“Lead the way,” I said, stepping back to let him go first.
We walked to the path and headed toward the castle.
CHAPTER 4
~
WE TRAVELED IN SILENCE FOR a while, both of us feasting on the scenery. I couldn’t get enough of the swirling colors Even if it was too damned perfect to be real, the landscape was one big impressionist painting gone wild. I kept seeing flashes of movement in the grass—little creatures that resembled things from my own realm, but with a twist—squirrels with shining feathers in their bushy tails scampering through the grass, herds of those graceful, long-legged, auburn deer darting in and out of the forest, enormous birds flying overhead that left trails of translucent color flowing from their talons. Nothing seemed terribly troubled by our presence.
I was so busy taking it all in, I kept forgetting to pry into Grayson’s life and his business with the Queen. I had questions that I needed answered and a plan to formulate, but the air kept knocking me back. Adding that to the uneasiness of being in an unknown realm where my magic didn’t work and I wasn’t quite up to the task at hand.
“Have you ever come across a world like this before?” I glanced over at him, but his head was tilted back to track what looked like a giant blue and gold osprey gliding through the sky, its hooked talons trailing ribbons of pastel pink. I went back to tracking the movements of a tiny white rabbit across the field. I was keeping my eyes peeled for that damned cat too, ready to raise the alarm as soon as I caught sight of it. For the first time in my life, I felt exposed and vulnerable to attack.
“No,” he said. “And I’ve been to a lot of realms.”
Another regular traveler. I tucked that piece of information away for now. I didn’t necessarily want to get into the whys of world hopping right now, but maybe once I got to know him better.
“I just can’t get used to the intensity of the colors. It’s like a nonstop acid trip.”
He glanced over at me, a light frown tugging down the corners of his mouth. “An acid trip?”
I laughed and his expression tightened, his eyes narrowing with confusion. “Never mind. This world is odd, that’s all I’m saying.” I kept attempting simple spells, trying to draw from that deep well at my core, hoping that I just needed to become accustomed to the strange atmosphere before I could wield my magic, but nothing came. I looked up from the path, my face was pressed into a deep scowl from concentrating so hard, and came to a stop, red dust swirling around my feet.
“Do you see that?” I asked.
Grayson pulled his attention away from the auburn deer frolicking in the distance, as graceful as four legged ballerinas. “See what?”
I pointed straight ahead. The blood red path that had started at the foot of the portal dead-ended into another path, this one coal black. Its direction hadn’t changed—it still led to the forest and the mountains a long way off. At the top, the ivory castle that flickered in the sunshine like a mirage.
“What the hell does that mean?” I whispered. The abrupt change concerned me. It seemed ominous, and I couldn’t get a read on my surroundings. Every time I tried to engage my inner senses, the stillness in the air blocked me and sent my mind reeling back, like I was running headfirst into a brick wall. Not being able to defend myself was a problem, but I couldn’t help being drawn in by the mystery of this world, the manicured façade that overlaid whatever dangerous thing that was hidden underneath.
“The black path,” Grayson said, not sounding overly concerned, “leads to the Queen.”
“Why would the path change from red to black?” I muttered, not really asking him, more speaking aloud to myself. It was another fun side effect of so much solitary travel.
Grayson stepped onto the black part of the path. “Nothing to it,” he called back, stamping his foot in the dirt and gravel. “See?”
“Okay, smartass,” I said with a sharp grin. “I didn’t say it was dangerous.” But I had no way of knowing what was inherently dangerous and what wasn’t right now. I joined him on the dark trail. It was rockier than the red part of the path, but that was the only discernible difference. Nothing about the surrounding landscape had changed.
We started walking again at a good clip, our long legs easily keeping pace with one another. I looked over at him, catching him in profile. He had tanned, smooth features, a curved nose, and a strong jaw with just a hint of gleaming stubble.
“What exactly do you do for the Queen?” I asked.
He considered me briefly, those blue eyes flashing, before continuing to inspect the landscape. I couldn’t tell if he was enthralled or just patrolling the area.
“I was asked to join her Majesty’s Order of Dragons,” he said.
I didn’t look away from the bird I was tracking, its sturdy body and wide wings resembling a small airplane. It soared through the crystal blue sky, hundreds of feet above our heads.
“Order of Dragons?” I asked. “What’s that?”
Grayson rolled his shoulders, standing taller, his quiver of arrows shifting on his back. “It’s her Majesty’s royal militia. Only dragons can serve. It’s a great honor to be chosen.”
That answered that question—his second form was a dragon. I looked over at him again, one eyebrow raised. That also explained the fiery, spicy smell. I’d never met a dragon shifter. I’d had my fill of wolves, bears, and big cats, but dragons were somewhat rare, at least in the worlds I’d traveled.
“Why would she need dragons?” I muttered to myself, eyes on the shimmering castle before I turned to look at Grayson.
“We are the strongest of all the shifters,” Grayson said, the pride shining in his cerulean eyes.
And the most volatile, if the notes my mother wrote in the Terra Magicarum were accurate. I kept that under my hat.
“Don’t you guys live in packs?” I asked.
He scoffed, his expression tightening as if he was offended, though his smile only widened, becoming playful. “Packs? How dare you.” He put some space between us, eyes blazing, like he couldn’t even walk next to me anymore because he was so insulted.
I laughed at his antics. “Okay, what do you call them?”
“Clans.”
I didn’t see the difference, but obviously, there was one. “I stand corrected. Don’t you guys live in clans?”
“Yes, we normally do, but I left my clan many years ago.” He clenched his teeth, compressing his jaw as he glanced away from me. “My leader decided we needed to cleanse our realm.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. In my realm, cleansing was a euphemism for genocide.
“Dragons can’t live in peace with other shifter clans. We mark our territory and kill any who enter.” He kept his gaze pointedly away from me, his expression tight and controlled. “It’s always been that way, but our leader decided we needed to rid our world of all other shifters. Groups began to hunt out these clans and lay waste to them. Not many shifters can stand against a dragon.”
I stepped to one side of the path, putting some healthy space between us, not that it would help if he decided to shift at that moment and light me up with a burst of his fiery breath. Without access to my magic, I’d be completely helpless against that kind of power.
“Is that why you’re traveling?” I asked, careful to keep my words even. “To find and destroy these other clans?”
He looked at me, the urgency widening his eyes enough so that I could see the hurt in them. “No. I never did any of that. I was young when the cleansing started, but as soon as I was old enough, I stood against my leader. But he was more powerful than I was. He took something away from me that can never be replaced. I couldn’t stay in my realm after that. I left in search of a world where I could live in peace.” He breathed deeply, chest rising beneath the rough fabric of his uniform. His eyes had changed by the time he looked at me again—the crystal blue in them no longer shaded by whatever had happened to him in his home world. “I traveled for many years before finding this realm. The Qu
een welcomed me to her kingdom and gave me a place of honor among her royal guards.”
“How did she find you?” I asked.
“She invited me,” Grayson said. “I opened the portal to Wonderland and made my way to the castle. She was waiting for me.”
I chewed on that for a moment, squinting at the castle in question. None of it made sense. A realm found by invitation—or accident, in my case—where the energy lay cold and dormant, rendering magic completely useless. Wonderland, as Grayson called it.
“What did he take from you?” I asked, glancing up at him. “Your leader?”
That dark hurt flashed in his eyes before he dragged them away from me. He clenched his teeth, steeling himself before he answered.
“My brother.”
This time when I spoke, it was in a much softer tone. “You lost him?”
He gritted his teeth and replied from behind him, his golden brows pulled down. “He was taken from me.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, and meant it. “I know what it feels like to lose someone.”
He looked at me. “Who?”
“My parents.” I didn’t plan to get into it right now, but thankfully he didn’t push. It was enough for us to have exchanged this small piece of ourselves. I let myself relax a little more around him. Not all the way, but some. He was like me—a traveler compelled to world hop in search of something vital. For him, a place to live. For me, answers. The path to discovery was long and winding for each of us.
“You called this Wonderland,” I said. “What do you know about this realm?”
“Very little,” he replied, grinning when I glanced at him in disbelief. “Like I said, I only just arrived. But the Queen will be able to answer all your questions.”
I couldn’t shake the feeling that all of this—the lack of energy, the stubborn inaccessibility of my magic, Grayson—was tricking me into making the biggest mistake of my life: going to see the Queen. My gut told me to get the hell out of this realm, and my gut was never wrong. But, without my magic, I wouldn’t be able to unlock the portal. And something had brought me here. I couldn’t leave without finding out what that was.
“How much longer until we get to the castle?” I asked. We were getting closer to the forest, but that appeared to stretch for miles before it reached the base of the mountains. And the light was draining rapidly out of the sky, escaping to the far edges of the horizon, while the cotton candy clouds drank up all the color as the sun sank out of sight. I’d never seen such a magnificent sunset. But I didn’t like the idea of what might change in this realm after dark. I’d been walking for most of the day and was no closer to figuring out the mystery of my presence here than when I’d arrived.
“It’ll take a few hours to reach the castle,” Grayson answered.
The mountains were steep and, from where we were standing, the forest rose in a gradual incline to meet them. That meant some pretty intense hiking. My muscles were sore from so much scrambling around, both in this world and the last. I was ready for a break.
“Can’t you just shift into your dragon form and fly up there?” I asked, glancing up at him. “If you let me ride you, we could be there in a few minutes, right?”
“I can’t shift for some reason.” He pointed a sheepish grin my way as he scratched the back of his sandy brown head. “As soon as I came through the portal, I tried to shift so I could quickly cover the distance between it and the castle, but I wasn’t able to do it.”
Well, it was good to know I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t access my innate abilities. My entire body was tingling and on edge, but at least I didn’t have to worry about him shifting into dragon form and crushing me while I stood there defenseless.
“I don’t think we can use our powers in this world until the Queen gives her permission,” he continued, not sounding too sure about it. “But I’m sure she’ll allow me to change soon. What good is a dragon warrior who can’t shift into his true form?” The confusion scrunching his features melted into a wide grin, his eyes much darker than usual in the vanishing light. Night was falling extremely quickly, the daylight melting away. “And, even if I could shift into dragon form, you wouldn’t be able to ride my back without being burned alive.”
I widened my eyes at that and his grin sharpened around the edges.
“That is, unless you were my chosen mate.”
I chuckled, my cheeks reddening. “You only let your mate ride you? Seems kind of ridiculous to me. And not much fun.”
His eyes narrowed, but his smile only got wider. “Dragons don’t just go around giving rides to everyone.”
“So, what if I just climbed on your back for a ride anyway?” I tilted my chin up at him, pressing my lips together. “What would happen?”
“I’d be way too hot to handle,” he replied. “So hot, you’d burn your ass off.”
Grinning, I looked away from him, my eyes rising to the sky. “Don’t tempt me into a challenge.”
Grayson laughed.
The sun had dropped completely out of the sky while we bantered back and forth. The clouds lifted from the horizons and laced their smoky tendrils together in a rich tapestry of diminishing color. The cerulean sky had darkened considerably, turning a deep, dark purple. Oddly, there were no stars whatsoever. But a giant moon hung in the center of all those interlaced clouds, its full-face shedding glowing light over the grassy plains of Wonderland. All the animals had disappeared without a trace, and now Grayson and I were completely alone. We were only a few hundred yards from the tree line now, and I wondered what types of nocturnal creatures might be waiting for us in those woods.
My body clenched and my skin tingled with the need for magic. I wanted more than anything to use some of the power swirling at my core. I was even willing to risk burning my ass on Grayson’s back if he could shift into his dragon form.
We paused at the entrance to the woods. The path dead ended into trees that bent over each other slightly, creating a tight entrance wide enough for us to pass through single file. Beyond that, the trees were packed closely together, their trunks mere inches apart. I couldn’t see much further than a few feet past where we stood. The world could drop off into nothingness for all I knew. It was impossible to say.
“You’ve been this way before, right?” I asked. Old habits died hard—I was still trying to read the energy around me, but there was nothing to read. The shadows were impenetrable and the air was completely still.
“I came through the forest once before, but it was during the day,” he said.
“Let’s just get it over with.” I stepped into the woods, walking through the tiny opening between two tree trunks. The air was cooler in here. I couldn’t hear anything but Grayson’s footsteps crunching over the underbrush and my heartbeat thumping in my ears. After a few feet, the path widened enough for Grayson to walk next to me. Darkness fell over us like a shroud. I looked up at the sky, hoping to see a slice of the brilliant color we’d seen earlier or, even better, the glowing, round face of the moon. But the canopy was impenetrable.
“I can’t see a damned thing,” Grayson whispered.
“Do you think there are animals in here?” I asked. It was going to be slow going, walking with my hands out to keep from slamming into trees and taking slow, careful steps, leading with the tips of my toes to keep from plunging into some unseen hole.
“Probably,” Grayson said, but he didn’t sound sure. He pressed in closer to me, his arm rubbing against mine.
“I’d hate to run into that cat again.” I kept my fingers on a nearby tree trunk as I moved by it. At this rate, it would take us the whole night to go a few hundred feet. The still air niggled at my blunted senses. I couldn’t stop sending out feelers, but nothing came back to me. I was completely blind. I couldn’t see, couldn’t sense, couldn’t hear anything besides our creeping steps and short breaths.
“Do you feel that?” I asked in a whisper. The last thing I wanted was to alert some lurking predator to our location.
Bound from accessing our powers, we were both helpless. As tight and dark as it was in here, Grayson wouldn’t even be able to use his bow and arrow.
“I don’t feel anything,” he replied, also in a whisper.
“Exactly. Doesn’t that concern you? This entire world feels wrong. Dead. I don’t know how else to explain it.”
He chuckled nervously. “We shifters don’t obsess over feelings the same way you supernaturals do.”
“We’re brainy,” I admitted. “We can’t all be brute muscle like you shifters.”
He snorted, but swallowed the laugh. A creaking sound from just behind us sent me clutching for the solid shape of Grayson’s arm.
“What the hell was that?” I whispered.
“It’s probably nothing,” he replied, but sounded as worried as I felt. He peeled my fingers from his arm and took my hand in his, squeezing steadily. We crept along in silence but I couldn’t calm the nerves churning in my stomach. My only comfort was Grayson right beside me and I didn’t even know if I could trust him yet. I burrowed more deeply into his side, finding his solid warmth soothing.
“Do you see that?” he asked. “Up ahead.”
There was a single point of light in the darkness. And singing, several voices lifted in a loud, boisterous melody, but we were too far off to hear exactly what they were saying.
“Let’s see who’s up there,” he said.
I pulled him back hard, keeping him from going in that direction. “Are you kidding me? That’s the last thing we should do.” Who would be in the middle of these dark woods having what sounded like a party? Unless it was a trap. And neither of us could protect ourselves right now. “Didn’t you ever hear that story about the sailors and the sirens?”
“I must’ve missed that one,” he said.
“It doesn’t end well. People were killed.”
“Do you want to just keep stumbling around in the dark until morning?” he asked. “I told you that it was better that we wait until morning, but you refused to listen.”
Broken Magic Page 4
