Heir To The Iron Crown: Dyrith

38 - þrjátíu og Átta

I stepped out of the cottage, and was almost surprised to see the first rays of the sun streaming through the trees, creating a beautiful light dance on the forest floor.

The sky wasn't supposed to be this bright at this time, and that only confirmed my suspicions that I was suddenly far from home.

As I looked around, I could tell something felt off.

When I was standing in this exact spot yesterday, I felt as if I wasn't here completely. As if I could see this different forest, but my body had stayed behind.

Today, however, I felt like I had transported, and this was more than just a mere illusion.

The thought had a wave of anxiety run through me, even more so than it did before this. Not only could I not find my mate, I was now somewhere I probably shouldn't even be right now.

Nevertheless, walking around was a risk I couldn't take. So I got on my hands and knees, feeling the ground, before slowly crawling forward.

I was looking for the stream I knew was just a few steps ahead of where I would have been if I was in the Birch forest back home. I calculated in my head, about five steps to the edge of the stream.

I looked behind me to count how far I'd come from the back door of the cottage, only to be met by the empty forest floor surrounded by more Rowan trees.

The cottage. It's gone.

The sudden lack of the tiny, almost dilapidated building caused me to hyperventilate, and the dread of being stuck in a place I had no idea about scared me to no end.

"Rayne. Get a grip. Maybe if you fall into the stream you'll be back in Fathilagt," Ima said. "You know, kinda like Inception."

Even through the panic I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

Regardless, she did have a point. If I could find the stream, at least I'd know I'm still in my Birch forest at home.

Even if I couldn't see it.

I calmed my breathing and decided to keep going slowly.

As I inched forward, I only felt more solid ground beneath me.

I'd probably come at least fifteen steps ahead from my starting point before I heard an unfamiliar voice.

"What are you doing?"

The voice caught me off guard and I almost hit my chin on the ground.

Thankfully, I wasn't a total clutz, and managed to save myself from the embarrassment.

"As if crawling around like a baby isn't embarrassing enough?" Ima chimed in. She truly never missed a chance to humiliate me.

I looked around and found no one standing near me.

On unsteady feet, I got up, looking around.

"Up here," the voice came again.

I looked up to find a teenage girl sitting dangerously on a tree branch, quite high up.

But as she sat there, balancing herself on the balls of her feet, she seemed to be right at home.

"Hello?" I said, unsure. I was hoping she wouldn't hurt herself. 

The crazy girl stood up on the swaying branch and jumped, causing my breath to hitch in my throat, and landed effortlessly on her feet as if she weighed nothing.

I was too stunned to say a word as she came closer.

She was the same height as I was, and her body structure seemed slim, beautiful, agile. She had short light brown hair that stopped in rough but beautiful waves well above her shoulder.

She wore a long tunic that covered most of her body, and her feet were bare.

I couldn't tell much else about her appearance from this distance.

That was until she came to stand in front of me, perhaps a foot away, and we were face to face.

Her eyes were beautiful. They looked almost silver in the rays of the sun, but I knew they were the color of champagne beneath all that light.

I'd never seen eyes like hers anywhere, except in the mirror.

I'd seen them countless times in the mirror.