CHAPTER TWENTY
A Battle of Dimensions and Wall Breaking
Sneaking into the Shadow Fae Prince’s chambers was easier than it should’ve been.
The tower wavered in the winds as Em hiked up its tight, narrow stairs.
Her shredded ballgown skirts brushed along her legs, terribly cropped thanks to her quick knife-work to make it easier to run in.
Her dancing heels were long gone, subjecting her bare feet to cold stone,
Behind her, Polo whistled in harmony with the blizzard shrieking outside.
For once, she appreciated his exaggerated positivity, still bitter about her encounter at the masquerade with Gair, Sasha, and Roden.
No matter what she tried, she couldn’t make all her Side Characters happy at the same time.
She knew they could change; they just needed to let her help them become more original and stop being so stubborn.
Em needed to get over the WALL and steal her story back from Stephanie. Kissing best friends, and brooding rogues and demanding ninja-dryads would have to wait.
A cramp bit her side, but she pushed the stinging into the back of her mind as she continued to hike the frigid staircase.
Skeleton hands dangled from the ceiling overhead, holding small glowing crystals that lit her way.
“Do you think the Fae prince is compensating?” Polo’s voice asked behind her, breaking the tense silence. “Because the size of this tower sure feels like some sort of compensation.”
Em refused to reply, too breathless to find her voice anyway.
Eventually, her toes met the last stair.
She staggered into the dark bedroom, trying too hard not to assess the four-pillared canopy bed prepared with a rose heart for the Shadow Prince and Vampire Queen.
“Well, this looks fun!” Polo snickered behind her. “Wonder if they’re inviting other guests into their evening affairs.”
“Don’t touch anything,” Em said, not glancing back at the imp. She cut across the bedroom and pulled open a pair of double doors that led onto the balcony. Snow and ice bit at her face. She hugged her bare arms, shivering, and slipped out into the angry night.
Em stood somewhere between a sea of stars and the glowing Fae world below her. The forest sprawled for miles all around, and from up here, she could even see the distant Doomed Mountain, Tolk-Town, and Fan-Fiction theaters.
To the side of the Shadow Prince’s borders, two massive mountains towered eye-to-eye with the silvery spire she stood on. Between the peaks, just as Roden told her, loomed the WALL.
Her breath hitched at its menacing existence. Em’s stomach twisted, her gut telling her it was time to leave, and she shouldn’t be here. Anxiety rushed through her veins.
Turn back, Em. It’s not worth it.
Compared to the Romantasy realm surrounding her, the WALL was something dystopian.
Dozens of construction ladders leaned destitute along the WALL, small and lost in its sheer height.
The cement barrier stretched for miles into the sky and across the scenery, as if it bordered the end of Novella and held up the heavens.
Bright, blueish spotlights shone on the structure, and the midnight fog created a ghostly haze about it. Just like her vision.
A sensation of separation, of knowing this WALL belonged to another species or dimension, filled Em’s chest. Her conscience screamed at her to turn back. To leave and ignore. To forget.
I have to do this, she told herself, then to Stephanie, you cannot stop me.
Streaked across the WALL black paint smeared one word in bleeding script:
FOURTH.
“What does that mean?” Polo whispered, coming beside her. “The FOURTH WALL?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I know somewhere past that damned wall is where my Great Author hides.”
That is correct.
“Highness…” for the first time since she met the imp, Polo sounded scared. “You sure you want to cross that line? No one in Novella has ever seen or met a Great Author before. You don’t know what risks you’re taking.”
Pressure strained Em’s chest, and her head hummed, aching, ready to burst, but she kept her focus locked on the FOURTH WALL. She would not let it defeat her.
“I have to, Polo,” she said, teeth chattering and her nose burning raw with cold. “Otherwise, we’ll all be ruined by the shitty plotline. This is the only way to get my life back.”
“But you have a good life, Highness,” the imp squeaked, leaning closer to her for warmth.
She put an arm around the shivering sidekick, and he leaned his head into her hip.
“You’re the Chosen One. You’re a Main Character on a valiant quest about to save thousands of lives from an evil necromancer!
You’ve got friends who love and fight for you. Is that not enough?”
Em licked her cracking lips. “No.”
“Oh,” Polo whimpered, snuggling closer.
Winds sprinkled snow through the FOURTH WALL’s spotlights. The flakes danced around Em, knitting the cold air with her frozen need to defeat this impossible obstacle. Faylorn told her in his death note that the story she’d been given was hers for a reason.
And she’d been chosen to ruin it.
“I’m sorry, Polo,” Em said. “But I need more than this life.”
“Okay, well, how can I help?”
And this is exactly why I didn’t bring the others along. She managed to genuinely smile. Spite or Roden would’ve asked too many damn questions; Gair would’ve just gotten in the way. Maybe having a sidekick wasn’t the worst—maybe that’s why it was a trope in the first place.
“I need you to stay near the FOURTH WALL while I try to scale it,” Em explained, slipping back into the warmth of the bedroom.
Relief washed over her as she peeled her focus off the haunting WALL.
“If something goes wrong, I need you to get help. And if I do make it, I need you to wait until I come back to ensure I’m safe and unharmed. ”
Polo laughed. “Surely a Great Author isn’t going to… um… hurt you?”
You have no damn idea.
True, he’s pretty clueless. But that’s how I like my characters—makes them easier to control.
“It’s just to be safe,” is all Em told the imp.
“Well, unless you wanna jump off the Shadow Daddy’s balcony or you’ve got a hidden pair of wings like Roden, we’d better begin the long trek downstairs,” Polo sighed.
“Roden has wings?”
“Really wide sexy ones,” the imp bobbed his eyebrows.
“I didn’t see those when he took his shirt off at the Long Rest Tavern,” Em said.
“He folds them up real snug,” Polo said. “You disappointed you missed the show? I can steal all his clothes tonight before we make camp so you can experience his full gloriousness. And I don’t just mean the wings.”
“No.” Em nearly gagged. “I’m good.”
“Not your kink?”
“No.”
Thank heavens.
“What a waste,” the imp pouted. “You’re too asexual to be a Chosen One sometimes, Highness.”
“We’re wasting precious time. Let’s go.” Em hurried back toward the staircase. Her legs ached, protesting the fact that she’d have to climb back down, but she had a bigger concern than being tired.
Thankfully, it was faster going down than up.
Polo led Em through the Fae palace again.
Her sidekick already memorized the exact location of every nook and cranny so they could avoid running into the others.
After darting between pillars and under tables, the imp took her out a back entrance.
They scrambled into a secret garden full of fountains and wide sofas—which were occupied by one too many entangled naked bodies.
Em shielded her eyes and ignored Polo’s scandalous jokes as they cut across the palace grounds. Thankfully, the series of hedge mazes and moonlit paths was empty.
She silently regretted not grabbing a cloak before leaving.
The gems on her corset reflected the moon, so anyone looking out a window from the ballroom could see her running through the gardens.
The last thing she needed was for Roden or Gair to notice she’d snuck off into the blizzard and come chasing after her. They’d just get in the way.
Polo jogged ahead to a low, ornate wall, motioning for her to keep close. “Just over here, a shortcut through the woods, and we’ll be at the wall-thing in no time.”
“Thanks,” Em whispered. She hoisted herself over the low enclosure, landing in a squat on the other side.
Snow froze her bluing toes, and she winced at the numbness in her ankles.
She smoothed her thin dress and rubbed her arms, catching her foggy breath as Polo took his turn to climb over.
Without a word, the imp offered her his small dress coat.
It barely fit, but it helped shield the winds, and she was grateful for the touch of warmth.
“Do you think the Great Authors are expecting you, Highness?” Polo asked as they stumbled into the forest.
Yes.
Yes.
Em pretended to shrug, monitoring everything underfoot so she didn’t step on anything sharp. “Who knows what they know about us?”
They trudged through the frozen woods, the thick mossy trees blocking the shrilling winds. Behind them, the glow of the Veil of Maas twisted their shadows along the forest floor. Ahead, the blue hue of the FOURTH WALL awaited them, urging her to run faster.
The snow became deeper the closer they came to the WALL, blanketing the world like words on a page being deleted. Em shuddered at the thought. Her heart raced, unable to keep in time with her gasps.
Mist swallowed them. The wintry air thinned into something thick and warm as they crossed into a new realm. Mud rose where snow melted, and the haunting blue glow overtook everything. Em’s soul trembled to flee, to turn away from the forbidden barricade ahead. Still, she kept going.
The closer to the WALL she ran, the further Novella felt behind her. Like a dream, her physical awareness of reality weakened. A foggy veil draped across her mind, whispering for her to sleep. To forget life. To ignore the WALL.
You can’t stop me, she thought Stephanie. Em resisted and pushed on. I won’t be defeated.
The FOURTH WALL loomed over her, a silhouette blurred by its bright spotlights.
“Highness, wait up!” Polo’s gasp forced her into a skidded halt. Her head spun, dizzy, as she glanced over her shoulder. The imp hunched, practically melting behind her, wiping saliva off his mouth. “I can’t… keep… going.”
Em stumbled back and caught him before Polo fell into the mud.
“We have to,” she said, dragging him along with her. For someone so short, he was a pure deadweight. Her wrists popped in protest. “It’s the last chance to save my story!”
“It’s… so… hard.” Polo fell on his side. “And… not in a… fun way…”
“Don’t give in!” Em yelped as he staggered in her grasp, wrapping her arms over his shoulders to try to pull him up. “Shit! Not now!”
Polo’s eyes rolled into the back of his skull. He collapsed into the mud, unconscious with a stupid grin across his face. The imp let out a long, quivering snore.
So much for being a lookout. Em stepped back, glancing between the WALL and her sidekick, debating what to do. She could either risk going without him or turn back to better prepare.
Turn around, Em.
Shit shit shit. She let out a frustrated grunt, kicking at the mud. If she went back, she’d have to face Gair and Roden again.
You don’t want to do this.
Em left Polo behind. Straining her limbs, she trudged forward toward the WALL. A ringing pressure dug into her skull. Although her legs felt like they were made of iron and her heart hammered against her ribcage like it was ready to explode, Em kept going.
The blue spotlights and misty haze were blinding, clawing into her eyes.
She fought to stay standing, awake, and alive.
Mud clung to her shaky legs, and chimes reverberated through her head.
Em gritted her teeth and forced thick bile down her throat.
She challenged the otherworldly powers L as the magical force surrounding the FOURTH WALL tried to overwhelm her and send her fleeing back into the world of Novella where she belonged.
You can’t stop me.
The closer she came to the cement wall, the clearer it became.
The FOURTH WALL wasn’t real. It was just an illusion.
Stop.
So long as Em stayed upright, she’d pass right through its humming, throbbing existence. She took in a deep breath, bracing herself for the final jump.
Don’t do this.
Em could do this. She had to.
This was her one shot to steal her story back and turn it into the plot she deserved. And she wasn’t about to let some mediocre, inexperienced, unsuccessful writer ruin her life.
She let out a battle cry, charging forward.
Em broke right through the FOURTH WALL.