“I like it,” I said, gesturing for him to go ahead. “Lead the way.”

  With a grin and twinkle in his eye, Jericho opened the way, creating a portal for us to step through.

  “There you are,” a voice said, and I glanced over my shoulder to see three men in suits. One was sliding down a rope, two others already on the ground with one down on a knee, the other charging at us.

  “Who—?” Steph started, then we were through, all of it becoming a blur.

  I didn’t have to wonder who it was. The STP had found us, and what I wanted to know was what would happen next. Light faded and we emerged into a land that simply felt more magical than anything I had experienced. While the trees and sunlight all appeared normal, this sensation reminded me of that magical feeling a child gets when walking through a forest lit up with little lights and glittering stars hanging from the tree branches by strings. When you’re too young to care that it might not be real magic, and even think that it could possibly be. But I knew this was a magical land. I knew magic was real, and that we were part of it.

  “STP,” I said, remembering what had just happened.

  “What?” Jericho asked.

  “Scholars of Togetherness and Progression—a group that’s hunting down the monsters,” I explained. “And now we just left them back there with our friends. It’s not good.”

  “You don’t say.” Jericho was looking at me, pissed, as if this was my fault.

  “So, we go back?” Megha asked.

  A shift of power surged through us, something that caused me to stumble, catching myself on Milrae. Whatever that was, it had done the same to the others. We shared a look of confusion, then regained our footing.

  I took a deep breath, eyeing our surroundings again, and nodded. But when Jericho lifted his staff, nothing happened.

  “I’d love to,” he said. “But we have a problem. It’s not working.”

  “No shit?”

  Jalee stepped forward, hand on my arm. “Why would it not be working? My sister’s back there! If we brought her to Earth to be caught by your B.S. STP group, I swear I’m going to go bloodlust-style on those bastards.”

  “Don’t worry,” I told her, putting an arm around her shoulder. “But…” I turned back to him. “Why wouldn’t it be working?”

  “I can think of a reason,” he said, pointing past me.

  Turning to the tree line beyond him, I noticed the man there. A suit—the one who’d been charging us! And sure enough, he had some sort of item on his wrist that he was poking at, eyeing us with hatred and worry. Past him, another was backing up, looking around and seemingly freaking out. Fucking served him right.

  “Get him,” I said, and reached out to summon my sword. It didn’t come. In fact, nobody’s magic or skills seemed to be working, as Steph had her hands held out on one side, and Jalee on the other.

  “My wings aren’t appearing,” Jalee hissed.

  “He has some sort of item that stops it all,” I said, catching on. “That’s why the portal won’t open back up.”

  “Doesn’t mean we can’t get him,” Kinara said and took off running.

  The man stood, turned, and booked it into the trees. We all charged, but halfway there, Jericho stopped, holding up his staff again. Still nothing.

  “I’d hoped that when he was far enough away, the effects of that thing would stop.”

  The others were still chasing but paused at the tree line as the trees shifted, branches moving as if to catch them. A scream sounded from within.

  “Why’s there magic working over there, but not for us?” Milrae asked.

  “Whatever he did, it was targeted,” Jericho said. “Has to be—which means it’ll wear off.”

  “Meanwhile, they’re back there attacking my sister!” Jalee shouted.

  “You don’t think she can handle herself?” Steph asked.

  “Not if her magic is canceled,” Megha said, all of them now almost back to us.

  “And your gargoyles?” Kinara asked.

  “Stone, probably,” Jericho pointed out. “So it wouldn’t matter. So, they might be the only ones there that aren’t affected.”

  “Arturo and Greg don’t rely on magic,” I pointed out. “And it’s not like everyone’s helpless without it.”

  Jalee stared at me, worry clear in her eyes, but she nodded.

  “We go back when we can,” Jericho said. “And in the meantime, find another way out of here, in case that doesn’t end up working.”

  The looks of worry from the others showed that none had considered this could be a lasting effect.

  “How exactly do we find another way?” I asked.

  “Arthur,” Jericho replied, turning to Steph.

  She nodded, head already swiveling as if expecting to see the ancient king right there.

  “It’s possible,” she said. “But then what?”

  “This land is the connecting tissue to magic in many ways,” Jericho explained. “It would make sense that we might be able to find a way out of here—though I’m not sure where it would take us.”

  “So, this place could possibly work as a gateway to the other worlds, but we’re not sure how or where it would take us to?”

  “That’s right.”

  I looked to the forest, considering the moving limbs. “And those STP agents who went in there?”

  “Let’s assume they’ll be dealt with, but stay alert,” Jericho said.

  “This Arthur guy, what’s the connection?” Kinara asked.

  Steph closed her eyes, focusing, but nothing happened. “Damn, I was hoping that would work—would’ve been awesome to have Galahad or one of the others pop up to tell you. They were his knights, long ago, and I work with them, you could say.”

  “Cool, cool. But… who’s Arthur?”

  “Gotta be the ruler of this place,” Milrae said. “You heard them call him king. King Arthur—King of Avalon. Yeah?”

  “Not exactly,” I said. “He was the king of Camelot, but some people wonder if he was real.”

  “He was,” Steph replied.

  “You’ve met him?”

  “No, but… the knights.”

  I shrugged, having no real reason to doubt it. “And he went on to Avalon at some point, yeah? Hence him being here.”

  She opened her mouth, then closed it and frowned. “I don’t have all the answers. You know who will—Arthur.”

  “Great, let’s go to him,” I said.

  Nobody moved, other than Steph’s shifting eyes.

  “You don’t know where he is, do you?” Megha asked. “Or how to find him?”

  “No.”

  “Well, this is rich,” Jalee said, hands on her hips, taking a step toward the trees, then spinning to view a lake and hills in the opposite direction. “We’re stuck here with no idea where to find the one person who can help us.”

  “And we’re standing around bickering about it instead of looking for him,” I pointed out.

  Jericho glanced at me, nodded, and started walking.

  “Why that way?” Jalee asked.

  He turned and shrugged. “Better than nothing.”

  ’We couldn’t argue that, so we started after him. This world was wild. In the way that the monster world had a way of making me uneasy, this place made me want to simply hold my arms out and float away. We walked toward the lake then worked our way around it, eyeing the sky and the way the dust lit up in ways I’d never noticed. Was it the sun, or something else that caused the bright light? Clearly, there was a sun of some sort, but maybe not ours.

  The breeze brought with it a sweet smell, similar to eucalyptus but with a hint of citrus and a scent like cherry.

  “So this is part of your world, or it was, but isn’t anymore?” Kinara asked, skipping alongside me.

  “That’s what it sounds like,” I replied.

  “I’m not sure that makes sense.”

  I laughed. “No arguing that.”

  Jalee was walking along with a scowl on her face, occasionally holding her hands up, glaring at them, then shaking her head.

  “You good?” I asked. “She’s going to be okay.”

  “This is bullshit,” Jalee spat back.

  “It was your sister’s idea. We couldn’t have known this would happen, or that the STP was so close.”

  She didn’t have a response; only more glares, more looking at her hands.

  “If they had something that could take away our abilities, why’d they wait so long to hit?” Milrae asked, glancing back to check for followers.

  “They couldn’t find us,” I replied. “Greg has an item that’s supposed to keep us off their radar.”

  “Didn’t work, for some reason,” Jericho said. “Maybe our arrival somehow canceled it out.”

  “Something happened, that’s for sure.”

  “My question really is,” Milrae continued, “what else they might have? I mean, this is serious.”

  “Hence my worry,” Jalee chimed in.

  Shit, now they were starting to get my nerves on end. I imagined Ahlaksiz or Bloodsong helpless, in handcuffs or, worse, bloody and limp on the floor. If Devasla had been there, what would she be without her abilities? Would Amabie be affected, or did this item of theirs only work on abilities related to the monster world?

  “We can’t keep walking here,” I said. “How is this going to help? We explore and hope to stumble upon him? Maybe we find some grand castle or—”

  “You have a better idea?” Megha asked. “Because I sure don’t, and I used to live here.”

  I spun on her, unsure what to say, anxiety about those back home threatening to cause me to burst. Whatever I said would come out wrong, so instead, I turned and shouted, “Arthur! ARTHUR!”

  “Yes?” a voice said.

  We all spun to see a man approaching. He was tall with long, blond hair, and was dressed in a suit. My first thought was a less buff version of Fabio, then it registered that this could indeed be King Arthur. We all glanced at each other, surprise and humor showing. That’s all it took?

  “I don’t recognize you,” the man said. “But I am King Arthur.”

  There it was.

  “You’re King Arthur?” Steph asked, stepping forward. “I am friends with Galahad and others of your knights. They’ve told me all about you.”

  “They… are still alive?” He looked doubtful.

  “No. Sorry—I’m friends with their ghosts.”

  He eyed her as if she was crazy, then nodded, slowly. “I see. And can I assume you all are acquainted with Jack, the Protector?”

  “Right!” Steph turned to Jericho. “Because he had Excalibur. Of course they know each other.”

  “Yes, we met yesterday, actually,” I said. “Sir, Mr. King.” I held out a hand, and he shook it.

  “Just Arthur, or King Arthur,” he said.

  “We have an issue,” I started, then went on to explain about all we were going through, including the two STP agents who had followed us. His brow furrowed, and he glanced back the way we’d come from as I finished the story, and Jericho explained where we were trying to go.

  “You have the Liahona, I see,” he said, nodding at Jericho’s staff.

  “That’s right, but it’s not opening the portal.”

  “That might be so, but you should be able to use it as a map of the exit points from this world.” Arthur stepped next to him and said, “If you’d allow me? See, their cancellation tool shouldn’t have affected my connection to magic, as I wasn’t there.”

  “How did you find us, anyway?” I asked.

  He smiled my way, revealing his vampire fangs. “You called. I’m very in tune with Avalon these days.”

  It was good enough for me, and it beat exploring randomly until we stumbled upon him. I glanced at Jericho, waiting to see what happened when he handed over the Liahona. But he wasn’t handing it over. He stood there, staring at the king, clearly unsure about this.

  “You don’t want to go now?” Arthur asked.

  “I do,” Jericho replied. “But I’m charged with protecting it. Handing it over to a man I just met doesn’t seem to be the best idea. Especially when that man is a vampire.”

  “The Protector told us about this,” Steph reminded him.

  “And we should trust Jack, why?”

  “He seems legit to me,” I interjected.

  “Which one?” Jericho countered. “Jack, or Arthur?”

  “Both, really. The latter because the former vouched for him.”

  “Also, my knights vouched for the whole vampire thing,” Steph noted.

  It seemed all but Jericho were ready to trust this king, even if he was a vampire. I was trying to recall what they’d said about him being a vampire if anything, and why, but the answer wasn’t coming. Something about a curse, and he’d escaped it with the Protector’s help—but where did that leave Arthur now? Regardless, we needed to move on.

  “Hand it over,” I said.

  Jericho’s eyes darted to me, and he looked like he was about to argue. Instead, he nodded and said, “King Arthur, I agree and accept your help. But first, I need to know it’s truly you and that I can trust you.”

  “If I could summon the knights here…” Steph said with a pout.

  Arthur nodded to her, then turned to the nearby water. “You’re familiar with another friend of mine, I believe. One some in your world refer to as a little mermaid?”

  “The,” Steph replied, and judging by the grin on her face, that was correct. She’d met the Little Mermaid! I was astounded.

  “In my time, she was also known as the Lady of the Lake,” Arthur said, “Or Nivian.”

  At that name, a form appeared under the water. For a second my heart leaped, as I thought this might be Amabie by another name, but the figure that emerged was clearly not her. This was a mermaid, though certainly not one that looked like the Disney version.

  She eyed us, then Jericho without recognition. It was when her eyes landed on Steph that she smiled. “Fancy meeting you here.”

  “It’s a pleasure,” Steph replied, then went to one knee.

  “Stand, stand,” Nivian said, moving up toward the shore, but staying there, like a woman posing for a photographer in the lake’s shallows. “Since when did you know King Arthur?”

  Steph smiled at Arthur and replied, “We just met. Finally.”

  “Color me confused,” I admitted.

  “Me too,” Jericho admitted.

  Steph blushed, glancing at him before saying, “Remember how I took a little trip with the knights while you were studying?”

  “In Wales, right. I’m still pissed I didn’t get to see as many castles as you did.”

  “We can always go back. I saw how jealous you were, so didn’t want to mention that I’d had the chance to meet the Lady of the Lake. Speaking of,” she stepped back, gesturing to him, “Nivian, please allow me to introduce Jericho. And this is Megha, those back there being Ferris and his friends… um…?”

  “Please refer to me as Chirop,” Kinara said, then motioned to the others, “Thunderbird and Milkshake.”

  “A pleasure,” Nivian said, and I went to one knee and bowed as Steph had. The actual Lady of the Lake was addressing me. What else could I do? When I stood again, she bowed her head slightly and turned to Arthur.

  “I don’t sense danger in your voice,” she said.

  “Not immediate,” he replied. “However, there are outsiders in Avalon. Perhaps you could alert the Protector?”

  “Consider it done.” She gave us all a wave, then dove back into the water, vanishing with a glimmer of sunlight on scales. It made me miss Amabie, even though we hadn’t been gone that long.

  Arthur turned from Steph to Jericho, waiting.

  “Fine,” Jericho said, looking impressed. He lowered the staff, took the metal ball from its tip, and detached it. Holding it out to Arthur, he seemed to go rigid. Clearly, this wasn’t easy for him.

  “Its magic is… special.” Arthur held it in the palm of his upturned hand, watching as the light hit it and caused more light to form around it, as if in a map. “This is Avalon, and those…” He indicated bits of darkness. “Those are the portals. Access points, you could say.”

  “And how do we know which to go to?” Jalee asked.

  “This one here,” Arthur said, indicating one of the spots. “If you want to go home, that’s the way to go. The human world.”

  “How can you tell?”

  He held the Liahona up toward Jericho, and there was an aura around him with a slight orange glow, similar to the dark spot he had indicated. Next, he did the same to Kinara, and there was a red aura that matched two other spots, both farther off.

  “If we head for this one,” I said, indicating the one to our world, “then that portal there isn’t so far off. We can go, check in on those back there, then come right back through to head on.”

  “Not a bad idea,” Arthur said. “But it might not be necessary. Start in that direction while I check on something. Whatever you do, don’t enter without me. Understood?”

  He indicated the hills beyond, where a layer of fog worked its way between the slopes.

  “What do you need to do that’s so important right now?” Milrae asked.

  “Find you an answer.”

  Then he vanished, leaving us to stare at each other in confusion before starting for the hills.

  8

  We reached the hills without any problems, then stood waiting. I needed a piss break, and when I returned, Jericho had snacks out and they’d gathered in a circle at the base of one of the hills.

  “Any luck on powers?” I asked.

  Several shakes of heads and mumbling came as an answer.

  “How much time has passed?” Jalee asked.

  “Maybe an hour, tops,” I replied. My answer had been meant to comfort her, but her expression showed the opposite was true.

  I glanced around, then pointed at the figure approaching, blond hair blowing in the wind. Arthur had returned.

  “You may rest at ease,” he said when he joined us at the hillside. “The attack was pushed back, and in fact, you now have an STP hostage, who might give up some information on the organization.”