Spurned Queen

Chapter 29: Homecoming

Lexi

I was more than a little disturbed by Rowan's confession. However, I had an army to lead, so I shoved the whole situation to the back of my mind and carried on.

We dove into the water one by one, following each other in a line that began with me. Since I had to lead an entire battalion, I moved more slowly than usual. The three water witches and I helped guide the others through the water without drowning. I kept an eye on my Kaiden, taking extra care to ensure that she made it to the cave unscathed.

Dreiga had proven excellent at organizing the troops, so she was in charge of making the head count. I, meanwhile, watched Kaiden and saw to it that she didn't wander too far down the cave.

"All present, Commander," Dreiga reported.

"Good. No one suffering from the water pressure?"

"Nope. A few scratches here and there, but no one saw any sharks, so we're good."

"How are their spirits?"

"High. They're excited. So am I."

"Good. Are Thunder's kids causing trouble?"

Dreiga grinned. "If they weren't, it would be a sure sign that something was very wrong."

She's right.

"Please get everyone into a line. Get them to hold hands as we march. Can't have anyone getting separated."

"Yes, sir," she saluted, and marched off, shouting, "If you're tired, go home. If you're not, then you'll be pleased to hear that we're getting out of this cramped little cavern. Get into a line, soldiers! We march in five."

I found Kaiden. I held her hand firmly in mine, and she grinned up at me. I smiled.

"Everyone, I hope you're in survival mode," I announced, half seriously. "We might be walking right into the thick of battle."

Or the thick of humans, which would be much worse.

"We're going into the In-between," I continued. "Don't lose your head; don't lose your wits. And most importantly, DON'T LET GO."

I placed my hand on one of the dull crystals in the cave wall. I glanced down the line of soldiers, and prayed those hands would hold.

Sparks jumped from my palm into the crystal. And then, we were being sucked.

The roar of the In-between filled my ears. I shut my eyes tightly against the flashing rainbow colors, forcing myself to ignore the sinking feeling. To my relief, Kaiden's hand was still digging into mine.

I landed on my feet. My eyes were already open, surveying the environment. I turned and saw the swirling portal of rainbow colored light spitting out soldier after soldier as they tumbled out. When I saw the mess that resulted, I saw just how much of a miracle it had been that all hands were linked. They cursed at each other as they piled up. The portal spat them out as fast as it could before disappearing altogether.

Needless to say, I was glad I had Dreiga to reorganize them.

I inspected Kaiden. She didn't have a single scratch. Her eyes were big with wonder, staring around at the white snow that stretched all around us. She shivered, and that's when I noticed that it was actually almost a hundred degrees below zero.

People were already shaking violently. Teeth chattered. The phoenixes were much better, but only Dreiga and I could survive these temperatures for much longer. We were in the middle of nowhere, in the dead of winter.

Dreiga found me. "Where are we?" she hissed, her feline pupils thin. "They need cover, immediately. They will start dropping soon."

Kaiden sneezed.