Page 70 of Forging Bonds: Part One

“Betty,” I suggest immediately. “It’s easy to work into a conversation, you can say something like, how is Betty, or I saw Betty, and we will all know that it means that whoever we’re speaking to is in trouble.”

River grins, “I’m good with that.”

“Agreed,” Griff adds, with everyone else nodding along.

“It settled then. If you’re in trouble, mention Betty,” Van says with a smile.

“We should really try to figure out what’s going on here,” Ransom says, getting us back on track. “My magic isn’t reacting like we’re in danger, butI don’t like how exposed we are out here, and if it is the Choosing, then we shouldn’t even be here. Not yet.”

“If it is the Choosing, does that mean that the Draconian team is here somewhere?” River asks.

Evander shrugs, “Probably, it wouldn’t make sense if we were here, and they weren’t.”

“Well thank fuck they didn’t get zapped in right here with us, that wouldn’t have gone down well,” I point out.

“Alright, let’s head toward the doors then, I guess, and see if we can find someone who knows what’s going on,” Van suggests.

We all pick up our bags, Van grabbing my extra one for me, and then we start to cross the vast and ornately decorated courtyard. It’s exactly how you think a castle should look, not a fortress castle, but a fairytale kind of castle.

We’re completely alone, no one is out here, and we’ve managed to have a reasonably lengthy conversation, which makes me wonder if anyone is going to show up to tell us what’s going on or if we’re here by ourselves. No one was expecting us yet, and although Ty said that there would be people at the castle with us, they may not be here yet.

I think that it’s pretty safe to say that something has gone wrong and that we aren’t supposed to be here this early. I just hope that if we do find someone, they aren’t going to assume that we’re intruders and we end up in some sort of dungeon because this place absolutely has one, and while I think it would be interesting to see it, I don’t want to get first-hand experience of one.

No, thank you.

I don’t do well at being trapped and confined. Not many people do, to be fair, but as I have been trapped and held captive before, I definitely don’t want to revisit that now.

“Reed, it might be a good idea to pull in your magic,” Raiden suggests. “We’re fairly certain that we’re at the Choosing, and we don’t want to accidentally scare the shit out of the people that Ty said live and work here.”

Reed nods and immediately pulls his magic back, “Good point.”

Reed and Raiden use their supernatural strength to pull open the truly enormous doors. I mean, why do they need to be that big? What are they, giants?

Oh, my gods.

What if there are giants here? That would be so fucking cool. I’ve never seen a giant. They have their own realm, and humans aren’t welcome there. I’m not sure why any human would want to go there in the first place, to be honest. It would be far too easy to get squished.

I have no idea if supernaturals can go to their realm, and now is probably not the time to ask the guys. I force myself to pay attention again just as we walk through the doors.

We walk into a cavernous room that is laid out similarly to the Training Academy but on a supersized scale, and instead of carpet and wood, it’s all stone. Like the academy, there is a set of stairs at one end, but these are made out of rough-looking stone. There are banners and tapestries on the walls, and suits of armor, with weapons and all sorts dotted around the huge room as well as doors leading off the room.

Standing in the middle of the room is a group of three people who are staring at us with their mouths dropping open. Their skin is varying shades of purple, and they all have big, pointed ears sticking out through their hair. Each one of them has different colored hair and in varying styles and lengths too, much like humans would.

Movement behind the man catches my eye and I try not to show my surprise as I realize that it’s a tail, similar to a cat’s tail, and the same color as his hair. A quick glance at the others shows that they have tails too. I studythem all closer to see if I can spot anything else, and sure enough, their fingers are all tipped with thick claws instead of nails.

I have a feeling that in a fight, they would be a formidable opponent. I suppose it makes sense to have the people who work and look after the castle be able to protect it too. Especially since I imagine that it could get pretty intense between the teams, and I guess there is a risk of fights breaking out if someone decides that they don’t want to behave themselves. There needs to be a way for the fights to be broken up without making the situation worse.

Plus, I can feel the strength that these three are giving off. They definitely aren’t weak, and it would be foolish for anyone to treat them as such.

“Excuse me,” Evander calls out. We all move closer while they continue to stare, so he continues, “We just got pulled here, and we aren’t really sure why. Is this the pocket realm where the Choosing is held?”

There’s silence for a moment before the woman, who looks to be someone who might be in charge and is dressed in a dark full skirt and high-necked blouse, finally clears her throat.

“Erm, yes, this is,” she replies. Her expression clears, and she smiles, “I’m so sorry you’ll have to excuse my confusion. It’s just you weren’t supposed to arrive for another eleven days.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Neith

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