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The thought pops into my head before I can really think about it and how rude it probably seems to ask something like that.
He doesn’t answer, and as we continue through the clouds, I wonder if maybe I hadn’t asked him at all.
Yeah.
Even in my mind, I can hear the emotions of that single word, as if he’s both happy and extremely saddened by the thought. I can understand why. To have someone so close and lose them—not just anyone, but Serena—I can’t imagine.
Funny enough, she had the opposite problem. For the longest time, she struggled to use the bond.
His laughter rings out in my mind as his dragon, or wyvern, I guess, puffs a cloud of smoke into the air as if laughing with him. I can almost picture it. Little Serena, her brow pinched in concentration the way it often was during training or math.
Yeah, a lot like that.
My own image of her is washed away, replaced with a version of Serena I’ve never seen before. She can’t be much more than six. Her brow pinched exactly the same way it does now as she pulled at the grass, plucking up piece after piece in frustration. After a moment, she sighs, falling back to the ground to look at the sky. Her eyes look up toward me, shining brightly as a smile turns her lips.
The sight shocks me, and the image slips away just like that.
A million questions fill my mind, but if Garrett hears any of them, he doesn’t answer, and I can’t find it in myself to push. I know without asking, what I just saw was a memory, Garrett’s memory.
Why or how he showed it to me, I’m not sure.
There’s a lot going on as it is—no use adding more.
After that, we travel for a while in silence. It’s not unpleasant but not exactly comfortable, considering Serena is unconscious and we have no idea what’s wrong with her. I can only hope Garrett’s mother can help her; I’m not sure what we’ll do if not.
We’ll figure it out, no matter what it takes.
Garrett’s words sound confident, but I know he isn’t as sure as he sounds. He’s worried about her just like I am.
We all are.
We slowly descend lower in the sky until we’re no longer in the clouds. The sky clears around us, and I gasp in amazement at what I see.
Since entering the portal, all we’ve seen was a lot of the forest. They were beautiful, full of colors, with plants and animals I’d never seen before. The view on the cliff flashes to my mind, almost forgotten after the pain we endured right after, but it’s there.
Even with that, I’m not prepared for the sight before me.
Below us is the beginning of a huge village. It’s by no means modern, like the homes back in our realm, but they are beautiful. People mill around, and children run and laugh. As we approach, people’s heads turn to the sky, and they point and shout with smiles.
The castle is beyond what I could imagine, even after seeing it from the cliff. The walls have to be at least fifty feet tall, if not taller and nowhere near as close together as I thought. Houses and shops fill the spaces between the walls, with whole villages nestled safely behind them.
Garrett covers the distance with ease, but I have no doubt it would take a while to make the trek from the beginning of the wall up to the castle.
The castle is dead center and dead ahead. Even high in the sky, I must crane my neck back to see it. It looks like something out of one of those princess movies Serena used to watch when we were younger. Towers stand at each of the four corners with bright gold flags that blow in the wind, but the tallest point is the center. The whole kingdom is built on a mountain, which I can’t help but imagine was done on purpose to make it harder to attack, not that I can believe anyone would be crazy enough to try.
I can’t hear what the townspeople yell, but the sounds of their cheers reach us even up high in the sky.
I think they missed you.
Before Garrett can respond, Serena shifts. I tighten my arms around her on instinct to keep her upright, but she doesn’t stop moving. If anything, she moves more until she’s damn near shaking in my arms, her back arching into my chest.
I watch as black, inky shadows stream from her fingers. They hover in the air around us, almost as if they’re aware, choosing to stay with her.
Her shaking intensifies, and something clicks in my brain.
She’s seizing.
Faster!
