“How’d you know I was going to order another soda?”
“I heard you pull some bills from your wallet.”
“Seriously?”
I shrug. Amused by how easy it is for a blind person to impress the sighted.
“Sheesh. There really is something to that blind sight stuff, isn’t there? Anyway, fine by me. This place gives me the creeps. It’s filled with too many old memories and most of them bad. So, where are you guys taking me, ’cause it’s not like we have a whole lot of choices.”
“You sure about this?” Auden asks, the words spoken in a conflicted shade of puce that di
ssipates with a quick nod of my head. “Well, I would go with you, but I have to meet someone. So, Lita, I’m trusting you to take good care of my flower and get her home safely.” He plants a soft, sweet, lingering kiss on my lips, as Lita jangles her keys in annoyance. The only public displays of affection she can tolerate are her own.
“So where is it?” she says, leading me away from Auden. “Where are we going? Is this like a girls’ night out?”
“Something like that.” I exit the club alongside her. “I figured since it’s still kind of early, we can head over to Paloma’s. If you’re going to learn the truth about this town, you should hear it from the one person who can best explain it.”
eight
Daire
The moment the door slams between me and Axel, I run.
Problem is, I have no real direction in mind.
Although the plan was perfectly executed, went off without a hitch, I never really thought past the moment I’d make it outside.
Other than crashing through the veil of light, and waking up in my sickbed, I have no recollection of anything outside of the room Axel kept me in. No recollection how we arrived here, much less how I might leave.
A bed of purple stones, like tumbled bits of amethyst, roll and shift under my feet as I race toward a glossy red bridge that leads to a grove of jacaranda trees with oversized blooms, where I lean against one of the trunks and spare a few moments to rest. Reminding myself that while there’s no doubt I need to put some serious mileage between Axel and me, I also need to maintain my strength. Running around like a maniac will only serve to deplete my energy.
I fight to steady my breath as I gaze all around. Struck by how the surrounding Upperworld landscape is just as Paloma described it—an enchanting, breathtaking world bathed in a glorious, soft golden light.
Like the Lowerworld on steroids.
Paloma also told me that it’s far more difficult to access than the Lowerworld, even for the most gifted Seeker.
Well, thanks to Axel, the accessing part was a breeze. The question remains, how to leave?
I close my eyes and go silent and still, seeking the answer within. If the Upperworld truly is a place of love and light and benevolence and magick, as Paloma claimed, then surely some of my powers must still be working.
When the back of my dress begins to flutter, softly nudging me forward, I take it as a sign that Wind is now with me. Though I still sneak a quick glance over my shoulder to ensure it really is my guiding element, and not the force of Axel rushing toward me.
If he really is a mystical being, he won’t stay down long. Which is good on the one hand because it means I didn’t kill him—but bad on the other because the second he recovers he’ll surely come after me.
With my dress insistently swirling at my knees, I peer back toward the place where I came, only to find the beautiful meadow with its shiny red bridge and amethyst path … and nothing beyond.
No sign of a small cottage with large, bolted doors and shatterproof windows.
No sign of the place I was held prisoner for days on end.
The place I once found so formidable, vanished as though it never existed.
Did Axel somehow enchant it or cloak it so that only he could find it?
The thought alone is enough to spur me away from the trees and toward another beautiful bridge, this one painted a rich, vibrant cobalt, where I come across the first people I’ve seen since I fled.
I consider asking them for assistance, but discard the thought just as quickly. While the Upperworld is rumored to be friendly, the fact is, I’m a stranger in a strange land. I don’t know the rules. I can’t take the chance. So I tuck my chin to my chest and jog briskly past. Only to have one of them say, “Slow down, newbie—there’s no reason to hurry!” as the other one laughs.