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This man is stunning.
His eyes find mine, and they slice through me, and I almost feel bad for staring.Almost.He bites into the apple again as he studies me before he offers me a wink, then poof, he’s gone.
I stare at the spot where he was, bewildered.
What just happened?
And then I hear footsteps, several of them, coming in my direction. I manage to move but not quickly enough. I’m suddenly surrounded by men in blue uniforms, each of them holding some kind of weapon as they all stare at me, and all of them appear the same.
“Invader,” one of them sneers.
I look around, not sure what is going on, or what to expect, but knowing whatever it is can’t be good. A hand reaches out to grab me, and I react quickly, putting fire to the hand that touches me. His sleeve lights up, and he hisses, as does everyone else.
“Witch,” someone snarls.
And before I can say or do anything else, I’m overcome by something—not physically, but more like a spell.
And the last thing I see is a flash of blue.
* * *
“She’s from that world.” My head is groggy, but I can make out their words.
“You don’t know that.”
“But she is, my lord. Look at her. She isn’t from here.” Footsteps come closer, then stop. I hear someone breathing right in front of me.
“You can open your eyes now. I know you’re awake.”
I do as the voice asks, and when I do, I see him leaning over in front of me, a smile attached to his lips as he stares down at me. It’s the man from the lake, dressed pretty much the same way he was when I first saw him.
“How did you use that spell on me?” I ask, because most spells have been known not to work on me. I always assumed I was immune. Unless a demon was involved, that is.
“Your magic is different from our magic. Over the years, your magic has been diluted, where ours has only grown.”
“Diluted?” I sit up, my interest piqued. He remains crouched down in front of me, and his eyes, the color of a light blue sky, gaze back at me. I wonder if they look the same under the night sky.
“Yes. You let bloodsuckers and other things dilute your line, whereas ours is still pure.”
What does he mean bytheirs is pure? As I sit there, trying to take in everything he’s saying, he stands to tower over me.
“The spell should have lasted longer on you, though.” He clicks his tongue. “You are a witch, correct?” There is no need to deny it, so I give him a slight nod of my head. He offers me his hand, and I glance at it, wondering what the trick is. “I will not harm you.” He pauses. “Yet.” His voice sounds like a promise—a deadly promise. I’m not sure if I should walk into it or not. I have no other choice, though, not until I can work out how to get back to my sisters.
I take his offered hand and pull myself up. When I’m standing, I see we’re in an outdoor castle that’s open to the elements. The floor is made of old marble peeking through the same lush green grass and blossoming trees I admired earlier.
“Levy will show you to your room to get changed. I would like you to accompany me to dinner.” It’s then I see guards surround us, but the woman who steps out and bows to the man makes me realize he must be some kind of authority figure. A king, perhaps? But he doesn’t wear a crown. Levy, who offers me a kind smile, waves her small arm in the opposite direction from which I am facing. She is dressed in blue, the same as the guards, but she wears a casual free flowing dress, not the military-like uniform of the men.
I turn away from the mystery man and follow Levy. When we get to the exit, I look back to see him watching me. He offers me a smile, and I give him one back, not sure why, and then continue after Levy.
“Where are we?” I ask. She turns her nose up at me over her shoulder. “Well, okay. Rude.”
“I am not rude. You are rude. How dare you come into our home.”
“If I remember correctly, it wasn’t my choice.”
She grunts and walks into a dark hallway lined with doors. She stops when we get to one flanked by two guards and looks back at me. “This is your room. You have a dress inside. Wear it and get rid of”—she pauses, looking at my clothes with a pinched mouth—“that.” She waves her hand at me and stalks off.
One of the guards opens the door to let me in, but I hesitate, unsure I should go in. It’s a gorgeous room, more so than the queen’s, which is saying a lot because she had the prettiest room I had ever seen.
