Origin of Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Protector #3)(12)

Tentatively, I touched the bark. Again, I swore I felt a slow thud beneath my palms.

What the heck was that?

Magic sparked at my back, a signature that felt like tiny bubbles in water.

I turned, braced for anything.

A woman stood about twenty feet away. A ghost or spirit of some kind.

My breath grew shallow as I inspected her.

She was pale white, nearly transparent. Her long dress flowed to her feet and her hair was strange, almost as if it were made of leaves. I’d never seen her before—that, I was sure of.

Despite her magical signature, very little power radiated from her. Still, my hair stood on end. It wasn’t every day I ran into a ghost.

“Who are you?” I asked.

She didn’t answer, just glided closer to me. As she neared, I realized that her eyes sparkled.

I tried another question. “Where am I?”

“Home.” Her voice was whispery, almost like the wind.

“Um, I’m not.” I glanced around at all the dead trees. This was so not my home. It couldn’t be.

She gestured. “Come with me.”

“Where?”

She didn’t answer, just glided away. I had no other answers, no other ideas. But I needed to be here. The sense was so strong that I couldn’t ignore it. I just needed to figure out why.

So I followed her.

“Why is this place dead?” I asked.

She glanced at me, eyes sparkling. “It isn’t my story to tell.”

“Will you take me to the one who can?” Take me to your leader. I sure wasn’t a little green man, but I did want to find someone who would answer my questions.

Why had I been drawn here?

She led me through the forest for ten minutes. When a few buildings appeared through the trees on my left, I pointed. “Can we go there?”

“That is not the way.” She glided along, her magic sparkling against my skin. Whenever she passed a tree, it seemed to glow just slightly. Then it faded.

I was about to demand more answers when we reached a clearing. On my left, there was a tall, shimmering white barrier. Just like the portal I’d entered, but it was enormous. To the right, the dead trees thinned to form a courtyard.

I turned to inspect it more fully and my jaw dropped.

“Whoa,” I murmured, awe spreading through me.

Across the courtyard, which was at least two hundred meters long, a village climbed up a valley between two tall mountains that loomed on either side. The buildings themselves crowded against one another, all situated around a central street that rose up the valley ridge.

The mountains were a spectacular backdrop to the village, peaks rising tall on either side of the main street. They were made of golden brown stone, shot through with veins of glittering amber. Waterfalls poured from crevices along the ridges, disappearing down into the valley behind the village.

Holy crap, it looked like freaking Themyscira. I’d swear that Wonder Woman was going to jump off one of those buildings at any minute.

Except that it was dead. Despite all the water, there was no greenery. Not a single leaf or tree or flower or blade of grass. Not in the village nor on the mountains.

It wasn’t just one dead forest—there wasn’t a single living plant anywhere. The lack of life here sent grief through me, a weight that pulled at my heart. It was followed quickly by a ghost of fear. It was more like a residual emotion—one I’d once felt here.

“What happened here?”

The woman pointed toward the village. “You’ll find your answers there.”

I turned to her, but she was already drifting away, back to the dead forest. I debated only briefly, then hurried across the courtyard.

Though I didn’t know where to find answers, my dragon sense sure had some ideas. It tugged toward the main street, so I followed. On my left, there was a row of buildings, like they’d been put there to take advantage of the once-nice courtyard. But most of the buildings rose up the valley ridge ahead of me, so steep it was almost cartoonish. How did people live here?

I saw a few people through windows of their houses, but I didn’t bother to knock on their doors. Unlike the ghostly woman, these people were alive and well. My dragon sense led me toward the central part of town.

When I reached the main street, I was at the bottom end of the village, looking up a road that climbed high into the mountains. Ancient buildings made of beautiful beige stone crowded it on both sides, and fountains poured water into basins at regular intervals. Terra-cotta roofs lent it a magical air.

The buildings were pressed right up against each other, all sharing walls. Some were shops, others were homes. No technology marred the ancient beauty here, as if it’d been trapped away from time and change. A hidden kingdom.

I stepped onto the street and began to climb, desperate to figure out what the heck was going on and why my dragon sense was so excited to be here. It was early enough that no one was out on the street yet, though I caught flashes of people through windows. Their clothes were simple, and definitely not modern. Sort of Medieval, with tunics and the like.

Why the hell had I felt so compelled to come here? My mind whispered that this might actually be my home. That the weird ghost lady was right.

I might be on the path to some answers. My heart thudded, excitement flowing through my veins. If this was my home, my parents might be here. Hope filled me with light, but I tried to shove it away. I had no idea if they were alive. I didn’t want to be crushed if I were wrong.