“You’re free now,” I said to the wind that whipped past us in the meadow. “Finally free.”
After my scoop, Elle took the shovel and threw a pile into the hole, followed by Trissa, Jasper, and, one by one, Liam’s men. We went on like this until it was packed full and tamped down and she was finally laid to rest beneath the beautiful tree. I wasn’t sure when it became dark out, but suddenly I was alone, staring at the dirt with Liam by my side. His mother and Elle stood with Trissa a few feet away, and his men had gone back to the house a while ago with Jasper to make some food. A chill started to work through the open valley, and I realized everyone was waiting on me. Waiting until I’d done my grieving so we could move on.
Kneeling down, I did the only thing I could think of to honor the beauty and grace that was Mara. I placed my hand on the dirt mound and filtered my light into the earth.
Vibrant green blades of grass shot up out of the ground and then long stems of flowers, covering her gravesite.
Liam’s mother gasped and stepped closer. I’d have been worried if she weren’t already exposed to the magical side of our life, but she was no stranger to the supernatural. The stems grew buds that opened into a lush rectangle of peony flowers.
There. That was better. That was befitting of our Mara.
When I stood, Liam wiped a tear from my cheek, and we all made our way across the valley and walked inside the cabin.
Something delicious filtered past my nose, and I realized I was famished.
Joining the others around the kitchen, I gave Liam’s mom a weak smile as she handed me a bowl of chili.
The kitchen looked freshly cleaned and wiped down, but the rest of the house was coated in a thick layer of dust. Footmarks marred the hardwood floors, drawing streaks in the dust. Liam’s men were scattered around the living room and out onto the porch. I noticed she’d made grilled cheese sandwiches, pasta, and chili. Probably had to make multiple meals to feed some twenty-five people. They must have done a grocery run while I was out. Thank the gods the electricity was kept on or we’d be eating cold, canned beans.
“So let’s just let the elephant out of the room.” Jasper set down his empty bowl as Trissa, Elle, Liam, and Cam crowded around the kitchen island where I was eating. “We’re stuck here with nine crystals, and he will find us eventually. Shielding us against the king is taking everything I have.”
Now that he mentioned it, he did look pale and weary. “I won’t be able to sleep without dropping the shield,” he went on, “so I’ll have to sleep while we’re on the move.”
Okay, that was a bit worse than I thought. I assumed he could shield us a while longer and while asleep, but I could work with that. “None of the blue doors work without Mara, and I smashed the shell portal in Los Angeles to keep the king out,” I told everyone.
Silence descended on the group.
We were so fucked.
I mean we had crystals, which was good. No one would get sick without that energy, but the king and his men would be sick in a few days without it. They’d be gunning for us hard. My eyes flew to Liam’s mother, who washed dishes at the sink. She, on the other hand, would get sick if she stayed around nine crystals for too much longer.
Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I groaned. “Okay. Liam, when the king took you, Cam said he just appeared in the forest. He didn’t use Mara.”
Her name hurt to say; it was too soon.
Liam shrugged. “He compelled me with the sword and then knocked me out.”
Cam stepped forward. “I tried to follow them. They went near the healing pools, but that’s all I saw.”
Okay… even if we knew where the secret portal was in Faerie, that didn’t mean we knew where it was here on this end.
“Redwoods,” Liam’s mom spoke so quietly I barely heard her.
“What, Mom?” Liam turned to her.
She shrugged. “Your father told me there was a secret portal in the Redwood National forest and that it was guarded by some creature. He said it was a really dangerous creature, and so it wasn’t worth ever using.”
Okay…. Now we were getting somewhere. “But if he had a sword to compel the creature…” I asked.
She nodded.
“I’ll pack the cars,” Cam said. “We can drive all night, take shifts, and sleep in the car on the way to California.”
I nodded, and he left with Jasper trailing behind him.
“How will we actually find the door? The Redwoods are huge.” Elle frowned.
“Seek it,” Liam and I said at the same time.
If Liam was taken through there, even unconscious, he’d still have an energy signature imprinted somewhere in his mind that he could try to pull from. Meanwhile, I could try to seek the dark energy signature of a fae creature like the one Liam’s mom spoke about. It was a long shot, but I’d met the harpy, the stag, and a few others, so I could seek others like that once we were in the vicinity.
Liam looked at his mother. “Mom, I’ll get us a separate car to drive in, we’ll stay far enough back that the crystals won’t hurt you.”
His mom gave him a sad smile, reaching out to squeeze his hand. “Actually, I was thinking I would stay here, honey. If that’s okay?” She
