“Fine,” he grumbled. “But just for tonight, got it?”
“Agreed, just for tonight.” I paused, not sure how to phrase my next question. “I, uh, I’m not alone. Kull is here with me now, and he’ll have to come with us because I can’t leave him. He’s had some head trauma. Memory problems, you know. I can’t guarantee how stable he is. He could get violent. Just want you to be warned.”
Kull gave me a dark look.
“You’re fiancé?” Brent asked.
“Yep, that’s him.”
Brent sighed. Strangely, Brent and Kull had never gotten along. I had no idea why. “What kind of head trauma?”
“Well, he got attacked by a warlock who placed a curse on him and removed all his memories of me. He also seems to be disoriented and very confused.”
“So…fairy stuff?”
“Yes. Fairy stuff.”
“Fine. Whatever. Bring him along, too. He can stay upstairs with the cat. Anyone else I should know about? Want to bring Bigfoot too while you’re at it?”
“No, I’m good. It’s just us. You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Thank you, Brent. We’ll be there in an hour if the traffic—”
“No,” he cut in. “Let me come get you.”
“Come get me? Why? Is this because you still hate my car?”
“No.” His voice sounded unusually anxious. “No, it’s not about your car. There was something off about that break-in. I think it would be best if I picked you up, and we should meet somewhere quietly where we won’t attract attention. Is that burger restaurant around the corner still open?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Good. Meet me there. And try not to attract too much attention.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“I can’t tell you right now, but I promise I’ll tell you later. Keep your phone close, all right?”
“I will.”
We said good-bye and ended the call. I stared at my phone, wondering what had gotten him so spooked.
Kull paced the room, kicking at the couch stuffing, looking pensive as he glanced at the door.
“You’re going somewhere?” he asked.
“Yes. Brent’s coming to pick us up at the restaurant around the corner. Do you remember Brent?”
He shook his head. “Is he a lover of yours?”
“No. I’m engaged to you, remember? Why would I have a lover?”
“He’s a former lover, then?”
“Well…” I really didn’t want to answer the question, but Kull would figure it out anyway. “Fine. Yes, he’s a former lover.”
“I thought so. And you wish to bring me to this place with your former lover?”
“We’re going to his house out on Lake Houston. You’ll like it.”
“But I must go?”
“It’s the safest place for us. I don’t think staying here is an option.”
He stopped pacing to stand at his full height. As he loomed over me, I was reminded of the first time I’d met him. I’d vowed never to pick a fight with this guy. That still hadn’t changed.
My heart hurt a little as I studied his intense blue eyes, familiar yet so distant. We’d been separated before, but I’d never felt so detached from him as I felt right now. At the moment, I had no idea how to fix it.
“I have decided I must leave. I am afraid you have failed to earn my trust, and I can no longer pretend that you have my best interests at heart. Furthermore, someone has clearly attacked your home. For what purposes, I can’t say for sure, except you must have made some enemies at some point, which proves further that you are dangerous.”
“Kull, wait,” I said. “You can’t just leave. This world isn’t like Faythander. You have no idea what to expect. Plus, there are dangerous people out there.”
“I agree. There are dangerous people out there.”
As his eyes met mine, I knew who he was referring to. He thought I was some kind of evil sorceress. He thought I’d orchestrated his abduction and planned to use him in some sort of power play to takeover Faythander. Worse, I knew how stubborn the guy was. Once he had his mind set, it was hard to change it. But I also knew something else about him, something I could use to my advantage.
“Look at me, Kull. Do I look like I want to hurt you?”
He stood at the door, ready to leave. Although he didn’t turn toward me, he didn’t leave, either. Maybe I had a chance.
“Look at me, Kull.”
Finally, he turned and took a step toward me. When his eyes peered into mine, I had the urge to flinch, but I stood tall.
Theht reacted to his presence, fear and anger flooding my body in response to her awakening. This was unexpected. If he could see the goddess in my eyes, then he’d never trust me.
He said nothing as he held my gaze. Then, he turned away.
“I don’t know who you are, but I will find out.” He marched to the door, but stopped as he glanced at the sword on the back of the love seat where I’d left it. He looked at me.
“Take it,” I grumbled. “If it will make you happy, then it’s yours.”
He only nodded, then grabbed the sword and exited my apartment, leaving me alone.
Chapter Fifteen
After Kull left my apartment, I stood alone, staring at the door. I wanted to scream in frustration or break something. Unfortunately, everything was already broken. I settled for kicking the couch stuffing, then I collapsed on the floor.
Why didn’t anything ever go my way? Just once? One single time? Sometimes I wondered why I even tried.
I had to figure out a way to break that curse and get us back to Faythander—those were the only things that mattered. With that thought in mind, I stood and started packing.
Wandering to my bedroom, I felt as if I’d entered a stranger’s house. I grabbed some clothes off the floor and stuffed them in a duffel bag. When I entered the bathroom and grabbed my toothbrush, fear came over me as I glanced in the mirror.
I’d seen the Dreamthief in that mirror once, a long time ago, when I was a different person. The feeling that something was wrong came to me again, stronger this time, as I studied the mirror.
As I approached the glass, I felt a strange enchantment, something I’d never felt before. Reaching out, I tried to decide where the magic came from. A silvery-blue haze flickered for a half-second. Had someone used it as a portal?
I opened my magical senses to the enchantment, but whatever magic had lingered in the mirror dissipated, like smoke into air, and I couldn’t feel it anymore.
Odd.
I shook off my unease and finished packing. As I stood at my door, looking over my apartment, at the possessions that had once been mine, sadness tried to overwhelm me. I couldn’t help but feel that this apartment was a reflection of my life now—in shambles, a cluttered mess that was impossible to untangle.
But those kinds of thoughts had never done me any good, so I turned away, locked the door behind me, and headed for the restaurant around the corner. I still wasn’t sure why Brent had wanted to meet there, except something about my apartment had spooked him.
As I walked down the sidewalk, listening to car engines rumbling and laughter and loud voices coming from the seawall, I wasn’t sure why I felt so uneasy, but I constantly glanced over my shoulder.
My neck prickled. I got the feeling that someone was watching. I could feel it.
I didn’t know who, but I suspected that whoever had torn up my apartment wasn’t some random criminal. They were looking for something. They were looking for me.
The unease stayed with me as I walked to the restaurant’s parking lot. I spotted a bench under a green awning, and I sat to wait. Sooner than I expected, Brent’s silver Honda appeared and pulled up in the parking space in front of me. Brent stepped outside the car. He wore street clothes—jeans, a polo shirt, and leather dress shoes. His hair was slicked with too much gel, and I had a feeling it smelled of that natural wax crap he liked to use. He also
wore a leather vest with his detective’s badge pinned to the front.
“That was fast,” I said, standing.
“I was speeding. There are perks to being an officer. Did you grab everything you need?”
I held up my duffel. “I packed what I could find.”
“Good, we should get going. The further you get from that apartment, the better.”
“Hold on, we can’t leave yet. We’ve got to go find Kull. He ran off a while ago and—” I stopped mid-sentence when King Skullsplitter himself appeared across the street. Still toting the sword, he walked toward the restaurant with a purpose, his eyes smoldering as if he were off to war instead of crossing toward the parking lot of the Island Burger Shack.
Brent’s eyes widened as he took in the guy.
“Why’s he packing a sword? Good grief, Olive, can’t you find anyone normal?”
“Kull is normal.”
Brent eyed me.
“I mean, when he’s not under any spells, in a good mood, and you know, when he’s not waging war or anything.”
“Uh-huh. So why’s he got a sword?”
“We stole it from a warlock, all right? Don’t give him a hard time. He’s not in his right mind at the moment. I already told you about the spell, so take it easy on him.”
“Will he try to kill anyone with it?”
“Do you want an honest answer?”
“Olive—”
“Look, he’s keeping the sword. There’s no way you’ll get him to let it go, all right?”
Kull spotted us, so he headed across the parking lot. He stopped when he reached us, towering over Brent and me, holding the sword, making my heart race. The two men stared each other down. Neither spoke, so I decided to break the silence.
“Brent, you remember Kull, right?”
“Hi,” Brent said and held out his hand. Kull only narrowed his eyes until Brent stuffed his hand in his pocket.
“Kull, this is the person I told you about. We’re staying at his place tonight.”
Kull worked his jaw back and forth. “I know who he is.”
“You do? Great. Then we all know each other. How about we get going?” I said.
“I like that idea,” Brent said and walked to the driver’s side door.
Kull stayed at my side without walking to the car. He held something out for me to see.
“Is that my pack?” I asked, taking a step closer. Sure enough, he held my bag. With any luck, my mirror would still be inside. “Where’d you find this?”
“On the beach,” he answered. “Not far from where the portal opened. It had items that stank of magic, so I assumed it must belong to you. It’s yours?”
I crossed my arms. “They stank of magic?”
“That is what I said, isn’t it? Does it belong to you or not?”
I snatched it away from him. “Yes, it’s mine. Thank you for returning it to me,” I said curtly.
The two of us climbed into the car. I sat up front in the passenger’s seat and Kull climbed in behind me, folding his legs behind the seat as best as he could. As we left the parking lot, I glanced down the road leading to my apartment, thinking about how much I would miss the place—remembering the outdated gold numbers tacked to the doorframe, the door’s ugly brown paint, and the planter box under the window with the long-dead Salvia flower stalks sticking up from dry potting soil. Sure, it wasn’t the cutest place ever, but I’d made it my home. Leaving it now, with the furniture ripped up and my belongings carelessly dumped on the floor, was harder to do than I thought.
The drive to North Houston during rush hour was a tedious process. Semis sped past, shaking the tiny Honda. When we merged onto 610, I broached the subject of the break-in, but Brent didn’t have much to offer. I got the feeling that he wanted to discuss it without Kull listening in, so we drove in silence.
After making it off the freeway and through the suburbs, we found Lake Houston. Its deep blue water sparkled under the evening sun. A few skiffs and small boats bobbed over the surface, creating waves in their wake.
Brent’s place sat at the end of a cul-de-sac, shaded by oak trees with moss hanging from their branches, blowing slightly in the wind. His house sat on stilts overlooking the lake. It was one of those modern places, with glass and stucco walls and a metal roof.
The house brought back memories I wished would go away. Brent and I had held a steady truce for the last several months, and we hadn’t dated for more than a year. The romantic aspect of our relationship had thankfully fizzled, yet I hadn’t been back to his place since we’d been together. The memories it brought back were unwelcome.
Sometimes I hated myself for leading him on when I’d known better. But that was all in the past. Brent and I were friends now. I was engaged to Kull, and even though Kull couldn’t currently remember that fact, I could.
Brent parked the car, shutting off the engine. Still in silence, we climbed out, Kull unfolding awkwardly from the backseat. Brent led us down the footpath and up the stairs. Kull gripped the sword as his eyes darted, looking for threats that weren’t there. Once Brent unlocked the door, he ushered us into the house.
Sleek and modern were the two words that came to mind when I entered Brent’s place, although it had changed some since I was here last. He’d put up a few pics of himself in his officer’s uniform and added a new trophy to the fireplace mantle.
The house smelled of antiseptic, reminding me of a hospital. Brent had always been too much of a neat freak. Gray walls contrasted the dark, teakwood floors. The open kitchen was all stainless steel and quartz counters, with utility-style pendant lights hanging over the island counter.
Kull entered the house behind me.
“You can stay upstairs if you want,” Brent said, tossing his keys on the counter. “I’ll order take-out or whatever. Your cat is hiding upstairs in the en-suite bathroom.”
Turning to Kull, I motioned for him to follow me. I made my way upstairs with Kull trailing behind me until we reached the second floor.
Brent had two guest rooms and two bathrooms upstairs. I debated on heading to the bathroom to check on Han, but decided against it. First, I needed to ditch Kull, so I decided to show him to his room. We walked down the hall until we located the second guest room. Opening the door, I walked inside and Kull followed.
“Will this work for you?” I asked.
He studied the room, all grays and blues, a bed with a double mattress, a desk, and a window looking out over the lake. It was sparse and lifeless. There weren’t any pictures on the walls, no plants, no color. In truth, the room, just like the whole house, felt lonely. Kind of like Brent.
That was a place I didn’t want to go.
“It’s sufficient,” Kull answered.
“Good. We’ll stay here for tonight. After that, we’re leaving for Faythander.”
“Why can’t we go now?”
I flexed my fingers, searching for my powers. Alarmingly, they still hadn’t returned since we’d crossed to Earth. I didn’t want to worry Kull, but there was a chance that the portal crossing had taken my magic away from me. I prayed I was wrong, but there was a possibility my powers wouldn’t come back at all.
That thought scared me. Without magic, we were stuck here, and Kull was left without his memories of me.
But if the portal had taken away my powers, then theoretically, crossing through another would return it. That was huge speculation on my part, but portals, especially those going to Faythander, wanted things ordered in their own way. Since I naturally had magic, a Faythander portal would try to return it to me.
However, without my powers, how would I create a portal in the first place?
One thing at a time. First, we needed food and rest. I never did my best thinking when I was exhausted.
“Olive, why can’t we return to Faythander now?”
“Well…” I wasn’t sure how to explain it to him. Did I tell him the truth? I didn’t want to alarm him, but I didn’t want to mislead him either
. “I’m afraid my magic still hasn’t recovered yet. It may be nothing, but there is a chance that the portal took my magic away.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I may not be getting it back at all.”
Kull crossed his arms. “We’re stuck here?”
“Maybe. Like I said, it may be nothing. After I get some food and rest, it may come back and we’ll have been worried about nothing.” Though I doubted it.
“Very well. Rest and eat, but I’ll have you know, I have every intention of returning to my world. If I must find a way without you, then I will.”
“Sure. Good luck with that.”
“You think I cannot find a way back to my world without you?”
“Actually, yes. You’re pretty much stuck here without my help. I suggest you start trusting me.”
He smirked. “You’ve abducted me and taken me to a strange world. I do not trust you now and I will not trust you ever.”
Sighing, I turned away from him. He was impossible. “Check the closet. Brent keeps some of his old clothes in there. He probably has something you can fit into. I suggest sweatpants. Meet me downstairs for dinner if you want.”
I shut the door behind me. Fuming, I went to my own room and locked myself inside. This room was a little more cheerful than Kull’s. Leis were tacked to the walls and a mandolin from Brent’s trip to Hawaii was displayed in a shadow box hanging over the bed. Brent had dared to find a comforter with tropical flowers printed on the fabric. Shocking. But the rest of the room was boring. Beige walls, white curtains, and a hardwood floor covered with a white rug, but I couldn’t complain. If Brent hadn’t come to my rescue, I’d be stuck in my ruined apartment.
I headed to the adjoining bathroom, stepped inside, and spotted Han huddled beside the toilet. He mewled, but stayed put. I reached out to pet him, and he shied away.
Typical. Han hated me now just like everyone else.
“Hey, Buddy,” I said quietly. “I came all this way to rescue you. Don’t you want to say hello?”
He only stared at me with those wide cat eyes. After several minutes of coaxing, he finally came out. As I petted him, I felt the same magic from my apartment attached to him. My stomach sickened as I contemplated what Han must’ve have seen. But who in the world had been in my apartment? Brent still hadn’t told me what he knew. Maybe it was time we had a chat.
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