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  I grabbed the thin branches of the hedge and eased myself onto my good foot. My ankle pulsed with pain, but I gritted my teeth and mentally told it to shut up. A gasp behind me made me glance over my shoulder.

  A woman stood in the archway to my right. She wore a plain brown dress with a white apron over the front. Her brown hair was tied back and covered with a white, frilled-lined cap. The shoes that adorned her feet were plain black and buckled like what the pilgrims wore. Slung over one arm was a basket, and the tops of freshly cut produce peeked out over the rim.

  I blinked at her until I reminded myself that Lord Merthyr had many servants, and this must have been one more of them. “Um, hi. I’m sorry I scared-” The woman spun around and fled into the maze. My shoulders drooped. “-you.”

  I shrugged and took a step forward. It was a bad step as a sharp pain struck my injured leg. I stumbled forward and fell against the thicker archway branches. A soft reflection made me look to my right at the pool. The statue was still gone. The strange vortex had also vanished.

  “How’s anybody going to believe this?” I muttered as I leaned against the hedge to catch my breath against the harsh pain.

  Footsteps brought my attention back to the opening to the courtyard. I readied myself for an explanation of why I was out here. Maybe I could say I walked in my sleep or that I thought I saw a prowler.

  “And I was looking for him all night?” I mumbled to myself.

  Two figures appeared in the archway. One of them was the young woman from before sans basket. The other wasn’t Lord Merthyr, but a much taller, younger, and definitely more handsome fellow. He was a good foot taller than me and was no more than thirty. The man was attired in a black suit over which he wore a large dark robe. His hands were covered with white gloves so that the only pale flesh visible to others started from the neck up. He wore his silver-colored hair short, and the hue complimented his dazzling golden eyes.

  The most startling aspect of his person, however, stuck out of the top of his head. Two long, thin gray horns protruded from either side of the top of his head. The smooth spikes stretched at an upward angle backward for a foot before they ended in sharp points.

  I didn’t fail to recognize the similarity between this handsome specimen and the statue that once stood in the courtyard, although the wings and claws were noticeably absent. I cleared my throat and smiled at them. “You guys don’t happen to know where Lord Merthyr is, do you?”

  The man arched a dark eyebrow as he stepped toward me as though he wasn’t sure what I was. His golden eyes swept over my figure like he was assessing something fate-changing. Turns out he was.

  “How did you come to be here?” he asked me.

  I sheepishly grinned up at him. “Would you believe a black hole?”

  He nodded. “I would.”

  I paused and blinked at the man. “Really?” He walked around to my other side and took in all the fronts. I followed him with my eyes and frowned. “What is it? Do I look that bad?”

  A soft smile slipped onto his lips. “Quite the opposite.”

  A blush accented my cheeks before I shook it off and tried to hop around to face him. “Listen, I really need to get-ow!” My ankle complained bitterly of any weight. I looked down and saw that the area around the bone was already swelling.

  “You’re hurt,” the man commented.

  I leaned against the heavy hedge and grimaced. “It’s just a little twist. I’m sure it’ll be-hey!”

  The man had swept me into his arms and drew me against his body. I pressed my hand against his chest and felt the warmth of his body beneath my fingers. Thoughts of the dream from the previous night resurfaced, but I fought down the hard instincts that teased me with promises of fun. I looked up into his handsome face and he smiled down at me.

  “I hope this is comfortable for you,” he mused.

  I gathered my wits and glared at him. “This is not! Put me down right now!”

  “You’re in no condition to walk,” he reminded me as he strode through the arch.

  The young woman stepped to the side and bowed her head. Her cap slipped a little, and my eyes widened as a cat’s ear popped out of her hair. Her eyes flickered up and, seeing my shocked gaze, she adjusted her cap back into position.

  The man carried me down the path, but I leaned back and kept my shocked eyes on the servant. She followed our footsteps with her head bowed, but no more visible cat features.

  I clapped my hanging jaw shut and looked at my carrier. “I-I think I need to get back to my tour group.”

  “Tour group?” he asked me without stopping.

  I nodded. “Yeah, you know, the tour group Lord Merthyr put up last night. I’m sure my friend is worried sick about me.” He studied me with those brilliant golden eyes, and an unsettling feeling fell on my heart. I narrowed my eyes at him. “You. . .you do know what I’m talking about, don’t you?”

  “I’m afraid not,” he told me.

  My eyes flickered up to his horns before I started to fidget in his grasp. “I think I’d really like to be put down right now.”

  “But you’re in no condition-”

  “I’m in good enough condition to kick you with my good foot if you don’t put me down,” I warned him.

  “Very well.” He stopped and set me down on the stone path.

  I limped backward away from the strange woman and man with my eyes ever on the pair. “I don’t know what’s going on, but if Chwedlonol Castle is having some sort of a role-playing game than count me out.”

  The woman furrowed her brow and looked up at the tall man. “Chwedlonol Castle? My lord, what’s she talking about?”

  A soft smile graced his lips as he studied me. “So my assumption was correct. Our guest is no ordinary wanderer in strange clothing. She has come from Arall.”

  The woman’s jaw dropped and she looked at me with wonderment. “From Arall? Could it be?”

  I held up my hands in front of myself and limped backward. “Listen, I don’t know what you guys are talking about-” my eyes flickered up to his horns, “-or maybe even what you are, but I really do have to go.”

  I spun around and limped as fast as I could through the green arch. The path guided me along the hedge walls and opened to reveal the rear of the castle.

  Except it wasn’t a castle anymore.

  In place of the stoic stones of Chwedlonol Castle was a stately country manor house of two stories. The walls were of a rough plaster and stone mixed together to create an uneven but clean white surface. The smooth wooden beams that bound the mixture together complimented the diamond paned windows that looked down at me with dark shadows behind them. The roof was steep and tiled with brown clay, and several stone chimneys pierced the sky.

  I gaped at the sight and stumbled back into something hard. A pair of gentle hands fell on my shoulder, and I half-spun around to find the horned man behind me. My latest spin, however, made me step on my bad foot. Pain shot up my leg and I collapsed backward.

  The man swooped forward and wrapped his arms around me, stopping me from another bad fall. He lifted me into his arms as my heart pounded hard in my chest.

  “Welcome to my home, daughter of Arall,” he greeted me.

  True to womanly form, that’s where I fainted.

  7

  I was unwillingly brought back to consciousness. A soft pillow lay beneath my head and I shifted around atop silky sheets. I was at home.

  That is, until I remembered that my bed was hard, with scratchy cheap sheets and without the smell of lovely flowers. My eyes flew open and I shot up to find myself in unfamiliar surroundings.

  I lay in a small but elegant bedroom with handcrafted furniture and a large four-post bed. The walls were paneled wood smoothed to perfection and lightly stained to create a glistening appearance. Against the right wall was a large fireplace with a crackling fire. Behind me on either side of the bed the dark light of the moon shone in through the high paned windows. Shadows invaded this area, showin
g that night had fallen during my fainting spell.

  A candle stood on the nightstand beside me, lit and flickering softly. A second light was on a small table near the thick door that stood opposite me, and beside the door, seated in a chair, was the capped young woman from before. She had a small book in her lap and her head was bowed in reading. At my start, however, she looked up and smiled at me.

  “Good night, miss,” she greeted me.

  My heart felt like it was about to thump out of my chest as I whipped my head left and right. “W-where am I?”

  The young woman stood and set her book on her chair. “In the home of my master, Lord Tristan Cernunnos.”

  I stared at my lap and ran a hand through my hair. My attention fell on my injured foot which had been wrapped tightly in a tan bandage. I wiggled my foot and winced, but the pain was much less than before.

  “You shouldn’t move too much,” the young woman warned me as she hurried to the side of the bed. “Lord Tristan is quite good at bandaging, but moving might loosen them.”

  I blinked at her. “You didn’t do it?”

  She blushed and shook her head. “Oh no. I’m not very good at bandaging, but Lord Tristan is teaching me a great deal.”

  A shadow darkened the doorway. I looked past the young woman and saw that ‘Lord Tristan’ stood in the door. His golden eyes stared at me with such a penetrating look that I fidgeted beneath his examination. There was also a dark expression over his brow, but I couldn’t see into his thoughts. However, I felt no fear, only curiosity.

  The young woman noticed my attention was behind her and turned around. She clasped her hands in front of her and bowed her head. “Good night, Lord Tristan.”

  He smiled and the darkness around him faded. “Good night, Chloe. I see our guest has awoken.”

  Chloe nodded as he joined her at the bedside. The lord leaned over and touched the wrapping. I jerked back when a stinging pain shot up my leg. “This is quite a sprain you have. I don’t expect you to be able to walk for a few days.”

  “I’m sure I’ll be fine,” I assured him as I drew my leg away and scooted up against the head of the bed. “My friend’s probably worried sick about me, so I really should be going.”

  His smile fell one me and I blushed beneath the attention of that handsome face. “Your wish to return to your friend is admirable, but I’m afraid it isn’t possible.”

  My heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean?”

  “You traveled through the dark portal between worlds, and until the portal reopens there’s no way for you to return,” he told me.

  That dropped the mask. Handsome or not, this guy was nuts. I inched toward the opposite side of the bed. “Well, I’m sure I’ll find a way. I’ve got all my life to-um, get back to my world.”

  “You don’t believe me, do you?” he guessed.

  I slapped a strained smile on my face and shook my head. “N-no, it’s not that! I just-um, I just need to go, that’s all. I’ve caused you two enough trouble.”

  “Should I restrain her?” a voice spoke up. I froze and whipped my head left and right, but I didn’t see anyone.

  “I would rather you not,” Lord Tristan responded to the voice.

  The shadows in the corner beside the fire shifted and stretched across the floor. I was reminded of my dream and my pulse quickened, but not from fear. A part of me was hoping for a sequel to that unfinished fantasy.

  This darkness, however, gave off a different vibe than the sensual strands from before. The shadow was a single tendril and avoided the glow from the fire like a scared child. The darkness stopped at the foot of the bed and shot up into the air to form itself into a child made of shadows without clothes, and with a shock of short, unruly hair atop its head. The creature’s eyes were the most defining part as they were little glowing white orbs set into the cherubic face.

  Whatever the hell it was, it wasn’t any creature I’d ever seen. The creature floated like Peter Pan over to the side which I had scooted toward.

  The darkness bent down and studied me with an air of interest and disgust. “She’s a little skinny, isn’t she?” The shadow leaned down and sniffed the air around me. “She’s got a good scent of magic, though. One of the best I’ve ever smelled.” He paused and looked up at Tristan. “So she’s the one you’ve been looking for all these years, is that it?”

  It was at that point that I found my voice, and it came out as a terrified shriek. I scrambled backward and slammed my back into the headboard.

  “Now look what you’ve done!” Chloe scolded him as she hurried to my side. I scuttled into her arms as she grasped my shoulders and glared at the thing. “You’ve frightened her!”

  The shadow floated back and crossed its dark arms over its chest. “If she’s frightened by me then she should run back to her own world before she’s scared to death by ours.”

  “She may have a long wait, and in the meantime she will remain here,” Lord Tristan insisted.

  I shut my eyes and clapped my cheeks. “This has to be a dream. Wake up, Chris, wake up!”

  Chloe looked down at my in concern. “I’m sorry, miss, but this isn’t a dream.”

  I looked up at her and shook my head. “But it has to be! None of you guys are possible!”

  She shook her head. “No, miss. This is quite real.”

  “Please leave us for a moment,” Lord Tristan commanded the others.

  The shadow rolled his white eyes, but slipped back into the corner. Chloe reluctantly released me and stepped out into the hall, shutting the door behind her.

  The room was quiet, but not my mind. A terrible realization fell heavy on me as I found myself grasping the full, terrible truth: I wasn’t in Kansas anymore. That portal hadn’t been just a figment of my imagination. It had been real, and it had really transported me to a place with talking shadows, girls with cat ears, and a handsome guy who sported a pair of horns.

  I wrapped my arms around myself to stop my trembling, but to no avail. Fear began to take hold, a terrible fear that I was trapped in a strange place, alone and without a surefire way to get back home.

  The lord seated himself near on the bed near the foot and studied me with a soft look. “This must seem rather strange to you to be in a world that is familiar, and yet not.”

  An understatement of the year, but my mind still couldn’t quite believe that it was truth. “I. . .I’m not really in another world, am I? This is just a prank, right?”

  He shook his head. “I’m afraid this is very real. You have traveled from your world, what we in this world call Arall, to our world, Ledrith.”

  I drew my good leg against my chest and wrapped my arms around it. “I can go back, though, can’t I? Back to my world?”

  He sighed. “Perhaps one day, but the portal between our worlds is unpredictable, and I know of no way to create one using the magic of Ledrith.”

  My eyes flickered up to his horns. “You’re not going to eat me, are you?”

  He blinked at me for a moment before he smiled. “No, I won’t eat you. On the contrary-” He reached a gloved hand out to me. I should have shrunk away. That would have been natural. However, I welcomed his touch as he cupped my cheek in his palm. He tilted his head to one side and studied me. “So beautiful,” he whispered. I blushed under his compliment. He pursed his lips and drew his hand back. “I’m sorry. That was inconsiderate of me. You must be very frightened right now.”

  I shook my head. “Not at all. At least, not right now.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “You’re sure?”

  I managed a shaky smile. “I think it’s the only thing I’m sure about.”

  A bright smile graced his lips. He stood and faced me before he crossed his arm over his chest and bowed to me. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lord Tristan Cernunnos, master of this house and all the lands that surround it.” He looked up and studied my face. “And what might I call you?”

  “I’m Chris.”

  He arched an eyebro
w. “Arall is rather strange. In Ledrith that is a boy’s name.”

  “It’s short for Christine. Christine Bradfern,” I told him.

  He bowed his head again. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Bradfern. Please consider yourself my guest for as long as you wish.”

  “T-thanks,” I replied as a tremble ran through me.

  The shivering was not of fear but of a deep, frustrating sorrow. There was no telling when-or even if-I was ever going to get home. A sob built up in my throat. I’d never longed to hear Lina’s voice as much as I did then.

  Lord Tristan’s face fell and he took a step toward me as he reached out a hand. “Are you cold? Do you need the fire-”

  I burst into tears. Large, runny ones that engulfed me in the understanding that this was indeed real and that I was trapped. I buried my head in my knees and sobbed. The sound echoed off the paneled walls and filled the room with my sorrow. I could feel the lord’s shadow stretch over me, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was going home, back to my friends and family, and all the stuff I-

  I froze when a hand gently touched the top of my head. Tears stood frozen in my eyes as the hand stroked my hair. The bed shifted as a heavy body sat down beside me. I looked up and found the lord seated there stroking my head. His golden eyes and gentle smile soothed my frayed nerves. Even his voice was calming.

  “I can’t understand the grief you must be feeling at this moment, but so long as you live there’s hope for you to return to your world,” he reminded me.

  I wiped my arm across my eyes and blinked up at him. “But what am I supposed to do until then?”

  “You can remain here at my home until you’ve found the answer to that question,” he offered.

  My face fell and I set my chin on my knees. His soothing hand never stopped. I closed my eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. “Thank you.”

  “You’re quite welcome, Christine,” he returned. I was sorry when he removed his hand and stood. “But you must be hungry. You slept for quite some time after the spell in my garden. I’m sure Chloe would be glad to bring you anything you desire.”