held out his paw. His long claws wrapped around my hand ever so gently so as not to scratch me. Not that it would have mattered. I healed just as fast as someone born as Fae.
Steeling my nerve, I walked into the darkness. The walls glowed with similar sigils to those around Kat's mirror, in a white blue gleam that was almost blinding. It made it easy to follow the lights to where Mop stood at an ominous looking hole.
Grimacing, I bent at the waste. "We really should have a better way of getting in and out of the Underground. I always feel like my mother is tightening my corset again."
Mop arched a black brow at me but didn’t comment. He stuck his hand into the hole and just like that the whole three feet of him was sucked inside.
"I guess there's no helping it." I threw my hands up and glanced down at Trip. "Ready?"
"Trip ready. Trip always ready. Hole not so scary. Trip hole much smaller at home. It is. It is. Come, Alice. It's al-" He went up to the hole and stuck his nose in but a bit too far, it sucked him in cutting him off mid-sentence.
Well that was not comforting at all. I was more cowardly than an Opalaught and they were afraid of everything.
"Get it together old girl." I shook my shoulders and straightened my hat. "You can do this. It's not worse than sitting through one of your mother's garden parties." I inched closer, sliding my hand along the edge of the hole. "Just close your eyes and think of England-" my words turned into a scream as my body was sucked into the portal, squeezing me in a million places before spitting me out again.
The hole spit me out into a blindingly white emptiness. Well, not exactly empty. In the middle of the area sat a wooden desk with an up to date laptop on its surface. A two-headed dodo bird used to run the reception desk, but they haven't been for over a year. Now, a more pleasantly looking Fae with emerald hair and pale green skin sat behind the desk, her eyes on the computer in front of her.
Glancing away from the reception desk, my gaze focused on the three other doors before me, one in each direction of the compass, standing on their own in the middle of the white nothing. If one walked past the doors they could walk forever and never get anywhere. That was if they weren't taken by what dwells in the Between.
"Great Pretender," a gruff voice announced, and a tan Fae with golden armor covering every inch of his form stepped forward. His dark brown eyes narrowed on me as his hand touched the hilt of his sword. "We did not have you scheduled for a visit."
My eyes drifted from the guard to the rest of the doors. Where were Mop and Trip? Not seeing my companions, I searched the area. I hadn't been back to the Between in a few weeks, there were quite a few changes since then. More guards for one. "You finally replaced the doors," I pointed out without answering his question.
"Yes, the Moderator requested the doors be replaced. It does our great realm a disservice when the first thing they see is the destruction of the Shadows." His eyes narrowed on me with accusation. "Do you have a pass, Great Pretender?"
"My name is Alice, not Great Pretender," I sneered in return, tired of his contempt. "And I don't need a pass, I am the representative for the Fae and as such can come and go as I please."
"The rules state -"
"Oh, Zed, knock it off," another guard appeared at my side, a smile on his gorgeous face. "We all know very well what the rules say."
The Fae named Zed frowned at the new guard. "But every person Fae or human must have a pass signed by the Moderator and both Queens of the Underground, by law, we cannot let her pass."
"Except for official members of the Court. Miss Liddell is an official member, is she not?"
I watched Zed squirm in place obviously not wanting to admit he was wrong.
"Yes, she is," Zed finally bit out, his jaw tightening as he glowered at me.
"Then get back to your post and stop wasting Miss Liddell's time."
With one more glare in my direction, Zed marched back to the side of the door.
"I didn't know they were being so strict now," I