by LJ Rivers
“Is that—?” I began.
Jen nodded again. “Only reversed.”
I approached it, leaning to see the wall behind the giant rock. And there it was, the source of the blue glow.
The portal.
It still looked like a window in the wall, though it shone a little less brightly than before. The outline slanted a fraction to the right, as opposed to the left when I had seen it from the other side. I shook my head at the very thought.
The other side.
This would take some getting used to.
A dark silhouette caught my attention, a part of the wall on the far side of the pool of water. It looked like the ceiling and wall had collapsed at that particular point.
My breath hitched as I realised why.
“Oh, no.”
“Yeah, that’s where they escaped,” someone said behind me.
I turned and stared into a pair of almond-shaped eyes, framed by dark lashes.
“I bet your father used some magic to close the opening,” Erica said. “Nice gesture.”
“Can we move the rocks?” I asked.
“We tried, Jack and I, but no luck. The largest ones are several hundred pounds each.”
Jack came up next to her, still in his copper-shaded wolf form. He sniffed Charlie’s hand.
I brushed the dust from my jeans and got to my feet. “I could try my telekinesis.”
I went over to the pile of rocks, and even before I held my palms out, I knew it wouldn’t work. The mound was almost as high as the cave itself, and at least twenty feet wide. I managed to move a few of the smallest boulders, but my magical energy was running low. Had my batteries been fully charged, I would still only be able to move the fifty-pound rocks. That would leave ninety per cent of the pile unfazed by my efforts.
“It’s no use,” I said, returning to the others. “Unless there’s another way out, we’re stuck.”
Jack had shifted back to his human form and hunched behind the slate upon which Brendan was still fast asleep.
“I’m almost spent,” I said. “It’ll take me a while to get my energy levels rising, but then I can try healing Char and B again. How about you guys go looking for—?” As I said the words, it dawned on me. “Right, you’ve already checked.”
“Sorry, Ruby,” Erica muttered and nodded at the closed opening. “That’s it, I’m afraid.”
“OK, we’ll deal with that later. First, I have to find a way to revive the sleeping beauties over here.” I pointed at Brendan and Charlie.
A faint glow emanated from Brendan’s skin as if he was lying atop a flashlight, and the residual light created a sphere a few inches out from his body. I pushed Jen aside so I could see Charlie. She had the same glow, only not the blue tint of Brendan’s. Her sphere was more violet, fading into pink at the edges.
I studied Jen, then Erica and Jack, before returning my attention to Jen.
“You don’t have auras.” I nodded at Erica and Jack. “But Char and B do. As do you, Jen, but yours is quite vague.”
“Huh?” Jen furrowed her brow. “Auras?”
“I can see a sort of glow—an aura, for lack of a better word—emanating from Mags. And most of the time, I can tell which type of Mag a person is by looking at their aura. But now it’s sort of backwards. You don’t see the glow around Charlie? Or Brendan?”
Jen shook her head. “Sorry, Red, but I guess it’s a Fae thing. Or maybe Sorceress.”
Erica shrugged. “Can’t see anything, either.”
“So,” I said, “it’s reversed here on—” I paused. Could I really utter the word?
“Avalon,” Jen offered with a smile. “We’re on Avalon if that’s what you’re wondering. I mean, where else can we be? We walked into the portal in the cave back on Earth, and now we’re in a different cave. Unless someone’s playing the prank of the century on us, we’re on Avalon, baby.”
It could only be Jen. She would be the one to smile in such dire circumstances. But she was right, of course. We had gone through, and it only made sense that I should see human auras here.
On Avalon. Again, the mere thought of the name of my ancestor’s home made me dizzy.
“I can’t believe we’re actually here,” I whispered.
Jen stood and pointed. “If nothing else, then the fact that the portal is reversed should convince you. So, let’s get Charlie and Brendan out of dreamland and find a way out of this place. I mean, if this is all I get to see of this fabled world, I must say my TripAdvisor review will be curt.”
“Uhm, guys?” Jack pointed behind me. “We might have to find the exit sooner rather than later.”
I turned, following the direction of his finger. Where my heart had beaten heavily from realising we were on Avalon, it picked up speed when I saw what had caught Jack’s attention.
The pool had grown and kept rising. The water was at least a yard higher on the slanted floor and would reach us in minutes if it maintained that speed.
“We have to get higher,” Jen said and picked up Charlie in her arms. “Get Brendan!”
Jack and Erica responded quickly, hauling my comatose boyfriend between them. As the water kept rising, we retreated upwards. The problem was, the cave was only so big. After fifteen feet or so, we hit the wall. Below us, the water kept creeping up the slanted floor and was only twenty feet away.
“Use your magic, Ru!” Jen tugged at my jacket. “Try pushing the water away.”
I shook my head. “I can’t. We have to go back. Who knows how high this might go. What if it fills the whole cave?”
“Back? You mean through the portal?”
“It’s our only chance. Besides, maybe Charlie and Brendan will wake up once we’re back on Earth.” I bit my lip. “And we can always come back here later when the water’s retreated.” I hoped.
Jen looked at the rising water. “You might be right.” She picked up Charlie and carried her to the blue glow behind the boulder.
Jack flung Brendan over his shoulder and followed, Erica and me right behind them.
“I’ll go first with Char and pop back to tell you how it goes.” Jen stepped towards the thin veil. She turned to avoid hitting Charlie’s head against the edge, and Charlie’s feet entered the portal first.
Our limp, unconscious flatmate started to convulse. Jen almost dropped her. Spit and foam sprayed from Charlie’s mouth.
“Step back,” Jack said. “She’s reacting to the magic inside.”
Jen did as he said, and Charlie lay still in her arms again. “We can’t risk it. What if she has a heart attack?”
I looked behind us, and my shoulders slumped. “Agreed. We can’t stop the water, however. All I can do is this.”
Holding my palms up, I called on my force field power from the core of my magic while we retreated further from the portal and away from the rising tide. My magic responded instantly, like a well-trained dog, and surged through me. As it reached my palms, it jumped out, forming a translucent sphere around our motley crew.
Kit climbed up on my shoulder again, hissing at the water as it crept closer and closer to the force field. I had no idea how long I could keep it up.
“It must be some kind of tide,” Jack said. “Maybe with an underwater connection to what I assume is the sea outside. Let me out, Ruby. I can dive and see if there is a tunnel of sorts we can swim through.”
“No way!” Erica exclaimed. “You’ll drown.”
Jack nodded at the water, which was only five feet away from the edge of the force field. It washed over the slab of stone Brendan had lain upon moments earlier, rising unforgivingly towards us.
“I have to try,” the young wolf Shifter said. “Ru?”
“To your left,” I said, not waiting for Erica’s objections. “And take this.”
I handed him a globe of fire, wrapped inside a tennis ball-sized force field. Jack took it, carefully, but smiled as he understood it wouldn’t burn him. I opened a slit in the force field, allowing Jack to slip through.
As soon as he was on the outside, I closed the glassy wall. Jack wasted no time. He took three steps and dived in an arc, disappearing into the seaweed-coloured water. Within seconds, the traces of his light source were gone, too.
I shuddered as the water started lapping up the sides of my force field.
Chapter Two
The water rose steadily outside my force field, and my energy was draining fast. “Where is he? I don’t think I can hold it much longer.”
“I’m so not in the mood for a swim.” Erica crouched beside me, one hand flat on the glassy sphere.
Nor was I. While trying to maintain the force field, all I could do was stare at the water threatening to swallow us all. Had my father known we would get trapped down here with no escape? I wouldn’t put it past him, although he had never deliberately tried to harm me either. He must have known I would make it out eventually. Somehow. Or maybe he didn’t think I would follow, but wanted to stop anyone else who might?
“There!” Jen nudged my arm.
A glimmering, golden hue appeared on the surface and spread out before Jack’s head emerged from the water. The fire globe hovered next to him, and he had a twisted grin on his face. “Let go of the field.”
I shook my head wildly, Kit clawing at my shoulders to keep from falling off. Was Jack nuts? If I let go, we would all drown.
He rolled his eyes at me. “Jen. Erica. Grab the deadweight and prepare to swim. There’s a tunnel underneath the cave floor that slopes up away from the water.”
“Then what?” I asked.
“Didn’t exactly have time to check it out, but at least it’s dry. Better than staying here.”
Jen grabbed Charlie and flung her boneless body onto her back. “I know you’re scared, Ru, but do you really want to stay here? Sink or swim, love!”
Water had terrified me for as long as I could remember, and the thought of submerging myself horrified me more than anything. Get a grip, Ru, you can do this. Sink or swim, Jen had said, so what choice did I have?
I heaved a sigh. “All right.”
I flicked out two more force fields, wrapping them around Charlie’s and Brendan’s heads, then one around Kit, who glowered at me and bobbed his head as if trying to shake off the magical sphere. I tried conjuring a fourth for Erica, but the others started to fade before it materialised, so I stopped. Brendan and Charlie needed them the most, and I couldn’t imagine Kit would be the best swimmer either.
“Right, that’ll have to do. If I’m going to keep theirs up as well as the fire, I can’t make more.”
“We’ll manage,” Jen said.
Jack showed me his back. “Just grab onto my neck.”
I let the force field drop. Water flooded the space where we stood and splashed over us, submerging me for a moment, only to wash out to just below my chin while continuing its ascent. I flung my arms around Jack’s neck, shivering like a leaf, while Kit’s claws embedded themselves in my shirt, just above my collarbone. He whimpered but held on as if he knew he had no other options.
“I got you,” Jack assured me. “All you gotta do is hold on. Everyone ready?”
Jen and Erica gave affirmative nods, one hand wrapped around the arms of each of our comatose friends.
“Suck in as much air as you can,” Jack said. “We’ll have to go deep before we can turn back up. Follow the light if you can. If not, swim with the current once you get to the darkest depths.”
“Don’t let go,” I told Kit, then sucked in air and clamped my mouth shut just as Jack dived into the wet deathtrap.
It was nothing like being consumed by the shadows. Despite the pull the shadows had over me, it gave me a sort of comfort to walk in them. The water, however, provided me with nothing but a dreadful pit in my stomach. It was as if it clutched me in its grasp and squeezed, trying to force the air from my lungs. Sounds were muted as we floated through the stillness. Flickers of light shimmered around us, creating silhouettes of darkness. As we descended further into the depths, the fire dimmed, and my vision failed me. I closed my eyes, allowing Jack to guide us forward. Afraid as I was of the water, I had never properly learned to swim, so all I could do was trust the wolf Shifter to know where we were going and to keep us both afloat until we got there.
Wherever “there” was.
The blood pumped through my veins with shallow thuds as my energy deflated. Kit clung to my shoulders like a heavy ball, refusing to let go. I had to hold on just a while longer to keep the force fields from dropping before my friends were all safe. My heart clenched into a ball, and if I hadn’t already been submerged, I was sure I would have felt tears on my cheeks.
Something stirred in the water, and I opened my eyes to the blackness. It was likely only Jen and Erica. A figure rushed past us to the left. I kicked my legs up when something smooth slid over my ankles. Faster, I thought, though Jack couldn’t hear me. The figure whooshed by on my other side. Whatever it was, it wasn’t any of my friends.
Air.
I needed air. My chest constricted, and my mouth opened, releasing a stream of bubbles. Water slid down my throat, and I grabbed for air that wasn’t there. I lost my grip for a moment, and Jack clasped my other hand. Panicked, I thrust my body around, trying to free myself. I had to break the surface. Fear latched onto me like a deadly promise, and I kicked with all my might. But all I saw above was a sheet of blackness, and Jack wouldn’t let me go. Dots clouded my vision, and my head throbbed. For a moment, I thought I glimpsed my mum somewhere in the gloom, like a white light calling for me. My heart swelled, and I went boneless.
Mum! I’m coming!
A shadowy figure rushed by again, obscuring the mirage. It wasn’t real, I wouldn’t die like this. I couldn’t. I flung my free arm back over Jack’s shoulders. Just as my legs started kicking again, trying to aid Jack’s speed, we pushed through the surface and rolled onto dry ground. I released my hold on the Shifter and backed further up the dark tunnel, coughing and heaving. Kit slid off my back and pawed at my knees as if to comfort me, his head still protected by my magic. The fireball hovered between Jack and me. It had shrunk to the size of a grape, and its light barely aided visibility.
“You good?” Jack asked, not nearly as out of breath as I was.
Holding my palm out, I coughed some more. “Two more seconds,” I gasped, “and I wouldn’t be.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. Seems the water has risen further up here, as well.”
Another bunch of heads burst out of the surface, and the rest of the gang crawled into the tunnel. My force fields disintegrated as I fell back in relief and exhaustion. They were all safe. For now.
“It’s freezing,” Erica said, carefully putting Charlie on the ground in the darkness behind me.
“Wanna heat this place up, Red?” Jen sat beside me and patted Kit after having put Brendan next to Charlie.
I rolled to my side, resting my head in my hand. “I would if I could, but I’m all out of juice. My energy will return soon. Just let me rest a bit first. A little food would help.”
“I’ve got some peanuts,” Jack said. “They’re in a bag; hopefully it isn’t damaged, and they’re not soaked.”
I accepted the small bag and ripped it open. I grabbed a handful and stuffed the peanuts in my mouth, shuddering when my body responded to the slight increase of nourishment to fuel my energy. It wasn’t much, but it helped.
“Score!” Erica exclaimed from where she was still crouching next to Charlie. “I thought I smelled something. Our sleepy genius had a pack of energy bars in the side pocket of her backpack.” She tossed one to Jen and another two Jack’s way. He threw one to me, then proceeded to unwrap the other and stuffed it into his gob in one piece. I slowly opened mine and took a big bite, energy pouring back into my blood, igniting my internal furnace. A snack had never felt this good.
Finished, I stuffed the plastic into my jeans pocket and put my feet on the ground, water splashing from the impact. No way! “It’s still rising,” I called.
The wolves all turned to look. It was barely noticeable in the dim light, but sure enough, the water kept coming.
“We’ve got to move.” Jen pushed the other wolves away from the edge.
I scrambled to my feet and hurled the dwindling fireball in front of our pack, Kit bouncing ahead of me. “Come on!” I tugged at Charlie’s arms, trying to drag her with me, when Jack scooped her up. Erica was already carrying Brendan.
“Go!” Jen wrapped an arm around me, and we all sprinted further into the darkness.
Spikes from the stalagmites caught on my shins, and my feet slipped as I ran.
“I won’t let you fall.” Her firm grip kept me upright as we stumbled on.
The sound of gurgling water made my heart clench into a ball again, and my breath quickened. Had we come all this way only to drown in a cave in some alternate universe?
“This way,” Erica called from the shadows. I squinted, but couldn’t see anything but silhouettes ahead.
“Stairs,” Jen said in a sigh. “Straight ahead, Red. Here, lift your feet.”
I kicked my foot forward and winced as it connected with the stone step.
“One after the other, Ru. You got this.”
A gust of wind swept by, and we rolled onto dry ground again. Panting, I increased the fireball into the size of my fist. Brendan and Charlie lay as unmoving on the ground as they had since we arrived in this wretched place. Kit sat between them, preening himself. Behind us was a three-foot drop where the stairs were. I crawled back to the edge and looked down at the ever-rising water. It was slow going, so we had time to breathe.
“You think it’ll flood everything?” Jack asked behind me.
I turned to him. “I have no idea.”
“Looks like it’s slowing, though. This might be as far as it will rise.”
I swallowed hard, hoping he was right. “Any sign of an exit?”
Erica stepped into the light of my tiny fire. “The tunnel forks off in two different directions up ahead, but they both slope downwards and I couldn’t see an end to either of them.”