Page 35 of Trapped By Clocks and Hearts

I glared at her again. “Black.”

She pursed her lips. “That’s not a color.”

“Of course it is.”

Allie shook her head. “Well, no. Technically, black is the absence of all color. Which is interesting because it’s also the presence of all the colors, I suppose…”

A streak of sunlight broke through the lingering clouds above us and an arch of vibrant hues emerged. The rainbow glistened in the air, an ethereal bridge connecting the ground to the skies. The phenomenon put a halt to her rambling.

Allie’s breath caught in her throat. “There it is!” Running to the bow, she screeched to a stop and put her foot on the edge that touched the ground to test its stability. Her toe bounced on the multi-colored lip before the first step. “Huh. Springy.”

Frowning, I put my hand up. “Be careful.”

She stepped forward, following the trail of patterned colors, in no way apprehensive. I could feel her eagerness to see the end, to see the treasure. The hope in her heart that she should find a way home was making her heart thump again.

I followed behind her on cautious alert.

I had heard of people surviving rainbows before so it wasn’t entirely impossible. But it was better to be safe.

The haze of the rainbow was masking the dimness of the forest. The path to the end was now lined with fluffy white clouds, adorned with sparkles, daytime stars, and bright light.

Allie was looking around in marvel. “Wow! Would you look at all these things?”

I squinted at the appearance of objects lining the rainbow lane. Wooden chests of gold coins and jewels, a selection of glittering dresses and shoes, shelves full of books, and a wide array of delectable food flanked us.

I pursed my lips. “Don’t touch anything. That is the test of the rainbow. If you really want the thing you seek, the one treasure at the end, you must resist being tempted by anything else.”

Allie raised her hand to shield her eyes from the bright light as we neared the end. “I can’t tell what it is. It doesn’t look like a portal or a doorway. It’s too small. Is that…”

I narrowed my eyes, already in incredulous suspicion at the strange object hovering at the end of the lane. It was a small package, rolls of pristine white bandages, little jars of ointment, and brown bottles of medicine. “What the hell is that? Is that a…?”

Allie’s mouth had dropped open like she couldn’t believe it either.

No way.

The rainbow was gifting Allie a healing burlap.

Her hazel eyes met mine before her gaze drifted down to my injured shoulder. “Did you ask for this?”

“Hey, you’re the one who stepped on the rainbow first,” I reminded her. “Did you ask for that?” I couldn’t help the mocking in my tone.

She threw her hands up in dismay. “Well, this is so wrong! There’s no way I wished for this. There has to be some kind of mistake.”

I tilted my head to regard her with a mocking look. “Are you sure? The deepest wish of your heart isn’t to heal my shoulder and coddle me until I get better? You said I couldn’t but perhaps I already have succeeded in seducing you.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re ridiculous. That’s preposterous. And anything is better than that stupid thing.” Turning on her heels, her eyes caught something by the side of the path. “Oh my god, look! It’s a laser micro-scalpel—and that—that’s an electron microscope. I’ve wanted one for ages!”

Allie’s hand reached out to the microscope as if in slow motion.

Eyes widening, my stomach hollowed. “Allie—NO!”

The moment her fingertip touched the eyepiece, a gust of wind rushed past as a tangle of sinewy, twisting vines shot out from behind us.

Allie’s yelp of surprise was cut short as tendrils coming from the rainbow’s end, moving with a deceptive speed, reached out to ensnare her body, entwining around her with a serpentine agility.

The rest of the rainbow shrugged me off its shimmering path and I staggered back to the forest floor.

“Ah, hell—” Cursing out loud, I wrung my arms out to cast a repellent spell but my powers still had not returned. Damn that river! Straightening up, I assessed the vicious vines in concern. “Allie!”