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“People can come and go as they wish.”I relay the message again, and Brax frowns.
“How can the barrier tell the difference?” he queries, and Ari sighs.
“I’m not sure. I’ve always seen people come and go without pause.”
When I repeat my familiar’s words, Zane shakes his head. “I’m not sure I trust him on that. I’m worried if you go in there, you won’t be able to get out, Raven.”
“I trust him, Zane. I feel him in here,” I explain, pressing my hand to my chest.
“I can go in first and check,” Eldon offers, and before I can refuse, he does exactly as he says, stepping through into the compound without resistance.
“If you’re going to have feelings for all of them, can I choose favorites?”Ari asks, making me chuckle, but I don’t respond as I watch Eldon step back out of the compound with no issues. I sigh with relief.“If so, he’s definitely my number one right now.”I roll my eyes at Ari and Creed cocks a brow at me but I wave him off. We’ve got more important things to focus on than Ari’s favorite Bishop of the day.
“So we’re going in there?” Zane asks, pointing at the compound, and I nod.
“Yeah, I want to see it for myself, see the conditions we’re dealing with.”
“When you get in there, touch Gia. She will know we are connected, as she and I are. She will help you,”Ari explains, but my nose wrinkles with uncertainty.“Trust me. You have an hour. If you’re not out by then, I’ll come find you myself.”
“You can’t come and find us. If you do, you’ll be trapped in the compound again,” I state.
“What’s he saying?” Brax glances between Ari and me.
“He’s saying we have an hour to get in and out; otherwise, he’ll come in looking for me, even though it will confine him to the compound.” I give my griffin a pointed look but he simply blinks at me in response.
“Good. That’s what a familiar is supposed to be. An extension of you, uncaring of the consequences to keep you safe, just as you are doing for his loved one and the rest of his pride.” Brax has a point there, but I don’t state it.
“Maybe I can have two favorites today.”
I flip Ari off, not dealing with his smart mouth as I turn for the barrier.
“Let’s go.”
“Be safe.”
“What else am I going to be?”
“I heard that.”
I spin to face him, eyes wide and jaw slack as my heart races. I can feel my men watching me, but none of them interrupt the weird stare-off I’ve got going on with Ari. After a few moments, the tall and proud griffin nods at me and I do the same before stepping into the compound.
The magic tingles over me from head to toe, making me quake for a beat before it simmers down. The sun feels dimmer, the breeze gustier, and the grass damper beneath my boots.
“Where to?” Creed asks, glancing around at the trees and natural setting that surrounds us.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to piss anyone off, I just want to look around. Let’s start that way.”
Brax slips past me to take the lead as usual, and it’s Zane who takes the tail position while Creed and Eldon flank my sides. I’m careful with every step I take. Branches, fallen tree trunks, and protruding roots create an obstacle course around us.
A growl in the distance makes us pause and I turn to the left to see three minotaurs gathered behind a fallen tree. They don’t look happy to see us, but when they don’t immediately charge our way, I continue on and they, thankfully, leave us be.
The sound of water falling in the distance pricks my ears, along with giggles, and I consider whether to head in that direction or not, but the memory of the sirens from the Gauntlet has me heading in the opposite direction.
“Can you hear that?” Creed asks, pausing, and we all stop with him.
“Hear what?”
“It sounds like tiny wings,” Creed explains, and I squint, looking around us as I try to hear what he’s talking about. Just before I tell him he’s full of shit, I hear a small fluttering, barely audible over the breeze.
