Soon. He was no more than fifteen minutes behind Vee. When he got his hands on her...
Inside him, fires died. His rage turned icy, freezing his veins. No mercy. But though he never veered off course, he never came across her. Not the first hour. Not the third, fifth or seventh, either.
A flame of worry sparked, melting a portion of his rage. How did she hide from him, resisting the constant pull of the stones?
Finally, he stopped. The sandcats halted, too, their tails vibrating. Micah took stock as his companions rushed here and there, scenting everything. The sun was due to set, the heat of the day cooling. Insects buzzed and chirped. Gnarled trees towered in every direction, the ground nothing but a sea of raised roots and dirt. An assortment of aromas coated the air, citrus among them.
His muscles turned to stone, preparing for battle. She must be nearby.
The fur—grains—on the backs of the sandcats stood up. A second later, a crackle of energy prickled his nape. He palmed two daggers. He knew what that crackle meant—Cookie had opened a doorway nearby.
He stiffened. His ears twitched. A sound caught his notice. Familiar. Vee mumbling? His heart thudded as he sprinted forward...
Vee. There! Her red tresses acted as a magnet for his gaze. Micah braced for impact and flittered to her, grabbing—nothing. He spun, confused. His arms were empty, and there was no longer any sign of her. But his ears continued to twitch. The noise. Her voice ebbed and flowed.
The cats stalked the area, sniffing. She reappeared for a moment, then vanished again. Then reappeared. Vanished. Her image continued to flash in and out, never actually solidifying.
He scowled as his confusion magnified. What was happening? Her head was bowed, her face streaked with dirt, and her hair tangled. She was limping and yes, mumbling under her breath.
He didn’t understand. Why was she flittering again and again, despite the collar? One of the stones negated her abilities.
A stronger electric pulse brushed his neck, signaling another doorway. Cursing, he jumped in front of Vee and scanned...
The doorway. Twenty feet ahead, a tear spread through the air, growing longer and wider in equal measure. Leaves unfurled around the edges, creating a window into another landscape. A paradise of plush foliage, blooming flowers and lapping water—his paradise. Once Kaysar and Cookie were dealt with, his people could return and thrive as never before.
He tightened his grip on the hilts of the daggers. Queen Cookie stood in the middle of it all, wearing a pair of formfitting blue pants and tunic with the words This Princess Saved the Prince etched across the center.
The sand-spawn hissed at her and batted their paws.
Long brown locks streaked with gold formed a crown on her head. Big silver eyes glittered with excitement as the royal feline sat at her feet. A true feline. A sleek black cat named Sugars. Everyone in the Dusklands knew to avoid the animal. By Cookie’s royal decree, to harm him meant you would feel her vines slowly creep and crawl through your veins for centuries to come.
She looked nothing like the sovereign who had threatened to toy with him only days ago. But then, her appearance changed with her clothing—and her personality. Of which there were legion. You never knew which of her incarnations you would be forced to face. Micah only knew he despised them.
Only the truce stayed his hand. Had he not given his word, this female would be bleeding to death. But breaking his vow to destroy his fiercest enemy came with consequences he couldn’t afford to pay. Namely, the loss of his self-respect and the trust of his people.
“Hello, Micah,” Cookie said with a wicked grin she never lost, no matter which version of herself she happened to be. “Is now a good time to chat?” She motioned to Vee’s image, still flashing in. “Pretty neat trick, huh? I’m learning how far I can push my powers. Stack a series of doors today, make a specific someone’s new wife the only key, and voilà, she walks in circles for the rest of eternity. Or until she notices she’s walking in circles and ends the loop. Whichever comes first. No harm, no foul. No broken truce.”
Cookie had trapped Vee in a looping gallery of doors? He gnashed his molars.
He wasn’t surprised by the queen’s knowledge of his wedding. Word traveled fast when you worked with a dishonorable oracle, planted spies in your enemy’s camp and commanded said spies to wed their hosts.
“You will free her of your own volition. Now!” He lowered his chin. Perhaps there were ways around a truce. “Or I will make you.”
“Hardly. I worked on this. Plus—” She whipped her attention to the left and snarled, “I thought I told you to shut it, Pearl Jean, and make me a sammich. A gamer girl’s gotta game. No, not another word from you, either, Jareth. Trust me, I know the hubs is gonna be ticked. Yes, I’m doing this, anyway. No! No more out of you two. Go away and let me offer Mike his final lifeline.”