After about ten feet, Rourke said, “We should’ve hit the boundary line by now. We all came through right around here.” He turned in a circle. “But, honestly, I’m not sure if this place is an illusion or some kind of an alternate reality. If it’s an illusion, we might be screwed.”
I took in the scenery again. “The ground seems firm and real,” I said, stomping on a tree root. “But I agree. This area gives off some weird, unnatural vibes. It’s hard to know if what we’re seeing is reality or not.”
“It could be a place in between,” Marcy said. “Not reality and not illusion.”
“Like between dimensions?” Tyler asked. “I’ve heard those exist but never believed it.”
“I would think the voudoun would seek out those kinds of places.” Marcy nodded. “So I believe it. Maybe that’s why she chose this location in the first place, because it was close to the in between.”
“I visited a place kind of like this in the Underworld,” I said. “The Scholls. Ardat Lili called it exactly that—a place in between. It was a spirit world for their half-dead, the demons who came back as wyvern. It was different than this but had the same thick air and menace.” The air wasn’t wavy like it had been in the Scholls, but it was similar enough. “I don’t know anything about voudoun, but if the priestess who lives here communes with specific spirits, I think you might be right, Marcy. She could’ve come here to be closer to them.” That seemed like the most logical. If a demon in the Underworld specialized in communing with the wyvern, they’d move to the Scholls.
“Where’s the damn boundary?” Rourke growled as he continued to search in front of the group. “We should’ve hit it by now, but it’s just more of the same.”
“There’s no channel either. The water has disappeared,” Danny said. “No break in the trees like before.”
We all turned in circles, spreading out to search for an exit. “Maybe it wasn’t a boundary we crossed but a doorway we entered instead?” Tyler climbed up the roots of the nearest tree and placed his hands on the trunk. We all waited to see if he could push his way through. “If that’s the case,” he grunted, trying to force the tree open, “the priestess might be able to manipulate the door and place it wherever she wants. She directed us in here by chasing us with snakes. But in order to get out, we might have to open another doorway. Or force her to open one.” Tyler gave up on that one and jumped to another.
I nodded. It made sense. “Maybe that’s why Dad said it was so hard to communicate with her. He told me sometimes she’s there and sometimes she’s not. So she must be able to stay hidden within this boundary when she wants to.”
“I’m just glad Ray and Naomi are on the outside,” Rourke said. “Ray won’t stop searching until he figures out where we’ve gone. He’ll get your dad and they’ll bring reinforcements. We either find a way out, or they’ll find a way in.”
“I agree—Ray won’t stop. They’ll get in if they can,” I said. “But maybe we’re going about this wrong. What if it’s actually an advantage that we’re stuck in here? I know battling this priestess without backup is not ideal, and having the entire Pack in attendance would give us better odds, but we came here to eliminate the threat. If the priestess, or the bokor, is our main opposition—and not the fracture pack—we’re in the right place, right now.”
“Jess,” Tyler groaned. “We’re not doing this. Dad is literally a few miles away with thirty-plus wolves. It would be a bad tactical error to attack now, especially if we can bolster our chances of defeating this thing with more force. There’s no question.”
“But Dad hasn’t been able to figure out how to attack her here.” I gestured at the dead land in front of us. “This priestess can keep them out if she wants to, or they would’ve been battling her here already. They’ve been here for weeks, and we’ve been here for five minutes and we’re inside her lair. I say we use this to our advantage and end the threat ourselves, the sooner the better.”
Marcy cleared her throat. “You’re right about one thing, this priestess can keep them out whenever she wants. But I have to tell you, if my guy knew I was in here, and we had the chance to get back out to get reinforcements and didn’t, he’d be furious with me.” Then she grinned like a shrew. “But when Ray reports we’ve all disappeared, James will freak out and go all alpha on everyone to get me back. And that can only work in our favor, right? He’s going to rip these trees apart trying to find me, so I’m voting with you. Let’s push forward and assume the Pack is coming for us as soon as they can. If we get to her and start fighting, I bet we can weaken her hold on the wards.”
My eyebrows shot up my forehead. “Two seconds ago you were heading back to the boat with Tyler,” I said. “But you’re right, James would never forgive us if something happened to you. Maybe going forward is not such a great idea.”
She placed her hands on her waist, drumming her hips. “If you ruin this one chance we have to defeat the priestess because you’re worried about me not being man enough, I’m going to be upset. I assure you, I can handle it. I know I lost it when I saw those things coming at us, but red eyes mean possession. Their sole purpose was to intimidate and threaten. But I swear to you right now, I’m ready. I can be an asset.”