by Laney McMann
••
I look around the dense forest, a beautiful, shimmering light beckoning me.
“Wake up now, Teine,” my aunt says.
“I don’t know what I’m doing, Aunt Flidais.” Tears roll down my face.
“You were chosen to walk this path. No one knows why events unfold the way they do.” Her voice lowers to a whisper. “Remember … we must open the book in order to read the pages, niece. Have a little faith.”
• • •
“Layla, can you hear me?” Max ran his hand along my face, his touch warming my heart. “Open your eyes.” His voice cracked and hitched.
••
“I’ll miss you, Aunt Flidais. Cara, too. I’ll come back soon. I promise.”
“We will see you very soon.”
• • •
My eyelids fluttered, eyes rolling back in my head, as I tried to break away from the Wood.
“Lay, you can’t leave me.”
I wanted to open my eyes, force them open against the weight holding me down, to see Max’s face, but it was as if they’d been glued shut.
He squeezed my hand, heavy breath enveloping my senses, staggering in sobbing gasps.
I pushed as hard as I could, trying to reach him, to let him know I was okay, but I couldn’t move.
“Benny, do something!”
“There’s nothing I can do. If she went under … if she walked through the doorway … you know I can’t follow her there.” Benny’s voice sounded thick with sadness.
“Then I will!”
“You can’t just walk into the Underworld. They’ll kill you.”
“You don’t seem to understand what I’m saying. I. Don’t. Care. I’m not going to just sit here, doing nothing!”
“MacKenzie, be reasonable.” My mother raised her voice over his. “You cannot go into the Underworld; it has been a long time, but … I may be able to find her.”
“What’re you waiting for?” Max asked.
Every word, every touch sat right beyond my reach. As much as I tried, I couldn’t go to them. I lay trapped in my own body, somewhere between our world and the Otherworld. Max’s cry killed me, like knives stabbing my heart, over and over, again.
••
“Teine, your mother is here, child. Please listen. Do as she tells you.” My Aunt speaks through the haze of trees again; Cara stands anxiously behind her.
“Teine … can you hear me?” My mother’s voice calls out. “If you can, I need you to walk toward the light. You are stuck between two worlds. Can you see the light?”
I nod and walk toward it, unsteady and unsure. It’s so bright. Too bright. I can barely see.
Someone squeezes my hand. I walk a little faster.
“Max is here,” my mother says. “He’s waiting for you.”
My heart thrums in my chest.
“Layla?” his voice calls.
I squint to see through the slits my eyelids have become, and walk faster still, seeing his body outlined against the bright light, his arms held wide. I break into a run, branches and limbs clipping my arms, my legs, cutting me, but I don’t care.
Relief washes over Max’s face, smoothing the anguished lines marking his mouth and forehead. His shoulders relax, his head bows, as I come closer, the remnants of tears glistening his cheeks.
I run faster, sprinting out of the forest, and collide into him at full speed, wrapping my arms around him as he lifts me off the ground.
“I thought I lost you.” He buries his face in my hair, gripping my body.
“I’m so sorry.” I pull him closer, crying as I try to breathe. “I shouldn’t have let you fall.” I cry harder, his shirt gripped in both fists. “Don’t let go.”
He kisses my neck, my cheek. “Never.”
22
“Is she gone?” My face remained buried in Max’s shoulder, afraid to let go.
He tilted his head; the bites that trailed down his neck had left only the slightest hint of color. “Gone.”
“What happened? You were falling. I watched you fall.” I regained my footing as he set me down, and I stared in wide eyed shock at my surroundings; hazy sunlight blanketed an overgrown green field, alive with black and yellow striped bumblebees hovering above hundreds of purple flowers.
I tightened my hold on Max. “Where are we?”
He rested his forehead against mine. “We’re in the Otherworld.” He beamed down at me. “Remember?” Max kissed my check. “You traversed here.”
I what? I shook my head. “I saw my aunt and my cousin, Cara, in a vision, a dream, and I heard you and Benny yelling, but … I … I was dreaming … or—”
He cupped my chin, redirecting my gaze to his eyes. “You’re weren’t dreaming, Lay. Everything you see, everything you experience, is real.”
“So … what happened to you,” I asked again. “You hit—“
“You didn’t see me hit the ground.” An eyebrow lifted up as he smirked.
“No … but—”
“The fall separated me from the Leanaan Sidhe like I thought it would.” He shrugged. “When I regained full control, I saw you falling, and I caught you.”
“You were below me. You couldn’t have.” I shook my head. “There’s no way. I mean, you could never rebound that fast, not with the wind blowing the way it was.”
He eyed me, his brows knitting up. “Um … Lay, haven’t you noticed anything … odd at all about me? I mean besides the whole Ancient Fire Born thing?” He pulled his hand through his hair, smiling.
Suspicion leached into my brain. “Like?”
“Nothing bad.” He laughed. “It’s just, well … the thing with the Leanaan Sidhe was kind of a fluke. I’m generally a bit more … in control … of situations.” He lifted his eyebrows, clearly hoping I’d catch on to what he was trying to say.
I raised my eyebrow, not getting it.
He grinned and held his hands out between us with his palms facing up, and closed his eyes. Leaves rustled on the ground at my feet, swirling around my ankles, and rose into the air, encircling my body in a brown and green spiral of color.
I glanced at Max, laughing as my hair lifted off my shoulders like a billowy cloud.
His grey eyes opened, and the leaves blew away, leaving the softest of warm breezes brushing across my face before he closed his hands, and my hair tumbled back down my shoulders.
Amazed, I smiled. “How’d you do that?”
He reached for my hand and shrugged. “How do you throw fire? We have gifts. Mine is wind.”
At the sound of footsteps crunching the leaves behind me, I glanced over my shoulder.
“Children. Let us move inside, please.” My Aunt Flidais’ voice made me jump. She stood under a shaded tree line and beckoned me forward with a wave, smile and a raised brow.
“It is good to see you, Mackenzie.” She approached, long white robes trailing the ground behind her.
“And you, My Lady.” Max bowed. “It’s been a long time.”
“It has. I trust the Leanaan Sidhe is gone?”
“She vanished in the fall,” Max said.
“I see.” Her tone sounded skeptical. “Well, I am pleased you are in one piece. Teine feared the worst, I am afraid. Are you well, my sweet niece?” She inclined her head.
I coughed, clearing my throat. “I’m … I … It was you?” Heat warmed my face.
She smiled and caressed my check with a soft hand. “It was and is me. You are very much here. For a short time, anyway, and I am glad that is so. Shall we walk?” She led the way through the clearing. “Our visit must be short, I fear, as you traversed to your mother’s house, and your body remains there.”
What?
She stopped and smiled again as the color drained from my face. “I apologize for my bluntness. Our people may travel between worlds in sleep and in wake. Sleep isn’t always safe, as you are not here in entirety, and your defenses are weakened. You will need to return home soon.”
I gaped at Max.
H
e squeezed my hand. “You were stuck between worlds. I traversed here with your mother. She returned to watch over you from … well, your house.” He rubbed the back of his neck, seeming uncomfortable.
I swallowed the massive knot lodged in my throat.
“I trust Mairsile is well?” my aunt asked as if discussing something mundane like the weather.
“My grandmother is well, yes,” Max said.
“She was always a strong soul. A good match for you.” My aunt continued across the sun-drenched field, the afternoon growing brighter, creating a glittered mist that bled through the treetops. A giggle rang from the forest, its source concealed by shadows.
“What is that?” Max pulled me to a stop.
“It’s my cousin.” The words sprang from my mouth without a thought.
Max grinned. “So, you do remember.”
I smiled a little, my nerve endings jumping in spasms as my head tried to make sense of what my eyes saw—and my ears heard. I pinched my arm until it stung and left a mark.
Laughter echoed through the trees, sending an eerie howl into the open clearing.
“Kinda creepy,” Max said.
“Come out, Cara.” My aunt called in the direction of rustling leaves.
A squealing giggle sang from the trees, and Cara jumped in front of us, throwing her arms around me. “Teine!”
“Hi.” I hugged her, reeling.
“You didn’t forget me, did you?”
“I didn’t forget you.”
“Almost, though … I heard you.” She glanced up, peering at me from under long blonde lashes.
“I won’t forget again.” I smiled.
She peeked over at Max and giggled. “Good!” she said, and jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Hi, MacKenzie!”
“Hi.” His arms lifted in the air like he wasn’t sure what to do with them.
“You remember me, right?” Her green eyes batted.
He patted the top of her head. “Of course I do. You were a lot smaller, though.”
“You’re really handsome, now.” She grinned.
His face flushed red. “Well … thank you.”
“Cara, please run and play now. We have pressing matters at hand.” My aunt shooed her off.
“Okay, Mother.” Her bottom lip stuck out, and her shoulders slumped as she let go of Max. “I’ll see you soon, right, Teine?” She faced me, eyes pleading, forehead scrunching in a scowl. “You won’t stay away so long, anymore, will you? Promise?”
“I promise.”
Her face lit up as she ran off. A moment later, she stopped. “Bye, Max.” She waved, winked at him, and dashed under the tree cover, laughing.
“It looks like you have a fan.” I smirked.
He gave me a slight smile, cheeks turning redder.
The trees grew in manicured columns on the opposite side of the clearing, and we continued walking amongst wildflowers and buzzing bees. A long winding pathway formed through the forest and crystals hung from tree limbs, creating glittery rainbow prisms down the trail, highlighting Max’s face in purple and red hues. I gazed at him, mesmerized by the colored light dancing across the bridge of his nose.
“Teine, please keep up,” my aunt said, having walked far ahead.
Rushing water disturbed the tranquility, and I stopped mid-step, remembering the many waterfalls existing throughout the Otherworld. None, however, were so large, or frightening, as the one that loomed ahead of us.
At once, I remembered fearing it as a child. The memory of my father holding my hand as we rushed through it hit me like a punch. I sucked in the surrounding air. So many forgotten memories were packed away like antiques in an attic.
“What’s wrong?” Max glanced around.
“We need to walk through it.” I raised my voice over the deafening gush, not averting my attention from the water plummeting from the towering height of the cliff top above us.
“Through it?” Max sounded like the suggestion was insane.
“Yeah.” I pointed at my aunt, whose serene form disappeared beyond the falls. “It’s the doorway into the Royal Court.” I rubbed my temples, my head aching at the onslaught of memories. “It won’t touch us.” I tried to convince myself it was true. “My father said it was a safeguard against the unwanted.”
Max squeezed my hand. “Okay. I trust your father. Let’s go.” We took a step forward, and Max stopped, gripping my hand. “What happens if we can’t pass?”
I looked down into the churning pool, overspray rebounding off jagged boulders, spiking above the surface, and splashing up on us. “We end up down there.”
He let out a breath. “You’ve been through before, right?”
“With my dad. When I was little. You haven’t?”
He shook his head. “I’ve never been into the Court.”
“Oh.” My gaze stayed glued to the plunging water—the way it seemed to almost bend in a semi circle around the cliff face as if there was no access—no way to get through it or behind it without being pulverized. All the waterfalls Max and I played in when we were little had rock wall paths behind them, if I remembered right. We would sit and watch the water pouring from the cliffs but it would never touch us. From my vantage point, nothing sat hidden behind the falling water except sheer rock.
“We’ll be fine.” Resolution set across the frown lines of Max’s brow. “Let’s just do it quick. Easier that way.” He crouched forward, his palm sweaty against mine.
“Why would my aunt just leave us?”
“She told us to keep up.” Max shrugged. “Come on, let’s run up on it and jump through the side. Just like always.” He bumped my hip with his and smirked. “I’ll beat you.”
I let go of his hand and took off, running as fast as I dared along the ledge, loose rocks sliding under my feet and shooting off the bluff into midair.
“Why are you always cheating?” Max’s breathing quickened, his footsteps steady at my heels. Condensed mist billowed out of the basin, while water ricocheted off the rocks below like a thousand sprinkler heads gone wild, blinding my view.
“We need to jump!” Max reached for my hand, his fingertips touching mine.
I reached back, groping for his hand, and my feet left the ground, plunging straight into the falls.
Max’s body crashed into mine from behind as he landed on top of me, both of us sprawled out on a muddy floor, soaked. “See?” he said, rolling off me and onto his back. “Easy.”
“Yeah.” I huffed, gripping a sore shoulder. “Easy.”
“You okay?” He coughed, spitting out water.
“I think so.” I sat up and glanced around.
All had fallen into darkness, and a pathway wound ahead of us. It glowed as if lit by some invisible iridescent force, casting an eerie green light down what I realized were walls of a cave. Stalactites jutted above our heads like upside down sand-dripped castles in spiked disarray. Condensation fell from their tips to the cave floor, drenching the ground at our feet.
Howling winds whistled through the narrow space, and chills trembled up my bare wet arms as I pushed to stand, my shoulder throbbing.
What looked like an exit light shined in the distance, seeming no larger than a pinhole in the darkness. My aunt was nowhere in sight.
I started down the path, my vision refocusing and adjusting to the lack of light.
Max put his arms around me, warming my bones and pulling me to a stop. “Is it … darker?” His hand slid down my arm to rest against my hand. “Do you hear that?” His voice lowered to a whisper, and he took a step forward before glancing back. “Lay …”
Where the waterfall had allowed us entry stood a solid stone wall. Fissures snaked into it and shimmered like glittered slithering serpents. He raised a finger to his lips. “Shh.”
I nodded, lifting my gaze toward the ceiling, lost in an unending dark chasm above us. As we backed up against the cave wall, liquid seeped into my clothes, cold and thick.
Max yanked on my a
rm, trying to pull me closer, but slime bled all around me, securing me like glue to the wall until claustrophobia tightened my chest, suffocation bearing on my lungs.
“Max.”
His eyes widened, nostrils flaring as the slippery substance adhered to his body. “Okay. Don’t panic. It’s just some kind of sticky algae.” His fingers flexed.
The stalactites’ drips grew louder, steadier, like footsteps resonating through the cave in a harmonious march. The sound of scraping stone and water played together in an ominous rhythm, and the cave began closing in on itself, the ceiling reaching for the floor.
“Max!” I dug my feet into the pebbles and mud on the cave floor in a fruitless attempt to run.
Sparks flickered from my palms, sizzling out in a weak spiral of steam on the wet ground.
The tiny pinprick of light at the other end of the cave brightened.
Panic overrode thought. I screamed, scrambling to free myself from being crushed by stalactites looming like spikes of steel.
Max’s fingertips brushed my hand. “Close your eyes.”
“What?”
“Ar an ghaoithe, mo neart, glaoch orm.”
The wind, my strength, I call.
“Close your eyes!”
A screeching blast pressed through the hole of light. Rocks and sand flew through the narrow passage, causing chaos in the space around us.
The gust enveloped me, drowning his words, and blew me off the wall, throwing me into Max’s waiting, open arms.
“Got you.” He set me on my feet. “Run!”
The light shined like a beacon as we raced toward it, the crunch of crushing stalactites vibrating the ground behind us. Ripping currents of air tore into stone like sledgehammers.
I scrambled through the opening on hands and knees, my palms skidding on dirt and stone as the cave opening collapsed behind me, waves of dust and flying particles blanketing the air.
Blue sky met treetops, falling water careened into view, my nails dug into hard crusted earth, and my injured shoulder gave way.
I pitched headfirst off the cliff shelf.
“Layla!”
Jagged rocks and churning water came into focus.
“Shift!” Max’s voice cried out above me. “Now!”
My attempt to yell died in my throat.