Istepped out of the Void.
The world snapped back into place with a violent lurch.Color. Sound. Gravity. All of it crashing over me at once.
My legs buckled. I caught myself against the rough bark of a tree, my fingers digging into the wood as the ground tilted beneath my feet.
My breath came in shallow gasps, and the edges of my vision blurred into fine lines.
Blessed Mother.The phasing had hollowed me out. Left me trembling and dizzy, my magic threadbare and frayed.
Shit. My stomach roiled. I was going to be sick.
Even with the spell assisting the travel, it had drained me far worse than I'd expected. I didn’t even think that could happen with a galdrlore spell.
But I guessed that was the problem. I didn’t think. I never had enough time.
I pressed my forehead against the tree, waiting for the world to stop spinning and the nauseous feeling to pass.
I breathed slowly.
The others—Wolfe, Garrick, Bastian, Arielle—had made this kind of movement look effortless. A thought, a flicker of will, and they weregone. Reappearing miles away without so much as a stumble.
I wasn't there yet.
Not even close.
My knees threatened to give out again, and I forced myself to keep breathing.
Slow. Steady.You're fine. You made it out.
But I didn't feel fine.
I felt like I'd been torn apart.
I’d been gone for a few hours. By now, everyone would know.
Since no one had come for me, I assumed my spells were working.
I could just imagine the panic at the house. And Wolfe?
He’d probably lose his shit.
I didn’t care. Let him do whatever he wanted and be as enraged as he wanted to be. I was done taking orders.
Though… the irony wasn’t lost on me. I wasn’t exactly going back home to be free.
A different type of hell waited for me there along with those I loved.
Feeling the dizziness subside, I lifted my head, blinking through the haze, and glanced across the clearing.
There was a village.
Low stone cottages with thatched roofs clustered together in the distance, smoke curling lazily from chimneys. Lantern light flickered in a few windows, warm and golden.
I fumbled for the map with shaking hands, nearly dropping it twice before I managed to unfold it.
I scanned the path, and my stomach churned.
No.
