Chapter 21

TWENTY-ONE

COLLINS

“Princess Aryk!” Jada spun and grabbed my arm, dragging me away with her. “RUN!”

“Are you kidding me?” I turned and sprinted into the forest. I didn’t want to fall down a hole or get attacked by another animal, but I had no other choice. This place was chaotic and dangerous. It was both beautiful and deadly.

“Run faster!” Jada dropped her hold on my hand and ran effortlessly beside me. She didn’t take heaving breaths or even look the least bit concerned. She moved through the forest with quick, sure steps, like she spent her free time in this forsaken place.

I glanced over my shoulder and caught sight of a ship chasing us down. It was a freaking boat on skis. I was from Vegas. I thought I’d seen it all. But I’d never seen shit like this. This was nothing like the pirate ship at Treasure Island. This was real but not normal at all. Light-rose quartz crystal had been carved into the shape of a huge Viking ship. At the front of it was a dragon with its mouth wide open, baring its teeth. A large mast stuck up from the center of the damn thing and port holes lined both sides. A woman stood at the mast with the wind whipping through her bright, neon-orange hair. She had one hand wrapped around the pole and pointed her sword at me with the other.

That must be Princess Aryk. I don’t wanna meet her.

The boat crashed into trees, knocking them to the ground around us.

I jumped to the side, barely dodging a trunk as it fell. “What do we do?”

“Keep running.”

“That’s it? That’s your plan?” My breaths came in nervous pants. We were going to die here . . . death by Viking ship in a fae realm that wasn’t supposed to exist. “Fly us out!”

She shook her head. “Can’t . . . won’t make it through the trees.”

“Super helpful.” I took a sharp turn to the left and ran into the trees for cover.

“Where are you going?” she called after me, but I didn’t answer.

I was breathless and exhausted.

The ship sailed right by me, but the cannons sounded, and a ball whistled by my head and into the tree trunk at my side. Shards of moldavite exploded toward me, and I was knocked sideways, flying until I smacked into a tree trunk. I slid to the ground, gasping for air. Pieces of the broken trees landed on my skin, shocking me each time it touched my bare skin. Another cannon ball fired at me, and I ducked down as it sailed over my head and broke the tree in front of me.

I froze, watching as it fell toward me in slow motion. I dove to the side as it crashed to the ground. It pinned the end of my coat, and I yanked at the ends, trying to free it. The ship turned around and was heading straight for me. Adrenaline pumped through my veins and magic burst from my hands. The tree shattered into a thousand pieces, and I grabbed one and launched it toward the boat. It dropped down onto the deck, and for a moment the boat slowed and shook. Aryk jumped from the mast and landed on the deck next to the piece. She plucked it up like it was nothing to touch a crystal like that and threw it overboard.

When she turned toward me and smiled, I knew I was in trouble. I staggered to my feet and held my arms up. She would never stop. I flicked my hand to the side and a crystal jutted up from the ground, smacking into the side of the boat. It rocked from side to side, lifting one side up off the ground. I flicked my wrist again and another crystal smacked into the other side like a battering ram. I was acting purely on instinct. The sides of the quartz boat cracked but kept on coming. It was gaining speed and would crush me at any moment. I threw crystal after crystal at it, knocking it from side to side, and though it dented and cracked, she never stopped.

I ducked down as it was nearly on top of me. My power flowed all around me and I didn’t know what I was doing, but the only thing I could think was tidal wave! The ground rumbled beneath my feet, and I felt every crystal there was. I called them all toward the surface at once. They rolled out like a ramp in front of the ship. Aryk crashed into it and tried to throw her anchor, but it was too late, and I was in control now. The boat shot up the ramp like a pro skater about to do a flip. When it launched off the top, it headed right for the thick branches of the trees. I ran out and shot my magic at the ship. It exploded into pieces that rained down on the forest and blasted a hole in the trees. Aryk’s bright-orange hair sailed across the sky like I catapulted her ass into the next realm.

I hunched over, sucking in deep breaths as exhaustion ate at my body.

Jada sauntered up to my side. “Nicely done.”

I groaned and narrowed my eyes at her. “Better than running.”

She turned toward me and crossed her arms. “Getting away was the only option.”

I motioned to the pieces of the shipwreck. “Clearly not.”

“You think you’re so good, don’t you?” She pressed her lips into a thin line.

“I’ve made it this far.” I shrugged.

She wrapped her hands in the lapels of my coat and jerked me closer to her. Her wings sprang from her back, and her eyes blazed with anger. “If you’re so good, then find me the Chaos Stone. Now.”

She pumped her wings and my body jerked off the ground. The wind whipped over my body. My stomach couldn’t keep up with how quickly she soared into the sky. When I looked down, the moldavite forest was hundreds of feet away—a tiny green pinprick against the rest of the colorful terrain.

“Find the Stone,” she shouted over the wind and shook me a little. “Close your eyes and find it.”

“Are you insane?”

“Debatable. I have a quest to complete, and I’m not going to stop now.” She jostled me again. “FIND IT.”

I closed my eyes and focused my power. I tried to think about what the most powerful stone would feel like. Will it have a glow like the others did? Will I feel it, or would it remain hidden? I let it flow from me and waited for something to respond, something strong enough to draw my attention to it. It took a few seconds before I felt something. There in the distance, a bright glow of power.

I pointed in that direction. “That way. That’s all I feel. Over there.”

Jada twisted in midair and took off in the direction I pointed toward. But I didn’t open my eyes. If I had to watch this magical carpet ride, I might not survive it with my stomach intact. She was rougher this time, jolting me up and down like a roller coaster ride.

The colors behind my eyes grew brighter, and I pointed down toward them. “There! It’s there!”

Jada cursed, then we plummeted toward the ground. My eyes flew open, and I thought we were going to crash into a circle of stones. At the last second, she opened her wings and caught the wind. We jerked upright and then she landed at the center of the circle and dropped me. I wasn’t ready for the impact and fell to my knees.

I glared at her. “Umm, ouch?”

She waved my words away. “You’re fine.”

I staggered to my feet and dusted off my knees and hands. When I looked around, we stood at the center of a circle of stones. It took me a second to realize why it felt familiar. “Where are we? This looks like Stonehenge but not.”

“Crystal-henge.” She sighed as though this place wasn’t beautiful and pulsing with power.

Crystal-henge was a circle of crystals that reminded me of Stonehenge in my home realm. They were all different sizes, shapes, and colors. The sun shined between the mountain peaks surrounding us, and the air shimmered where it touched the crystal configuration. Color burst from them and shot up toward the sky. The brightest blues, most vibrant greens, softest yellows, and deepest pinks danced over the violet sky. The crystals pulsed with light, each of them flickering and glowing bright, beautiful colors. Snow fell lightly over them and a chill filled the air. My magic rose to the power of this place. Tiny puffs of aqua drifted up from my fingers.

She stomped away from me, and I couldn’t take it. I made my voice as calm as possible. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Did you do something wrong?”

“Yes, that’s what I said.” I pushed my hair out of my face. “I don’t understand your animosity toward me from the very moment I got here. What did I do wrong?”

“ Wrong? What did you do wrong?” She made a sound of disgust in the back of her throat, then she threw her arms out, motioning to Crystal-henge. “ It’s not here !”