Chapter 5
Chapter Five
A strange pulse shuddered through the bridge—just once, like a heartbeat skipping out of rhythm. Phoenix frowned but shook it off.
Everything is probably fine, she silently hoped.
The vibrant, multicolored threads, a swirling river of light and shadow, flowed together ahead of her, exactly as she recalled from her previous trip to the otherworldly realm.
The endless, vibrant road of energy twisted through shimmering dimensions, humming with power.
With a powerful thrust, her wings flared wide, leaving a glittering, fiery trail as she soared through the vibrant, swirling tunnel.
Only when she saw the others far below, moving like shooting stars along separate paths, their voices echoing faintly through the swirling, chaotic expanse, did she realize something was terribly wrong with the portal.
The bridge fractured before her, not in one clean break, but in a multitude of shimmering cracks, spreading like a spider's web—the sight causing her eyes to widen.
Only a single bridge should span the chasm, not many.
Her heart hammered a frantic rhythm against her ribs, a deafening sound that mirrored the terror rising in her chest as she realized what was happening.
Each of the threads, thin and delicate, snaked off in a different direction, promising a unique destination.
Her gaze darted to the end of the path, her eyes scanning the distant horizon.
At least the opening was singular, a relief from the possibility of many.
Even if separated by vast distances, they'd still be on the same world.
She just hoped it was the one she had visualized.
“Spring!”
She twisted in midair, trying to reach for the others, but the force of the portal’s fracture was too strong. She couldn’t pull the threads back together.
A frantic beat echoed in her chest as the thread, carrying Roam and her sister, swerved sharply left, disappearing into a deep emerald tunnel that glowed with an otherworldly light.
The air crackled with the scent of ozone, a fresh, almost metallic fragrance.
The echo of Roam’s wild whoop of exhilaration, mixed with her sister’s growl for him to go find his own thread, faded as they moved farther away.
Her head whipped around when they suddenly disappeared through an opening filled with huge trees that reminded her of the one in the garden. Before the opening slammed shut, she caught a glimpse of her sister's dragon; her scales shimmering, a brilliant white and shocking pink in the fading light.
To her right, Alice tumbled into a shifting blue and silver thread, reaching out as if trying to hold on to it. She vanished when a thick mist suddenly formed before Phoenix could reach her.
“No!” Phoenix cried out in frustration, but the sound was carried away as she swept past where Alice had disappeared.
She turned her head, frantically trying to reach one of the others. Any of them. Her gaze flew upward when a red thread danced just a few feet above her.
Her gaze locked on Jabir. He was spinning around in a slow circle, clutching a new bag of chips between his hands. He grinned and waved down at her as he spun past her.
“Jabir, wait for me!” she called, trying to find a way over to his thread.
She bounced off the edge of a band of energy when a powerful white thread snapped upward.
The energy crackled like lightning around him.
Her mouth dropped open when Jabir’s muted shout of “This is the best adventure ever!” faded as his form dropped with a stomach-churning speed down a red tunnel of light.
“No! Dang it.”
Her head whipped around when another thread briefly crossed hers up ahead.
Zohar was fighting the pull of his fading thread, his face twisted in grim determination.
His thread looked like it was about to collapse completely.
Phoenix heart rose to her throat when she saw the orange thread Zohar was struggling to hold onto flicker.
If it disappeared, he would be tossed into the dark void of space and die.
“Zohar! Grab my claw,” she frantically called, reaching out for him.
“I can’t. I can’t let go,” Zohar yelled back, his eyes wide with determination.
“You have to. Your thread is fading. If it does, you won’t make it,” she replied, trying to fly faster.
She reached out, the tips of her claws brushing against his fingertips just as he let go with one hand to grab hers. Their eyes connected. She saw a flash of fear followed by resignation when the thread sputtered and he suddenly dropped.
No, no, no—
“Zohar!” she screamed, her gaze following his tumbling body.
Tears burned her eyes and she released a choked sob when she saw he had landed on a vivid blue thread that was rolling like a gentle wave toward shore.
He twisted, his eyes catching hers before he disappeared through an opening that looked like a whirlpool that suddenly formed in the center of his thread.
“Phoenix! What do I do?”
Phoenix looked up when she heard Adaline’s frantic call.
Adaline’s thread was unweaving and growing smaller and smaller.
Her eyes flashed to a dark purple thread weaving in and out like the tail of a kite caught in a fierce wind.
Bálint was on it. He had shifted into his purple and gold dragon and was crouched low on all fours.
“Bálint! Bálint! You have to help Adaline. Pull her onto your thread,” she hollered.
Bálint looked over his shoulder at her and nodded. Crouching even lower, his body flashed past Adaline. He twisted as her rose-colored thread crisscrossed his and grabbed her off her thread a fraction of a second before it burst into millions of brilliant, rainbow sparkles.
“Watch out!” she cried out.
Her warning came a fraction too late. Distracted by the sparkles, Bálint and Adaline didn’t see the fluffy white hole that opened up in the center of the thread they were on. One second they were there, and the next they had disappeared through it.
“Oh, this is a disaster,” Phoenix groaned.
Squeals from behind her drew her attention. Looking over her shoulder, she barely had time to twist out of the way when Amber and Jade flashed past her.
“Hi, Phoenix,” Jade called out with a huge grin.
“Bye, Phoenix,” Amber crowed with a gleeful wave.
Hope blossomed that she might at least catch up with them before it died a swift death as the duffle bag the twins were riding on swerved to the left and bobbed up and down in a chaotic, flickering purple thread of energy that reminded her of the huge slide in the amusement park under the palace.
She caught the echo of the twins’ gleeful laughter—and the sight of massive sailing ships before the opening closed behind them with a brilliant pop.
Tears of frustration burned her eyes again when she looked up. They were all gone. Everyone. There was only her left.
“It figures they would be thrilled about this.”
A sharp pang of guilt twisted in her gut. This was all her fault. She had opened the portal. She had lost them. What if she never saw them again? What if she had stranded them across dimensions?
“Please let them be okay. Please let me find them,” she whispered as the bridge snapped and began to disintegrate.
Ahead of her was an opening. Fear gnawed at her. It was closing and she wasn’t sure she would make it. If anything happened to her, there would be no hope for the others. They would be stranded wherever the portal had dropped them.
Determination filled her and she focused on the narrowing dot of light ahead of her. She didn’t know where it would take her, but it was better than being stranded in the void of space. Her wings flared with renewed energy and her tail snapped, propelling her forward at an incredible speed.
She shot through the opening, folding her wings at the last minute to make herself as small as possible and rotated as she swept through the portal.
Her eyes glowed with determination when the portal behind her disappeared.
Her gaze swept over the brilliant blue sky, noting the white clouds before she rolled and spread her flaming wings to stabilize herself.
In the distance, she saw a magnificent island.
Above the massive cliffs, the spirals of a castle rose.
Her heart hammered in her chest when shadows appeared out of the clouds.
Glancing to the side, her eyes widened with alarm when she saw the enormous black dragon that swept down and was flying beside her.
For a second, she thought her dad had discovered what she had done before she realized that this dragon was not only three times the size of her dad, but he also looked a lot meaner.
Dread filled her when more dragons appeared, falling into flight around her until she was completely surrounded.
So much for blending in and not letting anyone know we are here! she silently groaned.
“Follow me,” the huge black dragon ordered.
“Yes, sir,” she replied, giving him a weak smile.
You in trouble now. That the Dragon King, her dragon snickered.
I figured that out. At least I opened the portal to the right world. I just hope the others made it.
Dragon King help find them.
Phoenix wanted to groan again. How am I going to explain this? What will he do? Will he help me, or is he going to think me and the others are a threat? A shiver ran through her when she thought of the last alien creature that had been here.
It all good. He help us, her dragon reassured her with a smug snort.
I wish I had your confidence.
Her gaze swept over the kingdom as they began their descent. Determination filled her as she circled around the palace. Her heart clenched as she turned her focus to the horizon. She had to find the others—no matter what it took. She was their only hope of finding a way home.