The back of Zika’s shop leads down to a basement. I accept the offered cup, but I do not drink. For this, I need a clear head. Zika plops down on his cushions of plush pillows. He chugs his beverage and then lounges back with an air of expectation. Unlike earlier, he wears a pair of loose-fitted trousers. I lean back against the cool cobbled wall. While the upper area of the shop and Zika’s pce of dwelling is sweltering, the basement is cool. On the right are bookshelves with a mountain of more plush pillows on the floor. Strange, I would have thought Zika to have a room dedicated to his books, but this room appears to be a pce where he lounges and tinkers with potion making.

  “Portals. What do you know of portals that can bring others from a different world?” I ask, drawing the conversation back to the matter at hand. The night is growing te and I am ready to return to my mate. Leaving her alone, while guarded, fills me with a level of unease I am unaccustomed to. Will it ever get easier? This need to always be around her? I doubt it. Not when I know the horrors of this world. The things that go left unsaid.

  I need to keep this conversation on track and make haste. My skin itches with the need to crawl into the bed and breathe in her scent.

  “Different world? Seven hells, Roharu. That’s just a saying. It isn’t meant to be taken seriously. Portals don’t take others from different realms. Hells, if one is close to death’s door, a portal conjuring to just the other room could kill an orc.”

  “The saintess isn’t a fake. At least I do not believe her to be one at the moment. But she is not from here.”

  He rubs his chin and then scratches at his chest. “You expect me to believe the saintess is from another world? Tch.” Zika stands and strides over to the tall brown cabinet with dragons etched into the sides. He pulls out a bottle of alcohol and pours it into his cup. “Say I entertain this. How would one pull someone from another world? Do you realize the sheer amount of magic that would take? Portals aren’t something you can just create with a flick of your wrist. One wrong move and your lifespan is drained.”

  I gnce at the cup in my hand and gulp down the liquid. Damn. This drink is strong. “Her manner of speaking is strange...” I stare at the brown liquid and then look up, meeting Zika’s gaze. “If it were any other, I would tell you what you want to hear and be done with it. Because it takes a level of magic that is absurd does not mean it cannot be done.” My jaw ticks. The situation reeks of malicious intent.

  “Spit it out.” Zika pours the rest of the bottle into his cup. “You truly think someone or—” He stops and presses his lips together in concentration. Zika shakes his head and mutters to himself. “A group of mages, perhaps. Or a pool of magic could make it happen.”

  “A pool of magic? The cupcake assassins use portals to move around,” I say slowly, keeping my face bnk.

  Zika barks out a ugh. “Ah, those things? I like to forget they even exist.” He lifts the cup to his mouth and stares at me over the rim. “But you have a point. They use portals, but their portals aren’t strong enough to pull someone from another world. Sure, they may transport a head or a finger, but they aren’t transporting bodies. And certainly not living ones.” He leans against the cabinet and sips from his drink. “Why bring a saintess or even a fake from another world?”

  “Control?” I shrug. “The number of saintess and saints born every century grows fewer. It takes power to keep the capital safe. Power to keep the vilges safe. There were no wards when I approached. Only two guards at the front.”

  Surprise fshes across his face and I still. What is that look for?

  “There are wards around the temple.”

  I push off the wall and set my half-empty cup on the small circur wooden table. “Perhaps they are active or were active when you went, but they were not when I approached. The saintess called out to me despite my shadows hiding me from view. I was not on the grounds long, but from the time I was there, I came across no runes or wards.” The door to my room in the inn is more heavily guarded than the temple.

  “The saintess must have a thing for you then,” he says with a chuckle. “No one has seen her. We only know it is a saintess and not a saint because word was sent out about the new procedures.”

  “Then she has a death wish. I have a mate.”

  He chortles. “Hells, drink some more from your cup. It was a joke. You say there are no wards, and I am telling you that there are. Either the saintess is the real deal, and she lowered them for you.” He sombers and exhales. “Or the magic is fading. Creating portals is not the only thing that requires an immense amount of magic. The temple takes a lot to maintain. Even if the other members are not as powerful as the saintess, they still contribute.”

  My tail swishes behind me. We are talking in circles.

  “I have gathered the information you requested, and that is all I will do. Whatever the temple is up to does not concern me.”

  He scoffs. “It concerns everyone. Perhaps not in this century or in the next, but if they are scheming. Bringing others from different worlds, as you so eloquently proposed, then what? Their schemes will not stop at the capital. It would spread like a disease. Suffocating everyone until it is too te.”

  I grit my teeth. Megan may give up on the notion of finding more information, but Chloe is a wild card, and if she pushes, then she may convince Megan to help. How frustrating. Getting involved in matters that can bring harm to my mate.

  “Why did you think she came from a different realm and not a different region?”

  I blow out a breath and run my hand through my hair. “We encountered a dungeon on our way to the capital. It was controlled by a mage that had humans. Female humans. He wanted my mate for her magic. Humans are abundant in it.” I lift one shoulder and shrug. “The humans were dressed in strange clothing, though some were clothing of this region. The world is vast, but I would expect a human living in the capital to know common items.” I pull out the herb from my pocket. “The saintess did not know what this was. It was on the temple grounds, and she believed it to be useful in healing.”

  Zika clucks his tongue and then pinches the bridge of his nose. “Give me some time to dig into portals. She could be that na?ve.” He stares at the herb in my palm and frowns. “How long will you be in the capital?”

  “Not long,” I reply, not giving a definite answer. Zika is straightforward, and we have known each other for a century, but my mate’s life is on the line. I do not want her anywhere near the temple. The rate at which her powers are growing is a cause for concern because it is that power they crave. They cannot have her. “You know how to get in contact with me if need be.”

  He rolls his eyes. “Still so cold after all these years.” He waves a hand in the air. “I will walk you to the door. Be careful on your way out. There is an unrest settling on the streets like snow. It is heavy and others are taking notice.”

  I keep silent. Zika has given me much to think on. I do not want Megan near the drama, but ignoring it could cause the situation to grow unfavorably.

  What a pain.

  ***

  I make my steps heavy as I walk down the hall to my room. Katsuro yawns and turns his head in my direction. He brightens when he sees me and meets me halfway. His eyes lighten to a green that is more turquoise in hue.

  Strange.

  Is he that happy to see me return? For a demon, he shows his emotions freely.

  “Thank you for keeping watch,” I say, csping my hand on his shoulder. “We will talk ter, but for now, all is well.”

  He opens his mouth as though he wants to say more, but changes his mind. Katsuro nods and takes a step back. “In the morning then.”

  I nod and then unlock the door to my room. It is dark, save for Apollo’s glowing eyes. He lies in the middle of the floor in his natural form with his hooves tucked under him. With a subtle jerk of his head, he acknowledges me and then dips his head toward Megan. My brows furrow. Did something happen while I was away? Katsuro did not speak a word of something being amiss.

  Megan sifts and groans. I slide the cloak off and pce my daggers on the table. A nightmare, perhaps? I slide into the bed, pulling the cover back and then pull her close.

  “Roharu? Where’d you go?” she murmurs, voice thick with sleep.

  “I was curious about the temple. About the saintess. I only went to gather information, nothing more.” I breathe in her scent. She smells of the flowery frequent soap she insisted on buying from the inn. “Did you have a bad dream?”

  She turns, so she is facing me. “Didn’t feel like a dream. Felt like I was watching a movie.”

  “A what?”

  “Movie. It’s like...” she sighs. “It’s like watching someone act out a scene in a book, but you can watch it from the comfort of your home or you could go somewhere and watch it.”

  “So like a py, then?”

  “Yes—wait, you have pys here?”

  I kiss the top of her head. My tail brushes against her legs. “Focus. What did you dream of that had caused you such turmoil?” I make a mental note to find a py before we leave for the vilge.

  “There was a group of men. They were wearing dark hoods with a weird symbol on the back. It was circur, kind of like a sun, but there were sharp lines around it. They were trying to summon something. It felt like I was there, almost, but I couldn’t interact. I even tried changing the dream, but nothing worked. And there was a mirror. It was weird. Cursed even. They had the mirror in the circle with some kind of spells on the floor.” She blows out a breath and presses her face closer to my chest. “Can’t really expin it. Just that it felt wrong. Felt like an alien or something was going to climb out of the mirror and go on a rampage. I think it’s all the stress getting to me.”

  Hooded figures? That cupcake received his orders from those wearing hoods. It could be nothing. Many who wish to keep their identities hidden wear hoods or masks. But her dream, combined with the mysteries surrounding the temple, gives me pause. I will regret this, but the decision is up to Megan.

  “Do you wish to visit the temple in the morning?”

  “You think they could make sense of it? It’s honestly just a dream. I’ve had bad dreams before. They don’t mean anything.”

  “Such as?”

  “Roharu, I’m half awake. I can’t think of an example right now,” she grumbles, and then a moment ter she relents. “Common dreams of falling. Sometimes I’d be walking in my apartment and then the next I’d be falling. I usually wake up at that point because my body jerks awake from the feeling.”

  “Ah, so you dreamed of falling and yet you fell into this world?”

  “The act of falling is common. I looked it up once.” She sniffs. “Besides, I thought you were so against us going to the temple?”

  “As long as you do not bring any attention to yourself, it should be fine. We will not go there to engage in battle, but to gather more information. There were no wards, yet Zika cims the temple is heavily guarded.”

  “From assassin to world saver,” she jokes.

  My upper lip curls back in disgust. I am not the saving type, though recent actions suggest otherwise. “Get your rest. We will stay here but one more night.”

  From the floor, Apollo huffs and sps his tail on the rug. I roll my eyes. The kelpie will simply have to get over it and don his human disguise until we leave.

  “You took it well,” I say after a moment. “About my past.”

  Megan hums. “I always take you well.”

  I chuckle, content to listen to the sound of her breathing evening out. If it comes to it, I will burn the capital to the ground to protect my mate. My tail wraps around her leg.

  “Peaceful dreams, Vixen.”

  AutumnBanks

  Thanks for reading! Wishing you an amazing week. Take care!