Page 70 of Tethered to the World
Seconds later, the pain faded, replaced by a hum of pleasure flickering along her skin, and she pried open her eyes, her heart in her throat, afraid to see if she’d pulled them in the afterworld.
Instead, the landscape was awash in colors.
“Holy shit!” Logan didn’t move anything but his head as he glanced around the campus. Flames shimmered where his kitsune was wrapped around him, resting in Logan’s lap, his many tails rippling as he curled them around them. The little critter gave a contented smile, leaning over to lick at her hand, leaving behind a trail of warmth.
Logan rubbed his thumb distractingly along her palm. “What is that?”
She opened her mouth, but Xander answered first. “Magic.”
At the edge of the campus, a large dome stretched up into the sky, soft pink swirling along the barrier. Some people were swathed in brilliant colors while others were pale in comparison. Almost everyone exhibited some type of magic.
The shifters were slightly different. Instead of bright colors, they glowed. Some beasts actually blended with their human counterpart to form a single creature, while others prowled behind them like a shadow. Each shifter was different. She focused on the boy who finally managed to pick up his books. The kid’s beast merged with him for a few seconds, giving him a boost of speed, enough for him to leap across campus and catch up with his friends.
“He’s a deer.” She turned toward Xander, then nearly swallowed her tongue when his beast stared boldly back at her. The creature rested just under his skin, his sharp teal eyes watching her carefully. He had a face like an eagle, his white hair actually feathers, as if part of him had bled through to his human form. His hands were large golden paws topped with lethally sharp, two-inch black claws, his creature pinning her fingers to his thigh as if to stop her from running screaming in fear. Large, ghostly wings arched out of his back, the brown and white feathers majestic. “You’re a gryphon.”
The great creature bowed his head regally, seeming pleased when she didn’t flinch away. Gryphons were whispered to be nearly extinct, vicious creatures who loved to hunt. The few remaining gryphons kept to themselves, often sought out and killed for use in various potions and spells.
Though she was often left alone for days on end in her cell, she had unfettered access to the computer when she obeyed her uncle, often hacking into the system when her uncle wasn’t looking. She was monitored, her ability to post restricted by a firewall, but she was still able to read whatever caught her interest.
And read she did, fascinated by anything and everything mythical.
She imagined she was one of them, something special.
She would never have guessed they were real.
“Is this your afterworld?” Logan asked, awe and curiosity making his blue eyes shimmer.
She tore her attention away from the gryphon seated next to her, glancing at Logan in bemusement. “No, the afterworld is a dark place where the dead and dying linger.”
This was something completely different.
“You must be tethering me to the human world, boosting my ability to see more without having to be dragged into the afterworld.” She allowed the darkness to rise to her fingertips, the cloud of mist opening a small window for her to peer through into a dark world that resembled a post-apocalyptic landscape. Everything was dark, the sun hidden behind the gloomy overcast, while particles floated in the air like debris carried by a current.
“That’s where you go?” Logan sounded appalled, unable to tear his attention away from the grim realm.
She shrugged, closing her hand into a fist to scatter the mist. “It’s actually not so bad. My uncle can’t reach me there. When I visit, I’m stronger, and my injuries heal almost instantly. It’s…” she couldn’t put into words what she felt when she physically ventured into the afterworld.
“Like going home,” Xander murmured.
She glanced up at him in surprise. “Yes.”
“But the afterworld also terrifies you,” Logan’s voice was stark, his kitsune bristling.
She pursed her lips, dropping her gaze and blinking away the enveloping darkness, and the colorful world around them faded. She didn’t want to tell them, but they deserved to know the risks, especially if she accidently pulled them into the afterworld.
She refused to leave them vulnerable.
“No, not like you think. The afterworld is a place where the living go to die. When a person’s soul crosses over, their essence bleeds away. The creatures of the afterworld feed on them. The longer a person remains in the afterworld, the faster they die.” She pulled her hands away from them, twisting her fingers in her lap.
They needed to know everything, and her heart ached at the thought of what they would think of her once they knew the truth. “My uncle would sell my services to the sick or dying.” She licked her suddenly chapped lips. “The creatures of the afterworld seemed to obey me. I can order them away long enough for the injured to recover. Since my uncle doesn’t associate with fine, upstanding citizens, most of the people I helped deserved their fate.”
“Shit.” Logan stood and began pacing. “No wonder your uncle wants you back.”
“He had planned to auction me off to the highest bidder.” She smiled bitterly. “You see, I can’t cure people. If they’re sick, their illness will eventually return, but injuries are a little different. I can sometimes prevent death long enough for a person to heal.”
Xander knelt in front of her, leaving her no choice but look directly at him. “What else waits for you in the afterworld?”
He hit the nail on the head, easily guessing her real fear.
