“Are you there?” I asked, my face inches from his. Still, no answer. The portal crossing must have been more difficult on him that I thought. “Kull?” I asked, hearing the worry in my voice.
I shook him again, but he only lay there. Beyond us, waves crashed. I looked out over the ocean, feeling the anxiety creep up inside me, not sure how to help Kull. He gripped my hand, vice-like, and he suddenly opened his eyes.
“Kull?”
Fear filled his eyes as he looked from me, then out toward the ocean. “What…?” He gasped. “Where am I?”
“Earth Kingdom. I just told you, remember?”
“I… I…” He gulped shallow breaths.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m here with you. Everything is all right.” Honestly, I’d never seen him act like this before. First, I’d lost my magic. Now, Kull was acting strangely, and I didn’t know how to fix either problem.
A clump of blond hair fell over Kull’s eyes. I pushed it away from his brow when he reached up and grabbed my hand.
His eyes narrowed as he stared at my hand, and then his gaze met mine. “Who are you?”
When he looked at me, he didn’t know me. I saw nothing in his eyes that looked familiar. I felt as if a rock plummeted to the bottom of my stomach when I realized what Jeven had done to Kull.
He’d taken me away.
But maybe I was wrong. I had to be wrong.
“Kull, it’s me, Olive.”
“Who?”
“It’s me—your fiancée. We’re going to be married. You have to remember me.” I reached for him when he sat up and pushed me away.
“I don’t know you.”
His words stung.
Kull stood, glanced at the ocean, and then up to the seawall where cars sped past, the roar from their engines mingling with the crashing waves. “I must leave,” he mumbled, then set off toward the staircase carved into the seawall.
After grabbing the sword, I followed him. I could fix this. I knew I could, because if I didn’t… No, I couldn’t let my thoughts go there, not yet.
“Kull, stop,” I said as I stood in front of him, blocking his path. He moved to push past me, but I grabbed his hand. “Listen to me,” I said. “Jeven placed a curse on you. Do you remember Jeven?”
“I…” He paused, rubbing his forehead. “He was a warlock.”
“Yes, that’s right. He cursed you. He said he would take from your mind what you treasure the most. Do you remember?”
“I was in his castle. We were fighting… but…” Unable to continue, he focused on me.
“Yes, you were in his castle, and I was there with you. We went together.”
“We?”
“Yes, you and I. We went together to Jeven’s tower and—”
“No,” he said sharply. “I remember now. My sister and a few of my best men journeyed to the unknown land to retrieve the Madralorde sword. We found the druid Lucretian who helped us. He created a portal that led us to the outskirts of the city. I entered Jeven’s tower alone.”
“That’s not true. I was with you. I found the sword.” I lifted the blade. “This sword.”
“No,” he argued. “I remember it all now. I remember taking the weapon; I remember fighting Jeven. I wounded him, and then I escaped with the sword. My sister and the others waited for me in the forest, the druid created a portal that would take us back to Faythander… and then, I arrived here.”
“If that’s so, then how did you get here and not Faythander?”
Confusion clouded his eyes. “I don’t know.”
“You came here because I was with you. The portal’s magic was failing. I was forced to use my own magic to keep the portal open, but it didn’t work as expected. Instead of bringing us back to Faythander, it brought us here.”
“That can’t be true. I have no memory of you. How could you have brought me here? Unless…” His eyes turned dark. “You are a practitioner—a magic user?”
“Yes.”
“A sorceress?”
“I guess. That sounds a little stuffy, but yes.”
“And you admit to bringing me here?”
“I didn’t have much of a choice.”
He crossed his arms. “I don’t trust magic users. How do I know you haven’t brought me here against my will? You say the warlock altered my mind, but what if it was you who did this?”
“Why would I want to tamper with your mind?”
He glanced at my ears. “You are elven?”
“Half.”
“There is little difference.”
“There is to me.”
“Regardless, I can only assume you must be working with the elves to take the throne from me and to give power to the elven queen.”
Frustration built inside me. Stupid Jeven and his stupid spell. I would kill him if I wasn’t fairly certain he was already dead. “Let’s get something straight,” I said. “I am not working with the elves. To be honest, I hate almost all of them. I have no desire to remove you from the throne, nor did I take you here against your will. We came here by accident, and I fully intend to get us back to Faythander as soon as I possibly can. At the moment, my magic is being uncooperative, but as soon as it returns, I will open a portal and transport us both back.”
“You can get me back to Danegeld?”
“Yes.”
“You are sure of this?”
“Positive, but as I said, I’ll have to get my magic back first.”
“And then you shall return me to Danegeld?”
I nodded. Kull worked his jaw back and forth, the way he did when something was distracting him.
“I don’t trust you,” he mumbled. “I’ve never trusted magic users.”
“This time, you don’t have any other choice. This is not Faythander. If you want to survive here, you’ll have to follow my lead. You’ll have to trust me.”
“You’ve hardly given me any reason to trust you. You admit to bringing me here, and now you claim that you cannot return me to Danegeld when I wish it—that your magic, which was most likely working before we arrived here—is now not functioning. How could I possibly believe such tales? Let alone trust you?”
I gripped the sword, feeling its weight heavy in my hands. He was right; I hadn’t given him any reason to trust me. Maybe a peace offering was in order. “Here,” I said, holding out the sword, resting the blade atop my palm. “Take this as a sign of my trust.”
He scoffed. “I’ve already got a sword.” He tapped Gnat Biter’s hilt. “Plus, trust is earned, not bought. You will not be buying my trust, Magic User.”
Fine. We were playing that way now, were we? If so, then I could play, too. “Listen,” I hissed. “I’ve had a very long day. We were nearly killed by Regaymor. We stole a lousy sword that we can’t even use, and now we’re stuck back on Earth without my magic. I am not in the mood for babysitting cranky Wults. You want to get snippy with me? You can stay right here on this beach for all I care. Good luck getting back to Danegeld on your own. It’s a long way back to Faythander.”
I stomped toward the seawall, leaving him behind. He trotted after me. When I reached the staircase, I grabbed the railing, but Kull caught up with me and pulled my hand.
“Wait,” he said. “Don’t leave yet.”
I rounded on him. “What?” I demanded.
“I will follow you,” he said, “because I have no other choice. This is an unfamiliar city, and I know better than to try and navigate it without a guide. But be warned, Magic User, I will be wary of you.”
“Fine. Be wary. Let’s go.” I marched up the stairs, barely keeping my anger in check. Magic User? Was that what I was to him now? I knew Kull wasn’t in his right mind, that it was just the curse making him act that way, but that was hardly an excuse to act like a jerk. What if I wasn’t able to reverse the spell? What then? Did it mean Kull would be like this forever?
I tried not to let it get to me, but that thought made me feel sick inside.
Stupid, stupid
, stupid Jeven.
We climbed up the staircase leading to the top of the seawall, then made our way to the nearest crosswalk and waited for the light to change. A few people walked past, some with curious glances at our strange clothes. I did my best to ignore them.
Kull gawked at the cars speeding past, at the buildings looming in the distance, the historic hotels, the restaurants, the snow-cone stand on the corner with its bright rainbow-striped awning and balloons bobbing in the wind. My knuckles turned white as I gripped the sword, and I almost wanted the chance to use the thing.
The crosswalk sign lit up, and we made it across the street, down the road, and to the drive leading to my apartment building. Cracked asphalt crunched underfoot as we rounded the corner and made it across the parking lot. When we reached the main level, I saw the staircase leading up to my floor, but when I grabbed the railing, Kull lagged behind me.
“Something wrong?” I asked him.
“You live in this fortress?”
“Technically, it’s an apartment building, not a fortress. I could see how you’d be confused with the iron bars on the windows and such. To answer the rest of the question—yes, I live here.” I eyed him, confused about something. “You’ve been here before. Do you remember?”
“No.”
“Do you remember any of your visits to Earth?”
“I…” He rubbed his head. “Some of them. I had a memory charm and came to America once, but… I don’t remember much…” His voice drifted and he said no more.
It seemed that any of his memories involving me, and any of the places we’d been together, had either been altered or stripped away completely. I stored that information for later as I turned away from him and climbed the stairs. When I reached the landing, I found my key under the doormat, then I stuck the key in the dead bolt and unlocked the door, letting myself inside. Behind me, I heard Kull’s footsteps tromping up the stairs. He stood behind me as I flicked on the light switch.
Gasping, I stumbled back, nearly backing into Kull as I took in the state of my apartment.
The couches had been sliced open, their stuffing lay in heaps around the room like lumps of snow. My lamp was smashed and glass littered the floor. The cabinets and drawers in the kitchen were all open, their contents spilled onto the counters and floors. Even the fridge had been ransacked. Lunch meat and eggs were strewn about or smashed on the kitchen floor.
“Does it always look like this?” Kull asked.
Ugh. “No, it doesn’t always look like this,” I retorted. “Someone must’ve broken in.”
After stepping over the glass, I entered the living room. Most of this stuff didn’t matter so much to me. It was all secondhand anyway, although I’d felt a sense of pride buying each piece with my own money. I had to admit I’d gotten attached to most of it, but it could all be replaced.
The only thing that couldn’t be replaced was Han.
If someone hurt Han, they would so regret it.
“Kitty, kitty, kitty,” I called as I walked into my bedroom. Same thing here. Mattress overturned. Blankets on the floor. Dresser drawers hanging open. I knelt and searched under the box springs, thinking that it would be a good place for a cat to hide, but saw nothing but a discarded sock.
No sign of Han.
Standing, I crossed to the bathroom, my heart racing as the truth sank in. Han must’ve escaped when the intruders had broken in. They’d probably scared him, and he’d taken off. He could be on the other side of the island by now. Or worse, hit by a car. He’d never been out there before. He wouldn’t even know cars were dangerous.
I raced through the apartment, calling for him and looking inside cabinets. When I found my phone lying on the living room floor, still plugged into the charger, peeking under the fluffy stuffing, I grabbed it.
Yanking it off the charger, I stared at the screen. My hands were shaking, which was dumb. I’d just endured a life-or-death battle with demonic creatures from a cursed world, but I was freaking out because my apartment had been broken into? It didn’t make sense.
Steadying my breathing, I focused on my phone. It would be okay; I just needed to call someone. The cops? Brent? Yes, Brent. He was a cop; he would know what to do. Plus, I prayed he had my cat. I pressed the speed dial and pressed the phone to my ear. Please, please, please have my cat…
Brent answered the call on the third ring. “Olive, thank goodness it’s you. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. What about my cat?”
“I have him. I got there this morning, and found him eating bologna off the kitchen floor.”
Relief washed over me. Thank goodness for small miracles. And bologna.
“Can I see him?” I asked.
“Sure, he’s hiding upstairs and I can’t coax him out. He’s pretty scared, to be honest.”
My heart fell. I’d always hated leaving Han behind when I went on these quests. I couldn’t help but feel this was my punishment for leaving him all the time. But what had happened to my place? Who had done this?
“You came over, I guess?” I asked Brent. “You saw what happened?”
“Yes. I got there this morning to feed your cat, but the place had been trashed. I called the cops. They came by and asked a few questions, but I don’t expect much to get done. Sadly, break-ins are a pretty common thing, especially in your part of town. I’m not in your jurisdiction, so there’s not much I can do, either.”
“So where do I go from here?” I asked.
“Nowhere. You’re at the mercy of the insurance company and the police force. I’m sorry, Olive.”
This sucked so bad. Whoever had done this was going to feel my wrath. Kull had already put me in a bad mood, and now this. But I had to keep moving forward. I had nowhere else to go.
“Fine,” I conceded, staring around at my ruined apartment. My magic was still nonexistent, yet I detected something in the room, something that shouldn’t have been there. It put me on edge and made fear run cold through my blood. All I knew is that I didn’t want to be here anymore.
“Brent…” I said. “I know this is asking a lot, but is there any chance I could stay at your place? Just for tonight?” It was a shot in the dark. I hadn’t been back to his place since we’d broken up. To be completely honest, I wasn’t happy with the prospect of going back now, except I didn’t feel I had much of a choice. Han was at Brent’s place and scared out of his mind. Besides, finding a pet-friendly hotel in Galveston during spring break was impossible. I had nowhere else to go. “Please?” I begged.
“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.”
Fairy World M.D., Boxed Set Two (4-6.5) Page 57