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Without Westvane by her side, she wouldn’t stand a chance. She hadn’t stood much of one when in Philadelphia — a city she knew, a place that knew her, too. If she struggled to survive in her hometown, how would she survive what awaited her beyond theEcotone?
Westvane hadn’t painted a pretty picture, and he lived in Azlandia. He’d been born and raised there. Grown up in the shadows of the Electi’s cruel laws, rules, and regulations. As a hybrid, he was reviled for his mixed blood. As a Slayer, he was respected for his skills. He could hold his own in ways and in places she couldn’t. At least, not yet. Landing in Azlandia — as an outsider, a magic wielder who didn’t know how to use her power — without her guide was a bad idea.
If the people of Azlandia were anything like Earth Realm’s human population, her sudden appearance would raise alarm bells. Fear would rise. Mobs would form. The queen’s guards would be called. Lyonesse would come, and Truly would be executed on sight without the courtesy of being given a fair trial.
Over. Done. Zero paperwork to sign, nothing but a grave to dig.
Which meant she needed to go back. Right now. Before she landed on the other side of theEcotoneand the residents of Azlandia caught sight of her.
A great strategy. Slight problem in the execution of it, however.
No matter how much she fought the pull, theEcotonerefused to reverse course. Moving like a fast conveyor belt, the strange mist carried her forward, racing toward something she couldn’t see. She flailed. Twisting around her, it tightened its grip, spinning her upright, sitting her down in an invisible cradle that felt a lot like a first-class seat inside an airplane.
A death grip on the armrest she couldn’t see, Truly slammed her feet down. The heels of her boots skipped over something. Water splashed up, splattering over her ankles to soak her pant legs. As damp air swirled, wind tugged at her ponytail. Sweat bloomed beneath her clothes as an unseen force lifted her feet, prompting her to sit cross-legged in her seat. The chair swayed, then dipped, cutting through milky-white film.
The veil tore open.
Heavy mist cleared, exposing an incredible vista.
Dark skies rimmed by blue shimmer. Mountains capped by snowy peaks on the distant horizon, a border beyond an expanse of inky sea. Patches of translucent fog hovered above the smooth, black surface, floating like boats, bobbing in a light breeze. An invisible web flexed across the sky, coming alive as it drew a breath. Truly sensed the inhale. Experienced the exhale, lived and breathed with theEcotone, aligning with the spirit that called the sliver between worlds home.
Worry dropped away. Wonder sufficed her. Lost in time and space, she reached out. Her fingertips met slight resistance, trailing across the invisible weave. Tiny sparks cascaded, diving like falling stars toward the sea.
The still, glass-like surface rippled.
Huge cobra-shaped heads popped up like periscopes, slicing out of water into open air. Astonishment battered her. Terror made her tense. She froze in her seat as the sea serpents spotted her. As a group, the nest followed her flight across the top of the water. Brilliant green eyes glinted in the lowlight. Serpentine bodies covered in white scales uncoiled. Water rippled as bladed fins glimmering, three giant snakes swam out of the shallows, watching her approach from far too close.
Truly tucked her limbs in tighter.
A forked tongue flicked out as the lead serpent spoke, “Turnbolt.”
“Door Masssster,” the second one hissed.
The third chimed in. “Finally.”
As a unit, the trio stilled as she sailed past. “Welcome. Welcome, welcome, welcome.”
The chant echoed over the ocean.
Turning in her seat, Truly glanced over her shoulder at what any sane person would consider monsters, then did something odd. By rote, as though she did it every day, she lifted her hand and waved. Needle-sharp fangs flashed in the gloom as the trio grinned back.
Incredible. Also… really,reallystrange.
Then again, normal was a distance memory for her. She’d blown past it twenty-four hours ago. The past was so done, it was gone. The world she inhabited now operated under different principles. She needed to stop being surprised by the oddities. Part of that included tossing out obsolete definitions to make room for new ones. The sooner she acclimated and accepted the seeming inconsistencies, the quicker she’d get to play by her own rules.
Speeding away from the sea serpents, Truly bumped over an uneven patch. The chair underneath her swung one way, then the other. Her stomach pitched. Blue shimmer disappeared. The silken bonds wrapped around her vanished. Her seat bucked, tossing her overboard. Water rose up to meet her. Heart in her throat, she tucked into a ball, preparing to hit, knowing it would hurt, about to —
White-tipped claws speared out of the darkness.
Truly jerked as leathery fingers grabbed hold. The hand jerked her sideways, dragging her through the air. Darkness faded. Light bloomed. Streaming from corner to corner, the blazing trail formed into a doorway. Heat rippled around her. Hanging like a ghoul in mid-air, covered in vines, half-eaten by decay, a door materialized over open water.
Hinges squawked as the portal creaked open.
Seeing nothing but blur, Truly flew over the threshold. One moment, she was weightless. The next, gravity took hold. She landed hard, slamming into the ground, then rolled. Gravel scraped over her jeans. A jumbled of sticks raked over her side. With a curse, she twisted mid-slide. Dust billowed up as she dug her heels into the ground, and using her jacket to protect her forearms, pressed down with her elbows to halt her skid.
She came to a rasping stop on a compact surface and noticed three things straight off. One, it was dark, obviously night in Azlandia. Two, she’d come to a sudden stop in the middle of a one-lane street. And three, squat brick buildings lined both sides of the narrow road.
Breathing hard, ignoring the scrapes and bruises, she rolled to the balls of her feet. Crouched in the moonlight, she shuffled backwards, sinking into the shadows along the side of the road. Her back butted up against the side of a one-story building. The dust cloud settled. Her line of sight improved. A town of some kind. A small one, given what she could see, which meant she’d landed in a place populated by Azlandians, instead of in the middle of nowhere.
