Branches of Life

Heavy energy pressed down on me on all sides, making me feel almost unclean, even though I showered only hours ago. As fast as the sensation came on, it vanished, dropping us onto a dark wooden floor.

Groaning as I rolled over, I noticed we were on a small ferry. My stomach was tied in knots from the unsettling rift, and the constant rocking of the ferry wasn't helping matters.

My wolf pressed against me, begging for me to summon energy from her. An act I almost did, until I remembered Wyatt's warning. My connection to my wolf felt no different than normal. There went my theory about the realm affecting our magic. I couldn't completely block my wolf's energy from my own. Doing so was an impossible feat since her energy was so intertwined with my own.

I pushed myself to my feet, stumbling to the side as I made my way to the railing, and peered over the side into the pitch-black water of the river. My stomach sank at the thought of what was down there. There could be any number of giant and terrifying sea creatures, lurking under the surface, watching us.

The churning and ominous river was nearly a mile wide, separating two sections of land. To my right, the land was filled with towering snow-capped mountains. A blanket of clouds covered the sky above the mountains.

On my left, was a dense forest of tall and scraggly trees, free of leaves on the unnaturally long branches that threw off deformed and elongated shadows. An unsettling and dark aura emanated from the forest. A shudder ran down my spine as I stared at the darkening sky above the forest.

Weirdly enough, the darkness from the forest and the clouds above the mountains didn't cross over the river. Instead, the sky above us was a dull blue with no sun, despite the lack of clouds.

The ferry rocked to one side when the others slammed on deck. Rowan somehow managed to land on her feet, but the others weren't so lucky. A chorus of swears and grunts came from them as they pushed themselves onto their feet.

"Who's driving this thing, are we safe?" Starling asked, scanning the lower level and its rows of benches. Both the ferry and the benches were made up of the same dark brown—almost black—wood.

We were currently on the upper level of the ferry, which contained more benches, but no steering wheel. That didn't sound at all dangerous. The sheer amount of benches left me unsettled and nervous. How many creatures typically rode this thing? And how long would we realistically have this thing to ourselves?

"No one. From what I can tell, the ferry is set to follow the currents of the river." Wyatt craned his head back, looking up at the sky. "As for how safe it is, we're as safe as we can be. The rift does lead to and from the ferry, so we better be prepared, just in case."

Wyatt's warning from before sprang to the forefront of my mind, and I decided I wouldn't let him get away without answering it this time. "Why can't we use our magic here? It seems like a dumbass move to be in their territory, fighting with our hands tied behind our backs."

Wyatt stared out at the horizon, rubbing his chin. "My old instructor theorized, that because they were created from our blood and therefore our magic, they are sensitive to our energy. That if they were nearby, they could sense our use of magic."

He placed his hands on the back of the bench in front of him, a considering look crossing his face. "I don't know whether or not he's right, but I do know we are vastly outnumbered here. And if there is even the slight chance our magic use will attract them, we can't risk it."

"That makes sense and all, but there's no way to cut ourselves off from our magic. It's a part of us, we use it without even thinking about it," Ari said leaning back against the railing.

Wyatt groaned and rubbed his forehead. "I'm fully aware of how our magic works."

A piercing and inhuman shriek came from the forest, making goosebumps raise on my arms. An icy awareness settled over me as I actively kept my focus off of the forest.

"When I say, don't use your magic, I'm talking about active energy. Like summoning claws, pulling extra speed and strength, using the elements, casting, and using spells. Those uses of energy are what could attract the creatures."

As if to emphasize his point, a bellowing roar came from deep within the mountains. I wasn't sure if it was better or worse that I couldn't see what creature it came from.

"What kind of creatures live over there?" Harmony asked almost to herself as she joined me at the railing.

Wyatt shrugged off his bag, dropped it on a bench, and began rifling through it. "Your guess is as good as mine. I'm assuming dragons, griffins, and other creatures like them."

I had been hoping he'd say that dragons had gone extinct. In all honesty, I didn't want to face anything that could fly or was over ten times my size. Especially without the use of my spirit animal.

"What about the creepy forest?" Starling inclined her head in its direction.

Wyatt halted his search, shifting his eyes to the forest, before landing on Starling. "Contrary to what you may think, I don't know everything, especially about this place. I didn't step foot in any of the regions the first time, and I'm not planning on changing that this time around."

"What about the river itself?" I eyed the river as I pulled off my jacket and stuffed it in my bag.

A long and tired sigh came from Wyatt. "I wouldn't recommend going swimming. It's a safe bet to assume it's home to the water creatures." He resumed his search through his bag. How much stuff was even in there? "Don't worry, the sirens live on the cliffs." Wyatt found what he was looking for, pulling out a sketch pad and a pencil.

Simultaneously, Ari, Harmony, and I backed away from the railing. Absolutely not. No way in hell was I letting myself be drowned by a kelpie or a grindylow, or whatever else lived down there.

"Is the ferry protected from them?" Starling leaned over the edge of the railing, peering into the water. Crazy bitch.

Wyatt had begun sketching on his sketch pad. A weird time to be drawing, but what did I know? "The ferry is warded from the creatures and environments, but I doubt it'll protect us from them. It's best for us to remain alert the entirety of our time here." He didn't even look up the entire time he spoke, doing the opposite of what he just said.

I dug through my bag, pulling out more daggers and throwing knives, strapping them to the harnesses around my waist and my thighs. Ari sat on one of the benches with her bow on her lap, hand resting lightly on the handle. Ander walked the permitter of the ferry, while Rowan stood guard at the front. Harmony took a different approach, lying on the bench beside Ari, eyes closed in meditation. The sounds of a blade being sharpened, brought my attention to Starling cleaning and sharpened the twelves blades fanned around her.

Without conscious thought, my eyes sought out Koa. Finding him at the back of the ferry. I knew we needed to talk, there was no way around it. So after a deep and steadying breath, I headed down the narrow staircase to the bottom level. His forearms rested on the railing as he stared out at the inky depths of the river. Even though his eyes never left the water, I knew he was aware of my presence. Neither of us spoke, almost like we were waiting for the other to break the silence. Or most likely, he knew I'd be the first one to speak.

Which I did, after an iridescent mermaid tail flopped out of the water before disappearing. I leaped back with a gasp. "I don't know if it's better or worse that we can't see through the water." After waiting for several more moments, I cautiously moved forward, leaning my arms on the railing. My entire body was coiled tightly, ready to jump back from the edge at any sort of noise.

From my peripheral vision, I saw Koa turn toward me, his eyes trained on the side of my face. My focus remained on the rippling waters, both because of the possible creatures watching us, but also because I wasn't ready to lose all train of thought.

"Is it too late to back out of this mission?" I asked with a small nervous laugh, trying to break the heavy silence.

What was with me lately? I wasn't normally this clunky around men, especially ones I was attracted to. Was it different because he was my mate and if I slept with him, it would end up meaning more than my usual hookups?

He chuckled, turning his attention away from my face, taking the heavy weight of his stare with him. "You will be able to handle this realm." His words were spoken softly.

My resolve to not look at him went out the window as I snapped my eyes to the side of his face. I opened and closed my mouth, but at first, no words came out. A smile played on his lips, not helping me form words.

From his doubt of my skills earlier, to the debacle that was my encounter with the woman, I had been so sure he would think of me as a liability. To be honest, I had started doubting myself with how I’d been unable to land a single hit against the mystery woman.

"Nice of you to stop being a dick." I shifted my focus away from him again, tracing the wood grain of the railing with my finger. My lips twitched when he laughed, and a fluttering sensation took up residence in my stomach and chest.

A loud splash in the river pulled my attention back to the water. My pulse sped up and my grip on the railing tightened as I stared at where the splash occurred. Waiting in tense anticipation to see if the creature would resurface. I nearly jumped when Koa's arms wrapped around my middle, pulling my back against his chest. He bent his head down close to mine, so close his warm breath fanned over my neck.

"You can handle whatever this realm throws at us." His lips brushed my ear as he spoke sending shivers down my body, and a tightening in my abdomen. "And if you can't, I'll be there to help."

"I take back what I said about you not being a dick," I said, my voice nearly breathless as he pressed a kiss beneath my ear. The hot press of his lips fogged my brain, making my words stumble.

He made a noncommittal sound, but that's the only response he was able to make because chaos ensued.

Shouts came from the upper deck as well as a burst of magic. This was unlike the times Wyatt used his. An oily and unnatural air coated this magic, reminding me of what I felt in the forest.

Koa and I wasted no time in racing up the stairs, with Koa at the lead. If we were facing demons, I was more than willing to use him as a shield again. I pulled the handle of my sword free, pressing a rune to release the blade.

On the upper deck were two demons. The first one was blue with orange markings on his skin. The other was a woman, her skin red with white markings. Neither of them had horns like the other demon had. Both of them wore shirts—if you could call the mesh material shirts—making me think I was right in my assessment before.

A ball of hellfire struck the railing, where Harmony had been standing moments ago. Where the flames touched the dark wood, a white glow lit up the wood, absorbing the flames.

The male demon lobbed another ball of hellfire at Harmony, growling when she dodged it again. An arrow landed in his shoulder and then his side. He ripped them out with a snarl sending a wave of black tendrils in Ari's direction.

I took off toward the demon, using his distraction to my advantage. That was until I slammed into a near-invisible wall of energy, that sent me flying back. My tailbone stung when I landed on my ass and rolled onto my back. As I sat up, I saw a ball of hellfire flying my way. I threw myself to the side, narrowly avoiding being hit.

My wolf pressed against the surface, basically pleading with me to take energy from her. As tempting as it was, I knew it would only make matters worse. Without pulling extra energy from my wolf, my body felt strangely slow and uncoordinated. I knew that wasn't true. I was so used to being able to use the energy flow between my wolf and me, that I felt off not accessing it. In fact, I had to actively remind myself not to summon strength or speed from her.

Harmony, Ari, Rowan, and I tag-teamed the demon. Pulling his attention to one of us, while the others would try and land a blow. We were successful several times. Black blood oozed from his stomach, his shoulder, and his lower back. None of us had yet to land a fatal blow. His use of magic made it hard for us to even get close to him.

While his attention was on Rowan, I let one of my throwing knives fly as I charged him. The blade landed in his right shoulder a second before I slashed my sword at his neck. Faster than I thought possible for a demon to move, he spun around and caught my wrist in his clawed hand. A burst of searing heat burned my skin. A scream built up in my throat at the blinding pain.

As quickly as the burning started, it vanished. Probably due to Rowan biting down on his leg and shaking her head back on forth. His grip on my wrist loosened, enough for me to yank my hand back.

Without hesitation or thought of the pulsing pain in my wrist, I swung my sword again aiming for his neck. This time I met no resistance and my blade sliced through his neck. His body collapsed to the deck as his head rolled several feet away.

"So, do we push his body into the river?" Ari asked nudging his head with her foot, scrunching up her nose.

It was probably not a good sign that we didn't last ten minutes before being attacked. If this was any indication of what we'd face in this realm, we were in for a rough time.