Dance of Magic - The Books of Beginning [1]

35. Henrietta's Shield

Crossing between life and death was one of the oddest things Kate had ever experienced. She felt like she was falling, she felt an intense cold run through her veins. The world around her was cloaked in a black, icy mist, obscuring her vision. As she plummeted through the dark void, the only thing keeping her anchored was Rafe's hand tightly intertwined with her own.

And then suddenly she was on solid ground again, stumbling, almost tripping over her own feet. For a moment she thought she would collapse to the ground, shaken from the crossing. But then a pair of steady arms wrapped around her, holding her close and keeping her upright. Kate leaned into Rafe's warmth. Even with an impossible task ahead of her and danger all around, things seemed a little bit better since this time she had him by her side.

"Kate," he whispered softly.

"I'm ok," Kate said, "I take it we made it?"

"Open your eyes and see."

Kate did open her eyes and took in the sight of the land of the dead. It had a slight familiarity to it, from the time when she herself had been dead, but no details that she could remember, since, well, she had been dead at the time. She and Rafe appeared to be standing on a sloping hill, overlooking a city not unlike old New York in its appearance. There was a dark sort of beauty to it, in the lights against the muted colors and the dark sky hanging overhead. If it wasn't the land of the dead, and Kate wasn't a living girl trying to stop an evil sorcerer, she might have enjoyed taking in the sights.

"Kinda pretty, isn't it?" Rafe commented idly, his thoughts the same as Kate's.

Kate looked at him, "haven't you seen it before?"

"I have, but I wasn't able to truly appreciate its beauty when I was so busy thinking of you for every moment of my death," Rafe replied.

Kate felt her heart swell. She mumbled softly, "love you too."

He grinned, "and that's what makes me the luckiest person in the world. Now, should we get going?"

"We should," Kate agreed, "I think we need to head through the city... we'll find the Dire Magnus in whatever lies on the other side."

"You're probably right," Rafe agreed. And if anyone knew how the Dire Magnus's plans worked, it was him.

The young couple began making their way down the hill. In another place, if they had been normal, they might have looked like a pair of lovestruck teens going to spend a romantic night together stargazing. But alas, this was not a normal place and they were about as far from normal as possible. They were not here to steal a moment alone, they were here to save the world.

It didn't take them too long to reach the city (not that there was a sun or moon visible to show them what time it was) and soon they were walking down streets that despite being filled with dead people, were surprisingly alive, for lack of a better word.

Vendors called there wares, both normal and magical, porch lights and strings of lanterns gave everything an otherworldly shimmer. People darted amongst the shops and stalls, or gossiped in small groups on the side of the road. They all looked content and even pleasant, the only thing revealing their dead state was the sickly sheen to their skin and the slight hollowness in their cheeks, as well as a small dimming of their eyes.

"They look.." 

"Happy," Rafe guessed what Kate was going to say, "yes, they are. This is a place for the content dead, those who have made peace with their passing and moved on. They make an existence here and find or wait for their loved ones. It's good for them."

"I take it you didn't spend a lot of time here?" Kate guessed.

Rafe shook his head, "definitely not. I wasn't content at all, not without you."