I wrotefae realmunderneathupper world. “Are you all from the fae realm?”
“No,” Eryk piped up. “I’m an Elemental from the Fire Realm. We’re like…. close cousins of the High Fae. And Nate here is a Batalan, a race of combat mages, another cousin. We are all from the Upper World.”
“Okay, I got it. From what I understand, I live in the Middle World.” I wrotemiddle worldon the refrigerator. “And there’s a Lower World, with naughty little pixies and wraiths and whatnot. They live in their own little pocket realms inside the cargo pants of the Lower World, am I right?”
Donovan was staring sullenly out the window. That man could go in the dictionary as a photo illustration of the word “brooding.”
After a long moment, Eryk answered me again. “Yes. The Upper World is a jacket, its realms are in the pockets. The Lower Realm is your cargo trousers.”
Cecil piped up from the kitchen, where he was inspecting one of the four ovens. “And the Middle Realm is like a drug dealer’s fanny pack right in between the hideous cargo pants and the jacket, with lots of different baggies inside, filled with uppers and downers.”
Everyone turned and stared at him.
“What? I have to study pop culture in every realm as part of my studies. I did a whole paper on the human realm’s heroin chic aesthetic.”
“So, the Middle World is kind of a mix of order and chaos?
“Yes,” Cress said. “A mixture of Upper and Lower. Mostly humanoid creatures that have both order and chaos within them… mer, vampire, shapeshifter, centaur, witch.”
I chuckled to myself and wrote it down. “Okay, it’s all coming together. So, Connor, a prince from the fae realm in theUpper World, has, out of nowhere, decided to devour each realm’s spark stone.”
Donovan let out a grunt. “You misunderstand. Upper does not mean good. It just means we crave order. There is nobody that demands order more than a tyrant.” His voice lowered to a rough whisper, and he turned away. “Connor wishes to rule all. He will stop at nothing.”
The pain in his eyes took me by surprise. Maybe I should cut him a break. “So… you’ve heard from some informants in the Lower World that Connor has decided to go for the spark stones in all the… what? The centaur realm?”
“Rumor has it he will go for the siren stone first. Mermaids are notorious for being vain and proud, and therefore, easily tricked.”
I winked. “And nobody does tricks better than the fae, huh?” Audrina and I have had several window-to-balcony conversations about her fairy smut books.
For a moment, Donovan closed his eyes and breathed heavily through his nose. He seemed to be struggling with controlling his temper. “You have no idea how much danger you are in,” he said softly. “You havenoconcept of what is at stake right now.”
I took a sip of my cappuccino. Mmm.Delicious. “Look, this has all been very interesting, and of course I’m happyto help you lovely hallucina—I mean, people. Later on, I’ll talk to the professor and take a look at that pretty blue crystal of his.” I patted my pockets, checking for my phone. There was another flash, and it appeared on the counter in front of me.
I looked at it, my equilibrium wobbling. The atoms in the room quivered with nervous expectation, like the house was a little kid desperate to be praised for doing a good job.
Go with it.
“Thanks, Violet,” I told her. “You are a truly fabulous imaginary sentient house.” I picked up my phone and checked the time. “But sorry, Donovan. For now, I have got to get to work.”
Donovan stood up abruptly. Good grief, he was tall. At five foot eight, I wasn’t short myself, but this man had to be almost a head taller than me. “We will come with you.”
I shook my head firmly, trying to remind my stomach that he wasn’t real. “No, you will not.”
“We must. You may be in danger.”
“The call center of Base Budget Insurance is hardly a lion’s den, Donovan. Besides, the building has security. We all have to wear ID passes to enter.”
He crossed his arms and glared down at me. “You have no knowledge of your innate power, Chosen. If you did not have a teacher, you must not have any idea on how to control it. Your magic can be wild and destructive.” His green eyes flashed dangerously. “Perhaps I am not concerned for your safety. Perhaps I am concerned for everyone else around you. That is why we must come with you.”
I stared up at him. His words hurt, like a whip crack over bare flesh. For a brief second, fear clutched my heart in a cold fist and refused to let go. I squeezed my eyes shut.
The floorbeneath my feet shook.Breathe, Susan. Just breathe. Nobody died. Nobody was dead.
He could have died, though. I remembered the screams, the bricks falling…
Just breathe.
My eyes still shut, I heard Cecil tap a hoof on the floor. “Don’t worry, Violet. She’s just having a moment.”
