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A vampire didn’t breathe, but when he did, it seemed to take energy out of him. The moment he stepped back, the portal shimmered and finalized into a solidified existence.
Killian took my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Those sharp edges of guilt were gnawing away at me and he seemed to sense that.
I’m going to fix this, I thought at him.
Our fingers slipped away from each other as we mounted our dragons.
Solstice’s weight shifted under my legs as she lowered herself to enter the portal. While it was large, she was larger.
It was a tight squeeze, but she tucked her wings and sent us through.
Once inside, darkness covered my senses like I’d been dunked into a cold, endless ocean. I held my breath on instinct, and with a sense of alarm I realized my body wasn’t fighting to breathe.
Glancing down at my bracelet, I noted that it emanated a faint red glow. Needles danced over my skin before fading, leaving me feeling cold and stiff.
I was alive… but not alive at the same time.
A disorienting sensation, to say the least.
Solstice was connected to me, so my anchor also worked for her. While I was glad I didn’t have to do this without her, I was also concerned what kind of effects it might have.
What if she was hurt? What if she couldn’t heal?
I shoved the questions into a locked box and threw away the key.
Solstice moved to the side of the portal so the rest of our squadron could come through.
I took the time to wait for my eyes to adjust. Or maybe it was my senses learning how to see in this realm without having light to see by.
The Shadow Realm certainly lived up to its name.
Focusing inwardly, though, my magic adapted a way for me to see.
The ethereal landscape was more like a dream—or a nightmare. The sky rolled with deep purple hues, wispy clouds that blocked a blood-red moon. I couldn’t see it with my regular “human” sight. But once I engaged my magical abilities, the landscape was becoming clear.
The ground beneath us reminded me of the cemetery, in a way. It was lush with thick foliage, but dark and twisted with blades of black grass.
Tower stone structures loomed in the distance and I could just make out the shape of a massive castle.
King Frederick confirmed my guess once he stepped through. “Ah, home sweet home. Come, Vern. You have your end of the bargain to uphold.”
I glowered at the vampire. “Not yet,” I insisted. “We have to find what we came here for, first.” And I had to be with Vern to try and save him. I couldn’t be in two places at once.
The king’s face darkened. “That’s not part of our agreement.”
“I understand,” I countered as Solstice shifted her weight again. I held onto her spiked neck talons for support. “However, did you forget that if we fail our quest, humanity will be wiped out? Dragons will be next, unless you can feed on corrupted ones, which I doubt. No one to feed on seems like a pretty big deal.”
Frederick seemed disgruntled, but he couldn’t argue with me.
He was more eager for the cure Vern had promised.
But I wasn’t eager for Vern to give up all the blood in his body to make that happen. There was no way he would make that kind of sacrifice, especially not when we found what we had come here for in the first place.
“Then we shall wait for you in the throne room. You have one hour,” he said, slapping an arm on Vern’s shoulder. “Starting now.”
Jasmine screamed and I shot out a hand to somehow stop him, but it was too late.
Vern and the Vampire King vanished in a shadowy puff, leaving us speechless.
