A Hero of Realms

by Bella Forrest

  And then he stepped back too, all of us waiting with bated breath.

  Ten seconds later, a man appeared before us. At least, the top half of a man—his bottom half consisted of swirling red mist. If he had revealed his legs, I was certain that he would be taller than even Derek. His bare muscled chest was formidably built. His head was bald, his skin the color of deep ebony, and his heavy jaw looked out of proportion to the rest of his face. Thick eyebrows framed dark olive-green eyes—eyes that traveled along each of us before settling on Jeriad.

  “Jeriad… What brings you to disturb the peace of the Drizan?” His voice was rich and deep like dripping honey. As he spoke, he revealed his thick teeth—every single one plated with gold. I was surprised that he recognized Jeriad instantly, since the dragon had said that it had been years since they had made contact.

  “We do not intend to disturb you, Cyrus,” Jeriad replied, eyeing the jinni steadily. “In fact, I have some information for you… Information that I believe might interest you greatly. About a family of jinn who have settled in the human realm.”

  Interest sparked in the jinni’s eyes. He quirked a brow, his voice dropping to a hushed tone. “Could you be referring to the Nasiris by any chance?”

  “Indeed, I am,” Jeriad replied smoothly.

  A sinister smile formed on the jinni’s dark lips. “If you speak truth—and knowing that you are a creature of honor, I am sure that you do—then you and your companions are most welcome…”

  There was a loud creak and the golden medallion lifted open like a trap door. The jinni gestured toward the gaping hole, beneath which was a jeweled staircase leading down to… who knew where. The jinni’s eyes roamed the rest of us once again, a calm, unsettlingly friendly expression on his face. He gestured toward the staircase. “Please, be our guests.”

  Chapter 11: Ben

  Aisha made us vanish from the desert, and when we reappeared, it was at the edge of a massive lake.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  “This is Lake Nasser,” she replied, even as she began surveying our surroundings. Her eyes fixed on a small islet covered with tall shrubs and a few short trees, about a mile into the lake. She transported us there by magic and then began scanning the bushes around us, as if foraging for something. She pointed to my left. “Over there,” she said, moving forward and beckoning for me to follow her.

  She arrived in front of a particularly wide, clustered thicket. Stepping into the bushes revealed a gaping hole in the ground. A hole that looked familiar. I’d never visited this islet before, but I’d seen one of these gates before. As an infant, of course, and then as an adult—when I’d first discovered Kiev and Mona trying to break through the portal in that remote Hawaiian cavern. With the exception of the surroundings, this one was practically identical. I was looking down into the same endless, star-strewn abyss.

  Without warning, Aisha nudged me—forcefully. I lost my balance and tripped. My stomach flipped as I lurched into a free fall, and I was surprised that all the blood I’d just consumed didn’t immediately come gushing out of my mouth. I fell, twisting and turning in a spiral, my insides writhing painfully. I gasped with relief as I reached the end and went flying out.

  I sat up, rubbing my head. I tried to open my eyes, but my sight was still hazy from the fall. I waited a few moments for my vision to clear.

  We were in the middle of what appeared to be… another desert. Though this was unlike any that I’d seen on Earth. The sand was black as charcoal, and as I ran my finger through it, it was so smooth that it felt like I was touching silk. A half-moon lit up the night with surprising brilliance and the stars scattered in the sky, unhindered by any man-made pollution, blazed almost as brightly. The breeze that wafted past me was fragrant. It had a sweet scent, like honeysuckle.

  Aisha had already passed through the gate and was hovering to my left.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  “Never mind,” she said. “This isn’t our destination. We go to The Tavern now.”

  Before I could say another word, the sand disappeared beneath my feet and my vision blurred again. We arrived this time in the middle of a shadowy forest. Tall, thin trees surrounded us. It was almost pitch black, except for the few trickles of moonlight the canopy of leaves allowed through. In the distance, I could make out the sounds of some kind of settlement: a tide of voices, doors slamming, footsteps on stone, cutlery clattering.

  I was about to open my mouth and ask where exactly we were now, but Aisha held a finger to her lips and shushed me. She slipped her hand into mine and pulled me forward. I let go of her hand in an instant, casting her a sharp sideways glance. Now that River was gone, I didn’t want this girl getting any ideas—though I was sure that her impish mind was already full of them. The last thing I needed was any kind of distraction due to this jinni’s stupid infatuation with me.

  Aisha moved up ahead of me, apparently soured by my rejection of her hand-holding. I was happy to remain a few steps behind her.

  It wasn’t long before the edge of the forest came into view. We reached the border and gazed downward at a bustling town. Directly beneath us was a square with a small fountain in the center and surrounded by small makeshift cottages. Their thatched rooftops spread out for quite some distance, and beyond all of it was a high wall.

  “This is The Tavern’s town center,” Aisha said, her eyes fixed on the odd assortment of crowds milling about below. She pointed toward a scruffy-looking building with a sign hanging outside: The Blue Tavern. “That’s a pub and also a guesthouse. And I believe that’s the safest place for you to wait while I’m searching for Arron.”

  “How long do you think you’ll be?” I asked.

  Aisha shrugged. “There is really no way of saying. I’m hoping that he will be fairly easy to find in Aviary, and I won’t have to try to bribe—or more to the point, torture—the information out of somebody.”

  My eyes traveled back to the crowd.

  “You said that all kinds of creatures inhabit this island?” I asked.

  “A variety,” Aisha said. “Not many live here permanently—most just come and go as they are on their travels… Let’s go.”

  We moved down the slope leading from the forest to the square. Passing through the center of it, we headed straight for the pub. There were mostly vampires and werewolves surrounding us, though I also spotted an ogre and another bizarre-looking creature I’d never seen in my life. Its head was that of a woman, yet the rest of its short, stunted body was that of a feathery black bird. I thought at first that perhaps it was some kind of Hawk hybrid, but then Aisha followed my gaze and answered my curiosity.

  “A harpy,” she muttered. “Best not to look them in the eye.”

  A harpy. The creature caught my stare. Her sharp features contorted and her dark eyes narrowed as she glared at me. I looked away from the creature to notice how everyone in this square was gaping at Aisha as though she was an alien… which I guessed she kind of was. Most of them had likely never seen a jinni in their lives—confirming what Corrine had said about the creatures being practically legend even to many supernaturals.

  Aisha’s gaze was set firmly ahead as we reached the pub. She pushed open the creaky door and held it open for me to step inside. The place was crowded and shrouded with smoke. Dusty tapestries hung down the walls and as I looked around the room, I spotted mostly vampires. Werewolves sat on their hind legs, their forelegs resting on the table surface as they tucked messily into bowls of stew. I also spotted what appeared to be witches huddled together around one table, sipping from steaming cups. Then there was an ogre who occupied an entire table to himself, digging into what looked like a ten-course meal. Thankfully, I couldn’t smell any humans.

  Aisha led me to the bar counter where there was a line of one wolf and three vampires. She received many more stares, but she turned her back on all of them and fixed her focus on me. She looked quite unfazed by it all, perhaps even a little bored. I wondered how often
she ventured outside of The Oasis—or if she ever did—but asking personal questions of her would only invite another unwanted advance.

  Soon it was our turn. We moved up to the counter, on the other side of which was an apron-clad young male vampire with a closely shaved head. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows as he gave us his attention.

  Since we were standing right behind the counter, and there had been a crowd of people blocking his view when we entered, I realized that he hadn’t yet seen the bottom of Aisha. He glanced over her with little more than appreciation for her exotic looks before turning to me. I eyed the strange-looking menu briefly, despite the fact that my body was capable of only ingesting a single substance—a substance that I had to avoid at all costs. From the looks of it, it was a true mishmash of drinks and food. It appeared that they really did strive to cater to all sorts. Some of the names of dishes I couldn’t even pronounce.

  “What can I get you?” the man asked.

  “Nothing for me,” Aisha answered before I could. “And nothing for this vampire either.”

  “Oh? Then what can I do for you?”

  “My friend just needs somewhere to sit for a while,” Aisha replied.

  I was mildly surprised that she didn’t slip a “boy-” in front of friend.

  The man looked over our shoulders toward the crowded dining area. From where we stood, there wasn’t a single empty table. He looked back at me. “If you can find somewhere to sit, you’re welcome to stay.”

  “Also,” Aisha said as the man was about to move on to serve the patron behind us, a burly-looking warlock, “might you have a spare room in your guest house tonight?”

  I frowned. Why is she asking that?

  “One moment,” the man said. He reached beneath the counter and pulled out a black ledger. He paged through it and then nodded. “We do. One single room.”

  “That will be fine. I’d like to reserve that please. For tonight.”

  “Aisha, what—?” I began. She shot me a sharp look. Then, placing her right hand down on the counter, she left behind a heavy gold coin.

  The man’s eyes widened.

  “I’m sure this will be payment enough?” she said sweetly.

  The man nodded. “I’m sure,” he said, a little breathless.

  “Good,” she said, a smile on her face. She caught my arm and pulled me away from the counter.

  I glowered down at her. “What was that about? Why did you need to reserve a room?”

  She ignored my question and cast her eyes about the room. “Over there,” she said, pointing to our right. All the way over in one corner was the most empty table in the room. There was only one person sitting at it. A lone hooded figure. From where I stood, it was impossible to tell whether it was male or female.

  Irritated by her evasiveness, I gripped Aisha’s forearm and forced her to face me. “What is the room for?” I asked through gritted teeth.

  She returned my glare. “It’s for you,” she hissed, jerking her arm out of my grasp. “I told you, I don’t know exactly how long I’m going to be. I’m hoping I won’t need more than a few hours, but in case I do need more… I just fixed you up with somewhere to sleep tonight. A thank you would be nice.” She threw me a scowl. “Or maybe you would’ve preferred that I left you stranded in this grotty hole.”

  That wasn’t the answer I had expected.

  “Thank you,” I said, my voice lower. I trusted from the offended look in her eyes that she wasn’t lying to me.

  We both looked back toward the almost empty table. Aisha jerked her head in its direction. “Go take a seat.”

  She turned her back on me and glided out of the pub.

  I weaved my way through the maze of tables, keeping my gaze on the floor and avoiding eye contact. I neared the other side of the room and walked around the table, allowing me to see the face of the lone figure. She was a vampire, a young woman, her thin hands clasped around a glass of animal blood set on the table in front of her. Her raven-black hair hung beneath her hood in a bob that stopped beneath her ears, and bangs swept across one side of her forehead. Her features were slight, with high cheekbones sloping down to a narrow jawline and a small, pointed chin. She glanced up at me with large hazel eyes, deep-set and elongated. If I’d had to take a guess at her country of origin, I would have said Japan.

  “May I take a seat?” I asked, clearing my throat.

  She nodded, looking me over. “I’m not expecting anybody else.”

  I sat down. From this position I could better make out the room—at least when people weren’t standing and blocking my view. The next table along was occupied by a group of four brown-cloaked vampires smoking pipes.

  I hoped that Aisha wouldn’t keep me waiting more than a few hours. Although she’d arranged a room for me, I didn’t want to have to stay the whole night in this place. It wasn’t like I’d be able to sleep. I just wanted to keep moving forward.

  “Where are you from?” the young woman asked, interrupting my thoughts.

  I stalled, wondering how best to answer her. Or if I should even answer her at all. She raised her glass to her small, round mouth and took a sip, eyeing me with mild curiosity.

  “I’m a wanderer.” I figured that was the easiest and shortest explanation I could give. And I realized with a grimace that it was actually accurate.

  She nodded slowly, running a forefinger around the rim of her glass. “I am too,” she said. “Do you travel alone or in a group?”

  “Alone,” I replied, now beginning to consider leaving this pub and going straight up to my room. If Aisha returned, she’d assume I’d gone upstairs. I really wasn’t in the mood for talking with strangers.

  “Hm,” the young woman murmured. “So do I.” She shifted her focus back to her glass.

  She was quiet after that, neither asking me more questions nor offering more information about herself. Still, I decided to sit only five more minutes at the table before going up to my room. The noise and the smoke were beginning to get to my head. I craved the silence of solitude.

  “Good night,” I said as I stood up.

  She nodded briefly in my direction.

  My eyes traveled across the room, toward the counter where the waiter stood. I needed to get the key to my room from him.

  I was about to cross the pub to talk to him when the main door swung open, letting in a strong breeze and… a young human man. All at once, his scent surrounded me, exacerbated by the breeze. My hands clamped down around the edge of the table as my stomach knotted. I had Bahir within me delaying the Elder from taking over my mind, but I still felt the bloodlust just as badly. Even though my last feeding had only been hours ago.

  The female vampire I’d been sharing the table with eyed me with a slight frown.

  “Um… Are you all right?” she asked.

  She twisted in her chair, following my gaze. The human—a man perhaps in his late twenties—had just made his way behind the counter. He picked up a broom and began to sweep up. Apparently he was a worker here.

  “Are you newly turned?” the girl asked, pushing aside her now-empty glass and standing up.

  “Something like that,” I managed.

  I wanted to bolt from this place, but there were only two exits that I could see—a staircase, and the main door. To reach both would mean traveling right past him, and I didn’t want to risk that.

  “Yeah,” the girl murmured. “You don’t want to go harming any humans here. Or anyone, for that matter. I don’t know if you’ve been to The Tavern before—I’m guessing you haven’t if you’re newly turned. The laws here are strict. Very strict. You could be sentenced to execution even for getting into a fight here.”

  I glanced at her, disbelieving.

  “It’s the only way they can maintain peace with such a myriad of conflicting species all milling about in one area.”

  I guessed it made sense.

  I looked back toward the counter, hoping for any sign of the human leaving. He was only showin
g signs of staying as he put down the broom and picked up a mop before cleaning the floor in front of the bar.

  I started to panic as my vision began to shroud again. I guessed that it would be a matter of seconds now before—

  “Do you have a room in this place?” the hazel-eyed girl asked, walking around me and standing directly in front of me.

  “Yes,” I breathed, grateful for her distraction. My eyes demisted a little, my vision becoming clearer at her interruption. “I’m booked to stay in one of the rooms, but I need the key…”

  “Ah.” She glanced back over at the counter. “Well, I’ve finished my drink. I don’t mind asking the guy for your key. Just keep yourself in this corner.”

  Even that felt like a gargantuan task. But I couldn’t have been more appreciative for her offer of help in that moment.

  “That would be… great,” I panted. “And if you could hurry…”

  She gave me a small, knowing smile, and then dashed off. She arrived behind the counter, spoke to the vampire waiter and gestured back toward me.

  The man glanced my way before opening up a cabinet and pulling down a key, which he handed the young woman. She swept back across the room toward me, deftly snaking around the tables.

  “Thank you,” I said as she handed me the key.

  Now I just had to figure out how to get up the staircase and also hope that once I was up there, my room would be far away enough from the ground floor for the smell to not bother me so much.

  “I’m, uh, retiring to bed now anyway, if you’re headed for the stairs…” the girl said.

  She walked by my side, the side that was closer to the human, as we left the table. I rushed toward the staircase and ran up it. Her standing so close to me helped. I felt a twinge in my chest as I thought of River, how much I’d come to rely on her to act as my boundary during the time we spent together. As I climbed the staircase with the girl, I imagined where River would be now. In The Shade, I hoped. I wondered how she had taken waking up to find me gone. How she was coping. How her family was adjusting to the island. Whether they would all stay there. Whether I might ever see River again…