Blue magical mist gathered around me and made my skin tingle. The portal opened with a loud howling wind, sucking me inside before I had a chance to catch my breath. Bursts of magical energy surrounded me as I flew from one reality to another. Air hissed in my ears as bright spots of light blinded me.
The violence of the portal caught me by surprise. If anything, I’d expected the portal to be weak, so what caused it to be so powerful?
An image of a woman formed in front of me. The form was too blurry to see the features, yet its glowing, ember-orange eyes focused on me, and I knew who it was—Theht.
The phantasm didn’t speak. It only stared into my soul, giving me the feeling of familiarity, making me realize that this was the part of Theht that lived inside me.
“Go away,” I screamed, although my words had no effect on the creature.
The wind quieted, the portal dissipated, and I crashed onto a stone floor. I felt as though I’d broken my spine, and making any sort of movement at all was beyond me. I only lay there, my breathing heavy as it echoed through the room.
I clutched my head with the image of Theht still fresh in my mind. The urge to vomit welled up inside of me as I contemplated the evil inhabiting my own body. There had to be a way to get rid of the creature inside me. But how?
Fan’twar would possibly know, and that made my quest to free him even more dire. There was no other being alive who possessed as much knowledge as my stepfather. I couldn’t afford to lose him. The world couldn’t afford to lose him.
I’d never asked him before because I’d been too afraid to admit that a piece of Theht existed within me. But I realized now that hiding from the problem wouldn’t fix it. I had no choice but to ask for his help… after I freed him. And I would.
When I caught my breath, I sat up and stared around the small space, recognizing the room as one of the chambers in the Wult keep. Outside, I heard raised voices. I stood cautiously, feeling the characteristic dizziness as I tried to walk, but I managed to make it across the room and grab the doorframe for support.
I inched the door open and found I stood inside a broom closet that led into the dining hall where large wooden beams crisscrossed the cavernous ceiling. Inside, Kull and his mother stood arguing.
“I blame you,” Halla said. “Our keep was not breached once during your father’s reign. And now that you are king, this castle has become the gathering place for the entire continent. Elves and pixies alike frequent our halls, yet no one bothers to check if they are guests or enemies. Now look what has happened. The staff is gone with not a single guard able to tell us who took it. This would have never happened when your father was king.”
“Please don’t compare me to him. You know I am nothing like him.”
“Yes. I am well aware of it—I am reminded daily.”
I entered the room. Kull’s eyes locked with mine, and relief spread over his face. He crossed the room in two strides and caught me in his arms.
“Thank the gods,” he breathed in my ear. He pulled away to stare in my face. “You’re okay?”
“Yes, I’m well enough.” I tried to sound convincing, hoping he couldn’t see the turmoil in my eyes. I swallowed the lump in my throat. Being with him again was like breathing air after drowning. I never felt complete when we were apart, yet after his revelation that he was destined to kill me, he held me a little closer and with more gentleness, as if he would break me.
“You always worry me when you go on those quests,” he said.
“And you worry me more when I leave you behind.”
He grinned. “Very well. I suppose we’re even.” He took my hand and led me to where his mother stood.
Halla gave me a guarded smile. “Olive, your arrival is a surprise, especially considering you’ve arrived in our broom closet.”
“Yes, that’s the trouble with portals. They’re never very accurate, but at least I managed to make it inside the keep.”
“Yes,” she said with narrowed eyes. “What a convenient talent to have. Entering a place without needing to pass by guards or through doorways must be a handy ability.”
I met her gaze. “It is, and luckily, I can only travel places I’ve been before, and I’ve never traveled anywhere forbidden to me.”
“Tell me, do the other elves possess these same abilities?”
“No. I’m the only one who can travel from Earth Kingdom to Faythander and back and still retain my memories.”
She crossed her arms. “I see.”
Kull cleared his throat. “Much has happened since you left,” Kull said. “Our castle has been breached, and the staff was stolen. No one seems to have seen who took it.”
“I think I might know,” I said.
“You do?”
I nodded. “I did a spellcasting in Earth Kingdom on Mr. Zimmerman. As it turns out, the elves forced him to help them work on a rocket that transported the vachonette egg to their moon base.”
“The moon base is real?” he asked.
“Yes, but that’s not all. They recently brought the egg back to Faythander. I’m not sure where it is, but during the casting, I overheard the elves. They had sent out a squadron to steal the staff. It must have been them who took it, and they were working with someone here, but I don’t know who.”
“Elves,” Halla said with scorn, “I knew it. We’ve never been able to trust them.”
“But the question is,” Kull said, “who took the staff? And where are they taking it now?”
I
