Olivia Carey had always been one of the most sensible people I’d ever met. “Why would you say that?”
“I say it because I would,” Sarah replied. “We never know how far we’ll go until it happens, but I try to be honest with myself. I could see me doing some pretty dangerous shit to get my power back. I know what the world is like when you don’t have it. I can’t let my family be vulnerable. Any of us, and that’s why we have to figure out what that man is doing.”
“Do we risk talking to the coven about it?” I had kept my circle tight on this one.
Sarah shook her head. “Absolutely not. You have to understand that most of the witches on this plane grew up idolizing the idea of the man. He has groupies, Z. It’s weird and creepy. No. I think there’s only one real way to figure out what’s going on.”
“Hit me.” I needed something to do. Anything. I had to hope if I solved this problem, I got my husband back. Maybe even both of them. If I could prove to Daniel that Myrddin was up to no good, perhaps I could bridge the chasm that had opened between us.
She leaned forward slightly, and her voice went to a whisper. “I need access to his grimoire.”
A chill went through me and then a flare of excitement. A grimoire is a witch’s or wizard’s personal book of spells. It’s more than mere words, though. It’s the sum of a witch’s magical life. It’s everything she or he has learned.
Myrddin’s grimoire would be the most important magic text in existence. At least on this plane.
“It’s here?”
Sarah nodded. “When I get close to his apartment, I can feel it. He’s definitely got it warded because it’s nothing more than a shiver that goes up my spine, but something that powerful leaves a trace even when it’s warded. It’s why I need you to sneak me in. I would ask you to steal the sucker for me, but he would find it. It can’t be completely hidden.”
Except according to my father it could. My father had given me a gift at my coronation. One I’d never really thought about using. It was a bag of holding. Yes, roleplaying was invented by supes and they use a whole lot of our vernacular. This particular bag of holding was a medium-sized sack that looked an awful lot like a shopping tote, until the owner puts something magical in it and closes the top. The bag then disappears. It swallows up the magical item one wants to hide and holds it in a small pocket universe contained in the bag. Therefore no matter how powerful the object was, it couldn’t be detected because it wasn’t actually on the Earth plane.
“I think I might have a way to get you that book.”
There was a pleasant chiming through the speakers and Sarah stood. “That must be the academics. I’ll go let them in. And seriously, you can’t steal it. Don’t even start thinking that way.”
But I already was. My father had given me the bag in private. He’d taken me aside while everyone at the coronation party had been drinking and dancing and playing around with all those crowns. My dad took me aside and made me promise I would hide it from everyone.
You might need this one day. I know you love those boys of yours, but they’re not exactly normal men. This life you’re leading, it’s going to be dangerous. Always. You can’t wear that crown and expect a quiet life. So this bag is only for you. In case you ever need to hide something. Even from Danny and Devinshea. Don’t tell anyone. Keep one secret just for yourself. You could need it one day.
It looked like I would need it today.
* * * *
Kelsey
I could feel myself being pulled into that void. I couldn’t stop it. I tried shoving the sword I held in the ground to use it as leverage, but it didn’t work. The force dragging me toward that darkness was far stronger than I was.
I ended up on my ass, digging the heels of my boots into the soft forest ground. I watched in horror as Kor completely disappeared, as if he had never been there. I was about to go the same way. I could see the tear starting to close, but it wouldn’t be enough, and I didn’t want to find out what would happen if I only went part of the way through.
A thick vine wound around my waist and suddenly grass shot up all around me. One minute I was being dragged across the dirt and the next I was mummified by all that green stuff. I will admit to some claustrophobia. Normally having my entire body wrapped in foliage would make me cranky, but those blades of grass and vibrant vines were strong, far stronger than the sword had proven to be.
“Can you hold her?”
I heard Marcus shout the question as I felt the green stuff tighten around my body. I figured this was probably what it felt like to be swallowed by a really big snake, except without all the digestive enzymes. Still, I was grateful because it felt like I wasn’t going anywhere.
“Yes,” Devinshea replied, though it was really Bris’s voice. I get confused with the whole ascended god thing. “I can hold her until the veil closes, but I don’t know if I can save you, too. Stay where you are. If you get even an inch closer, I worry the void will try to take you.”
“Kelsey, dear, stay calm,” Marcus said. “It’s already beginning to close. When it’s safe, Bris will free you.”
I would have said something but my mouth was covered in cool ivy. God, I hoped it wasn’t poison ivy. I could feel the gravity that tried to pull me toward the darkness, feel Bris tightening his hold. I was in a tug of war between a Green Man and Nothingness. I was going to do everything I could to ensure the Green Dude won. Even if I could barely breathe.
I heard a loud popping sound and then it was like the whole world relaxed.
“Are you all right?” Marcus was at my side as the grass and ivy receded, and I could see and breathe again.
I nodded and let him help me up. When he pulled me into a hug, I went gratefully. I breathed him in because Marcus might not be my lover anymore, but he was still safety and comfort to me. He was still my dearest friend, and I wouldn’t be alive without his good counsel.
“I found you,” I whispered.
I felt him chuckle. “And luckily you also knew how to get my attention. How long have you been here? I did not see you fall. Devinshea and I have tried to stay close to the doorway the painting opened.”
I stepped back and looked to Dev. “I fell into the field a couple of minutes ago, so apparently the doorway shifts around. That sucks. Your wife is scared as hell, Your Grace.”
Dev frowned, his eyes back to normal. “It looked like my wife was here. Who was that?”
I shrugged. “I was hoping to get all that information as soon as I kicked some butt. We didn’t really have time to chat. I hit the ground and then there was a small army after us. Her, really. I’m surprised she ran.”
“This is a trick.” Dev put his hands on his hips and stared out into the forest. “Didn’t Grayson say something about a trick and a trap in one of his prophesies? Sending some creature who can turn into my wife is definitely a trick, but I don’t intend to be trapped here. If she’s the reason we’re here, she can be the reason we get home.”
I didn’t think she was bad. She’d tried to protect me. When she’d had the first chance to run, she hadn’t taken it. It had only been after Marcus and Dev showed up that she seemed to get really scared. Though I wasn’t sure about what had happened. I’d been fighting at the time. “I think the painting itself was the trick and the trap.”