one here who could use magic, and the best chance for a good defense against whatever awaited us on the other side. You would think James would get tired of losing the same argument after a while.
The gateway snapped into existence in front of me. I’d been cautious, and only opened one five meters into the boundary. I wanted to be able to see what it was that we were walking into. I held the guys back with magic as I stepped through, waiting for an attack.
When nothing happened for several minutes, and James’ cursing starting to get on my nerves, I dropped my hold on the guys.
“Anna!” Mason scolded me. “You can’t do that shit to us.”
Jason gave me sad eyes, and I immediately felt bad.
“You guys are my protectors, but you need to let me fight the magical battles. I’ll let you have the physical ones,” I said with an apologetic shrug.
James let out a resigned sigh, but the twins each gave me a side hug. I let the gateway blink out of existence after they had all crossed through and looked off into the distance. I couldn’t see far, because the mist was so thick, but it looked like we’d be walking through more mud. Luckily, we’d already gone through the worst of it, and the ground beneath us here was merely soggy.
“Let’s get moving,” James said gruffly. “I’ll take point. Holt One, you have left rear and Holt Two, take right rear.”
The guys formed a triangle around me, their eyes darting around to keep three-hundred-and-sixty-degree security. We started to move forward as a group, but then a tingling spiked my magical senses.
“Wait,” I said with our pack bond as I held up a hand. “Something’s not right.”
Magic seeped out of the ground itself and mist thickened all around as we bunched together, our shoulders touching. Whatever was happening was coming from all directions at the same time, there was nowhere to run.
The mist started to solidify into the form of men, and I formed a protective barrier around the four of us. I readied myself for a magical attack while the guys raised their weapons.
“Stay in the middle of the three of us,” James ordered.
“My magic is stronger than bullets,” I argued.
“Not if you get hit in the head from behind,” Mason murmured to me.
I huffed but conceded the point. Danger was all around us, and I couldn’t be everywhere at once.
I swallowed nervously when the mist-men were solid enough for us to see details. Some were dressed as Roman soldiers, others as Picts and Celts, but all carried weapons of times long past. It didn’t take long for them to fully coalesce into forms that appeared just as real as we were. What type of magic was this?
The burly, bearded warrior in front was the one to address us. “I am Brennus, guardian of these lands. Why do you come here to disturb our peace?” he asked in a deep rumble.
“My apologies,” I said as smoothly as I could, nominating myself as the spokesperson of this group. “That wasn’t our intention.”
The warrior scratched at his beard as his blue eyes scanned over us. “You’re a priestess?” he questioned me. “Where is your guide?”
My heart thudded so loudly that I was afraid he could hear it. There was a possibility that we could get through this without fighting. At least thirty warriors were spread out around us, and while their leader seemed willing to talk, the others were on the precipice of violence.
“It’s just myself and my protectors,” I answered with a shaky smile. “You won’t have any other visitors.” My intention was to make it sound like I answered his question without giving him any real information. I didn’t know what the usual protocol would be for a priestess to pass through here, so the less I said, the better.
“Tell me,” Brennus demanded. “What year is it out there?”
My eyes widened at his question, and I hesitated to answer him. Was this a test? Was he waiting for a specific passcode? If there was, I wouldn’t be able to figure it out in the few seconds I had before he would demand an answer.
“It’s 2020,” I answered cautiously.
A murmur went through the crowd of warriors around us. To my left, I saw James tense, preparing for an attack.
“It’s time,” Brennus murmured to himself before turning to address his men. “Our final rest is upon us!”