Page 29 of The Stone Initiation
“Clever,” the other twin said, looking at me with an appraising glance.
They had identical features, but one’s face was slightly more angular than the others and her hair held a wave to it.
“S’pose wits are all she has,” Curi said derision dripping from his tone.
“Well, we can’t all be big and dumb,” Sharniza retorted before I could reply.
“So much for staying out of things,” Touron muttered in amusement.
The air beyond the big old oak fizzed with blue sparks, and a man materialized out of nowhere. Dressed in dark blue jeans, a T-shirt and thigh length jacket, he looked chic but casual. Designer stubble covered his strong jaw and a cigarette hung from his bottom lip. He pinched it away from his mouth and exhaled. A tendril of smoke curled from his perfectly formed lips as he raked us over. His brows flicked up when he got to me, and he shook his head as if in dismay before taking another drag of his smoke.
“Doorway to your dreams awaits,” he drawled. “Direct to the gates. In you go.”
“Who the fuck are you?” Curi demanded. “Where are the elites?”
The man’s eyes flinched, and a muscle in his cheek jumped, the only visible indication that Curi’s tone bothered him. “The elites are back at the academy, which is where this magical doorway, that I so kindly created for you, will transport you now.”
“How do we know this isn’t another test or a trick,” Curi demanded.
The man gave Curi a flat look. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe the fucking archway behind me that says Stonehaven?”
Yep, there was indeed an arch visible through the doorway he’d opened.
“It could be a trick.” Curi looked to the others for support.
The man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose muttering something that sounded suspiciously like,I don’t get paid enough for this.
With the ability to open a portal like this, he had to be mageri, but what was he doing slumming it in the rim?
From what I’d learned, the mageri had no authority out here. Guardians and humans ruled, so if he was here, then he was working for them. Were there other mageri at the academy?
I’d come here for answers about my brother’s death, but there was no denying my curiosity about how the world on the other side of that portal worked.
It was time to find out.
I strode forward. “We just go through?”
He fixed his golden, hooded eyes on me. “Yeah, pretty simple.” His attention flicked to my wet hair and clothes. “You crossed via the river. Nice.”
“Yep. And I’m gagging for some dry clothes, so…” I strode passed him and stepped through the portal.
A light fizz of power skimmed over my skin, but the world didn’t shatter or tip. The breeze blew me an icy kiss, ruffled my hair then filtered through my wet clothes to chill my skin. If I’d been full human, I’d have caught pneumonia by now.
The heat from the other gargoyles bodies pressed in on me as they came through the portal behind me, and the air, which had been darn right frosty a moment ago, no longer felt like it was trying to slice through my clothes. But my attention was on the austere stone arch that rose about fifteen feet tall and fifteen feet wide.
Iron gates blocked our path, the metal so thick I’d struggle to wrap my hand around the bars. A wide gravel road, bordered by woodland, stretched out and vanished into frosty mist.
There was a rush of air, and the portal behind us closed with a snap.
“Welcome to Stonehaven,” the mageri said. “Someone will be here to let us in momentarily.”
“Or we could simply fly over the wall,” one of the gargoyles said.
“You could try it,” the mageri replied. “If you want your guts to explode.” He pushed out his jaw and exhaled, creating a veil of smoke over his features.
I caught the whiff of licorice and cloves.
“Wards?” Touron asked.
