Of course it is, with the amount of power we generated last night. My face warms just to think of it as I shoot a glare at the wilds, feeling as if we’re surrounded for leagues and leagues by a wrathful army.
That’s patiently waiting to strike.
A chill snakes down my spine. “I need to get out of the forest, Lukas.”
Lukas nods and finishes securing our packs as I move to mount my horse and lift my foot to the stirrup.
Suddenly, my back is hit by a blast of magic and the world goes dark.
My body arches and I fall to the ground as the breath is forced from my lungs and every muscle goes rigid. The image of the Shadow tree crashes through my vision, its limbs forking like lightning over Lukas’s shield, rattling it as it strikes.
And then the blast of magic is torn away, like bindings viciously ripped off, as fire races over my lines and the darkness blinks out, the sensation of Lukas’s embrace and fiery kiss sweeping in, feeding power into my shield.
I gasp for breath against Lukas’s mouth, surprised to find myself on my knees along with Lukas, my whole body trembling against his.
The trees have drawn back, their hold on me loosened, as if they, too, have been blown back by terror. As if they felt Vogel’s power.
But my shield is intact.
Lukas draws back and presses his forehead to mine, both of us breathing hard, his arms tight around me as I keep desperate hold of him and his fire pulses through me. But his magic and his shield around my lines can’t assuage the horror that’s taken hold.
“Vogel knows I’m alive.”
Lukas swallows and pulls back a fraction more, and I notice there’s a line of sweat along his hairline, his face still tensed from obvious magical effort. “He does,” he says, his tone rattled. “And he must have some idea of our direction.”
“He’s coming for me.”
Lukas nods, his mouth a tight line. “Yes. But hopefully we’ll be out of the Realm and ready for him before he finds us. We need to leave. Now.”
Lukas and I rise and swiftly mount our horses.
Doubt claws at me as I take hold of my mare’s reins. “How can we possibly get over the Caledonian Mountain Range before Vogel finds us?” Morbid sarcasm bubbles up, fueled by desperation. “Do you have a dragon hidden somewhere who can fly us over the mountains?”
Lukas doesn’t smile as he prods his horse into motion. “We’ll go east through a Noi portal. We’ll use it to bypass the mountains completely and transport straight into the Eastern Desert.”
Surprise lights like flint sparks on steel in response to this revelation.
“How long have you known about a portal?” I ask.
“Not long,” he says as he pulls into the lead. “I read its location in your rune stone.”
“Is the portal close?” I ask.
“A day’s ride,” he answers, his tone that of someone ready to face down an army of demons to get us out of here.
“Well, let’s find that portal, then,” I say, as we pick up the pace and a fierce determination rises within me. “Let’s get the hell away from Vogel and all these trees.”
* * *
We head due north throughout the day as we skirt the imposing side of the Caledonian Range, its snowcapped peaks becoming visible through the forest’s canopy. The trees seem to be ignoring us after being hit by Vogel’s spell, their hold on my lines diminished to a loose sting.
Hold on to me while you can, I fume at the trees. Soon I’m going to step through a portal and rip myself clear out of your grasp.
As a steel-gray twilight is taking hold, I follow Lukas’s lead as he veers out of the woods and onto a forest-bracketed road, the shadows of encroaching night rapidly lengthening as we take off at a faster clip.
After a time, the faint thud of galloping hoofbeats sounds behind us, rapidly growing louder.
Fright spears through me, but Lukas doesn’t deviate. He glances back once and stays the course, but I notice he holds the reins in one hand and keeps the other close to the wand sheathed at his side.
My pulse racing, I glance back and see two cloaked figures astride dark green Uriskal Thoroughbreds, closing in on us with what seems like an unsettling aura of purpose.
I pull in a tight breath, wishing I could wield the Wand in my boot.
“Lukas,” I say in a coarse whisper as we speed forward, but