Talon the Black (Dragonwall Series # 1)

Chapter 17 - Smoke on the Horizon

The Kengr Gate

Claire expected the Gate to be a spectacular structure, some kind of extraordinary thing to behold, or at least a door. It wasn't any of that. Its mundane appearance was hardly distinguishable amidst the wooded grove where it lived. Jovari was the first to walk through. When he vanished, all she could do was blink, gazing open-mouthed at where he'd just been. Watching something disappear into thin air was unsettling, even after what she had been through.

"What...what will happen to us?" She turned to Koldis and Reyr.

"Your insides will explode and you will cease to exist. It's pretty painful if you ask me, especially for a human." Koldis smirked. He hoisted up Cyrus's body and followed Jovari, vanishing through the Gate.

She watched the spot where he'd vanished and swallowed down her rising fear. "He was only...he was only joking, right?" Of course her insides wouldn't explode, that would be silly. Yet, she still felt the need to ask.

"He was only joking," Reyr confirmed.

"So...so we will just walk through and come out in your world?"

"That is the gist of it."

She adjusted the straps of her backpack, overly nervous, stalling for the inevitable. Even now, she could feel the bonds of her Promise like invisible hands, pushing her where she needed to go. "What will it be like on the inside?"

"You mean between worlds?"

She nodded.

"When you travel through, it will be cold as ice and darker than a moonless night, but only for a few moments." He waited patiently beside her. A welcome relief. After nearly three days of flying, he seemed a bit more relaxed towards her. He was especially nicer now compared to before.

She hesitated, turning to face him. "Reyr, you know I didn't kill Cyrus, right? I don't know any magic. I especially don't know how to fight. I could never best a Drengr. I could never kill a King's Shield." She wouldn't dream of saying this with the others around.

Reyr's eyebrows knitted together. "King's Shield..." he repeated. "How much did he tell you?"

She worried at her lower lip. "Everything."

The Promise allowed her to reveal that much.

Reyr sighed. "I hardly know what to make of you, Claire. Either way, you must go to the king."

"I know."

"Shall we depart?"

She looked over at the Gate and her heart began to race. With a mind of their own, her feet took several steps backwards. It wasn't the Gate that frightened her, but rather, the thought of leaving her home world behind. She was about to make a monumental decision, one she had little say in. There was so much uncertainty. What would be waiting on the other side? Would she ever come back? Would she ever see her parents again? Her friends?

You can do this. You are braver than you know.

She shut her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, ignoring the reassurance coming from the back of her mind. Inside, she was so conflicted. Part of her felt stretched, pulled towards the Gate, as if she were being tugged and manipulated like a marionette. The other part held firm to the ground beneath her, terrified and full of doubt, reluctant to move so much as a muscle.

"You have nothing to be frightened of," Reyr said, his voice turning soft. "Passing through is not a thing to fear."

She opened her eyes to look at him. His amber gaze met hers. She traced the planes of his face. In truth, he was hopelessly attractive. A strong jaw bone and straight nose. And he carried himself with poise, with overwhelming confidence. But he wasn't Cyrus.