Eva frowned. “I can show you, dear.” The ball suddenly lit up in her hand like the sun, causing all of us near it to shield oureyes.
I stepped forward and so did Isaac. “I need to see as well,” was all he said, and Evanodded.
The ball pulsed light and Eva rolled it in her palm as she chanted under her breath. Around and around the ball went, a hypnotic rhythm, until finally it stopped in the dead center of her palm, dimming itsglow.
“Touch it,” she whispered, and I nearly yelped at her freaky glowing yelloweyes.
Isaac and I shared a look. Me touching random magical objects had not gone well in the past. But I had to know what happened to Griddish. I’d grown fond of the quirky, morally-loosecreature.
Reaching out, Isaac and I both touched our fingers to the cold copperball.
Holy hell! I was immediately hit with a wave of nausea. It felt like I’d been grabbed by the ears and yanked upward. My vision went black for a few seconds, then my feet slammed down hard and my eyes opened up to Griddish’s backyard. I looked next to me and Isaac was standing on my right. Eva was on my left, holding theball.
Whatthe…?
“We’re not really here. You can’t change what happened, only witness it,” Evacommented.
I nodded, in awe of what was going on. I was standing in Griddish’s backyard! The ground felt real under my feet. I could see the elf tinkering away at his desk, working on my staff! A purple crystal shard protruded out of thetop.
It hit me then, there was no sound, not even the rustle of leaves. Wherever we were, it wasn’t real, just some kind of memory. The elf turned to grab a tool and I could see from the shape of his lips that he was whistling, but I couldn’t hearit.
“No sound?” Iinquired.
Eva raised one eyebrow. “It’s the Eye, not theEar.”
Touché.
Griddish caressed his fingers over the staff, polishing the wood with an oil-soakedrag.
“So, what happened to him?” I asked, and in that moment the elf froze, as if he’d heard or smelledsomething.
He scribbled something quickly on a piece of paper and let the paper fall to the floor. Then he grabbed the staff with both hands and spun around just as Steven blinked into his back yard with his creepy air druid magic. I wondered what would happen if I stepped forward and punched him in the throat rightnow.
“You would pass right through him if you attempted to touched him,” Eva toldme.
My mouth popped open. “You readminds?”
She smirked. “I read ‘I want to kill you’glares.”
Accurate.
I wasn’t normally a violent person until I’d met thatman.
Griddish had spun around, my staff in his right hand, now a small opal knife in his other. They were trading words but I couldn’t tell what they were saying. Suddenly, flooding over the gates of the elf’s property were a dozen druids. Not hunters—full-blown druids with crazy tattoos and gleaming, murderouseyes.
“Shit!” I said, feeling helpless. I looked to Isaac and noticed his eyes were glued to the paper on the ground. He hadn’t said a word since we’d gotten here. Eva must have noticedtoo.
“You can’t see what’s written there,” Eva shared. “I tried. It’s flipped over, and when he writes it he covers it with his hand so you can’t look over his shoulder.” Isaacnodded.
Interesting.
“Here it comes. Watch Steven’s lips,” Eva instructed. I moved forward a step and watched the druid. He was grinning ear to ear, no doubt pleased he had the elf surrounded. Then his eyes fell on the staff. The purple crystal, the engravings, all in a language I didn’trecognize.
Fire druid, he mouthed and his grin widened to maniacallevels.
I stepped forward and extended my foot, coming up between Steven’s legs and kicking him in the balls. But it sailed right through him like he was aghost.
Eva rolled her eyes. “I toldyou.”
