by N. M. Howell
The music quieted as they entered another small room through a long, narrow hallway that wrapped behind the main dance hall. Grayson shook Rhea violently, snapping his fingers in front of her eyes. She came out of her daze.
“Hey, what?” She looked around her, her vision slowly coming back into focus.
Keaven slammed the door closed behind them, causing everyone else in the narrow room to turn toward them with expressions of blended anger and curiosity across their faces. He raised his hand apologetically at them and they turned back around, suddenly disinterested.
A slower music was playing and the lights glowed a dim blue. The space was circular, with a large stage filling most of the square footage of the room. Rhea gathered her bearings and took in a deep breath, then exhaling it slowly as she pulled herself back together. Grayson looked down at her with concern, but she turned away, gazing around the space, trying to make sense of where they were.
A cluster of men sat around the stage in the far corner of the room. A small, beautiful faerie danced naked on a platform in front of them. Her skin was a luminous light pink, her wings intricate folds of light gold and silver, barely visible in the glowing midnight lighting that shone above her from a hanging, glowing orb. Her hair hung to her waist, flying around her as she spun, exposing all angles of her perfect body to the crowd who sat mesmerized again at her show. Rhea blinked, mesmerized herself.
The way the faerie moved to the music was hypnotic. She couldn’t pull her gaze away. Neither, it seemed, could her guardians.
Finally, Grayson cleared his throat and pulled her across the room. The other four followed grudgingly. There was a small door on the far wall that they all walked through. Rhea turned her head and stared back at the faerie. The faerie winked at her just as she was drawn out of her line of sight.
“Rhea, are you all right?” Grayson repeated. Rhea blinked and turned her attention back to Grayson. She nodded and twisted her hair between her fingers nervously. “Yeah, just a lot of people all at once.”
Grayson raised an eyebrow but didn’t ask, a knowing look cast over his face. Everyone from back home knew of her abilities, despite her best efforts to keep them secret. She despised the magic she’d inherited from her father, the constant taking of magic. For once she was glad she was surrounded by people who knew her enough not to pry. “Are you ready?” he finally asked.
She looked up at him curiously. “Ready for what?” She had forgotten why they were there, the atmosphere numbing her mind from the aggressive assault on her own magic.
“The portal,” Taelor said. He snapped his fingers in front of Rhea’s eyes and she blinked back at him.
“Oh, right.” She offered a small smile. “Yeah, let’s get out of here. Please.”
Rhea had been in the human realm for so long, she had forgotten what it was like to be around other magical creatures and the influx of magical energy that pressed into her that resulted from it. She made a point of being more on guard, more aware about it. But if it was this bad in a nightclub in the human world, she was scared to think what it would be like in the magical realm. She chewed her lip at the thought, wondering if it was too late to back out now.
“You sure you’re ready?” Grayson asked. He held his hand firmly on her shoulder until she nodded her reluctant agreement.
“Good, let’s go,” Taelor said, turning on his heels and leading the way.
Rhea followed in silence, glancing quickly up at the dancing faerie who now hung upside down from a pole, her back arched and her hair spilling out over the floor. Rhea blushed and turned away, allowing Taelor to lead her from the room and down another hallway on the far side of the stage.
The hall led to a set of stairs, and down they went even further, deep below the nightclub. It was cold and damp as they descended, a stark contrast from the suffocating heat in the last rooms, and the space was dimly lit by dozens of sconces along the walls. By the time they reached the bottom, Rhea figured they must have been at least eight stories below ground. She could feel it, too, the pressure of the surroundings, although it was a welcome respite from the painful surge of magic from above.
“It’s absolutely crucial that you maintain your glamor at all times when we go through,” Taelor told her as they descended.
Rhea nodded slowly, though she was sure he couldn’t see her reaction in the dark. “I understand,” she finally said.
“No matter what happens,” Grayson said. “It’s a long way to Greystone from where this portal leads out. There are many people in our world who want you dead, Rhea. We need to ensure your arrival remains a secret until the absolute right moment.”
Rhea nodded again. “Sure, I understand.”
“Good,” Taelor said. “We’re almost there.”
Rhea paused, stopping mid-step. Roan nearly walked into her from behind and wrapped his strong arm around her to stop her from falling forward from the impact. The heat of his skin blazed against her own, sending a wash of hot, animalistic energy through her. She gasped at the sensation, goosebumps trailing down her neck.
“Everything okay?” he asked. He chuckled silently to himself, holding her tight against him.
“No.” She pulled herself away and took another step down, turning to Taelor. “Your cousin or whoever knows I’m here.”
Taelor froze at her words.
“Shit,” Arry swore. “She’s right.”
“I’m on it,” Taelor said, turning on his heels and bolting back up the stairs. He was so light on his feet, Rhea couldn’t even hear his footsteps as he ran.
“Let’s go,” Grayson said, easing her forward with a hand against her upper back.
The group finished their descent and came upon a large metal door. Rust clung to its edges and a large gap stood between the door and the uneven concrete floor. Keaven glanced back to Grayson, who nodded and stepped aside. He knocked three times, waited for a second, and then pulled the door open.
Rhea couldn’t help but laugh at the sudden release of tension she had been holding when she finally saw through the threshold. She looked into a small janitor’s closet, complete with mop, buckets, and a small elderly man who sat upon a stool in the far corner, reading a newspaper that was yellow and looked to be at least a decade old.
“This is a joke, right?” Rhea asked, glancing back to her guardians.
Arry frowned. “What, not good enough for you?” He winked at her, his expression teasing.
Knitting her eyebrows together, Rhea turned back to the small closet. “You mean to tell me the portal is in there?”
“Where else would it be?” Taelor asked, rejoining them a moment later.
Rhea jumped at his words. “Jeez, how the hell did you get back so fast?”
Taelor shrugged. “I’m just incredible like that.”
“Uh huh,” Rhea stepped aside to let him pass, a slight grin on her face. He bowed his head coolly to her as he walked by.
Taelor stepped over the threshold. The old man didn’t even offer him a glance. When all five of them stood shoulder to shoulder in the cramped space, the man finally let out a loud, aggravated groan and looked up at them with an expression of annoyance on his face.
“Can I help you?” he asked. He folded his newspaper and set it down on his lap, his gaze unwavering and his expression unfriendly.
“We’re here to use the portal,” Taelor said.
The man looked up at the rest of them in turn as if noticing they were there for the first time. “All of ye?”
“Yes, all of us,” Grayson growled. “And I’d appreciate it if you don’t stall. We’re in a hurry.”
The man stared at him, his eyes narrowing. “You really don’t want to go through there, son. Bad news on the other side of the portals these days.”
Grayson rubbed his eyes with his thumbs. “Now, that’s not for you to say, is it?”
The old man shrugged. “Just offering ye a fair warning, is all.”
The interaction between Grayson and the old
man made Rhea pause. What was an elderly human man doing guarding a portal to the other world? The main portals she knew of were guarded by all sorts of magical creatures, trained in battle and deadly when they needed to be. It kept criminals from passing through to escape conviction. At least, that’s what their original intention was. Now, Rhea imagined her father planted his warriors at the portals to prevent people from passing through them at all. She swallowed hard and leaned against the wall as she stared, puzzled by the old man.
Keaven caught her confused expression and leaned in toward her, whispering. “Look closer, Rhea.”
She started and turned to him, eyebrow raised. “What do you mean?” she whispered.
“Open your eyes,” he replied. “What you see is not always the truth. Use your instinct.”
Furrowing her eyebrows further together, Rhea turned back to the old man. She stared at him, but still couldn’t see what Keaven was talking about. But a second later, her heart skipped a beat when she suddenly noticed a pair of small horns sticking out of either side of his head. His nose seemed longer and his features sharper. His eyes also glowed with a strange orange hue, glowing dimly in the dark space.
Rhea glanced back to Keaven with her eyes wide.
“See?” Keaven said, smiling. “There is often more to people than first meets the eye.”
She nodded slowly, impressed. She’d denied the magical realm for so long, she had forgotten about her sight. All magical creatures have the sight, to some degree, they just had to know how and when to use it. Most creatures who came from her realm were able to mask their identities from humans in one way or another. Not everyone had glamor—that was restricted primarily to her fae kin—but it was easy enough to go unnoticed. She’d allowed herself to become so human, she had gotten lost behind the mask, as well.
“I’m telling ye, ye really don’t want to go through there. Especially with this young thing with ye. It’s too dangerous.” The old man crossed his arms and leaned back on his stool against the damp wall, his expression determined.
Grayson growled and stepped forward, a menacing tower of a beast over the small, elderly man. “Let us pass. Now.”
The old man’s eyes went wide, but he didn’t budge.
Rhea stepped forward, placing a delicate hand on Grayson’s shoulder. “It’s all right, Grayson.” She turned to the old man and smiled. “Please, let us through. We won’t be long, and I promise we’ll take care of ourselves. We just need to get to the other side as quick as we can. We have something we need to do. It’s very important.”
She batted her eyelashes at him. A trick she’d learned on the street. It was amazing the power an innocent young girl could have on people.
He gazed up at her, his eyes glazed over as if in a trance. A slow smile spread across his face as he nodded, revealing sharp pointed teeth. “Alrighty, lass. But don’t say I didn’t warn ye.”
“Thank you,” Rhea smiled.
Her guardians glanced at her, their eyebrows raised. She simply shrugged and smiled again at the old man. All men were the same, and she might as well use what she had to help them while she could.
Pulling himself out of his daze, the old man slowly pushed himself off the stool and walked over to the other side of the closet, placing both hands against the damp concrete wall, muttering something under his breath.
The small closet space suddenly opened up into a larger room. The walls disappeared, replaced by a large circular, metal enclosure. The portal flared to life, silvers and blues weaving together in an intricate blend of patterns, almost like water colors when first painted across a wet page. It shimmered with an ethereal glow and Rhea was awestruck. It had been years since she had seen a portal, and this was unlike any she’d ever seen before.
“Elven magic,” Taelor said, a quick smile spread across his face. His voice held an edge of excitement and pride. “Something we’ve been quite proud of over the past few years since your father blocked passage to the human world.”
Rhea met Taelor’s gaze, and they shared a moment of mutual understanding. Her own smile grew wide at the sight of his genuine happiness. “It’s beautiful,” she finally said.
Taelor nodded. “It is. We better step through, quickly, before it disappears.”
Rhea nodded. “Okay, where are we going?”
Grayson stepped in front of her, holding his arms out to block the way from the rest of them. “Leave that to me.”
Rhea’s other four guardians placed their hands firmly on Grayson’s arm. With a nudge from Arry, Rhea did the same, clasping her fingers tightly over his shoulder. Grayson then led them forward and she followed blindly.
Before she could blink, they were consumed by the colors of the portal. Her body lifted and spun. She was lighter than air. She had forgotten what it was like traveling from realm to realm. The sensation disoriented her for a brief moment, but she quickly found her feet firmly planted on solid ground yet again. She had closed her eyes, but when she knew she wasn’t moving anymore and the magic had settled, she allowed herself to open them, slowly.
What she saw made her want to never open her eyes again.
8
The world she once knew was no more.
Rhea’s eyes were met with a foreign and dark land so unfamiliar it made her heart tighten in her chest. The flowers that once grew all over the Otherworld were wilted, nearly black and withered against the muted green backdrop. The hills were so dulled they almost appeared gray. Dark and stormy flashes of deep blue lightning tore scars across the evening sky above.
She turned to Grayson, her mouth hanging open. “I don’t understand.”
Grayson huffed a breath and held his hands firmly on her shoulders, his eyes still fixed on her from when they went through the portal. His cold energy pulsed through her very core. “I told you it wasn’t like you remembered it. This is why we needed you to come. To see.”
Rhea nodded, looking around frantically. She could see creatures off in the distance, walking along the edges of the hills, paying no mind to Rhea’s sudden appearance in their world. They seemed so out of place against their new brutal backdrop. The portal had disappeared behind them, and they were left standing in a series of open hills.
Grayson bristled. Rhea turned to him, then to the other four. They each stood on guard, their eyes diverted to the horizon, looking around furiously, a deep-set silence overtaking the group.
“What’s going on?” Rhea asked, suddenly afraid.
Taelor stepped in front of them and jumped up onto a rock. Narrowing his gaze, his heightened elf eyes peered out into the surroundings.
The party stood still in silence, waiting for him to report his findings. Rhea’s heart raced in her chest and she rested her hand against Grayson’s shoulder, ready to flee at a moment’s notice.
Tension eased as Taelor hopped back down from the rock and turned to them, raising his hand off toward the distant moon. “We’re about two hours away.”
Rhea blinked. “Away from what?” She looked to each man in turn, hoping for an explanation, but they all seemed too confused and watchful to even hear her.
Finally, Keaven turned to her. “This isn’t where the portal was meant to take us.”
“What do you mean?” Rhea asked. “That’s not how portals work, they can’t be moved once they’re set up.”
“No, they can’t,” Grayson agreed. “Unless the land they first served is destroyed.”
Rhea’s expression flared. “You mean someone attacked the portal?”
Taelor shook his head. “No, but something happened to the land around it.”
A long pause of silence filled the air. Rhea tried to understand what could have happened. A hundred possibilities flashed through her mind, none of them good.
“We had better hurry,” Roan said. “If we’re already two hours away, it means we’re an extra two hours away from our already distant resting spot, and it looks like the sun is already beginning to fall.”
Grayso
n nodded. “Right. Let’s go.”
Her five guardians set a brisk pace and Rhea struggled to keep up. She was tired, weak, and regretted not eating more at the diner.
As they walked, Rhea had more time to take in her surroundings. Every direction she looked, her heart broke even more. It was nothing like she remembered it. Even the color of the sky had changed.
She remembered bright sunsets of brilliant reds, purples, and golds in the evenings, endless blue skies by day. Looking up, all she could see was a dark, fiery red muted by dark gray clouds and a thick haze. Her eyes began to sting, and she looked down, refusing to believe her world had changed so much. She hoped, somehow, that her eyes were deceiving her.
Rhea’s attention was pulled to her far right as they walked. A centaur stood close to them, not forty feet away. He didn’t bother himself by noticing them and was preoccupied with digging a hole in the ground with his hoof. His eyes were furrowed forward in a daze, a deep red glow coming from them.
Behind him stood a herd of reinarts, or what she thought were reinarts. Small, knee-high animals with bronze fur and large, webbed horns. They grazed around the centaur, though the grass was dry and sparse and the creatures thin from starvation.
A lone reinart walked ahead of the herd, not too far ahead of Rhea. His horns had been cut, mere stumps resting atop its head. What first appeared to be patterns on his fur, Rhea soon realized were scars, red and crusted with dried blood.
“What’s happened to you?” she whispered, unable to take her eyes off the animal as she fell behind, her pace slowing. Her legs ached, but not as deeply as her heart.
Taelor noticed her falling behind and waited for her, his face somber as she approached him. “The emblazoned armies,” he said when she was within earshot. He gazed out at the reinart, that same deep frown setting once again on his face. It was a vile crime to cut away the horns of an animal, let alone an animal as majestic and rare as a reinart.