“Yes, child. She is my great-granddaughter. She’s just come of age, and we are proud to see her serving our rightful leader of Latiah. She told me what she saw you do for our general. I think I can release the rest of my essence to Althea now. I’ve seen a witch in the flesh and even received your healing.”
“What do you mean?” Avery asked.
“I am nearly a thousand years old. Rumors of human witches finding their way into our land have happened many times, but I’ve never witnessed their presence. You being here, healing me. It’s the stuff of legends. Have you learned how to draw that magic out for anyone else?”
The woman’s eyes were sharp and clear, despite her ancient age. She was quick-witted and engaging, and Avery had to catch herself as she realized she was speaking to someone much older than her country—older than a lot of modern human history.
“We don’t have magic on Earth. I didn’t even know I had magical capabilities until last night. And no, I haven’t been able to pull it forward since I helped you. Do you know anything about human magic?”
“It must have been The Cleaving that caused your realm to be void of magic.”
“The what? The Cleaving?” Avery asked. There was no hiding the curiosity on her face. Did this woman have more answers to how she ended up here? Everyone had been so vague.
“At The Cleaving, the witches who separated our worlds into two must have removed magic from the humans. I wonder what a world void of magic must be like?”
“I’ve realized that we have our own substitute for magic in our own way. We have technology. It’s given us things that I think you can only dream of. Flying vessels that transport hundreds of people, plenty of food instantly available within one building, and medical advances that put magical healing to shame, or at least my magical healing.”
“I’d like to see that, I think. What wonder,” Mira muttered, almost more to herself than anything.
“I can show you a glimpse of my world on my phone. I’ll do that once we’re in Bayberry,” Avery said. She liked the idea of adding wonder into the life of someone who had lived such a long existence. “You mentioned The Cleaving? What was that?”
“Savine has not shared your heritage with you? Shame on him!”
Savine would definitely get a reprimand from this precocious old woman the next time he saw her. Avery hoped she would be there to see it, too. Nothing was better than seeing his arrogance cut down by someone else, especially since his council members were the only ones who dared to question him in any meaningful way.
“What am I missing here?” Avery asked, trying to bring her mind back to the conversation.
“Legend tells it that witches grew more powerful than even the most powerful fae. Many humans were enslaved by the fae or worked as their servants. But, as witches gained power, they fought to keep their people from being enslaved. Finally, a great war broke out throughout the land. There was no end to the war between the fae and witches—until a powerful group of witches came together. Their leader, a former slave, contained more magic than the realm had ever seen. She unleashed her magic on Aeritis itself, ripping the world intotwo realms. The realm of the fae and the realm of the humans. Nearly all humans disappeared at that moment.”
Avery thought that in some bizarre way, this made sense. Perhaps she was a descendant of these powerful witches, and had somehow been pulled through a portal to Aeritis. “But if the witches went with humans, then why don’t we have magic on Earth? Why don’t we know more about the portals?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. The legend states that the witches came together, offering a great sacrifice to cast their magic that separated the worlds. Perhaps the sacrifice was their magic itself? As for the portals, I have not heard of a fae passing through one. Or at least returning if they did pass through one. But, I have heard whispers of humans arriving in Aeritis. Perhaps it’s not as uncommon as you may think. Do humans ever disappear in your realm?” The old woman leaned back in her bed. Her intelligent eyes sparkled, but her face looked gaunt, like she needed to get some sleep.
“It’s not common, but yeah. People become fascinated by disappearances. There are even shows and podcasts made about missing people. Who knows? Maybe I’ll become the story of a true-crime podcast someday.”
“I only caught part of what you said, but that may give you the explanation about the portals. Did you try to return to your realm?” Mira leaned back, further onto her pillow. She closed her eyes as she spoke.
Avery’s eyes stung at the memory of her collapsing on the crystals, screaming as her heart cracked into pieces when she realized she would never return to Earth. Her voice dropped as she spoke. “Yes. I couldn’t make the portal open.”
“That must have been very difficult for you, child. To be thrust into a different world. I would like to hear more about your world in Bayberry.”
“I’ll visit you as soon as we get settled, Mira. Thank you for sharing what you know about the witches.” Avery stood and walked out of the tent, leaving Mira to sleep.
Before she returned to her tent, Avery stopped by Kyla and Garnel’s tent. They were both sleeping, and Avery didn’t want to wake them. The lines of distress had faded from Garnel’s face, and Kyla looked almost peaceful. Avery checked Garnel for a fever. She pressed the back of her hand to his forehead and knew that the Ibuprofen was working. His skin was neither too hot nor too cold.
A sense of relief thrummed through Avery’s body, and she felt a small twitch deep inside her. She couldn’t help but smile. Maybe she had magic. Most likely she didn’t, but technology was always going to be more powerful, anyway.
Chapter twenty-six
Savine
Although he was asleep, Savine never gave up the need to be alert to his surroundings. Years of war could do that to a person. Years of fearing punishment for minor mistakes could also make a person stay alert to their surroundings.
Avery’s undisciplined footsteps clopped along before she made it to the tent door. She walked like a person who had never known danger, never known a reason to tread lightly because her life may depend on it. It gave him an uneasy feeling. Jealousy, most likely. To have lived her life free of danger and caution seemed so foreign to him. It might be the most foreign thing about her.
When she entered the tent, Savine lifted his head. She had a wide smile on her face that made him think she was actually happy. Genuine happiness was something he only witnessed once from her: when he arranged the cheeseburgers for supper. Now, the look she gave him made his heart ache, and his body longed to pull her close to him. That smile wasn’t for him. That smile was for herself. He didn’t think she’d realized that he was looking at her yet.
“Sorry I woke you up. I was going to get a bit more rest before we got back on the road,” Avery said. Her radiant face changed to a look of concern as she spoke.
