Frostbitten Past

X L I I

ANDORRA THOUGHT about asking the truth pond, but after last night, she wanted nothing to do with it. She was half afraid it would show her the scene from last night, and half afraid that it would show Noah plotting against her, and she wasn't ready for that truth yet.

Instead, she sat outside, practicing opening gates. She wasn't going anywhere, just practicing opening and closing gates, making them bigger than the previous. Ripping open gates was only one piece of the puzzle to getting into Anlithamy, but she figured she should practice that part before attempting to move others.

It was hard, exhausting work. She felt tired and sore as she sat there, against the base of a tree, working on opening and closing the gate. She was thankful that it took her mind off of things like Noah, but it was beginning to make her feel sluggish and sleepy. A few times, her nose had bled, but she had gotten better at keeping the blood at bay.

Not for the first time, she wondered if she should just go to Anlithamy without any clan. The more she thought about it, the more tempting it was. They wanted her there, enough that they were sending people for her, and she was hating the snow clan more and more.

She wondered if she would have been better off with the sun fae, but she knew that wouldn't have been a great choice either. She knew, deep down, that being with the sun fae would have been worse, but she liked to imagine that it would be different. It would be warm, for one, and she wouldn't have to deal with the rude clan leader. On the other hand, she would be with Kyle, and Paul, and that was enough to make her think twice.

Going without either clan sounded like the best option, but then she would think of Oberon and those in the town square, who didn't deserve to be treated like their clan leader, no matter how evil he was.

She entertained thoughts of leaving the clan leader behind. She liked the thought of that more than she should have. She liked the imagine him yelling, racing to fit through the gate, distraught when it shut without him, leaving him behind without a clan. She imagined what he would do without people to lead.

Maybe I could just slip over to Anlithamy and see what it's like, she thought to herself. It was a good thought, especially since she was so upset at Noah and at the thought that he had betrayed her. It made her eyes well up with tears, just thinking that it was all a ruse. That he was sent by his father to rescue her, to make her fall in love with him, just so they could leave her behind.

She hated that she doubted Noah, but she couldn't help it.

She opened the gate and slipped through, thinking of Anlithamy, telling herself this was just a part of the practice. That she needed to know how to get to Anlithamy for everything to work out the way it was supposed to. She didn't know what Anlithamy looked like, but she hoped just thinking of the place would bring her there.

She stepped into the in between, closing her eyes, hoping it would work. When she opened her eyes, she stared for a moment, transfixed as she looked around her. She was transported to what looked like a large city center, bustling with people, crowded with tall buildings, looking a lot like when she had visited New York City once in middle school.

People were moving past each other, some alone, some in groups. She watched, staring for a moment, amazed at how everyone who walked by looked so normal. Not that she had imagined fae in Anlithamy to look different, but part of her had believed that perhaps Noah and his clan looked so human due to the time spent among them.

Reality told her that fae looked disturbingly human, or at least they did wherever she was.

She took a deep breath and then she stepped out, suddenly in the throngs of everyone walking by. She noticed three things first. One, the air in Anlithamy felt warmer, balmier, calmer. There was no chill of winter, and Andorra immediately realized people were looking at her because she was dressed in winter clothing, totally out of place. Two, there was music in the air, as if she were in a movie, listening to sweet sounds that seemed to immediately put her in a better mood. And three, the space around her was crowded with large, tall building, but when she looked past them, they looked to be surrounded by large mountains and sprawling countrysides that were almost hard to believe that they existed amongst the bustling city.