Now that he mentioned it, he did look pale and weary. “I won’t be able to sleep without dropping the shield,” he went on, “so I’ll have to sleep while we’re on the move.”
Okay, that was a bit worse than I thought. I assumed he could shield us a while longer and while asleep, but I could work with that. “None of the blue doors work without Mara, and I smashed the shell portal in Los Angeles to keep the king out,” I told everyone.
Silence descended on the group.
We were so fucked.
I mean we had crystals, which was good. No one would get sick without that energy, but the king and his men would be sick in a few days without it. They’d be gunning for us hard. My eyes flew to Liam’s mother, who washed dishes at the sink. She, on the other hand, would get sick if she stayed around nine crystals for too much longer.
Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I groaned. “Okay. Liam, when the king took you, Cam said he just appeared in the forest. He didn’t use Mara.”
Her name hurt to say; it was too soon.
Liam shrugged. “He compelled me with the sword and then knocked me out.”
Cam stepped forward. “I tried to follow them. They went near the healing pools, but that’s all I saw.”
Okay… even if we knew where the secret portal was in Faerie, that didn’t mean we knew where it was here on this end.
“Redwoods,” Liam’s mom spoke so quietly I barely heard her.
“What, Mom?” Liam turned to her.
She shrugged. “Your father told me there was a secret portal in the Redwood National forest and that it was guarded by some creature. He said it was a really dangerous creature, and so it wasn’t worth ever using.”
Okay….Nowwe were getting somewhere. “But if he had a sword to compel the creature…” I asked.
She nodded.
“I’ll pack the cars,” Cam said. “We can drive all night, take shifts, and sleep in the car on the way to California.”
I nodded, and he left with Jasper trailing behind him.
“How will we actually find the door? The Redwoods are huge.” Elle frowned.
“Seek it,” Liam and I said at the same time.
If Liam was taken through there, even unconscious, he’d still have an energy signature imprinted somewhere in his mind that he could try to pull from. Meanwhile, I could try to seek the dark energy signature of a fae creature like the one Liam’s mom spoke about. It was a long shot, but I’d met the harpy, the stag, and a few others, so I could seek others like that once we were in the vicinity.
Liam looked at his mother. “Mom, I’ll get us a separate car to drive in, we’ll stay far enough back that the crystals won’t hurt you.”
His mom gave him a sad smile, reaching out to squeeze his hand. “Actually, I was thinking I would stay here, honey. If that’s okay?” She looked at me.
Silence descended on our group, and Elle and Trissa took this as their cue to leave the kitchen.
I swallowed hard. “Of course, it’s okay. We own the homes free and clear. Electricity and everything is paid for by a trust that’s set up. You can have the place—”
“No,” Liam growled. “You’re not safe here alone.”
His mother reached up and brushed his hair out of his eyes. “Honey, I’m tired of the back and forth, of constantly being in danger of the energy of the crystals. Or that you boys are in dangerwithoutthe energy. Now that I know the boys are safe in Faerie with you, I can live safely here with peace in my heart.” A tear streamed down her cheek as she held his face in her hands. “You can visit me every day. Once you find that portal in the Redwoods, you can use it and come here all the time.” Tears filled her eyes, and my heart broke then. I wasn’t a mother, but I couldn’t imagine having to live separately from my children just to keep them and myself healthy. Though, it seemed common with the halflings, a grim reality for them, a dance they had to do.
Liam swallowed hard. “What if Dad finds you?”
She shrugged. “I found a shotgun in the garage. I’ll blow his head off.”
Whoa.
I’d mistaken Liam’s mother for timid until that moment.
