Page 24

Just as I’m deciding to head in a random direction and hope that it’s the right way, my brain seems to switch back online, and I remember that I can use my tracking gift.

It could easily take me back to the castle.

As soon as the thought crosses my mind, a mental map appears, and I immediately know the way that I need to go.

As I start in the right direction, which as usual is the opposite direction that I was going to go, it occurs to me that I should be questioning the ease with which the mental map comes to me, but quite honestly, I’m just grateful at this point.

The map is showing that the castle is quite far away, and I’m not looking forward to the walk, but if it’s the last thing that I need to do to pass this task and nothing else pops out of the trees and wants to attack me, then I’m okay with it.

After all, I did walk all the way from wherever it was that I got blown up to the guy's place after I had just died, which should have been impossible. I think I can handle the walk back to the castle, which isn’t even that long now that I’ve compared it to that walk.

Winston said that he wouldn’t be available for a while since he was going fuck knows where to try to talk to the people that had decided I couldn’t know the basic things that I felt that I really should know in order to keep myself safe.

He said that the other spirit guides would possibly be around though and I think that if I really needed them then they would turn up. That’s how they work after all.

Hell. I think if I really needed help, then Winston would turn up as well.

I frown, as I duck under a low branch, I really hope that I’m not going to need Winston or the other spirit guides because if I do, that means that shit really has hit the fan.

Typically, for me, as I continue to walk, my mind begins to wander.

I am, of course, still paying attention to my surroundings just in case something tries to attack me or eat me, but my brain is busy making up a marching song, and I even find myself marching along to the little beat that I’ve made up in my head.

It’s only after I’ve been doing it for half an hour and have added in extravagant arm movements and some pretty nifty head nodding if I do say so myself, it’s only then that I realize that this is Choosing task and that thousands of supernaturals, maybe more, are most likely watching me rock out to music that only I can hear, and thinking that I’m batshit insane.

I stop in the middle of the path that only I can see because there’s no actual path here, and I’m following a map that, again, is something that only I am aware of.

I tilt my head to the side slightly. I must look absolutely insane, but then again, that’s nothing new for me.

With that conclusion settled, I decide that I really don’t care about everyone thinking I’m insane and carry along the visible only to me pathway, doing my dance and singing my song in my head, because quite frankly, it’s helping.

Life is far too short to be worrying about what others may or may not think, even as a supernatural with a long life, so I’m going to do what makes me happy, or what helps to get me through the tedious task of trying to get back to the damn castle.

I wonder if there is someone that I can talk to who would pass a message on to the Choosing for me, if the Choosing is even an entity that can communicate. I actually have no idea, and I have no idea how I would even begin to find someone who may be able to answer that question.

Actually, I bet that Mabel would have a good idea and if not, Ribit definitely would, she’s been hanging around the castle and the Choosing’s for fuck knows how long.

That’s definitely something that I can ask her about if I remember and don’t forget in approximately two point five seconds, when the next round of random thoughts crosses my brain.

Holy shit, I met a unicorn.

There it is.

Seriously though, I met and interacted with a mother fucking unicorn.

Glancing down at my wrist in what I hope is not an obvious way, I can’t help but have the urge to have another look at the design underneath my new, and now permanent, leather bracelet.

It’s a good job that I like, since I’m not going to be able to take it off around anyone other than the guys.

At least that’s what I’m assuming. The cuff wouldn’t have appeared, and the unicorn wouldn’t have looked at it so pointedly if I could just have the mark on show.

I am insanely curious about what it means. If it means anything, it could very well just be a thank you. Although I’m not sure why I would have to hide it if it was a thank you.

Huh, I’m sure I’ll figure it out, with help of course.

Checking the mental map that I’m following, I frown when I realize that I am still so far away from the castle.

I’m not going to lie, I do briefly consider calling on Mael to give me a lift back to the castle, but I stop myself because I don’t want to take advantage of the fact that I can call on him.

I also don’t want thousands of supernaturals to know that I am bonded to a kelpie.

It’s not a common thing, and I feel like it would be giving too much away.

I don’t want to put Mael in danger, and despite the fact that I am in the Choosing, I really don’t want to gain more attention than I already have.

Having a kelpie bonded to you and not trying to eat you would be drawing too much attention.

It’s for those reasons that I won’t call on Mael or the rest of the herd unless I really need to.

Resigning myself to the long walk ahead, I carry on with my song and awesome dance moves, hoping that it’s going to make the time go quicker.

Plot twist.

It won’t.

Doc

“W here the hell is she?” I demand.

I’ve been patient, we all have. We’ve run through the list of excuses about where she could be, but I’m starting to lose it now. She’s not fucking here.

“We should do the spell again,” Griff suggests, holding it together as well as I am. “Maybe it just glitched the first time that we tried, and she is still on a trial for the Choosing?”

Evander frowns, “I don’t think that the Choosing glitches, but at this point, I’m running out of ideas.”

He doesn’t waste any time as he quickly says the trigger words that should bring up the screen that allows us to watch the Choosing trials when we aren’t in one ourselves. Again, nothing happens.

I run my hands through my hair, gripping it tightly and then letting go before I actually pull any out.

The trial that we’ve just been through was difficult to say the least and fucking long.

If it weren’t for River, then we might not have made it out, and the fact that he did manage to get us out could mean trouble for him.

Even though Ransom’s quick thinking hopefully stopped the majority of people from realizing that it was River who was controlling the creatures.

The fact that Ransom could control them would be incredibly impressive and let everyone know just how powerful he is, but it’s not going to cause the same number of problems that it will if certain people realize what River is capable of.

Ransom can easily explain away how he was able to control the lava snakes.

Either by saying that he had some spell potions that worked, or that we lent him power, or something along those lines, which would lessen how shocked people would be that he managed to do it.

We are trying to keep our true strengths hidden unless we don’t have a choice.

Some of the things that Ransom can do he shouldn’t be able to, just like the rest of us.

But River, that’s a whole other story and one that wouldn’t be easily explained away.