Chapter 12

  Realm Sea

  As they neared the ground and the branches thinned, Ari caught sight of a vast lake. The tree’s roots spilled into the body of water like a waterfall trapped in time. They landed on one of the gnarled roots and Hannah pulled something from one of the pouches on her belt that resembled a kazoo. Before Ari could ask what it was, she put it to her lips and the device made a distinct quacking sound that revealed it to be a duck call. This realization only created more confusion, but the confusion was a nice reprieve from heart-crushing fear and worry.

  The sound from the call echoed across the water. A beat of silence and then a reply, though this sound was far deeper than the one made by the call. From around a bend in the distance, a large form appeared. Through the gloom it was difficult to discern what exactly it was. At first Ari thought it was a boat, but then the boat grew a neck and head. She watched as it drew closer, wondering what sort of creature her friend had summoned, until it entered a patch of moonlight.

  It was a duck. A massive duck. A duck of unimaginable proportions. Ari stared, open mouthed, as the chubby-cheeked avian pull up to the roots and greeted them with a friendly quack.

  “That’s a . . . big duck,” Ari said.

  “Yep,” Hannah said.

  Silence.

  “Okay,” Ari said.

  The duck rotated so that it’s side was up against the roots. Hannah climbed onto its back, waving for Ari to follow. She shrugged and got on. Things here were weird, there was no point in questioning it.

  Hannah put the duck call to her lips and released a short quack. The duck swam forward, carrying them away Pine Haven. The sounds of battle dimmed as they crossed the lake. Bright flashes like lightning could occasionally be glimpsed through the branches. The house-sized bonfires the giants built flickered in the distance. Their droning voices were an eerie accompaniment to the explosions above the canopy.

  Each distant blast or roar sent bolts of fear racing up and down Ari’s spine. In need of a distraction, she struck up a conversation.

  “So . . . you’ve been to Taitamar, right? What’s it like there?”

  “Its wild. All sorts of people. There’s humans, dragons, weirdlings, spirits, and magi, all living together. You can go to the bodega to get a drink and see griffins perched on the roof like pigeons,” Hannah said.

  That made Ari smile.

  “What’s it like living with dragons? Do they have dragon sized houses?” she asked.

  Hannah laughed.

  “No, they in the mountain above the city. They’ll come down in human form to go to school or just to hang out. The realm belongs to them, they just share it with us smaller beings, but they seem to enjoy our company. From what Elysia’s told me, most dragon realms aren’t so cosmopolitan. Taitamar’s kind of an experiment.”

  As they fell into silence, Ari let her mind knit an image of a world where humans and dragons shared school rooms and streets. The market in Pine Haven had been just as diverse as what Hannah described, with beings of all kinds walking about. Would Taitamar be similar? Just less arboreal?

  Ari yawned. Her adrenaline was running out and the lack of sleep and the exertion of the last couple of days was weighing her down. She bitterly wished she could have enjoyed a full night’s sleep in a bed, who knew when she’d get that chance again. At least the duck was soft. She started nodding off.

  “Its gonna be a while before we can stop and rest. Here,” Hannah said as she pulled a small box from her belt-pouch and handed it over.

  Ari took it and popped open the top. She sighed, the chocolate covered coffee beans inside smelled divine.

  “Two of those will give you a boost, don’t take any more than that though. They’re strong,” Hannah said.

  She wasn’t wrong. Ari took two of the candies and chewed them, scrunching her nose at the bitter tang of the coffee bean. The moment she swallowed them a rush of caffeine chased away her weariness. Espresso took more time to kick in than these. Ari examined the box again and noticed the large “enchanted and enhanced” on the cover.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  I should really read the label before eating stuff here, she thought to herself.

  Hannah took one before returning the box to her pouch. Silence fell. Caffeinated and twitchy, Ari searched for another topic of conversation, but it was Hannah who spoke first.

  “We’re almost to the rift. Can you feel it?” she asked.

  Ari did feel something. A dull ripple in the distance, not unlike what she’d felt when she and Boreal entered the tree gate. The world around them was . . . thin, like a curtain that could be pulled aside at any moment.

  “I think so. What’s a rift?” she asked.

  “They’re like . . . .” Hannah shook her head as she changed course in her search for the right words. “Okay, so first of all, every world has a veil around it, kinda like a shield or bubble. It keeps things out and in. A rift is a thin place in the veil, a weak point you can pierce if you know how. Gates are clean openings in a rift, they seal up right after you cross and don’t leave room for things to follow you. Tears though, are messy, and they can take days to seal back up without help, letting just about anything come and go. Any being with a drop of magic can sense them for miles too. A lot of humans end up lost in the wilds after encountering a Tear. You’ll know if one’s near by. They make your head all swimy.”

  Ari thought back to the Waffle Witch, she’d said something about helping the lost.

  “Do people really get sucked into the Wilds that often?”

  “Oh yeah. That’s why the guilds were created in the first place. The founders banded together to rescue other lost humans. The Strongholds help too,” Hannah said.

  “But aren’t they the bad guys?”

  “Casimir and his goons sure are. I’ve been to Halcyon Stronghold though, most of the people are fine, it’s the ones in charge that suck. Just about everyone thinks Casimir’s rule is extreme, but he has the Council of Magi wrapped around his fingers, and as long as the citizens believe he was chosen by the Eye, they wont oppose him. The Eye of Hazeon only chooses the just and wise after all.”

  “But he wasn’t chosen by the Eye, right?” Ari asked.

  Hannah shook her head. “Yep. He and the Council convinced the Strongholds that he was chosen, but it’s a flat out lie. The Eye only chooses a new Archmage when the previous one dies or willingly voids the position. Your Dad’s still alive.”

  Ari was silent for a moment as she took in Hannah’s words.

  “I don’t think my dad wants to be Archmage. When we faced Casimir, he said it wasn’t his duty anymore.”

  “Then the Eye will choose someone new and when it does, it’ll wont be long before the truth gets out, and everyone see’s Casimir for the liar he is. He’ll have to work double-time to keep the Eye’s revelation a secret. From what I’ve read, its hard to miss when it activates.”

  “Casimir thinks it’ll choose me,” Ari said, hugging her knees to her chest. “But I don’t want all that respnsibility. I’m not even out of High School yet. I can barely stand doing homework every night.”

  “I mean, maybe you’d make a good Archmage. You aren’t hungry for power, that’s usually a sign of a good leader.”

  Ari shook her head, black hair whipping around her face.

  “No thanks, no way.”

  Hannah shrugged. “We won’t know until we know right? But I wouldn’t worry about it. I doubt the Eye would choose someone unwilling.”

  The duck quacked softly in its throat. The rift was all around them now, invisible, but tactile, present, and heavy. It seemed to Ari that if she reached out, she could tear it apart with her hands like tissue paper. The sound of lapping waves increased, but it didn’t come from the still lake. It came from beyond.

  “You’ve been through the Wilds, but have you seen the Realm Sea?” Hannah asked.

  “Isn’t that where we are now?”

  “It’s where we’re about to be.” Hannah held out a hand, pulled a silver bangle from her wrist, and tossed it into the air. The silver ring spun, hovering for far longer than gravity should have allowed. A spark burst into an aurora neatly contained within the silver circle. The bangle expanded, growing until its circumference was wide enough for the duck to swim through into the light.

  Ari shut her eyes as they crossed the veil, raw energy prickling her skin. When the sensation subsided, she opened them, fully expecting another forest bathed in mist, but her heart skipped a beat. There was no forest, only the black, swallowing void of space, dotted with pinprick stars, and the watercolor smudges of distant galaxies. An ocean of inky water rippled below, reflecting the dying light of the gate as it shut behind them. Lapping water and her and Hannah’s breathing were the only sounds.

  “We’re in space,” Ari said.

  “Yeah, the Realm Sea,” Hannah said as she scooped her bangle out of the water.

  “How are we breathing? How’s there water here?”

  Hannah shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s magic.”

  “What do you mean you don’t know? You brought us here!” Ari asked incredulously.

  “Listen, I’ve only been doing this for two years. You can’t expect me to know everything,” Hannah said. “Just stay on the duck. If you fall into the sea, you fall forever. It’s not really water, just looks like it.”

  “How’s the duck swimming then?”

  There was a long pause.

  “He’s a very special duck,” Hannah said.

  The bird gave a chipper reply, almost as if he knew they were speaking of him, and wiggled his tail feathers. Hannah reached into her pouch and fed him a handful of something. Ari gave a short laughed and shook her head. Every answer was followed by a trail of new questions, but she was getting tired of asking.

  Shooting stars streaked across the starry dome above them. Ari watched them go, wondering when she’d see her fathers again. What if Casimir killed them? What if Hannah never reunited with Elyisa again? Fresh tears pricked at her eyes, hot and salty.

  “Do you think they’ll be okay?” Ari asked.

  Hannah didn’t respond right away. She watched the false current coarse around the duck’s sides as it swam along. “We won’t know until we know, but I trust Elysia’s strength. I don’t think your dads’ will go down easy either. Casimir wouldn’t need so much help if they weren’t a real threat.”

  “I hope your right,” Ari said resting her head on her crossed arms. Despite the caffeine still running in her veins, the sound of false waves quickly lulled her to sleep.