Page 110 of Crown of Wings and Whispers

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Once we wereout of Fairy, we gradually ascended into an ominous sky. Thunder rumbled as all the white was pushed out and replaced by dark shades of gray. As if my friends had suddenly taken control of the weather, the wind tried to blow us sideways, trying to prevent what I intended to do.

Maybe they thought there was another way. I knew there wasn’t.

I was too deep in thought to notice the passage of time, but it seemed like we spanned the distance between the clouds and the outer atmosphere much faster than the first time. As we neared and the green bubble surrounded us, I broke into a sweat.

Easy, Marka. We have each other.

“This is it,” I shouted over my shoulder. “No going back.”

Though he’d kept his hands off me thus far, Orion released one of the grips, wrapped his right arm around my waist, and pulled himself against my back. I couldn’t blame him. I felt an instant rush of peace pulse through me, and I realized it wasn’t for me--he was using one of his Naming Powers to keep himself calm.

We eased out into the darkness where Kivi paused, as planned, and turned us for one last look at Earth. The moon was blocked from view. The Northern Hemisphere, below us, was shrouded in clouds.

Kivi turned and we were off again. I found the bridge and she saw it in my mind. We plunged into the first bridge, the streak of passing stars surrounded us with light and Orion’s arm tightened. We travelled through two more before I paused to look around.

“What’s wrong?” Orion shouted.

“Just looking for the bridge.”

Kivi pounced around like a puppy for a while, then I found the tunnel and we were rushing through stars again. Two bridges after that, I made my move just as we emerged.

A shout burst from his chest. “The Pleiades! I see it! We’re already inside Taurus.”

I felt him shifting in his seat, probably looking for his namesake.

“Sit still,” I said. “It gets tricky here! Don’t let go.”

Kivi shot toward the familiar array of stars. She dodged unseen obstacles, up and down, back and forth, and I hoped Orion didn’t have a problem with motion sickness. I hadn’t been ill myself since locking with Kivi, but if I were ever to have another bout, her current antics would have caused it.

And suddenly, we were there. Kivi came to an abrupt stop, and a gentle sense of gravity made us sway forward in the saddle.

“We get off here.”

Orion laughed.

“I’m serious.” I said. “This last bridge we cross without Kivi.”

My beauty lifted her foot and the saddle began to slip back into itself. He had little choice but to allow her to lower him or fall off on his own. But with no surface in sight, he chose the easy way. I held my hand out to help him find his balance, then she lowered him down. He turned carefully to scowl at me. “Where do I step?”

“Leap of faith, my friend. One step and you’ll be fine.”

He looked all around, saw the protective bubble still surrounding us all, and took that step.

Instantly, a black marble floor appeared beneath him. Kivi pulled her foot back and iridescent bars appeared between Orion and her. Along with three slightly opaque walls, his complete prison became visible. He spun in a circle, over and over again, trying to understand.

I grabbed the pink jar and slid down Kivi’s leg to land ten feet out from the cage. I dismissed her, but she resisted. Orion looked for me and reached through the bars. I could see him straining, trying to summon all the powers he possessed, his eyes blacker than the strange universe surrounding us.

“Your prison nulls your powers,” I said. “But Persi’s works fine. She was able to hide your old prison cell without any trouble.”

As we watched, that Pleiades star cluster moved closer and closer. When it stopped, seven brave souls were visible—souls holding mirrors of various sizes—and tethered together with lengths of soft black rope. I smiled at Loretta, Lorraine, Archer, Alwyn, Urban, Flann, and Brian, who all grinned back at me. To one side, Persi stood with Kitch and Griffon. From her hands shot powerful rays of light which bounced off the mirrors and reflected a slightly wonky replica of the Seven Sisters.

She let the light die and everything became clear enough for Orion as well. Just beyond his prison wall was the inner side of that familiar bronze wall with a door in the center.

“Welcome back toIfreann,your favorite piece of Hell.”

An unholy growl erupted from him. “We were on our way!”

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