by A. J. Macey
The entire place was like a fairytale—glowing blue moss coating the stone walls of the cave and tree roots twisting almost artistically from the ceiling. In the center of the large room, the tree roots twirled together, forming a gazebo effect. It looked like something out of the fantasy holo-movies I watched with Xan.
“Uh, Sweets, can you move?” Kye asked, his voice strained. I looked down and laughed, realizing I was pinning him to the floor. His face was red, and he was shifting uncomfortably under me. Leaning down, I brushed a kiss across his lips and moved, scooping Mr. Stripes into my arm now that we were through. Torryn did his usual check of witches and familiars, making sure everyone was accounted for before wandering around the room to check out our new surroundings.
“This has to be Arcadia,” Torryn mused, walking over to the center of the room, where a pool of moonlight was shining down and giving the room an ethereal glow.
“It looks like it's been a while since anyone's been down here,” Xan said, his attention on the other portals so covered in vines, they were probably unusable.
“Maybe we should clean them off first?” I asked, moving closer and reaching out for the vines before a hand locked around my wrist.
“Let's not touch strange plants; it has thorns,” Torryn pointed out gently. My cheeks heated, but I shifted Mr. Stripes and moved out of his way when he released me. “I'll try my magic first. It might work here, too.”
“If not, we can try to burn it,” Xan pointed out.
Torryn fell silent, his hand raised, a faint glow emanating from it. A moment later, the vines unwound, wrapping around the base of the mirrors or moving toward the walls instead.
“How do we activate them?” Caspian asked. The other three mirrors looked like ordinary glass, reflecting our blurry image through a dusting of dirt and grime.
“We've been lucky so far, never jumping in the wrong one, but I don't know if we'll get that lucky when we leave here,” I pointed out.
“I took some elvish classes,” Xan mused, walking slowly over to the mirrors and running a long, slender finger over the etchings in the stone. What I thought was a decoration was actually elvish words. “This one is the human portal, the elvish on the edge here mentions a lack of magic or lack of blessings from the Gods. Then this one is Akasha since it talks about magic and crystals. That one has scales meaning it’s dragons. We all know this one leads to the vampire world.” He walked from mirror to mirror as he read off the descriptors. He stopped in front of the human portal. It was the last one for us to enter and try to blend in.
“What's that?” Kye asked, stepping forward and pushing his finger into a small stone inlaid into the metal of the frame. That was all it took for the portal to jump to life, the glass swirling into an array of light and colors.
“Well, now that we have an escape route, what's next?” Drayce asked, turning to face Torryn. I hid a smile, loving how easily they deferred to him, not appearing to mind that he seemed to know the most about the worlds.
“The elves are known for their tolerance. They're some of the most accommodating during the summits, but their world isn't as open as they like to portray, especially beyond the host city. From my understanding, they've sequestered the fae into four areas of the world, which they call courts. The elves, led by their royal family, occupy the better parts of the world. The weather is milder, and they have actual seasons. The others are spelled to perpetually be one season only.”
“Damn, that's like the humans with their reservations,” I chimed in, my stomach churning at the thought of people being ripped from their homes and forced into sanctioned areas.
“What's the difference between the elves and the fae?” Caspian asked, actually looking interested despite that Tor was now in full professor mode.
“The elves can use different types of magic. They’re very naturalistic, attuned with the world around them, and try to keep it as pristine as they can. They also tend to age differently than fae, living just as long, but they don't look perpetually young. Fae are more mischievous by nature, somewhat chaotic. There are also other creatures considered fae, not just those who resemble their elf ancestors.”
“On that note, let's go explore!” Drayce said excitedly, bringing my mood right back to the present. Despite the reason for us being here, this was the coolest thing I'd ever done. I wanted to take in everything I could from these other worlds, to see firsthand the differences around us.
Torryn led our procession up a spiraling stone staircase that rounded the room, steadily growing higher until we emerged outside. One look around told me that he was right, and we were in elf territory. The world around us was a burst of vibrant colors—green grass, tall trees, multicolored vines hanging down, and flowers of every shade. The coolest part was the mushrooms that were as tall as we were, big and red, standing out against the wall of trees around them.
“This is so cool!” I squealed, spinning in a circle as a cool breeze scattered leaves over us, the midafternoon light warm and streaming through the canopy of trees. The entire world felt magical in a way Akasha had never achieved.
“We'll make camp after a while and figure out dinner. Don't eat anything here,” Torryn warned us. We all nodded, although a few stomachs rumbled at the mention of food, mine included.
“Doesn't eating their food trap you here?” Kye joked, though, from the tone, I could tell he was unsure.
“Nah, that's a myth. It's more that you don't know how you'll react to it, and we don't have a healer in our group.”
“I hear someone,” Drayce whispered as a breeze swirled around us. “The wind is carrying in what sounds like a party.”
Straining, I tried to hear what he did but came up empty. The others looked just as confused, so Drayce took the lead, winding us in the opposite direction. He paused every so often and listened, all of us falling silent each time, so he could pick up any sound.
After an hour of walking, we finally were close enough we could hear the soft rumble of voices and lilting music. The trees slowly started to thin out, the walk even easier without the extra obstacles of tree roots and vines that had me tripping every two seconds. Thank the Gods, Kye was behind me to keep me upright.
When the trees parted, I had to stifle a gasp. Arcadia was beyond beautiful, a work of art. The trees that lined the edges of the clearing must have been magically manipulated and hollowed out to form homes. Elves walked in and out of the open doorways carved into the bulbous trunks. Stained glass windows were lit from inside, adding a soft glow above the crowd below.
One of the magical homes was larger than the rest, melding four trees together to form a castle, colorful flowers decorating the intricate structure.
“This is Galinia. It's not the royal city, but it's the one they use for summits. Think of it as their summer home,” Torryn joked as we approached the edge of the buffet tables, still shrouded by the overhang of trees. Thanks to the dancing and laughing, no one bothered to look our way.
“This looks so good,” Cas sighed wistfully, picking up a pastry that had a purple fruit filling and golden icing on top.
“Caspian!” Torryn hissed sharply, but Cas just raised his eyebrow, slowly brought the food to his mouth in an act of defiance and took a huge bite. Coral squeaked, her eyes wide as she stared at her witch. None of us moved as he chewed happily, finishing off the pastry and shrugging. Fear flooded me as I stared open-mouthed, waiting for him to vomit or fall over. What the hellsticks is he thinking?!
“Wow,” Tor bit out, his anger rolling off of him in waves. “You couldn't just listen to me, could you?”
Caspian didn't reply, and I somehow found my composure, moving toward him until my hand was gripping his. “Are you feeling alright?” I whispered, still waiting for the side effect to hit.
“Mm-fiiine,” he slurred, his eyes dilating just enough for me to realize he was high. He dissolved into a bout of giggles, so completely, unlike his usual laugh, it made me laugh with him.
“Son
of a witch!” Torryn growled, pulling Caspian forward into the shroud of the trees again as a crowd started to filter back to the buffet line.
“What’s the matter?” Cas slurred again, laughing so loudly, Torryn clamped a hand over his mouth to quiet him. Caspian batted at his hand but couldn't quite reach it, sending Drayce and Kye into a fit of laughter. Despite the seriousness of the situation, it was nice to see most of us relax for a moment.
“We can't stay here long term if we can't even eat their food,” Xan pointed out as he helped Torryn keep Caspian upright.
“Long term, no, but we can survive on what we have for another night or two. I don’t want to keep portal hopping if we don’t have to. It’s been a long day already, and if we keep going, it’ll be dark before we find a place to settle. To be safe, though, let’s get him back to the portals. Then we can make a plan if we’re going to stay for the night to rest or try the final world,” Torryn said as we all turned around and made the hour-long trip back to the portals. Thankfully, Kye was able to easily retrace our steps, taking the lead, making the trek effortless. With all the walking we'd been doing, I noticed I was able to keep up a lot easier. Guess life on the run has its benefits.
“Aris and Drayce, can you keep an eye on this joker? We're going to eat quickly, then head back and try to scout for signs of the council while we look for a place to lie low. They have to have alerted the other worlds, but they seem fairly oblivious here, so far. If we can, we’ll make camp for a day or two and recuperate.”
“Yeah, we got giggles,” Drayce confirmed, settling Caspian in the middle of the room. Torryn shuffled through his bag, handing out provisions.
“Hey, before you go, can I have your Witches Glass?” I asked, realizing it had been a couple days since we had checked on that vlog.
“Any particular reason?” Kye asked as Tor dug it out to pass over.
“Going to scan the vlog some more, see if anything new has been posted or if any comments have been left,” I explained quickly, typing the channel into the ScryNet.
“That’s a good idea,” Kye exclaimed. “I kind of forgot it existed in the midst of everything.” Scanning, I didn’t find much on the site we hadn’t previously seen, and there wasn’t a new vlog up. Digging a bit more, I found some new comments.
“Wow, looks like there’s a lot of support,” I relayed, holding the Witches Glass so they could see the list of comments. “There’s more too. Almost every one I’ve seen so far supports us, giving some kind of recount of how they’ve been bullied or mistreated because of their power or even their standing in society. Indigo has been replying a lot with thanks and encouragement.”
“Any more information on our location or anything else?” Tor asked.
“Doesn’t look like there’s any,” Drayce stated, scanning everything from over my shoulder. “I honestly think she’s trying to help us by building support. Though we can keep an eye on it for any more vlogs.”
“That’d be a good idea. Alright, you three keep that and Caspian. We’ll be back,” Tor said, looking to his brother with a frown. It was only at the harsh downward tilt to his lips, I noticed that Cas missed his mouth with the food he had been given, pouting about the fact that he couldn’t seem to get it in his mouth.
Shaking my head at the situation, I picked up his food and fed him bites. As much as I didn’t like that Caspian purposely went against his brother’s advice, I couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled out at the goofy grin adorning Cas’s face as he hummed and chewed.
Torryn, Kye, and Xan had already finished eating while we were glancing over the vlog, so they hurried off. Once they disappeared into the quickly approaching evening, Caspian, Drayce, and I were alone.
“Well, this should be fun,” Drayce grinned, helping Caspian drink some water as he swayed in his spot, singing about magic pastries and bubblegum-haired witches.
Kyelerian
“Do you actually think the council has spies here?” I asked as I followed our tracks back the way we came.
“They communicate via spelled handheld mirrors, so if they warned them, it would have been easy. Though, I'm unsure why their portals are so unguarded?” Xan said, working through the facts.
“Well, maybe they were guarded? Those vines likely didn't cover those by accident. Maybe it was a security thing? Our magic might have just burned the vines away from the portal to Althaia,” Torryn suggested, his voice quiet as we approached the party for a second time.
“I didn't even think of that. If they were having a gathering tonight, it makes sense they'd just spell it and go back to the festivities,” I agreed. This had all just gotten more complicated. If they were warning the other worlds, we couldn't ever really be safe. This wasn't a long-term solution, just a quick fix.
“I can feel your worry,” Torryn said quickly. “I know the council makes it impossible to feel safe, but we just need to settle somewhere long enough to get our bearings and make a more long-term plan. We can do this, but we may just have to lie low for a while, wherever we go.”
“We should have gone with the museum idea,” Xan sighed, the sound haunted and full of emotion. He wasn't acting much differently, but I could tell from the tension in his shoulders and the way he was chewing on his lip that he was struggling.
“Look,” Torryn whispered, putting a hand on each of us and pulling us down to crouch with him. His gaze was locked onto a group of elves speaking to an Akasha official, the dark robes and council insignia flashing in the soft light from lanterns glowing around the party.
“Fuck, we need to go,” I growled, hating that they were waiting for us here. And if they were here, they were likely waiting in each and every world, just hoping they could get the jump on us somewhere.
“Come on,” Xan urged, turning and walking aimlessly until I took the lead.
“Where do we go if we can't keep her safe in any of the worlds?” I asked Torryn, hating that someone as bright and giving as Aris had to be on the run, living her life in the shadows. Though she was coping the best of all of us, each new area was a new adventure for us, bringing more challenges than safety until this point. I just hoped the council didn't turn her jaded. Her adorable and sometimes mildly annoying optimism was one of her best qualities.
“We find somewhere we can hide. We train until we're stronger, and we gather supporters. Remember that vlog? Not everyone thinks that we're outlaws. Some know the truth and are spreading it the best way they can. If it comes down to it, we build an army, and we fight back. I'm not sure who we can trust on the council at this point, but I have a feeling change is coming,” Torryn said, sounding weary but ominous. His words settle over me, making me realize just how different life would have been had I stayed blissfully ignorant. The council had most of Akasha fooled, but Tor was right, times were changing.
When we got back, Caspian was in the same state, and Aris and Drayce were laughing, watching him dance around the room with Raptor and Petunia at his heels, his otter cradled in his arms like a baby while he sang to them. Ruby and Hedgie were off to the side, watching the scene while Aris petted Mr. Stripes. Apparently, they were having a party of their own while we were gone.
“Alright, let's get him through the portal to Aureus,” Torryn commanded. Aris tensed, narrowing her eyes at us.
“What happened?”
Torryn sighed as he scooped Ruby into his arms. “The council has enforcers here.”
“Holy Hellsticks, they aren't playing around!” she yelped, taking Coral from Caspian and snuggling her close. Once we had everyone settled, we stepped through the portal, one after the other.
Here's hoping Aureus is our lucky charm. We could use it.
Aris
Once again, we hit a stone floor, this time polished and flat. The sounds of a crowd were muffled but loud enough to identify what we were hearing. The room was all stone, the ceiling rising about five feet above us. From the looks of it, there was no way out, and nothing in here save for the portals.
“Someone's got their grumpy face on!” Caspian teased in a baby voice like he was talking to a toddler. A laugh bubbled out of me, and I tried to hide it with a cough, not wanting to be the focus of Kye's next glare.
“Here!” Xan called, his voice echoing over the smooth walls and over to us. Setting Stripes and Coral down, I walked over to him, taking in the weird device hanging on the wall.
“It looks like a Witches Glass,” I mused, reaching out and running a finger over the smooth glass, jumping when it lit up, and a disembodied voice spoke.
“Welcome, Mr. President, please scan your hand to proceed.”
“Uh, we're not a president,” Caspian pointed out helpfully.
“It's human tech; magic should help, but I'm almost afraid to overload it. Tor, any ideas?” I asked, frowning at the small device that was standing between us and our potential freedom.
“I don't exactly know what the president's handprint looks like, to try to recreate it,” he said, sounding more defeated than I’d ever heard him.
“Well, if he used it before, then it should have left an imprint behind, yes?” Xan urged, Torryn's face lighting up at the prospect. Muttering something under his breath, a handprint lit up on the screen. Torryn raised his hand and continued to whisper his spelled words, the glowing handprint lifting off and drifting onto his palm. When the glow went out, his palm was coated in what looked like a filmy layer, and what I assumed was a matching handprint. As he pressed his hand to glass, we all held our breath; even the familiars had fallen silent.
“Have a nice day,” the voice echoed, a door sliding open with a loud grating of stone. Torryn took the lead, walking us down a long stone hallway. The only other door had another handprint lock, but Torryn had been smart enough to keep his magic in hand... literally. After we got through, he pulled off the film and tucked it into his bag, likely so we could get home again.