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“A lot of people won’t want a woman in charge, at least not by herself,” Liam pipes up, before lifting a hand and adding, “No offense,” clearly for Sam’s benefit.
Her lips twist. “None taken. I live in the same world you do. I get it.”
The same world…
The phrase sets off a chain reaction in my head. “Portals to the Parallel,” I say, snapping my fingers. “There aren’t any on the map around here, but there’s a chance they might have found one, right?”
“Absolutely,” Sam says, clearly catching my excitement. “Portals are everywhere. Old Native American records show a lot of them way out in the woods. They aren’t on modern maps, but that doesn’t mean they’re not still there.”
“And if the portal’s large enough,” I say.
“Or if they’ve found more than one,” Cox adds.
I point at his chest. “That’s where their ambush is coming from.”
“All right, then.” Sam exchanges glances with the other unit heads, who are all nodding along. “So, we just need to find out where they are. With the right tools, a small scouting team should be able to sort that out pretty quickly.”
I’m about to agree and tell her to prep her top ten people for the mission, when a high, plaintive screech from overhead draws my gaze upward. I find the source of the sound almost instantly—the white owl stands out against the darkening sky, her silver-streaked feathers catching the light of the rising moon.
Somehow, I know the bird is female.
And I know she’s not just a bird.
I sense it even before she shifts direction and dives straight down, coming in for a landing on the grass a few feet away.
A fairly…rough landing.
She lands on one claw and trips, tumbling head over feet to land in a tangle of wings before flopping over onto her back and letting out a huff that’s so human sounding—and so familiar—that I don’t hesitate to cross to her side.
“Careful, Maxim,” Sam says behind me. “It could be a witch’s familiar sent to activate a spell.”
“I will be,” I murmur as the bird hops onto its claws and looks up at me with wide, pleading eyes. “But I think it’s…” I shake my head before adding in a voice so soft only the bird and I can hear it, “My sister?”
The bird’s eyes go even wider. It hops up and down excitedly before holding out a leg and shaking it. A closer look reveals a piece of paper wrapped around the bird’s limb and tied with a piece of twine.
I kneel down, reaching out without worrying about the creature’s sharp claws or sharper beak. I don’t know how, but I know this bird is Diana, even before I unroll the note and read—
Maxim, it’s Diana.
I know this is crazy, but it really is me. I’ve been turned into an owl. It’s some kind of curse—and there’s probably a cure—but we don’t have time to worry about that right now.
We have much bigger problems.
VERY IMPORTANT THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW—
Kelley’s army is waiting to ambush you if you head into the camp, but my allies know where they’re hiding. They’re on their way here to help you. Just don’t shoot the good guys when they come out of the woods, okay? They’ll be coming from the north. They’re on the move now and should be here within the hour. The leader’s name is Axe and he’s about your height with dark brown hair and eyes.
Also, most of his allies are birds and bears, but not like me.
They’re actual birds and bears.
Also FYI—Axe didn’t turn me into an owl, but he can hear me speak telepathically. That’s how I was able to write this note. As soon as he gets here, you and I can have a real conversation.
Until then, if you have yes or no questions, I’ll answer them like this—raise my wings for yes, shake my head for no.
Also, just in case you shoot me before I can deliver this note, it’s okay.
I forgive you.
