Page 35 of Kiss of Fire

Raya dashed outside and gaped.

Where there had been a simple clearing among a forest of pine trees, now there were two glittering pillars rising straight up into the sky. They were so high, Raya couldn’t see where they ended. Their tops were lost in the heavenly display of colours that were the aurora borealis.

The pillars stood some ten metres apart. And beyond them, Raya glimpsed soft grass waving in a warm breeze that played across her face. The sweet scent of jasmine and lily drifted to her nostrils, and in the dark velvet of an alien sky she glimpsed strange constellations and a giant silver moon starting to dip below the horizon.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed. “I can’t believe the Gate is always here. Don’t people ever sense it?”

“Did you?” asked Magda.

“No. But it looks so solid. Like, if I walked into one of the pillars, I’d feel it.”

“You would. Now that you’re marked, your senses can detect what’s there. Ordinary humans don’t have a clue.”

“This Gate opens directly into my territory,” said Shade. “My home is not far.”

“ThisGate? There are more?”

“There are several. Some are used more than others. This is the southern-most entrance. It is my misfortune that it opens into the coldest part of the human realm.”

“Coldest?” Raya laughed. “You’re kidding. This is nothing. There arewaycolder places than this. You’re lucky the Gate doesn’t open into the North Pole. You’d definitely be wearing a shirt then.”

“Doubtful,” muttered Magda under her breath. Shade looked aghast.

“Colder than this? How do you humans bear it?”

“Plus, it’s totally dark for six months of the year.” Raya caught Magda looking at her quizzically. “What? They had National Geographic magazines at the hospital.”

“The sooner I get home, the better.” Shade turned to Magda. “As ever, Gatekeeper, it was a pleasure to see you.”

The kobold bowed from her waist.

“Thank you, my Lord. Look after our guest. And Raya, it was an honour to meet you.”

Suddenly, Raya didn’t want to leave.

“I need to know more about my mother,” she said. The kobold patted her hand.

“If you don’t find the answers you’re looking for in Nush’aldaam, you can come back and find me. I’m always here.”

Impulsively, Raya reached down and gave the Gatekeeper a hug.

“Thank you,” she whispered fiercely. “For looking after me.” She straightened and looked Shade in the eye. “I’m ready.”

He walked through the Gate, his feet melting the snow, until he stepped through the pillars into Nush’aldaam. He waited while Raya hovered at the threshold for a brief second. Then she, too, left the human world behind.

Fifteen

The warm night air caressed her skin like a cashmere blanket. Raya slipped off her coat, then her sweater. She stood in her vest top letting the scents and sounds of this new world wash over her.

It’s just a grassy meadow, she thought.Yet it feels so different. And I feel different.

Butterflies danced in her stomach. Her skin tingled and her heart was light with an emotion she had never felt before. It took her a moment to identify it.

It was joy.

She spread her arms and closed her eyes. Shade watched, amused.

“Would you like to roll around in the grass?” he suggested. She stuck her tongue out.

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