Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 105815 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105815 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
“That’s my half sister. Apparently, she wants Trin dead more than she wants me dead.”
Chapter 17
Zhang Junjie
No one spoke for a long time. There was only running. Rei took the lead behind his half sister as they darted between the trees and dove through the thicker undergrowth, trying to put more and more distance between themselves and Trin’s army.
Junjie hung to the back of their group, covering their retreat with the help of more pixies and other wingless figures that looked as if they were round boulders with crude facial features and stubby appendages. Yet, despite their small statures, they could move surprisingly fast through the forest.
Junjie spent most of his time watching for signs that they were being pursued and trying to dodge low tree limbs. The storm slacked off to a steady drizzle. Low rolls of thunder grew more distant as the rain moved farther north. Rain soaked every part of his body. His boots squelched with each step and water dripped into his eyes from his hair. A distracting chill clung to his flesh, threatening to sink into his soul. Gods, he would never be warm again.
Right now, the only thing he wanted was to return home. Dry clothes, hot tea, and the sight of Leo playing with Erik in the boy’s room. That would chase away this bone-deep cold.
But such a thing was a long way off.
He might not know where they were in the forest, but he felt fairly certain they were not moving in the correct direction to reach their SUV. Rei’s half sister was leading them somewhere, and Junjie prayed it wasn’t into more trouble. She might have saved them, but he didn’t trust her. They’d made the mistake of trusting Trin, believing that he’d be more sensible than King Ash and Queen Belladonna. They’d been wrong.
After running for what felt like a good hour, they slowed as they reached an enormous tree with bright-yellow leaves. As he drew closer, he blinked. It was a gingko tree. What was a gingko tree doing here?
His brain was still wrestling with that question when the thick bark on the trunk cracked and parted as if a door were opening within it. A round creature that stood about a meter tall with baggy clothes stuck his head out and looked left and right before gazing up at Rei.
“Young Master Olag,” Rei greeted with a bow of his head. “I figured you would be far from the human world by now. What are you doing with such a disreputable group?”
Junjie blinked and edged closer to where they’d gathered around the opening. It was odd to hear Rei talking like this. The elf was normally sassy and irreverent with a very informal way of speaking, but with this person, his intonation became more formal and even a touch respectful. Something he seemed to save for only Xiao Dan.
“We’ve moved far beyond the stage where we can ignore the mess in the human realm and still salvage our home,” the boulder with a bulbous nose and large brown eyes said. “Come. Come.” The one Rei called Olag waved for them to follow him inside the tree.
“Leave your fox outside,” Rei’s sister ordered, pointing at a bedraggled Huli with wilted ears and tails.
Huli snapped sharp teeth at her. “No! Absolutely not! Huli protects Xiao Dan.”
“No animals!”
So, naturally, Huli shifted into a slender youth with rich curls and enormous eyes. Somehow, he still appeared waterlogged and ragged. His hair clung to his skull and his dark T-shirt hung on his skinny frame. Regardless, Xiao Dan smiled at him and threaded their fingers together, pulling him in close.
The female elf groaned and threw up her hands. “Fine. Whatever. Just get in there. We’ve lost Trin and his army for now, but I’m sure he’s got trackers looking for us.”
Yichen led the way and the rest followed him down a set of winding, uneven stairs cut straight into the tree. The interior of the tree grew warmer, with the lingering scent of pipe smoke, old books, and damp earth hanging in the air. The murmur of conversation that had been bubbling below them stopped with their approaching footsteps.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Junjie blinked, his heart flipping over in his chest. It was as if the staircase had led them to a fantasy world. The room was far bigger than he’d expected, but it maintained an oddly cozy feel with cluttered bookshelves overflowing with dusty old tomes. There was an overstuffed chair covered in an ancient handmade quilt. A tea set sat ready for guests on a low circular table.
But beyond the furnishing, there were members of the fae, but not the ones he was used to seeing—namely elves. There were a few other rocklike creatures in baggy clothes, smoking long-stemmed pipes. Tiny, winged figures that were probably either pixies or fairies flitted here and there around the room before settling up in the highest, most hidden corners. There were more with red hats that were shaped like mushrooms. Mostly, they were all small in stature, measuring a meter or shorter.