Chapter 20 #3
“Yes,” said Ruth. “Hildo and Tinker Bell can help too.” She nodded enthusiastically. “And the squirrels. The ravens. Oh! And the raccoons owe me a favor.” She frowned thoughtfully. “Actually, they owe me several favors. Long story.”
Marcus was shaking his head, his entire body trembling.
“No. That’ll take hours. By the time we find them, if we even find them, it might be too late.
” His voice sounded strained, like every word hurt coming out.
His hands were clenched into fists so tight the knuckles had gone white.
I knew that look. He was holding himself together by sheer force of will.
I glared at him. “What are you saying? You’re saying she’ll…” I couldn’t bring myself to say the words. My throat closed around them because the second I said them out loud, they became real. And I refused to make them real.
“Don’t say that,” said Ronin. “We don’t know what that crazy bitch wants from Darian. Let’s not jump to conclusions yet.” For once I didn’t hear a trace of humor in his voice. He looked genuinely concerned.
“But I do know it’s not good,” I told him. My stomach twisted. Every instinct I had was screaming at me. Addison didn’t steal my son so they could bake cookies together and discuss healthy emotional boundaries.
Marcus was right, going out and searching for Darian in the next town would take hours.
Possibly days. Every minute that passed felt like sand slipping through my fingers.
We were already behind. Addison had planned this.
She’d prepared for it. Meanwhile, we were standing in my son’s bedroom arguing strategy while my kid was gods knew where.
Darian didn’t have days. He didn’t have hours either. Every second mattered. Every second he was with her felt wrong, dangerous, and unacceptable.
And then I knew what I had to do.
The answer hit me so suddenly it almost felt obvious, so obvious I wanted to kick myself for not realizing it sooner.
I stood up. “I’ll find her with my portal magic.” My voice came out steadier than I felt. Inside, my nerves were performing an interpretive dance.
Dolores looked at me. “I thought you said it was unstable. And that you couldn’t bring it up again?
Haven’t you been trying for hours already?
No. We should do the search.” She folded her arms. “At least a search follows known magical principles.” The look she gave me suggested portal magic was offending her.
It ticked me off that she had no faith in me.
But I didn’t have time to argue with her.
She didn’t understand portal magic. She didn’t have that ability.
And if I was being objective, I probably wouldn’t trust me either.
My portal record so far included one accidental trip to Addison’s lab and one surprise visit to Martha’s bathtub. Not exactly inspiring confidence.
But my father had said something to me that stuck. My Nexari portal magic was influenced by emotions.
I’d just been focusing on the wrong one. Before I’d been trying to find Addison. Trying to find answers. Trying to find a location. But now? Now there was only Darian. Nothing else mattered.
I clenched my jaw, drew on my magic. It came fast this time. Power surged, as a wind swept through the room. The curtains snapped. Loose papers spiraled into the air. The temperature shifted. My skin tingled. It felt like something inside me had finally locked on to a target.
“What’s she doing?” asked Beverly. Her hair blew around her face, and somehow she still looked fabulous.
“She’s calling up a portal,” answered Iris, beaming. The Dark witch looked more excited than worried, which felt very on brand for someone who collected cursed books for fun.
Pressure filled the room as I thought of my son, my boy, the love of my life, and the loss I felt without him.
I pictured his laugh. His smile. The way he’d looked this morning.
The way he’d looked yesterday. The way he’d looked before Addison stole years from him.
Love hit me so hard it hurt. Fear followed right behind it.
Then anger. Then determination. The emotions blended together until I couldn’t tell where one ended and the next began.
And just as my ears popped, the air twisted and shimmered in front of me as red light leaked outward laced with shadows that moved like they were alive. The room seemed to bend around the magic. Reality stretched. Groaned. Then gave way.
And then, a circular tear opened in the air.
My portal had come. It was waiting for me, larger than before and more stable, more certain. It hummed with ancient power that vibrated through my bones.
And through it wasn’t Darian’s face or Addison’s but her lab. And I knew my son was in there somewhere. I could feel it. The certainty hit me instantly, cold and absolute. Maternal intuition mixed with Nexari magic.
“Well, who’s coming with me?” I asked as I turned around and faced them. My pulse hammered. My magic crackled beneath my skin. Somewhere in that laboratory, Addison thought she had the advantage.
Mommy’s coming, Darian.