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‘From a cobbler’s shop down the road,’ he says quietly.
‘You didn’t take them from a …’
From a child?
‘They’re new. I bought them,’ he says, his eyes hard.
I look at the boots so I don’t have to face his penetrating gaze.
‘Thank you,’ I murmur, taking them from his hands and putting them on the floor. I slip my feet into them.
‘How did you know they’d fit me?’ I ask.
He shrugs. ‘I know female bodies.’
He laughs when my nose wrinkles, and for a moment, it’s easy and friendly.
I hear a throat clear behind me, and I flinch as I see Kal’s eyes turn callous.
He straightens and looks down at me like I’m a piece of mud on the rug. ‘Don’t thank me. You’ll work off the cost of them, Harbinger. I’ll see to that.’
He pulls me to my feet by my collar and my hair, and I try not to let him see that I’m reeling from his sudden change in demeanor.
It’s a mind game. He’s playing with me. That’s all.
‘It’s time,’ Dane says, and my shivering form is pushed from the room.
But when we get out into the corridor, they go on ahead, leaving me behind. For a moment, I freeze, wondering at this new way they’re treating me, but then I feel a pull in my chest that steals my breath, and I have to follow. I’m still on a leash like a pet, I realize; it’s just invisible now.
We leave the inn and walk through the rain to the Gate which opens almost as soon as we get there.
‘We don’t cut it so fine again,’ Grey says to the others as we go through the Breach.
The next world is dark like the last one, but at least it’s not raining. I consider it an improvement until I realize I can see movement.
‘There’s something out there,’ I say.
Dane is nearest to me and answers. ‘Don’t leave the vicinity. There’s a shield around the Gate itself.’
‘Why?’ I ask, my wide eyes darting around in the darkness where I can hear things moving around. Big things.
A nearby snarl has me drawing closer to Dane, and he smirks. ‘Is the Harbinger afraid of the Dark Realm creatures?’
I ignore him, my eyes starting to make out hulking shapes that are hurling themselves at the invisible barrier. I wrap my arms around myself, freezing and dizzy. I don’t feel well and I hope I don’t lose consciousness here of all places.
‘Ho-how long are we here for?’ I stutter from fear and from the cold.
‘Step back,’ Grey commands, and another Breach opens.
I breathe a sigh of relief, glad we’re not being forced to stay here for hours like all our other stops, but I still hesitate at the Gate. My body is shaking, and I’m almost certain that when we get to the other side, I won’t be able to hide the fact that I’m not well any longer.
Dane snarls at my reluctance and says something angrily, pushing me through hard.
I gasp as I’m propelled into the Breach, my head whirling and pulsing.
I fall out the other side, landing hard on the ground. The world is spinning, and my head is pounding.
I feel my heart tugging and cry out at the pain when it doesn’t abate. They’re leaving me behind. I try to stand, but my legs won’t hold me.
