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Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Gray Realm

When they stepped through the portal back to Earth the next morning, North girded herself to face the Council and the Oracle, ready to put an end to the uncertainty and claim all the men as hers. Unfortunately, she was denied that chance, because only Caius waited for them and seemed to be there only to facilitate opening another portal for them.

“We’re going to Nourak already?” It seemed so quick, without any downtime in between. On the other hand, Earth wasn’t the safest realm for her at the moment, so perhaps it made sense not to linger. Before she could offer another protest that no longer seemed valid, she stepped through the portal directly behind Ryland. She hadn’t even exchanged a word with Caius, which was kind of how she liked it.

Her first impression of Nourak was blandness. The streets were gray, the buildings were slightly lighter gray, and even the sky had a grayish cast to it. It was a grim and depressing place, and she was unsurpris