At the end where Destiny awaits: Book 6 of the Kinstone series

We emerge on the other side, however discover that we’re in the middle of the woods. The smell of spruce and pine fills my nose. I smile for a moment, feeling the cool, crisp air of winter around us, reveling in the fact that we’re back in America for the first time in months, for me nearly a year. The cold air doesn’t really bother me all that much, even with how light my clothing is.

Everyone looks around, having all arrived safely. My wolves take a few steps beyond us, sniffing the air. I watch as Athena sneezes a couple times. I giggle softly as Fenris looks to her. My knights walk a few paces from us, scanning the nearby forest. I smile softly as they whisper to each other.

I pan up through the mess of branches, seeing that the sky is growing darker with heavy grey clouds overhead. That’s odd. Normally we should exit out the exact same time in relation to when left. Japan was different, but now? It should be mid-morning, not early evening.

“Sweetie,” says Marron leaning into me, “hate to break your moment of reveling, but this clearly isn’t the Ranch.”

My shoulders slump as I groan. “Yeah, I know.” She smirks, handing me a potion. I unscrew the top and quickly down it, feeling my strength return from opening the portal. As I finish, I let out a sigh wondering what went wrong.

I hand the empty vial back to Marron. We can’t leave any traces for people to track us, even for a moment of peace like now. I then pull out my phone and turn it on. I giggle softly as dozens of messages soon appear on my phone as it reconnects to the phone network for the first time in months. “Well, we’ve got a connection.”

Marron rolls her eyes and flicks the side of my head. I grin again, pulling up the map. I input the address of the Ranch, then scroll back to us. I smirk, “Well good news is that we are back in America at least. The bad news is that we’re about twenty miles northwest of the Ranch.”

“Did something go wrong this time?” asks Marron.

I shrug, “I dunno.”

She crosses her arms, “I thought had these fairy roads down. We weren’t in a battle and I know for certain you didn’t lose concentration.”

“I did. Something else must’ve happened during transit or maybe even before we entered the road.”

I then summon the magic circle for the fairy road. I scroll around the orbiting symbols. On it, I can clearly seeing the Ranch as the destination. I tilt my head as nothing else seems to have gone wrong at any point. Yet somehow we were thrown off course.

Fairy roads not only are roads to places, but don’t often abide by physical time. The greatest example is again our arrival in Japan. So anything could’ve happened. After a couple moments more I dispel the circle.

I look at my phone again, “Hey, look on the bright side. We are in America and only a thirty minute drive to the Parkstons. Not counting the ten to fifteen minute hike to the main road. So all in all, nothing too bad.”

She nods. “I can handle a hike.”

Not a bad idea the more I think about it either.

“Speaking of driving there,” I add, “think we should check on the car?”

“We will once we get to the main road,” she replies. “Granted, it should still be in the same condition it was in when I put it into the cube you gave me.”

I sigh, recalling said cube once housed my Sportage before Edtrich blew it up when they attacked the Ranch. We also didn’t use her car while in Japan given how it wasn’t exactly safe to drive around the region in it. Plus the road from the house to the main road isn’t exactly the friendliest to cars.

I pan over to my wolves, watching as they sit next to each other, talking. I know that this is Athena’s first time traveling overseas so no doubt this is all incredibly new for her. I can’t imagine her reaction to what she’ll once we leave the woods. I then start to rub my head, feeling the sudden influx of cedar pollen aggravating my sinuses, giving me a slight headache.

Ugh, not now.

My knights then stroll back over to us. I look up to them smiling. The woods are quiet, no doubt with most of the wildlife having either nestled in for the coming night or scattered when the portal opened and we stepped out.

“In reference to the Master and Madame Parkston’s home, Your Highness,” says Orga, “we could fly to their home. It would be faster.”

I shake my head, looking up at the sky then back to him. “I’m sure that would be a good idea. Also, if you’re thinking of flying there first ahead of us, another not-so-good idea.” I smile, “We left together, we go back together.”

They nod and smile.

I know flying there would be faster, but something else is true. “Plus, I don’t want to run the risk of being spotted in the air, even though it’s getting darker.” I sigh softly, “We got lucky last time, really lucky.”

Grandpa did say that America is safer, and many of the covens who sided with Regulus are either gone or stepped away. However, they aren’t his only allies who are searching for me. I’m really praying we don’t run into them.

Kateryna smiles, “I personally cannot wait to see Jonathan and Evie again.”

I grin, nodding. “I simply can’t wait to see them or anyone from the Coven again for that matter. It’s been too long.” She nods, smiling.

The wolves continue to talk to each other, their ears rotating for any potential threat. I smile at them.

Marron then holds me close. I know she’s still a bit nervous about seeing anyone from the Coven. That fact was made very clear with Ddraig. According to my last call with Miriam, the entire coven isn’t angry with her or even hates her. In fact they miss her just as they miss me. I’m really hoping she feels better once we get there.

She looks down to me and smiles. “I know what you’re thinking so don’t worry.” I nod while still am.

She sighs, pulling me into a tight hug. “You worry too much.”

I giggle softly, “Yeah I know.”

We smile to each other and start walking over to my wolves. They turn and look back at us, smiling softly the closer we get.