“Yes. I shouldn’t have any problems.”
I glanced at Kull, not feeling ready to go back, not ready to leave him, especially after the bomb he’d dropped on me. I wished he’d told me sooner about the prophecy, but then again, it couldn’t have been easy for him to open up about it. I knew from experience. Hadn’t I recently done the very same thing to him?
When we reached the rails, it wasn’t long before we spotted a light carriage reflecting the sun far in the distance, zipping down the mountains. Kull squeezed my hand, and I glanced up at him, shielding my eyes as I stared into his face.
“Will you be all right?” he asked.
“I’ll be fine. The question is, will you?”
He gave me a slight smile. “I shall be as well as I’ve ever been. You will come back soon, won’t you? I fear this business with the Madralorde is more dangerous than we comprehend. Those weapons were hidden away for a reason. We can’t allow the elves to have them.”
“I know. That’s two reasons why we need to find the egg—to free my stepfather, and to make sure the elves don’t use it to summon Theht.”
A breeze of hot, dry air gusted past us, bringing a cloud of sand that billowed around the open expanse of desert.
“What will you do while I’m gone?” I asked Kull.
“Start searching for the Madralorde castle, if it even exists. If the elves are intent on recalling Theht to our world, that’s where they will do it.”
“I agree. But how do you intend to find it?”
He shifted his gaze to Maveryck, who stood talking quietly to Heidel. “I’ll start with him.”
The sound of whooshing air announced the arrival of the light carriage. It sat reflecting the sun, its bauble-like exterior accented in gold, making me shield my eyes. My stomach dropped as I stared at the carriage. As soon as my companions left, I would be on my own again. I debated on making Kull come with me, but the memory loss and negative side effects were something I was sure he wished to avoid. Besides, he had a kingdom to rule and an ancient castle to find, and I knew searching for a mentally compromised weatherman was beneath him.
The carriage doors opened and Maveryck and Heidel climbed inside. Kull gave me a brief kiss good-bye and then entered the carriage. Dust billowed as the carriage sped away, leaving me alone in the endless expanse of desert.
Chapter 21
I woke from the crossing with fifteen pounds of cat on my face. My head spun as I pushed Han away, sat up, and tried to recall the past half hour. I remembered the others leaving on the light carriage, and then I’d opened my box and created a portal, but my memories after that were fuzzy.
Had I passed out? Usually I could withstand the side effects better, but things weren’t the same as they used to be, and I wasn’t the same person. Having a piece of Theht’s consciousness inside my mind had changed me in more ways than I cared to admit, and not being able to tolerate the side effects from the portal crossing was proof of it.
Han rubbed against my face, his silky gray fur tickling my nose, and I scratched his head. Poor thing deserved a better life than what I gave him. Thankfully, I had a charitable ex-boyfriend who checked on him, or else I was sure he’d have gone feral.
I stood slowly and made it to the bathroom where I showered, changed clothes, and then collapsed on my bed. I knew I had things to do, people to find, and a world to save, but I was bone-weary, and being back on Earth made all those problems seem so far away. Almost as if they didn’t exist. Plus, it was half past two AM, and I wouldn’t be tracking down any weathermen at this hour.
Sleep wouldn’t come. My mind kept replaying my conversation with Kull. In my half-conscious state, I couldn’t think of anything else, and his words kept repeating over and over again. He shall kill the one he loves, for love shall bring her end.
At half past six, I crawled out of bed, feeling more worn down and tired than when I’d lain down. I put on my tennis shoes and headed outside, hoping the sea air would help to clear my head. A few stray stars dotted the slate-gray sky. A chilly breeze gusted past, but I didn’t mind it as it helped to clear the cobwebs from my head.
Waves crashed along the shore. Even here, fifteen feet up and away from the beach, sea spray flecked the sidewalk and splattered cold drops on my skin. Going from Faythander to Earth always took a bit of adjustment, and the cars passing by, coupled with the sounds of running motors, electric lights, and the absence of Faythander magic, made me feel as if I were missing something—a part of myself that I only found when in Fairy World.
When I’d finished my jog, I felt more like myself again, so I made my way back to my apartment and got to work. I found my file on Zack Zimmerman and studied it, looking for anything I may have missed, or any clue that would tell me whether or not he’d actually come into contact with the vachonette egg. Nothing new stood out. He was a typical guy from the Houston suburbs. Married with two kids. Didn’t have a history of mental instability until recently when he’d started having panic attacks and a compulsion to buy very specific Fabergé eggs—of the black and gold variety.
Other than that, I couldn’t find any useful information and knew my next step would be to set up another appointment with him, assuming he ever wanted to speak to me again. The last time I’d seen him, I’d gotten the impression he hated me. Call it a hunch.
I found my
