Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
I trembled because the vargr had scared the hell out of me—I hadn’t seen one in years—but this fae, which the antlered man had to be, was on my land. That shouldn’t have been possible unless, like the vargrs, he wasn’t evil. The wards, the ley lines, all of it was there to keep the land, and the guardian, safe from that which was innately malevolent. But vargrs were not, they were merely animals that did the bidding of their master. And this creature, whoever he was, probably wanted to kill me, but the land couldn’t pick up on intent. It knew neutral from villainous, that was all.
“Stop,” I ordered, and he did. “Why did you bring a wolf to kill me?” Maybe he didn’t know the word vargr or faewolf, so I used wolf instead so there would be no confusion.
He smiled as he started moving again, coming closer. When he stepped into the moonlight, I saw he was dressed in a suit. It seemed odd, out of place, until I realized that to anyone but me, he would look like a regular man in Armani, standing there on the other side of the cobblestone drive that led to my front door. I could see him clearly, but anyone else would only perceive the glamour.
“I brought it to test you, not kill you,” he answered smoothly. “I was certain you could raise a barrier or do something to protect yourself. I had no idea you were so weak when not on your land. That’s terribly disappointing.”
“Sorry,” was all I said.
“We were told you’re a powerful mage.”
I shook my head. “No. That was my grandfather. He was the mage. I’m a witch.”
He tsked. “This will be so much easier, then, once we’ve dispatched your familiars.”
“They’re not mine,” I said, dropping to my knees and leaning forward, pushing my hands down in the dirt, grounding myself, exhaling, letting my power rise. “The dogs don’t belong to me, and the cat comes and goes as he pleases.”
“No matter,” he replied, watching, walking toward me, noticing just as I did that the dogs didn’t make a move on him. He was magic, after all, like me, and they weren’t sure what he was, but thus far, he didn’t strike them as something to kill. “I’m sure they won’t care if I kill a…what did I hear the man call you the other day? A kitchen witch? A hearth witch? What even is that? Something to say so humans won’t be afraid? How quaint.”
“You’ve been here? Listening at my door?” That was terrifying because it meant I’d missed his presence completely. I’d been lulled into a false sense of security because it had been years since I or the land had been attacked by anything. But this was a good reminder that vigilance, for a witch, was mandatory. Being caught off guard meant death.
“At the window, yes,” he told me, getting closer. “I couldn’t get inside, of course, but your land is needed, so my master bid me to come and procure it for him.”
“Who is your master?” I asked casually, hoping he’d say.
“You may be weak, but his name is not to be given without sacrifice.”
Which meant that for his master to cross from his realm to mine, there had to be blood offerings on both sides. “So you’re not gonna tell me?” I teased him, trying for innocent.
“No,” he said, tipping his head, regarding me. “You know, for a human, you’re not crudely made. You might do well as a thrall in my master’s bedchamber.”
“Tempting,” I said sardonically. “But tell me, what does your master need my land for?” Though I already knew. But best to keep the creature talking.
“My master needs to enter this realm, and your door is unguarded.”
All over the world there were entryways from one dimension to another. Some of them were guarded by whole covens of witches, some were too small to allow anything bigger than a mouse through, while still others were at the bottom of the sea, which was why I suspected that every now and then a new species of fish was discovered. Others were at the tops of mountains, where the air was rarified, and some were small, not much more than a tear, a sliver, only visible in the fog or in the moonlight, taken as a trick of the light and nothing more.
The one on Corvus, the one my grandfather had protected, and my father would have if he and my mother hadn’t been killed in a car accident years ago, was bigger than that. It was near the bend in the stream, and it could be drawn back like a curtain. It was large enough that several beings could come through at once. Not an army, but still. Over the centuries it had been used by many to cross into our world from places most people thought were myth. Everything from gods to sprites had left one land for another. Most went back and forth, some stayed, but nothing evil could cross as long as the guardian kept watch. That was me. That was what I was for.