“It’s not your fault.” He couldn’t have done anything about it. What he could do was get me out of here, if only for one night. “Do you think they’ve already left? I think I’ve changed my mind about not going out tonight.”
Chapter 19
KARMUTH
ISAY WAS ABSOLUTELY STUNNING IN THE BLACK DRESS SHE CHANGED into before we hurried out of the palace to where Regar had set the rendezvous.
Everyone but Hiko was already there, and while Ferro gave Isay a stink eye, Regar’s face lit up. I thought I was pleased to have her with me, but Regar’s reaction could contend with mine.
“Look at who decided to join!” he cheered in genuine happiness. “You won’t regret it, Princess. We’ll show you a good time.”
“Speak for yourself,” Ferro huffed.
I really wanted to punch him sometimes.
“I am speaking for myself and Kar.” Regar looked towards Sinister who shrugged. “Ah, everyone but you, it seems.”
Isay smiled. “Well thank you, Regar. I hope you won’t regret having me along. I seem to be more trouble than I’m worth lately.”
I spoke at the same time Regar did.
“That’s not true,” I protested.
“I think not.” Regar smiled sweetly.
She fidgeted with her dress. “It would be great to have a good time for a change.”
Her hair fell over her eye, doing its best to cover the unnatural colouring, but it did not do as good a job as the sunglasses she’d left behind in the dining room. I did not have a second pair.
When she pulled more hair forward, I wanted to still her hands and tuck it all back behind her ear, but I kept my hands to myself.
After Hiko showed up, we left the reservation from the North gate. A car awaited us in the shed built right next to the fence, and while Ferro and Sinister preferred their bikes, the rest of us piled inside. Isay rode shotgun, which is why I was driving.
There were rules about leaving the reservation that applied to the general population of Vindica. The guards by our gates were not letting just anyone walk through, or in our case drive.
Not many Vindicans knew how to drive, making monitoring the gates somewhat easier. Everyone with a pass to our feeding grounds had to be accompanied. It was both a way to keep track of who had travelled to Earth, and how much ecos had been taken.
Those passes were not handed out lightly. Many of the death fae had to file an official request with the king to be allowed outside our borders. Visiting Earth didn’t always mean finding suitable prey, as there were rules about that, too. All in all, everything to do with feeding and crossing over was a hassle to most Vindicans.
Prince Hiko was less limited than most, therefore our excursion raised no questions. Leaving the reservation had never proven difficult for me, regardless of his presence. Not that I did it often on my own.
I had taken Isay to the forest few days ago just as effortlessly as we passed the gate now.
She held a childlike wonderment in her eyes as we neared the portal that made me wonder if she’d ever been to Earth. Considering she was younger than me and from Elverstone where nothing was amiss, I doubted she’d even seen a portal.
“We’re going out out?” she exclaimed in bewilderment.
“Yep.” Grinning from her excitement alone, I pressed harder on the gas to get through the portal faster.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never been out out?” Hiko called from the back, repeating Isay’s expression for Earth but not even coming close to matching her enthusiasm.
Her eyes searched mine for support, and I found it absolutely thrilling to give her a ‘go ahead, speak your mind’ nod. I’d back her up if Hiko had a problem with her. He sounded more curious than spiteful, though.
“The portal in Elverstone is guarded. They say it’s to keep evil out, but since I never even got within a mile of it, I also think it was to keep us in. There are, of course, more portals in the county, but I was never allowed to travel far.” Her face contorted in distaste, “It wasn’t safe. As if my mother even understands the concept.”
Hiko barked a laugh, and a tension I hadn’t known I held onto loosened in my shoulders. He wasn’t going to start a fight again. Ferro would have to come around eventually too; it was four against one. He couldn’t stick to hating her with these odds.
“Quite a paradise where you come from. In Vindica we have more freedom to roam,” the prince said.
“We do, Hiko,” Regar chirped in cheerfully. “We do. It is important to note that most of that freedom comes from a promise to only look and don’t touch. Isn’t that right, Kar?”
Thanks, asshole. “Pretty much sums it up.”
Speaking of touching, Isay’s skirt had ridden up and exposed a delicious patch of skin beneath. Only for looking, she was only for looking just like Regar had pointed out with way too much delight. That bastard thrived on seeing others squirm, and I’d become his favourite pastime.
We were swiftly nearing the portal, and I slowed a bit to let Isay see the shimmering surface of it before we passed through. Ferro and Sinister glided past us on their motorcycles and disappeared through the wavy barrier in seconds.
The origin story of the portals I had heard blamed Vindica. Big surprise there. Apparently, we didn’t only conjure delthers from our nightmares the past few centuries, but millenia ago, we also drove the human population residing in Belfea out. Their escape had left behind a portal connecting Belfea to Earth.
This link could not be severed, despite the various magics used in the attempts. Instead, other cracks and portals broke out across Belfea, further strengthening the connection. Our portal was said to be the very first.
“Okay, just take a deep breath. Close your eyes if you feel dizzy. We’re going through,” I instructed Isay just before the car’s bumper touched the portal and time both slowed and rushed ahead all at once.
The wasteland we’d been driving through flickered in and out, until my vision sharpened again and the road turned to the sidestrip of a highway which made for a bumpy ride before the car wheels hit asphalt.
We weren’t entirely happy with the Earthside location of our portal, since we always needed a vehicle to pass through and depending on the hour it could get rather dangerous passing without seeing the traffic ahead. I did not manage to merge smoothly as the driver I cut off stomped on the horn.
He hadn’t seen me coming and must’ve been shocked to see a car appear in front of him practically out of thin air.
