I’m surrounded by earth.
The essence beckoned me to play, but the mechanism around my neck halted my reaction, yanking me back to a reality of pain and suffering. I clawed at the offending leather, longing to be rid of it, and screamed in frustration.
This was the definition of hell—being surrounded by the element I craved just to be cut off from it because of black foreign magic.
More torture.
More games.
More wicked intent.
I growled, ready to kill the being who did this to me. I lunged for him, only to find myself caught up in his much stronger arms, his lips at my ear. “Breathe.”
The single command had me snarling. “I hate you.” It came out hoarse, my emotions spilling from my pores in ripples of convoluted fury.
“I didn’t put that device around your neck,” he reminded me in a calm tone that only infuriated me more. “But you have the tools to undo it. So stop freaking out and use your Quandary Blood to unweave the magic around your source.” He released me and took a step back.
I spun around, ready to slap him, when his comment registered.
You have the tools to undo it.
He was right.
I did.
Assuming I didn’t fall asleep again.
Frowning, I prodded at the spells enchanting my collar once more and found them waiting eagerly for my manipulation. Odd. They hadn’t done that in the dungeon. Why could I see them more easily now?
“The cells are laced with protective spells that make magic difficult to access,” Shade said, reading either my mind or the confusion on my face. “You should find your Quandary Blood skills are much easier to access, even with that thing choking the life out of your magical spirit.”
He took another step away from me, his back meeting the trunk of a nearby tree.
“Just try to remember how to put the spell back together. We can’t have Kols or Zeph finding out that you can circumvent their little masterpiece, yeah?” He slid down to the ground, still braced against the tree, and closed his eyes. “I’ll just be over here having a nap while you play.”
I blinked at him. “A nap?”
“Mmm,” he mumbled, clasping his hands in his lap. “You’re not the only one who requires beauty sleep, little rose.”
“Wait, where are we?” I asked, taking in the array of fields and trees and flowers around us. “In the human world?”
He snorted. “I have no idea where we are. While trying to return you to the Academy, my exhaustion kicked in and we accidentally ended up here. Too bad, really. It’s so bright. Alas, I didn’t want to risk getting us more lost, so we decided to nap here for the day before trying again. I’m sure Kols will understand. He has a room to fix, after all.”
“Do you always talk in riddles?”
“Only when I’m tired.” He yawned dramatically. “And, man, am I tired. Hope you don’t mind spending some time here, Aflora. Sorry for my lack of coordination and direction.”
He didn’t sound apologetic at all.
But that was the point.
He’d purposely brought me here and was telling me the lie he intended to give everyone else.
My fingers unfurled from the fists at my sides, realization threatening to breach the icy confines of my heart. He brought me here to play with my earth.
He’d given me the gift of the sun. The grass. Trees with real leaves. Flowers in full bloom. And while he wouldn’t tell me where we were, he’d also provided me with subtle instructions on what to do.
All in his cryptic little way.