“We should take another vacation,” Lucinda murmured. “It’s been too long.” Her gaze became calculating and faraway, already planning the details.
“You cannot enter Wilde’s dimension as a good wizard,” Cyril said. “You’ll have to become someone else.”
The Good Wizard’s shoulders slumped. It’d been a long time since he’d been anything other than what he was. “Oh dear.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll come with you,” Lucinda assured him, patting the wizard’s hand helpfully.
“You’ll what?” The Good Wizard said at the same time as Cyril said, “We will?”
“Thiswill be our vacation! Seeing a brand-new dimension, isn’t that exciting? And I know someone who will want to join us!”
“What?” The Good Wizard said, still confused.
“Who?” Cyril asked, sounding resigned.
“Why, Francesca of course!”
The Good Wizard stared at her with dawning horror. “You cannot mean Queen Francesca of Woe.”
“Can’t I? How odd, because I certainly do. If what you say is true, her wife and daughter are trapped inside. While Franny’s not one for adventure, she certainly would not be happy if we left her out.” Lucinda gave him no time to reply, jumping to her feet and fluttering about the room, immediately launching into travel plans.
The Good Wizard watched her, mouth agape. He’d made a mistake. He should have done the quest on his own, found another way into the dimension. Now he was at the mercy of a hag’s whims, an evil mage’s plotting, and a queen’s revenge.
Chapter Fourteen: Trey
Present Day
The Capital City of Misfortune
Trying Not to Get Hit by Traffic
When the strange man fainted, Delilah cried out in distress and wriggled out of Kit’s arms. She elbowed Father out of the way and cradled the man’s head carefully in her lap. Long white-blond hair fell over his face. Delilah gently pushed it aside, tucking it behind his ear.
His features were delicate in sleep. Soft, snowy eyelashes. Pink lips parted as he slowly breathed in and out. Dark bruises circled his eyes, marring his pale skin.
Familiarity tugged at my heart, and I took a step forward.I know you.But I didn’t. I’d never met him before. He was too striking, too beautiful, to be forgotten.
Dad reached his side before me, lips pressed into a thin line as he examined the man’s face.
“Is he alright?” Delilah demanded.
“He’ll recover,” Dad reassured her. “Since he appeared in the middle of the road and then whisked you to the sidewalk in a blink, I assume he’s a mage?”
She nodded rapidly, dislodging the loose tears clinging to her eyelashes.
“That’s powerful magic. He looks exhausted, has he been sleepingwell?”
“I don’t know!” she wailed. “It’s not as if we share a bed!”
The wordsshare a bedechoed in my head, and my fists clenched at my side. With great effort, I forced them to relax.She specifically said theydon’tshare a bed. And why am I jealous, anyway? I don’t even know him!
“Who is he?” Kit demanded, joining the circle around the man.
I was now the farthest person from him and that feltwrong. I wanted to shove everyone out of the way, to take Delilah’s place, cradle his head in my lap and run my fingers through his silky—why am I so sure it’s silky—hair.
I ignored the impulse and forced myself to take a step back. Then another, for good measure.
“His name is Wilde,” Delilah sniffed. “I was on the road to Misfortune when I was attacked by bandits.”
