Page 4 of Bound to the Orc Ranger

But I no longer need to see to know where I must go.

My body spins, turning west, pulled like a lodestone. My goddess has called me, bound me to a quest far greater than the one my brother laid on me.

I will travel however far I must.

For the next time the Moon Goddess offers a sky gift, it is mine.

CHAPTER THREE

Olivia

Time means nothing in the light. It carries me for a split-second or a century, the whole of creation spinning around me in a dizzying rush.

My head still whirls, so it takes me a bit to realize I’m no longer moving, my hands and knees resting on something hard. I clutch at the gritty surface—stone. Brightness still blinds me, that sweet, floral wind rushing over my face. The hauntingly beautiful song chimes one last run of soul-piercing notes before quieting.

I crack open my eyes just in time to see a funneling wisp of light flow upward, growing smaller as it shrinks to a tiny dot that disappears with one last tinkling bell tone.

The darkness of true night descends as my eyes struggle to adjust. Then tiny dots appear directly in front of me. What in the world? How can there be stars down at ground level where am I?

My fingers try to dig into the rock I rest on, as if a better purchase will anchor my existence.

A faint vibration hums through the stone, growing stronger the harder I press. New lights appear, closer ones, as crystals embedded in the rocky surface brighten. My necklace warms again, glowing. I force a hand away from the rock to grip my crystal pendant.

It gleams, denser light swirling inside like smoke. Zips of electricity shoot through me, but they don’t hurt. Quite the opposite. Energy courses through me, a feeling ofpotential.

But potential what? Magic?

Why the hell do I feel like I can do magic?

“I want to be home in bed.” Yet as soon as the words leave my mouth, I know they’re not true. I tried to turn my little closet of a room into a home, lining the walls with posters of favorite movies and spreading Nonna’s quilt across my bed. But it never quite gelled. And I worked so much that my roommates remained acquaintances instead of becoming friends.

“Okay, wishes I don’t mean don’t work.” At least the necklace acts like a light. I lift it higher and glance around, gasping when I realize I’m perched on top of a tall rock. Flattening to my stomach, I inch my head out over an edge, dangling the pendant. The sides of the gray stone are sheer, without a single handhold, and it’s at least twenty feet to the ground. I’m not getting down without breaking something.

“I wish I was safely on the ground.” This one Idomean, but it still doesn’t work. I shake the necklace, as if that’s going to “fix” it, then snort in amusement.

“Give me the power of flight.” Nope. “Build me a staircase to the ground.” Nothing. “Bring me rope.” Niente.

I keep trying, each ask growing wilder, each ask ignored, though I should probably be glad a wish didn’t turn me into a bird or a flying carpet, because how would I ever change back? Eventually, I fall silent and look up from my pendant.

The stone stands in a small clearing, surrounded by trees. It’s too dark to tell what kind. The small dots of light I saw earlier fly through them, some near, some far. Not stars—fireflies! Blue fireflies. Is there such a thing? Overhead, the tiny specks of actual stars wink at me from a purple-black sky unlit by a moon.

My phone! Duh. I yank it from my back pocket, and the familiar lockscreen photo of Nonna smiles up at me. The GPS locator gives me an error code, and I have zero bars and no wifi. I tap the emergency call button, praying it still works, but it doesn’t connect. Who would believe me anyway? If I told the cops I got sucked up into a big ball of light and don’t know where I am, they’d think I was stoned, drunk, or prank calling.

I turn off my phone to save the battery and slip it back in my pocket. Any rescue is going to have to come from here, wherever here is.

“Hello? Can someone help me?”

The fireflies freeze for a few seconds, then flit about in a frenzy, moving far faster than any bug should.

I call out again, but only the wind answers, shushing through the trees in a breeze that carries a hint of chill. Thank god it’s not winter, but it’s also not warm like Chicago in summer. As if I need another reminder that I’m far from home.

Moving back to the very center of the rock, I sit, hugging my knees to my chest. The rush of energy leaves me, and I ache to lie down and sleep, but I’m afraid I’ll roll off.

My necklace dims, turning back into the regular-looking piece of quartz it’s always been.

Its light seemed magical when glowing. Ifeltmagical then, too.

But it’s just another dream.

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