Chapter 16
Nell
The sensation of falling is even worse than before. My body seems to dissolve in the current of energy, stretching like spaghetti, but I cling to the book with desperation. I'm not letting go even if it's the last thing I do in this world.
I expect to feel Maris following me, grabbing me by the ankle, and returning me to the place we came from. But the portal closes behind me with a snap, letting me fall again onto the dusty floor of Pearshield's warehouse.
The old man is there, watching me with an indecipherable expression.
“I see you've met Maris Brightcrown, and you're still alive,” he comments with a calmness that seems almost insulting given the situation. “Interesting.”
I get up, still trembling with rage and fear.
“Interesting? What the hell do you find interesting?!” I yell, unable to hide my frustration. “You sent me to another damn dimension? You're a fucking psychopath!”
Pearshield simply shrugs and smiles.
“Technically, you threw yourself into the portal,” he corrects. “I simply gave you the option to do it or not.”
“I didn't throw myself in, idiot,” I correct. “I grabbed my book, and the portal swallowed me. Why did you do it?”
“I had to return the book to its true owners,” he responds, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “What I didn't expect is that you'd manage to return alive... much less with the book. The Brightcrowns must be very furious. That tome is literally unique.”
“It's mine,” I remind him, hugging the book like it's a shield. “I need it. When I'm done with it, I'll return it to that woman or whoever. You can tell her I will, I swear. But for now, I need it,” I insist.
“Do you really know what you have in your hands?” he asks, and for the first time, I think there's a hint of concern in his voice.
“That book contains secrets that could alter the balance between the realms. It wasn't written for a beginner.
And I prefer not to ask why you have those powers, but it seems to me they'll bring you many more problems than you think.”
“I'll learn to use it,” I assure him, pressing the book against my chest again.
Pearshield studies me a moment longer, then nods slowly and shrugs.
“I suppose you will,” he murmurs. “If you stay alive, at least. The money is on the table. You can keep it if you want. Consider it a gift for the show.”
I don't wait for him to change his mind. I pick up the money and head straight for the exit, feeling his gaze on my back the whole time.
“Wind whisperer,” he calls when I'm about to cross the door. “Today you've drawn too much attention. They'll come looking for you. Be very careful who you trust. Not everything is what it seems in the world of the Fae.”
I leave the store without responding, with my heart beating so hard I fear I might have a heart attack.
The city streets seem strangely normal after what I just experienced.
People walking, the sound of cars, the sun beginning to set on the horizon.
But I don't even know anymore what's normal and what isn't.
One thing is clear. I can't return to my apartment.
The bookseller surely knows where I live and that Maris or her family will pay him a visit.
I'm sure of it. Besides, I can't trust that Colt won't try to sell the book again as soon as he gets the chance now that he knows it's worth a lot of money.
There's only one place I can go.
**
I enter Sylara, Sabina, and Althea's building clutching the book so hard my arms hurt. The doorman doesn't even ask where I'm going, he simply gestures with his head and lets me pass. I suppose he already recognizes me.
When I reach the penthouse, Althea opens the door right after I knock.
“Nell?” she asks, surprised. “What are you doing here?”
Her expression changes immediately when she sees my state. I must look like a mess; with messy hair, clothes covered in dust and, probably, a look of absolute panic in my eyes.
“I've been in another world,” I blurt out without preamble as soon as I enter the apartment. “Another fucking world, can you believe it? Look, I'm still shaking,” I say, showing her one of my hands.
“What are you talking about?” she asks, confused, taking me by the hand toward the living room. “Sit down, you look about to pass out any moment.”
I let myself fall onto the couch and place the book on the table. I don't even know where to begin telling what happened.
“Try to calm down and start from the beginning!” she suggests, sitting next to me.
“Okay, let's see... Colt sold the magic book,” I explain, though the words come out of my mouth confusedly.
“I went to an old store to buy it back, but the owner, some guy named Pearshield, tricked me.
There was a portal, and suddenly I fell through a tunnel and appeared in a strange forest..
. oh, and there was a woman, someone named Maris Brightcrown, very pretty, but I think a little crazy.
She insisted the book belonged to her family and that I had to stay there with her and I.
.. Don't look at me like that, damn it, I'm not making it up, even if it seems like it.”
“Wait,” Althea interrupts me, turning the obsidian stone between her fingers. “Did you say Maris Brightcrown?”
“Yes, that one, do you know her?”
Althea pales, something I didn't think possible in a Kobold.
“Oh, fuck,” she sighs.
“Is that bad?”
“It's worse. She's the daughter of the current Fae king. How did you manage to escape from her?”
“I used my magic,” I respond, surprising myself with how naturally I say those words. “I don't know, I got very nervous and created a gust of wind that pushed her backward, and then I jumped back through the portal before she could stop me.”
Althea hides her face in her hands, and just at that moment, the apartment door opens and Sylara enters. Her expression changes slightly when she sees us, and she approaches without making the slightest noise, as is usual for her.
“What's happening?” she asks, crouching in front of me.
“She's been to Aifshara.”
“What?”
Althea quickly summarizes what I just told her. The elf listens in silence, as if reflecting, though she manages not to show emotions.
“This is a serious setback,” she finally whispers.
“Yeah, no shit, the word serious falls way short,” the Kobold growls.
“Okay, can you explain to me once and for all what's going on?”
“If the Brightcrowns know of your existence and that you have the book, they won't stop until they recover it.”
“Why is that book so important?” I ask. “I mean, I know it contains spells and all that shit, but it seems like there's something more.”
Sylara and Althea exchange a look.
“It's one of the foundational texts of elemental magic,” Sylara explains.
“It contains secrets that were thought lost since the fragmentation of the realms. I don't know how Kaelisar managed to steal it from Aifshara's forbidden library, but if he gave it to you, he must have a motive beyond simply helping you control your powers.”
“Do you think there's something hidden in it?” Althea asks.
“It's possible,” Sylara nods. “The Fae are masters at hiding information in plain sight.”
The apartment door opens again, and Sabina enters. She has her cell phone glued to her ear and seems very agitated.
“Desi, listen to me, please,” she begs in an almost desperate tone. “It doesn't matter what Kaelisar told you, it's not safe. I'm going to get you out of there, do you hear me? I'm going to come for you and...”
She stops, frowning as she grunts something in a language I don't understand.
“Desi? Are you there?”
She lowers the phone and looks at it with frustration.
“They cut the call,” she murmurs, and for the first time I notice true anguish in her voice.
Only then does she notice my presence.
“Nell? What are you doing here?” she asks, surprised.
While Sylara tells her what happened, I take advantage to observe her.
I remember what she told me that night at the burger joint: Kaelisar has her sister.
Now I understand why, even though she hates him, she keeps working for him.
It's the same reason I do it: to protect a loved one.
And yet, there's something in Sabina's expression that unsettles me.
It's not just worry. It's fear. As if she knows something about Desi she hasn't told us.
“Can I spend the night here?” I ask when they finish talking. “I don't think it's safe to take the book to my apartment, and I need to keep studying.”
To my surprise, it's Sabina who responds first, almost before I finish the sentence.
“Of course you can. In fact, you can stay as long as you need and it's better if you do. It's not safe for you to be alone.”
“We can order pizza,” Althea suggests. “After everything you've been through, you must be hungry.”
Sylara nods, opening an app on her cell phone.
“I'll take care of it. What kind do you prefer?”
While we wait for the food, each one settles into the spacious living room.
Sylara sits on the floor, by the window, and small flowers sprout while she reads a book.
Althea settles in front of the TV, watches a fantasy movie with the volume very low.
Sabina goes into the bathroom for a long shower, though at least, this time she hasn't undressed in front of us.
And I, with the book open in my lap, surprise myself by observing them and feeling a strange sensation of belonging.
It's almost... as if I were already part of this strange group.
As if we were normal roommates, and not a half-Fae thief and three elemental creatures forced to work together for a lunatic who claims to be an exiled king.
For a brief instant, I wonder how it would feel if this were real. If there were no threats, and no Kaelisar either. Just the four of us, sharing this space, learning from each other, living together.
I shake my head, and try to get those thoughts out of my mind. That will never happen. I keep reading, and a sentence from the book manages to freeze my blood:
“The Quad bond is the most powerful and dangerous connection that can form between elementals. It transcends friendship, goes far beyond romantic or familial love. It fuses the essences of the four primordial elements into an inseparable unity...”
My breathing accelerates, but before I can keep reading, the doorbell announces the arrival of the pizzas.