I didn’t realize she was back. I spiraled all morning about what I had discovered in my bedroom the night before, wondering how the hell I was going to tell Audrey everything I found when she and Liam already had their hands full with their own drama.
She must have gotten back during my nap on the couch.
I rolled onto my back and stretched, peeking an eye open to find Audrey.
But she was fully dressed, and when I clocked movement in my peripheral vision, I saw Hush in all her leather siren militia clothes. Looking very out of place in our living room.
“What’s going on?” I asked, forcing myself to sit up.
Audrey frowned at Hush as she turned toward our coat closet to pull out a hoodie for me.
“Yes, Hush.” Audrey sounded very annoyed. “Whatisgoing on?”
“I gave you two days to enjoy your new mate,” Hush replied. “But time is up. I have something to share with you two.” Hush stood tall with her arms folded, mask perfectly in place, as her gold gaze bounced between the two of us. “Butonlyyou two.”
Something in her tone got to me, so I struggled to put my hoodie on as fast as I could. By the time Audrey tossed me some sneakers, I was able to slip them on and tie them without too much sleepy fumbling.
“Where’s Liam?” I asked.
“He’s still in Enhavenn,” Audrey replied. “I needed a break, but he was in the middle of an interview when I left.”
Once dressed, Hush stepped toward us and said, “Let’s go.”
I stepped back. “How are we getting there?”
“I’ll lyskift us.” Hush reached for my hand, and I immediately snatched it back.
“No thanks, let’s take the boat.”
“What? No. Lyskifting is more efficient.” Hush argued.
“Please—”
Hush grumbled in annoyance as she grasped Audrey’s wrist and reached for mine anyway.
“Wait, wait!” But my plea fell silent, because within milliseconds, I was squinting my eyes closed and preparing for the dizziness and nausea that inevitably came with lyskifting. I hated it. I braced myself for the worst of this experience.
What surprised me, however, was the complete lack of nausea and dizziness. A powerful gust of wind hit my face, and suddenly my feet were back on solid earth again. I stayed there, waiting, wondering why the nausea and my sensitive equilibrium weren’t wreaking havoc on me.
“We’re here, open your eyes,” Hush barked. I raised my eyebrows but slowly complied. We were…here. In Hyvenmere. The moon was high in the night sky, right as the sun was almost done setting, illuminating the otherworldly trees.
“Whoa.” I slowly took a step, then another, wondering why I felt so stable. “I don’t feel sick at all.”
“Glad to hear it.” Hush didn’t sound glad to hear it at all. “Follow me, please.”
Audrey gave me a wide-eyed look, an attempt to communicate how she was also surprised I wasn’t sick. With Hush, no nausea at all. Perhaps Hush was just better at lyskifting? I made a mental note to remember to roast Liam for his subpar teleporting skills later.
I had to jog to catch up to Hush’s fast-paced steps, glancing around to see if I could recognize exactly where we were. The woods, based on how dense the tall trees around us were. But unfamiliar woods.
“Where are we?” Audrey asked with a whisper.
“Lyndoruun,” Hush whispered, then turned to lift a finger over her mask where her lips would be, telling us to be quiet.
We walked in silence, carefully stepping over loose stones, and branches, and roots. This wasn’t a regularly walked path, which made my hackles rise. Where was Hush taking us? Why did she need to rush us? Why couldn’t we speak? Who was listening that felt like a threat to her? Eventually, after about thirty minutes of walking, we made it to the base of a large mountain range. Not just any mountain range.
The Fjellenheim Mountains.
It was difficult to spot it in the distance based on how dense the forest was, but it was definitely the Fjellenheim Mountains based on their size. The height of them almost hid the moon from view, casting a deep shadow right where Hush quietly led us.
