Chapter 23

The world shifted and twisted around me for a split second as we stepped through the portal, leaving behind the familiar sights and sounds of our realm. Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I looked at the in-between. The last time I"d been here, I"d been locked inside a building, but this time, I was outside.

Dark clouds loomed overhead, casting an eerie shadow over the depressing landscape stretched out before us. The air was slightly hazy, and if I squinted just right, it seemed to have a slight shimmer, almost like magic. Determination welled up inside me. This was it – the time for it to end, one way or another.

"I"m not sure where she"s at," Oliver told the group, his eyes darting around, on high alert. "The in-between is not very large, keep your senses sharp."

With a deep breath, I gripped Callan"s hand, who had come to stand beside me, as we looked around, getting our bearings. As we moved further, the landscape began to solidify into shapes that I recognized. We were entering a ghostly city, with towering spires and crumbling buildings rising up from the mist like skyscrapers.

The streets were empty, devoid of life and movement. The walls were decorated with different artwork, some of them the most beautiful drawings I"ve ever seen. As we moved further, I realized they began to depict a story, and I began to recognize some of the images. "Are these telling the story of what happened here?"

Oliver nodded solemnly, both of us keeping our voices low. We"d have to face her head-on eventually, but if we could manage to figure out where she was before she found us, we"d take the slight advantage.

"Who drew these?"

"The ones that got stuck here when Tantaii destroyed the in-between portals. Most of the halflings were dead by then, and there was no one to portal in here and save them. Nothing can grow in the in-between, and the supplies would have lasted only so long. Without substance, all things will wither away."

I looked at the drawings with new eyes. This wasn"t a museum of art; it was a graveyard.

As we pressed onward, our unease grew. There was no sign of life, no sign of the Queen anywhere. But still, we moved forward, moving in unison for such a large group. Every step echoed through the empty streets, as we passed pile after pile of crumbled building debris.

As we ventured deeper into the heart of the city, we came across remnants of a bygone era, ancient statues standing sentinel in forgotten places, surprisingly intact for how long it had been. Even so, it was beautiful, and I could almost imagine what the city had once looked like, bustling with the life and abundance of a happier time.

It wasn"t long before a trickle of awareness washed over me, the feeling of being watched, an unseen presence lurking just beyond the edges of our vision. "There, listen," Callan hissed, his head perked. We listened hard, and then we heard it—a distant rumble steadily growing louder until it echoed off the crumbling walls surrounding us.

"What is that?" Lily shouted, glancing nervously around us. Then, just as soon as it started, it stopped—the world falling silent once again.

"That has to be her," Engar said, hand on the sword he"d sheathed at his hip. He was a rabbit shifter just like me, and it"s clear from the sword that he knew just as well as I did how useless it was in a fight. "Let"s follow it."

Nia and Wolfe turned back to their respective forces, communicating the plan to their groups, and then we continued trudging along. With more urgency, we followed the sound as best we could. Just when we thought we may have been nearing the source, another rumble sounded again. It was a little west of where we stood, so we changed course, heading that way instead. The mist thickened as we went, obscuring almost everything in the dim lighting that didn"t seem to change. Both a water fae and an air fae tried to clear it, but neither of their powers could make it budge.

Then, finally, another rumble sounded, and this time we were right in front of it. Our weapons were drawn as we trudged forward, and then finally, suddenly, the mist cleared, and my eyes widened at what we saw.

What could only be described as a temple loomed before us, its towering spires reaching up towards the stormy sky like the hand of a long-forgotten giant. Its ancient stones were weathered and worn, bearing the scars of centuries of neglect, but still standing. The front of it had crumbled in on itself, providing a clear view into the heart of it and its inhabitants. There, the Queen stood, a long sword in her hand, currently speared through the chest of a thin, blue-haired fae while Roxy stood by her side. At her feet lay two other bodies, the soles of their shoes dangling off the edge of the broken stoop.

An army surrounded the temple—a motley collection of fae and naga warriors, the snake-like enemies with poison-coated blades. They stood tall, their serpentine forms coiled and ready for battle as they saw us the same time we saw them. Their weapons glinted ominously in the strange light, their cold, reptilian eyes fixed upon us, slight hisses escaping their mouths.

A sinister grin split the Queen"s face as she cleared her sword, the dead fae on her blade slumping to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Her army outnumbered ours immensely, but I knew from experience that naga weren"t very smart. They were quick, though.

The fae, however, were a different story. These were skilled, trained fighters, and we were a ragtag bunch already. The Queen turned away from us as the front line of her forces started moving forward, their intentions clear. If we wanted to stop her, we"d have to fight our way through. She moved to a large dais where there was a goblet perched, hovering the sword overhead so blood dripped down into the cup.

"I love you," I said to Callan, reaching out to give his hand a tight squeeze that he returned before pulling off his clothes in two swift moves, already mid-shift.

"Tell me that again when we win," was all he said before he was completely in panther form. All around me, I heard snaps and growls as the shifters followed his lead, and within minutes, they were fully in their animal forms. Lily brushed against my leg, and I bent down slightly to thread my hand through her fur in greeting.

A few more minutes, and the naga fae army would be on us.

We sprang into action, splitting off in different directions, doing our best to stay somewhat together in case we needed help. A surge of power coursed through my veins as I connected with my first opponent, my dagger slipping under the armor he wore as I channeled lightning through it, sinking it between his ribs and flaring out my magic with a roar.

I heard a wet squelch next to me as Callan tore a naga"s throat out, his maw already drenched with blood. All around me, the clangs of battle sounded, elements flying and blades clashing as foe met foe. I cut down enemy after enemy, slicing with my dagger while throwing lightning at everyone I could hit, the bright sparks tinged with blue from my mate bond with Callan. Every person I knocked down brought me one step closer to the Queen.

I took the chance to glance around me, pleased to see we were pushing her army back. My friends battled with all their might, using a barrage of weapons in their arsenal to outsmart the naga. The fae were trickier, but they were unprepared for the speed and agility of some of the shifters as I watched an earth fae go down under the weight of Lily's wolf.

The pagu darted in from the sky, gripping and spearing unsuspecting foes with their mighty talons. A piercing scream burst over the battlefield, and I looked up towards where the Queen and Roxy stood. The Queen had speared another fae with her blade, this one with long, curly red hair, who didn"t look to be much older than Evie had been. Life rapidly faded from her eyes, and I watched as Roxy"s mouth moved over and over in the same repetitive motion, chanting something I was much too far to hear.

Suddenly, the rumble started. Gentle at first, but then the entire ground began to move and shake, until it reached a crescendo that had everyone fighting for balance.

Then, silence.

Fighting resumed, and as I cut down another fae, taking another step closer to the Queen, I realized what the rumbles stood for. There"d been four so far, and four bodies lay at her feet, dead. Engar had said she needed five sacrifices, one from each of the royal houses, and she"d already killed the first four. We"d been too late and all she needed now was a fae from the lightning royal line. One more death, and she"d be able to harness the power needed to destroy the realm.

She needed me, and I was headed straight towards her.