Swift Magic (The Swift Codex Book 2) by Nicolette Jinks

to cushion the blows.
     
    We didn't see the woman who had screamed, though we felt for her on the walkway and examined every place we could find nearby. It was as if she'd never been there. Grimly, I wondered if she had fallen into the lake, but I didn't see her nor did I hear any splashing.
     
    “Where are the others?” Mordon called over the noise of the rain and wind.
     
    “Find them,” I yelled back. Though we were mere inches from each other, it was hard to hear even these short words. “Pavilion?”
     
    If there was a problem, I imagined that the pavilion would be the place where people would gather. It was hard to imagine them leaving us if there was trouble, though. The wind whistled and howled again, and we both crouched and clutched the railing as water drenched our clothes. I gasped, every bit of energy I had been throwing at it was just gone with no change of conditions.
     
    “Here,” Mordon wrenched open a door to another one of the wagons. We burst into the stale peace, panting. Our eyes adjusted to the blackness.
     
    The beds lay unmade, a pillow on the floor. No one occupied the place.
     
    “Where are they?”
     
    “I don't know,” Mordon said.
     
    “Why would they just leave?”
     
    “Something is wrong.”
     
    “It is. I can't control the wind, not one bit.”
     
    Mordon leaned against the door as wind struck it. The entire wagon rocked. My own fear reflected in Mordon's eyes.
     
    “Pavilion. It has the strongest defenses, right?” he asked.
     
    “Yes.”
     
    I opened the door, the wind caught it, and with a sharp snap, the storm cracked the door straight off its hinges, dropping it with a crash into the lake below.
     
    “Move,” Mordon yelled and jumped to the walkway. My feet slipped on wet wood, but Mordon's arm kept me upright. The boards groaned and heaved. We clutched the railing, forcing our way against the storm. I was aware of a deeper groaning, of the rattling wagon battering against its tether, but I didn't look behind us. The shaking loosened boards and made progress more treacherous. My foot found an empty slat. Then the whole walk bucked beneath us, we braced, and the walk slammed back down. There was a grating crunch, and the wagon we'd been in was just gone.
     
    We slid along the rest of the walkway without daring to say a word. Destruction was everywhere. The whole while the wind howled in our ears and rain tried to tip us into the lake. Wagons were gone or torn into shreds. When the wind took a breath, the place smelled of burnt fur and blood. Jagged breaks in the railing cut into my palm. Most disconcerting of all, there was no sign of life.
     
    The strangeness of the day made this seem a dream. Why did the Wildwoods put their visitors through such vigorous testing? Was it even a test, or was it a state of nature? Drenched, cold to the bone, and shaken from the unresponsive wind, I crossed into the quiet of the pavilion.
     
    A place which wouldn't tumble into the lake! I gasped with fear and relief, resting my hands on my knees. Mordon slumped to the floor, swiped his face with his sleeve, succeeding in smearing a bit of blood or dirt across his forehead. We could hear the distant pounding of the storm on the barrier. No one else was with us. Dust covered the floor. When I wiped my finger in the cauldron, I felt powdered remains of soup, too dry for a couple of hours ago.
     
    “The time line’s all wrong!”
     
    I couldn't help exclaiming it. A flame appeared in Mordon's hand. He was on his feet, looking for whatever had startled me. Only when his eyes settled on mine did I blush. I hastened to explain.
     
    “Do you feel full?”
     
    “What?”
     
    “I feel starving, like I haven't eaten.”
     
    His brows narrowed and he said, “That wasn't a meal. It was half a snack.”
     
    The lightning struck the defenses, breaking apart in a sphere all around us and illuminating the water.
     
    “That's not the point. We haven't eaten anything, that's