Page 20 of Heart of a Dire Wolf
9
Nic wrestled the unconscious polar fairy into the back seat of the car, tucking the green velvet robe around her thick, muscular legs.
“Mauk, keep scanning. She’s got to be around here somewhere.”
One second, they’d been driving through the portal, and the next, his world was the roar of thunder, sheets of multicolor lightning, and waves of magic pummeling his body.
He’d landed on his butt and slid a few feet on stony rubble and pine needles. Moments later, Skyla’s car hurtled forward out of thin air. It bounced with a squeal of tires on the paved road about twenty meters to his left. Tinsel’s sleigh came through right after, battered and smoking, skidding on the road and bumping into the car’s rear fender.
It took his sluggish brain a minute to realize he was now in daylight. The sun peeked coyly over the trees.
He ran to the car to look for Skyla, but she must have been thrown clear like he had. He’d ordered Mauk to scan for her and Tinsel, then gone looking himself. He shouted their names often. He’d been about to strip and shift to his much-better-hunter tiger, when he’d found Tinsel, out cold, stuck in the low branches of a tree. He’d extracted her and carried her to the car.
He balled up his jacket and made a pillow for Tinsel’s head. “Mauk, where are we?”
“Evaluating.” One of the speakers buzzed a little.
Nic saw movement on the road and turned to look. A male wearing a bejeweled brocade corset over a loose-necked homespun peasant shirt and leggings walked toward them. The flavor of the male’s magic and his lavender skin suggested he was some tribe of fairy, but Nic had never seen one so slender and perfectly human-sized.
“Hello,” called the fairy. “I’m Pendragor, from Kotoyeesinay. Can I help you?”
Nic shaded his eyes with his hand. “We came through a portal, but it went wrong.” Nic tilted his head toward the car. “If you know someone named Tinsel, she’s in there, unconscious.”
Pendragor frowned and walked faster. “Who are you?”
A stronger wave of magic had Nic instinctively stepping away, off the road. “Nicolas Paletin. I think I’m a guest of Skyla Chekal, if she’s here.”
“We have no new visitors,” said Pendragor. The rear car door flung itself open. He ducked his head inside. More magic surged.
Nic backed up, only to find himself bumping into a huge boulder.
Mauk beeped twice, his voice loud enough for Nic to hear. “We are on Glade Road, one mile from Kotoyeesinay, Wyoming. Today is Thursday, October fifth. The local time is nine-fifty-four.”
Pendragor twisted to look at Nic. “Does your… whatever that is always state the obvious?”
Nic pulled his shirt off and kicked off his shoes. “When we entered the portal in Utah, it was four in the morning on Monday.” He pulled off his pants. “We lost three days. My mate has to be around somewhere. I’m going to go find her.”
“Wait,” said a familiar female voice. Tinsel pulled herself halfway out of the car, holding her head. “She’s not here.”
Nic scooped up his clothes. “Where is she?”
“I need the whole council for this,” said Tinsel.
Nic’s muscles tensed and his fingers threatened to become claws. “Where is my mate?” Only the danger of potent ancient magic kept him from stalking toward the fairies.
“Fort LeBlanc,” said Tinsel. “The arctic sanctuary.”
Nic blew out a frustrated breath. “Fine. I’ll need transportal magic or a helicopter to get there.” He jutted his chin toward the town that was nestled against the mountainside. “Can I arrange for those in Kotoyeesinay?”
“No,” said Pendragor. He helped Tinsel to her feet.
“Yes,” said Tinsel, “but they won’t do you any good.” She looked around, then smiled when her eyes landed on the battered sleigh behind the car. “Donder!” She patted her thigh like she was beckoning a dog.
The sleigh rose several inches, then floated forward and landed beside her.
Nic gritted his teeth. Fairies had the attention span of a hummingbird. “Why won’t they do me—”
Pendragor turned a sharp frown on Nic. “Fort LeBlanc has been abandoned for at least the last sixty years.”
