Chapter 16

SIXTEEN

COLLINS

"HELP HER! PLEASE!” I screamed, sinking back down to my knees at my mother’s side. “Jada, please. Help her! What was that? What do we do? Where do we go with her?”

Mom’s clothes were torn to shreds. Pieces of material hung from her body like overcooked spaghetti noodles. Blood pooled on the snow around her, the puddle growing wider and thicker with every passing second. The pure snow turned an ugly burgundy. Feathers from her golden wings littered the ground around her. She gave a pained groan, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

I pulled her into my lap. “Mom, stay with me. Please. Just . . . stay. JADA! ”

Jada cursed and dropped to her knees across from me. She lifted my mom’s arm, examining the gaping wounds. She grimaced and ran her dark fingers over the crippling damage in Mom’s golden wings. They were mangled into weird angles.

“Jada—”

“We have to get her out of here.”

I staggered to my feet. “Okay, is there a village, or something with a hospital?”

She shook her head, her dark eyes locked on my mother. “Too risky. We don’t want to draw the attention of the royal family, especially the Queen. It’s too soon. You’re not ready to face her. We need to get her back to The Emerald.”

“In First Realm?” I shrieked. “Will they even know what to do?”

“Yes. But we have to move fast or she’ll die.”

I bent down and tried to grab one of my mother’s arms to pull her to her feet, but she was deadweight. Her face contorted in pain, yet she never opened her eyes. Jade jumped up and grabbed her under her arms, pulling her to her feet effortlessly. My mother’s head lolled to the side and rolled until her chin hit her chest.

“Don’t just stand there, get her other arm.” Jada threw my mom’s arm over her shoulder.

I hurried to grab her other arm. We began to drag her back toward the portal. Her body slumped between the two of us, and we dragged her feet behind us. My mother’s warm blood seeped into the side of my jacket. My lip quivered and I fought back tears. This was not part of the plan. This was not supposed to happen. We were supposed to do this together.

When we got closer to the portal, Jada stopped. “Okay, I’ve got this.”

The doors opened and I saw that bank of elevators just beyond. Jada yanked my mother out of my arms, scooped her up into a cradle, then took one step forward and launched her at the portal door like she was a of sack of potatoes. Mom soared right through. Her body crashed into the hard marble floor, skidding to a stop. She lay there for a moment with her wings draped over her bloody, broken body.

“ Mom! ” I dove for her.

“Stop.” Jada caught me by the wrist and yanked me back. “You can’t help her now. She’s where she needs to be.”

When I met her eyes, I wanted to yank my arm free to follow her. But I stood still. “I can’t just leave her there.”

“You can and you will.” She looked in the opposite direction of the portal. “Trust me, Collins. She would want it this way.”

"But—” I gasped. My eyes widened.

Just on the other side of the portal, Zuriel hovered over my mom. He brushed the hair from her swollen, bruised face and put his arms under her broken body. He lifted her like she weighed no more than a feather. Her legs dangled over his arm. Her upper body was completely limp. The turquoise tips of her mangled golden wings brushed over the ground. I looked up to meet his gaze and wished I hadn’t. Zuriel glared at us with those vivid blue eyes, and it sent a chill down my spine. As the doors slid shut, he never broke eye contact with me. I wanted to throw up and cry at the same time.

Jada glanced over her shoulder. “See? They already have her. We must leave before Queen Tephine discovers you’re here.”

She jerked me in the opposite direction of my mom, and I hesitated. I didn’t want to leave her. I couldn’t bear to not be with her. She needed medical attention and needed me with her.

“Collins, now.” Huge, golden wings popped out from Jada’s back. She wrapped her arms around my waist and jerked me closer to her body. “All will be well.”

With a single pump of her wings, we shot up into the air. The wind blew my crazy hair around my face. I fought to get it out of my mouth and off my eyes. Jada soared across the sky, giving me a perfect view of the Fae Realm. Trees made entirely of crystals stood tall and imposing. The crystal forest extended out as far as the eye could see. The canopy wasn’t a typical forest-green with swaying leafy branches. Instead, the trees were all different colors and glowed at random times, as if someone was playing a game of tag and whichever tree got tagged would glow a faint, beautiful color.

Smoke billowed from a small village deep within the forest. The huts were built into the trees. They looked like they’d been pieced together with thick crystals. The people huddled together, shaking as the wind and snow fell around them. Though they held the beauty of the fae, with their delicate features and willowy bodies, I could tell even from this height that they were thin and freezing. There wasn’t a playful child to be seen, nor a single happy voice or even a smile. It was so different than being on Megelle Island. These people were gaunt and hurting.

My mother was right, they did need help. But how could it be me? How could I save them without her? I didn’t know what I was doing or even how to navigate this new world. Up ahead, a swarm of blue bugs began to head toward us.

I pointed to them. “Um, what is that?”

They twisted and fluttered around each other. Jada growled low in her throat. “Annoying. Have no fear. They wouldn’t dare cross me.”

They were about six inches tall with long, talon-like fingers, sharp teeth, and black eyes. The dove for us and Jada pulled my back closer to her chest. She pumped her wings harder and blew them back from us. Just when I thought I was going to get ripped apart by these tiny flying piranhas, they parted in front of us, letting us fly right through.

From a distance, with its sparkling crystals and purple sky, the realm was breathtakingly beautiful. But up close, we’d already found murder flowers, piranha pixie things, and people literally freezing to death. It was pretty but lethal. I understood why this realm needed saving already, and I’d just gotten here. Just when I was about to ask Jada what this realm used to be like, she began to drift lower to the ground.

Wait. Did she say where we were going? “Jada? Where are we going?”

“You can’t just walk around here dressed all . . . human . The Queen will find you right away. Even if your looks are completely fae.”

We landed between two huge trees, and I got to see their texture and color even more closely. They were giants—bigger than any redwood tree. Their branches looked like raw crystal, and yet they weren’t so stiff that they couldn’t sway with the wind. The leaves were an array of colors that caught the sunlight and scattered rainbow rays over the forest floor.

Jada motioned for me to follow her. “This way. It’s not much farther.”

“What isn’t, exactly?” I hurried to keep up with her, but now that I wasn’t wrapped in her wings, the bitter chill in the air was getting to me. My teeth already rattled against each other as I shivered, and my legs were so cold they were refusing to move quickly.

Jada marched between the trees without even a backward glance at me. Granted, as a fae-Nephilim she probably sensed my presence. I took a deep breath and wrapped my arms around myself to try and stay warm. What is my life right now? All of this had happened so fast. Too fast. I hadn’t gotten a moment to stop and process any of it before something new was thrown at me. Prince Bastien had used his stupid pretty face and gorgeous eyes to reel me in, and I went like mindless bait to the hook of his brooding gaze. I had no idea what mind game he’d played on me, but I’d fallen for it hook-line-and-sinker . . . and it hadn’t worn off yet. Despite everything I’d learned, I found myself glancing left and right, hoping to find him standing there.

Stop that, brain. You’re better than that. You’re smarter than that.

He kidnapped your best friend.

Yeah, only because he thought she was me.

I groaned and it earned me a glare from Jada. This was all my fault. I’d told Tallulah everything. I should have known the Prince would find me on Megelle Island. I was half-surprised it hadn’t been his twisted sister who’d found us, but I was grateful it wasn’t. My gut told me she didn’t waste any time. She would kill first ask questions later . . . Bastien had at least taken his time — Prince Bastien. Evil fae prince. Do NOT humanize the monster. Even monsters can be pretty.

“Collins, keep up,” Jada called out for me, “or the forest will eat you.”

I gasped and scurried to catch up. With a nod, she turned and marched forward again. I followed her footsteps through the snow. My mind reeled. Tallulah was gone, lost in this crazy dangerous place with the scary hot Prince because he thought she was me. She wasn’t fae. She wasn’t Stone Keeper. She didn’t have any powers—not that I knew what I had, but my mother had suggested I had some. My mother’s face flashed in my mind. I bit down on my lip to stop myself from crying out. My poor mother was injured, potentially lethally, and I was expected to just pull it all together and be completely fine. Ready to save everyone. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. My mom told me I could trust Jada, but I didn’t know her. I needed my bestie and my mom for this shit.

“Keep up. We’re almost there.” Jada glanced over her shoulder at me with those hazel-green eyes.

Why does it have to be so COLD? My eyes and lungs burned as the temperature seemed to drop with every step. My breath left me in little white clouds. The goosebumps covering my body felt like razors against my clothing. I eyed Jada. She didn’t seem to mind the cold at all. This was the first time I got to really look at her. She was built small and delicate looking. With her dark hair shaved tight to her head. She wore dark leather pants, thick boots, and a mesh metal top that wound from the high collar on her neck all the way down her arms and to the top of her pants in a snake-like pattern. The back was open completely, exposing her dark skin. Her wings had disappeared. Now all she had was a single sword strapped to her waist.

She stopped at the base of one of the crystal trees in front of a narrow staircase that was carved into a thick rose quartz trunk. “Up you go.”

“Oh.” I leaned back to look up into the canopy. “What is this place?”

Above us was a perfectly round treehouse made of slivers of tiger’s eye stones. From a distance, the varying shades of light-brown with veins of deeper brown almost made it look like actual wood. The little house was built into the tree, circling around the trunk and using the tree’s long crystal branches to hold it up.

When we got to the top, I walked under a doorway that hung low from a ceiling and seemed to be made of smoky quartz chunks. Somebody taller would have to duck their head low just to get inside. A small firepit sat in the center of the circular room. Flames danced a million different colors. I hurried over to it and held my hands over the rainbow flames. The instant rush of heat was such a contrast to my frozen fingers that it made them even colder. The warmth was a relief, but it came in the form of sharp, painful pinpricks in my fingertips. I spread my fingers wide and stepped as close to the fire as possible. It was so hard to get used to the way my skin seemed to shimmer, but even now my fingers held a reddish tint from the cold. I bent and flexed them, trying to get some circulation.

Jada motioned to a little bench. “Please sit. Get comfortable.”

I dropped down onto the small bench and glanced around the room. “Is this where we’re staying?”

“Goodness, no,” a deep, sultry voice spoke from the shadows.

I jumped to my feet and scurried back, but my legs slammed into the bench. “Who are you?”

Jada chuckled and squeezed my shoulder. “Have no fear. That’s Kori. You can trust her. She helps me blend in and keeps me informed of what is going on within the realm.”

Kori flipped long navy-blue hair over her shoulder, then held her hand out toward me. “It’s nice to meet you.”

I took her hand and shook it. “Likewise.”

Kori looked me up and down with narrowed eyes of pure sapphire. “She can’t walk around like that.”

“That’s why I brought her here to you.” Jada walked to stand between us, then gestured to me with a flick of her wrist. “We need clothing, then we have to find the Stone.”

Kori nodded and turned, sauntering over to a small chest against the wall. I found myself captivated by her. I couldn’t help but watch. Kori was beautiful and moved with a slow, smooth elegance like a snake slithering over rocks. Her skin was warm and olive with a golden shimmer. That navy-blue hair of hers was envy-inducing and fell perfectly straight.

“Put these on.” She turned back around, holding a slinky black bodysuit that looked toddler sized.

I arched my eyebrow at it. “You think that’s going to fit me?”

Kori tossed it at me. “Just try it on. It’ll fit and you’ll blend right in. Promise.”

“But it’s freezing here.” I held up the skimpy piece and shivered. “I’ll freeze .”

“They’re long sleeves.” Kori rolled those dark-blue eyes. She put her hands on her hips and her blue fur coat spread open, revealing what looked more like a bikini than winter-appropriate clothing. “You’re new here. Just try?”

It may have been Kori speaking, but I heard Lilian’s voice telling us her mom wanted us to take a purse. That had been a bold-faced lie that I’d fallen for without much pause. And then my life fell apart. Stop, Collins. You have to focus here.

I turned my back to them and dropped my jacket to the ground. The hut was dim, lit only by the colorful fire, but I still couldn’t just strip down in front of them. I slipped out of my shirt and hissed as that ice-cold air hit my bare skin. I cursed and hopped up and down. My skin felt like shattered glass. I pulled on the slinky black bodysuit they’d given me and cringed. It was skintight with a neckline that plunged down to my belly button. It had pants and long sleeves, but there were cutouts down the sides of my legs and arms – and on my hips. The material was smooth and soft to the touch like silk, yet it was stretchy and molded to my body perfectly like paint. Wait a second. I’m not cold ? This was barely more than a bra and yet it felt like wearing the warmest winter coat.

It made no sense. I shook my head. A pair of boots landed next to me. Without thinking about it, I slid my feet in and laced them up. The sigh that slipped from my lips was mortifying. It was like walking on fur-lined cushions.

“Let’s see,” Jada said softly from behind me.

I licked my lips and spun around.

Jada beamed. “And now, my dear, you look fae.”

“She’s still cold,” Kori grumbled as she spun around to the chest. She turned back and tossed a heavy fur coat at me. “You’re going to need this.”

I slid my arms inside it and let the thick, fuzzy collar rub against my face. I held my arms out. “We good?”

They both nodded.

I was still antsy from the past few hours and didn’t want to just sit here and wait for the shoe to drop on my head. My thoughts went back to Tallulah. I needed to find her. Now. I didn’t know where she was or if she was safe— of course she’s not safe. She needs you. You have to get to her. “We look for Tallulah now?”

“Who?” Jada shook her head and dismissed me with a flick of her wrist. She wrapped her arm around my shoulders and guided me toward the door. “We need to focus on the Stone before anything else. Nothing else matters. If we don’t get it, then we all die, including this Tallulah. I need you to focus your power and energy on that.”

“But I don’t even know what power I have or how to use it,” I cried out. My eyes burned. My heart hammered in my chest. “I don’t even know what it is.””

“Hopefully we won’t need much from you. The realm will want to give you the Stone and that’s all we can ask for.” She gave my shoulder a squeeze and then dropped her arm. “Just have to find the right place.”

I spun around to face them. “You don’t understand. I’m not gonna be able to think when I know my best friend is lost here, alone and freezing. She’s in trouble because of me. I can’t just go off on a quest and desert her to the unthinkable. I have to find her. I have to get to her. I have to?—”

“Kori?” Jada pursed her lips. “Look into this Tallulah situation? See what you can find?”

Kori nodded. “Hold your concerns. I shall look and report back.”

“Thanks, Kori.” Jada looked to me and smiled softly. “How’s that? Kori will handle Tallulah while you and I start the search for the Stone.”

I wanted to find Tallulah myself. She deserved that much. But beggars couldn’t be choosers and all that. I didn’t know this realm. I didn’t know where to go or where to look. I didn’t know what obstacles I’d stumble upon or how to even fight them. Kori was fae. She was a native. She knew this place. She was Tallulah’s best shot of survival right now.

“And we can’t go with her?”

Jada sighed. “I’m sorry, Collins. Going after her right now could be the choice between everyone . . . and her. Sadly, you’re the only one who can save everyone, but Kori can save Tallulah.”

My stomach turned. She’s right. I can’t be selfish. Kori will find her. She will. I licked my lips and nodded.

“Once I find her, I’ll bring her to you.”

It was the best deal available. I had to take it. The sooner we went and found the stupid Stone, the faster I would save Tallulah and get back to my mom. I didn’t want to waste another minute. I clapped my hands together. “Okay. Right. You’re right. Thank you, Kori.”

She nodded.

My stomach tightened into knots. I forced myself to look to Jada. “Great, when do we leave?”

Kori crossed her arms over her chest. “You sure you don’t want to rest? Take a moment.”

Not with this much on the line. I shook my head. “No, I have to do this. We have to do this. No one, not this realm nor Tallulah, has a minute to spare.”

“She’s right. Let’s go.” Jada winked at me. “Kori, find us when you’re done.”

Jada slipped her arm around mine and forced me to the edge of the hut. We stepped out of the doorway and into the frosty air. I braced myself, but the freezing never came. Snowflakes danced by my face, yet the chill slid right over me. I exhaled and my breath puffed with smoke. I didn’t feel the cold, even with my skimpy outfit. I began to tie my wild pink and purple hair on top of my head, but Jada placed her hand over mine.

She shook her head once. “Fae don’t hide their features.”

“It’s kind of inconvenient.” I motioned to where it hit my hips.

“Beauty always is.”

The golden wings sprang from her back, and she stepped behind me, wrapping her arms around my torso. When she pumped her wings, her arms dug into my stomach and the air whooshed from my lungs. I gagged and coughed, sucking a deep breath.

“Humans.” She chuckled. “They hate flying.”

As the world whizzed by us and I got to see the Fae Realm in all its colorful glory again, I didn’t hate flying. The more I did it, the freer I felt. The wind in my hair and the world moving around me suited me just fine. It was the hands pressing into my stomach that made me want to puke. But I said nothing. I just kept my lips pressed tightly together. Jada banked to the right, and we flew toward those floating islands. She drifted in between the long crystal covered vines, dipping and diving in all different directions.

My stomach tucked and rolled with each of her moves. She skated in close to the bottom of the middle island. I could see every facet of the raw geode. When we got close to the waterfall, she drifted up beside it and we followed it right to the edge of the floating island. She placed me down next to the water’s edge. A fine, misty fog crept over the ground around our feet. The island was covered with smaller plants and trees. The damp smell of snow tickled my nose. It was colder up this high, and the air was thinner. My breath came shorter and faster.

I spun around in a circle. “Okay, where to now?”

“You tell me.” Jada crossed her arms and watched my every move.

“Tell you what?” My brow furrowed in confusion. “Is something supposed to happen?”

She stared at the ground all around us, her sharp gaze scanning for something. “Don’t you feel . . . anything?”

“Am I supposed to?” I threw my hands up. Panic rushed through me like a mudslide. I spun in a frantic circle and gnawed on my lip. “This is my first day in a new world. Can’t say that I know what I’m doing here. What’s it supposed to feel like?”

Jada sighed and rolled her eyes. “Well, then I guess we better teach you some magic.”

I gasped. “Now?”

“ Now. ” She arched one dark eyebrow and pointed to the space in front of her. “Let’s go.”