“Okay,” Her voice was small while she disappeared into her thoughts and I let her.
A knock on the door put Reva scrambling from my bed and rushing to answer it. I rolled my eyes. She wasn’t my servant. Whoever it was on the other side was more than capable of opening the door themselves.
Except, it wasn’t just anyone on the other side. It was Alric. Sweat was rolling down the sides of his face and he looked like he’d also been playing in the sand. His boots were sopping wet and covered in the fine grain I hated so much. He braced his hand on the door frame and let out a wheezing breath.
“Are you okay?” I jumped from my vanity and across the space between us. I’d never seen him so frazzled.
With an open hand, he rubbed his chest and shook his head. “I don’t know. I set up a patrol at the ocean just in case anyone was able to get through or try to. Something insane is happening at the beach. I honestly don’t know how I made it to you so quickly. The magic must have helped or something.”
“Spit it out,” Reva encouraged harshly.
“I got a report this morning that the fog was lifting, I didn’t believe it,” He shrugged. “I just put these young kids on the patrol, I didn’t expect anything to happen from it. Next thing I know this child is racing across the training area to tell me that he can see the mainland.”
Jesper’s words from earlier hit me like a ton of bricks. “The magic is changing.”
Reva and I looked at each other quickly. Reva ran her hands through her hair. “That’s what Jesper meant!”
“Is anyone on the other side of the fog?” I asked.
Alric shook his head. “No, you can just barely make out a few lights from the village over there.”
“Pack a bag, get Grove and Leo.” My eyes skipped back to Alric. “What do you want to do?”
“I would suggest monitoring it,” But his face said something different.
I nodded back to Reva. “Hurry.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
JUNIPER
With very little supplies and preparations we rushed through the woods. A slithering vine seemed to follow us all the way to the shore where El was waiting for us. She remained in the shadows but beckoned me to come closer. “The magic is changing.”
“I know,” I couldn’t feel it at the castle, but I could feel it here. “I can feel it too.”
“Do you have your shell?” She eyed the bag on my back.
I nodded. “Good, you might need it. I can feel the earth trembling.”
She was gone just as quickly as she appeared. Grove had her blades held out in front of her as she watched the thinning rolling fog. One of Reva’s swords was drawn before her. Alric and Leo were speaking with Jesper by the trees. At least they were working together now.
I took a step out onto the sand and the fog completely dropped away. A collective gasp rang out through the small army we brought with us. We didn’t know what to expect but now I was thankful we were somewhat prepared. Gathering on the other side of the ocean was an army, probably the biggest I’d ever seen. Was it time to use the shell Caspian and Lilli gave me?
Though the fog lifted, I still couldn’t make out who was on the other side. Were they our enemies? Did we send a boat to try to work this out with our words first?
I marched across the sand, my feet sinking a little with each step, and approached the men I trusted the most. “What do we do?”
“You have the shell?” Jesper eyed my bag just as El had.
I patted the bag affectionately. “Yes. Do I use it now?”
Jesper watched over my shoulder. “I wouldn’t. We still don’t know what they want.”
“Will they send a boat or do we?” I was thankful for his council.
“They should send one, we may not have an army of that caliber that they can see, but we do have magic on our side.” Alric crossed his arms over his chest and I could see the annoyance in his eyes. He didn’t like me asking the Shadow Elf for advice. He would get over it, we were all on the same side here. Our biggest threat was across the ocean. Anxiety pumped through me as the fog didn’t completely lift. I needed to see more.
Impulsively, I kicked my boots off and marched to the water’s edge. If my magic worked in the sand, maybe it would work better in the water. Icy cold stabbed at my toes as the waves lapped at my feet. But as soon as my feet were completely submerged in the freezing salt water, the fog lifted completely. It wasn’t just lights in the distance. It wasn’t just blurred faces staring at us preparing for war.
