Entrusted [1]《SHADOWHUNTERS》

Chapter Nineteen

The land of Faerie was so obnoxiously alive, in Andina's eyes. A seemingly endless forest that one could get lost in forever. There were just enough dead leaves on the ground to provide a crunch under their footsteps, and everything else was green and healthy. There was an excessive amount of pollen falling from the trees that kept getting stuck in Andy's hair.

Time was a concept treated differently here. In fact, she recalled hearing a story about two Shadowhunters from the Blackthorn family who were held here once as prisoners. It only took a day to rescue them but the two brothers believed they had been here for a year or more. She couldn't remember if it was the Seelie court's territory or the Unseelie that they were in. Neither would surprise her.

Birds chirped incessantly and Andy imagined that the Seelie Queen thought it sounded beautiful to have it as constant background noise. It sounded more like nails against a chalkboard to her.

"Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore," Clary muttered, walking in front of the Waylands. Jace was still as tense and moody as he had been since they rescued the seelie. Meliorn was now leading them to his "gift" for the redhead.

Andy was convinced that the girl was already beginning to suffer the effects of being in Faerie. "What are you talking about?"

"Movie quote," the younger Shadowhunter sighed. 

Meliorn chuckled ahead of them. "Welcome to the Seelie Glade, Clary Fairchild. The remotest edges of it."

Andy looked at the back of Meliorn's head and raised an eyebrow. "That's reassuring," she mumbled.

Clary looked back and saw Andina wasn't actually uneasy, she was just making a condescending remark. Then she looked to the woman's brother. "How did we even get here?"

Jace previously had been brooding and perked up at her voice, Andy noticed. "There are entrances all throughout the mundane world."

"You just have to know where to look," Meliorn added.

Carrot Top still wasn't settled. "Why did we have to come here to find my father?"

"Because of your necklace," Meliorn said, pointing at the purple stone around Clary's neck. "It's a portal shard."

Jace rolled his eyes. "Tell us something we don't know."

Meliorn ignored him. "Tell me, how does it work?" He asked Clary.

"Well, when I touch the stone and think of someone it let's me see them."

The seelie chuckled, aiming a teasing glare at Jace. "Tell me, Shadowhunter who knows so much about portals. Did you ever wonder why this portal shard doesn't behave the way normal portals do?"

Eyes widening for a moment, Andy and Jace shared a glance that affirmed they were both just as surprised by their failure to consider that. Jace looked away and adjusted his gloves, "Normal portals can only take you to places you've been. I guess I never really thought of that."

"I see Isabelle is the smart one in the family," Meliorn commented. Andy couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her mouth as Clary chuckled beside her. The look on Jace's face was even better, all of his confidence completely washed away.

Meliorn continued, not lingering on his insult too long. "Your portal shard works the way it does because it's from a portal in another dimension."

Andy furrowed her brow as Kitten clarified, "Another dimension?" 

"You're saying there's a portal in another universe that can take us to anyone just by thinking of them?" Andy asked, arms crossing over her chest. She didn't believe it. And she didn't want to mess with it. Although it may make another great entry for her to-be-research project on "why dimensional openings are terrifying and should forever be abandoned".