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  “Stop it!” he said, trying to duck away from her latest attack, but she would not stop. She nudged the side of his face like an overexcited puppy. Alex shot her an annoyed look.

  With a high-pitched chirrup, she clamped her beak onto the back of his shirt and dragged him away from the edge of the mountain with surprising strength, yanking him toward the snowdrift. He cried out in surprise, trying to get her off him, but she simply would not let go.

  As he neared a pile of snow, he realized why. A dim light flashed against the ice shelf just in front of the snowdrift, blinking a steady rhythm. He dove toward the freezing snow and scrabbled to dig the beetle out. As he clutched it in his hands, the beetle gave a low whine, the snow having dulled its shriek. Alex didn’t care about the sound—it was the light he sought, the northernmost bulb showing the way to Lintz and the others.

  Excitement pulsed through his veins as he turned back toward Storm, who was eyeing the beetle curiously, perhaps wondering if it was a tasty treat. She tried to peck it from his hand, but he quickly moved it away.

  “You wouldn’t like the taste,” Alex teased. He held his palm flat, waiting for her to touch her beak to the center. “We need to go north,” he told her, still not certain how much she could understand.

  It seemed she had a vague idea, however, as he clambered onto her back and held on tight. Before he had even managed to get settled, she was charging toward the lip of the mountain, taking to the air in one smooth movement, her wings spreading wide. He didn’t know how long it would take to get to Falleaf House, or if it was even possible, but the Thunderbird’s apparent understanding put him at ease.

  As they flew, Alex took in the landscape around him. There were endless forests, peppered with the shattered remains of ancient towns, and sparkling rivers that wound through the deep green canopies, off to some unknown ocean. To the east, strange shapes emerged on the horizon. Alex thought they might be a distant mountain range, but as the scene grew clearer, he could see structures that looked distinctly manmade shining from within the dull gray rock. Golden spires as tall as any skyscraper rose from vast, palatial buildings that shone against the glare of the sun, the elegant dwellings poking up from gaps in between the peaks of the mountain range.

  Alex wondered if it was somehow the real world, glimpsed through the fabric of the magical realm, or if it was something else, something private and reserved for the crème de la crème of mage society. It certainly looked regal enough. There was nothing ordinary about the buildings; they were almost otherworldly, with a gauzy haze covering them, like a mirage in the desert. It looked to be a barrier of some sort, protecting whoever lived inside. Part of him wanted to take a closer look, but he knew that his current schedule would not permit such a luxury—they had to get to Falleaf House as quickly as possible; there was no time for detours, however tempting.

  “How are we going to get to Falleaf House?” Alex asked Storm, feeling slightly silly for speaking to an animal who couldn’t talk back. The Thunderbird, however, continued to surprise him.

  After a moment or two, she began to speed up, beating her wings faster and faster until she was rocketing through the sky at an alarming rate. It didn’t seem possible that a bird could fly so fast, and where once Alex had felt exhilaration, he now began to feel the adrenaline-pulse of fear. It was too fast. He was barely holding on.

  With a loud snap like the crack of a whip, Storm broke the sound barrier. She flew faster still, not showing any signs of slowing down. Alex clung to her neck and gripped her sides with his legs, unable to keep his eyes open against the rush of air blasting in his face.

  The scene around him stretched and blurred, and he could feel his whole body being pulled in different directions. The wind whipped against his face, but nothing looked normal; there were no clear images, nothing he could recognize as real. It had all become warped and weird, everything bent out of shape and alien to the eye.

  Then, with a satisfying whoosh, everything shrank back to normal again, snapping into place.

  They had emerged in a different realm.

  Alex realized that his Thunderbird possessed powers he had never expected. It seemed Storm had the ability to travel between realms, bypassing portals entirely. Maybe this was why the Spellbreakers had been such formidable warriors, with their ability to appear from the sky like some otherworldly avenging angels, soaring down on the backs of ferocious winged beasts. He imagined it must have been quite the sight from the battlefield.

  Storm had slowed to an ordinary pace, and though Alex’s heart was pounding and he was struggling to wrap his head around what he had just experienced, he couldn’t help but think about what other uses there might be for such a talent as Storm’s. Could she punch through the border between the normal, outside world and the magical realms, or would that be too much for her? He wasn’t even sure she could exist in the real world, being what she was, and yet he couldn’t erase the thought from his mind.

  First things first, he told himself, returning to the task at hand. The beacon was still flashing north, but it was blinking more rapidly now, the dampened shrieks coming louder. An idea came to him, as he fed his anti-magic into the device, forcing the mechanism to silence the sound, not wanting it to draw any attention, leaving only the comfort of the light. Wherever Lintz and his friends were, Alex was close now.

  Ahead of him lay the perimeter of a large, dense forest. It was a familiar scene, vividly remembered from the portal to Falleaf House he had watched Lintz build, but Alex had no idea whether they were near the same spot where that portal had opened. It all looked so similar, the bronzed leaves falling to the ground beneath the warm haze of afternoon sun.

  Thinking back to what Caius had told him, about how to find Hadrian, Alex looked across the canopy of the forest, searching for the glint of something golden in the distance. As hard as it was, Alex knew he had to try to trust in the sliver of goodness Caius had possessed, when he had spoken of Falleaf, though, after what had happened between himself and Caius, he wasn’t exactly sure he’d see anything—perhaps, Caius had been lying about the way to reach Hadrian.

  But, as the sunlight glanced down onto the forest, something glitzy caught his eye. It lay in the center of the trees, but Alex couldn’t gauge the distance between the tree-line and the glimmering object, which he hoped was the golden top of the pagoda he sought. Keeping the direction of it in his mind, he knew he would simply have to walk until he found it. With Storm being the size she was, and not being exactly discreet, he knew he couldn’t just fly there. He just hoped the others were already inside.

  Storm landed softly on a pile of decaying leaves, folding her wings, and Alex dismounted. Realizing she might be a little out in the open if he left her there, he gestured for her to follow as he made his way into the dimmed light of the trees, pausing beside the shelter of an overgrown willow.

  “Stay here,” he said. “And if anything comes for you, come and find me,” he added, still feeling foolish about speaking to a bird. Once again, she defied his expectations as she chirped in understanding, walking behind the curtain of leaves and settling down beside the trunk of the tree. From beyond the willow, it was nearly impossible to make her out beneath the camouflage. Alex smiled in wonderment; she was truly an incredible specimen.

  Reassured that Storm would have plenty to eat in the forest, he set off into the trees, heeding Caius’s warning about the traps and soldiers that filled these seemingly innocuous woods. The beetle was flashing like mad, restoring his courage—they were nearby, he could sense it.

  The forest itself was more oppressive than it had appeared from the portal, and though the canopy was a myriad of gold and scarlet, and everything around him was beautiful to behold, from the tiny wildflowers that grew along the path, to the babbling brooks that cut through the lush green earth, he couldn’t help but feel on edge, knowing somebody could sneak up on him at any moment, or he might set off a trap with one misplaced step.

  Alex knew he had to tr
avel north to where he had seen the glint of the pagoda’s top, but from down on the ground, he could no longer see the beacon of it, telling him where to go. The beetle was still flashing, and he clung to the belief that it would lead him to the others.

  Chapter 3

  Trekking through the woods with as much stealth as he could muster, Alex came across nobody on his travels. It did nothing to dispel his fears, however, and his nerves remained on edge. The soldiers Caius had spoken about could be anywhere, and he wasn’t about to let them surprise him.

  As he walked, he saw something strange in a copse up ahead. It was a toad, resting out in the open, its slick back glistening. It basked in a spot of sunlight filtering through the canopy, but, as Alex neared it, something seemed amiss. He realized it almost a moment too late, as several barbs shot from the toad’s mouth. Alex dove to one side, out of the way of the small darts, which thudded into the tree behind him.

  Turning in astonishment, he saw hundreds of tiny holes in the bark, where previous darts had hit home. They had singed the wood, clearly laced in a poison or chemical of some sort, which Alex was certain would have led to a series of very painful injuries, if not death. It was a close call—too close for comfort, and the near miss left Alex even more cautious, as he ventured as near as he dared to the toad. Upon closer inspection, he could see that it was a costumed piece of intricate clockwork, the whirring of the cogs barely audible.

  Shaking off his fear, Alex moved onward, scrutinizing his surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. He just had to hope that the flashing beetle meant that Lintz and the others weren’t dead, or caught up in the jaws of some grisly snare.

  Ahead, blooming in the glowing light, a line of cherry trees appeared, standing out from the maples around them. Their flowers’ petals were tinged with pink, and though they seemed innocuous enough, Alex had a bad feeling about their presence within the forest. They were out of place, and yet it was evident he had to walk through them in order to move forward. To either side, the line of blossoming trees stretched, offering no alternative route.

  He stepped tentatively up to one of the trees, and noticed immediately that it wasn’t shedding its delicate petals, as the ones next to it were, though the illusion was a convincing one. In fact, as he looked up the line, he realized that every alternate tree wasn’t showering petals as it should.

  A harsh buzzing sound filled his ears, and impulse made him take a quick step backward, just in time to see a shielding trap snap closed around the periphery of the tree. He gasped, realizing how close he had come to being caught within it. It became clear that only the shedding trees were safe to pass near, but the others would trap an intruder inside, until a soldier could find them. Alex shuddered, glad of the escape, but the sound he had heard gave him an idea. If he listened for it, he might just be able to avoid more traps—these kinds of snares, at any rate.

  Skirting around the dark trunk of a shedding cherry tree, relieved not to hear the nerve-wracking buzz, he pressed on, undeterred by his near misses. The beetle was going insane now, and his only thoughts were of his friends, and making it safely to them.

  Beyond the cherry trees, the beautiful scenery gave way to a more cramped section of the forest, where the trees loomed inwards, their trunks gnarled and twisted, like something from a Grimm tale. He was about to set his foot down when an image popped into his mind, freezing him in mid-motion. It was a picture of a golden leaf, and, as he looked down to the spot where he had been about to stand, he saw the exact same leaf, lying on the ground. It looked more golden than any leaf Alex had ever seen, but it was so small he had nearly missed it. A short distance from it crouched a mouse, though it could only be seen if someone was really looking for it, and Alex knew his concentration must have slipped for a moment.

  Another vivid image appeared in his mind, zooming in on the ground where the leaf and the mouse lay. It wasn’t exactly a sensation that sat well with him, and each one caused a ripple of confusion in his brain, knowing they definitely weren’t pinging in from his own mind. Alex didn’t like it one bit, but he was painfully aware that he was stuck with this new slideshow of visions. He frowned, trying to figure out what this fresh image meant. The mouse seemed so out of place. He paused, not knowing how to proceed.

  Suddenly, the mouse darted forwards, stepping across the golden leaf. Alex stepped backwards hurriedly, ducking behind a tree as a blinding flash of light shot up from the ground. He peered around the trunk, and in the fading luminescence, he saw the mouse curled up on the grass, dead.

  Looking up at the spot where the flash had risen from, his face morphed into a mask of horror as he watched a great, golden beast, looking distinctly bear-like, spring from the tiny leaf. It paused for a moment, its sharp teeth gnashing as it sniffed the air for intruders, but it didn’t seem as if the creature could smell Alex. It turned its head this way and that, its nostrils flaring. Alex pressed himself flat against the trunk, listening as the beast sniffed a while longer. He peered out just in time to see the golden bear disappearing back into the leaf, apparently satisfied there was nobody untoward in the immediate area.

  It seemed the images being fed into his mind needed closer examination than he’d realized, with this particular one. The danger wasn’t always the most obvious aspect in the picture. He exhaled deeply, knowing he’d had a very close call. Though he had managed to dodge the golden bear, the sight of it retreating did nothing to allay Alex’s fears for his friends. They were in real danger here, and he knew he had to find them before anything bad happened—if it hadn’t already.

  He pressed on, picking up the pace, though he began to worry when the beetle’s flashing started to slow. He wasn’t sure if that meant he was heading in the wrong direction, or if the owner of the magic within was starting to weaken. Not knowing which way to turn, he kept walking, heading farther and farther into the forest.

  Without warning, the forest gave way to a large clearing. It made Alex anxious, knowing he should probably avoid clearings, in case somebody caught sight of him, but this one was different, he could tell. In the very center of it was an imposing, artfully crafted pagoda with six tiers, the golden top that had shown him the way curving upward in the shape of a bird. From the central pagoda, various connecting buildings branched off, running into the darkness of the trees beyond, built like elaborately carved treehouses, their roofs painted red and green, following the same aesthetic as the pagoda. Alex peered toward the trees on the far side, certain he could see people moving along suspended walkways hidden among the boughs.

  He had reached Falleaf House, by the looks of it, and it was impossible to escape the Japanese flavor of the place. Around the base of the pagoda lay a glorious water garden, with a multitude of exquisite bridges crisscrossing the streams and pools that rippled in the gentle breeze, nudging the lilies that floated on the surface. There were waterfalls too, the sound of running water soothing to Alex’s ears as he watched the twist and turn of koi carp in striking colors he had never seen before.

  There were blossoming cherry trees around the pools too, though these ones were undeniably real, their blushing petals falling like pink snow into the water, sinking slowly to the bottom. In any other circumstance, Alex knew this place would have been the epitome of serenity and calm, but it wasn’t. Instead of pilgrims and visitors, there were soldiers wandering everywhere—and a lot of them to boot, marching in small gangs. They were dressed in a uniform of gold and white, with what looked like a crest emblazoned on the pocket, in the shape of a horse’s head with two crossed swords beneath it. Alex wondered if this was the royal crest, what with these being royal guards.

  No matter where they came from, Alex couldn’t get over just how many there were, and wondered how he had managed to avoid them thus far. Maybe they had simply become too reliant on the efficiency of the forest traps, checking them every so often instead of patrolling, as they probably ought to have been doing.

  Soldiers becoming lazy out of wartime—woul
dn’t be the first time, Alex mused.

  He ducked back, staying perfectly still in the shadow of the tree-line, as two walked past, right in front of where he stood. His heart thundered, and though they hadn’t seen him, Alex didn’t particularly want to push his luck. He retreated back into the woods. He needed to figure out a way to bypass the guards, get into the pagoda, and find Hadrian. With the high level of security, it seemed like a near impossible task. And yet, Alex knew there had to be a way to outfox them. To come all this way for nothing was not an option.

  Looking down at the beetle in his hand, he saw that the flashing had slowed, but as he stepped back into the forest, it blinked faster again, renewing his hope that something awful hadn’t yet happened to his friends. Perhaps they were still hiding in the forest, waiting to sneak inside the pagoda, just as he was.

  With each step, the beetle flashed quicker, leading the way. Alex followed it, using it as a rudimentary kind of compass, until the blinking light was flashing so fast that it had become a steady light.

  Peering ahead, Alex could make out the shape of something in the trees, though it was too dark to see clearly. The figure lumbered around in the shadows, staggering here and there as if injured. It looked human, but for all Alex knew, it could be a trap, meant to ensnare him.

  Friend or foe, he couldn’t be sure, but there was only one way to find out. Taking a deep breath, he moved closer.

  Chapter 4

  Alex approached cautiously, trying to get a better look at the shadow to see if it was one of the gold-and-white soldiers. The foliage kept obscuring his view, making it impossible to discern the shape of the person ahead. He skirted around the trees for a clearer vantage point, but as he neared, something made him pause. Close to his foot was a toadstool, with another nearby, and another and another, forming a very large ring around the space before him. It reminded him of an old fairytale his grandmother used to tell him, about never setting foot in a fairy circle made of toadstools in the deepest part of the woods because the fairies would trap any intruders and take them to the fairy world, never to be heard from again.