I gasped. “Tennessee.”
Tennessee’s mismatched eyes widened. He dove for me. “SAFFIE!”
And then a thick arm wrapped around my waist and yanked me back inside the tunnel. Hands gripped my arms and hoisted me in the air. I screamed and kicked my legs but all I saw was a sea of golden armor as the Knights tackled me to the ground—
Rainbow colored magic slammed into them and they flew into the air.
TEGAN!
And then just like that, like someone flipped a switch, my memory came rushing back.
I jumped to my feet as the tunnel sealed shut again. My magic shot out of me, wrapping around my body like it missed me. I missed you, too. Tennessee and Tegan were gone.
But I was back.
I REMEMBER EVERYTHING.
The Knights dropped like flies. Their bodies landed in weird positions, legs and arms bent up under them. They weren’t dead. I felt their life force still within them but Tegan’s magic would have them down for a while. Her rainbow magic covered them like ice over a pond in winter.
I grinned and an evil little chuckle escaped my lips as I dove for the sword lying on the tunnel floor closest to me. The second the golden hilt touched my palm, the blade glistened. Warm energy shot straight up my arm. My gold glittery magic coiled tightly around me like a second skin.
“Saraphina?”
I looked up and met Riah’s stare – he froze in his tracks, still twenty feet away. Heat flooded my veins like a volcano about to erupt. I narrowed my eyes and snarled, “Rot in hell.”
I slammed the fallen Knight’s sword into the tunnel wall and pushed with my magic.
“STOP!” Riah shouted and charged for me, with another squadron of Knights behind him. “No, don’t—"
Green light flashed around me and little flowers popped out in my peripheral vision. Riah and his Knights were close, so I threw my other hand out and pushed. Gold glittery magic slammed into them like a solid brick wall. Riah leaned forward and braced himself as my magic washed over him, standing strong against my power. But his Knights all flew up into the air and slammed into the tunnel walls.
I didn’t wait. I spun and forced my magic into the tunnel wall. It split open and I dove through. Ice-cold air burned along my bare arms. I hissed and crashed into a mound of snow but my body kept rolling. When I finally stopped, I scrambled back to my feet and spun around with my stolen Knight sword gripped firmly in my hand.
Everything was white. Snow covered every inch of my surroundings. Hope flared in my chest. Did I do it? Did I go right back?
“TENNESSEE?” I spun in a circle, searching for black in a sea of white. “TEGAN?”
But there was no one. No answer but the howl in the wind that stung as it hit me. I winced and clenched my teeth. The temperature was bitter cold and this purple gown left my arms and chest completely bare. With every breeze the slits in the skirt flew up around me, letting more cold air to more of my skin.
Where are they?
“TEGAN? TENN?” I shouted again, my voice tight from the cold.
Except this was solid ground. There was no water, no floating ice. Those were mountains not glaciers. Wherever I’d seen them a minute before, I hadn’t gone back to the same spot.
With a curse, I trudged forward through the snow, wincing at the chill under my bare feet. My toes were already burning as frostbite came for me. I had to get out of here. I had to get help. And then I felt a wave of energy hit my back. I spun around and froze.
Up ahead in the distance, set into the tall snow-covered mountains, was a castle made entirely of glass. With the snow and the pale gray sky, it completely blended in. I didn’t know who lived there but all I needed was a phone.
There was only one phone number I’d memorized before my curse was broken.
Tegan’s.
Because she could find me wherever I was.
I took a step forward and then a tornado of snow swirled in front of me. I gasped and jumped back. The tornado stopped and snow fell to the ground. A man stood in its place, looking like he’d always been there yet not fitting in with the setting at all. My eyes widened. He wore a pristine white suit with a white shirt beneath it. If he had shoes on then they were either so buried in snow or they were also white and blending in. He stood there rocked back on his heels with his hands in his pockets.
The man was tall and had short white-blond hair that blended in with the snow falling around us. He arched one black eyebrow and cocked his head to the side. “You.”
What does THAT mean? I frowned and held my sword out in front of me. “Who are you?”
“Everest.” He glanced over his shoulder toward the castle, then turned back to me. His eyes were the strangest combination, blue rimmed white irises with royal blue pupils…and they were narrowed right on me. “You’re not safe here. Leave. Now.”
Before I could react, he threw his hand out and I flew straight back.
Chapter Three
Saffie
My stomach dropped. I flew back into the Seelie tunnel. I caught a glimpse of Riah and his Knights in their golden armor but then I was soaring right out the other side. I was moving too fast. My back slipped through the tunnel wall at my back and I soared out the other side.
Hot, sticky air rushed over me. My wings popped out and flapped to try to catch me but that Everest guy had thrown me too hard. I was falling too fast. I couldn’t catch myself. I couldn’t even see where I was. Everything was bright and blue. The long skirt of my purple gown flew up over my head and I dropped head-over-feet. I kicked my arms and legs but all I found was more hot air that smelled like salt from the ocean.
Ocean? Oh no. I threw my hands up. A split second later my fingertips broke through the surface of warm water and I sank. Warm water rushed over me, swallowing me whole in the blink of an eye. My lungs screamed in protest. I needed air, I hadn’t had a chance to take a breath. I kicked my legs and clawed my way back up. My head broke through the surface of the water and I sucked in a huge gasp of air. I choked and tried to get my wings out to fly away, except I was stuck in my own dress. The material had already soaked in the water like a sponge and was weighing me down, like someone was down there pulling me.
A tall wave rolled in from out of nowhere and slammed into me, tossing me aside. I flipped and turned. When hot air swept over my face I sucked in a huge gasp of air — and then I was under water again. The warmth was a relief after the snow but I was tangled in my dress and sinking farther with every second. I kicked and thrashed through the water, trying to propel myself back up.
My air was already running out. My lungs screamed. Pressure wrapped around my chest. My pulse thundered through my head. I gripped the pieces of purple fabric by my face and yanked them aside. Sunlight streamed through turquoise water just a few feet above me. I could make it. Air was right there. I kicked and pushed. My red hair floated around me, tangling in my fingers as I clawed my way through the water.
Just…keep…going —
I broke through the surface and gasped. My lungs protested, making me cough and spit water out of my mouth. I peeled my hair off my face, then scrubbed at my eyes. But then another wave crashed right on top of me and I was pushed back under. The current rolled me several times before I could break myself free. Black dots swarmed my vision. I lunged for the sunlight shining above, bursting above the water like a volcano erupting. I coughed and gasped.