Chapter 24

Porting wasn’t the rush she thought it was going to be. She’d heard others talk about it, and she felt nothing different doing it. They all stood there looking around when they appeared beside a loud river.

“What do you feel?” Firo asked his princess.

“Three.” She said softly.

He nodded. “Myself as well.”

“Three what?” Quinton asked.

Ava watched him pull a large sword from his back and glanced to see her friends giving him a ‘whoa’ look at the same time.

“Other beings,” Aireese whispered. She turned to Reagan. “Can you see while being cloaked?”

Reagan was looking in the direction of the river. “I don’t think so, or at least it won’t be as accurate.

“Good or bad beings?” Quinton growled.

“It’s hard to tell, there’s a lot of magic in the area.” She looked at Ava and then Flora and Karma. “Other than those here.”

“Drop the cloak.” Quinton rolled his shoulders. “We’ll go find out if they’re friend or foe.” He looked down at his mate. She nodded and opened the pouch on her side. Ava watched as she pulled a long chain out. She had no idea what it was, but if it was for them, she wasn’t going to complain.

Flora reached into her pocket and got out one of her blunts.

“You’re going to smoke now?” Reagan asked.

“If I don’t have one of these.” Flora held it up. “I’ll leave a trail of plants and flowers behind me.”

“Interesting.” Aireese glanced at Firo as she said it. “FaTerra is strong in your blood.”

Flora shrugged. “I don’t know what is in my blood, but if we want to find our way back to here, I need to have one of these.” She put it in her mouth and lit it.

“It’s some kind of herbal mix that Capri came up with.” Karma offered quietly.

Ava was so used to it now that she didn’t need the herb ology lesson. “Let’s go.” She motioned for anyone to start walking.

“Let me step away from everyone for a second.” Reagan didn’t wait for a response, she just started walking toward the river.

“If I get knocked in, I’m going to be pissed,” Quinton mumbled and followed her.

Aireese exchanged a smile with Firo.

Ava didn’t know why they were both so amused, but she wasn’t feeling it. She had a tense feeling going down her spine, and it usually meant someone was nearby watching her. “We’re being watched.” She whispered.

“If you see anyone, point them out.” Karma winked at her. “I can pause them until we figure out if they’re friend or foe.”

Firo looked at her and then nodded. He held his hand toward the ground, and the long, sparkling silver sword appeared in his hand.

Ava looked at her hand. She had no idea how to use most weapons, but having something like that wouldn’t be awful either.

“A lot of green, Quinton,” Reagan whispered.

“Green is?” Karma was looking all around them.

“Magic, like a mage uses. Witches are white.”

“That’s fascinating.” Aireese stopped walking. “What is fae magic?”

Reagan glanced back at her. “I have no idea.”

“Mmm, we should find out,” Aireese said quietly. She lifted her hand and waved it above her head. “Anything?”

Reagan was looking above her. “It’s harder to see, but it’s a silverish color.”

Quinton was looking in all directions. “Where do you see it?”

Reagan walked up further on the riverbank and pointed. “A lot is concentrated over there.” She turned and looked around. “And over that way.” She motioned to their right.

“We’ll start that way,” Quinton said and began walking. Three steps later, he pulled a second large sword from his back. All Ava thought was if she held even one of those, she wouldn’t be able to lift her arm.

Her back tingled again. “Someone is close to us.” She whispered it and looked at Flora.

When her friend stopped and closed her eyes, Ava knew she was looking for a disruption in the natural surroundings. She’d explained it to her before, not that Ava got it, but the fact she could do it right now was great. Flora pointed. “Over there. The vegetation has been broken.”

Firo glanced at his princess, and then both of their wings were visible. Aireese’s were pure white and looked much bigger than she thought fairies would be. Firo’s, on the other hand, were twice the size and a golden yellow. Did the colors mean something? She remembered hers on the bus and wondered if they could explain it.

“Be careful,” Reagan said from behind them. “It’s getting thicker, and it’s not just green now.”

“Great,” Quinton mumbled and slowed his pace, watching all around them.

“The water sound keeps changing,” Flora whispered.

Ava realized she was out of her depth right now. Who would think to listen to the sound of water? She wasn’t. She felt her wings and knew they were there. She looked beside her arm to see they were at their usual transparentness and felt twinges of disappointment.

Flora put out her smoke on her boot and then squatted down and looked between the bushes and plants growing. She extended her hand, and even though her eyes were open, they changed to a washed-out color, and Ava knew she wasn’t seeing in the way the rest of them would. Flora smiled and moved her hand, twisting it. Someone grunted in front of them. She flipped her hand over and moved her fingers as if she were motioning for someone to come to them. There were grunts and swearing. She was dragging someone to them.

Aireese moved to stand beside Quinton and held her hands out from her body. As a man appeared, being dragged on his back, she lowered them, and he was silent and no longer struggling. “He’ll sleep for a while,” Aireese said.

“Handy. I need you to do that to a few brothers.” Quinton mumbled and looked at Reagan, giving her an inquiring look.

“There’s a lot of…” Reagan was knocked back and landed on the ground.

Flora spun around and held her hands out.

“Rea.” Quinton hurried over to her, and then he stopped a few feet from her and dropped to his knees. His expression was anger. Something was preventing him from moving.

Karma turned and looked in their direction. “Give me a target, guys.” She whispered.

“I-I can’t.” Flora dropped to the ground and groaned. She held her hands over her stomach. Vines and leaves sprung from the soil and started to wrap around her.

“Oh.” Karma bent over and grabbed her head. “What—” She gasped. “It’s being turned back on me.”

Aireese was moving her hands in the air, and Firo stood perfectly still, looking over her head. “I can’t—it’s not working.” She sounded like she was straining.

“Leave. Princess. Now.” Firo said in a commanding voice. “I cannot move. You need to.”

Aireese stopped moving, her arms in the air. Ava could tell by the look on her face she was stuck as he was.

Ava lifted her hands and looked at them. She could move. “What the hell was going on?”

Karma cried out in pain.

“Ava.” Flora was struggling against the plants weaving up her body.

Ava clenched her jaw and moved out of the trees. She felt her wings lift and knew without looking that they weren’t the opaque ones now. “I don’t know who you are, but you picked the wrong people to mess with.” She called out.

Something shoved against her and made her pause in her steps for a split second. “Not a good idea.” She kept walking until she reached the riverbank. She couldn’t see anyone, but somehow, she knew where they were. She could feel the magic coming from them. Lifting her arms out from her body, she narrowed her eyes and growled low. “It’s about to be a bad day for you.” She said softly and then felt her wings expand to touch her outstretched arms. She could feel something building inside her and had no idea what it was, but knew it was there to help her. Inhaling a deep breath, she waited for the touch of magic to brush over her again and then dropped to one knee and pushed her arms forward. Her arms and wings swept in front of her. The water in the river parted as her power moved over it. She heard someone cry out on the other side of the river, and then the magic wasn’t there. Standing up, she looked all around them, everything felt settled. Turning, she ran back to help the others.

Quinton was helping his mate to her feet. Firo was checking on his princess. Karma, no longer hunched over, was trying to rip the plants off of Flora.

Ava rushed over and grabbed some of the vines. They dried in her hand and then crumbled.

Flora gave her a cautious look. “You might want to put those away. They’re huge and just a little intimidating.”

Ava looked to see her wings were still out, and they were a deep maroon color with black tinges along the inner edges. She blew out a breath and focused on getting them to go away. When she could no longer see it beside her shoulder, she relaxed. “Is everyone okay?”

“I don’t know what you did, but thank you,” Reagan said. She looked at Quinton. “You need to get some of the others here so we can go over there and check.” He nodded and pulled out his phone.

Ava helped Flora to her feet. With a shaking hand, Flora got one of her smokes out. “I’ve never had it turn on me before.” She whispered.

Karma dropped down onto her knees. “Same. That sucked so bad.”

Ava saw Aireese watching her, a strange look on her face. Firo was looking at her too, but it was more of a gobsmacked expression on his and not studying her.

“She looked just like…”

“I know.” He said and then moved away from her and came toward Ava. He stopped in front of her, his eyes assessing her. “Are you all right?”

Ava opened her mouth and then shrugged. “I don’t know what I just did.”

His mouth twitched. “You magically just kicked some idiot in the head.”

She grinned. “Really?” Nodding, she glanced across the water. “Do you think they’re laying over there knocked out?”

“I think we should go find out.”

Ava nodded. “Yeah. Let’s do that.” She looked over to see Flora, and Karma still looked shaken. “You guys stay here and keep checking for more.”

Aireese was standing beside the one she put to sleep. “I believe we need the Alterealm Justice here to transport this one to your cells, Prince Quinton.”

Quinton was on his phone. “He’s already on his way.”

Ava looked at Firo. “Can you get us over there?”

He nodded. “Just as soon as we have some backup.” His expression changed, and he gave her a softer look. “Although, I’m not sure anyone can outdo what you just did.”

Ava rolled her eyes. “Too bad I don’t know what I just did. I was angry and wanted to stop what was happening to you guys.”

“Magic. Multiple spells at once.”

She looked across the river. “So there was more than one?”

“Or one very talented.” Aireese came over. “Princess Reagan, what do you see over there now?”

“A fading portal.” She sounded unimpressed.

“That’s what I feared.” Aireese studied the other side of the river for a moment. “They’re able to pop in and out.”

“It may not be just Interealm,” Firo said.

“If it’s all the realms, we are in trouble.” His princess replied.

Prince Victor appeared with his brothers Rafael and Leone. “I shall dispatch this one back to the cells, and we’ll go over and look.”

“Is that where you checked before?” Rafael asked.

“It is.” Victor walked over to the man on the ground, held a box over his, and he disappeared.

Ava looked to see both of her friends had caught it too.

“You missed something then,” Leone stated.

Victor straightened and then turned to his brothers. “Perhaps I don’t have the skill with my eyes to see as much as others may.” He looked at Aireese.

Aireese smiled. “Take Firo, Ava and I over to look.”

The prince cocked his head to the side as he looked at Ava.

“Trust me, you want her there,” Quinton said. “She double-whammied whoever was using magic on us.”

“Double whammied?” Leone grinned at Quinton. “Is that a technical term?”

Quinton scowled at him. “There are no other words to explain it, or I would use them.”

“Ava was able to push the magic back onto the sender,” Aireese stated.

Leone and Rafael exchanged a look. Leone shrugged. “Double whammy.” They said in unison.

“I sometimes wonder if the nannies dropped you on your heads,” Victor said as he moved to the riverbank. “It’s truly shocking that all the realm’s justice is in your hands.” He grinned briefly as he moved by them.

Rafael rolled his eyes. “You’re the justice, so I guess you’re in charge of the rest of us.”

“The god’s humor is a cruel thing.”

Quinton looked at his two brothers and smiled at him. “Let’s go. Maybe beating someone will improve his mood.”

Ava didn’t know if they were serious or what, but she looked over at her friends. “Are you guys coming?”

“I’m not staying here alone,” Karma said. Flora nodded, and they both walked toward her.

Ava turned to see Firo watching her. She couldn’t tell what the look on his face meant because it wasn’t one that anyone had ever had when they looked at her.

“Concentrate, Firo. Everything else will have to wait.” Aireese said softly.

He cleared his throat and nodded, the look on his face blanking out to be his usual watchful look instead.