Page 58 of The Sorcerer of Shadowholde

Aurora raised a brow, following her around the table.

“Are you alright, dear?” she asked, but Vita couldn’t speak, all the breath gone from her lungs.

She slammed her eyes shut, and the air grew cold, a brisk wind blowing her raven locks in the enclosed dining room. How?

Slowly, she opened her eyes, her stomach clenching at the sight before her. She was… she was somewhere else, no longer in the warm candlelight of the palace with Aurora, but alone.

Alone in a strange place.

Stars gleamed overhead, swirls of blue and purple smoke spiraling through the sky. The problem was, the sky was everywhere. There was no horizon, no mountains, no land in the distance, just a vast expanse. She stood on black earth, solid enough, but the edge was near, and Vita was afraid of what she’d find if she looked over it.

As her eyes shot around the eerie landscape, tension strained her muscles and she realized she was not as alone as she’d thought. A growl echoed from behind her and she whipped around, her heart racing as a creature approached.

It was as dark as a shadow, prowling on all fours with a fearsome snarl. No eyes or features beyond vicious fangs peeking out from its cruel grin. Wolfish in some strange way, but unlike any animal she’d ever seen or heard of. She backed up, holding her arms out as tears welled in her eyes.

Where was she? And how would she get back?

The beast let out a roar, its gaping maw setting every nerve aflame with unfettered fear. Clawed feet gripped the soft ground as it stalked her until her back pressed against a jagged stone cliff. She held her arms to the cool rock, desperate to dissolve into the solid mass as the monster approached with a vicious snarl.

There was something else too, another presence which prickled the skin on her neck. A peal of laughter echoed through the expanse,the beast mere feet away from her. Someone was here, someone who would watch as this creature devoured her.

Suddenly, the world melted, the stars swirling together until they were a mass of darkness. With another blink, Vita was back in the dining hall, tears streaming down her face as Aurora grasped her shoulders.

“Vita? Vita? Are you with me?” she asked, brows furrowed with concern.

Vita shook her head in an attempt to dispel the haze. She wiped the tears away and cleared her throat, trying to find her words.

“I’m fine… I… I don’t know where I was.”

Aurora quirked a brow. “You were right here. But your eyes were glazed, and you wouldn’t respond to anything I said.”

A noise from the door stole her attention and there he was, Renatus, shirt unlaced as if he’d dressed in a hurry. In three quick steps, he was beside them, staring down at Vita.

“Is everything alright?”

Panic poured into her for a moment—panic that didn’t belong to her—but it dissipated quickly as their eyes locked.

“Yes. I… I’m fine. I had another surge, and it took me somewhere.”

Despite the adrenaline from the unfamiliar power and the stalking shadow figure, a part of Vita beamed at the fact that he had come running as if he’d sensed she was in danger. A benefit of the bond, she supposed, and one she wasn’t upset about.

Renatus and Aurora stared at her quizzically until she explained further. “There were stars everywhere, and I was on a floating plane of some sort. Some rocks and… a creature. And laughter all around me, like someone was watching. Nothing else but the stars.”

“A creature?” he asked, looking her up and down with concern.

“Yes. It was stalking me, but I returned before it reached me.”

Another thought sent her adrenaline pumping once more. Would she be so lucky if her magic took her to the plane a second time?

Renatus took her hands, which she had clasped in front of her. Though his voice was dripping with its usual sass, there was an edge of concern, his red eyes glimmering as he spoke.

“Perhaps lessons would be useful after all?”

Vita grumbled, though she supposed he was right…

“How do you know all this?” Vita asked, sitting on a bench in the rose garden with a cup of water mixed with a small amount of wine.

She took a sip, wiping sweat from her brow as Aurora sat beside her.

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