Page 3 of Gift from the Source
“Oh, child. You’re okay…” Gaster pants when I throw myself into his arms. “I felt your signature leave the realm. I couldn’t sense you anywhere, so I knew you were here.”
“Why did you come? We have no clue how I did this, Gaster. It’s too dangerous,” I say softly, pulling back and gripping his biceps.
I frantically check him over from head to toe to make sure he’s okay. Just because he’s capable of doing this doesn’t mean it isn’t hard or draining to do so. When my gaze lands back on his face, the petrified, shattered look in his baby blues causes my breathing to hitch.
“My lastGuardriatraveled here and never returned to me. I’ll be damned before that happens again. Where you go, child, so do I.”
My lower lip trembles at his words and my heart clenches so painfully I’m not sure it’s beating.
CC made one last trip here to me and never came back home to him.
“We’ll all be going home today, Gaster. Together. I promise.”
“I believe that, Willow,” he murmurs, tugging me back against his chest for another moment.
He glances around at everyone else to make sure they’re okay, then his eyes land on my tree. This is the second time he’s ever seen it, but something about his look now is more calculating. I watch him keenly as his small grin morphs into an amused smile.
“What is it?”
“I did a very good job replicating it exactly. I did perfect, as a matter of fact.”
Multiple snorts sound behind me and mingle with my own. “That you did.”
Corentin’s stern glare is locked on Gaster’s face as we stand in front of him. I’m waiting for the tension that was just broken to build back up. The unknown of why we’re here has his fear pulsing through my chest and adding Gaster to the mix now intensifies it.
Just when I think the two of them are getting ready to butt heads, Corentin’s mask drops along with his crossed arms, and he pulls Gaster away from me into a hug.
“This will be the last time you come to this realm without anyone’s permission. No one warned me I’d have to take care of my elder as well.”
“Elder?” Gaster gasps, placing his hand to his heart. “I am in my prime and I do not need to be taken care of.”
“Obviously you do. This is the second time you’ve run to this realm with no backup or clue of what’s going on,” Corentin says, arching a brow that makes me snicker.
In his defense, Gaster is the type that would get himself into trouble if he didn’t have the rest of us to worry about.
“And I’ll do it a third if need be.” Gaster flicks his beard hard enough it grazes Corentin’s sneering face as he makes his way to hug the others.
Tillman’s prepared for Corentin to try to lecture Gaster some more, so he cuts in with a hand to his chest and a shake of his head.
“We can talk with him later. He’s already here, so there’s no point in arguing. Keeper, Draken, Cas, and Ry go scout the tree line. Don’t venture into the woods. Gaster, do you think you’d be able to transport us back home?”
“Not all of you at once. I’ll need a couple trips.”
Tillman nods. I can imagine the toll it took for Gaster just to transport me to Elementra based on how it felt bringing myself and Oakly here. Even if he took two at a time, that’s more than eight trips and leaves us all separated.
I’m not willing to do that.
My thought causes Tillman to smile at me briefly before he begins barking orders at everyone. Including me. “Take a minute with the girls or for yourself, little warrior, then get your mom’s book out. You’ll be opening a portal for us to go home.”
Shit. Right.
No better time to learn than on the fly and under pressure.
Blowing out my breath, I nod, then pull my shoulders back as Oakly and Aria each take a side of mine. I soak up their silent support.
My muscles relax as Draken, Cas, Keeper, and Ry all return together and surround Tillman. None of them look worried, so I assume we’re alone for now.
The girls gaze around, and I sense their curiosity of this place as if it’s my own. For once, it’s not me who’s completely lost in a strange new place, and I’m smugly pleased about that.
