?How is it possible that Elena left a kid alone beyond the border?!?
Elio rests his foot on my hands.
?She must’ve had her reasons.?
I lift him up. Elio grabs the saddle, pulls himself up, nearly slips.
?But that doesn’t change the fact that if he’s in trouble, we can’t protect him while he’s outside the walls, so…?
I place my boot in the stirrup, grab the saddle, and mount Lyn just ahead of Elio. I stroke her white coat.
Gaia trots toward the gate.
?Can you imagine having his magic protecting the city??
One of the guards pulls out the keys.
?We could leave him here and sleep easy.?
I nod.
All the more reason I don’t understand why Elena kept him hidden from me.
If we’d had him sooner, we wouldn’t have lost so many men.
Elio’s arms wrap around my waist.
He’s read Elena’s stories. He must’ve been a close confidant. ?Do you remember anything about Elena’s situation… in the real world??
A murmur.
?I don’t have clear memories of reality, but… she’s always been very anxious. And at this age, we start thinking about our future.?
I wonder how the real world works. ?I understand.?
?Hey, lovebirds! Want to be alone a little longer??
Serena laughs and smacks her sister’s shoulder. Gaia lurches forward.
I find myself smiling too and urge Lyn on. ?Pain in the ass.?
Lyn slows on a downhill curve.
?How did you get to him??
And how did he get here, if he was outside the walls?
?Uh…? Elio fidgets.
?When I came out of the Rift, it was full of… of those black men.?
Gaia cuts in. ?The Torments.?
?Yeah. Right. What… what are they??
I turn toward him as he hunches his shoulders. ?Elena created them millennia ago, in the Dark Realm.?
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Lyn trots faster downhill.
?When the Rift opened, anyone who fell in was corrupted by their weapons. Then they came out and attacked us.?
Silence.
Lyn slows, takes another turn. ?Why would Elena create beings like that??
I shrug. If I knew…
Let’s move on.
?The Torments followed you. And then??
?He protected me with a magical shield and showed me a passage to get to the other side of the walls.?
I nod. ?And he didn’t want to come with you, because he wants to stay in his home.?
Elio nods. ?Exactly. I tried to convince him, but he’s afraid to leave his home.?
I’m sure Serena will know how to handle that.
I lift my gaze toward the whispering pines. The resin-scented air wakes me. I’ll find her.
Then I’ll lie down right here among the pines, and for at least another hundred years I don’t want to hear from anyone.
Elio points at a narrow path surrounded by firs. ?This way. We’re almost there.?
I urge the mare on. She tackles the climb while Elio clings to me even tighter.
I look ahead and stop in front of a warped door.
I don’t remember this, but it’s intact. And even without guards, the wall is high.
?How did you get through here??
Gaia and Serena dismount, look around, and point toward a pine branch.
?Sander has the key to this door.?
I turn to Elio.
A key? Elena must’ve given it to him when she had the walls built—and then kept it secret. Why?
?Mina.?
I turn to Gaia, who’s tying the reins to the pine along with Serena.
?When Elena had the walls built, she never told you about this door, did she??
I shake my head.
I step down onto the dried needles and extend both hands to Elio.
He turns sideways, grabs my hands, and jumps to the ground.
I take the reins and drag Lyn to the fir where the other horses are tied.
Gaia shakes the handle, then pushes. The door doesn’t budge. I step closer. She lets go of the handle.
I take a step back and slam my shoulder into the door.
The wood cracks. A shriek snaps the lock. The door collapses like a drawbridge into the dark forest. ?Fuck.?
I’m glad my physical strength scared the hell out of him. Elio stares wide-eyed at the shattered lock.
I step aside and extend an arm toward the opening. ?After you.?
Elio crosses the threshold with a trembling step, staring at the black-stained spikes along the moat.
The sunlight grows thinner, and I hear faint breathing. Elio pushes forward, struggling through thick brambles.
I plant my foot on a rock and push myself up, fingers digging into damp earth. ?At the end of this climb, there’s his home,? Elio pants ahead of me.
?DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!? A boy’s voice.
My nerves snap tight.
A sharp wind slams into us, forcing me back.I grab a branch.
I lift my eyes toward the top of the rise, where an orange glow stains the tree trunks. A chorus of gasps rises.
Elio clings to the ground.
I turn back. Serena has latched onto Gaia, who lifts her head, breathing hard.?Smell of magic!?
?Hurry!?
Elio throws himself into the brambles, frantic.
?He must be under attack!?