Chapter 24

The swirling vortex of the portal surrounded me and I was ejected out the other side, rolling in the dirt until something hard stopped my momentum.

I hurt. My arms screamed at me, the scars from my challenge weeks ago felt fresh on my skin and added to the painful wounds from the chains. I kept my eyes closed and tried to breathe. At first I couldn't hear anything, but then sounds started coming through. I heard bird song, frogs, and insects that weren't those of home or even from the grove close to Avery's house. I groaned. They sounded like I was somewhere much further away.

I shifted, putting my back against the trunk of the tree that had stopped my roll. I opened my eyes. We'd ended up in the Half-world.

The air was cooler than last time, but I still peeled off my hoodie to keep the humidity of the jungle from suffocating me. My vision blurred. As tired and exhausted as my Talent was, I wanted more than anything to focus on the back of my eyeli