“Time…what?” Jace rubbed his scars again. He seemed to do it whenever he was nervous. “What does that mean?”
“I told you it was important to have someone with a working knowledge of magic as your guide, Captain,” Dozana said. She grabbed the small rock in her fist and pulled. The stone didn’t move. Dozana’s face reddened with strain. Her arm trembled, but finally she managed to yank the rock out of its position and tossed it to Hardwick.
“Wait, you’re saying that time works differently here?” Rook asked, staring at the stone in Hardwick’s hand.
“Everything works differently here,” Dozana said. “Never forget that. The weather is abnormal, the plants and animals are out of control, and yes, even time is distorted in places, slowed down so much that a shower of stones from an explosion that happened two years ago can still hang in the air, taking years to fall.”
“Is it dangerous?” Garrett asked, stepping back from the cloud of stones.
Dozana didn’t even look at him. “No more or less so than the rest of the Wasteland,” she said. “It’s very possible that this whole area is experiencing time distortion of varying degrees. That would explain why it looks like a different time of day beyond the Wasteland walls. But this particular distortion is old and weakening. That’s probably why I was able to remove the stone from it. Nevertheless, we should give this area a wide berth, just to be safe.”
“But if time is passing more quickly outside the Wasteland, aren’t the rest of our people going to wonder what’s happened to us?” Jace asked. “Won’t they send out a search party?”
“We can’t know how fast time is passing outside,” the captain said, “and it doesn’t change our mission. We press ahead, no matter what.”
No matter what? Rook shuddered. They’d just keep going, even if time continued to slip away faster outside the Wasteland? She stared at the stones as they set off again, careful to stay clear of the area. What if they stepped into another distortion without realizing it and ended up frozen forever like the rocks?
The captain obviously understood the risk, Rook thought, but he wasn’t turning back, which gave them no choice but to follow.
Their new path led them onto a side street that they’d avoided earlier because it was choked with debris. Their pace slowed even more as they climbed over piles of broken stones, squeezing past trees and bushes that had overgrown the street.
Dozana dropped back to walk on Rook’s right side. Drift followed her mother. Jace kept to Rook’s left side. The adults were obviously staying close in case some other strange magic popped up to menace them, providing Rook with another opportunity to talk to the wizard.
“You said you’d tell us your story.” Rook pitched her voice low and glanced sidelong at the older woman. “About why you’re a prisoner.”
Dozana’s gaze flicked to Captain Hardwick and then back to Rook. “So I did, though there’s not much to tell. You already know I was sent here with the Voran children to protect them. I was tasked with the job because of my power. I used it to drain the magic around the ship as we came through the portal, effectively creating a bubble that no harmful magical energy could penetrate. This allowed me to shield the ship from the explosion, and somehow protected me from the memory loss that afflicted the children, but the shock wave threw me into the lake.” Her lips twisted. “That was…unpleasant. The constables found me during the rescue efforts. They saw me using my power to try to calm the wild magic, and they captured me. Officially, I am a ‘guest’ of the mayor of Regara, an ‘advisor’ to help her and the captain here deal with the magical turmoil that plagues the city.”
“And once that’s done, they’ll just lock you up?” Drift asked, pressing forward to tug at her mother’s arm. “But why? You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Oh, no?” Dozana gestured to herself. “Am I not a wizard of Vora? I’m the only adult at hand to pay for what my people did.”
Jace snorted. “Don’t let her play innocent with you.” He pointed to the crescent scars under his eye. “She gave me these beauties trying to escape. Almost took my eye out. She’s dangerous, just like…”
He trailed off, cleared his throat, and looked away.
Anger boiled inside Rook. “Like us,” she finished, nodding to Fox and Drift.
“Can you blame him?” Garrett said, ripping aside a tree branch covered in rotting yellow leaves. A cloud of biting flies swirled around his face. He slapped them away. “Didn’t the exiles bring the Frenzy sickness to Regara? And weren’t you two girls the ones who let that fox monster out of the Wasteland?”
Before Rook could reply, Drift chimed in. “We told you Fox didn’t come from here,” she snapped. “We weren’t trying to hurt anyone. And we didn’t bring the Frenzy sickness either. We’re just as scared of it as you are!”
“It’s not their fault,” Jace agreed, surprising Rook. She hadn’t expected the man to speak up on their behalf. “The Red Watchers can yell and spit all they want, but we’re talking about kids here. I don’t believe they’re making people sick, but they’ll grow up with no one to teach them about magic. They’re going to make mistakes.”
“I could teach them,” Dozana said. “But I’m too dangerous for that, aren’t I, Constable?”
Jace rubbed his scars and didn’t reply.
Captain Hardwick, silent up to this point, spoke. “It’s what you’ll teach them that concerns me,” he said, his voice a low, ominous rumble.
They were climbing over a shifting pile of broken tables and chairs in the ruins of what might once have been a restaurant. Hardwick slid down the debris, and when he’d reached the bottom, he stood up and held out a hand to help Rook. Reluctantly, she took it. His palm had a raised line running across it that felt like a scar.
When she was back on solid ground, he released her but didn’t immediately turn away. “The wizard told us that you’ve been using your power to open doors for people in the city,” Hardwick said. “She told us about the Kelmins, that you were helping them escape from some men who were threatening them. Is that true?”
Tried and failed, Rook thought. She looked up, but the captain’s face was impossible to read. “It’s true,” she said.
He nodded. “Your power is remarkable,” he said. “And that you use it to help people speaks well of your character.” Rook was surprised to hear the approval in his voice.
Following the captain’s example, Garrett had turned back to help Drift down the debris pile, but he scowled when she simply flew over his outstretched hand and touched down near Rook. “Doesn’t change the fact that the three of them are runaways,” he said. “Exiles can’t be allowed to run wild. Accident or no, your powers can hurt people. They need to be kept under control.”
“Maybe we wouldn’t have run if we hadn’t felt threatened,” Drift said, matching his scowl.
“Have to admit, I wouldn’t mind being able to fly like you can,” Jace said, and he actually smiled at Drift. It was the first time Rook had seen anything like friendliness in the face of a constable, and she didn’t know how to feel about it, or the compliment the captain had paid her.
Drift didn’t seem to know either, because she blushed, and an agitated breeze blew across the back of Rook’s neck.
“I believe the exiles’ magic needs to be monitored so that no one gets hurt,” Hardwick agreed as the group moved down a street that was thankfully mostly clear of debris. “But I also think if we trusted each other a bit more, it would make things easier. We’ve let the Red Watchers have too much sway among the people of Regara. The Frenzy sickness hasn’t helped matters either. Instead of letting old wounds heal, people have become even more afraid of magic and the exiles.”
Again, Rook found herself surprised at the captain’s words. But did he mean them? Did he realize that the words he chose to use—calling Dozana “wizard” and referring to Rook, Drif
t, and Fox as exiles instead of using their names—weren’t helping Rook to trust him?
“As touching as this conversation is,” Dozana said, sarcasm thick in her voice, “we’re almost to the red heartstone wall. Everyone stay close.”
“Rain’s picking up again,” Jace said. “Be wise to find shelter until it passes.”
“Not until we’re on the other side of the wall,” Hardwick said. “Keep moving.”
Dozana was correct. Ahead of them, about fifty yards away, the red heartstone wall stood, blocking their path. As they drew closer, Rook finally realized what had seemed strange about the wall from a distance.
The rain had been falling everywhere, covering the Wasteland in a wet, oily skin.
Except on the wall.
It was as if the stones were waterproof, protected by an invisible barrier that the raindrops couldn’t touch.
A shiver that had nothing to do with the chilly rain passed through Rook’s body. She didn’t realize she’d stopped moving until Dozana rested a hand on her shoulder.
“I promise, nothing will happen to you or the others while I’m here,” she said. “I’ll protect you all with my life. It’s the very least I can do for my child and the children of my home world.”
“Keep up, you two,” Hardwick called back to them, and Rook reluctantly started walking again.
Bolstered by Dozana’s words, Rook hoped that the woman’s power would be enough.
Because she had a terrible feeling that whatever lay beyond the red heartstone wall would be far worse than any of them were prepared for.
AS THEY APPROACHED THE RED wall, Rook was surprised at how much shorter it was than the gray wall. It ended just a few feet above Dozana’s head and would be easy enough to climb. There were no guards watching the area. No one in the city—not even the constables—had ventured this deep into the Wasteland since the explosion that tore apart the portal.
“How is a wall that short supposed to protect the city?” Rook asked.
“Don’t underestimate its power,” Dozana cautioned. She stepped up to the wall and laid her hand gently against the copper stone. “For two years, it’s managed to cage uncontrollable magic. Come here and feel for yourself.”
Reluctantly, Rook stepped forward, Drift and Fox close behind her. She reached out and touched the wall with just her fingertips. No way was Rook risking her whole hand on something that trapped magic.
The stone vibrated ever so slightly beneath her fingers, as if threads of energy ran through it. It was also warm to the touch, though not unpleasantly so. Still, Rook felt a strange pulling sensation inside her, as if the red stone was trying to draw out her power. Quickly, she removed her hand.
“This stone is like your power,” Rook said, glancing at Dozana. “It drains magic, doesn’t it?”
“As a matter of fact—” Dozana turned to look at Fox, but before she could finish the sentence, he abruptly transformed back into a human. He wobbled on his feet, looking bewildered and frightened. “Yes, it can,” Dozana finished.
“Are you all right?” Rook asked, rushing over to grab Fox by the shoulder before he fell.
“I—I think so,” he said. He looked down at his hands as if he didn’t know what they were. “How…Why did I change?” he asked.
“You didn’t transform on purpose,” Rook said, realizing what had happened. “It was the red wall. It took away your power.”
“It’s messing with mine too,” Drift said. She closed her eyes and wrinkled her forehead in concentration. She managed to levitate a couple of inches off the ground, but no more than that. “I don’t feel weak, but it’s like someone’s pulling me down by the ankles.”
“That’s why we couldn’t open a door here,” Dozana said. “The barrier is absolute. Rook’s magic either wouldn’t have been able to penetrate the wall, or it would have gone wild and we might have ended up anywhere. The wall is meant to contain magical calamities. The Regarans who built it didn’t think anyone would ever be trying to get into the Wasteland.”
“No kidding,” Drift muttered.
Hardwick pointed to Jace and Garrett. “The two of you climb up first and see what you can see from the top of the wall. Then you’ll help the rest of us over.”
Rook, Drift, and Fox stood back while the two constables nodded and approached the wall. They found handholds in the cracks between the stones and carefully pulled themselves up to the top of the wall. Fox fidgeted, clenching his jaw and wrinkling his forehead, as if he was trying everything he could to turn into an animal again.
“Hey,” Rook said, putting her arm around him. “Don’t try to transform here, all right? Save your strength. Once we’re inside and far enough away from the wall, you can change back.”
“But I can’t protect you,” Fox said, a forlorn look in his eyes. “Not like this.” He clenched the hem of his baggy, still-wet shirt and shivered. He must be so much colder in this form, Rook realized, without the thick fox fur to insulate him.
“Don’t worry,” she said, hugging him with one arm. “We’ll all look out for each other.”
Fox sighed. He closed his eyes and leaned into Rook’s shoulder for warmth. Over his head, Rook caught Drift’s eye, and for just a second she thought she glimpsed that same hint of loneliness in her friend that she’d first noticed back at the roost. She started to say something, but before she could speak, Drift turned away and went to stand next to her mother.
What was happening to them? Rook thought anxiously. After all this time, she and Drift were finally getting answers to their questions about their home world, finding lost pieces of themselves. How many nights had they lain awake, whispering about their mysterious pasts, what kind of lives they must have led?
Yet she and Drift hadn’t shared more than a handful of words since they’d set foot in the Wasteland. Rook wanted to believe she was just being foolish, but she couldn’t help feeling as if her best friend was drifting further and further away from her.
“All clear,” Garrett called down from the top of the wall, but his voice sounded strange.
“That’s one way to look at it,” Jace said, pacing back and forth across the top of the wall, his hands moving restlessly over the knife hilt at his belt. “I don’t see any monsters, though.”
“What do you see?” Drift asked.
Jace looked down at her and shook his head. “It’s impossible to describe,” he said. “You just…You need to see for yourself.”
“Let’s go, Captain,” Dozana said. “The longer they stay up there, the worse it’s going to get for them. No one should have to see the Wasteland all at once.”
“You heard her,” the captain said, and it was the first time Rook had seen the two of them so firmly in agreement.
Rook followed Dozana to the base of the wall. The captain clasped his hands together to make a step. Rook raised her foot, holding on to Dozana’s shoulder for balance. Together they boosted her up, and Jace and Garrett reached down to hoist her the rest of the way.
The top of the wall was about two feet deep. Rook sat down on the warm stone and looked out over the expanse.
Her breath left her body in a rush.
The buildings and streets beyond the inner wall had been very close to the explosion site, so there was little left of what was once this section of Regara. Piles of stone, wood, and broken glass were everywhere. Weeds had grown in to cover the ruins with a layer of wild green, but here and there, curved black thorns as thick as Rook’s thumb grew from vines and creepers. They would have to be extra careful moving through the jungle-like landscape.
But none of those things was as frightening as what lay in the center of the expanse.
The portal between Vora and Talhaven had been conjured on Lake Caralan because the Vorans claimed that water was a strong conduit for magic, especially portal magic. Ships carrying
trade goods could easily sail through the portal into the lake and down the channel to the White Sea. From there they could travel by air or water to any part of the world.
Rook glimpsed the lake in the distance, a deep blue fringe cutting across the horizon, but above that, silhouetted against the cloud-filled sky, a forest floated in midair.
Rook shivered as she gazed at the improbable trees. It was as if a giant hand had reached down and yanked them from the earth, roots and all, as easily as she might pull a carrot from a garden. Most of the trees were dead, floating skeletons with spindly branches and twisted roots.
Woven among them was a strange, pulsing red light, tangled in the branches like threads of cloud.
Had the explosion uprooted the trees and then frozen them in the same time distortion that held the stones?
Rook scooted to the side to make room as one by one, Jace and Garrett helped the others up onto the wall. Hardwick took in the sight of the lake and the floating forest, but his stoic expression didn’t change.
Because he’s seen this before, Rook thought. He and Dozana both had. They knew about the danger, the power building up at the portal site.
“Do you see it, Rook?” Dozana asked, pointing to the red light clinging to the trees. “The animus rises from the lake and collects in the branches—magic in its purest, untamed form.”
“Most dangerous form, you mean,” Jace muttered.
When they’d climbed down the other side of the wall, the captain took the lead again, heading in the direction of the lake. He and Garrett used their knives to chop away the worst of the thorny underbrush to make a path for the others. Jace stayed back with Rook, scanning the area for threats.
“Don’t let the thorns draw blood,” Dozana warned them. “They’re poisonous.”
“Of course they are,” Garrett said, hacking aggressively at a branch.
The rain came and went as they walked, drawing closer and closer to the lake and the suspended forest. But for all the strangeness they’d encountered so far, the most unsettling thing was that there was no sign of any of the Wasteland’s famous monsters, animals transformed by the wild animus. If Rook didn’t know better, she might have thought the stories everyone told were just that—stories.
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