Page 4 of Gift from the Source
“I don’t understand how the point of this mission was to track your blood, but we ended up in another realm,” Aria says quietly.
“I think because she was bleeding when she opened the transport, it shifted into a portal. Why the hell we ended up in this place, I don’t know.” Oakly chuffs.
“I had a single-minded focus on my blood and followed the line of the trace. It was faint, yes, but I felt it and latched onto it.”
They both hum, but Oakly also nods her agreement. She felt it too. We followed the steps, did exactly what we’d been training for, and should’ve popped out at or at least close to my blood supply.
I have no clue how it went so wrong.
Movement in my peripheral catches my eye and my gaze follows Trex as he paces back and forth. Why he’s separated himself from the others, I’m not sure, but his weird behavior has the hair on the back of my neck standing on end.
“Give me a sec,” I whisper to Oakly and Aria as their murmurs about me starting my ‘opening a portal’ lesson become a solidified plan.
Before they can stop me or ask what I’m doing, I take a couple heavy steps in the direction of Trex so he hears me coming.
“What’s wrong?”
“Something feels off. This is where you grew up?” he asks as he rubs his chest mindlessly.
“Yes. Why?” I cock my head, observing his behavior.
“I don’t know, Willow. This place feels like it’s trying to get rid of me, shove me out…I can’t even describe it. It’s fucking with me so bad. It’s like my heart’s trying to fall out.”
His heart…
My eyes widen as they bounce between him and the tree line he keeps staring at. I know the destination behind that wall of woods better than any other.
Shit. This wasn’t a mistake at all.
“Oakly,” I holler as I slice my palm open.
In seconds, I’m surrounded by more than just my sister as our entire group comes at my call, and I completely ignore their questions for the time being as I watch the red of my blood pool once again in my hands.
“What do you need me to do?” she asks firmly, cutting off all the other voices.
“We need to track my blood again. Now.”
“You think—”
“Oh shit,” Draken says, eyeing Trex and me.
“Exactly, dragon,”I acknowledge him mentally, not wanting to speak out loud what I believe to be true just yet as the clearing falls into an eerie silence.
“That’ll be enough for now. Ready?” I ask Oakly.
“Ready.”
“Track,” we command together.
Unlike last time, when we barely felt a whisper of a pull, this time the trace grips us with such force we grunt, stumbling forward as it yanks us. The tug is relentless. It’s so tight that our feet move without thought, dragging us with it.
There’s no resisting it.
Our steps pound against the earth, each stride swallowing the ground beneath us until the tree line looms just ahead, all in a matter of heartbeats. I try to force my feet to stop, but it’s useless.
We burst through the trees that circle my clearing protectively and enter the wooded path that I’ve traveled so many times before.
Dead of night or broad daylight, I’d know exactly where we’re heading.
