Page 7 of Secrets of Avalon

“Fuck!” I stomp my foot, frustrated to be yanked back to reality out of the place–wherever the place is–-it’s something. Maybe Avalon. Maybe a way to Avalon.

A bullet slams into the door beside me, shattering the stone and sending shards biting into my arm. I cover my face and duck down. Panic and adrenaline race through my system making me feel like I could punch a hole in this door if I hit it hard enough.

When I turn around, my father is still firing at the entrance. But I can see the red flame insignia on the uniforms of our attackers, confirming they are indeed Inquisitors–Hunters, killers, executioners of anyone with magick.

And if they are at the chamber door. They’ve gotten past Margo, Dottie, and Lars… A lump forms in my throat. Which means they’re… I can’t complete the thought.

Nausea churns in my stomach.

I lean against the door, trying to steady myself. But then, just as abruptly as before, I’m back in that other place.

I shout at the man. I have seconds before my father dies. Before I die.

Hawke Stormblood

“How do I get the door open?” she pleads, tears running down her cheeks. Her voice is frantic. Terrified.

My body, mind, and soul scream to save her. To do anything, everything, to pull her from danger. I battle through the current in the stream, but barely make any progress. Something is keeping me from reaching her. Probably my own damn mind.

The last thing I want is for her to be a figment of my imagination… or madness. And what if she’s not. What if she is real?

“Stay there,” I command, even though she appears to be trapped, without any real choice.

But maybe she does have a choice. Maybe she’s shifting between realms on her own accord.

Her scent, a distinct citrus fragrance, now stands out amid the damp earthiness of the water and trees. It’s her glow, though, that truly holds me captive–a soft light pulsing beneath her shirt at her collarbone. It sings to me like a fucking siren’s song, blocking out everything but it. There’s something about her. Something I desperately need. Something I would sacrifice my life to protect.

I’m more than halfway to her. A half dozen more paces and I’ll be on the other side of the stream. I’ll have her in my arms.

“I need you to do something. Please!” she begs again.

And I want to. I want to do anything, everything to save her, but in my next breath, she vanishes.

“No!” The word rips from my throat, a desperate plea into the emptiness. I surge forward, my heart racing, my spirit shouting into the abyss. “Come back! Give her back!” The words echo, hollow and unfulfilled. Scrambling up the bank, I circle the spot where she stood mere seconds ago, my eyes searching for any sign of her. For any clue. “Where are you?”

My chest heaves with frantic breaths, each one a mix of frustration and burning need. She was here. Right here. And now she’s gone.

The world lurches, and I find myself back in the Hall of Realms, face-to-face with a growling Wraith Shadowbear.

Fuck!

Melinda Mayweather

I’m back. Again. He was so close, just a heartbeat away from reaching me. If only we could have touched… maybe that would’ve opened the door and changed everything.

“Ahhhhhh!” I unleash a guttural scream and slam my hands against the cold, unyielding stone. I pound on it, over and over, each thud a plea. “Let me in!”

Nothing happens. “Please!” My scream dissolves into a wail, tears streaming unchecked down my face. I’ve failed. Failed everyone. “Please!”

There’s no answer. No more mystery man.

I turn away from the mocking silence of the stone, my heart sagging in defeat. Where’s my dad?

I see him.

He’s crouched behind the pool’s short wall. But he’s not firing his gun. He’s barely moving. Fear cinches around my heart. I rush and dive down to the ground beside him.

“Dad.” My voice is a whisper, choked with tears. I reach out, touching his arm, but he doesn’t react. “Dad?”

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