I looked back at the Druid, expecting a stream of anger in retaliation. Instead, something that resembled pity flickered across his expression. It was so swift I thought I had imagined it.
“I wouldn’t count on it,” he replied softly.
I shook my head, dismissing him. He didn’t know our families. Whatever he thought he knew was wrong. They would come for him, and us. It was just a matter of time.
“You may remain here, with your friends, if you wish,” the Druid continued. “All I ask is that you don’t venture outside. It is not safe. Trust me when I say that you don’t understand this world—Eritopia is deadly.”
“Eritopia?” Jovi questioned.
The Druid nodded.
“The most cursed land that ever grew in these worlds,” he spat. “Don’t underestimate it.”
And with that, he was gone.
Serena
[Hazel and Tejus’s daughter]
Still trembling, I approached the figures on the beds. I still couldn’t quite relate them to my brother and friends. These still bodies terrified me, and I felt like their faces were only the masks of those I loved. This time, I stood by Vita, wanting to smooth her pale brow, but unsure if I should touch her. Their breathing still echoed around the room, the horrible, rasping pants matching my own accelerated heartbeat.
“Have you ever heard of a Druid?” Jovi asked, his voice making me jump.
“Not really… well, nothing other than human druids you read about in fairytales. You know, the kind who hang out at summer solstice wearing long beards and white robes.” I tried to keep my voice as calm and reasonable as possible. I turned away from Vita and focused on Jovi.
“What do we do?” I asked quietly, hoping that the Druid wasn’t able to hear us. “I don’t trust him in the slightest, and the fact that I can’t syphon off him makes me even more nervous.”
“I know,” he agreed. “At least we know we’re in the In-Between. There must be fae or other species around here that we recognize. They might know Sherus and be willing to help.”
I nodded, but wondered if Jovi was being overly optimistic. I recalled the conversation I’d had with Corrine—how vast the In-Between actually was, how much of it was unknown to her and any other supernaturals we knew. On the other hand, we had few options before us—it was either getting out of here, or waiting for the Druid to decide our fate.
“What about them?” I asked quietly, my fingers flitting across the sheet that covered Vita.
“I don’t know,” Jovi replied, raking his hair back in frustration. He let out a growl and started pacing back and forth across the room. “I don’t even know how we ended up here. The last thing I saw was you and the girls, but why is Phoenix here? He wasn’t in the room, right? And where’s Field? He was with us.”
“I don’t know,” I replied. “Phoenix was in the room next to us—I know that much. But you’re right, why us, why not Field?”
Jovi cursed, kicking the damp brickwork in disgust.
“I say we get out of here,” he replied a moment later. “Let’s see what’s around at least—get our bearings. We can come back for them, once we find a way home.”
I fell silent.
“I’m worried about the Druid doing something…leaving them like this—they’re completely defenseless.” I shook my head. Could I leave my brother here, and my friends? I wasn’t sure I could.
“We don’t have a choice, Serena,” Jovi reminded me, his voice low. I noticed that he hadn’t come near Aida since we first entered the room. He obviously couldn’t bear to see her looking like this, but I also got the impression that like me, he couldn’t quite get his head around the fact that the body on the table was his sister.
“We do. We can wait,” I replied softly. “Wait till they come out of this…trance, or whatever it is.”
“We don’t know how long that’s going to be. Or if it’s a spell or something that the Druid’s put them under. We don’t know anything of his powers—what he might be capable of.”
He was right. We had no idea whether or not this was some elaborate ruse to trap us here—for what purpose, I didn’t know—and I was definitely opposed to finding out.
“Okay,” I agreed. “Shall we head toward the greenhouse I saw, try to get out that way?”
Jovi nodded, trying to smile reassuringly at me, but his eyes were dulled. He glanced at Aida, and then looked away again.
“Let’s get moving.”
He led the way out of the room, not once looking back while I kissed each of them goodbye on the forehead—hating the feel of their cold, damp skin on my lips.
I followed Jovi back up the stairs, hoping that the Druid wouldn’t be back in front of the fire, waiting for us. When Jovi reached the top of the staircase, he held out his hand to stop me. He peered through a crack in the door as I used True Sight—my vision coming out in black and white, and fuzzy, another reminder of how fast my energy was depleting. The room was clear, the chair empty. Jovi sighed with relief and we emerged into the claustrophobic heat of the room.
“Which way?” Jovi asked.
I tried to remember the layout of the house as best I could, and led him quietly from the room by the door we’d first entered. We hurried back down the hallway, past a few more empty rooms till we came to the main entrance. I paused, trying to use my True Sight again to navigate.
“I think we keep going ahead,” I replied, “this way.”
Hearing a noise, a sudden thump coming from upstairs, I started to run. We quickly found the entrance to the greenhouse through another door. It opened onto a small sitting room—yet another fire was lit, with the walls almost completely covered in books. The wall in front of us had been knocked through, creating a large arch covered in frosted glass. Jovi rattled the small brass handle of the door, and it flew open. We stepped inside, being careful to close it behind us.
If I’d thought the house was humid, it was nothing compared to this. The air was damp and thick with the smell of fresh soil and strongly perfumed flowers. It was also huge—dozens of feet long and wide, with only one small path not obscured by plants that led to the exit. We began to walk forward, gently pushing the wide-leafed trees out of our way, and stepping around the wide and elaborate pots that held exotic blooms in multitudes of bright colors.
“Do you think any of them are poisonous?” I asked Jovi, staring at a neon-yellow and pink flower that despite its beauty somehow managed to look venomous.
“It wouldn’t surprise me,” he replied.
We reached the exit, and Jovi tried the door again.
“This one’s locked,” he stated.
“Damn,” I muttered, trying the handle again. Before I could say anything like, “Let’s see if there’s a key around,” Jovi had whipped off his shirt and wrapped it around his fist. In one swift movement, he slammed his hand through the pane of glass. It shattered, cascading down from its frame.
“Be careful,” he warned, gesturing for me to go first.
I stepped cautiously through, avoiding the sharpened points of shards still stuck in the frame. I suddenly felt ridiculous in my robe and pajamas—they were an old pair, with pink spotted pants and a lacy grey camisole top. I hoped that somewhere on our journey I’d be able to find a place to change.
Jovi emerged behind me, and we surveyed the overgrown grass of the garden and the swamps beyond. I ducked suddenly, pulling Jovi down with me as large wings flapped up above us. When I looked up, my grip on Jovi relaxed.
“We were wondering where you were.” My nonchalant comment belied the total relief I felt at his sudden appearance.
Field dropped down from the sky, looking astonished to see us.
Serena
[Hazel and Tejus’s daughter]
“What are you doing here?” Field asked. “I thought I was totally alone in this house—I got out as quickly as I could.” The Hawk was still dressed in his suit from the celebration, looking as rumpled as Jovi and I did. In his hands, he carr
ied a thick vine coiled like a whip that he must have taken from the swamp trees.
Jovi shook his head, rising to his feet.
“We were all put in separate rooms,” the werewolf replied. “Serena found me—the others are inside as well…but, I don’t know, they’re under some kind of spell.” Jovi continued to tell him about the Druid and the state of our friends, while I kept half of my attention on the house, wanting us to keep moving before the Druid made a reappearance. From outside, the house reminded me of a southern plantation, which made me wonder if we were even in the In-Between…what on earth would a building like this be doing here?
“We can’t leave without them,” Field announced, his aquamarine eyes flashing with unease. “I’ve explored the area around here; there’s nothing but jungle for miles, with more swampland. There are what looks like a couple of cities way off in the distance, one east and one to the west, but I didn’t want to get any closer without knowing anything about the land, or what might live here. They didn’t look too welcoming either.”
Before I could ask Field to elaborate on what he’d seen, I heard the approach of the Druid.
“He’s coming,” I said, jumping back just as the door to the greenhouse swung open. The Druid stood before us, his broad frame suddenly seeming huge and threatening as he tensed with barely concealed fury. My heart pounded in my chest as I looked at his face. The inquisitive gray eyes had gone, replaced with a black film that covered his eyes like shutters—I’d thought he was handsome before, but now he appeared terrifying, the harsh planes of his face deadly and cruel.
“I told you not to leave this place!” he shouted, moving toward Jovi and Field. Before the Druid could take another step, Field lashed out with the whip of vine, its tip cutting the chest of its intended victim and its length wrapping around him, binding his arms to his sides. The Druid laughed. I tried to run, dragging Jovi and Field with me to safety. I had only taken a step when a loud screeching almost perforated my eardrums and a huge flock of ravens descended on Field, flapping their coal-colored wings in his face, their talons outstretched.
Field fought and struggled, trying to bat them away with his own wings, but in horror I watched as they clawed at his face and head, pecking cruelly at his flesh and wings.
“Make it stop!” I cried, Jovi and I both trying to brush the birds off, but there were so many of them, all viciously intent on attacking Field. The Druid said something, a word or a phrase that I didn’t quite catch, and the birds ceased—flying back up into the air and darting off behind the roof of the house.
Field was panting, his body covered in small slashes and cuts, his suit in tatters. I looked back at the Druid, the vine lying in a pool at his feet. His eyes had returned to their normal gray, which I took as a promising sign that there was no further attack to come.
“What is wrong with you?” Jovi growled at the Druid. “We want answers—proper ones. I want to know what you are.”
“Stop trying to attack me, and I’ll tell you what I know,” he replied, his frustration at our behavior plainly evident. It worried me that he clearly didn’t see Field or Jovi as a threat—which would indicate, along with what he’d proven so far, that his abilities were stronger than ours and we were at a clear disadvantage.
“Fine,” Jovi bit out, his hands raised in mock surrender. “Get on with it.”
The Druid raised an eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest.
“This evening,” he replied, obviously determined not to give in completely to Jovi’s demands. He wanted us to know where we stood—and right now, in this land, it seemed to be at the bottom of the food chain.
“We’ll have a civilized conversation,” the Druid continued, “if you’re capable of such a thing. If you are, I will tell you everything then. In the meantime, though it seems to have escaped your notice, your friends need assistance, which only I can provide. Bother me again by trying to leave, or conducting another fruitless attack, and I will cease in attending to them and leave you all to your fate.”
Speech made, he turned and stormed back into the greenhouse.
“Follow!” he commanded.
I looked at Jovi and Field.
“It doesn’t seem like we have much choice,” I whispered, “not if we want answers.”
“I don’t like giving in,” Jovi snapped.
“Neither do I,” replied Field with an agitated sigh. “But we need to hear what he has to say. At least to learn a bit more about where we are before we attempt to leave again.”
“All right.” Jovi nodded. “He gets one chance.”
We all trailed in, feeling disheartened. I didn’t say anything to the others, but I actually felt relieved that we wouldn’t be leaving without Phoenix and the girls. I didn’t think it would be a good idea for us to be parted, even if their supposed ‘transformation’ was a trick.
The Druid vanished again once we entered the house.
“So, what do we do till dinner?” Jovi asked, looking around at the shabby interior with distaste.
“We explore,” I replied. “All that junk upstairs—some of it’s got to provide us with at least a bit of information. I want to know more about the Druids, and try to get a better understanding of what we’re up against.”
“He must be a type of magic-wielder, surely,” Field said. “Controlling those birds like that…It’s something I’ve only seen jinn or witches do.”
“He denies he’s a warlock,” I replied, “and he’s evidently not a jinni. I think we’re dealing with a distinct species…did you see his eyes?” I asked, shuddering.
“Yeah,” Jovi replied softly, taking my hand, and we walked up the stairs. His small act of reassurance was a cold comfort. I felt like we were way over our heads here—the idea that we might be stuck somewhere in the depths of the In-Between, light years away from our families and GASP, made me feel hollow and empty inside.
Serena
[Hazel and Tejus’s daughter]
All three of us headed back upstairs in search of clues.
“Wow,” Field commented as we reached the hallway, “this is a lot of junk.”
“Didn’t you see this already?” I asked, wondering how he’d left the house in the first place.
He shook his head. “Flew out of the window.”
“Right.” Of course he had. Not for the first time, I envied the Hawk his natural abilities. Not to say mine weren’t helpful, but they depended too much on my energy levels. What I could and couldn’t do relied on how many people I could syphon and how much sleep and food I’d had.
“So, a fan of taxidermy,” Field continued, picking up a moth-eaten cat. “That doesn’t exactly make me warm to him.”
“I don’t know,” I replied slowly. “This stuff is so old…what if it belonged to whoever lived here before him?”
“Whoever it was is probably buried in a basement somewhere,” Jovi muttered.
I grimaced. I didn’t want to think too much about the Druid and what he was capable of. “Put the cat down, Field,” I snapped, leading the way to the nearest door. It opened with a creak, and we all peered inside.
It was another bedroom, a bit more lavish than mine and Jovi’s had been—the floor was carpeted and a huge chandelier hung from the middle of the room, along with bookcases and a vanity table. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, giving the impression that the room hadn’t been touched in centuries. I walked over to the vanity table, noticing an open jewelry box containing expensive gold and silver necklaces and bracelets, along with a beautiful diamond engagement ring. I didn’t touch anything, but wondered who would leave all these things here, open like this, with the box unlocked. There were also old perfume bottles, still containing liquids, and a crystal powder-holder, yellowed with age. I started to seriously consider the fate of whoever had lived here before the Druid. Had they been killed? Had they been human or supernatural?
“Come on, there’s nothing in here. Let’s try somewhere else.” Jovi and Field re
turned to the doorway.
“Serena?” Jovi prompted.
“Coming,” I replied. “Just go next door—I’ll follow you in a second.”
As they left, I pulled open the drawer beneath the dresser. It was bare apart from a thick, leather-bound notebook. I flicked through the pages, my eyes widening as I saw neat but cramped handwriting filling each of the pages—I was looking at someone’s journal. My immediate reaction was to return it to where I’d found it. Prying into someone’s most personal, most intimate thoughts wasn’t okay, even if I suspected that person to be long dead. I hesitated before putting it back in the drawer.
What if it holds answers?
“Serena!” Jovi called, startling me.
I dropped the diary back in the drawer, shutting it hastily.
“Sorry,” I replied, joining them in the next room. I instantly realized that we’d hit the jackpot. The room we’d entered was small, and every available surface was covered in shelves with cardboard and metal cylinders. In the middle of the room was a desk, covered with a large, hand-drawn map.
Jovi and Field were poring over it, and I joined them, my interest spiking even further as I read the inscription on the top of the map, labeled ‘Eritopia’.
“Here we are, I think.” Field pointed out to a mark on the map, labeled ‘Wolstone House,’ with a small, architecturally correct layout of the building we were in. I could even see the greenhouse, and the markings of where the lawn ended and the swamps began. I looked to see what surrounded us, which was mostly as I’d seen—swamps, more swamps and then jungle.
“‘Storm Hounds,’” Jovi read out, pointing at small markings that were dotted along the swamps. “That doesn’t sound too good—what are storm hounds?”
“Not sure I want to know,” I murmured.
I focused my attentions on the two cities, or villages, marked out on the map—one to the east and one to the west, just as Field had mentioned. They didn’t look very large, but each was surrounded by rings marked in red ink.