The King's War

22. The Duke

AVERY

The duke, the witch, and I all go through the portal together. It felt like being sucked through an enormous vacuum that had the force to separate my flesh from my bones. For all I knew, that's what would have happened if I stayed any longer. After the most agonizing few seconds of my life, the portal spat me out.

Sharp, dry grass scratched my exposed skin as I landed on my hands and knees. Shaking myself off, I took a careful look at my surroundings. The portal took me to a dying garden full of wilting plants and leafless trees. A narrow, white, two-story house loomed forebodingly in front of me, its windows like dark, soulless eyes. The place looked like it might have been pretty and idyllic once but now it stood withered and gloomy.

I turned back to see where I'd come from and saw a similar looking tree arch as the one the witch created in the forest. The air within shimmered and glowed brightly, then the duke appeared behind me, landing far more gracefully than I had. He didn't seem to be suffering from the ill effects of the portal, or if he did, he hid them well. The witch came after him, stepping through as if the portal was nothing.

"Is anyone able to follow?" he asked her.

"Not without my permission," she replied coolly.

The Duke nodded and straightened his dark gray suit jacket. "I cannot overstate how grateful I am for your assistance."

"There's no need to grovel," the woman droned.

She walked up to the house's back porch. The door swung open without her touching it. I spare a glance at the duke, who merely bid me to walk inside. I didn't want to. Close by was a stepstone path leading from the garden to what I presumed was the front of the house. I could run, perhaps ask the people living in the long red house next door for help. But escaping armed rebels and vampires was one thing. Running from a woman who could create magical doorways to farawy places was an exercise in futility.

Reluctantly, I followed the witch inside, the duke trailing close behind me. Lights flickered on as soon as I stepped in. To my surprise, they looked to be antique gas lamps. I found inside of a quaint indoor garden, with herbs growing in pots on the windowsill and digging implements hanging on pegs on the wall. Unlike the outside, this one seemed to be in good condition.

The door into the house showed a long, narrow hallway lined with dark wooden paneling. The duke gestures me forward. "We'll talk in the study." I followed him silently, not wanting to speak. The duke walked through the house with clear familiarity. He and the witch must have been in cahoots for a while. He cleared his throat. "I do apologize for this turn of events, Miss Crawford. If it were up to me, you would not have come to any harm."

I bristled at that. "Your apology means nothing to me."

He turned glanced back at me with a neutral expression. "Your anger is understandable. Although I do hope the two of us can see eye to eye eventually."

"I doubt that," I grumbled.

He humphed lightly. "You'd be surprised by how closely our interests align."

We came to a foyer with a large white door flanked by full-length windows. Through the gauzy curtains, I could see a white-columned porch and a neat row of colorful, narrow houses across the street. "What is this place?" I couldn't help but ask.

"New Orleans," the duke replied.

I stared at him in shock. They'd taken me that far away? There was no chance of Nate finding me now. It has supposedly been an anti-vampire zone since King Sheridan was killed by that witch... The realization hit me like a hammer to the chest and I flinched back from the curtains in horror. That woman was not just any witch. She was the one who'd killed the king and plunged the world into disarray. And now she was helping the rebels, and I was standing in her house. I shuddered and glanced down the hall. Where was she now? What was she doing?