AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Gwen opened her mouth, but only a squeak came out. His jaw tensed with what seemed like irritation.
“I’ve got a Stepping Stone,” the large, fiery one with the tail said. “Will it work here?”
Miss Jones waved an arm and nodded. “I’ll drop the spells, but it will leave the building exposed. You’ll have to make it count.”
“Aye,” the hulking man replied, stepping out of Miss Jones’s way.
Her neighbor looked back at Gwen over her shoulder and gave her a sad little smile that made her heart ache. “Take care of yourself, peaches,” she told her. “Go now,” she said to the shadow man. Then, with a swirl of her purple dress and a pop of air, she vanished. Gwen gasped.
“She’ll be fine,” her shadow man told her as he grabbed her by the arm.
“But—” was all she managed to mumble, her eyes locked on the spot where Miss Jones had been standing. She barely registered that he was pulling her back down the hall toward her bedroom.
This can’t be happening. This can’t be real.
“Thanks, Bridgette!” the giant man bellowed, petting Jinx’s head before following them down the hall.
The last thing Gwen saw before she was yanked into her bedroom was Jinx’s yellow eyes peeking around the corner of her destroyed doorway. He meowed. She could have sworn he was saying goodbye.
Gwen couldn’t breathe. “W-wait,” she stammered, panic washing over her like unrelenting ocean waves, robbing her of air. “I can’t?—”
“You can,” the shadow man cut her off, pulling her further into the room to squeeze behind him so that she pressed against her chest of drawers. “The witch will be fine.”
Witch. Miss Jones had said it, but Gwen still couldn’t comprehend it. She’d told her she was a witch. That magick was real. Her insides twisted so tightly, she braced herself against the pain.
The hulking man followed them into the room, ducking to fit under the doorframe. Gwen’s eyes locked on his tail. This can’t be happening.
Her shadow man pushed her further aside. There was nowhere else to go; her room barely fit her, let alone three grown people, one of which was the size of two. The shadow man’s body pressed against hers, pinning her against her dresser. The large man slammed the door shut behind them once they were all squeezed inside.
“W-what are you doing?” she stammered. He was so warm this close…and so firm. Layers of clothes lay between them, but Gwen could feel his solidness as he pressed against her to make room for the giant, tailed man.
Those cold eyes glared down into her own. “Getting out of here,” he growled, seeming not at all happy to be pinned up against her.
She swallowed a mouthful of dry air. Over his shoulders, the hilts of his swords gleamed in the dim light.
“Barith,” he growled.
“Aye,” the other man said. “Two shakes.”
The giant one with the tail twisted and looked in her direction. “I promise to answer all of your questions,” he told her with a relaxed warmth. He bumped into her bedside table, knocking over a bottle of perfume that had been sitting on top. “As soon as we’re out of the hornet’s nest. I’m Barith, by the way. A pleasure to meet you—Gwendolyn, was it?”
A weird feeling fell over her suddenly. Like a humming in her head she hadn’t noticed suddenly went quiet.
“That’s my cue,” Barith chimed. He reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a vibrant colored stone. He started to mumble under his breath, spinning the stone in his giant palm. “Láta bren otium lor padra diutius quam nó.”
Gwen’s skin prickled. The words flowed out of him like music. Music that felt…familiar, though she had no idea how. The language was strange and unlike anything she’d ever heard before.
“What is—” she started to mumble.
“A Stepping Stone,” the shadow man grumbled. Gwen blinked up at him. He was staring down at her. A shiver spread up her spine, and her skin tingled. His eyes narrowed. He smelled just like she’d dreamt. Better.
Gwen’s attention snapped back to the stone in Barith’s hand when it began to glow brightly. Her eyes widened at all the vibrant colors spread over the dim room. That little glowing rock made her feel—something. Something like recognition. Her skin sizzled.
What is happening?
One second, Barith was mumbling that weird language. The next, he smashed the stone into the center of the door. Gwen jumped with a squeak, pushing herself instinctively closer to the shadow man. A sound much like a growl came out of him in response. It wasn’t a good sound.
When Barith removed his hand, the glowing stone was lodged into the wood and burning with fire. Beneath it, the door began to splinter and crack in similar vibrant colors.
