Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Dara
After breakfast, we head out toward the portal, which according to Harlan is about a five kilometre walk from here.
Harlan leads at the front. Typical for him. Little does he know that I, too, like being in charge. So, me being me, I try and overtake him. I get ahead for a second then he passes me again. I let out a little chuckle and we end up racing each other for the five kilometres.
It’s clear we have made it to the spot when Harlan suddenly stops, and I run right into his back. Pain radiates through my body. Ouch. He grabs my shoulders to keep me in place, otherwise I would have fallen straight on my arse.
“You okay?” He assesses my body from head to toe with his eyes and my body tingles.
“Mmm hmm,” I mumble, stepping out of his hold and rolling my shoulders back a few times.
Finally, a good five minutes later, the other guys catch up. Oliver has a wicked grin on his face, looking to be quite pleased with me almost beating Harlan.
“It’s good to have you around, Dara. Someone needs to put Harlan in his place, and I think he has met his match. Keep it up, sweetie,” Oliver says, coming over to me and putting his arm around my shoulder. I don’t want him to remove it, but all too soon he lifts his arm and walks over to Harlan. “This the spot, man?”
Harlan nods in response as he moves toward two trees that are identical. Up farther, the trees are connected at the top. It leaves a gap that is wide and tall enough for a person to fit through. After Harlan inspects the trees, he walks over to stand right in front of me. “Okay, Dara, you need to listen and follow these instructions very closely. I know it will be hard for you, but it is very important. It could be catastrophic if you don’t do it properly.”
I nod in agreement.
“Okay, good. Once you walk in between these trees, you will fall down a hole.” He continues, “It will seem like ages but finally you will appear in Silvia. You need to cross your arms and hold onto your shoulders like this. You must keep them like that until you get into Silvia. You must not say a word the entire time—if you do it could interfere with the transportation. You will have to say the location ‘Silvia’ to the portal very clearly. Oliver will be going first, so he will be waiting for you once you get there. Now, once you get there, go straight to Oliver. Silvia isn’t the safest place right now. The false king’s slayers will be hunting for you, so you must be very aware once you pass through. Blair, Declan, and I will go after you. Do you understand all of that?” Harlan asks.
I stand there with my mouth hanging open for a good few minutes, trying to take it all in. Finally, I snap out of it. “Yep. All clear, boss.”
He just shakes his head and moves closer to the portal. “Okay, Oliver, time for you to go. Make sure you check the area before Dara gets there and be ready for her.”
Oliver nods in agreement, blowing me a kiss. “See you on the other side, Princess.” He stands next to the portal and says, “Silvia.” He crosses his arms over his chest and jumps into the hole. A lightning spark of blue cracks up the trees, giving us a light show.
“Wow, that is the most amazing thing I have ever seen,” I say as the lights die down and the hole closes.
“If you think that is amazing, just wait until you see Silvia,” Declan says as he gently pushes me to the portal.
“Your turn, Princess. Don’t be nervous. Just follow what Oliver did and you will be fine,” Blair says, giving me some confidence.
Okay, deep breath, Dara. You can do this. I step up to the portal in between the trees and turn back to give the guys a little wave. Hopefully, this won’t be the last time I see them. It is now or never. I cross my arms over and say very clearly, “Silvia,” and then I step into the dark hole.
I continue to hold onto my arms and try not to move a muscle as I fall down into the unknown. It is nothing but pitch blackness as I keep falling for what feels like hours. Wind howls all around me, causing goosebumps across my whole body.
Finally, light appears in the most vibrant blue and green colours. I gain speed and go flying from the hole, landing on my butt. I groan, touching the grass around me. This is the place from my dream. It is real.
I didn’t believe it existed until now and I actually see it with my own eyes. Holy shitballs, this place is pure beauty—nothing beats being here. The colours are beyond the most vivid I have ever seen. I touch the grass and let out a little moan. Why the fuck am I moaning about grass? But if it isn’t the most luscious grass I have ever felt I don’t know what is.
I lift my gaze, taking in my surroundings. Those trees, they tower high into the sky. The pink, purple, and blue flowers in the leaves shine brightly among them.
The trees are all tightly together, but there are worn paths between them. Most of all, I am excited to see inside the tree houses that look so cute nestled within the trees. Where are the guys’ houses?
After gawking at my surroundings, I finally stand and get knocked back down by a really strong force. Pain rips through me just before everything goes completely black.
I am startled awake after who knows how long and try to sit. What in the hell? My whole body feels completely different. As if I’m in an entirely new body. Everything appears lighter. I actually feel invincible, which sounds completely insane.
Pushing myself up all while trying to work out what happened. But I don’t get far as in the next second something whizzes past my head. Oh, hell no. This isn’t going to be exactly like the dream, is it? I dare not turn around, but my curiosity gets the better of me.
Spinning around there’s the weird-looking arrow wedged deep in the tree. My stomach drops. What I feared has come true as I turn to run but my foot gets caught on a vine in the ground. I fall with a groan and quickly lift my head to find one of the twins sprinting toward me. My saviour. I quickly release my foot and go to stand but of course he lifts me up before throwing me over his shoulder. I am staring down at his fine arse again. Oh, how I have missed this view.
“Hold tight, Princess. We are nearly out of sight,” he yells over his shoulder.
I know how this is going to end. I bet we will slip inside that groove right there in the tree. Of course, that is what we do. I have dreamt about this for months, but the dream always ended here.
So, who knows what will happen next?