Chapter 11
Chapter
Eleven
Holding my breath, I stared into the seemingly endless dark void before us.
The portal to the fairy realm was nothing like what I had imagined from the stories I'd heard—no sweet floral scents or melodic laughter emanated from its depths.
But there it stood, a dark and daunting challenge, tempting us to dive inside.
Greyson stood next to me, rubbing his hands together, a small smile on his face.
With the war against the Blood Queen and retrieving the crystal, I didn’t have the chance to explain everything about the fairy realm to him.
I didn’t want to expose his life to more danger, especially since he hadn’t trained to fight.
“Greyson, the witches told me the fairy realm is corrupted by dark magic,” I said, watching his smile disappear, “we don’t know what we’ll find there, but judging by the fire-breathing creatures the dark witch brought from the fairy realm and this scary-looking portal, the fairy realm seems dangerous. ”
His eyes filled with concern, and I knew that he was struggling to understand everything that had happened thus far.
"But I’ve been looking forward to finding my fairy family and starting a new life where I don’t have to hide myself anymore," he said.
I sighed and looked at the ground. “I know I promised you to take you with me,” I said, lifting my gaze to his. “But I also don’t want you to get hurt.”
Greyson ran his hands over his short hair.
“I’ll hate myself if something happens to you,” I said and took a deep breath as Greyson’s shoulders slumped.
Averting his gaze to the ground, he paced in front of me. “I’ll probably just get in the way, or worse…” he mumbled.
He lifted his gaze to the dark portal and swallowed hard. “I understand, Breanna. I’m disappointed, but I know you have a lot of things to do there.”
I let out a heavy breath, some of the pressure lifting from my chest. “Besides the obvious confrontation with Hayden, the Fairy King wants me dead, and I’m about to find out why.
My biological mother is imprisoned somewhere there.
And I have ten days to retrieve the family athame my mother has and deliver it to the dark witch, or she’ll take away my wolf spirit. ”
I let out a nervous laugh, and Greyson nodded.
"That's a lot to handle. But you're not alone,” he said, glancing at Robert and Torin. “I’ll join you in the fairy realm when it’s safe for me to enter it.”
Greyson showed maturity to prioritize his safety at this moment, and I was grateful that he trusted me.
"I’m still keeping my promise to bring you in, but later, Greyson.”
Stopping his pacing, he pulled me into a soft hug.
“I think I know how to be of help to you,” he said, attempting a smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He released me. “In the meantime, I'll do everything I can to help the kingdom in your absence and get your parents to safety."
"Thank you," I whispered, and then I gave him directions to Adrian’s headquarters in the city. “Tell Adrian and Tammy everything and stay with them for now. If the witches decide to help, they’ll contact you.”
When I pulled away from the half fairy, Torin stepped to my side. He beamed at Greyson, and I did a double take. Torin had a genuine, wide smile on his lips, showing white teeth, looking so…human. He tipped his head at Greyson, and a silent message passed between them.
Robert stepped closer and shook Greyson’s hand. “Thank you,” he said. “Make sure you find a new path to go back to the car.”
Greyson nodded, turned around, and climbed the hill on which the Hollywood sign was nestled.
Together with Robert and Torin, I stood before the ominous gateway.
“I’ll go in first,” Torin said. “Robert, you go after Anna.”
“Okay,” he mouthed.
I darted my gaze between the two brothers. They seemed…normal—as if they’d never lived apart for decades and never betrayed each other.
From the way the brothers interacted with ease and with few words, I’d have to guess Torin had already forgiven Robert for abandoning him in the past. And Robert must have forgiven Torin for leaving their father in the burning cottage as his last wish.
Sighing, I shook my head slightly. It wasn’t the time to think about forgiveness. I would need to talk to Torin soon, but not right now.
Torin stepped forward and plunged into the darkness, the veil swallowing his massive figure.
Robert stepped to the edge of the portal next and waved at me to move. “Hurry up, Breanna.”
I wiped my damp hands on my jeans. Suddenly, goose bumps prickled on my neck as I sensed a supernatural presence around me—different from the one of the portal. My heart raced as I darted my gaze in every direction. I finally turned around to lock my eyes with icy-blue ones.
Hayden casually strolled on the path that took us to the Hollywood sign. His legs moved with intention and with a steady, deliberate rhythm. He held his chin high, looking straight ahead at me.
He was in the distance but close enough for me to see his smirk. As he winked at me, my heart dropped, and my body shuddered.
I felt like a cornered animal. With no hesitation, I stepped into the unknown darkness behind the W in the Hollywood sign.
Everything around me stretched like a vast expanse of inky blackness that looked like it pulsed with magic.
As I crossed the threshold, a tingling sensation enveloped my body, as if the magic within the portal itself embraced me, welcoming me into the realm beyond. The electric energy under my skin felt similar to my dream realm's. For a moment, disorientation overwhelmed me.
The portal’s darkness against my skin turned cool and velvety. And then I was falling, but I wasn’t afraid. Just like in my dream realm, I knew I would land on my feet steadily. A rush of weightlessness and loss of control washed over me, and extra adrenaline infused my veins.
As I descended farther into the depths of the fairy portal, I looked down at my feet. Glowing specks of light cascaded softly in the distance. Colors began to swirl and dance, forming shapes and patterns.
A sense of time slowing down settled over me as I neared the lights. And then, just as suddenly, I emerged on the other side, miraculously landing on my feet.
Torin dashed to my side, scanning my body, but didn’t say anything. Behind me, a loud thud echoed, alerting me of Robert’s arrival. No one said anything as we examined the gloomy sight surrounding us. The forest where we’d landed stole the breath from my lungs but not in a good way.
"By the Fates," I whispered, my voice almost lost in the unusual stillness enveloping us.
Right in front of me stood a tall, bare, ancient tree. The rough, scaly bark signaled that the tree was withering. The wood was a sickly gray that appeared to be decaying. Its branches looked like bony, misshapen arms reaching toward me.
I’d seen similar trees in Torin’s dream realm, but this tree had a door carved with meticulous precision into its trunk. The wood of the tiny door looked old and worn, its texture rough with ridges, and there wasn’t a door handle.
“Since I don’t see another portal, I assume this is our door to go back to the human realm?” I asked.
“I suppose so,” Torin said, looking around. Then he faced me. “I’ll remember its location.”
I darted my gaze around beyond the tree. The landscape before us looked like a twisted nightmare, devoid of the vibrant colors and life I had expected to find. The hilly landscape had burned, and naked trees dotted all over its expanse, their branches spreading out like twisted fingers.
"Is this what Cordelia's done?" I asked, my voice trembling. "She's corrupted the fairy realm with her dark magic?"
Torin nodded, his jaw set in a grim line. "I know what you’re thinking," he said in the softest voice. “But I’m not sure if we can do anything to save the realm. The dark magic would only disappear with Cordelia’s death. Let’s focus on saving your mother first.”
This man was two steps ahead of me, as if he knew my thoughts intimately.
"Okay.”
Without a clear destination, we ventured on through the barren terrain that stretched ahead of us. Although it was daylight, low-hanging gray clouds dimmed the sky.
As we ventured deeper into the burnt forest, I couldn't help but imagine the beauty of this place. I had always imagined the fairy realm would be something straight out of a storybook—a lush forest wreathed in flowers, with the sound of laughter and the soft flutter of wings echoing from within.
I was sure that it used to be an enchanted forest.
But Torin was right—I couldn’t kill my own family. Her dark magic would have shattered this realm for as long as Cordelia existed.
As we moved farther among the corrupted trees, I tried to push my fears aside and focus on my mission—saving my mother and surviving a fight with Hayden. We needed to find someone to show us the way or some landmark to Willa’s prison.
There was no telling what kind of dangers lurked around here. I stayed alert. Robert reached for the back of his jeans’ waistband and pulled out the hilt of the enchanted sword. He tossed it to his brother.
“Dad let you keep the sword?” I asked, and Torin nodded.
After Torin apologized and asked for forgiveness from the former King, Dad didn’t insist on having the sword. Was this his way of letting go of the past and moving on with his life?
“Thanks, Robert,” Torin said, gripping the hilt tightly as he looked around.
“Why do you insist on calling me Robert when you know you used to call me Robi,” he said and chuckled.
“Focus, Robert,” Torin warned, but the tips of lips twitched.
We moved cautiously through the desolate landscape, scanning for any hint of movement or threat. The silence was oppressive, broken only by our breathing and the crunch of charred earth beneath our feet.
My sensitive hearing couldn’t detect any sign of life.