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CHAPTER NINE

As I stepped through the portal, every cell in my body seemed to vibrate, but it didn’t hurt.

I transitioned from one woodland to another.

As I stepped to the side, the trill of some bird echoed through the air.

I shivered, looking down to see that I was standing in snow.

I set down the carriers and looked around.

This might be my one chance to ever see Acandaria, and I wasn’t leaving without at least getting a decent look.

The surrounding area was a meadow, covered with snow, with trees in the distance. The sky had a silver-lavender look to it, reflecting off the clouds. I shivered as I stepped away from the portal—which was an obelisk, as well.

I took a deep breath and the air was cold, but so clear and pure that it made me dizzy. The ground was level, and to one side, I was facing the forest, but behind me—against the distant horizon—there were massive mountains, rising jaggedly into the sky.

I looked for any signs of life, but mostly heard birds fluttering in the trees.

There was a path through the middle of the meadow, which was about the size of two football fields, and it led both toward the mountains and toward the forest. I had a sudden urge to follow it, to see where it took me, but I shook off the impulse.

Another moment and I found myself drifting in my thoughts. Everything felt so incredibly peaceful, probably since there seemed to be no cities or people near me.

Finally, with a bit of reluctance, I knelt down and opened the cat carriers.

The coxigans were still drunk but I could tell the juice was wearing off.

I turned the carriers door down and shook them out.

They shook their fists at me, but I ignored them.

They couldn’t fly straight yet, but I figured they’d be fine in an hour or so, and Ami assured me they’d handle the cold without a problem.

They had over on our side of the portal.

I locked the doors on the carriers, then slowly walked back to the obelisk, where the vortex was still shimmering. With one last, wistful look over my shoulder, I sighed and stepped back through.

* * *

“I was getting worried,” Ami said, as I appeared in her backyard again.

“I had to look around, just a little. I stayed by the portal, but I needed to see what I could in case it’s the only opportunity I ever get.” I worried my lip. “It feels so calm and quiet there.”

“It is, where you were at. The great Fae Courts are far from peaceful and far from calm. But like this world, there are vast spaces of uninhabited land. If a person wanted to, they could vanish into the forests or mountains and never again see another soul.” Ami took the cat carriers from me and handed them to Orik.

“Thank you, for your help,” I said. “Now we can focus on Penn.” I suddenly felt weary, tired beyond the day, and my hand ached. “All right, we should get going.”

“I’m glad I could help,” Ami said. “The coxigans will head for the nearest forest and make their home there. Unless some creature eats them. Acandaria has some fearsome beasts, and dangerous Fae.”

I noticed the vast array of plants in her yard. While nothing was blooming yet, I could tell from the variety of bushes and trees that she took pride in her yard.

“Do you like gardening?” I asked.

She nodded. “Selkies prefer the water element, but I do love growing things.”

I decided right then that I would buy her a gift certificate to a local plant nursery as a thank you. That way she could get what she wanted.

Ami began to walk toward the water. “I’m going for a swim.”

“Isn’t it too cold?” Dante asked.

“Not for a selkie,” she said, smiling. “Lock the side gate when you leave, please.” As she walked along the pier, she began to shimmer, and the next moment, a seal was lying on the pier. She rolled into the water, and vanished into the lake.

“I’ll bet you anything that bathing suit is her seal skin,” I said.

“All selkies have a skin they can remove, and it helps them return to their natural form when they wear it. That must be an incredible feeling,” I said, keeping my voice soft.

“I can’t imagine what it must be like to be able to shift form.

” I turned to Dante. “You experience the same thing. It must be magical.”

“Not really,” he said. “At least not for those of us who are shifters. It’s as natural as breathing.”

As we headed back to the car, Duran asked, “Which form came first? Which is the most comfortable?”

Dante thought about it for a moment. “It depends on what’s going on.

When I need to relax, it helps to shift into my wolf form and go for a run, especially on a sunny day, or during a summer night.

When I’m feeling social, I’d rather be in my human form.

Even though wolves are social within the Pack, since I was excommunicated, being in my wolf form when I want to be around others reinforces the sense of loneliness. ”

“I’m sorry,” I said, as Dante opened the car door for me.

“Not to worry. As long as you’re in my life, and Orik and Carson and Sophia, I’ll be fine.”

My hand was still hurting from the coxigan’s bite, so he helped me fasten my seatbelt and shut the door.

* * *

Once we were back at the office, I made myself more coffee and asked Sophia to find a good nursery and buy a gift certificate for Ami.

I was tired, and feeling a bit chilled. The thought of how Ami managed to run around in a bathing suit in February still made me shiver.

Though it was true that when she turned into a seal, she had a nice, thick layer of fat and that alone had to keep her warm while she was swimming.

I found a bag of cookies and began to mindlessly munch on them. With a yawn I carried them over to the table, along with my latte. I sat down, staring at the cookie bag.

“Are you all right?” Sophia asked, entering the breakroom.

“I’m tired. I’m worried about Penn. My hand hurts. And I’m still upset that someone broke into my house?—”

“About that,” Carson said, entering the room.

“First, Terrance is at work today, so you can catch him there. Second, I did some discreet hacking into IonStar’s records.

They have no record of a break-in at your house.

I managed to sort through their files and there was nothing there regarding your home.

However, I made another discovery. Terrance was at work all day when the abduction happened.

He couldn’t be the one who broke into your house.

However, that doesn’t mean much. He could easily have hired somebody. ”

I straightened, frowning. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, he could have put someone up to it. So, if he’s behind Penn’s kidnapping, it’s by proxy.” Carson frowned. “Now I’m wondering if maybe the Crystal Court isn’t behind this.”

“Unlikely, like Duran said, but possible,” I said. “No, I think you’re right in that Terrance is probably the mastermind, sending others to do the actual dirty work. I still can’t believe the queen refuses to do anything to help Penn.”

“She’s part Fae,” Duran said. “That alone is problematic.”

“Right, the witches and Fae don’t always get along.”

“Truth, to a degree. And remember, the Fae don’t accept half-breeds—their term—into their community. They wouldn’t help Penn if her life depended on it,” Duran said. “On the other hand, they probably wouldn’t bother with her, because they don’t acknowledge her existence.”

“Ami seems to like her,” I said. “She’s met Penn and she was incredibly polite. But then, Ami’s more of a loner.”

“Not all Fae are alike, of course. But my guess is, that if Ami lived in one of the Fae cities, she wouldn’t be inviting Penn over for dinner.

The Light and Dark Courts keep an eye on their citizens.

Ami probably belongs to a selkie pod, remember.

By nature, they’re sort of half shifter, half Fae.

So while the Fae don’t shun the selkies, they don’t have a lot to do with them, either.

” Carson shrugged when I looked over at him.

“I’ve been studying the Fae for some time. ”

I wondered if it had anything to do with his crush on Penn, but decided to forego asking. “We go ahead with our plan. We meet Terrance after work and confront him.”

“How far are you willing to push?” Dante asked.

“What do you mean?”

“If he refuses to answer you, what do we do? Kidnap him? Beat the crap out of him? We can’t go in without some sense of knowing how far we’re willing to push.” Orik shook his head.

“I don’t know,” I said, suddenly exhausted. “I don’t know what to do, to be honest. What if he’s not the one to blame? As much as I despise Brim Fire, we’d be fools to hurt him if he’s not at fault. We’d make ourselves even more of a target for the organization.”

“There’s always lenemony ,” Duran said.

“What’s lenemony? It sounds like a drink,” I said.

“In a way it is. It’s a potion that forces people to tell the truth,” he said.

“But, how do we get it down his throat?” Sophia asked.

“There are other methods of using it. You can pour it into an atomizer and spray it in someone’s face. They’ll inhale some of the droplets and it will work on them.” Duran glanced at the clock. “Unfortunately, it’s a complicated process and we don’t have the time needed.”

“Not only that, but how would we avoid inhaling the potion ourselves? I don’t want to be spilling all our secrets to Brim Fire,” I said.

“Why don’t we try talking to him and see if he has anything to say?” Sophia asked. “You might be surprised.”

“I’d be surprised if they offered us any information freely,” I said. “But I think it might come down to that.” I didn’t like the plan. I had strong doubts as to whether they’d willingly volunteer anything.