24. Chapter Twenty-Four
Sapphire hadn’t ever looked so pale. She’d opened a portal to get us closer to the barrier, but I knew what sort of danger resided near the fae barrier.
It wasn’t mortal soldiers or fae citizens. It was the man she’d spent years running from, the king who’d harmed her in more than one way—her former husband, a man set on getting her back. Whatever magic divided the realms meant we couldn’t get onto the deadlands, but we were close. It shaved off so much of our journey.
“Let’s just keep moving,” she muttered as soon as we were on that blackened soil. The trees were dead here, naked branches forming canopies overhead. A chill raced through me—I’d forgotten how cold the wintry wind was. The Spring Court was just that: eternal spring, with sun and rain and perfect warmth. “It’ll be an hour before we reach the barrier by foot.”
I adjusted my bag and kept up with the two of them. Eero had been silent since we said goodbye to Casynox and the healer, Valerie. His dual-colored glare was on a swivel as we walked. Each of us had a sword, a dagger, and a satchel. I wasn’t confident with my weaponry, just mildly more competent than magic, but perhaps we would get lucky. I was a clumsy fighter, but I was in a better spot than the last time I had to defend myself.
There was something powerful, though—wielding the only silver blade. It could harm me as badly as it could harm Eero. It wasn’t as if it had seen war. Not yet, anyway.
I watched the dark soil form a thin layer of powder over my tan boots. “Will anybody be alerted when we pass through the barrier?”
Eero looked at me. “Uncertain. Novus made it through untouched, but he has friends in high places. Well, more like enemies that fear him, but no matter—we will get through it, and if we have to run, we will.”
“The disguise is good enough to trick most sorceresses, but we’ll need to be careful. Even if it rings the bells, we can move fast, and they won’t know the difference between us and the hundreds of other traveling mercenaries trying to find a job.”
I wondered if I’d be glamoured, too, and what form I’d take. There was a silly part of me that wondered if Eero would favor that version of me. Maybe Sapphire would do me one better and make me an old hag—then, I’d just have to hope Eero wasn’t attracted to wrinkled skin and thin gray hair.
So we kept on in silence, with our eyes peeled ahead and ears perked to catch any snapped twig or tittering beast. Every once in a while, I caught Sapphire looking behind her, but I knew it wasn’t because of the Underfae.
It was something so much scarier than that.
Less than an hour later, we slowed. I could see the narrow land bridge ahead, the water crashing against the shores like a subtle lullaby. It was soothing, and I discovered how much I missed the beach.
Sapphire faced us, and without a word, she approached Eero, and magic sizzled off her, encompassing her hands like lightning bugs in the night. She didn’t touch him, and instead used the air as a canvas that guided her. Before my eyes, Eero shifted into a different person—his eyes no lighter than the bark of a tree, skin pallid, shoulders narrowed. His white hair grew to his shoulders, dark brown strands bleeding from his roots to the scraggly ends. It was a quick process—one I wished to do myself. There was power in this sort of magic.
And then Sapphire faced me. She smiled softly and whispered, “It helps to close your eyes. It feels like a thousand little bugs pinching you.”
I cringed but did as she suggested. It was exactly as she described—I could feel my nose elongate, and then the spidery legs of magic trickled from the roots in my head. My lips, then my cheeks and jaw. Before I knew it, the insect of magic had faded, and I opened my eyes, wondering what she’d made me. I moved a piece of hair between my fingers, capturing sight of shimmering blonde strands.
“There. Now we don’t have to worry about people recognizing you.”
I looked at Eero, who smiled subtly at me. His lips were thinner in this form, but that smile was unmistakable. It was still Eero—my Eero.
Sapphire’s new form was a middle-aged woman with graying hair, dull eyes, and freckled skin. She backed away, jerking her head toward the barrier. “Come on. This will only last for so long, and then we’ll have to find a place to hide before we do it again.”
Just as I remembered, we crossed that land bridge, and I could have so easily forgotten about the magical barrier that divided the realms. The shores distanced themselves, the barren deadlands loomed over me, and I found myself fearful of what was to come.
This was my last attempt at saving what was my home. If this didn’t work, I’d be all but orphaned again—with nothing but my wicked love and his warriors to call my home. Family would become a dream, one I don’t know I wanted to live through again. The loss was just too much.