Swallowing the lump in my throat, I choke out again, “Is this the afterlife?”
Odessa gives me a sympathetic smile, the movement causing her slate-blue eyes to soften. “No, girl, this is Idirhalla. Can you please tell me your name so I might be able to give you some answers?”
The name Idirhalla tickles something in my memory.
“My name is Helena—Lena, my name is Lena,” I stutter.
A sting of pain has me glancing down to see the little crescent moons I managed to gouge into my palms. I felt pain, so this is real.
Realization flickers in Odessa’s eyes as I meet her stare, and she softly asks, “Is your mother called Bryn?”
Tears well up at the surge of emotion her name invokes and spill over, rolling down my cheeks. “That was my mom’s name,” I whisper, choking on the sorrow that bubbles up. “She died.”
Odessa covers her mouth with a delicate hand. “My sister.”
Sister?
“I’m sorry, I think you have the wrong person; my mom didn’t have a sister.”
Odessa shakes her head and points to where my necklace hangs from my neck. “That was hers.”
My body trembles, and my mind struggles to make sense of her words.
Did she say my mom is her sister?
My silence stretches on, and the small group murmurs amongst themselves. Their faces blend together as my eyes spin around the room. Odessa looks at me expectantly; her face is kind. I force my eyes to focus solely on her.
Clearing my throat, I forge on. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on or where I am, but I need to go back. My friend is probably freaking out looking for me, and my Gran is sick, and she needs me. I need to get back, so can you send me back?”
Odessa studies my necklace briefly before looking me in the eye. “We can’t send you back.” Her expression is replaced with a teeth-bearing grimace.
My breathing quickens, the terror swelling, and I clutch my necklace to my chest. She responds to my rising panic and quickly says, “Well, we’re not sure.” She waves a hand to include the people around her. “The power, our magic, in this realm isfading.” I inhale sharply through my nose. “We were hoping when we heard your mother’s charm.” She points to my necklace. “That it was her coming back to save us.”
I force myself to inhale slowly, trying to master my panic, and observe the surrounding people; they’re a mix of stoic-faced men with eye-boggling muscles dressed in linen or leather outfits. The few women who are gathered are a variety of shapes and sizes and are stunningly gorgeous. Two men shift slightly on either side of Odessa, looking much younger than the other gathered men.
But out of the two, only the red-haired man I am comfortable looking at. His face is kinder than Odessa’s, and raven-black wings rise behind his shoulders.
My knees begin to wobble as her words catch up to me.
Meeting Odessa’s eyes, I say, “I’m sorry, did you just say magic? Where am I? And how do you know my mother?”
My pulse is still racing, and now my stomach twists into knots. I’m going to be sick; my mouth fills with saliva, and I swallow hard. My face turns a sickly green shade.
Odessa reaches one hand out to me while pointing the other one at the doorway behind her. “Why don’t we step outside for some fresh air, and I can show you?”
My mother’s eyes peer at me from Odessa’s face, urging me to take her hand. She places my hand in the crook of her elbow and pats it. “I guess if your mother is my sister, that makes me your aunt.”
Her smile is comforting, but I don’t return it. The nausea is steadily building, and my legs continue trembling. Odessa feels my shaky movements and gently strokes my hand as she leads me through a giant doorway that opens to a sprawling terrace. She spreads her arm out as soon as we step outside.
“This is Idirhalla, which translates to the Between Hall.” She gestures behind her to the colossal room we left. “And that is the Great Hall, your mother’s former palace.”
My breath catches as I take in the world around us.
From the vantage point of the terrace, I can see far into the distance. Below lies a small city on what appears to be an island, encircled by towering mountains that slice through the surrounding ocean. A glittering river winds its way through the middle of the city.
My chest aches.
I recognize this place. Even without seeing every detail, I know that the river that winds through the city is crossed by four arched bridges, that the same city boasts colorful buildings, and that there are farms way up in the mountains.
