Chapter 93 Nico #2
We each grabbed our bags and looked at the young witch expectantly. She stood and took a step toward us, forming a basic triangle. She lifted her hands, one toward each of us. “Take my hands and hold each other’s as well.”
I took her hand in mine; her skin was cool and soft. No sweat at all. It was a good sign. I don’t think I could have gone through with it if her hands were clammy with nerves. Maddy took the other hand, then slipped her free hand into mine.
Sinthy tilted her head to the right. “This is going to feel a little disorienting. I want you to be ready for it.”
My anxiety spiked. The girl’s hand wasn’t sweaty, but mine was. I was sure she noticed but thankfully didn’t say anything. Maddy glanced at Sinthy, a nervous look on her face. “Does… um… will it hurt?”
The young witch chewed at her lip for a moment before answering. “Honestly, it’s probably better if we do this like taking off a Band-Aid.”
Without another word, she teleported us.
The sensation was like being sucked through the tube of a vacuum.
My stomach flipped, and for a few seconds, I had the sensation of falling through the air, almost like skydiving, except without falling down to earth.
It was like I was somehow falling sideways.
The whole thing took less than three seconds.
When it was over, I stumbled backward, releasing Sinthy’s and Maddy’s hands.
I went down on one knee. The world was still spinning, and my stomach rolled.
Maddy was beside me, bent over, hands on knees, trying to catch her breath.
That was when I realized I was gasping for air.
It was like I’d been holding my breath for three or four minutes, and my body was desperate for oxygen. Holy shit, that was not fun.
The witch walked up behind us and rubbed a hand on each of our backs. “Sorry about that. It’s a bit hard to explain. I thought it would be easier to go for it and see what happened.”
Maddy spit on the ground, probably trying to get the taste of bile out of her mouth like I was. She looked at Sinthy. “Yeah, it’s not fun. I’ll be happy never to do that again.”
“Same here.” I groaned and stood, finally finding my footing.
The world had stopped spinning, and I could make out where we were.
I’d honestly been expecting a little cabin out in the woods—the stereotypical witch’s hut.
Instead, we were in an alleyway between two large buildings.
I could see a busy city street at the end of the alley.
It looked almost like I was in New York again.
A few snatches of conversation echoed down from the street.
The accents were Australian. The same as Sinthy’s.
We really had traveled almost ten thousand miles in a matter of seconds. No wonder Maddy and I felt like shit.
“Follow me,” Sinthy said as she walked toward the end of the alley.
Out on the street, she pointed toward a loft-style building. Maddy and I followed. My curiosity finally got the best of me. “This is where you guys live?”
Sinthy sighed. “Yes, Nico. We don’t live in a gingerbread house, and we don’t eat children. I’m sorry to dash your hopes and dreams.”
I felt my face flaming, and I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to embarrass myself any more than I already had.
The closer we got to the building, the heavier the feeling of magic was.
It was almost palpable. I’d sensed something in the tunnels below the royals’ castle and in the underwater cave, but this was a whole different level.
The magic surrounding this place was so powerful it was like I was putting a wet finger near a light socket.
An inch away from being fried by the power.
Sinthy opened the door and gestured for us to come inside. “My mother awaits.”
I glanced around one final time and stepped through the door.
My breath caught in my throat as I crossed the threshold.
From the outside, the interior looked like the lobby of a simple office building.
Once I stepped through, it was like a light had been switched on, and it all changed.
It was a simple family home. A living room, kitchen, and hallway.
Nothing more than a typical home you’d see in the suburbs.
It most definitely did not look like the five-story office building I’d seen from the outside.
Thinking I’d somehow been teleported again, I spun to look back through the glass door.
The problem was the door was now solid wood.
The metal and glass door Sinthy had held open moments ago was gone.
A window beside the door showed the outside world.
It was the same city street we’d just been on.
We hadn’t teleported. We’d only walked into a world hidden by magic.
“Holy shit,” I whispered.
“Pretty cool, yes,” Sinthy said as she walked deeper into the house.
“Sinthy?” a female voice called from a room down the hall. “Is that you?”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Well, it took you long enough, didn’t it?”
Sinthy rolled her eyes at Maddy and me before answering. “Mother? Did you forget you had me stop off in New York? I was out of juice. I had to recharge the batteries, so to speak.”
I froze. New York? That was the second time she’d mentioned being in New York.
My phone call to Donatello flashed back across my mind.
I guess you could say a little birdie told me to.
That’s what he’d said. I remembered the dark black crow the witch had been before turning into her human form.
These women had been the ones to get Donatello to help us.
They’d pulled the strings. Donatello was powerful and mind-bogglingly rich.
Whatever Sinthy had said to him must have made an impression to get him to help us again.
I pulled Maddy close and put my lips to her ear. “She’s the one who convinced Donatello to offer us his island.”
Maddy turned to look at me. Her face, at first confused, went wide-eyed as she made the same connections I had. “Holy shit,” she whispered.
“Come in the kitchen. We need to talk. I have much to tell you,” the voice said.
Sinthy gestured toward a doorway that led out of the living room into the kitchen.
A fireplace sat in one corner of the kitchen near a small dining table.
A woman sat beside the fire. She looked as old as the earth itself.
Deep lines creased her face, and the skin on her hands looked as thin as crepe paper.
When she turned her eyes upon us, though, I was sure this was no frail woman.
She might have looked like she was a hundred years old, but the person inside that body was spry, intelligent, and cunning.
Maddy froze mid-step as she took in the woman’s features. The old woman stared back at her, a knowing glint in the ancient eyes. I glanced between the two, sure something was happening, but unable to figure it out.
Finally, Maddy’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I… recognize you. Or… uh… my wolf does. Maybe?”
The old woman’s face broke out into a bright smile. Her teeth were perfectly straight and white and appeared to be her own. I could see, with that smile, that she’d been a beautiful young woman many years ago. Many centuries ago, apparently—if what Sinthy said was true.
The old witch clapped her hands once in pleasure. “That is very good to hear.” She gestured to the extra seats beside the fire. “Please sit. I have much to tell you.” She glanced over her shoulder toward Sinthy. “Bring us tea, dear. Please.”
“Yes, Mother,” Sinthy said in a good-natured yet long-suffering tone.