Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Colors spun around me, a kaleidoscopic whirlwind faster than an out-of-control merry-go-round. Reds bled into blues, purples swirled into greens, all blurring together in a dizzying maelstrom. My stomach lurched, and I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting the urge to be sick.

As suddenly as it began, the technicolor tornado vanished, and pinpricks of light blinked into existence. Stars? No, not stars. They were too close, too erratic. They danced and flickered like fireflies caught in a cosmic wind, swirling around me in patterns I couldn’t begin to comprehend.

Time seemed to stretch and contract, seconds feeling like hours, then compressing into milliseconds. I lost all sense of up or down, my body weightless in this strange in-between place.

Then, without warning, it stopped.

Reality slammed back into focus with brutal force. I crashed into something unyielding. Rock, maybe, or packed earth. Pain exploded through my body, radiating from my hip and ribs where I’d impacted. The shock drove the air from my lungs in a silent gasp.

For a terrifying moment, I couldn’t breathe. My diaphragm spasmed, refusing to cooperate. Spots danced in my vision, real this time, born of oxygen deprivation rather than magical transport. As panic began to set in, my lungs remembered their job. I sucked in a ragged breath, the cool air burning as it rushed in.

Gradually, the pain ebbed to a dull throb, and I became aware of my surroundings. The smell of damp earth and vegetation. The sound of running water nearby. The feel of a light breeze against my skin.

Where—and when—had we landed?

Darkness engulfed me like a thick velvet curtain drawn across the world. The only light came from the moon, its silver glow barely penetrating the gloom.

“Sawyer?” Worry tinged Justice’s voice as he scooped me into his arms. His cool fingers brushed the hair from my flushed face. “Are you hurt?”

I blinked, trying to focus on him. The concern in his eyes made my chest tighten with emotions I couldn’t untangle. Gratitude for his unwavering support. Shame for being so weak when everyone needed me to be strong. And something deeper, more intense, that I wasn’t ready to name.

I leaned into his touch, allowing myself this brief moment of comfort. The steady beat of his heart against my side was reassuring, a reminder I wasn’t alone in this fight.

“No,” I managed to gasp, shaking my head. “Just…got the wind knocked out of me.” Fear swelled inside me. “Damon and the others?”

“I’m not sure,” Justice tensed as he set me down and turned, trying to pierce the darkness.

“Sawyer? Justice?” My brother’s voice cut through the night, and relief swelled inside me, so intense it was almost painful.

“We’re over here,” Justice called back. “Near the running water.”

After a pause, Damon shouted, “‘Over here’ doesn’t work, bloodsucker. I can’t even see my hand in front of my face.”

The frustration in Damon’s tone masked an undercurrent of fear. We were all out of our element here, lost in time and space, separated in a strange, dark place.

“Okay, everyone, stay where you are,” I called, trying to inject calm into my voice. “Let’s use sound to find each other. Justice and I will keep talking. Everyone else, call out so we can locate you.”

Voices sounded in the darkness, but still, I couldn’t pinpoint anyone.

“Call out again, Damon.” Justice’s cool hand gripped mine reassuringly. The darkness pressed in, making every sound seem muffled and distant.

“Keep coming, vampire.” Damon’s voice rang out in irritation and relief. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once in the pitch-black night.

I strained my eyes, willing them to adjust to the darkness. Slowly, shapes emerged from the gloom. A tall, muscular silhouette gradually took form against the slightly lighter backdrop of the night sky. My heart leaped as I recognized the familiar outline, the broad shoulders, the stance I’d know anywhere.

A smile spread across my face, warmth blooming in my chest despite the chill of the night. “Damon,” I whispered, squeezing Justice’s hand. “I see him.”

We moved carefully toward my brother’s shape, mindful of the uneven ground beneath our feet. The sound of the nearby stream grew louder, providing a constant backdrop to our cautious approach.

As we drew closer, more details came into focus. The tilt of Damon’s head as he listened for our approach, the tension in his posture gradually relaxing as he recognized us. The relief of finding each other in this strange, dark place was a ray of victory.

It was the first step in defeating Maci.

A small glow pierced the darkness, approaching us slowly. My muscles tensed instinctively as years of experience facing supernatural threats kicked in. Justice stiffened, his hand tightening around mine.

The chill of the night air seeped into my bones, and I hugged myself, suddenly aware of how exposed we were. I glanced around, and panic rose in my chest. “Where’s my backpack?” I whispered, fear making my voice quiver.

“Right here,” Justice reassured me, holding it up. The fabric rustled in the quiet night. “I think it somehow got ripped off your back. Not sure how.”

With trembling hands, I sat up and tore the bag open. Relief washed over me as my fingers brushed the familiar shapes of the mirror, the crown, and the other artifacts. But something was missing. My heart skipped a beat. “Where’s the hourglass?”

Justice scanned our immediate surroundings, his vampire sight piercing the darkness better than mine. He moved toward the gentle burble of water. Moments later, he returned, the hourglass glinting dully in the moonlight.

The light grew closer, and I braced myself for a fight. It had to be Maci. Or worse, Rage.

Yet, as the light drew nearer, familiar silhouettes took shape beyond the glow. The tension in my body eased as I recognized Lisa and Zara’s outlines. Lisa held what looked like a pulsing orb of white light in her palm, its radiance pushing back the oppressive darkness.

“Oh, thank goodness,” I murmured, relief washing over me.

I made out their faces in the ethereal light. Lisa’s brow furrowed in concentration, her lips moving as if maintaining the spell required constant focus. Zara walked close beside her, alert for any potential threats.

“Are you guys okay?” Zara called.

I nodded, then realized they might not be able to see the gesture clearly. “We’re fine. Have you seen Brody? Did he make it?”

Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes

Zara looked around. “I thought I saw him, but I lost track.”

God, I didn’t want to lose Brody again. He had the heart of a hero and brought this team together when we lost all hope.

“We’ll find him,” Justice insisted, putting a hand on my shoulder.

Lisa held up the light and slowly moved it around. There was a dark shape that looked like Brody.

Justice tilted his head. “I think that’s him over there.”

I exhaled in relief. “Lisa, that light is incredible.”

Lisa managed to smile a little, though strain showed in the corners of her eyes. “Only a simple illumination spell,” she replied modestly. “It’s taking more energy than I expected, though. This place is different.”

Something in her tone didn’t sit well with me. “Meaning?”

“There are fairies here,” she told me. “I can feel them impacting my magic.”

I glanced at Justice, not sure if I believed in fairies. What if they were here, though? I wasn’t a witch, and maybe Lisa could sense them. I looked around uneasily, the shadows seeming to deepen around us.

“You’ve never encountered fairies before?”

A chill slid down my spine at Lisa’s words, one that had nothing to do with the cool night air. My eyes met Justice’s, and I saw my concern mirrored in his gaze.

Damon scoffed. “Fairies don’t exist.” He grunted, crossing his arms.

Zara’s head snapped toward him, her eyes wide with alarm. “Actually, they do.” She glanced nervously at the darkness around us before continuing. “And you’d be wise not to say anything bad about them. Fairies take offense easily, and you don’t want them to take you . We might not ever find you.”

A heavy silence fell over our group as the weight of Zara’s words sank in. The gentle burble of the nearby stream suddenly seemed ominous, as if hiding whispers beyond our hearing.

I swallowed hard. “Okay,” I replied, trying to keep my voice calm. “So, we’re dealing with easily offended, potentially kidnapping fairies. Anything else we should know, Zara?”

“They become angry if you trespass on their homes, especially if you damage them. They also like to leave gifts, and if you refuse, it will stir their anger,” she explained.

“Great,” Damon muttered. “A bunch of touchy, kleptomaniac Tinkerbells. Fan-friggin-tastic. Let me guess. They also get pissy if you step on their fairy dust or forget to clap?”

“I mean it, Damon.” She straightened and scowled. “Are you listening to me? You don’t want to make a fairy angry unless you want to be taken to their realm and become a slave.”

“I get it, Zara,” he snapped. “Your rules are crystal clear.”

My mind raced. If Lisa’s magic was being drained while she maintained the light spell, what did that mean for our mission? For our safety? I unconsciously tightened my grip on my backpack, acutely aware of the artifacts inside.

“We should be careful,” I stated, addressing the group. “If this place is interfering with Lisa’s magic, who knows what other surprises it might have in store for us? Let’s stick close together and keep our eyes open for anything unusual.”

I turned back to Lisa, concern etched on my face. “Don’t push yourself too hard with that light. We need you at full strength. Maybe we can find another way to illuminate our path if it becomes too draining.”

Soft, measured footsteps approached us, and Brody emerged from the darkness. He scanned each of us, exuding calm authority despite the strange circumstances.

“Is everyone accounted for?” he asked as he moved closer, placing himself centrally within the group. “Sound off. Any injuries?”

“No,” I told him. “Luck was on our side.”

He glanced at us, his gaze searching and comforting. “Good work on the light, Lisa,” he added with a nod of appreciation. “It’ll help us get our bearings. Justice, what’s our situation?”

Justice pointed, his keen vampire sight piercing the darkness thanks to the light boost from Lisa. “There’s a path that goes up next to the fairy pools. It will be slow going unless Lisa can make more lights.”

The glowing orb in Lisa’s hand pulsed erratically, its light waxing and waning like a feverish heartbeat. One moment, it cast long, eerie shadows that danced around our small group, creating a fragile island of illumination in the vast darkness. The next, it dimmed to barely a spark, plunging us into near-total blackness.

“Come on,” Lisa muttered through gritted teeth, her face contorting with concentration as she struggled to maintain the spell.

The orb flared for a second, then sputtered out completely. We held our breath in the sudden darkness. When the light flickered back to life, I caught glimpses of worry etched on my companions’ faces.

In the intervals of illumination, I tried to make out our surroundings. The air carried the crisp scent of wet stone and verdant moss. A symphony of nocturnal sounds enveloped us. The gentle burble of cascading water, the whisper of wind through unseen foliage, and the occasional rustle that could have been a small animal or something else entirely.

As Lisa’s magic continued to flicker unpredictably, I couldn’t help but feel we were exposed and vulnerable. Each time the light failed, my heart raced, imagining what might be lurking beyond the reach of our faltering radiance. The unreliability of our only light source added a new layer of tension to an already nerve-wracking situation.

As my eyes adjusted, I glimpsed the silhouettes of jagged rocks and the glint of moonlight on water. The fairy pools were a series of natural, crystal-clear pools stepped down the glen. In the day, they would be a tourist’s dream. Now, shrouded in night, they held an otherworldly, almost menacing beauty.

I thought of my vision back at Rimespire Isle. The phoenix was in a cave, but nothing looked familiar. Had the vision been wrong? Had I led my team on a wild goose chase?

Doubt crept into my mind. What if the phoenix wasn’t here? Had Maci guessed our plans and moved it? I shook it off and tried to concentrate on the mission.

A cool mist clung to my skin, raising goosebumps along my arms. The taste of pure mountain water lingered on my lips, carried by the light breeze. Beneath our feet, the ground was uneven and slick, a treacherous mix of smooth stones and damp earth.

“We need to be careful. According to my vision, the phoenix is at the end of the fairy pools in a small cave,” I whispered, as if speaking too loudly might disturb whatever magic lingered here. “The path will be slippery, and who knows what might be hiding in those shadows?”

It was bad enough fighting demons and a shadow dragon. I didn’t want to add fairies to my list of enemies.