Sometimes you can meet yourself in mirror worlds. That’s why I went to the Vampire plane after the whole incident that basically ruined my life. I wanted to see if there was a version of my parents there. I was seeking solace from the only being who might be able to forgive me. I was looking for home.
But if you ever go to the Vampire plane, you won’t find Daniel Donovan or Zoey Wharton. They don’t exist.
And I can’t get to the Earth plane.
When you really think about it, I’m an orphan. My parents are so far from me, it’s kind of like they’re dead.
I was thinking about them as I ran from the army chasing me. I wish I could say that was an oddball thing to happen, but I get chased by armies far too often.
Most of them are led by a male named Turi.
I was running from him that day when the woman from the Earth plane landed in the middle of the field. She landed right in the path I needed to take, right before I got to the forest I’d planned to hide in until I could find a way to get back home without bringing an army down on my small, cobbled-together family. I could hear Turi’s elite force coming after me. Luckily it wasn’t his full army. That might have raised questions the barbarian didn’t want to answer. Even that massive ass had some political savvy.
I was moving toward the hill that would lead me to the edge of the forest when the sky seemed to open up and a woman fell to the ground with a resounding thud.
I hadn’t been aware there was a doorway here. I knew this plane pretty well because I’d taken refuge here from time to time. I stayed on the move for the most part, but I had a small brugh here that I felt comfortable using, and more importantly I felt comfortable leaving my companions in. This particular plane had no real name. It was one of the forgotten planes, one where faery creatures roamed but no real civilization had taken root. It was easy to access, but I hadn’t seen a doorway open like that before.
I thought briefly about avoiding the woman because I don’t have the best of luck with new people. They often turn out to be assassins or bounty hunters. I gave real consideration to blowing right past her, but she stood and looked around, confusion plain on her face. She had long brown hair and dark eyes that took in the field around her. She wasn’t Fae. That was easy to see since she was wearing pants that hadn’t at one point in time had a face. The Fae are big on making their own clothes, and usually women wore flowy dresses and braided flowers in their hair. Not this one. She wore a pair of pants I immediately identified as jeans—thank you Vampire plane. There was panic in those eyes as she looked up, trying to see the doorway, but it had already closed.
She hadn’t meant to come here. That was pretty clear, and she was female which meant she would be fair game to Turi’s troops. They would do unspeakable things to her. All the things Turi planned to do to me.
“Hey, hey!” I couldn’t leave her there. I changed course slightly, running toward her. “Hello. I don’t know where you’re from, but my name is Summer and you need to come with me.” Her eyes had gone wide and she was staring at me like seeing another person here was a huge shock. “Unless you’re evil. Then I would like to know up front.”
She stared at me for a precious moment before she seemed to decide I wasn’t a threat. “I’m Kelsey. Totally not evil.”
There was something weird about the way she looked at me. Like she couldn’t believe I was standing there. There was a bit of wonder in her eyes, but I didn’t have time right then to figure out what was going on. I reached out and took her hand. “Good, then we should run because there’s an army behind me and they’re planning on killing everyone.”
Everyone except me. Me they would take back to their leader where I would face a fate worse than death. But they would definitely kill this lady, and I had enough blood on my hands. So much blood on my hands. Sometimes I’m glad I can’t find my parents because they would be so ashamed of me.
Or they wouldn’t acknowledge me at all because I wasn’t truly their child. I shook off the thought and started to run, praying this Kelsey woman could keep up.
That turned out to not be a problem at all. She easily ran beside me.
“Have you seen a couple of men standing around out here?” If the pace bothered her, it wasn’t in her tone. She wasn’t even breathing hard as we reached the hill. She simply followed me up and then down toward the forest.
“Yes. A whole bunch of them,” I replied. “They’re the ones trying to kill me. We have to hide.”
“Oh, not those,” she said. “I’m talking about a tall dude all in white and a shorter but equally attractive one in a suit. Do you know what a suit is? I’ve never been off plane before so I don’t know what’s normal here.”
We hit the tree line as the first arrow struck the ground beside me, a warning shot. A shadow fell over us as we left the vibrant light of the field we’d been in. It seemed quieter in the forest, but then I heard the sound I’d been praying to avoid—the sound of an arrow burying itself in flesh.
I glanced over and Kelsey dropped to her knees, the arrow sticking out of her shoulder. Bright red blood had already appeared on the jacket she wore, and I knew I was about to get another person killed.
How long would I keep going? How many innocent people would have to die so I could be free? My stomach turned as I realized I had a choice. I could exchange myself for this stranger or I could keep running.
Erna would watch over the young magician I’d been protecting recently. She would take Dean back to the Vampire plane where his mother lived, and he would be all right. He would find a way to fulfill his destiny. He only thought he needed me.
“Fuck, that hurts.” Kelsey was on all fours. She would likely collapse and be utterly helpless in seconds. Humans could be fragile.
“It’s okay. You’re going to be all right. I’m the one they’re after.” I had no idea why she was here or where she’d come from, but I suddenly knew I couldn’t let her die. “You need to hide in the forest. There’s a lake about ten minutes from here. Find it. There’s a trail that will lead you to a village. It looks deserted but it isn’t. There’s a woman there named Erna. She’ll take care of you. Tell her not to come looking for me. She’ll only get herself killed. Tell her to go to the Vampire plane. If I can get away, I’ll seek them out there.”
I stepped in front of her as Turi’s men reached the tree line. He’d sent one of his generals, a man named Kor who had a black hole where his soul should have been. He ran Turi’s elite unit, the ones who came in quick and got the job done. He had more blood on his hands than I did, and that was saying something. He stood a good foot taller than me, a testament to the other side of his nature. He was mostly sidhe, but I believed the rumors that his father had been a demon who’d raped his mother during battle. His eyes always had the slightest tinge of red to them.
He was one of the most brutal males I’d ever met, and he would likely hurt the hell out of me before he handed me over to his commander. I would have to be careful and sly. I would have to wait for my chance. We would have days before he could get me back to his home plane. That would leave me many chances to slip away, and if I managed to slit his throat on the way out, I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity.