Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
The scent of fish, roasted nut, and fruit still lingered in the air, mingling with the faint sweetness of moss and rain.
Morning light filtered softly through the narrow slit in Elder Oak’s trunk, painting the curved walls in golden hues.
Alice sat nearby, chewing thoughtfully on a piece of fruit, her eyes distant as she described her home—Ceran Pax—and the way energy danced there, vibrant and responsive.
Her voice was filled with longing—and something else, something brittle beneath the surface.
Geoff didn’t interrupt. He listened. Inside, his thoughts were twisted and confused, turning like vines in a storm.
He should take her to the village. It was the right thing to do.
His brother, Isha, would be there. Captain of the Guard to the king and queen, his brother was brave, smart, and always annoyingly calm under pressure.
He would know what to do. His sister, Marina, was just as good.
She had helped save their world when the alien attacked, and her husband, Mike Hallbrook, even had experience crossing into this world from a portal.
His parents would have helped too, but they were off on the Isle of the Pirates trading goods now that it was safe to travel again.
Geoff focused on the fire as Alice spoke about her friends and the way they had been separated. The worry in her voice was real. So was the quiet tremor of fear she tried to hide.
“I’ll take you to the village,” he said suddenly.
Alice blinked, caught off guard. “You will?”
“My brother and sister can help. If Isha thinks it’s important enough, he can talk to the king and queen.”
Alice’s lips parted in surprise—and then she rose and threw her arms around him with a breathless, “Thank you!”
He froze.
For half a heartbeat, all he could feel was the press of her body against his, her arms tight around his neck, her scent like sunlight and something softly floral. Her body was warm. Solid. And yet soft at the same time.
Before he could stop himself, his head bent.
His lips brushed hers.
It was the lightest kiss—barely there. A fleeting moment. A breath.
But it changed everything.
Alice pulled back. Her blue eyes were wide with surprise. Heat washed up his neck to his face. He knew his cheeks were probably as red as the fire sticks had been as he jerked away and turned back to his satchel.
“We should go. Isha has to return to the palace soon. We don’t want to miss him.”
He didn’t look at her. Couldn’t. The silence stretched too long, too tight.
He bent and murmured the spell to extinguish the firesticks, the soft glow fading with a gentle hiss. He packed them away with trembling fingers. Grabbing the blanket, he muttered a swift cleaning spell before he rolled and tucked it into his satchel.
Why had he done that? What if she was offended? What if she thought he was stupid? What if she’d hated it?
He swallowed hard, hoisted the satchel over his shoulder, and turned—only to find he was alone.
His heart gave a hard thump.
“Elder?” he whispered.
The tree creaked softly in response, the bark shifting like tired bones. Geoff laid a palm against the trunk. “Thank you for protecting her. And for not laughing.”
The tree’s only reply was a slow, knowing rustle of leaves.
He ducked through the opening. The gap sealed behind him as he straightened.
Alice stood several yards away, her back to him, her shoulders stiff. The wind caught the ends of her braid and tugged gently at the sleeves of his coat that still hung on her slight frame.
He walked up beside her, unsure if he should speak.
Her cheeks were pink.
But it was the soft, bemused smile on her lips that stole his breath.
She didn’t look angry.
She looked… pleased.
Hope bloomed inside him, fragile and bright.
Alice lifted one hand and whispered something under her breath. Geoff’s breath caught as a scarf shimmered into existence in her palm—a soft, silvery thing that glowed like moonlight on water.
She hugged it to her chest, turned to him with tears glistening in her eyes, and smiled.
His chest tightened at the sight.
“You did it,” he said softly. “Well done.”
Alice nodded, emotion thick in her throat. “It’s the first thing I’ve made since I got here.”
Geoff reached out, almost touched her hand—then stopped himself. “We should go,” he said, his voice low.
“Yeah,” she whispered, but didn’t move.
For a moment, they stood in silence, surrounded by towering trees and ancient magic, the hush of the forest a kind of blessing. He didn’t know what would happen next. Didn’t know if she’d find her friends. Or if she’d ever be able to return home.
But he knew this:
He would protect her.
And he would never forget the way her smile made his heart beat louder than his fear.
Alice adjusted the soft scarf tied around her head, feeling the silken fabric settle against her tangled braid.
It had taken her several tries to craft it—Geoff’s steady guidance nudging her toward the rhythm of this world’s energy—but it was hers.
The threads shimmered faintly when they caught the light, threaded with color like spun starlight.
She tried not to think about his kiss, but her fingers kept brushing the edge of the scarf as if it still held the echo of that moment. Geoff hadn’t said anything about it since. Maybe it hadn’t meant anything to him.
She wasn’t sure what it meant to her.
Geoff walked ahead, his hands wrapped around the strap of his satchel, his gait easy as he pointed to a cluster of blue-feathered birds diving through the upper branches.
“Those are sky-dancers. They can mimic any song they hear. Beautiful, but loud. They love stealing shiny things, too—especially earrings.”
Alice smiled, tucking the scarf over her ears. He flashed her a grin, and she stuck her tongue out at him. He released a low series of whistles, and soon the air was filled with the melody as the sky-dancers picked it up and repeated it.
“They are loud! Do you get many travelers here?” she asked.
Geoff snorted. “Not like you. Most strangers show up by ship, both air and sea, or enter through one of the regulated portals. You—” he glanced over his shoulder “—you fell from the sky from a very unregulated portal.”
“Sorry about that. It wasn’t like I was trying to pop in unannounced. Well, we were, but not—oh, forget it. It was a totally unregulated portal.”
He grinned. “I would be surprised if the king and queen didn’t already know about you. Since the other alien creature, they have been a lot more cautious.”
“What do you mean?”
He shrugged his shoulder and flicked his fingers. A small stick appeared in his hand. Alice watched him with envy as he swung it in front of him to catch the spider webs that crossed their path.
“Years ago, there was this alien creature—a parasite, really—that tried to take over the Seven Kingdoms. It possessed Magna.”
“Who’s Magna?”
“She’s the Sea Witch,” he replied, winding a silky web around the end of his stick.
“The Sea Witch?” Alice’s brow creased.
“Her father was from the Isle of the Sea Serpent. A merman. Her mother was a witch from here, the Isle of Magic. Magna came from a powerful bloodline. The parasite took advantage of that, and she—she turned every dragon to stone. Except Drago. He’s the King of the Dragons.”
Alice’s eyes widened. “How did anyone stop her?”
“A woman named Carly came through a portal. She started a series of events that led to the defeat of the parasite.”
Alice tilted her head. “Carly… Do you know where she came from?”
“Earth,” Geoff replied. “Same place as Mike Hallbrook. He’s the one who shot Magna.”
Alice’s breath caught. “That’s where my mom is from. We’ve visited a few times.”
Geoff blinked. “You have?”
“Yeah. My mom’s human. My dad’s Curizan. I’m… me,” she added with a crooked smile. “I’m not even sure how they met. Mom never talks about it. But I remember Dad saying once that when he saw her aura, he knew that they were meant to be together.”
Geoff slowed and turned toward her. He didn’t speak. He lifted his hand—slowly—and held it a breath away from her cheek.
Alice froze, her eyes widening when shimmering strands of light flared to life around his fingers. Her aura—soft and glowing, dancing like golden fireflies.
She stared at him. “You… you can see mine?”
Geoff smiled, and there was something quiet in his eyes. Something reverent. He let his hand fall and turned back to the path. “Come on. We’ve got a ways to go.”
Alice followed, her heart a muddle of confusion and curiosity. She could see his aura, too—a wash of earthy browns and vibrant greens, like sunlight on a forest floor. How was that possible?
Her cheeks flared again, and she stared after Geoff with a troubled gaze. She’d always thought that Bálint was her mate. What if she was wrong? What if—
No! Bálint is different. We’ve always known. Haven’t we?
Doubt filled her mind, and once again she wished that she could talk to her mom or dad. They would know. Or her grandmother. She silently started walking again, lost in thought.
Ahead of her, Geoff pointed out the names of glowing toadstools, humming insects that carried pollen like golden dust, and a tiny foxlike creature that darted through the ferns with a chirp.
“What about the Night Howlers?” she asked.
“They hunt in small packs. Three to five usually. Mostly the females and the pups. The males are loners, bigger and meaner. We were lucky last night. With the storm, they were distracted. And Elder Oak… well, no beast wants to tangle with him.”
Alice shivered at the memory. “They sounded huge.”
“They are. That’s why people who know these woods use shields or charms to keep them away.”
As they walked, Alice tried once again to coax the energy to respond. She murmured to it, shaped her intent, and focused on summoning a hairbrush.
Instead, a floppy stick landed in her hand.
She groaned. “Ugh. Seriously? I asked for a hairbrush and got… a dying carrot.”