Magical Compass: A Supernatural Prison Story

by Jaymin Eve

  I eyed the crystallized lands. “Whatever spell they hit them with caused the crystals to encase these cities … and our people. We’re the only ones who can stop it all. We need to break this spell, then they can help us reinforce the barrier to the shadows, before whomever is hunting us busts the prison open.”

  I gave them a moment. I could see they were struggling to accept the crazy, but eventually they did.

  “What do we do?” Justice asked, standing as tall as she could.

  Um … I actually had no idea what to do at this point. Josephina just said we would know when we were all together, but … I didn’t. “I think we need to figure out how to break through whatever is suppressing our fey side.”

  Those words tumbled from my lips, even though I hadn’t been thinking that at all.

  “Okay.” Nods and agreements all around.

  “How do we do that?” Cam asked.

  I was working my hands hard, trying to free them. None of the spells I murmured were doing anything, which meant the ropes were magical in nature. From what I could see, I no longer wore the cuffs on my wrists and ankles, so that was the only explanation. “We need to get free first. Are any of you able to wiggle your hands loose?”

  Justice yanked hard on her ropes again. “I’ve been trying for a long time. The blood is starting to loosen the binds, so I think I can get free soon.”

  Cam nodded. “Yep, mine has started to slip.”

  My wrists were chafed too, so I knew what they were talking about. The coarse rope was going to rub my skin off pretty quickly. No one spoke as we all struggled with our bindings.

  Justice was the first to let out a shout. “I’m free!”

  She stumbled forward, her arms covered in blood – it ran in thick streams to her elbows. She quickly hurried to try to free the rest of us. The knots were impossible to loosen though, so she lifted petite Cam, which relaxed the rope’s tension enough that she could slip her hands free.

  Cam went across to help Gretley while Justice hurried to me. I didn’t fidget as she leaned over and wrapped her arms around my jean-clad legs. She lifted me without visible strain, and when I was elevated I struggled at my ties. Skin tore, but I also got my hands free.

  As I fell forward, Justice caught me, and our fingertips brushed together. An electric shock zapped both of us, knocking me on my ass. I blinked a few times, pushing away strands of red hair that had fallen out of my ponytail.

  “What. The. Hell. Was. That?” Justice looked more confused than ever, her eyebrows raised so high they almost hit her hairline. “Did you just zap me?”

  I shook my head a few times, pulling myself up to stand. “I have no idea what just happened. Some sort of energy transference between us maybe?”

  She eyed me warily for a few beats, then shrugged.

  “So what do we do now?” Cam asked, stepping closer, Gretley right at her side. It didn’t escape my attention how close the two girls were standing, or that they had been holding hands a moment ago. I might be pretty new to the whole love thing, but I could see something very real between them.

  Cam must have noticed me looking and she blushed a deep fiery red. Gretley, on the other hand, just laughed. “What can I say, she’s it for me.”

  I felt my own smile spread broadly across my face. “I’m happy you found your one.”

  My chest tightened and it got really hard to breathe. Tyson. I couldn’t stop calling for him in my mind, but there was never an answer. Like a television trying to find the signal, all I got was static buzz.

  “We’re really sorry about your family.” Cam, who I was starting to see had an extra gentle heart, stepped up and wrapped her arms around me. Her tiny body barely hit my boob level, and she had to stretch to fit her arms right around me. The moment our bare skin came into contact, I was hit with another buzz of energy and we were both jolted back slightly. The jolt wasn’t as strong as it had been with Justice, but enough that we now stood a few feet apart.

  “Again!” Justice had her hands on her hips. “It has to be you, Grace. We’ve all lived together for weeks. We’ve touched each other plenty of times.”

  Gretley laughed again and Justice flashed a perfect set of teeth at her. “Especially Cam and Gretley. Those two never get their hands off each other.”

  I shook my head, unsure why I was shocking them with my power. Unless… “What if,” I started slowly, “the reason I’m zapping you is because my power is partially unlocked, while yours is not. Like my energy is trying to kickstart yours.” I couldn’t deny how much the ice and shadow filled my veins now. It was spread throughout me.

  Gretley jumped forward then, both of her arms held out toward me. “Try me!” It was a demand, but there was nothing malicious behind her words. She was the daredevil.

  I didn’t hesitate, reaching out and grasping both of her hands. I was expecting the jolt this time, and managed not to step back, but our hands still jerked apart. Gretley’s eyes, which I could see now were an olive green, were wide and glossy. The jolt didn’t seem to hurt her; she looked invigorated.

  I was taken aback when she launched forward and gripped both of my hands. “That was amazing. Do it again.”

  I couldn’t answer, too distracted by a new buildup in my chest, the same as I’d felt when my gran forced the Faerie doorway from me. I let out a scream; it echoed across the jeweled meadows. Gretley, startled, tried to pull her hands free, but I was locked on now and nothing seemed to loosen my grip.

  I lost control of myself, and all we could do now was take the ride as far as it would go.

  More energy built within me, and with a bright burst of blinding light, something fissured in my body. I could hear the crack; it rocked through me, and as it broke apart, pieces of me started to shatter. I cried out again, and Gretley’s cries joined mine, our fused hands bearing the brunt of the energy transference.

  My knees slammed into the dirt, turning it to ice under my body. The dark and light within me intertwined and burst outwards, exploding through every cell, into my blood and brain. It felt like Gretley and I had been joined for an eternity, and yet at the same time it was only seconds before it was all over. Whatever had fractured inside of me was completely gone now, and strong waves of cold energy rolled within me. Pitching forward, I gagged and heaved, expelling the contents of my stomach onto the ground.

  “Holy shit.” Justice’s low words got my attention. “What the fuck just happened? You two are … you’re … what the fuck!”

  My stomach was just starting to settle, and I dropped both of my hands to the snow covered ground, preparing to push myself up. Snow. I was making freaking snow now. As my hands came into view, I let out a huff. What in the…? My skin … it was different, glowing softly, like a crystal glitter covered it, shimmering in the dim light of this world. There was also an intricate blue snowflake tattoo, starting on my wrist and winding itself down my palm. Nestled on the middle finger of my right hand was a large ring. It had a gold band, weaving around my finger, with a huge stone in the center, which looked a lot like a diamond – like the largest diamond I had ever seen in my life.

  I turned my head, blinking rapidly as I tried to piece everything together. Gretley’s face came into view and I gasped even louder than I had with myself. She was different too, her richly tanned skin now embedded with pigments of glittering green. Her eyes were a bright, rich green, so illuminated that the color looked completely fake. Her blond hair was streaked with green, and nestled on the top of her head was a golden tiara, ornately wound with gold inlay and huge emerald stones. I glanced down to her flapping hands, and wasn’t even surprised to see that she had dark green tattoos covering her palms and wrists too. Plus a huge emerald on her right hand.

  Cam scuffed her feet, looking agitated. “Holy shit, holy shit,” she was muttering.

  I was right there with her. Holy shit. Part of me had never believed Josephina, but she was right. We were the jeweled princesses.

  Tyson Compass

&
nbsp; My dragon roared again as we smashed into the dome. We had to escape, had to get to Grace. She was talking to Grizzly-man, her hands shaking, which only riled us further. Braxton and Jacob were at my side, their dragons fighting with us … family.

  Braxton let out a roaring hiss as a weird, musky scent permeated the air. All of us looked up to find a gas oozing in from the walls. Recoiling, my dragon immediately knew we should not breathe it in, but there was very little choice when we were trapped in a dome. Screams started close by; supes were panicking.

  I turned to check on the twins, relieved to see they were safely protected by our bulk on one side, and Maximus on the other. We have to get out of here. Braxton’s growl sounded in my head. That gas will kill us all, eventually. I didn’t ask how he knew; my dragon was giving me the same information.

  Spinning around, I slammed my tail into the clear material again. It connected without a problem, but the dome was too strong for us to break. Rearing up, my huge front claws scraped hard, and I could feel a slight give in the bonds of the dome. Gas was starting to cloud my vision. I could just make out the hunters surrounding Grace now – she was unwrapping Evie. The gas was dark and heavy now; I strained to keep an eye on my mate, panic tearing at my insides.

  Fuck this. I was not letting this happen. Tilting my head back, I felt a hot rush of energy swirling in my chest. I had no idea what was going on, but I hoped it was some sort of dragon magic that would dissolve the dome. Lava-like fire spewed up from my gut and burst out in a plume of fire. Luckily I had had my head tilted back, so it disappeared up into the air above, dissipating before it hit the dome roof.

  I growled, reeling some of the fire back. This was not a good place to be shooting off flames – confined space and hundreds of innocents nearby. I couldn’t see out at all now, but I sensed Grace nearby. Can you hear me, little witch?

  I waited a beat, and it felt like there was a twitch at the end, but no response. Grace … don’t give up. I will find you. I will come for you. I sent as many mental promises as I could, hoping like hell she was at least hearing me, even if I couldn’t hear her.

  The smoke was starting to overwhelm me; even with the light spectrum vision of my dragon, everything looked hazy. I shook my head a few times, long neck swaying back and forth. Something crashed into the side of my head, and I was about to attack when I realized it was just me, losing my balance and hitting the wall.

  The gas. Braxton’s words were broken. Shift back … seems worse for dragons.

  He was gone from my head then. Jacob too, and I used the last of my energy to pull the dragon deep inside of me. The change washed over me and I fell to my side, unable to get up again. As my eyes shuttered closed, I thought I saw some beams of light flashing through the dome. I struggled to hold on to consciousness, but there was no way to stop the darkness from crashing into me.

  A blast of cool air fanned over my face, and I sucked in some deep, greedy breaths. With each breath of fresh air, the dizzying disorientation faded away. Forcing my eyes open, I sat up in a rush. The dome was gone, and I seemed to be the only one awake. I was relieved that I could hear heartbeats, see chests rising and falling. There were hundreds of supes inside, and thankfully it looked as if they were all alive. The dome had disappeared just in time.

  A small cry caught my attention. I cursed loudly as I stumbled to my feet. Evie was wiggling and crying nearby; she must have been lying just on the other side of the dome. I hurried across the square to scoop her up. “Hey, baby girl, don’t cry. Uncle Ty is here. I’ve got you.”

  I jiggled her gently, patting her back as I muttered nonsense words. My attention remained on my family, who were just starting to stir. Braxton came to with a roar, bellowing Jessa’s name, followed by Evie and Jackson. He was at Jessa’s side in a flash, lifting her into his arms. She had her eyes open, and both of them reached for Jackson, unwrapping him quickly. Everything inside of me clenched; the baby was so tiny; that gas could have hurt him worse than any of us.

  I hurried over, stepping around Maximus and Mischa, who were also awake and checking Lily. I let out a relieved breath when I saw that Jackson and Lily had their eyes open and looked alert, waving their hands at their parents.

  “Evie!” Jessa cried out, and I held her out to them. “What happened, Ty?” she asked me, pulling her daughter close to her chest. Braxton cradled Jackson. “Where did the dome go?”

  I shook my head. “I have no idea. I only came to a minute before you all, and the dome was already gone.”

  “I can tell you what happened.” A familiar voice filtered in front my left side – Quale, grim-faced. “I saw the entire thing, but I couldn’t get here in time.”

  His words were flat, but fury burned in his eyes. “The rest of the mystics stopped me from helping. They said it wasn’t our job to interfere.”

  I was going to kill them. Every single one of them. “You’re here to keep this a sanctuary. You let those hunters come in and attack everyone. They nearly killed us all.”

  Quale nodded. “I know. I agree with you completely. All I can think is that they offered the mystics something, made it worth their while to turn their backs on everything we stand for here.”

  I waved a hand, too pissed off to deal with this bullshit. “We don’t have time to kick their asses, but they’ll get theirs, don’t you worry. For now I need to find Grace. They took her and I have no idea where she is.”

  Grace … baby? There was no response again and my body literally vibrated with anger.

  “They took her to Faerie – I saw the doorway,” Quale answered quickly. Did mate bonds connect between worlds? That better be the explanation for why we were cut off.

  Jessa, who stood next to Braxton, asked him, “If you didn’t save us, then how come we aren’t all dead?”

  Quale swallowed hard, his gaze landing on Evie. “From what I could see, it looked like Grace went with them willingly in exchange for the gas disappearing from the dome. It vanished as soon as they snatched her up.”

  Of course she did; she wouldn’t have even thought twice about sacrificing herself. I needed her back. Right. Now.

  Quale continued quietly, and I almost missed when he said: “It was Evie who dissipated the dome.”

  An unnatural silence extended around our group, all of us trying to process what he had just said. “Evie…” Braxton drawled. “You’re telling me my infant daughter somehow dissolved a structure that a dragon could not penetrate.”

  Quale held both hands up in front of him, palms up. “That’s what I saw. She reached out a hand, touched the side, and then it was gone. So it could have been a perfectly-timed coincidence, or she’s some sort of scary little magic weapon.”

  Jessa and Braxton’s faces both went hard, worry bleeding off them. They did have special babies, and none of us knew what their powers would manifest into … which happened when you’re the only one of your kind.

  Jacob waved a hand, his voice losing its usual musical quality. “We don’t have time to figure it out now, we need to get to Faerie.”

  Quale straightened. “I might have an idea about that. Louis set something up the last time he was here. I had no idea why he would bother, since he can easily step between the worlds, but maybe he knew it would come in handy at some point.”

  I focused my full attention on him and he visibly flinched. “What are you waiting for?” My voice was low, but he flinched again as if I’d slapped him.

  “Right … well, just follow me, okay.”

  I should probably feel bad. None of this was Quale’s fault, but I was way past caring about anyone else’s feelings. Braxton handed Evie’s baby wrap to Maximus – it had been lying close by – and without a word our vamp brother strapped her on. He was the only one who couldn’t shift yet, so he was the safest baby carrier.

  Quale moved quickly through the streets, pushing between supernaturals streaming in the opposite direction. Some were running to help those who had been in the dome, others were scurryin
g to their houses.

  “Your eyes are fully golden,” Mischa said, her hand reaching out to grasp mine. “We’ll find her, Ty. Grace is a fighter, she won’t go down without taking plenty of them with her.”

  I appreciated her attempt to make me feel better, but it wasn’t working. Sure, Grace was a fighter. I had seen that firsthand when I arrived at her grandparents’ farm, but her soul was gentle. She shouldn’t have to fight.

  Upon leaving the food street, we took a turn and ended up on the edge of the snow territory. Tundra stretched out for miles before us; it looked like the most unforgiving climate. A lot like Antarctica, actually.

  “It’s not far,” Quale explained, looking back. “It’s hidden in a small ice cave.”

  A sliver of sanity returned to me and I quickly spelled thermal jackets for everyone, and some blankets for the babies. Silence reigned as we crossed the slippery, icy land. It had been warm in the city, but the moment we stepped onto the white, frosty winds slashed at us and my skin went tight. The dragon soul seemed to be enjoying the extreme weather, though.

  There were miles of flat planes. The white-on-white landscape hid more than I expected. It wasn’t until we were almost on top of them that I noticed the series of caves, half a dozen, low and curved, looking interconnected. Quale entered the third one.

  Jessa and Mischa were the only ones who didn’t have to duck their heads to fit in through the entrance. We followed the mystic into a maze-like cave system, finally stopping near a section of ice-structures, natural formations from water runoff. “It’s just in behind that large one.” He pointed, and I strode toward it.

  “Thank you, Quale,” Mischa said, the only one of us still giving a fuck about manners.

  Climbing in and through the ice, I caught a glimpse of its shimmer before the full portal came into sight. I didn’t hesitate, this was my one chance to get to Grace and I was taking it. Emerging on the other side, I found myself back with the dragons. Somehow Louis had figured out a way to bypass all of the Isle of the Gods’ securities, because we were standing in the open plains with clear skies above.