by Quinn Loftis
“Stop,” said Zuri without slowing.
“Let me go.” Tara growled.
“If I drop you, it will hurt.”
“No it won’t,” said Tara. “You cannot hurt me. No one can.”
Then Tara screamed. The sensation she felt on the back of her leg was so foreign to her she couldn’t help but scream. She hadn’t felt anything like it in five years.
“You pinched me,” she yelled at Zuri.
“That’s right, little-miss-invincible. Your days of being Iron Woman are over. Don’t make me do it again.”
“But … but … how?”
“No time for explanations now. Just quit trying to escape, or I really will have to hurt you. And I don’t want to do that because I kind of like you.”
Tara’s heart raced. She’d spent so long being unable to feel pain, she’d become accustomed to it. She realized now how she had taken her gift for granted. It was almost as if she’d lost a part of herself, and Tara was surprised when a tear actually escaped an eye and rolled down her cheek. She couldn’t try to escape now if she wanted to.
When they began to slow, Tara lifted her head and tried to figure out where they were, but all she could see was dense forest. When Zuri finally stopped, the woman didn’t put her down like Tara had expected. Instead, she continued to hold Tara over her shoulder as she began to chant a long string of words Tara didn’t understand.
“Can you please put me down? All the blood is rushing to my head, and it’s making me dizzy,” Tara finally said.
Zuri ignored her and continued her chanting. Then she took several steps forward, and warmth enveloped Tara’s body. The forest around her shifted, and when Tara strained her neck to look up, she was staring at a shimmering rectangular space, as if a doorway filled with water had appeared in the forest. She turned her head to look to her right and then looked straight again. The forest around them was not the same forest on the other side of that shimmering doorway in front of her. She whispered under her breath, “Portal. It’s a portal.”
“You’re not in Kansas anymore,” Zuri said and then took off running again.
Chapter 21
As Zuri ran, Tara closed her eyes and tried to wrap her head around everything Tucker had said. Had he been telling the truth? She couldn’t reconcile his words with Elias’s actions. The only thing she felt with Elias was safe and wanted.
Tara did believe one thing, though. It was obvious Tucker and Zuri were able to use magic. She had no doubt Elias had the same ability. So, why had he kept it a secret? Probably because he knew I’d freak out if I saw it. That doesn’t make him a liar.
Tara didn’t know how long her captor—if that’s what this woman really was—carried her, but it seemed like forever. Tara wondered why the woman hadn’t collapsed many miles ago. What she was doing was impossible. Then, Tara noticed something. She wasn’t being jostled. They were moving along at breakneck speed, but Tara’s body wasn’t being bounced around. How could that be? Tara opened her eyes and looked at the ground, only a couple feet from her head. At first, it appeared the ground was moving quickly beneath them, which Tara knew must be from the speed of Zuri’s gait. But then Tara realized the ground actually was moving. “What the…” Tara said as her eyes widened. She looked around Zuri’s legs and got a couple of glimpses. The ground itself was propelling the woman forward. And when Tara lifted her head to see the ground behind them, it looked completely untouched. There weren’t even footprints in the dirt.
Finally, Zuri slowed down—or the ground did—and came to a complete stop. Tara couldn’t be sure. Zuri leaned forward, placed Tara on her feet, and then held her steady. Tara tried to get her bearings after having been upside down for so long. Her head hurt from all the blood rushing out of it.
“You okay?” Zuri asked.
Tara nodded and took a step back, out of the woman’s grasp. She didn’t waver on her feet, and she felt more grounded by the second. No pun intended.
“I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” said Zuri.
Tara shrugged. “Not really. There’s a supernatural world, people can do magic, someone wants to kidnap me, but I’m not really sure who. Naw, I don’t have any questions.”
Zuri’s lips tipped up in a small smile. “I can see why he’s so taken with you.”
“Elias?”
A brow quirked up. “You have so many gentlemen courting you that you aren’t sure which one I’m talking about?”
A huff of laughter whooshed out of Tara. “Hardly. I’ve never even had a boyfriend before.”
“And you never will if Elias has anything to say about it.”
Tara frowned. “What does that mean?”
Zuri waved her off. “Nothing. I’m still running on adrenaline after battling it out with that acolyte.” She started walking. “Come on. We’ll get inside and then you can start asking all those questions you don’t have.”
Tara looked back in the direction they’d come. She had no way of knowing how far away from the portal they’d gone. And even if she could get back to it, she had no idea what she would need to do to get through it. With nothing else to do, she turned and followed Zuri. It was then she finally lifted her eyes and found herself at the base of a mountain so tall she couldn’t see the top because it was covered in clouds.
“Where are we, exactly?” Tara asked.
“Thought you didn’t have any questions.”
“I lied. You gonna whip your sword out and stab me for it?” Tara quipped.
Zuri shook her head. “I’m either going to really like you or want to kill you. I’m not sure which just yet.” Tara could hear the smile in the woman’s voice despite the fact she couldn’t see her face.
“You never said where we are,” Tara said, choosing to ignore the comment.
“On the border of China and Bhutan. We’re at Terra Academy. That’s spelled T-e-r-r-a.”
“Glad you clarified that. I thought for a second there that someone had named a school in the middle of BFE after me.” She looked around and still all she saw was forest and a huge mountain. “Where is this supposed school?”
“It’s right in front of you,” she said as she pointed at the mountain.
“Does having the ability to do magic also make you crazy? Or just stupid?” Tara asked. It was a bitch move, but she was feeling freaked out and that was bringing her inner bitch to the surface. Shelly would be proud. “Crap,” she muttered. Shelly was probably losing her mind right about now. She had to have realized by now that Tara was gone. Carol wouldn’t know until tomorrow morning, so she had a little time before she needed to panic about that.
Zuri turned to look at her. Her intense eyes examined Tara’s face as if she could find the answer to all her questions. “Okay, I’ve decided. I’m going to like you. But that won’t mean I won’t kick your ass. I believe wholeheartedly in kicking the asses of those I like to keep them humble. There’s nothing more annoying than a friend with an inflated ego.”
“If you know Elias, then you must know Jax,” Tara pointed out. “Is he your friend? Because I’m pretty sure his ego doesn’t fit in my town.”
Zuri laughed. “Oh, I know Jax. And I kick his ass more than others just for that reason.”
Tara didn’t want to like the woman just yet because she had no idea if she was the enemy, as Tucker had claimed, or if Tucker had been blowing smoke up her dress.
“Follow me,” said Zuri. They walked down a rocky path that led to a sheer face of rock at the base of the mountain.
There, Zuri stopped. She reached out a hand and knocked as if she were simply knocking on someone’s front door. Her knuckles made no sound on the solid rock. A few seconds later, a rumble came somewhere behind the rock. Then Tara heard a loud crack. She took a step back, ready to bolt if any boulders came tumbling down the side of the mountain.
“Keep your panties on,” said Zuri, who hadn’t moved. “You’re perfectly safe.”
The mountain wall split down the middle, as
if the rock had been rent like a curtain. With grinding and groaning, the two pieces of rock pulled apart, revealing a huge set of doors, equally stone, behind them.
The door sat, unmoving. Seconds stretched into minutes. Still, nothing happened.
“Oh, c’mon, really?” said Zuri, rolling her eyes.
Zuri reached out and shoved one of the doors with her palm. It swung inward as easily as if it were simply the screen door on a porch. Tara saw a long corridor within. Torches, some of them burning and some of them cold, were spaced at regular intervals as far down the corridor as she could see. Just inside the door, resting on a small stool, and snoring quite loudly, was what Tara could only describe as a gnome.
“What’s that?” she asked Zuri, pointing at the small slumbering creature.
“What does it look like?”
“Well, it looks like a gnome, but I have to admit I’m not an expert.”
“It looks to me like the laziest doorman on earth.” Zuri put a foot on the sleeping gnome’s chair and pushed, sending him toppling. He came back growling and cursing and pulled a dagger the length of a butter knife from his belt.
“Put that thing away, Fizzlebink, before you hurt yourself.”
“Professor Petrov, what are you doing at the front door? Why haven’t you used the gateroom?”
“I think the better question is why have you fallen asleep on the job?”
“Fallen asleep?” The gnome put away his butter knife dagger and drew himself up to his full height. “Fallen asleep? How dare you level such base accusations? Why, I’ll have you know that not a single uninvited entrant has passed through this door under my watch in more than a century. Nowhere will you find a more accomplished servant of this fine institution. I … I … I…”
“No one doubts your loyalty to this academy, Fizzlebink.”
To say the voice that met Tara’s ears was deep was like saying the sun was hot. If an earthquake could speak, Tara was sure it would sound like the person who had just spoken to the gnome. She felt the sound more than she heard it. It wasn’t unpleasant. It was just really, really deep … and dangerous. The man walking toward her gave her a surreal feeling, like standing on top of a waterfall. He was beautiful, yes, but Tara could sense the man could turn dangerous in an instant. He walked next to quite possibly the most beautiful woman Tara had ever seen. As the pair approached, the woman spoke.
“I trust we can overlook a simple mistake by our resident doorman, can’t we, Zuri,” said the woman.
The woman’s voice had a musical quality. She was tall and thin, like Shelly. She had hair the color of autumn leaves, as in all of them. The gold, brown, and red strands fell in waves to the woman’s waist and practically glimmered in the light of the torches. Her skin was tan with gold undertones. Her face was heart shaped and delicate, with an aristocratic nose, almond-shaped, honest-to-goodness gold eyes, and thin, pursed lips.
She wore a simple full-length dress with a floral pattern. Tara shook her head and examined the dress closer. No, the flowers weren’t a pattern at all. They were real. The entire dress was made of flowers that appeared woven together to fit the woman’s form perfectly. I think I’m going nuts. None of this is real. Carol is going to be shaking me awake at any minute. It has to be almost time for school by now.
“Dereliction of duty is no light matter, Headmistress,” said Zuri.
“I tell you what, Zuri…” he said.
Tara’s gaze shifted to the man, and she noticed he was significantly taller than the woman. She was at least five foot nine or ten, so he had to easily be six foot five. He was broad shouldered and looked like he could pick up one of the surrounding trees and throw it just for kicks. The man’s hair was a deep, rich brown and long enough to run fingers through it. His face was chiseled, lips full, and eyes the color of moss. He wore brown pants that didn’t seem to be any material but looked like they might be suede and a fitted white shirt that reminded her of a Henley style. And she only knew what that was because Shelly loved those kind of shirts on guys and frequently pointed them out when anyone at school wore them and wore them well. Her words. Tara didn’t miss the sword at his waist or the sheathed knife on his opposite thigh.
“The next time you come through the front door and find Fizzlebink asleep at his post, you have my permission to use him as target practice in your first-year stone levitation class.”
The gnome gulped.
“Deal,” said Zuri, grinning at the gnome.
“Zuri,” the woman said, “I was beginning to worry.”
“I apologize, Headmistress. I got held up,” Zuri explained.
“Is this her, then?” The woman turned her gold eyes on Tara, and the intensity of her gaze made Tara want to drop her eyes. But she forced herself to look right back. This seemed to amuse the woman because her thin lips turned up ever so slightly.
“This is Tara Thompson. Jax’s Mark and, apparently, Elias’s soul bonded.”
Tara’s head snapped around so fast it was a miracle it didn’t roll right off her shoulders. “Elias’s what now?” The man and woman suddenly forgotten, Tara only had eyes for Zuri.
“We need to take her to him, right away,” said the man. “Elias is not doing well. Miss Thompson, I apologize for this reception. Trust that we normally don’t greet every student in this manner. Most are brought in with their sponsors through the gateroom.”
“Student?” Tara muttered.
“He’s here?” Zuri asked
Tara swore she heard concern in the woman’s voice. In the very short time she’d known Zuri, Tara had gotten the impression the woman wasn’t fazed by anything.
“He knew something was wrong with his soul bonded. Elias said all of a sudden something hit him in the chest, and there she was. He could feel her alarm and fear. Jax brought him straight here before Elias could go to her. Jax was worried that Elias would do something reckless.”
“I think that was a reasonable fear considering the state he was in when we forced him to leave her,” Zuri said. “I’ve never seen him like that.”
“Wait, you did what?” asked Tara.
“Then prepare yourself,” said the Headmistress, ignoring Tara’s words. “Because the Elias we have locked in a cell is not the one you know.”
“You locked him in a cell?” Tara practically yelled. One second, she was trying to keep up with what they were saying and the next she was charging forward at the Headmaster and Headmistress, to do what, she had no clue. Why the hell would they put him in a cell?
Just before Tara was a foot from the couple, the ground began to shake so hard she stumbled and would have fallen if the Headmaster hadn’t caught her arm and steadied her.
“Was that you?” Zuri asked the Headmistress.
The woman shook her head. “He must know she’s here.”
“That was Elias?” Zuri asked, her voice rising in shock.
“Tara,” said the Headmistress, “I apologize that we’ve been talking around you. I know you are confused and rightfully so. I am Itterra, headmistress of Terra Academy.”
“And I am Terrick,” the man said. “Headmaster of the academy and mate of Itterra.”
The ground shook again, even harder. “I don’t feel that I can say it’s nice to meet you just yet,” Tara said honestly. “Your sword-wielding chick here battled my friend and left him bleeding. Well, I don’t know that I can really call him a friend. It’s complicated. Anyway, she battled him and then snatched me away and took me through a portal to a mountain that she called an academy despite the fact that it looks like a freaking mountain and only a mountain. And now I’m standing talking to two people who are so pretty they don’t look like they are even human. Oh, and did I mention there’s also a freaking GNOME here? And now I’m being told that the guy that I … well … I … hell, I’m not getting into that. I’m being told Elias is causing earthquakes strong enough to shake a damn mountain. So, royalty or not, I don’t trust you.” She turned to Zuri. “Or you.”
“We understand,” Terrick said. “How about we take you to someone you do trust?”
She didn’t know if she trusted Elias at the moment, but Tara knew she needed to see him. Knowing he was close by, it took all of her strength not to bolt down the dark stone corridor screaming his name to find him.
“Please, follow us,” Itterra said.
Tara didn’t hesitate. She felt a tug in her chest as if a rope had been tied to her ribs, and it was being pulled away from her. She didn’t think she could stop her feet from moving forward even if she had wanted to.
They walked down the corridor for what seemed like a quarter of a mile. Every so often, Tara saw other lighted stone tunnels branching off from the one they were in. Then the tunnel opened up into a large chamber. Tara sucked in a sharp breath as she looked at the gold, brown, and black marbled walls that traveled up at least a hundred feet to a ceiling covered in lush, green vines.
There was a huge chandelier hanging down, but it wasn’t like any light fixture she’d ever seen before. It hung from a thick braid of various colored vines bearing beautiful blooming flowers. The chandelier itself looked like twisted tree limbs that had been turned and manipulated until they formed a circle with upturned ends containing glowing orbs instead of lightbulbs. There were at least thirty of them, maybe more, and they bathed the chamber in light.
Tara scarcely had time to take in the contents of the room because they quickly passed through it and took another tunnel leading away from it. This tunnel was better lit and bore a polished marble floor rather than the rough stone she’d seen in entrance tunnel. Tara heard running water. Well, not exactly running water. It sounded more like… Her thoughts froze as the group crossed under a tall archway and entered a circular room that didn’t appear to have a ceiling. All Tara could see above her was open air. And on the far side, running down the marble wall from somewhere farther up than she could see, was a cascading waterfall. The noise wasn’t so deafening that she couldn’t hear anything else, rather, it sounded like a muted applause. More of the glowing orbs filled the room, but they weren’t attached to anything. They were suspended in midair and went up and up until she could only see what looked like glowing dots the size of stars millions of miles away in space.