by Sarah Reeves
“Did I do something wrong?” Alex asked as Kieran lowered his hands. She let her own drop to her sides. “Or did it disappear because it’s done?”
“You did it.” Kieran lifted his hand for a high five. “You do learn quickly.” He beckoned to the trio on the porch, and they joined him and Alex on the lawn. “Now you guys will be safe from anyone that you don’t give permission to enter the house. The barrier is linked to Alex’s power, so if anyone does try to break it, she’ll know. She can get to you more quickly, too, because as soon as we’re back, I’m going to have Soren teach her to teleport.”
Oliver glanced up at that. “Teleport? You mean you can use your power to transport yourself from one place to another? Does it work across realms, or do you have to be in the realm in question before you can do it successfully?” He stopped talking abruptly, as though realizing that he was supposed to be mad.
There was a moment of awkward silence before Kieran spoke, answering his question. “You can’t teleport across realms, as far as I know. Your molecules already have to rearrange to teleport in the first place, scrambling them again by going from one realm to the next is too dangerous. Besides that, you can only enter and exit a realm through a Portal.” He glanced at Alex. “We should go. I’ll give you some time to say goodbye.”
Alex nodded once; she’d been dreading this moment. She turned to see Teagan already beginning to cry. She felt a wave of guilt as she bent down to hug her little sister. Teagan didn’t deserve to go through so much emotional pain at that age, it was killing her to see the tears flow down the little girl’s face. “I’ll be back, Little One. I promise. You’re safe here, okay?” Alex pulled back and used her thumbs to swipe the tears from Teagan’s cheeks. “I’m going to make you a promise.” Teagan watched Alex with glistening cobalt eyes. “I promise that when I come back, I won’t leave again, not ever. Okay? I promise.” Alex gathered her close again, pressing her face to the auburn hair that was so like their mother’s. Then she stood, releasing her, and hugged Jennifer. They didn’t say anything, only clutched each other hard for a moment before letting go. Jennifer placed a hand against her daughter’s cheek briefly, then picked Teagan up and carried her inside. Teagan didn’t fight, but she watched Alex all the way up until the front door closed behind them. The protective barrier opened quickly, then encompassed the house completely once more.
Oliver stood alone in front of Alex. The young woman didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how to resolve the anger that she still felt toward him. She didn’t have to say anything, though, because Oliver took two steps forward, enveloping her in a tight embrace. He pressed her head into his shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice a rumble like the thunder that boomed overhead. “I shouldn’t have acted like you belong to me. Like your feelings belonged to me just because they were for me at one point. It wasn’t fair to you. I’m glad you have someone to keep you safe while you’re gone.” He gently pushed her back, until he could look her in the eye. “I hate that you have to leave again, but I’m going to hold you to the promise you told Teagan, alright? When you come back, you’re staying. That’s it.” He shook his sleeve out and used it to wipe away tears that Alex hadn’t even known were there. “You’re so strong,” he said. “You’ll make it back to us.” He gave her a small shove. “Now, go. You have bad guys to kill.” They grinned at each other, before Oliver turned to leave. The barrier swallowed him up, the front door closed, and he was gone, too.
Alex Shifted, sensing that Kieran was following suit. She didn’t want him to see the tears she now felt streaming down her face. She wished that it weren’t so damn hard to say goodbye to them. Let’s get out of here, she said, and they took off. They rose quickly, the clouds giving them cover faster than they had the day before. Alex could see flashes of lightning passing from cloud to cloud, and the wind tore at their wings as they tried to gain speed. Rain pelted her scales, and she glanced over, worried about Kieran’s phoenix form. Steam rose from the flaming feathers that covered him, and even over the fury of the storm around them, she could hear the sizzle of rain evaporating on contact.
We left too late. It was weird hearing Kieran’s voice in her head, calm and level, when there was such chaos around them. The storm developed more quickly than I was hoping it would. His head turned until he was looking back at her. We need to get out of this, and fast. Undari aren’t immune to lightning. Even as he spoke, electricity speared through the clouds in front of him, making him swerve hard to his left. GO. Alex went, urging her wings to carry her faster than she’d ever tried to go. She didn’t have to look around to know that Kieran was right behind her. It was hard to do it, but she was able to dodge the strikes of lightning that flashed around them and across their path west. She was positive that it was sheer luck. If Alex hadn’t been focused almost painfully on getting out of the storm, she would have seen just how beautiful the sky was around them. It was very nearly pitch black with the weight of the driving rain, illuminated here and there by the lightning. The cumulonimbus clouds towered above them, imposing and unforgiving. Fierce wind pushed the rain completely sideways, which made Alex halfway close her eyes before the freaky realization that she had a second pair of eyelids, ones that were transparent. She decided that she would be weirded out by that fact later on. The smell of ozone was stifling, and Alex couldn’t shake the hair-raising-on-the-back-of-the-neck feeling.
Though the duo was moving at breakneck speeds, it still took them the better part of an hour to reach the edge of the storm. The rain lessened, the wind died, and the sun blinded them by bursting out from behind the last anvil formation they passed in the storm. The clouds took on a dove gray color, looking a little more friendly. Warm updrafts playfully pushed them higher in the sky, and Alex and her Companion slowed down a little bit.
How are you feeling? Kieran’s voice was tensed slightly, but otherwise calm. You okay?
Other than discovering that I have two sets of eyelids, I’m fine. What about you?
I made it okay. Lots of adrenaline running through me right now, though. I’m mostly just surprised we even made it out of there in one piece. There was a pause. Wait, you have two sets of eyelids?
Yeah I know, right? Weird. They helped though, I could see where we were going for the most part. How did we not get struck, by the way?
Instinct? I dunno. I’m just going to thank the gods that we did, and move on. No point trying to analyze it. They continued to fly west until they landed in the Grand Canyon. It was about midday, and it was no less hot there than it was in Florida. It was just dry, and the wind scattered dust about their feet as the pair made their way back down toward the cave that would take them home. This time, they had to hastily put away their wings when they rounded a corner and encountered a human couple trekking through the path they were on. They were polite, but wary of the two teenage kids without supplies. Alex and Kieran had a job trying to convince the couple that they were fine, finally conceding to take a couple of water bottles and a flare, in case they got lost. They parted ways, with the other couple glancing back at the two young people, still unsure of their safety.
“Poor guys,” Alex said to Kieran in undertones as the path wound onward. “They probably think we’re going to die down here.” The thought both amused her and made her uneasy. Just how many humans had disappeared here, in the depths of the canyon? It was a question she didn’t want an answer to, she decided as she and her Companion entered the cave. Darkness swallowed them briefly before flame illuminated the rough walls. Silent, the two Undari ventured deeper and deeper underground.
The room where the Portals stood made the hair on Alex’s arms stand up, but not for the same reason as it always had. She couldn’t pinpoint what made her feel like something fundamental had changed, until Kieran hissed out a breath, and pointed to the wall opposite the Portal openings. “Look,” he said. His mouth was set in a grim line.
Alex looked, and her mind reeled. There was another Po
rtal opening there, but it wasn’t like the others. Not at all. This one was a gaping wound in the rock wall of the cave, a slash that almost hurt to look at. Something was dripping out of it, and Alex took a couple steps forward to investigate, ignoring Kieran’s whispered command to stay away. The substance was thick, sluggish like congealed blood. The color made Alex’s stomach clench. It was moving in a way that was unnatural, and self preservation had the girl moving backward until she was level with her partner.
“What is that?” Alex had to stop looking at it, turning to Kieran instead. It was making her head swim to keep watching that liquid bleed from the wall. “And why is it here?”
Kieran shook his head. Opposite of Alex, he couldn’t seem to be able to take his eyes off the site. He looked slightly green. “I don’t know. It’s for a Portal opening, but… Alex, I think this is an entrance to the Realm of Nightmares.”
“Only Court members can create those, though. Them and… the Unseen.” Alex closed her eyes. “Why would he make a Portal to the human realm? He’s not interested in humans, he thinks they’re insignificant. He didn’t swear revenge on them.”
“We need to get to my parents.” Kieran wrenched his gaze away from the wall, turning to the entrance to the Realm of Fire and conjuring a Portal. “They have to see this, now.”
“What will they do about it?” Alex took his hand, striding toward the rapidly forming doorway.
Kieran turned his head to look at her, his gaze worried and grim. “I have no idea.”
They stepped through.
Ronan met them on the other side. He took in their faces, and his changed, going on alert. “What happened over there?” he asked. “Why do you look like that?”
“Where are my parents?” Kieran asked instead of answering. Alex glanced at him, then realized he probably didn’t want word to get out about what was brewing in the human realm. She kept her face impassive as Ronan told them that the king and queen were at the palace. “Thanks, Ronan. I’ll explain later.” Kieran Shifted and took off. Alex followed with a wave for Ronan. He flew fast, almost as fast as they had in the storm, and Alex fought to keep pace. Her muscles weren’t used to so much rigorous flight at one time.
In the castle, Kieran led his Companion up flight after flight of stairs. Alex tried to focus on where they were going, but her eyes kept straying to the tapestried and paintings hanging from the walls, and the people that stood out of the way for the prince as the two passed. Finally, they were outside a pair of massive double doors.
Kieran turned to Alex. His eyes, normally sparkling with mischief, were solemn. “This is the throne room. You don’t have to bow or anything, but you’re not allowed to speak unless you’re spoken to. You’re my Companion, so you stay on my right side. And don’t curse.” The corner of his mouth turned up. “Even if you really want to.” Alex nodded, and Kieran pushed open the doors.
A herald standing at the door announced them, but Alex didn’t hear. This was by far the most beautiful room she had seen since arriving in the Realm. She took it all in as she walked beside Kieran. The floor was a river of molten gold, flowing seamlessly to the dark walls and reflecting light from purple flames that leaped from torches placed on the walls. They reached out from in between windows that stretched for a ceiling that was easily seventy feet high, vaulted and made from stone that looked like it could have been quartz or something very like it. It absorbed the reflected light from the floor and the flame, and was the anchor for a gorgeous chandelier made from a combination of the same material that both the floor and ceiling consisted of. Delicate golden arms dripped with translucent tear drops, which glowed from within. Kieran didn’t have to worry about Alex speaking. She couldn’t find her voice even if she wanted to.
The pair came to a stop in front of a pair of throne chairs. Compared to the grand proportions of the rest of the room, they were rather modest, made of the same stone as the walls of the castle, but the monarchs sitting in them more than made up for that. King Titus and Queen Caia were the picture of royalty, Titus in an impeccably tailored suit, and his wife in a regal red dress, fastened at the neck by a golden ring. They regarded the pair of teenagers with pride (which made Alex look away uncomfortably), then with concern as they took in the urgency of their postures.
“What is it?” The king sat forward.
“Father.” Kieran inclined his head. “Alex and I went to the human realm, to place protection on her family against the Unseen.” Alex watched the king warily, but he showed no reaction. “When we returned to the cave of Portals, we discovered something. An extra Portal, but this one isn’t the same. We’re positive that it is a portal to the Realm of Nightmares.” At this, the king sat back. Queen Caia’s eyes widened, but she said nothing.
“Show us.” The king stood, offering his hand to his wife. She stood with them.
“Yes, sir.” Kieran took his father’s other hand, and held his other out to his Companion. Alex took it, and Kieran answered the question in her eyes. “We’re going to teleport to the Portal entrance.” Alex nodded, and flames rose up, taking them away from the throne room.
Ronan, still at his post next to the Portal, bowed deeply when the royal family appeared with Alex in tow. He straightened. “Where shall I send you, Your Majesty?” he asked.
“We’re going to the human realm,” answered King Titus. They went through the Portal, back into the dark cave. Neither Alex nor Kieran had to point out the extra portal. They’d come out facing it. Queen Caia let out a quiet gasp at the sight of the ever growing pool of viscous black liquid seeping from the gash in the wall. Both monarchs conjured flame as the Portal closed behind them, and stepped forward to have a closer look. The king turned, looking at his son. He didn’t seem as affected by the Portal as the two Companions were. “You didn’t see this when you left yesterday?”
How did he know that we left yesterday? Alex thought, but Kieran was already answering.
“No, sir.” He exchanged a look with Alex. “We didn’t know it was there until we came back this afternoon. I don’t think it was there yesterday. Whoever created it must have done it recently. That’s clear in the amount of liquid there is, too.” As he spoke, a mouse ran across his foot. The group watched the small animal as it raced over the rocky ground, until it came in contact with the liquid. There was a shrill squeak, and Alex gagged as the mouse mutated, parts of it melting away to bone while other bits of flesh reformed into growths that looked like extra legs, only they were spiked with several talon like appendages. It skittered for a moment toward them (Alex was not proud of the shriek that came from her mouth, nor the fact that she leaped backwards), then fell to the side, twitching for a moment before stopping. It disintegrated before anyone could say a word.
“What the he-eeeck was that?” Alex was so shaken she nearly forgot that the king and queen were standing in the chamber with her. “What was that?” she asked again, looking up at Kieran’s stunned face.
“I have a feeling that’s whatever venom the Unseen’s minions use to possess their prey. Or at least it’s something a lot like that.” Kieran squatted down to examine the tiny pile of ash. “I don’t want to think about what would happen if a human or an Undari were to come into contact with this.” He looked up at his parents. “What are we going to do about this? Is there a way we can get rid of it? Humans don’t come in here, but there’s always that chance. That or one of the Undari from this realm or another could come across it. If this liquid spreads much further, who’s to say one of us wouldn’t step in it when we come out of a Portal?”
King Titus stood for a moment longer, watching the steady drip of the venom. “We need to call together the Royal Council,” he said finally. “They all need to know about this, and we all need to come to a decision on what to do about it.” He turned and made a Portal manifest. “We'll go back to the castle, and call one together. Let’s go.” He passed through, followed by the queen, Kieran, and finally Alex.
Chapter Twenty
“What’s the Royal Council?” Alex was hurrying along behind Kieran and his parents as they strode into the castle. It had taken them less than a minute to get there from the time they’d left the chamber.
Kieran spoke in a low voice. “It’s a gathering of all the royal families, from each Realm. It only happens in times like this. When the Unseen broke out, there were a lot of them. Since you’re my Companion, you’ll get to be there, but you have to observe the customs as though you were being graded on them. That means no talking unless someone says something to you first. Being that you’re from this Realm, you do have to bow to the kings and queens of the other ones.” He glanced at her clothes. “You’ll need a better outfit, too.”
“I can help her with that.” Before Alex could say a word, Queen Caia had taken her arm and was leading her down a side hallway. Kieran waved and continued with his father. “I have some old things that don’t fit anymore, you can use those. I’ll help you with your hair, too, it can’t be down like that during the meeting. They entered a room that was every bit as regal as the Queen herself. Alex was strongly reminded of what she’d learned about Victorian customs, and how the man and woman of the house had separate bedrooms to change clothes in. There was definitely nothing male about this room. It was ivory and pale green, accented here and there with blue-grey. The style was decidedly modern, but Alex could see touches of Louis XV styling in the starburst pattern in the wood of the headboard, and the floral patterns on pillows that could have only been made with velvet. There were windows that opened to a balcony. Alex turned to see Queen Caia disappear into another room. “Come in here, dear,” she called. Alex obeyed, and found herself in a room that wasn’t a room at all, but an enormous closet. She barely had time to glance around before a dress was pushed into her arms. “Try this on. I’ll be outside.”
