Horatio—the only male jinni among us—planned to do now. I wondered if his people would punish him if he returned. Whatever the case, he decided to tag along with us.
When we climbed out of the lake from our brief bath, we had to forge on to the mountains… where our real problems would begin.
Ben
B efore leaving for Canada , I briefed the jinn about what was required of them—that I was indebted to a fae, and they needed to help me pay off this debt. Of course, I still wasn’t able to tell them exactly what the fae wanted their assistance with, for I had no idea myself.
Although they were still in a daze, I was relieved that at least there was no resistance on their part. Aisha, having recovered a large part of her family, was less weak from mourning. Even though the others were worn, they all agreed to help me, including Nuriya.
And so together we left Lake Nasser—everyone except for the dragons. I told my family and River that they did not need to come with us, but they insisted. We traveled by the jinns’ magic toward the mountain portal where I was due to meet Sherus in just a couple of hours’ time. As we reached the peak and gazed down at its smooth snow-clad surface, we caught sight of a lone figure already waiting there. Sherus was early. Goosebumps ran along my skin, and I instinctively held River closer.
This is it.
As we touched down, my stomach clenched as he turned around to face us all. He raised a brow, as though surprised I’d kept my word. Then he moved closer, his brilliant amber eyes fixed on my jinn companions. He cleared his throat.
“I’m glad you came,” he said.
I nodded curtly, then gestured toward the jinn on either side of me. “These jinn are willing to assist you in whatever your request is,” I said. “Now would you please give a briefing on what exactly you need from them?”
“Naturally,” Sherus said. “Come with me.” He gestured toward the gaping portal.
The jinn exchanged uncertain glances with me before we moved forward. I shot a glance at the rest of our group—both vampire and fae—indicating that they stay, but since River was already on my back, and only tightened her grip on me at Sherus’ invitation to follow, I let her stay as she was.
We drifted to the hole and sank inside. Sherus led us through the swirling walls of the tunnel. River filled my right ear with a soft gasp as we emerged in what looked like outer space. The endless, star-speckled void.
“Are you okay?” I whispered to River, suddenly anxious. For a moment I feared that perhaps the atmosphere might not be tolerable for non-subtle beings.
But she replied, “Yes. I’m okay.”
She did not sound like she was suffocating, so I returned my attention to the fae.
“Take us closer to those stars,” Sherus requested the jinn.
He was pointing to the brightest star in view, one that had caught my attention the last time I’d come down here. Obediently, the jinn used their powers to vanish us God knew how many miles closer. When we reached our destination I realized why Sherus had spoken in plural. The “star” I’d seen from a distance was actually four distinct, glowing globes, each with a different hue—white, green, blue, and golden-brown—and very close together. They were aligned in a gentle arc, like a bridge. A bridge of stars.
I looked back to Sherus. His expression was tinged with melancholy. He swallowed before beginning his much-needed explanation. “Those stars you see are the realms of the fae—fae of all elements.”
“What do you mean by elements?”
“Earth, water, fire, and air,” he said, pointing to each of the stars in succession: golden-brown for earth, blue for water, red for fire, and white for air. “Although most fae can affect elements of all kinds, the element toward which a fae is most inclined is that by which he is defined.”
I stared at Sherus’ flaming red hair, and all became clear to me. “You’re a fae of fire, aren’t
When we climbed out of the lake from our brief bath, we had to forge on to the mountains… where our real problems would begin.
Ben
B efore leaving for Canada , I briefed the jinn about what was required of them—that I was indebted to a fae, and they needed to help me pay off this debt. Of course, I still wasn’t able to tell them exactly what the fae wanted their assistance with, for I had no idea myself.
Although they were still in a daze, I was relieved that at least there was no resistance on their part. Aisha, having recovered a large part of her family, was less weak from mourning. Even though the others were worn, they all agreed to help me, including Nuriya.
And so together we left Lake Nasser—everyone except for the dragons. I told my family and River that they did not need to come with us, but they insisted. We traveled by the jinns’ magic toward the mountain portal where I was due to meet Sherus in just a couple of hours’ time. As we reached the peak and gazed down at its smooth snow-clad surface, we caught sight of a lone figure already waiting there. Sherus was early. Goosebumps ran along my skin, and I instinctively held River closer.
This is it.
As we touched down, my stomach clenched as he turned around to face us all. He raised a brow, as though surprised I’d kept my word. Then he moved closer, his brilliant amber eyes fixed on my jinn companions. He cleared his throat.
“I’m glad you came,” he said.
I nodded curtly, then gestured toward the jinn on either side of me. “These jinn are willing to assist you in whatever your request is,” I said. “Now would you please give a briefing on what exactly you need from them?”
“Naturally,” Sherus said. “Come with me.” He gestured toward the gaping portal.
The jinn exchanged uncertain glances with me before we moved forward. I shot a glance at the rest of our group—both vampire and fae—indicating that they stay, but since River was already on my back, and only tightened her grip on me at Sherus’ invitation to follow, I let her stay as she was.
We drifted to the hole and sank inside. Sherus led us through the swirling walls of the tunnel. River filled my right ear with a soft gasp as we emerged in what looked like outer space. The endless, star-speckled void.
“Are you okay?” I whispered to River, suddenly anxious. For a moment I feared that perhaps the atmosphere might not be tolerable for non-subtle beings.
But she replied, “Yes. I’m okay.”
She did not sound like she was suffocating, so I returned my attention to the fae.
“Take us closer to those stars,” Sherus requested the jinn.
He was pointing to the brightest star in view, one that had caught my attention the last time I’d come down here. Obediently, the jinn used their powers to vanish us God knew how many miles closer. When we reached our destination I realized why Sherus had spoken in plural. The “star” I’d seen from a distance was actually four distinct, glowing globes, each with a different hue—white, green, blue, and golden-brown—and very close together. They were aligned in a gentle arc, like a bridge. A bridge of stars.
I looked back to Sherus. His expression was tinged with melancholy. He swallowed before beginning his much-needed explanation. “Those stars you see are the realms of the fae—fae of all elements.”
“What do you mean by elements?”
“Earth, water, fire, and air,” he said, pointing to each of the stars in succession: golden-brown for earth, blue for water, red for fire, and white for air. “Although most fae can affect elements of all kinds, the element toward which a fae is most inclined is that by which he is defined.”
I stared at Sherus’ flaming red hair, and all became clear to me. “You’re a fae of fire, aren’t
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