Chapter 2
TWO
Dappled sunlight kissed my bare shoulders, providing little hints of warmth in the cool shade of the trees.
A larger source of warmth curled against my neck, anchoring himself with a lock of my hair.
Ringo shivered with excitement, pleased to be part of the adventure this time.
Ahead of us, Mistral led the way. At my side walked Crispin.
And bringing up the rear was Gabriel. I couldn’t help but picture him as a brooding storm cloud behind us.
The massive sword strapped across his back only added to the image.
Thus far, the magic of the Bogs hadn’t really tried to hurt me…
unless you counted dropping me into a nest of hostile merrows.
Okay, so maybe it didn’t always have my best interests at heart.
“Are there many trolls in these parts?” Crispin was saying to me as he strolled by my side.
As he walked his blue eyes caught flashes of sunlight through the leaves, making them flash almost white then back to blue.
“While your former employer is impressive, it would be a unique experience to see a full-blooded troll. They don’t tend to appear in the city. ”
Ringo shivered. “Trolls will try to eat you.”
I raised an eyebrow at Crispin as we continued down the overgrown path. “He’s not wrong.”
Crispin’s brow furrowed. “But surely with the ruler of this realm along—” He gestured to Mistral ahead of us, his long white hair shining whenever a hint of light broke through the tree cover.
“That depends on whether I choose to protect you,” Mistral replied without looking back, his voice drifting down the narrow path.
Crispin looked at me, clearly unsure if Mistral was being serious.
I shrugged, and he frowned. “Lovely.”
“Hey,” I said, stepping over a fallen log. “At least the old portal here didn’t pull me through into a pocket realm.”
“Silvana is grateful that the one in Emerald Heights did.”
I was grateful in a way, too, even though it had been a harrowing experience. The thought of those elves being stuck in that tiny realm for so long…
They were resilient, I’d give them that much.
Especially considering the shadow creatures lurking in the woods.
When King Francis first detailed the dark “things” endangering the realms, I hadn’t entirely believed him.
Now I did. They had taken the shape of animals in the forest, but what else might they become if they were loosed upon the city?
I wished I’d had time to ask my mom about them—she had been the one to sever the pathways after all, and it was for that very reason.
But during the short time we’d had with her, my great grandfather wanting to kill her had taken priority.
“You’re wishing you brought coffee, aren’t you? You only make that face when you want coffee.”
I sighed, glancing at Crispin. “I don’t know how you can watch me while walking without running into anything.”
He shrugged. “It’s an elf thing.”
“Here we are,” Mistral announced ahead of us. He looked up a steep rise, at the top of which was a cave. It hadn’t seemed nearly as daunting that night when we’d climbed down, helped along by the land, which had been pleased with our… activities.
Crispin leaned in near my shoulder as we stopped to observe the climb ahead. “You don’t think Gabriel would carry me, do you?” he whispered.
I resisted the urge to glance back at the grumpy goblin in question. “Doubtful.”
“Disappointing,” Crispin sighed, then started up the incline after Mistral.
We worked our way up, taking switchbacks where possible.
I seemed to be the only one panting, and the only one slipping on stray rocks, but that was to be expected.
None of the guys made comment, and Crispin helped me over the more treacherous areas.
It was becoming clear just how much the land had helped us last time, including transporting us straight to the cave. Maybe we should have tried that again.
Judging by the angle of the murky sun, it would be dark by the time we returned to the Citadel. If we returned. There was always the possibility that we’d get sucked through another portal, though Mistral deemed it unlikely.
At least all the way out here, there was no one to see us.
If someone ratted us out to Elizabeta, the master vampire of the city, there would be hell to pay.
She had strictly forbidden us from opening new pathways, and the werewolves of Braxton’s pack were backing her up.
The idea of my adopted family turning against me was almost as worrying as Elizabeta’s threats. Perhaps even more so.
And it was a big part of why I was anxious to return to the apartment. Maybe Sebastian would actually be able to reach his sister. She was our best chance of finding my great grandfather, acquiring the Realm Breaker, and protecting my mother.
I wiped sweat from my brow as we reached the cave.
My neck was sore and scratched from Ringo’s clinging.
Normally he would run about on his own, but he seemed uneasy being so deep in the forest. Given that we’d first met when I’d saved him from a troll’s cookpot, I couldn’t exactly blame him for being cautious.
Hands on hips, Crispin observed the cave entrance with narrowed eyes. “The magic does feel different here, but I would have missed this place searching on my own. There is already so much… unsteadiness.”
I met Mistral’s eyes beyond Crispin. I had told the elf a bit about the unstable nature of the Bogs, but not everything. Crispin didn’t understand just how dire that unsteadiness was.
I jumped when Gabriel touched my lower back, but it was only to move me a step away from the edge. Looking down, I appreciated the gesture. I’d hate to make the climb again, and that was assuming I’d actually survive the fall.
“May I go in?” Crispin asked, his head turned toward Mistral.
Mistral hesitated. He’d agreed to this—it was worth exploring—but I knew he was protective of his secrets, lest they be used against him. He was more comfortable with Crispin exploring my connection to the land, rather than the land itself.
When Mistral’s eyes landed on me and he finally nodded, Crispin strode into the cave.
I looked back at Gabriel, who at the very least wasn’t glaring at me, then walked past Mistral to follow Crispin.
It was just as I remembered it, a large stone cavern with glowing blue water at one end, lighting the space.
Crispin had already reached the water, and stood peering down into it.
I joined him, appreciating the shade and damp air after our long walk.
Ringo leaned forward on my shoulder, gripping a lock of my hair like it was a rope tethering him to a mountain.
His already large, round, eyes had grown three sizes larger. “Pretty,” he said.
He wasn’t wrong. The aqua glow of the water was almost mesmerizing.
I knelt down, running my fingers through it, not nervous since I’d done so before without incident.
Where my fingers trailed through the water, brighter currents of shimmering light followed.
It was a magical place, that much I could tell, but it wasn’t the overwhelming power of the Bogs I’d experienced elsewhere.
Crispin knelt beside me while Mistral came to stand at our backs. I didn’t see Gabriel, so he must have decided to guard the entrance, or at least, that was the story I was going with. Not that he was pissed and couldn’t bear the sight of me.
Crispin watched me a moment longer before trailing his fingers through the water. It glowed for him all the same, though he had no connection to the Bogs that we were aware of.
Deeming the cave safe enough, Ringo hopped down from my shoulder, creeping closer to the pool, its aqua glow reflecting off his eyes.
As I watched, his fur turned darker, matching the gray of the stone beneath him.
It was a curious trick of his species that Crispin had learned about, teaching it to Ringo—though it was more a matter of just letting Ringo know it was possible.
On his knees, Crispin leaned over the pool, peering down through the depths.
“Can you tell how deep it is?” I asked.
He shook his head, still looking down. “I was just wondering if there were any portal markings like in Emerald Heights.”
“There is only solid stone at the bottom,” Mistral said behind us.
I looked back. “You mean you’ve gone down there?”
He shrugged, the movement graceful. “Would you not be curious? It was some time ago. I dove to the bottom searching for the source of the spring, but no source exists.”
“There must be some source with the way it bubbles,” Crispin said.
“You are free to check for yourself.” There was a hint of laughter in Mistral’s voice. Perhaps he thought it unlikely Crispin would go on a diving expedition after he’d expressed concerns about trolls.
“Well,” Crispin said with a shrug. “I wouldn’t be a true scholar if I didn’t study every possible angle.” He stood, reaching for the buttons on his shirt.
“Dude, I don’t think he was serious.” I stood, placing myself between Crispin and the water. “You don’t know how the magic will react to you. Is it really worth drowning over?”
Crispin continued unbuttoning his shirt, revealing the smooth skin of his chest. He was built more like Mistral than Gabriel, though the shoulders were broader. “We hiked all the way out here, Eva. I will not let our day be for naught.”
I looked pleadingly at Mistral, but he made no move to stop Crispin. “At least go with him,” I said.
Mistral twitched a brow. “You would have me drown as well?”
“You’ve already been down there!” My voice came out more shrill than intended, but I couldn’t help it. I’d always had a fear of deep water. Not quite a phobia, but close enough. The thought of Crispin going down and not coming back up—
Reading my expression, Mistral sighed, then lifted his shirt over his head.
His smooth muscles rippled as he tossed it aside, his body made for swimming and running rather than lifting big heavy objects.
My eyes lingered a little too long, and by the time I turned around, Crispin was in his underwear.
Briefs, and they were red plaid. Why was I not surprised?
Doing my best to not ogle the elf, I stepped back as he and Mistral both approached the water. Mistral was still in his pants rather than his underthings, but maybe he wasn’t wearing any, and didn’t want to dive into possibly dangerous waters nude.
I had a moment to think what a bad idea this was, then they both walked into the water, submerging and diving down a moment later. Ringo darted away from the rippling pool, huddling near my right boot for safety.
“Eva?” Gabriel called from outside.
“Still here!” I called back. “The guys decided to go for a swim!”
I glanced back as a shadow shifted outside the cave, expecting to see Gabriel’s face, but instead I saw the silhouette of a thick vine. “Oh not again,” I muttered.
“There are more of them out here. They just showed up.”
Glancing once more at the now serene surface of the water, I hurried to the mouth of the cave, leaving Ringo huddled and blending into the stone.
The vine that had been peeking in turned its white flower toward me, looking me up and down.
I tensed as it came close to my face, making small movements like it was sniffing me.
Gabriel had one hand on his sword, ready to unsheathe it as he watched the vine, but I was at least pretty sure by this point that the vines didn’t want to hurt me.
Last time a vine had come to visit through a window, it seemed like it just wanted to touch me, and had whipped Crispin with a tendril when he got too close.
Remembering that incident, I gave Gabriel a wary look. “We probably shouldn’t threaten it.”
He lowered his hand from his sword hilt, but I could tell it took some effort.
More vines slithered in around us, crisscrossing over the ground, their passing reminiscent of slithering snakes.
Even though I’d just been thinking they didn’t want to hurt me, the sheer amount of them made my palms sweat.
I held extra still as another white flower rose toward my face.
Its soft petals caressed my cheek, leaving a waft of scent behind as it moved to my brow.
I barely moved my lips as I said, “Crispin and Mistral should have surfaced by now. Maybe you should go check on them.”
Gabriel snorted, and it was answer enough. He wasn’t leaving me alone with the vines.
“Okay, maybe I can check.” I took a small step back, but something barred my way. Another vine, this one as thick as my arm, had snuck around, and now leaned a massive white flower over my shoulder. More reared up, blocking my escape.
“I don’t like this.” Gabriel’s hand lifted toward his sword again.
I wanted to tell him to stop, but dizziness overcame me. An all too familiar dizziness. “Uh oh.” Just as I felt myself being transported, Gabriel grabbed my arm, coming along for the ride.