First World(25)

I nodded. That was my preference too.

Holding hands, we backed through the trees. Ten feet later, we turned away from the house.

“That way.” I pointed to the less foliaged area.

Freeing my hand, I pushed Lucy to move first. She sprang out of the bushes. I was right behind her. We hurtled through the dense growth. I couldn’t see a thing in front of me and winced as the low branches and vines whipped and stung. Glancing over my shoulder, I was relieved to see no pursuers yet. My gaze snapped forward at Lucy’s yell.

I immediately saw the cause of her alarm: a strange gleam suspended in the air.

We were too close. No way to avoid the impact.

Lucy hit first and flew back past me. Closing my eyes, I threw up my hands.

My action cushioned the collision for a moment, before a loud thump catapulted me backwards. With no time to panic, darkness claimed me.





Chapter 6





A heavy pounding reverberating through my head was the first indication of a return to consciousness. I drifted through the haziness for an unknown period of time before disjointed memories intruded.

Oh, right – dreamland.

Gasping, I sat upright, and forced my heavy eyelids to open. Biting back panic, I looked left and right. I’d either recently gone blind or I was somewhere in complete darkness. Not even a sliver of light broke the endlessness. I fumbled around with my hands. I was tucked into what felt like a soft bed. I clutched at the edge of the fluffy covers, pulling them up to my chest.

I was clearly no longer in the forest.

This place was cool, with none of the damp heat from outside.

I tried to remain calm, but without being able to see Lucy it was difficult to fight back the rising panic.

Reaching to my left, I choked on a scream. Jerking my hand back, I sucked in a few deep breaths. Someone was lying next to me. Reaching out again, I felt a small relief as familiar fluffy hair grazed my fingers.

That hair belonged to Lucy. Not some weirdo in bed next to me. Lucy.

Grasping her shoulder, I shook. “Luce ... Lucy ... wake up. We have to get out of here.” My voice echoed.

But she was still, only her deep and rhythmic breathing indicating life.

I had no idea where we’d ended up – in the camouflaged house – or somewhere else. The man probably had my backpack and the stone, which, something told me, was not going to look good as I pleaded our innocence. And besides that, I hadn’t even been its keeper for a day and I’d already lost it. Good job, Abby.

A groan distracted me. Hair brushed my arm as Lucy shifted.

“Luce – get your butt up, sister.” I reached out in the general direction of her shoulder again.

Lights flared in the room.

The brightness forced my eyes closed.

Taking a moment, I re-opened them slower this time. The disorientating black dots disappeared quickly as the room came into focus. I could finally analyze our surroundings. Lucy and I were on a huge bed, covered in a fluffy white throw. A bedroom – furnished simply. A large, wooden dresser stood against the wall and a dark brown, high-backed armchair was squashed in the corner.

The reason for the sudden light show was standing in the doorway: the large blond man with a crowded tray perched precariously on his left hand.

We stared in silence.

He broke the moment by stepping into the room and placing the tray on the foot of the bed. He then sat in the armchair.

I jumped as a hand landed on my arm. I looked down. Lucy was staring up. She was paler than normal and her blue eyes were huge and questioning. I shook my head: stay quiet.

“I suppose neither of you will speak first. So let me begin – why were you attempting to doze through the iso field? You’re lucky you weren’t killed.”

His voice filled the small room and, despite the situation, the accent was still soothing.

I examined his features. They seemed kind, his laugh lines softening his hard planes, but there was no way I would trust him. Despite a few questionable decisions, I wasn’t a complete idiot.

His calm expression was soon replaced by a stern frown. His brow wrinkled, and the very dark nature of his eyes deepened as he again attempted to question us.

“I need to know what you are doing here; this is a restricted area for all except Royal Guardians, which I assume you’re not.” He looked at us pointedly.

With an annoyed sigh, Lucy pulled herself to a sitting position. She’d actually been quiet longer than I’d expected.

“You’re doing an awful lot of assuming, buddy. You know what they say about people who assume.” She drawled her words, like she was speaking to an idiot.

He looked completely blank-faced while he waited for her to continue.

Lucy looked at me, eyebrows raised. “Apparently he doesn’t know.”