Chapter 30

From the time she felt the round hit her back until she watched from above as Haldir wave goodbye, was just a heartbeat, really. And it was that way when she stepped foot through the portal to the Realm. As soon as her eyes opened to the muted light of this new world, she was surrounded on all sides by rolling snow-capped mountains and the greenest grass she ever squished under her feet.

Unlike the world of man, there was almost no sound at all save for the hum of life beneath her feet. And when she kneeled to place her palm against it, it vibrated her bones until she could taste the sweetness of it on her tongue.

When it brought a smile to her face, she peeked up to the bright orb above her, but only the fuzzy yellow sun watched down her over her now. Michael was nowhere to be found.

Before her stood a stone and glass fortress that rose into the sky. She trilled air through her lips and spun around, but there wasn't a soul that lingered in the landscape. The slick stone steps led to a tall set of reflective glass doors, and as she approached them, they parted automatically.

Her foot crossed the threshold of the castle to the unending marble floor. The hallway that laid out in front of her seemed to never end, and before she got lost in it, she rose to her toes and yelled inside. "Hello? Is anyone home?"

When no answer came, she moseyed down the hall, and when she caught a whiff of cherry-scented smoke, she followed it. In the hazy little library sat an old man in a white robe with a long white beard and round belly. A wooden pipe dangled from his fingers, and she caught it just as it dropped from them.

Her tongue clicked as she sat it in the glass ashtray, and it jerked him awake. "You're going to burn your pretty castle to the ground if you keep that up, Pops."

His eyes were heavy, and they bobbed up and down as he focused on her. "I wasn't expecting anyone to cross over today. My apologies, young lady."

Her bag fell to the floor beside her, and she rested on the arm of the oversized chair facing him. "Yeah, I don't think I'm in the right place. I seem to have gotten separated from my buddy, Michael. He's the one who dropped me off here."

Eliphas cleared his throat as he pressed his elbow into his chair to straighten himself. "Curious thing. I don't believe I know a Michael, and I know all the guides. Are you sure that was his name?"

She smirked and nodded as her eyes rolled around the room. "Trust me, we go way back. That's definitely his name."

Ignoring her warning, Eliphas picked up his pipe, and while it rested on the chest of his robe, he puffed at it as the tobacco sizzled under the match. "Do you have any family here?"

Her finger patted at her lips, and when she shrugged at the question, her hand flipped outward. "Not that I'm aware of."

His old brown eyes took in every feature of her from her hiking boots to the top of her head. "I don't believe you do belong here; you don't have a spark."

Her jaw slid sideways as she raised her eyebrows to him. "Pardon me, sir? What do you mean by a spark?"

He slid back into his comfy leather chair and answered through his yawn. "You're not magical."

The wisest and oldest of all warlocks in the Realm sat before her, but, to a seasoned nurse, he seemed demented, and she decided it wasn't worth the effort to reorient him. "Well, I'm not sure about any of that, sir, but they tell me I'm the death fairy." The tip of her finger pressed to his knee. "What do you think about that?"

"Death fairy?" The mouthpiece of his pipe tapped against his lip, and he nodded. "You must belong to the Darke King then. He collects the most interesting creatures." He sighed and his pipe pointed to the stained-glass window that draped them in red and green and blue light. "If you start north, you'll arrive there in about a week if you keep a good pace."

It was as if she was stuck in some strange dream, and she wasn't even sure if she was alive at all, but a little voice in her head whispered that she had to keep on moving. "You think I should go that way then?"

His eyes were already shut, and Mory pulled up a blanket on his lap to cover him as he nodded. "If you wish. It's a big world with a lot of places to go. If you don't like it there, you can always move on."

The strap of her backpack hung over her shoulder, and she patted his shoulder. "Well, fuck it, let's see what happens. Take it easy and put that dang pipe out before you fall asleep again. It's not safe."

As she rounded the corner, Eliphas woke up long enough to issue a final warning. "Watch out for goblins. Those woods are riddled with them these days."

She paused for just a second and chuckled to herself before starting again. "Goblins. Right, I'll do that."

As soon as she stepped out into the world again, she found a group of people who walked into a forest path, so she jogged to them. And when a little girl heard her coming, she yanked on her mother's hand to stop her.

Mory smiled and lifted her chin to the young mother. "Does this go North? I'm kind of turned around right now."

"Yes." Her red hair swept across her face as the wind blew over them, and she tucked it back behind her ear. "We're heading to the city by the sea. Where are you going?"

Mory's cheeks puffed out as she shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure, to be honest. That old man back there said I should go see the Darke King or something like that."

There was kindness in the young mother's green eyes, and she tried to say it as simply as possible. "Did you die? Sometimes it can be hard to remember what's going on when you wake up again."

"I sure did." Mory patted her chest a few times as she walked along beside them. "Some clown shot me right here."

The woman cringed and held out her hand. "My name is Sharon, by the way. We just came through."

Their hands shook for a moment, until she had to push a low branch aside. "Morana."

Her son let go of her hand and the daughter skipped behind him as they caught up to their family in front of them. "Are you a witch?"

Her hand gripped Sharon's wrist, and she moved around to face her. "Witch? Just where the heck am I?"

Sharon leaned over to peek at her children, but she laughed at Mory once she'd caught sight of them. "You're in the Realm. Where did you think you are?"

From the way she imagined it when Haldir described it, she expected cities and buses and shops and not the medieval-looking world they wandered through now. "I don't know. I'm not supposed to be here; I'm a human."

The charm on her necklace moved back and forth on its gold chain as Sharon twisted her lips. "Well, that just can't be. You must have some powers."

"Not a one." She recalled the gentle king's warning about goblins, and she pulled at the straps that crossed her chest. "I guess I'm kind of in trouble here, huh?"

Sharon wrapped her arm around her and tugged her close. "You should probably stay with us as long as you can." The hand that rested on Mory's shoulder motioned to her family. "We're werewolves. Just stay close, and we'll protect you until we cross the Darke kingdom."

"Thank you." She squinted to the sun overhead and sighed as Mory tried to remember every word Haldir said. "My husband's kids are here somewhere."

Two fingers tossed up from Sharon's crossed arms. "Really? Do you know where they live?"

While she chewed on her thumbnail, Mory finally shook her head. "Nope. Not a clue. Son of a bitch."

The thick canopy of trees got denser, and when the sun disappeared, Mory rubbed her hands up and down her arms. Just this morning she laid in Haldir's bed, and as the forest grew colder, she wished she was cuddled up by the fire again. "Where are you, Haldir?"

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