My escort seemed to sense my rising excitement. He let out a shriek, and nodded enthusiastically toward the island. I guessed that was a good sign.
We continued past the landmass, and even as we were once again engulfed in a world of infinite, rippling blue, my anticipation increased.
By the time night fell, even though the griffin still appeared to get disorientated at times, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were close. Very close.
And then, in what I guessed must have been the early hours of the morning, with a lurch of my heart, I spotted a familiar cluster of rocks. I was sure that they were the same rocks I’d headed to with the dragons to save Sofia, Derek and Aiden.
Oh, my God.
We’ve arrived.
We’ve arrived!
“You did it, Hero!” I positively squealed, surprising myself.
Hero. I wasn’t sure where that came from. He ought to have a name, and Hero just seemed like an appropriate one.
I squeezed my legs more tightly on either side of his back, excitement and relief flooding my brain. I could hardly believe it. I threw a glance over my shoulder toward where the hunters had been positioned in their huge naval ships. All the ships were gone now. Perhaps they’d all left soon after I’d been taken away in the submarine. Maybe after the incident with the dragons, they’d thought it best to abandon their posts for a while.
I threw my gaze back toward the direction of the invisible island.
“Yes! Over there!” I breathed, pointing toward where I remembered the boundary being in relation to the small rock formation. Of course, it wasn’t like I needed to point. Even if Hero had gotten a bit lost during the journey, he’d managed to find his way here in the end across the vast Pacific Ocean.
He hurtled full speed toward the boundary, and just as I was sure that we’d reach it any second, he halted midair with such force, it was like he’d just hit a brick wall. My grip on him loosened and I almost went tumbling down into the waves.
My heart sank a little in my chest. He wasn’t able to enter the barrier.
But why not? I was accompanying him. Don’t I still have permission to enter the island?
I drew in a deep breath. It wasn’t the end of the world. We just had to fly around the boundary and make enough noise until somebody noticed and came to collect us.
This idea seemed to occur to my trusty guardian before I even suggested it. Quickly recovering from the sudden stop, he launched us high into the sky—high enough to begin soaring over the island itself. He dipped down occasionally, as if testing the magical boundary that covered the island like a canopy.
“Hello!” I began to bellow as loudly as I could. “It’s River! Let me in!”
Since it was early morning, I guessed that many would be asleep, but the island was filled with supernatural creatures with supernatural hearing and I doubted that it would take long for somebody to notice me and come to my aid. Besides, many of them didn’t sleep regular hours anyway, since it was always night in The Shade.
“River!”
I froze as a voice called out from beneath us.
It was a male voice, with a thick, Scottish accent.
“I see you through the boundary, River!” the voice called up to us again. “This is Cameron!”
“Oh! Thank you!” I yelled back down. I barely knew Cameron. I had met him and his family only briefly.
“Stay where you are,” he ordered. “I’m going to send a witch up for you.”
“Thank you!” I replied, and then all was quiet again.
Hero didn’t seem to require me to instruct him to stay put. He had heard Cameron, and he paused mid-air, his wings keeping us hovering in one spot.
We were waiting perhaps twenty minutes before Corrine manifested before us out of thin air. She beamed at me, her expression filled with relief, and then her eyes fell on Hero.
“Thank you so much for sending him!” I said. “I dread to think what might have happened to me if he’d arrived even a bit later…”
The witch frowned, her face twisting in bewilderment. “Wait… What? Who’s he?”
I faltered, staring at Corrine.
“This… creature,” I said slowly, patting the back of Hero’s smooth head.
Corrine raised a brow. “Honey, I’m relieved as heck to have you back, but I’ve no idea what you’re talking about…” She moved closer to us, her eyes bulging with a mixture of confusion and fascination. “What are you doing with a griffin?”
I felt lost for words. “Are you sure that nobody in The Shade sent him to come and save me?”
“I’m positive,” Corrine said, her tone slightly high-pitched as she examined the creature. “I came searching for you myself soon after you were kidnapped, but I failed to find you on any of the hunters’ ships. None of us have had a clue where to look for you.”
My gaze tilted to Hero, who, except for his wings, was quite still, his eyes bright and receptive. “Then where did he come from?” I breathed.
“You’re asking me?” Corrine exclaimed. She tore her eyes away from Hero and fixed them back on me. “Are you all right? What happened to you?”
“I’m okay… I think. The hunters took me back to some kind of headquarters surrounded by mountains and snow. I’ll tell you everything, but I just need to see my family first.”
“Of course,” she said. She approached me and held out her hand for me to take. I assumed that if I grabbed hold of it, I would hover with her too, but…