Page 67 of Detonation
What section of the realm did we land in?
Strong gusts of wind slam into us, throwing me onto my side. I roll before I get a grip into the ground, holding myself in place. Zedd and Serenity are quick to respond, sending a counter blast of air at the direction it came from, working in tandem to create a much stronger defense. I clamber to my feet and note how the trees bend with the brute force of the wind tunnel they've created.
"White flag! White flag!" sounds just above the sound of the gusting winds.
Zedd and Serenity stop, both looking on edge with their hands up, ready to go at any moment. Hale has his hands dug into the earth; his gaze narrowed towards the area the attack came from.
A yelp comes from someone as two figures emerge. A tall woman with well-toned muscles and a half-shaved head appears first, her expression fierce. Next comes a shorter, slender woman with a dark brown pixie cut, looking a lot less hostile.
I'm going to assume she’s the one who yelled white flag.
The woman with the shaved head places a hand of her hip, projecting her voice to us. "Who are you? You're strong but I don't recognize you."
Serenity laughs haughtily. "I'm Queen Witch Bitch of the witch realm. Who the fuck are you?"
The blue-haired stranger’s mouth drops open and the smaller brunette elbows her to speak. When she doesn’t, the brunette frowns at her before turning to us and introducing them both. “Hi, I’m Noreen and this is Raven. We’re members of the light fae resistance. Would you—"
Raven slaps a hand over Noreen’s mouth, narrowing her gaze on Serenity. "Did you say you were called Witch Bitch?"
Serenity smirks, owning it. "That’sQueenWitch Bitch to you."
"Well, then. Hello, Queen Witch Bitch,” Raven says, a ghost of a smile crossing her face. “It seems we both got our shit nicknames from the same person. I’m Blue's Clues."
I interject, hope blatant on my face. "Wait—you met Lana? Is she here?"
Noreen looks at the ground solemnly and alarm sirens blare in my head. I scowl, not liking where this is going.
Hale approaches them, his jaw visibly grinding as he takes charge of the situation. "It seems we have a lot to talk about. Lana is our mate. Is there somewhere we can go to sit?"
Raven nods, turns, and walks away, Noreen following quietly, as we trail behind them down the narrow forest path.
Luke mutters behind me as we walk. "She came, she gave someone a nickname, and she fucked shit up."
Somehow, a chuckle escapes me, despite the dire circumstances. "That's our queen."
The short journey back to their camp is over within a few minutes and I sidle up next to Serenity. "How did you somehow drop us directly where we needed to be to find allies?"
Her eyes twinkle as she winks at me. "If I've met someone before, I can sense their aura when I'm traveling through realms, pinpointing their exact location for me."
Zedd's face twists up in confusion, asking the question that's probably on all of our minds. "Well, if Lana isn't here, who is here that you know?"
A voice comes from behind where Raven and Noreen have stopped. "My boys! Serenity!"
The voice knocks loose a memory of sitting around a bonfire with Oslana and my brothers as her Grammie brought us hot chocolate.
All of our faces light up at the familiar voice but Zedd shocks us all by bursting into action, rushing towards the elder fae, and scooping her into a tight hug that lifts her off her feet. He holds her close to him and buries his head in her shoulder. "Grammie. It's so good to see you."
She pats his back a few times before tapping his arms to be let down, which he complies with. She looks up at him, cradling his face in her hands and smiling at him before looking at the rest of us. "My, how you all look so similar to before is beyond me."
One by one, we all go and give her hugs and I drop a peck on her cheek, making her laugh. "Still the charmer, I see."
Serenity gives her a hug last. “I’m glad to see you, old friend. Is there a bathroom nearby for a girl to tinkle?”
“Who are you calling old, little witch?” Grammie teases and points Serenity in the direction of the bathroom.
That makes sense, since Serenity came to the realm with her parents, she would have met Grammie in the castle.
I toss Grammie a wink and take her hand into the nook of my arm as Raven calls for us to follow her into the large, main building. The doors open to a large dining hall, empty except for a few fae, which is unsurprising since it’s the middle of the day.
