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I refocus my attention on Ilyapa and clear my throat. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Then this will truly be an experience,” Ilyapa says.

“Memnon, take my hand,” Eislyn says, her voice lilting.

My husband’s eyes are still on me, his brows creased as he absently grips her hand. Eislyn grasps Ilyapa with her other hand.

Her gaze is unwavering on my husband when she says, “Follow me and don’t let go.” She takes a step backward, then vanishes into thin air.

I don’t have time to cry out in alarm. Not before Memnon and Ilyapa move along with her. To my horror, their bodies are swallowed up by the air itself too. Or at least most of their bodies—I can still see Memnon’s disembodied hand tightly gripping my own.

A scream is building in my throat.

It’s all right, my queen, Memnon says, a touch of humor easing the previous concern in his voice.This is the doorway to the ley line. All you have to do is step forward.

If anyone else suggested such a thing, I would mutiny. But with Memnon, conscience or not, I’d follow him to the edges of the world. So I take those few fateful steps forward.

When I inhale, I am in Sarmatia. When I exhale, I am somewhere else entirely.

I stare wide-eyed at my surroundings, struggling to make sense of them. It appears as though I’m in a tunnel of sorts, one made of smears of light and color. It stretches on either side of me seemingly forever.

I’ve barely had a moment to process the sight when Eislyn begins leading us down the tunnel.

Around me, the color shifts and changes, the sight of it making my head pound.

What are you thinking?Memnon asks.

I glance at him only to catch him staring fondly at me, though that crease is still there between his eyebrows.

With my free hand, I reach out and smooth it, making the decision to leave the hurt and ire back in Sarmatia. We will speak of it later. For now, I will simply enjoy the moment.

I’m thinking this is the most unbelievable experience I’ve yet had, I admit.

More unbelievable than having a voice inside your head?he asks, the corner of his mouth curving up.

I fight back a grin.It’s not a competition, Husband.

For an instant, his eyes seem to glow.I want you to call me that again, tonight, when I am inside you.

Memnon.My eyes widen.

I can feel his humor down our bond.They cannot hear us, little witch. We can talk about anything at all, and Eislyn and my father would not know. Like how I enjoy the way you try to escape when I am eating you out, and the sounds you make when you are getting close to orgasming?—

“We’re here,” Eislyn announces over her shoulder, her gaze briefly touching on the two of us. If she notices my flushed cheeks or quickened breath, she says nothing.

She turns and stepsintothe wall of the tunnel itself. Again, I have to swallow a shout at the sight of her body disappearing from view.

The rest of us follow her, leaving the ley line and stepping out into a muddy, shaded forest.

The longer I look, the more I realize that this is no forest like I’ve ever seen. The trees are tightly packed together, and their leaves are waxy and shockingly green.

The air seems to lie on our bodies like a blanket, heavy and mildly warm, and it practically vibrates with noise from whatever fantastical creatures lurk within the dense foliage. The land is alive in a way I have never experienced.

“Ah, we are here,” Ilyapa says, stepping forward.

I glance past him, trying to understand wherehereis, but I cannot see anything beyond the dense vegetation.

He pulls aside a curtain of vines and places his hand on an enchantment hanging in midair, one I didn’t notice. A deep green color flushes it for an instant before it dissolves away.