“Well, I can imagine the smell would be very effective,” I said. Perhaps I said too much. Regardless, I wasn’t going to take my words back.
We walked down the street in silence. I could tell Mallory was not pleased with what I said and I considered amending them if only to make her feel better. She did offer me a room, after all. I didn’t want to be rude. Then again, I didn’t want to constantly live in fear of saying the wrong thing. Because I would.
Ultimately, I decided not to apologize. I shifted my gaze to take in my surroundings. My footsteps slowed to a turtle’s pace. I didn’t want to miss anything, not when I’d thought of this moment so many times. I dreamed of this place so many times. And now I was here, in the heart of it.
Soon, I would meet my father. Everything was leading up to this moment.
I’d imagined every element of the day. What the magic realm would look like, what I would see when I got here, even what I was wearing. There was a reason I decided on heels today. Even though they began to chafe my heels, I pressed on. I could ease the sting later with even more magic. This was exactly how I pictured it, minus Mallory, of course.
“How far is it?” I asked, turning from the trees that lined the sidewalks so I could look at my companion.
Mallory smiled. “Oh, not far to the portal,” she said.
“Portal?” We weren’t just walking to a building? A house? We had to transport ourselves somewhere? I tensed again. I wasn’t expecting that. I wasn’t sure what to feel about that.
Mallory nodded. “Yes,” she said. “The magic realm is a collection of several interconnecting portals. There are three witch realms, a shifter realm, and two for vampires.” She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Stupid blood suckers.”
I coughed to clear my throat, feeling uncomfortable around the amount of negative energy Mallory was sending my way. I didn’t know vampires, and sure, I probably didn’t want to run into any if I didn’t have to. But considering how little I knew of this world, I couldn’t make a judgment on them one way or the other, and it wasn’t as though my mother had said anything about them.
I was curious, though, about the different portals, the different realms. Was she implying that everyone had to stay in their own world? That didn’t make a lot of sense. Not with the amount of magic available. Not with that I had already seen.
“I thought I saw a shifter here yesterday?” I pointed out. Or was I making an assumption? Maybe it was a witch or a warlock with a wolf’s head. How was I to know? I was still inexperienced in the ways of the paranormal world and there was a lot for me to learn. I understood that.
Mallory’s lips twisted in distaste. “Well, yes, we can all travel within each other’s realms,” she said as though it was obvious. “Not that any Witch would ever travel to any realm other than the ones ran by the Council.”
“How come?” Was this what my mother was talking about? The bigotry and wars that were brewing between each of the factions? Or was this just reserved for Mallory, who seemed like the poster child for bigotry here?
“Because every realm has a different set of laws, and although it’s safe here for the others, I wouldn’t recommend you travel to
their realms.” She threw an arm around my shoulder and pulled me close to her. “You’d be eaten alive, quite literally and I wouldn’t want that.” She loosened her grip on me but didn’t completely let me go. “Look, I know you’re new to this world. I know this is difficult to comprehend. But take it from someone who has lived her, thrived here, for her entire life. It’s best to stay with your own kind. And I’m not saying that to be judgmental or prejudicial against other magical species. I’m saying that from personal experience. Your mother was a dear friend of mine. The last thing I would want was anything to happen to her when it all could have been prevented. So please, stay to the magic realms, and you’ll be fine.”
Mallory shuddered. She gave me a squeeze, obviously hating anyone that wasn’t a witch or a warlock. Why? She said she had personal experience, but she hadn’t actually explained what that was. I wanted to pry more into that, but I didn’t think she’d be open to sharing if she hadn’t already. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was lying about the whole thing.
We walked past more shops and gorgeous little houses. The town was so much more... simple, than I’d expected. And not in a bad way. Whereas my old home was surrounded by nothing, these houses were surrounded by other houses and shops, but the trees and the greenery still showed a respect for nature, like they did not want to give up their roots.
We turned a corner and stepped in front of a building that resembled a court house. Twenty steps were needed to climb before you reached the front door. It was an impressive place, looming over the rest of the world. It was old, judging by the faded bricks. But there was an intimidation factor to it. With that age came experience, came things I would never see.
A shiver coursed down my spine and my locket burned the skin at my neck. My mother obviously wanted to tell me something important, but I couldn’t risk grabbing it and alerting Mallory to the locket’s presence. Mallory would probably be able to deduce my mother was still with me, even though that was the last thing I wanted her to know. Instead, I clasped my hands behind my back. I wished I could reach out and communicate with my mother the way I had before, but I didn’t know if Mallory was perceptive enough to know that that was what I was doing in the first place.
The best thing for me was to be neutral. I couldn’t risk giving away anything.
I swallowed hard. “What’s this place?” I asked. I hoped my fear wasn’t palpable, but I was certain it was.
“This is the Council’s headquarters,” she said, then added, “in this realm.”
That made it sound like they had multiple Councils depending on the realm. I chewed my bottom lip. “And the portal?” I asked. So many questions burst into my mind, but none I felt comfortable asking just yet. Again, I needed to wait.
“The portal to the High Warlock’s realm is inside these walls,” she said, nodding her head to the staircase.
I could feel the surprise on my face and didn’t try to hide the way my eyebrows rose on my forehead. “Seriously?” I asked, taking a step back. “He has his own realm? Like, just for himself?”
This guy was sounding more and more like a king than a member of an elected Council. And how was he entitled to his own portal if he was a mere puppet, a stooge the Council could use at their discretion?
“Why are you surprised?” Mallory asked, her knowing gaze flickering over at me once again.
I tried to snap shut my mouth, try being the key word. “I kind of thought of him like the President,” I said. “Granted, my mom made him out to be Prince Charming in her fairy tales, but I did know he was some sort of elected official that lived among the people. Hence the charm, I guess.” I shrugged in hopes it would add credibility to my story.
Mallory chuckled. I couldn’t read her laugh. I couldn’t decipher if she believed me or if she was laughing because of how obviously clueless I was. “You really don’t know anything, do you?” she asked.