Page 34

“Wait, you’re part of the group that you’re hiding me from?”

“Ironic, eh?” Leo laughed bitterly. “The Nine is a secret council composed of nine leaders, one from each Earth. They were created to protect the portals and maintain peace among magic-wielders and non-wielders, such as yourself.”

“And you represent One?”

“My family has been the ruling family of Esmerelda, One’s supercontinent, for centuries. The responsibility of representing The Nine in secret comes with being the king of One.”

I found this detail interesting. Not only had Leo broken the law by bringing me here, but he’d gone against the very council he was a part of.

He also wasn’t just a king of some small country. He reigned over the entire Earth.

I wanted to pry more; I had about a hundred questions on the tip of my tongue, but the temperature of the air shifted to warm as we neared the stables on the perimeter of the grounds.

The shimmer of Leo’s cloak dropped like liquid to the ground, absorbing into the earth.

“Bryn,” Leo said, leading me toward a woman who looked familiar, “this is Sigrid, my third-in-command, after Adrian.”

“It’s a pleasure to officially meet you,” Sigrid said, extending her hand to shake mine. “It’s always nice to have another female soldier around.”

Ah. That was where I recognized her from. She had been on my base with Leo and Adrian the night of the attack. Her dark curls were more tamed today, the length nearly as long as Sarah’s hair.

It ached to think about Sarah. Had she survived? Or had she been slaughtered like Niall? I pushed the thought away and buried it deep.

I let go of Leo’s hand to shake Sigrid’s, then asked Leo, “And will your second-in-command be joining us on this trip?” I looked around, praying the brute wasn’t close by.

Leo and Sigrid laughed, noting the tension in my body.

“No,” said Leo. “Adrian typically stays back when I travel, to oversee the happenings at the castle.”

Sigrid chimed in. “Adrian can be tough sometimes, but he means well.”

I wasn’t sure that was true.

We followed Sigrid to the rear of the stables where five horses were lined up just outside, saddled and strapped with gear. Two of the horses were already occupied by men, both of whom greeted me with a tilt of their head.

“Bryn, this is Cal.” Leo pointed to the blond man, with a strong chin and large arms. “And Simon.” The latter a bushy-faced man whose bald head was covered by a large tattoo that ran down over his eyes, ending just above his cheekbones. His body larger than both Adrian’s and Leo’s combined. His horse just as large.

This had to have been the unnaturally tall soldier I’d seen on my base.

“Hello,” I said hesitantly, trying to comprehend the size of Simon without staring.

It took a lot to make me nervous, but this crowd was more intimidating than the soldiers I was used to on Six. I felt like one wrong move, and they wouldn’t think twice about tying me up and dragging me behind their horses.

Sigrid led me toward a chestnut-colored horse. “You’ll be riding Holly, she’s our calmest mare.”

I nodded, relieved. “That’s good, because I’ve never ridden a horse before.”

“That’s what I assumed. Why ride a horse when you can drive a vehicle, right?” Sigrid laughed airily.

“I take it you don’t have cars here?”

Sigrid looked to Leo, and with his nod of approval she shook her head and answered, “Technology is the fastest way to destroy an Earth’s magic. We try and live as simple as we can here, out of respect for One.”

I neared Holly, chewing on what Sigrid had said. A life without technology didn’t sound too bad. But I would be sad if I never drove my truck again.

I stuck out my hand slowly, giving Holly the space to assess me. I didn’t know much about horses, but I knew enough about animals that I didn’t want to spook her.

She rewarded me with the soft touch of her muzzle against my palm.