Through the Fire (Daughter of Fire, #1)(43)

In the middle of the whole thing, the series of pathways weaved together to form a large meadow. Dotted across the grass were rings varying in diameter to accommodate different group sizes and each was decorated with mushrooms or small mounds of earth.

“This is our Grand Central Station,” Aiden explained as he dragged me toward one of the circles. Holding out his hand to me, he stepped over the mushrooms and into the circle. “Our ticket to anywhere. Care to join me?”

“What are they?” I asked.

“Fairy rings—they take us to the places we want to go. It is rare for any outsiders to be privileged enough to witness this room, but you’re not just any outsider.”

Taking his statement as a compliment, I took his proffered hand and, after eyeing the ring beneath me skeptically, stepped into the circle.

Almost instantly, the world blurred. I held Aiden’s hand tighter as I was thrown completely off balance. I tried stepping forward, but there was no solid ground beneath me. I stumbled into Aiden’s chest.

“It should have passed by now, Lynnie,” he murmured. “You can open your eyes.”

I hadn’t even realized I’d closed them, but my eyelids ached as though I’d squeezed them tightly shut. I opened one eye just a tiny sliver. The magical fae forest had disappeared. In its place stood a large redbrick building surrounded by slender, moss-covered trees.

“Race you to the top.” He fluttered his wings slightly as he said the words.

“Not fair!” I cried as I raced toward the building.

I’d barely taken three steps when his hands slipped beneath my underarms, and he lifted me from the ground.

“Wait!” I giggled. “I’m not ready for this.”

His laughter joined with mine as he struggled to lift me higher. “I am not used to doing this with another person. It is certainly a workout and a half.”

“Are you saying I’m fat?” I pretended to be indignant.

“Hardly,” he snorted. “You would need several more decent meals before I would even go so far as to call you slender.” He dropped me down so that my feet were back on the ground. “I think we should attempt this another way. Turn around.”

I followed his direction. He grabbed my arms and wrapped them around his neck. He hitched one of my legs around his waist. I used the leverage to circle the other one around him as tightly as I dared.

For a moment, he nuzzled his nose into the crook of my neck. “That is remarkably better,” he said as he wrapped his arms around me, flexed his wings, and then lifted us both off the ground.

“Is this really easier?” I asked as I tightened my hold around him to ensure that I didn’t fall.

“Who said anything about easier?” He chuckled. “I said better.”

I nudged my shoulder against his chest in response.

“Be careful,” he whispered in my ear. “Or I might just drop you.”

We rose painstakingly slowly toward the roof. Once we’d cleared the top, he whispered against my neck that it was safe. I held on to him for a moment more as I tried to get my bearings. Between the fairy rings and the flying, I’d had enough of unusual travel methods.

Once I was back on my feet, he took a moment to catch his breath. “You didn’t actually have to carry me up here,” I said as he bent forward at the waist to recover.

He stood and slung his arm over my shoulder. “And miss this spectacular view?” he asked, sweeping his other arm in front of him to draw my attention to our surroundings.

My gaze followed the path of his arm, and I drew in a sharp breath. For the second time since waking, I was left utterly stunned by the pure, understated beauty of nature.

This place—which I’d only just read about in books—was the quarantine station. With its crumbling and ramshackle buildings being reclaimed by nature all around us, it really was a spectacular location, completely different to the urban jungles I was used to. The school building we stood on, one of the most recently constructed buildings, was also one of the few that still remained mostly erect.

Even though I hadn’t had a home since Dad’s death, I’d never really been able to appreciate the outdoors either. Or life in general in fact. During the years that I’d been on the road, I hadn’t had the time or inclination to just stop and look at the world like I could with Aiden now. We stood in silence, his arms resting around my waist, as the sun crept over the horizon.

“Wow!” I exclaimed when I was able to find my voice again after having it stolen by the beauty of the moment.

Was Clay out there somewhere enjoying the sunrise too?

The thought passed through my mind without my permission, leaving me bereft. To fight the cold that stole through me, I nestled closer into Aiden. His arm tightened around me. Sometimes it was as if he was able to read my moods better than almost anyone could.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“It really is a magical spot,” I said.

“You should have seen it when it was open. It truly was magical, then.”

“Wasn’t it just a quarantine station?”

He chuckled softly. “You insist on reading the human version of books. They are so supremely limited in their viewpoints. You should attempt to read some of the fae ones from time to time.”

“I can’t. They make my head hurt.” I grimaced at the memory of trying to read the fae texts. They were almost like a movie and a book rolled into one—the memories leaped from the paper to invade your mind. Anything read in a fae book not only appeared real but for all intents and purposes was real. History lessons became a firsthand experience, so there was no misinterpretation of the facts.