Page 100 of A Cage of Crystal

She imagined Maiya next, the girl she loved as dearly as a sister. Her chest felt warm, but her heart felt so clouded with dread. Fear. Fatigue. Her emotions refused to rise past it.

No, I must feel. I must.

She thought of how the Forest People had cared for her. How they’d taken her in and taught her about the Arts. How they’d helped her recognize her clairsentience. Nurture it. Hone it.

Her heart began to lift.

They were my family, she said to herself.My family. My home.

Her emotions grew lighter. Richer. More potent.

She shifted her awareness to Valorre, welcoming his mind to connect with hers.

My family. My home. She said it again and again like a mantra, seeking some inkling that could guide her toward the location she sought.

My family. My home.

An invisible tug drew her forward, cleaving through her emotions. She followed it with her mind. Her heart—

My home. The words came not from her mind but Valorre’s. Or was it simply a matter of their minds being connected?

I had another home before this.

This time, she couldn’t decipher where the thought came from, but the sense of awe that accompanied it was so strong that it pulled her deeper into her emotions, strengthening that tug, that pull toward a place. A vision filled her mind now, a meadow of lush green grass in the most vibrant shade of emerald. Dewdrops glittered rainbow light upon every blade. Flowers in the most spectacular array of color shifted in a playful breeze, creating a susurration more melodic than any stream, any instrument.

It was…breathtaking. Unlike any place Cora had ever been. Was this where the Forest People were now?

Home. The word pulsed through her mind and filled her heart with longing. Another pull. Another tug forward. Everything inside her said to move. To step. To enter this new location.

Valorre shifted beneath her.

He took a step forward.

A flare of warm light kissed the other side of Cora’s eyelids. Blinking them open, she greeted daylight. Her mind stumbled under the haze of her meditation, but as her senses sharpened, she realized she and Valorre were in the very meadow she’d seen in her mind. It was even more vibrant than she’d imagined, more stunning.

She dismounted from Valorre’s back and fully took in their surroundings. The meadow was surrounded by towering willows, their waterfall leaves swaying in the warm breeze. Yet she saw no tent, not even in the distance. Found no sign that the Forest People were nearby.

Something pulsed inside her. A warning that this was very, very wrong.

Only now did the sudden daylight concern her. No matter where in Khero the Forest People had gone, there should have been no change in time. No hour difference. No way to account for having stepped from night to day. Unless…

Mother Goddess…did she move through time as well as space?

No, that wasn’t part of astral travel. Not even astral projection could bypass the present.

I’m sorry.

She frowned, turning back toward Valorre. His muscles quivered, ears twitching in agitation. “What are you sorry for? I…I’m the one who messed this up—”

No. This was my fault. My fault.

Her blood chilled. “What do you mean?”

You thought of home, but I remembered. Remembered my first home.

She swallowed hard. “Are you saying we traveled toyourhome? The place you came from?”

Yes. This…this isn’t good for you. I remember now.

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