Spark(34)

“Hello?” she called. “Niteesh? Vonda?”
Silence.
Then a voice came, without sound, the meaning forming in her mind.
*Guardian of the balance. You are called.*
Oh, crap. She’d wondered how the Elder Fey would communicate with them if the Feyguard were needed. But right now—in the middle of a demo?
She desperately hoped the watching crowd couldn’t see her. If they did, there would be way too much explaining to do. She had to trust that the Elder Fey knew what they were doing.
“Called where?” The words were dry in her throat. “What am I supposed to do?”
*A mortal has entered the Dark Court. You must free him.*
Worry cracked through her. This was it—she’d been called up as a Feyguard and she had no idea what to do. Tam and Jennet were the experts on the Realm of Faerie. She’d only been there once, and the memory still woke her at night, dreams of ice and blackness that left her shivering.
“Free him—by myself? How do I get there?”
*The usual way.* The voice held dry amusement, and a hint of exasperation, like a parent speaking to a child.
Fair enough, she supposed. If being a Feyguard were easy, everyone would be doing it.
“What am I supposed to—”
*Enough. Perform your duties, and do not bestir us again from our dreaming.*
“Wait!” She stretched out her hand, though there was nothing to catch.
The purple landscape flared, then dissolved. Spark doubled over, aching as though someone had punched her in the gut. Velvet-green mosses blurred in her vision.
“You okay?” Niteesh’s voice was concerned as his hand gripped her elbow.
She swallowed back nausea and straightened. No matter how wretched she felt, she could give no sign that she’d just… what? Been ripped out of reality for a few moments?
“I’m fine.”
She darted a look around the clearing. Cora stood outside the circle, watching them impatiently, and Spark could see Roc’s figure disappearing through the trees. Apparently only a few heartbeats had passed.
“Your avatar disappeared for a sec,” Niteesh said. “It was weird.”
“It’s nothing.” Spark shook her hair back from her face. “Let’s go.”
Niteesh tipped his head, and she strode past him, unwilling to meet his eyes. The kid was too smart. Even if nobody else suspected anything, he would. Though the truth was so tweaked as to be un-guessable.
Yeah, otherworldly creatures just pulled me into a different dimension, where they put me on the clock and gave me obscure instructions.
The rest of the demo game was a blur. She fought decently, and didn’t say much as the four VirtuMax gamers completed a quest series. Roc and Cora seemed happy to hog the spotlight, but Niteesh kept giving her worried looks.#p#分页标题#e#
Still, showing off her skills in a simulated game was trivial compared to what had just happened.
She had to get to the Dark Court “the usual way,” which meant via Feyland. And clearly she couldn’t go jaunting off while in demo. Somehow she’d have to figure out a way to sneak onto the FullD. And she needed to message Jennet and Tam as soon as possible, though she had a sinking feeling they hadn’t been called up by the Elder Fey. Still, they’d have some ideas. But it basically came down to one thing.
Someone was trapped in the Realm of Faerie, and it was up to her to rescue them.






 
    Nine by Night: A Multi-Author Urban Fantasy Bundle of Kickass Heroines, Adventure,   Magic
    
 


 

CHAPTER ELEVEN


Aran woke, the scent of mint and cinnamon in his nose instead of the musty smell of the Chowney’s garage. Above him, the unfamiliar, bright stars shone through the opening in the tent peak. It felt like morning, despite the night sky overhead. He stretched, the covers silky against his skin, then got out of bed.
The plush rug welcomed his bare feet, and the air was warm enough to be comfortable. He pulled on his jeans, then bit back a yelp as something dug painfully into the arch of his left foot. He bent and felt around on the carpet until the hard, ridged object met his fingers. It took a few yanks to get it out of the silky strands of the rug, as if the thing had been cocooned.
Aran held it up, then blinked in disbelief. It was a cheap plastic dragon toy—the kind that came in kid’s fast-food meals. The bright orange plastic shone, as garishly out of place as a neon sign in a candlelit dining hall. No question it had come from the mortal world, but how?
The events of yesterday were blurry, but he chased the memory down. Something the Dark Queen had said about a troublesome mortal child. Aran wasn’t the first visitor here, and the confirmation of it made the skin between his shoulder blades prickle. What had happened to that kid?