Alizeh sat by the fire with her mother and Isabella while Cade stood rigidly behind them like he was keeping guard. “What has happened to you since I left? When I left, I did it to protect you--all of you,” she said.Isabella looked at her sadly. “You could not have known what would happen after you left. Your father was furious when we couldn’t find you. He blamed your mother and me, saying we must be witches. That was his explanation for your disappearance, that we had done something terrible to you. "Alizeh covered her mouth, but the gasp was not silenced. Her mother took her hand and exhanged glances with Isabella. Their eyes had a conversation, while everyone else sat in silence. Finally Isabella shook her head up and down twice and Gwen nodded hers back, and turned her full attention back to Alizeh."Isabella and I went shopping in town. It had to be done, and it was a good excuse to get a break from his constant accusations. While we were out, he searched our rooms and found so

Zeek gave each person in the group a small glass of brown liquid, which Alizeh drank slowly. They all held hands and prepared for the shift. The world started spinning, and it hurled them into an open field. They looked around, wondering where all the trees were. As far as the eye could see, there were unrecognizable structures. Zeek explained to them that the buildings were people’s homes. “This realm is corrupted by richness and power. They always want more and are never satisfied. In this area, very few people recognize the beauty of nature. They are, in fact, on the verge of extinction because they have torn down all their natural resources to build more formations to make more money. They are just now beginning to realize that prosperity means very little when the things that they need are not readily available and cannot be bought,” he explained, shaking his head solemnly.The group walked on and noticed what Zeek called paved streets, sidewalks, and automobiles. They took every

Alizeh rushed to the car, which was waiting with everyone crowded in the rear. It was long and black and had dark glass separating the passengers from the driver. She had noticed many other cars on the road as they rode over here, but most of them were smaller. As she climbed into the back, a thought occurred to her.“Zeek, don't you think she will notice this gigantic machine following her?”Zeek nodded and answered, “Yes, that is why I am sending the rest of the group back to the hotel. This part of the mission will work best if only you and I are present.”Cade began to protest, but before he could, Alizeh grabbed his hand and spoke. “Let him finish talking. We don’t have much time until the doctor leaves in thirty minutes.”Cade looked angry but did not say a word. Zeek continued like he hadn’t been interrupted. He held up two vials of green liquid and announced, “We will consume this; it will make us invisible to the first person who comes upon us for 24 hours. Therefore, they mu

Alizeh and Zeek rode in the back of the cab, heading toward the institution. Alizeh blew out a breath and said, “I still don’t understand why we had to wait ten minutes before we left.”Zeek gave her a stern look and said, “I wanted to hit them with two separate attacks. I sent the part of the group who had the most physical strength first. I want them to be surprised by our presence. I was hoping we would have more people in the magical group, but I understand why Jayden and Dixon chose to go with the first group.”Suddenly, Zeek’s face went blank, and he gripped the seat cushions with both hands. He could hear Genève’s voice and see her face clearly. It was like she was standing right in front of him. He felt an unfamiliar, smug sensation come over him when she asked, “So, Dane, what does this mean for my mission. Will you be able to find him?”Zeek felt his mouth move and heard himself say, “Of course we will be able to find him. I am just going to need a little time to put togethe

Radof took a step back, blending deeper with the shadows of the night. He held his breath as Dane looked in his direction, then let it out when he realized that he had not been seen. He stood concealed by the shadows until Dane was out of sight, then he began his long journey home.As he walked the path to his underground cave, he went over what he knew about this strange newcomer.He knew that Dane had been summoned by Genève and had had no choice but to come. Radof had been to every watering hole and tavern in town to listen to the townsfolk talk. He had realized long ago these were the best places to pick up the information because wine and spirits loosened the tongue as nothing else could. That was how he had learned Genève’s purpose for Dane. He was here to help her find Zeek.The townsfolk spun great tales about how Dan had gotten himself separated from the rest of the group Genève had summoned, and how he had something up his sleeve, something that pleased the queen immensely.