hands. “You don’t have to do this for him.”
“But I do. If we don’t find whatever box he wants, he’s going to take you back.” Both of us knew that if her father decided to take her back across the Threshold, nothing either of us could do would stop him. “There’s something we’re not seeing. It’s not all about telling me about my father.”
That was the most troubling part of it. The Trelking had multiple motivations for everything that he did. For him to come across the Threshold, making a point of holding the gateway open while he waited for us, there had to be some other reason besides simply searching for the box. And his offer to help me with my father didn’t ring entirely true, not with what I knew of the Trelking.
It all left me feeling even more unsettled than I had been when we first followed Tom to the park.
When Devan didn’t say anything, I pulled her close. “Hey, I’m going to be with you. We’re not going to let him drag you back.”
She tried to force a smile. I could see the strain on her face as she did. “You know we can only do so much against him, Ollie. If he chooses that I should return, I’m not sure where we can go to keep me safe.”
I caught her eyes, and she didn’t look away. A surge of emotion came over me. I wouldn’t let anything happen to Devan again. I’d almost failed her twice already. “He’s weaker on this side. He must be, or he wouldn’t have kept the gateway open like that. As long as we stay away from him near crossings, we have a chance.”
I thought of the little sculpture of Nik. Had I even a fraction of the knowledge he’d acquired from the Druist Mage, I might have a chance at keeping her safe. More than simply keeping her away from the Druist, I had to keep her from her father, as well.
“Right. Because we’ve been so good about staying out of trouble on this side.”
“Not all of it has been my fault,” I said.
Devan started to say something and then paused, turning her eyes upward.
I looked to see Jakes standing above me. More like, looming above me. He’d shifted back into his human form and stood with his arms crossed over his chest, like some sort of shifter god. He studied me with a strange look of concern.
“Sorry about that,” I said.
“For what?”
I tipped my head toward where the gateway had disappeared. “For the doorway. For him. I know you take your responsibility for keeping this place safe and protecting the doorways pretty seriously, but there’s not much you can do when he wants to come through.”
“There was a warning. We had enough time to ensure others did not cross.”
I wondered if Jakes meant hunters or something else. I hadn’t ever come across hunters on the other side in the Trelking’s realm, so I doubted the Trelking would let something like that slip by, but there didn’t seem any other reason for Jakes to fear other creatures crossing. If they came from the Trelking’s realm, they would have a signature that Devan would recognize.
“Did you hear any of that?” I asked.
Jakes shook his head. “He managed to shield you from us. I did not really expect him to allow us to do more than observe.”
I motioned to Devan, and she helped pull me to stand. I brushed the dirt and dust off my jeans and looked around. My eyes had started to adjust. Not enough for me to see well, but enough to see through the shadows around the park. The other shifters were gone, or at least hiding from me now. Was one always stationed by the doorways, or did they simply recognize—like Jakes had seemed to—when the doorways were used and opened?
I took a deep breath, focusing on where the doorway had been. “I haven’t asked you this before, Jakes. I know you know of the Trelking.” Jakes didn’t show any emotion. I hadn’t expected him to. “But had you seen him before?”
Jakes hesitated. “No. That was the first time I’ve encountered the Trelking.”
It was another piece to the puzzle. There
“But I do. If we don’t find whatever box he wants, he’s going to take you back.” Both of us knew that if her father decided to take her back across the Threshold, nothing either of us could do would stop him. “There’s something we’re not seeing. It’s not all about telling me about my father.”
That was the most troubling part of it. The Trelking had multiple motivations for everything that he did. For him to come across the Threshold, making a point of holding the gateway open while he waited for us, there had to be some other reason besides simply searching for the box. And his offer to help me with my father didn’t ring entirely true, not with what I knew of the Trelking.
It all left me feeling even more unsettled than I had been when we first followed Tom to the park.
When Devan didn’t say anything, I pulled her close. “Hey, I’m going to be with you. We’re not going to let him drag you back.”
She tried to force a smile. I could see the strain on her face as she did. “You know we can only do so much against him, Ollie. If he chooses that I should return, I’m not sure where we can go to keep me safe.”
I caught her eyes, and she didn’t look away. A surge of emotion came over me. I wouldn’t let anything happen to Devan again. I’d almost failed her twice already. “He’s weaker on this side. He must be, or he wouldn’t have kept the gateway open like that. As long as we stay away from him near crossings, we have a chance.”
I thought of the little sculpture of Nik. Had I even a fraction of the knowledge he’d acquired from the Druist Mage, I might have a chance at keeping her safe. More than simply keeping her away from the Druist, I had to keep her from her father, as well.
“Right. Because we’ve been so good about staying out of trouble on this side.”
“Not all of it has been my fault,” I said.
Devan started to say something and then paused, turning her eyes upward.
I looked to see Jakes standing above me. More like, looming above me. He’d shifted back into his human form and stood with his arms crossed over his chest, like some sort of shifter god. He studied me with a strange look of concern.
“Sorry about that,” I said.
“For what?”
I tipped my head toward where the gateway had disappeared. “For the doorway. For him. I know you take your responsibility for keeping this place safe and protecting the doorways pretty seriously, but there’s not much you can do when he wants to come through.”
“There was a warning. We had enough time to ensure others did not cross.”
I wondered if Jakes meant hunters or something else. I hadn’t ever come across hunters on the other side in the Trelking’s realm, so I doubted the Trelking would let something like that slip by, but there didn’t seem any other reason for Jakes to fear other creatures crossing. If they came from the Trelking’s realm, they would have a signature that Devan would recognize.
“Did you hear any of that?” I asked.
Jakes shook his head. “He managed to shield you from us. I did not really expect him to allow us to do more than observe.”
I motioned to Devan, and she helped pull me to stand. I brushed the dirt and dust off my jeans and looked around. My eyes had started to adjust. Not enough for me to see well, but enough to see through the shadows around the park. The other shifters were gone, or at least hiding from me now. Was one always stationed by the doorways, or did they simply recognize—like Jakes had seemed to—when the doorways were used and opened?
I took a deep breath, focusing on where the doorway had been. “I haven’t asked you this before, Jakes. I know you know of the Trelking.” Jakes didn’t show any emotion. I hadn’t expected him to. “But had you seen him before?”
Jakes hesitated. “No. That was the first time I’ve encountered the Trelking.”
It was another piece to the puzzle. There
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