Page 75 of A Tale of Treachery

I’d been chewed up and spat out into the otherworld.

The dark sky lit with flashes of maroon lightning. That was my first clue, along with the damp black soot beneath my feet. I shrugged, taking in the hellish landscape.

An eerie feeling clawed its way up my spine when something flew overhead with a speed unlike anything I had ever witnessed before. I squinted, peering into the darkness.

Was that a shade?

The portal was behind me, the knowledge a reassuring balm to my frazzled nerves. As soon as I found out what was going on, I would cross back to that other world, one filled with light, trees, and life. This was supposed to be an in-and-out mission, and I had already spent too much time dallying around.

I should have felt at home, considering my genealogy. Should have felt a sense of wonderment at the sight of the volcanoes dripping molten lava, the odd color of the sky, and the mountains that were lit by two moons, one red and one white. But everything felt…off. The earth was dead and barren beneath my feet, and the booming thunder in the distance made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Even the air was difficult to breathe, as if it were made of something heavy and thick. Something toxic.

A gurgling rattle cut through the silence of the night, and I jumped. I turned slowly, ready to face whatever creature could create such a threatening noise, but nothing was visible, only empty darkness. There were eyes on me. I was being watched by something—or somethings—that remained unseen.

Taking a deep breath in, I closed my eyes to reorient myself. I was on a mission and needed to figure out what was blocking the portal in order to ensure it stayed closed. The quicker, the better, considering how this place made my skin crawl. The last thing I needed was to waste time and give Malachi a chance to realize I’d entered his world.

The evidence of what was keeping the otherworld creatures locked away would be near the portal, or even inside of it, so I stepped back up to the gateway and examined the swimming mist. “You wouldn’t be able to help me find out what I’m looking for, would you?” I asked the mist, feeling silly when I didn’t receive a response. “Didn’t think so.”

I circled the opening, desperately searching for a clue to explain what had happened. It looked normal, or as normal as a portal should look. The portal’s appearance in the otherworld certainly matched my world’s version. So what could have happened?

Was it broken?

Oh, gods, would I even be able to get back to my world?

I was ready to test the theory, ready to head back to my plane of reality as I reached up to touch the swirling black filling, hoping to hell I wouldn’t be trapped here for all eternity, when something caught my attention.

A white moth fluttered past me in a meandering pattern, and my eyes followed the oddly light creature as it disappeared around the gateway. Something so bright and brilliant didn’t belong in a place as dark and cold as this. I stepped around the portal to follow its path, my curiosity piqued. Moths were attracted to light, so what could it possibly seek in such a dark place?

I followed the moth as it wove about, seemingly heading nowhere, but then a flash of light caught my eyes, something bright hidden in the dark surrounding the portal. The closer I got to the light, the more clearly I could see an object embedded in the dirt. There was something familiar about it. It radiated a thrum of power I’d felt before, a mere whisper compared to the energy rolling off the object now.

I drew closer, a little dumbfounded at what it was, unable to believe my eyes.

I shook my head, retreating a step. It couldn’t be, not after all the time and energy he’d spent searching for it.

The crystal.

It was obvious why he’d never found it.

I studied the glittering stone and the soft silver haze that encircled it. It felt like him, like Ryken. The crystal emanated his essence tenfold. Silver strings spread from it, creating a large cobweb of power that surrounded the area of the portal in a net-like formation.

I reached up to touch the faintly glittering web, desperate to feel Ryken and the full grasp of his power.

“Ouch!”

I whipped my hand back, hissing at the burning pain that turned my fingertips bright red.

His magic was incompatible with mine. More than incompatible—it was the antithesis of the magic thrumming through my veins. Just from the mere touch of his power, my magic had withdrawn, clawing its way back into the inky depths inside of me.

I stepped back, cradling my hand to my chest.

It all made sense now.

Ryken’s brotherhadbeen telling the truth. His magicwasnecessary. Hell, it was instrumental in locking away the otherworld.

It was his power that held the shades back. If I couldn’t touch the web, then neither could they.

His power alone kept our world from annihilation.

His power kept Malachi locked away, suffering in an eternity of misery in hell.

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