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“Are we in trouble?”
Her body jerked as the key locked onto something invisible, and she twisted her body, turning it. The sky changed, the fire fading in the distance as another type of heat wrapped around him and latched on.
“Hold on tight,” he shouted into the roar of winds that picked up and swept them toward the glowing circle.
Then they were sucked into the unknown.
They landed hard, either because the suction was too much or because his vial had no more energy left. Somehow, they weren’t so high up that they could die, instead rolling onto softer grounds that felt like sand…because it was sand. When he would have stopped, he deliberately rolled one more time until he was on his back and able to cushion her fall. His body molded into hers, absorbing her softness. Her head lifted, lashes fluttering as she peered at him and her body shivered from cold. Charlie rubbed the back he held onto.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
She shivered again, so he kept rubbing. Daria had always been a cold person, perhaps due to where she lived, but he hadn’t known how good it would feel against his eternally warm body because…well, he had never held her like this. The addictive feeling seeped in, a sensation foreign to him. He drank it in, wanting to stay just a little bit longer in that feeling.
Someone gasped, reminding him they weren’t alone and breaking through that particular façade. Reluctantly, he sat up and took her with him, dangerously in awe at the feel of Daria close to his lap before she pushed to her feet. That was when he saw it.
“Holy…”
The rest of the words were stuck in his throat as he surveyed the long line of the water in front of them, sparkling blue-green under the bright sun. He then took in the long line of shore that seemed to go on forever both ways before he latched on to the sky. Blue. Pretty. Not a sign of fire anywhere.
“Beach?” Daria asked, visibly sniffing and overwhelmed. “I have never been to one, but I know that sound. I didn’t know it would smell this…good.”
Everyone else gaped, too, just as stupefied as he was. Then the shifter woman whirled on him, confusion roiling.
“Where are we? Why aren’t we down the mountain?”
“I don’t think there was any other choice,” Sona said carefully, studying him. “He wasn’t lasting up there, and I assume we would have landed in a very bad territory if we pushed in that direction. So, either we are trapped here with a couple of psychopaths, or they are taking us away from danger.”
“You—”
“Sona,” she introduced herself, interrupting the woman. “I have been inside that cage for about two months, same as Oscar here…though he’s been drugged half the time. He yells a lot when he’s awake.”
The wolf shifter glanced at the man, who waved sheepishly and didn’t seem fazed by the introduction.
“Riva,” the shifter finally spit out, then sighed. “My people could have helped us if we just went the other way.”
“You mean north?” Charlie piped in, then waited as realization sank on Riva’s face. He voiced it out, anyway. “This is north. The fire was spreading here, too, and we would have landed nowhere safe in either direction if it wasn’t for her.”
All eyes snapped to Daria.
“Where did she take us?” Riva asked.
“I don’t know,” Daria admitted. She zoned in on Oscar, curiosity alight. “Why did they keep you alive?”
“I might have told them I know of a way to resurrect vampires and kept giving them information,” he said. “They are all from a fairy tale book.”
Charlie caught Daria’s gaze, not about to reveal that this key’s purpose had been from that type of book, too. The sun shifted in his gaze as if to remind him of its presence.
“We should probably release him somewhere safe,” he said, gesturing down. The vampire was facedown, perhaps a conscious decision from Riva as his coat covered his back from the harsh light.
“Or we bring him with us until we find some kind of shade,” Daria countered.
“To where?” Riva queried, hands on her hips. “Where are we going, and how do I make sure you are not like those bastards and trying to trap us again?”
This was where he knew they were at a crossroads. He stepped in, dwelling between the honest approach and a white lie, then settling for somewhere in the middle.
“Upwards. We continue upwards because there’s no going back. Daria and I came to the mountains with a purpose, and stumbling upon your prison area was a coincidence. So, we are still going on our journey towards the top of the mountain.” At least, he hoped this new place still led there. “You can come until it’s time to go back down on the other end, which is the only path we can take. Or we can separate, and you can choose a different path. You are free now.”
