Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 37456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
Faen. It worked. It actually worked. Only, this is no dark magic. This is…Light, as pure and bright as the portal to Valhalla once was.
My brothers and I share a look, stunned speechless as the Light around our Valkyrie slowly dims.
"Rhistel?" Rissa calls, peering into the portal.
But I can already tell from here that Rhistel and the Fae we sent with him aren't on the other side. I don't know where the portal opened, but it wasn't where we intended. The only thing on the other side is a clearing with a small, overgrown cabin at the far side.
Marion glances into the portal and cries out, shock lancing down our bond.
I roar a warning, already racing toward her, trying to stop her…but there is no stopping her.
She charges into the portal, her cry still ringing around her.
Abigail rushes in after her.
"Abigail, nei!" Adriel shouts, leaping forward.
I'm there—right fucking there—so close I feel the breeze on my face from the other side. But I'm too slow. The portal wobbles in front of my face, collapsing in on itself.
Within seconds, it's gone…and the only thing left is Rissa's father's soul, barely flickering where, just moments ago, it blazed.
I howl in fury, in agony, dropping to my knees.
Chapter Ten
Marion
Irush through the portal, familiarity and shock driving me like a whiplash against my skin. I know this place. I've seen it in my dreams. The wood is faded now, the grass around the cabin growing wild…but those curtains…those steps.
"Papa," I whisper, stumbling to a stop.
"Marion!" Abigail grabs my hand.
I whip my head in her direction, stunned to find her beside me. "I…" My eyes grow wide as the portal behind us winks out of existence.
No. Oh no.
Abigail sees it too and cries out softly, dismay carved into her delicate features.
Did I just trap us here?
I gulp at the thought, my heart pounding like a drum. Why did the portal send us here to begin with? It was supposed to open on Rhistel and the Fae warriors with him, not here.
"I don't understand," I whisper, turning to stare at the cabin. "Why did it…?"
Did I open it here instead? We were supposed to be thinking about Rhistel and the warriors. But at the last second, I thought about my parents. Wondered if they knew we'd be able to do something like this.
Gods. Am I the one who opened the portal here instead of where we needed it?
"Where are we?" Abigail asks quietly.
I lick my lips. "I think I lived here with my father when I was a little girl."
Abigail slips her hand into mine, squeezing as we stare at the cabin. For long moments, we just stand there, staring.
"Should we go in?" she finally whispers.
I jerk my head in a nod, not sure what else to do. The sun is already sinking toward the horizon. Unless Rissa and Tori figure out how to open the portal again, we're going to be stranded here until daylight. I'd much rather spend it with walls around us than outside, vulnerable and exposed to anything that crosses our path.
We carefully make our way toward the cabin, our feet silent in the grass. Neither of us says anything, both too anxious to speak, I think. The bottom step groans faintly beneath our combined weight before settling.
We tiptoe up the remaining steps, placing our feet carefully. It doesn't look like anyone has been here in years. Everything is dusty and overgrown.
Did my father ever come back after the Forsaken attacked that night?
I hesitate for a moment before slowly reaching for the door handle. It turns beneath my palm, the door creaking open.
"Marion." Abigail clamps a hand down on my arm, swaying on her feet. "I don't…" She presses her other hand to her forehead, her brows crinkling. "Something feels different."
"Different?" I whip my head around, looking for any hint that the Forsaken are here. I find nothing but waving grass and rustling leaves. "Are you having a vision?"
"I don't…" She frowns, swaying again. "I don't know. It feels like I should remember something, but…" She trails off again, her eyes faraway. "There's something about this place. I don't know what it is. I can't…" Her eyes fly open wide, a startled cry rushing from her lips suddenly.
I nearly lose my balance as she drags me forward over the threshold.
"Hello?" she calls, her voice ringing through the house. "Hello? Are you here? We won't hurt you. I'm Abigail. I'm…I think we were sent to find you."
I stare at her, not sure what's happening, but the triumphant look on her face, as if she's just solved some puzzle, has my nerves settling. Slightly. I glance around, my throat aching with familiarity. I have been here before. My toybox is still in the corner of the room, covered with a fine layer of dust. Papa's pipe rests on the table, twenty years of dust making a thick layer around the rim.