“What is that? How—?” Asahi forced out around his astonishment.
Nali lifted a delicate eyebrow. “You are the sorcerer, and you don’t know the magic of your own dagger?” she skeptically inquired.
She stepped back when Asahi slowly rose to his feet. He shook his head. His dark brown eyes were assessing her with an intensity that would have drawn a blush to her cheeks if her flesh wasn’t stone.
“The dagger was given to my grandfather as a gift. He passed it down to me. It is one of the rare things he refused to say much about, insisting that I discover it for myself. I’ve never seen it move—or talk before,” he replied.
“Perhaps the reason you’ve never had a chat with me is because you buried me under a pile of rocks and never released me from my sheath,” the lion stated with a derisive snort.
Asahi frowned. “I was seven,” he retorted before he clamped his lips together.
Nali looked at Asahi and then the dagger before returning her amused scrutiny to Asahi. This time she really registered the differences in his clothing.
“Where are you from, Asahi Tanaka?” she asked.
He stared back at her as if contemplating the risk of sharing the information. The longer he was silent, the more certain she was that she already knew the answer. She held the dagger between them.
“My dear Mr. Gryphon, could you please tell me where you came from?” she inquired.
“Earth,” Asahi said before the winged lion could reply. “I was in a place called Yachats, Oregon, in a world known as Earth.”
Nali slowly nodded. “You wouldn’t perchance know anyone by the name of Ross Galloway or Ruth Hallbrook, would you? Or perhaps, Carly, Jenny, Mike, or Tonya?” she inquired.
He stiffened as she began listing the names. He recognized at least one of them. Perhaps all of them. They had all traveled from Yachats. She gave the dagger a considering look before offering it back to him.
She was concerned that she had briefly forgotten about the possibility of another attack while distracted by the dagger. There was no way of knowing if the alien had left another part of itself behind. She scanned the forest, searching the shadows, but she saw nothing. She turned back to study Asahi.
While she was protected in the form of a gargoyle, Asahi was not—although that hadn’t been an issue a few moments ago. Still, she had let her guard down, and that could have been fatal.
Asahi slowly reached out and took the dagger from her, staring at the winged lion that was now absently cleaning one of its paws. Nali turned and surveyed the forest once again.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
“What was that thing? I saw it come out of the troll shortly before you arrived,” he said.
She looked over her shoulder at him before facing the forest again. “An alien to our world who wishes to destroy it. As far as we know, there are only two left,” she explained.
Asahi stepped up next to her. He reached out and offered the dagger to her. She looked at him in surprise.
“Take this, then. It seems to work pretty well at killing them,” he said.
“What are you doing? You can’t just give me away!” The dagger sounded extremely indignant. “Isn’t burying me for centuries enough of an insult? Now you just decide to give me away to the next person like I’m a bloody kitchen knife? No offense, Empress,” the winged lion growled with a slight bow of its head.
She shook her head and chuckled. “None taken, Mr. Gryphon,” she replied before facing Asahi. “The dagger was created from very old, powerful magic. There are few witches or wizards skilled in such pure magic. I know of only one who had a knack for bringing inanimate objects to life; and, she has passed from this world. Mr. Gryphon was given to you for a reason. The magic held within the jewels, gold, and steel was given to you with love. You cannot pass it on to another unless you give it with the same love,” she explained.
Asahi frowned. He studied the dagger and then looked up at her again. “You asked me a few moments ago if I knew Ruth and the others. Do you know if Ruth Hallbrook and the other woman—Tonya Maitland—are safe?” he asked.
Nali’s smile grew, and she nodded. “Yes. Ruth is with Koorgan, the King of the Giants, on his Isle. Tonya is probably off sailing the seas with Ashure, King of the Pirates—and getting into all sorts of mischief with him,” she said with a rueful shake of her head.
His lips twitched in amusement, though a hint of confusion creased his brow. “That is a relief,” he replied.
Her expression sobered. “You’ve seen what the alien can do. I need to stop it. If you travel east, you’ll come to a river. Follow that river south, and you will come to a troll village. Tell Pai to take you back to the palace. You will be safe there,” she instructed.
“You plan to go after the alien alone, don’t you?” he demanded, looking from her to the woods.
She nodded. “We know from experience that the alien cannot penetrate my skin in this form. Once I have taken care of the alien, I will answer your questions, Asahi, and hopefully you can answer a few of mine,” she said, turning away from him. “Remember, east until you reach the river, then south.”
She didn’t wait for his response. Those few minutes of conversation had already delayed her. Even though she had seen what could happen in the mirror, there was still a possibility of preventing it. She spread her wings and lifted off the ground. Despite her silent promise to not look back, she did when she cleared the canopy.
Asahi had disappeared.
Chapter 4
Asahi had decided to follow Nali even before her feet left the ground. After she turned away,
