obliged. “Red, blue, orange, green—”

  “We never went to a green door,” Jaden interrupted.

  Iri grinned. “That’s what was bothering me! I must’ve known that I’d missed one. Actually, looking at it now, it’s difficult to see against the backdrop of the trees. Probably why.”

  “And how’s that spidey-sense of yours doing?” Kayla quizzed Jaden.

  Jaden eyed her, unsure whether to be annoyed or ignore her. She knew he didn’t like that term.

  Something on his face must’ve shown, because Kayla said, “Sorry, I meant . . . Well, what do you want me to call it?”

  Jaden sighed. Now was not the time to get into an argument with her. “I’ll live with it. To answer your question, the green door beckons.”

  They landed a few minutes later. Jaden waited as Iri stepped up to the invisible door. She opened it, then stood still, staring ahead.

  “What do you see?” Jaden asked, even though he sensed this was the door they had to go through, no matter what was inside.

  “Just more of the forest. Like what we saw behind the blue door.” Iri shivered. “I hope this one doesn’t have those carnivorous plants.”

  “Only one way to find out.” Jaden handed her a stone.

  They all held their breath as Iri tossed the stone inside. This time, she didn’t jump backward.

  “Nothing happened,” Iri stated, answe
ring the group’s unspoken question.

  Jaden didn’t relax. “That may be, but it just means there’s probably something else in there that we aren’t aware of. I still feel this is the door we should use, but be on your guard. There’s no telling what’s going to happen. We’ll enter one at a time again. Iri, are you and Tinks okay with going last?”

  Iri nodded agreement. Jaden sent Han a questioning glance before stepping forward. Han followed Jaden. They stood side-by-side just inside the door and studied the area around them. Jaden didn’t feel any of the blissful effects that had washed over him when they had entered the white “room.” Hopefully, nothing here would affect their minds again.

  Cautiously, Han and Jaden crept forward, alert for anything untoward. But they made it a good way in, and nothing seemed amiss.

  Jaden glanced back at Iri. “See anything?” Iri shook her head. “Alright, let Kayla and Taz come in.”

  The others entered in pairs until all eight of them stood where Jaden and Han had stopped.

  “Maybe I should go first now?” Iri suggested.

  “Have you had any more of your premonitions since we entered?” Kayla asked Jaden.

  “No. So perhaps it’s best if Iri does lead us. Her senses are more likely to pick up on any anomalies.”

  They rearranged themselves, and Iri started down the path that led through the trees.

  The path gave Jaden pause. “Do you think we should be following the path?”

  Iri paused and looked at him. “Are you getting a bad feeling about it?”

  “No, not per se, but it just seems a little too convenient.”

  “We follow the path until we find a reason not to,” Taz stated, putting an end to the debate.

  Iri nodded and led them forward, her pace slow and careful. After walking for five minutes without incident, Jaden breathed a little easier. Ten minutes and he allowed a little tension to drain away. Twenty minutes and he relaxed further. At thirty minutes, he began to wonder what he’d been worried about. He was about to suggest a break for food when Iri yelped.

  “Off the path!”

  Iri dove left into the bushes, followed by the rest of the group. Jaden would’ve laughed at the gliders trying to squeeze themselves into the undergrowth if the situation hadn’t been so dire.

  Iri stayed where she could see the path. The way she eyed it made Jaden focus on it too. At first, he didn’t see anything. Then, in the blink of an eye, the blades of grass marking the path shot up to five times their size, each blade glinting with edges so sharp that they sparked when the blades brushed against one another.

  “Whoa!” Kayla breathed.

  “How did you know?” Jaden asked Iri.

  “I didn’t—not exactly. The path just began to glow red.”

  “I’m glad you’re with us,” Atu murmured.

  Iri sent him a tight smile. “Thanks. Let’s hope I can stay ahead of whatever this place tries to throw at us.”

  They wouldn’t be able to use the path again. The blades swayed, searching for the prey that had eluded them, with no indication they would retract soon. And now they’d been awakened, they would certainly react more swiftly to any disturbance.

  Iri drew her DD and turned to face the underbrush. “Not sure if this is what Sven had in mind when he designed these, but let’s see if they work.” She chopped at the brush in front of her, clearing it away with a hiss.

  “Oh, that’s not good,” Jaden muttered.

  “What do you mean? It did an excellent job!”

  “You weren’t with us when Sven was designing these things. Long and short of it is that they shouldn’t be able to cut through anything organic, anything real. They only work on things that are unnatural.”

  Iri shuddered. “Alrighty then!”

  “It’s not unexpected,” Atu said, breaking his customary silence. “We just haven’t acknowledged it yet. Think about it—a place that few people get into and even fewer get out of. Invisible doors hiding unseen snares, invisible walls blocking travel to the end point. Did we really think this place was something natural?”

  His quiet summation of the facts settled the matter for their group, especially Iri.

  “What are we waiting for? Let’s get out of here,” Iri said with renewed resolve, hacking through more vegetation.

  Slowly but surely, they pressed ahead. Every tiny ribbon of forest cleared felt like a conquest. Jaden didn’t allow himself to relax again. He skimmed the area around them, vigilant for any sign of danger. It wasn’t only him. The gliders kept ruffling and rearranging their wings, ready to fly at a moment’s notice. But Iri again sensed the danger before anyone else.

  She had just lifted her arm to strike at the vegetation blocking her way when she stopped, mid-swing. “Any of you smell that?”

  The gliders noses moved up and down, tasting the air.

  “The sharp smell?” Han asked.

  “Yes. Something’s off about it,” Iri muttered. “Can you tell which direction it’s coming from?”

  Kayla’s scream of pain stopped Jaden’s heart. He whirled, ready to face her attacker, but saw only her. Then Iri cursed. Jaden’s gaze swung in her direction. Simultaneous cries from Atu and Han confused Jaden even more. Where was the threat?

  Something stung his wrist. The pain was intense, and Jaden muttered his own curse. Glancing down, he noticed a small red spot. As he watched, it blossomed in size, the pain increasing with it.

  A bright flash drew his attention. An unnatural coppery blob dripped off a leaf above Kayla’s head. Jaden dived into her, knocking her out of the way. His leg wasn’t so fortunate. Jaden howled as the drop ate into bare skin.

  “It’s coming from the leaves above us.” Jaden lay there, clutching his leg, his eyes on the trees overhead.

  Iri looked up. In the few short seconds since the first drop hit, the blobs had multiplied, like a swarm of ants fleeing their nest. Unbelievably, Iri closed her eyes.

  “What are you doing?” Jaden yelled. “We need to get out of here.”

  “I know. Just be quiet for a moment, would you?” Iri snapped.

  Jaden pursed his lips. Much as he wanted to say more, Iri wasn’t one to waste words. The seconds felt like hours. Jaden and the others dodged the falling missiles as best they could.

  Then Iri’s eyes snapped open. Without hesitation, she said, “This way.”

  Iri set off swiftly. How was she clearing a path in time? Then Jaden noticed she wasn’t. She was putting her arms in front of her, and the vegetation simply moved aside. Something she hadn’t told them about? Why hadn’t she just done this earlier? They moved through the forest rapidly now, putting distance between themselves and the coppery blobs of pain.

  Iri didn’t slow until they reached a clear stream. Setting her pack on the ground, she faced the others. “Don’t touch the water. It’s toxic too.”

  Jaden gaped. It was like she had become another person. Her eyes glowed with a faint luminescence. Nothing creepy, but more than could be explained by the light filtering through the trees. “How were you able to clear the forest like that?”

  Iri shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never done that before. When I closed my eyes, I scented the direction we should go. And when I opened them, I just knew to put my arms out like that.”

  “You mean there’s hope for me getting some magical abilities too?” Kayla teased.

  But something in her tone made Jaden take a second look. Was it envy? No, Kayla wasn’t that petty.

  Studying her, Jaden saw her uncertainty. He went to her. “What is it?” Jaden said in an undertone so that only she could hear.

  Kayla folded into his arms, her mouth against his chest. When she spoke, her words were muffled. “Nothing. It’s silly.”

  “Tell me.” Jaden ran his arms up and down her back.

  For a moment, Kayla was silent. Then the words rushed out. “Everyone has something useful to offer the group. You have your feelings, Atu can heal like no one’s business, and
Iri has her abilities. What do I have?”

  Jaden understood. Kayla needed to feel like she was contributing. “Without you, do you think we would’ve been able to solve that riddle or get the next clue?”

  Kayla lifted her head and looked into his eyes. “Okay, so I can interpret things. But that’s not any magical power like the rest of you have.”

  “Does it need to be?” Jaden challenged.

  Kayla frowned. “No, I suppose not.”

  Jaden smiled. “But you’d like it to be.”

  Finally, a smile lit her beautiful face. “Sure, who doesn’t want superpowers?”

  Jaden pulled her closer and kissed her. She felt heavenly in his arms. So soft, her curves pressing into him in all the right places. He wanted to lose himself in her. But that wasn’t what the kiss was about, not this time. He drew back. “You do have superpowers. At least, when it comes to me.”

  Kayla giggled. “Yes, Jameson, keep telling yourself that.”

  The fire in his wrist and leg ratcheted up a level. Jaden pulled away from Kayla. “Sorry, but Atu really needs to do something about these.” Jaden indicated the red patches, which were now the size of quarters and blistering.

  “Tell me about it.” Kayla gently prodded the skin around her own injury.

  “Well, if you two are done canoodling, then I can help you.” Atu’s tone was mild. They turned and found him standing nearby with a tube in his hand.

  “Thanks, we are. Kayla first,” Jaden answered. He looked at Iri. “Any idea how much longer we’ll be in here?”

  “We follow this stream,” Iri said. “I can smell fresh air in that direction. And based on how strong the scent is, I don’t think much further.”

  Iri was right. As soon as Atu dealt with Jaden and Kayla’s burns, they set off again. In under ten minutes, Iri said, “I can see the door. It’s right ahead, over there. But there’s something between us and it. I can only see red. I’m not sure what the danger is, but it’s there.”

  Jaden thought a moment. “Going slowly only woke up whatever dangers were dormant. I say we make a run for it. Iri, can you clear the way?”

  Iri nodded. “Ready when you are.”

  Jaden glanced at the others. “Anyone not good with this?” They all shook their heads. “Alright, Iri, lead the way.”