“…the Council says war is inevitable if we don’t have Coco Teal—”

Coco’s heart jumped in her throat. She pulled her hood further down and peeked out at the crowd. A few feet from her stood a stout and robust woman wearing leather armor, much like the man that helped her escape the faery. Hers was less beaten up. Next to her was an elderly woman draped in elegant green robes with silver thread woven together to create constellations. Hoods concealed the faces of both.

“The Council is lying, Cynthiana. Entals are weak—”

“Weak?” The elderly woman retorted. “Have you lost your mind, Agnathais? Who was it that murdered your eldest? Annihilated our sorcerers? Corrupted our young? Entals, Agnathais. They are not weak.”

“Coco Teal would never side with them. She’s one of us.”

“You speak for a young woman we have never met. Think, my dear. The Council says we need Coco Teal to stop the war from happening. I haven’t heard otherwise.”

“I understand, Cy—”

The woman never got to finish. Protruding out from her mouth like a tongue was a large, crystal clear icicle covered in blood. The back of her head was destroyed by the sudden impact. She crumpled forward, thudding to the ground.

The elderly woman never got the chance to scream. Something chopped her head clean off her shoulders. It landed with a splat and rolled towards Coco.

Coco’s eyes followed the rolling head in confusion. They were talking, having a chat just moments ago…they couldn’t be dead. That wasn’t supposed to happen.

The smell of blood reached Coco and assaulted her senses. Nausea set in. She pressed a hand over her mouth, desperately wishing she could get away from the severed head. Acid churned in her stomach. Tears fell from her stinging eyes.

This wasn’t supposed to happen!

A child’s scream rose high above the babble of the crowd.

With fear in her heart, Coco forced her gaze up. Her eyes darted to and fro as she searched the crowd. Bile forced its way out of her once she spotted the child. Well, what was left…

Her heart shook seeing the ripped flesh and bloody mess strewn across the white marble. Unable to speak, she willed the others in the crowd to notice before it was too late.

Coco tried multiple times to shout out a warning, but her throat constricted, and she found it hard to hold back another round of vomit. As she wretched onto the shiny marble streets, screams pierced the air.

Terror, unlike any she had ever known, froze Coco in place. She watched in horror as the ground split open. Over a hundred people fell to their deaths in a matter of seconds. Those lucky enough to stop their fall by clinging onto the newly formed ledges, cried out in agony as the earth slammed shut, cutting their bodies in half.

Speechless, Coco couldn’t move. Her muscles were locked in place. Had she not scrambled out of the crowd when she did, she would have died.

Cheers echoed down the eerily silent street, basking in victory. The voices sounded hungry, eager for more blood.

“We know you’re hiding, sorceress.”

Coco’s face twisted in agony when she heard the person clear as day, like they were standing right next to her. Her heart was hammering against her chest. She couldn’t get enough air.

“We just want to talk, Coco Teal. We aren’t the bad guys.”

Intense shaking overtook her body as the disembodied voice continued. Not the bad guys? Her glassy eyes gazed out at the blood-stained streets. The color red was impossible not to see.

“I can tell you want to do this the hard way.”

A gust of wind swooshed down above Coco’s head. She cowered down against the ground, a blood-curdling scream escaping her.

The sound of shattering glass caused Coco to look up.

Standing behind her was Asher with his hands flung to the sky and braced against an invisible force. His gaze was calm as he held off the attack.

“Grab hold of me, Coco. The Council can’t know we were here.”

She was frozen to the spot, staring in horror as the ground started shaking.

“Coco!”

Sobs filled the silence.

Asher grunted against the invisible force. He shuffled forward until his knees touched Coco’s back. “I know it’s hard, Coco. But I need you to grab onto me. It can be the edge of my cloak or pant leg. Anything.”

The steadiness of his voice finally reached her and she managed to grab a handful of his cloak. She heard a sigh of relief right before darkness took her vision.

Seconds later, she found herself inside a dimly lit room with boarded windows. Broken tables and chairs were strewn about and covered with a fine layer of dust. The place looked abandoned.

Asher righted two chairs and helped Coco into one of them. A deafening silence soon followed.

“Coco—” Asher stopped when he saw her bloodshot eyes filled with tears. He reached out and pulled her into his arms where she burrowed against his chest. “I’m sorry.”

Finally freed from her daze, Coco gripped the front of his cloak and cried. She cried and cried and cried until there were no more tears left. Her throat was scraped dry. An empty, hollow spot filled her heart.

She stayed bundled up in Asher’s arms when she asked, “Why?”

 “We have been at war for centuries with the entals. It has always been this way. When the Council said you were the solution to ending the war, the fighting got worse. What you saw is a normal occurrence in every realm. Innocent people keep dying. We’re on the brink of a major war. Worse than the attack you witnessed. That’s part of why everyone is so desperate to find you. A war of the magnitude predicted could bring the end of our peoples in every realm.”

“Pulser told me the Council didn’t want me to gain my magic because of a prophecy, not because of a war.” It hurt for her to speak.

Asher glared at the ceiling. “Whatever he told you about the Council and their reason for ostracizing you is a lie. I don’t know the original reason for why they cast you out. What I do know is that both sorcerers and entals are using you as a beacon of hope to end the war.”

“Why?”

“I wish I knew.” Asher held her tighter. “I can take you back to the human realm and you can forget all about this. I will do what I can to keep the Council and Raen from finding you. Or, I can bring you to Pulser and you can continue your path with him.”

Coco’s face paled. If this was what was waiting for her in the sorcery world, she wanted nothing to do with it. She wanted nothing to do with Pulser. And, despite the kindness he’d shown her, she wanted nothing to do with Asher. They represented a violent world—one she didn’t want Ray to be part of. If she continued this journey with Pulser, there was no doubt in her mind that her little brother would be pulled into the crossfire.

“Take me home, please.”

~~~

Asher knew where most of the portals were in White City. It didn’t take long for him to find one. Located in an obscure place was a portal connected to the human realm.

Coco discarded her cloak and bag of money back at the abandoned building. She’d burn the clothes she was wearing the second she got the chance. She wanted nothing to remind her of this awful experience.

“Can you come with me?”

Asher raised his eyebrows. “I thought you wanted to forget.”

“I do. I’m worried. I’m afraid to go back alone. Sorry—”

“It’s okay, Coco. I’ll make sure you’re reunited with your brother before I leave.”

The ball of stress fizzled out a little at his words. “Thank you.”

Asher held out his hand and the two walked through the portal. The journey back to the human realm was just as uncomfortable as leaving it. Coco was thankful she wouldn’t be using them again.

They ended up in a park not far from Charlotte’s house. Coco was surprised to see that portaling didn’t affect time. It was early evening just like it was in the sorcery realm. Which meant not even a full night had passed since she dropped Ray off with Charlotte.

So much had happened.

Anxious, Coco hurried her steps.

Summerville was quiet this time of night and it allowed the duo to reach their destination in under ten minutes. Charlotte’s house sat in a tiny cul-de-sac. The living room windows were lit with soft yellow light and the glow of a television could be seen through the curtains.

Coco rang the doorbell.

Bright red clouded her vision. She forced away those awful memories and released a nervous breath when the door opened. “Char—”

Angry blue eyes greeted her. “Where have you been?”

“Zach?”

“I’ve been trying to reach you for hours. Your brother’s gone missing and you weren’t at Pulser’s. Charlotte’s out looking for you.”

“What’s going on?” Coco felt fear rush forward. “How’d he go missing?”

Asher stepped closer. “Perhaps this is a conversation we should move indoors.”

Zach’s gaze hardened. His body tensed and shifted ever so slightly. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Things came up.”

Coco looked between the two, eyes wide. “How do you know each other?”

Both gave heavy sighs. Zach stepped back, gesturing for them to enter. “I’ll call Charlotte.”

“We’re short on time,” Asher informed. He followed in after Coco. “Pulser might return before we figure this out.”

“That’s fine.” Zach’s voice was cool and distant. “I want to know what’s going on. Make yourselves at home. There’s tea in the kitchen and cake if you want it.”

“Thanks.”

Coco kept silent. The familiar tan walls and cream carpet should have been comforting. Just like Ray should have been here when she returned. She sat down on one of the suave sofas. Her mind was running with nowhere to go.

Asher sat next to her. “I’m so sorry, Coco.”

She wanted to respond, but found her throat tightening. She was on the verge of panicking and losing control.

“Charlotte will be here soon.” Zach commented as he leaned against the doorframe of the living room. “The short story is that a group of men ambushed Charlotte and Ray when they were at the park. They succeeded in kidnapping your brother. For what purpose…well, that’s a much longer story.”

“We’ll get your brother back.” Asher reassured, tossing a pointed look at Zach.

“How?” Coco choked out. “He’s been kidnapped to who knows where!”

“My friend, and closest confidant, has excellent tracking abilities. I know this isn’t the outcome you wanted. I’m truly sorry… When we find him, you’ll be the first to know.”

Coco gripped her head. Anger, confusion, and frustration threatened to overwhelm her. She didn’t even question why he was speaking so openly in front of Zach. “Why are you helping me?”

“I decided to do the right thing, not the easy thing. The moment the Council discovers I’m with you, it’s over for me. I’ll be a wanted man. It isn’t fair for entire realms to decide your fate. You deserve to know the truth.”

Coco groaned. She didn’t think she’d ever understand why a stranger was going out of his way to help her. Hopelessness gripped her. Fear crept further into her mind. “Asher, how did you know where I was?”

“I didn’t. I’m trained for war, Coco. My magic is fine-tuned with that of the sorcery realm. When I sense entals, it’s almost always an attack. This time was no different. I was surprised when I saw you being ambushed.”

“You were attacked by entals?” Zach interrupted.

Coco was taken aback. She met his eyes; her own full of questions. “You know about entals?”

“Yes. I’ll explain more when Charlotte arrives. Tell me what happened.”

Coco explained everything. From her first learning about sorcerers to now. Asher chimed in, adding his own thoughts and giving more detail about the ental attack. “It was spontaneous. Entals usually build up their attacks to cause the most damage when they strike. This time, there was less charge in the air and fewer entals attacking. No one noticed until it was too late.”

Zach nodded along. “I’ve been seeing more of that in this realm. It’s quite concerning.”

“I think a faery knows who I am.” Coco blurted out. “The man that helped me in the restaurant said faeries saw more than sorcerers.”

Asher cleared his throat. “That—it’s possible to defeat a faery, but if it has the Council on its side, not to mention its clan…it’s best you leave the city. If we decide the best course of action is to have you return to Pulser, you need to convince him to leave, immediately.”

“Are faeries dangerous?”

“They can be.” Zach answered. “Their favorite sport is tricking young children into drowning in order to steal what little magic escapes when they die.”

Fantastic.

A key rattled in the front door.