“No, not just me. We must all escape. But… I don’t know how to get us all there.”
“Let me help,” he said. He scooted my mirror close and pressed his hand to the screen. “I shall use my magic to encircle our companions. Can you manage to open the portal?”
I nodded, wishing my head would stop pounding so I could concentrate on the spell. Remaining conscious was difficult enough already.
Around us, the pain-filled screams of dying police officers cut through the air.
“I am afraid we must take the beast through the portal as well,” Prince Terminus said, “or else the Earth-dwellers will not survive.”
I wasn’t sure I agreed with Terminus, but since being able to think was a commodity at the moment, I didn’t argue. Instead, I reached for the mirror.
Hoping to get the bloodthorn as far away from Dragon Spine Mountain as possible and get us someplace safe, I grabbed the Wult statue. The pewter warmed in my hands. Magic called to me, heightening my senses as bursts of light danced in the air around me. The portal began to open before I placed my hand on the mirror’s surface, as if the magic knew what I was planning before I initiated the spell.
Near us, the fight raged on. Heidel fell as the beast struck her. She struggled to get to her feet. Most of the police officers were on the ground, but Kull remained fighting, blood spattered on his clothing, wielding his sword with a vengeance unequaled.
The bloodthorn lashed out, its long, wicked claws cutting like blades as it sliced a gash in Kull’s shirt. Blood seeped out, staining his torso red.
I forced myself to focus on the spell. Once we reached the other side of the portal, our wounds would be healed, but only if we lived long enough to get there.
In my mind, I conjured the word to open the portal. Fairy magic mingled with my own until it spread out, encircling each of our companions. When the magic touched everyone except the officers, I took us into the portal.
Blinding white light flooded my vision as we sped through the portal, so fast I was sure my body would be ripped apart. Before I had a chance to collect my thoughts, my body hit the ground, knocking the wind from my lungs.
Choking, I fought back panic as I gasped for air. Slowly, the oxygen returned, and I steadied my breathing as I tried to make sense of the world around me. Screams came from somewhere, but my vision failed me as I tried to see what was happening. Blades of damp grass chilled my cheeks, and a halo of white light surrounded me. Those, coupled with the screams, were my only links to reality.
The sound of scuffling came from close by.
“Hold him!” Heidel yelled.
A loud whoosh filled the air, as if someone had enacted a wind spell.
“He’s escaping!” came another voice.
Rolf, maybe?
The sounds became muffled and distant, but the pain, which should have disappeared in the crossing, remained. Combined with my hunger, weakness, and loss of magic, I couldn’t fight staying conscious any longer, and oblivion finally overtook me. I passed out to the sounds of my companions’ screams.
Chapter 23
Voices drifted in and out as I slept. I couldn’t make any sense of them, except I knew they spoke with urgency. Time lost meaning. I felt no pain or hunger. Familiar people appeared now and again.
My grandmother, who I’d met a few times as a teenager and who’d passed away when I was eighteen, came to me. Her smile gave me hope. We sat on the back gate of her blue Chevy. It smelled as I remembered, of hay and fall leaves. She had lived out on a farm, and I had visited her for a few months during one summer. I wondered why I was here now, but the thought drifted, and soon I forgot where I was once again.
The voices came again.
“Escaped.”
“With the stone.”
“Will she live?”
The first coherent thought I had was of the brightness around me. White dots popped in and out of my vision as if I’d gotten caught in a lightning storm. I wanted to shield my eyes against the light, but when I tried to move, I found my hands tucked under a layer of thick blankets.
The second coherent thought I had was of my hunger.
As I opened my eyes, the bright dots disappeared, and I was able to focus on the dimly lit room around me. I lay on a large bed with sturdy oak posts so tall they nearly touched the wood-beamed ceiling. I recognized this room. Hadn’t I been here before? Yes—after the attack in the goblin lands. I remembered this room. A window partially covered by curtains and a glow coming from outside the door were the only sources of light. I lay in the room alone, listening, but heard only silence.
My stomach churned with hunger pains, and the terror of the past several days came back to me. Huddled and nearly naked in the cabin. No food or water. Beaten. Cold. Forced to create the portal. And now I was here. But what had happened to the bloodthorn and the fairies’ starstone?
As I sat up, my head spun with dizziness, so I did my best to steady myself. I removed my hands from underneath the blanket, thankful to find the enchanted chains missing. But, how had they been removed? My wrists were both wrapped in white gauze, and the constant stinging was gone.
Beside my bed sat a water pitcher and wooden drinking cup. With shaky hands, I grabbed them both and poured a cup of water. I sipped it slowly, feeling the cool wetness dampen my parched throat. After I finished the water, I replaced the cup on the table.
The sound of footsteps came from outside the door, and three people entered the room. I recognized Heidel, her sister Eugrid, and the little girl, Freydil. I’d met them
