All That Falls

4 A Shadowstep Forward

It wasn't my rift. But pointing that out to Lark and his companions seemed futile.

I told them of the travel plans that the Dean had forwarded to me. Written upon a government form letter from the DAA was my flight plan, my accommodations at the local mountainside inn, a complete itinerary regarding my expectations of performance for the following week, and a list of contacts both within the DAA and outside of it. Wyn's name was at the top of the list. I tried not to show my disgust as I read the email aloud to the gathered Fae who were all busy exchanging looks of pure confusion.

"Can I see that?" Lark asked once I'd reached the section of my itinerary. He leaned forward, holding out his hand, palm up.

"Sure," I muttered, flipping my phone and holding it out to him.

But he grabbed my wrist instead.

Suddenly, it felt like my chest was caving in on itself. I opened my eyes and wondered if I even had. Nothing but swirling blackness, warped darkness, surrounded us. I gasped but found no air. That's when I panicked. My lungs contracted, my vision swam and then spotted as blinding white light filled the world and I fell to the ground, wheezing.

"First time is always hard," one twin said sympathetically, reaching down a hand to help me up.

I would have taken it, grateful for the kindness, but I realized in that moment how cold my hands were and I looked down to find them buried in a thick blanket of snow. I lifted one, letting the flakes cascade through my fingers, the bitter cold already numbing my fingertips. I scrambled to my feet and whirled around, eyes darting around in dazed fascination.

We were here. On the same snow-blasted mountainside I had travelled to before. The rift loomed high above us, churning and whirring as always. It seemed to contain something similar to lightning now. It sparked occasionally, a crack of white light streaking across it before disappearing within its own inky black.

The DAA was back in full force. Scientists were scrambling to retrieve their equipment from the snowbanks that were significantly higher now than they had been before courtesy of the avalanche which I had narrowly escaped with my life. They dusted off the gauges and blew the powdery snow from the smaller instruments, casting glances toward the top of the mountain from time to time, fearful of another snowslide. Soldiers patrolled the area in which the minotaur had fallen, keeping their eyes on the skies and their guns at the ready. The sight gave me pause, a bolt of terror shooting through me at the thought of another mythical beast falling from that open hole in the sky. This time, it might be even worse than a minotaur.

"I would say it gets easier," the same twin who had tried to help me before spoke as he came up beside me and looked out at the camp as well, "but I still hate it myself."

I looked his way then, examining him truly for the first time. He was the one who had been smiling before, the one with the long hair and the scar on the left side.

"What was that?" I snapped, whirling around and pointing sharply at Lark who stood a few feet away, examining the surrounding scene. "What did he do?"

"Shadowstep," Lark replied simply.

I just blinked, wanting further explanation, but not wanting to admit that I needed it.

"How am I supposed to explain to my colleagues why I wasn't on the plane, how I got here before them, and why I am accompanied by three arrogant pricks that look more like bodyguards than scientists and two of which I don't even know the name of?"

"Pollux," the twin who had spoken before told me. "And my brother is Rook."

Rook just gave me a solemn, silent nod. I stared at them in stunned disbelief and then threw my hands up in irritation, pacing away from them, my steps uneven in the snow.