Page 32 of War Hour

Ardis reaches where I stand, moving toe to toe with me, eyes locked onto mine. “It’s time.” He slides his hand in mine, grip flexing around my own.

A gust of air barrels into us from behind, Ardis’s body blocking most of the force.

Hair whipping uncontrollably, I turn my face into the wind, trying to see through the strands obstructing my view.

The blustering breeze comes not from a window but a small circle a few feet off the ground. The ring spins, the inside a portal to somewhere else. Somewhere greener than I’ve ever seen, certainly not Falland.

As it grows, a woman on the other side is revealed. Fiery red hair whips in the wind being sucked through the portal. Her hands are stretched out like she’s controlling what’s unfolding around us.

“Torryn, now!” the girl shouts across the blip in space.

Turning from her, I look to see if someone has stepped forward. Searching for a new player in this never-ending game, but no one does.

Ardis pulls me backward toward the glowing portal.

Drytas croaks from the other side of the room, hand pushing against the wind to block his eyes. “Torryn?”

Out of the corner of my eye, Belthan creeps toward us, just out of Ardis’s vision.

“Ah, Torryn. How clever of you, infiltrating my court. Your father taught you well.” Drytas sends a menacing glare behind me. “You shouldn’t be here. You, of all people, should know the rules”—he pauses—“and their consequences.”

Following his gaze, I look at Ardis as ice-cold shock floods my body, my jaw slackening.

He means Ardis.

As Ardis pulls me closer to the portal, Belthan mimics our approach, a hand reaching downward. Near his hip is a flash of a blade.

“Drytas, it isn’t me you should be worried about.” Ardis says, causing me to freeze as he tosses a golden disc into the middle of the room.

“I, Torryn, lord of the Court of Self, testify for your judgment.”

The disc glows before casting out a ring into the room.

Ardis drags me toward the portal despite my knees locking in protest. This hadn’t been the deal—or at least not who I made it with.

Ardis is a lord of another court?

Standing at the mouth of the portal, Belthan bolts toward Ardis, knife poised to attack.

Without hesitation, I throw up a shield, blocking the blade from penetrating Ardis’s torso, and we fall. Torryn’s eyes meet mine as we disappear into another place—another world for all I know.

Dark brown swallows the bright blue irises staring back at me. Gold flecks shine in the warm, rich color as we are bathed in sunlight.

Falling through the portal is a dizzying experience, with a sudden overload of smells, sounds. My eyes shut on instinct when I land with a thud on the solid ground on the other side.

“Torryn, a little late! You had us worried.”

Opening my eyes, I look at the people standing above me.

The redhead who had opened the portal is helping up Ardis... And beside her is Ardis?

The two men standing before me are identical, except for one has deep brown eyes. My mouth hangs open, trying to connect my eyes and brain to make sense of what it’s seeing.

Just like the first day in the market, the Ardis who had come through the portal, my Ardis, shifts. Like water being poured over him, from head to toe, he transforms—shedding the identity I’ve come to know.

The blonde hair darkens into black, lengthening to rest just under the man’s ears. His jaw widens, cheekbones resting higher—even his nose becomes more prominent. Staring at the man, I watch as his frame stretches out, the bulking figure leaning out as he grows several inches.

Torryn.

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