“Ready,” they responded.
Ava stepped through, clenching her jaw through the terrible sensations of moving between realms. Her skin prickled, her body tingled. She fell into an abyss, floating endlessly through time and space and utter darkness.
Moments later they landed, stepping into the forest.
It was dark, the bright moon illuminating the night sky. The forest was quiet, still. No breeze. No wildlife.
“I can’t believe we’re in the human realm,” Raine whispered reverently.
“I can’t believe I’m back,” Ava said.
“Now what?” Quinn asked.
“We must be quiet as we approach the property,” Ava said. “It’s possible my home has been sold. We don’t want to wake anyone.” She looked down at her feline companion. “Luna…lead the way.”
The cat trotted ahead, the group following. Something crunched beneath Ava’s boots, sparkling in the moonlight. “Snow…is it winter here?” She glanced at Casimir. “How long has it been since I came to Eorhan?”
“Just under a year.”
That meant only about four months had passed in the human world. “Wow,” she said, unable to comprehend it. If that was true, then it was probably early March.
“All of you look utterly absurd with rounded ears,” Raine said, touching his own. “Mother’s tits, that’s unbelievable.”
Quinn snorted.
“So magic doesn’t work here?” Casimir asked, still holding Ava’s hand as they stepped over a snow-covered log.
“Only a little. Try something.”
Casimir held out his hand. A small flower formed and grewa few inches before wilting and falling to the ground. “Interesting,” he said.
They reached the edge of the forest, the flower fields coming into view. Ava’s heart pounded in her chest as they left the woods and ventured into the open. She paused, scanning the property.
“It’s…abandoned…”
The fields were overgrown, dead weeds and flowers covered in a thin layer of snow. Free from the cover of trees, a light flurry fell upon them, adding a magical touch to the yard. The house sat on the other side, dark and forgotten. Even Ava’s car was still there, covered in dirt and snow.
If it had been around four months since she disappeared, she had no idea how the police would have handled that. If Eleanor’s body had been found on her property, then she was likely considered a fugitive and her house would have been a crime scene at one point. But what if Eleanor hadn’t been found? What if Deidamia…did something with her? She shuddered at the thought.
“This…this is where Grandfather lived?” Thorne asked, pulling her back to the present.
“Yes.” Ava squeezed his shoulder.
“Show us,” he said.
She led them through the barren fields, beneath the arched opening of the picket fence framing the flower gardens, and stopped before the wraparound porch.
“What is that?” Raine asked, pointing at Ava’s beat-up SUV.
“It’s a mode of transportation. Remember what I told you in the desert?”
“Those things you can drive? That’s one of them?”
“Yes.”
Raine clapped his hands together. “Excellent. May I try it?”
“No,” everyone said in unison.
