Approaching Storm (Alternate Worlds Book 2)

by Taylor Leigh

  ‘So, what’s this about?’ he asked conversationally.

  Roth ignored him.

  Tollin continued. ‘You don’t actually think this will work, do you?’

  Roth paused, long fingers hovering over the controls. ‘It will. You are a Realm Jumper, are you not? The most powerful Jumper! Your full mind won’t be able to resist the energy of the stone. You will be forced to open your mind to it. And eventually forced to open a portal to a different Realm once the stars align.

  ‘In the meantime, I believe it’s time for some little experiments. If we can connect to a void with only a broken stone for help, imagine what you’ll be able to accomplish. We might not even need the anniversary. That head of yours will do very nicely.’

  Tollin scowled. ‘Well, I suppose in theory it could work, but…aren’t you forgetting I can’t jump?’ He gazed up slyly.

  It was Roth’s turn to scowl irritably. ‘What?’

  Tollin stretched out as far as he could. ‘Well,’ he said languidly. ‘Maybe it’s just me jumping to conclusions, but this whole setup does seem like it was made with a Realm Jumper in mind, to allow it to work. And it doesn’t seem to be working for me.’

  Roth’s expression was more bored than Tollin would have liked. ‘Perhaps not physically, but don’t fret. This machine and stone can help with that. It’s all in your head. That is what we need. Technology has a way of making conventional measures obsolete. Isn’t that so?’

  Tollin kept his expression flat. ‘Suppose I’m more of an old fashion sort, myself. But it does make me curious. How did this lot manage to even find the stone? I’ve been searching for years without a trace.’

  Roth showed no interest. ‘You never managed because these beautifully stupid people have kept it hidden for so long. Guarding it like some archaic religious symbol. It’s not something one could simply find. It takes a certain ability to sense such pulls that go beyond this world, doesn’t it? Someone who is more…open to the flows of these vast universes. You can thank your friend, O’Neill, for that gift long ago. Much like your little female friend has done for us now.’

  Tollin blew out his breath in a dismissive laugh. ‘There’s nothing abnormal about her. Nothing interesting. She’s human.’

  Roth narrowed his black eyes. ‘You are incredibly thick for your reputation. Not that it matters. She will return. The pull will not keep her away. We can feel it.’

  Tollin glanced up at the red jewel in the chair, pulsing steadily. He tried to act unconcerned, knowledgeable. ‘She’s not coming back. And neither is that bloody ring. It’s gone. Long gone to a different Realm. Whatever you think you sense, you’re wrong.’

  Roth turned back to the panel, chuckling. ‘Well, isn’t that just something? Pardon me if I don’t quite believe you. I know it’s still here. I can hear it.

  ‘We’ll deal with your friends soon enough, but…your brain is exceptional compared to that of other humans.’ His hand curled around a lever. ‘We might not even need the ring.’

  Tollin eyed the panel. ‘Oh, you don’t want to do that.’

  Roth grinned nastily. ‘Oh, I really think I do.’

  He pulled down the lever and Tollin convulsed, blinding pain ripping through his mind. He was barely aware of his screams echoing off of the walls as a current of power shredded through his chest.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  ‘Sam?’ Marus’s voice echoed through the trees.

  The rain was falling harder now but Sam still hadn’t found the desire to move. Even though the Guide had long since gone she didn’t want to leave the spot.

  She was instead filling with a bright, excited purpose. She was going to save Tollin—somehow. The idea made her feel warm inside, almost happy. Having a path and knowing she could actually do something was the most empowering feeling she’d ever had.

  This must be how Tollin felt all the time. Sam knew she could save Tollin; all she had to do now was figure out how.

  Which was a bit of a trick.

  ‘Sam!’ Marus’s voice was closer now. More urgent.

  Sam shook herself from her excited thoughts before jogging towards the sound of his calls. As she came up over the hill, they almost collided.

  Marus swore. ‘Don’t sneak up like that!’ He stared at her hard. ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing out here? It’s not safe!’

  His dark hair hung in dripping strands across his brow. There was a certain feral beauty about him in his angered state. Unlike others, nothing about him looked ugly when turned angry. Only more intensified. Something about not being human certainly made him look incredibly good as one. She silently chided herself for being so pleased he’d sought her out.

  ‘Sorry,’ she said, well aware that her tone wasn’t at all convincing. ‘I just needed to get out for a while. I’m going mad trapped in there.’

  Marus shifted awkwardly, clearly out of his depth. ‘If there was anything I could do, I would.’

  Sam bit back the temptation to say what he could do was help her break into the Myrmidon base, but that hadn’t worked the last hundred times she’d tried it. She didn’t think that was what the Guide had had in mind when she’d said Sam had influence over people.

  She was still trying to work that out. Marus did come across as slightly attracted to her, but Sam wasn’t how far she could push that to her advantage.

  She studied him in the gloom.

  ‘I know,’ she said at last, quietly. She sat down on a stone with a sigh. ‘I never thanked you for getting me out of the base alive, Marus. I’m sorry. I was so caught up with what happened to Tollin…I should have paid better attention to the risks you took. I truly am grateful.’

  He sat down next to her and rested his elbows on his knees. ‘You don’t have to thank me for that. It wasn’t like I could just leave you.’ He turned his head, eyes flicking over her.

  Sam couldn’t stop the twitch in her heart from the unwelcome closeness. It took a serious effort to not look at his mouth. She was mildly surprised at herself for turning so weak at the sight of him. She wasn’t one to get flustered, but Marus was doing a bloody good job of turning her insides to a fluttering mess. She wished it was the other way round.

  It took her some time to reign in her thoughts before she really did something stupid. Tollin’s warning about not kissing Marus was sounding more and more tempting and for the life of her she didn’t know why. He hadn’t exactly explained what would happen if she did. Did dragons have poisoned lips or something? It was worrisome how badly she wanted to find out.

  ‘You shouldn’t keep torturing yourself over Tollin like this,’ Marus was saying. ‘It won’t do you any good.’

  Sam shook her head stubbornly. ‘Forgetting him won’t do any good, either.’

  Marus flashed a devastating wry grin. ‘Tollin is more resourceful than you might realise. He knows how to take care of himself. He amazes me sometimes!’

  Sam frowned. ‘How do you mean?’

  ‘It’s funny,’ Marus chuckled. ‘I remember once, Tollin and I were with Arkron and some others in her group. We were on this Realm, investigating the Spideress, a beautiful woman, total knockout and dangerous.

  ‘This woman… she was said to enchant every man who ever looked at her. She was also said—and there was strong evidence of this—to kill every man who’d ever fallen for her. She hated them, had some bad experience once, I guess.

  ‘Anyway, when we got there we ran into a spot of bother and Tollin was captured. We didn’t see him for three whole days. We thought he was dead, tortured or something, but then he came swaggering out of the palace one day, draped in more gold than a Scrabian prince and wearing nothing but a dressing gown!’ Marus laughed. ‘Still won’t tell us what went on in there. But there was never a bit of trouble from the Spideress again, I know that much.’

  Sam pressed her lips together in a grim smile. Marus’s words weren’t exactly the comfort she was looking for, but she could certainly picture the scene.


  ‘Sounds like you’ve all had some amazing adventures.’

  Marus nodded. ‘And we’ve been in some tight spots. Tollin’s always manages to pull through. He hasn’t survived as long as he has by chance.’

  Sam took in a deep breath. ‘I guess you’re right.’

  Marus chuckled and elbowed her gently in the ribs. ‘Of course I am, never doubt a dragon!’ He pulled a face. ‘Actually, you should always doubt a dragon. We’re lying bastards.’

  Sam laughed and he did too, flashing his bright smile and sending his midnight eyes sparking.

  ‘It’s funny to hear you talk that way,’ she said. ‘It’s just so hard to believe…I forget you’re not human.’ Her gaze dropped down to his muscular arms, still crossed over his knees. ‘If I didn’t already know what you really were…I just don’t understand how you can be both.’

  Marus grinned, flashing that same damned smile. ‘Sometimes I forget too. It’s weird, when I’m one, I’ll forget I’m also the other. There are cases when dragons just completely forget they’re dragons and become whatever they’re pretending to be. And then there’s dragons who choose to be one or the other for whatever reason. Arkron used to be a dragon, you know, but she wanted the magic so she gave it up.’

  Sam frowned. ‘So you can choose? Which do you prefer?’

  Marus ran a hand through his hair. ‘At times I almost think I want to be human. You feel so much more, it’s a completely different experience. When I’m human, I care about other people, I want to help them; I feel a connection to others. When I’m a dragon…I care only about myself, I’m selfish and angry and whatever I want I’m willing to take, no matter who it hurts. I don’t remember friends, it’s just a daze; me just stuck in the present.’

  Sam wrinkled her nose. ‘Doesn’t sound very nice.’

  He shrugged his broad shoulders. ‘It’s not so bad. I’ve had ten-thousand years to figure out how to balance the two. Sometimes I think I should just turn into a human for good, but then I think of how much help I’ve been to others because I can turn into a dragon and I stop myself.’

  Sam nodded. ‘I guess that makes sense.’ She wanted to point out that she could think of a very good way for Marus to use his powers, but, again, that was pointless. ‘Well, I’ll be glad to have you here once the anniversary hits.’

  Marus shuddered. ‘If we were smart we’d be getting the hell off this Realm and as far away as possible.’

  Sam bit her bottom lip. ‘What’s going to happen? You’re the only person who was around last time it hit, right?’

  Marus studied her for a moment, seeming to debate with himself if he wanted to answer or not. ‘I don’t know how much you know of Scrabian history, but the anniversary happened during a revolt. The Denizens were attempting what the Myrmidons are trying to do now. They had both the stone and the ring under their control and were beginning to open a portal.

  ‘Anyway, we—Arkron, me, and this bloke named Reginald, who eventually became king—got to the palace and managed to sever the two stones’ connection. The portal went unstable after that and the whole thing ended in a bang.’

  Sam studied the ring around her finger. ‘What was the portal like?’

  Marus shrugged. ‘It was weird, the area around turned into some sort of limbo, it didn’t exist in either Realm. The things that happened there were…supernatural. Monsters, Daemons. You’d think it was the end of the world. I’d hate to think what would have happened if it had connected completely.’

  Sam shook her head, baffled. ‘If the Myrmidons knew what will happen, surely they’d stop!’

  Marus huffed his breath. ‘They’re too selfish to care.’

  Sam gazed out at the forest. The leaves and ferns around them shook as they were hit with raindrops. She had a nasty feeling the Myrmidons weren’t stupid. Avery Roth was their leader, and whatever was inside of him knew exactly what it was doing.

  A loud crack of thunder broke overhead.

  Marus stood to his feet and held out his hand to her. ‘We’d better get back.’

  Sam took his hand and he hauled her to her feet. The momentum pulled her close. She was, for a moment, frozen in his grasp. Marus took her other hand up in his, his strong fingers traced against her skin. Sam breathed deeply, determined to keep her heart rate under control, though that was growing more difficult by the second. She wondered if he could hear it. This close, his scent filled her lungs, mixing with the damp smell of rain and rotting wood. He smelled of smoke and heat and something strange and drawing beneath it all, something she wanted to drown in.

  Sam started to feel slightly lightheaded in his grasp. To her horror, she could feel her cheeks start to redden.

  ‘I…uh…’ her words got jumbled and stuck in her throat.

  Marus grinned.

  It was then the rain really started to fall, and the moment—or whatever it would have evolved in to—was shattered. They broke for shelter as the torrent roared from the sky. As she ran, Sam couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. She didn’t like how quickly she was allowing herself to fall.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Sam lay awake, despite the late hour. She wasn’t about to fall asleep, not if there was a chance of somehow talking with Tollin. He’d promised he’d keep in touch, and she was determined to hold him to it.

  So far, attempting to reach him on her own had been next to impossible. She could still sense his presence in her mind, but he wasn’t accessible, like trying to catch smoke. If Tollin wanted to talk to her, he’d have to be the one to initiate it.

  So she was forced to wait.

  She mulled over all that had happened and tried to pick out what might help him. Telling him his Guide had contacted her was still in the uncertain category of subjects to bring up. Mentioning his Guide had put the responsibility of springing him out of the headquarters on her shoulders probably wouldn’t go over too well. And then there was the fact she was now having confused feelings towards Marus. No need to bring that up either, since Sam didn’t quite understand what was going on there herself.

  So, what did that leave, the anniversary? Tollin could offer no help with that that she knew. What could she do? What should she do?

  Sam huffed her breath irritably. It was going to come down to her asking how he was feeling. Unless Tollin had some vitally important information it might be a rather short conversation, unfortunately.

  ‘If you’re too busy, I can come back later.’

  Tollin’s familiar voice popped into her head as if he’d been politely waiting there all along, looking for the proper moment to jump in.

  Sam gave a start. ‘I didn’t realise you were there!’

  He chuckled. ‘Sorry, hard to break through sometimes. Your brain has been terribly active tonight. Something exciting happening?’

  Sam made a face. ‘Not really. Marus and Arkron think we should lie low.’

  ‘As I do. But you don’t.’

  Sam rolled her eyes. ‘Of course not!’

  ‘Your determination is flattering, Sam.’ His tone was dry.

  She pulled a face. ‘So, how you holding up, then?’

  ‘Fine…there’s been some…interesting developments.’

  Sam hugged her pillow close. ‘Yeah? Like what?’

  Tollin’s voice was clearly smug. ‘The chair isn’t working. It won’t connect.’

  Sam grinned widely. ‘Really? That’s brilliant! Why, haven’t they built it properly?’

  ‘Ah, well, no. I think in theory it should work. I’d say…the problem is more, ah, me.’

  Sam scowled. ‘Because you can’t seem to jump anymore?’

  ‘Unless there is something else I’m overlooking.’

  Sam stared at the wall. ‘Have you worked out why you can’t? Has it happened to you before?’

  Tollin growled thoughtfully. ‘No! That’s why it’s so fascinating!’

  Sam frowned. She failed to see how he could be so light-hearted about it. ‘But, if the chair doesn’t wor
k with you strapped to it, then what use do they have for you? No offence, but isn’t that why you’re so important to them?’

  Tollin sighed. ‘I thought so, but Roth’s little parasite seems to have a personal vendetta against me. I don’t think whatever is possessing him is willing to give me up just yet. I haven’t quite figured out its end game: if it wants to try and possess me…or kill me, I don’t know.’

  Sam buried her face in her pillow. ‘Then we’ve got to get you out of there as soon as possible!’

  ‘I’m all right for now; don’t worry too much on it, love. Unfortunately, since I’m not going to work for them, that makes them all the more keen on finding you.’

  Sam swallowed. ‘Right. I figured that would happen sooner or later. They didn’t appreciate the fake ring?’

  Tollin chuckled. ‘Oh,’ he growled. ‘That was hardly worth the effort to make! But we need to be more focused on you now, or else we might be sharing a cell soon. The anniversary is soon and we cannot, I repeat cannot, let those two stones have a happy reunion.’

  Sam ran her tongue over her teeth. ‘Should just cut off that finger and toss it into the ocean. Even if it does still drain at me that’s better than them getting their hands on it. I don’t care.’

  Tollin clucked his tongue. ‘Don’t do anything hasty. I’d rather try to come up with a way to remove it so the connection is broken. Remember, it won’t solve the problem. Lost things don’t’ remain lost and if you’re still connected to the ring then it still has power, no matter how far away.’

  Sam squared her jaw. ‘Yeah, but we’re running out of time. I’d rather it slowly be eating away at me than cause a major disaster.’

  ‘It still may, no matter how deeply buried. And I’ll need the stone to break the connection and having it attached to you, I never have to worry about losing it. Unfortunately, I can’t rule it out. We’re running out of time.’

  Sam smiled ruefully. ‘Well, that’s cheery.’

  She could almost hear him grin. ‘Right, sorry.’ He went quiet for a long time. ‘I should probably let you go, you need your rest.’