Between by Megan Whitmer Read Free Book Online

rounded door in the wall before me. A tree root has grown down into the cave, twisted around, and dug its way back into the earth, forming a handle. Seth rests his hand on it and says, “After you?”
    “Whatever.” My last twists of hair fall loose from my bun and I run my fingers through it.
    “Whatever,” Seth repeats, and shakes his head. “We’re going to have to work on your communication skills.”
    My communication skills?
    “You’re the one who has no idea how social interaction works.” I take a step back from him and cross my arms over my chest. “You tell me just enough to freak me out without giving me the entire story, and when I ask questions, you brush them off like I’m expecting too much too soon. You keep telling me to trust you, and quite frankly, I’m not even sure what I truly know about you at all anymore.”
    “Charlie, take a breath. You know me.” Seth’s shoulders fall and his eyebrows come together over his nose. “I’m the same guy who’s been part of your family for the last five years. What happened today doesn’t affect our history. None of this changes who we are, deep down. You can trust me. You’ve always been able to trust me.”
    I want to believe him. I want to be convinced everything that happened before today was real, and that he’s part of my life because he wants to be, not because of a commitment to the Fellowship.
    “Hey.” He bends his knees to make me look at him, but I refuse. His eyes distract me. I don’t want to get swept up in them right now. He places his hands on the sides of my face, and I finally meet his gaze. It’s as sincere as always, filled with certainty and confidence, and a soft compassion around the edges. “You are completely capable of handling this. I know you’re overwhelmed, but if you need to find one thing to be sure of, one thing you absolutely know, it’s me. I’m with you, like I’ve always been, and I’m not going anywhere. Okay?”
    For the first time since he mentioned realms, my breath reaches all the way down into my lungs. He’s still Seth, and as much as he drives me crazy, I can be sure of him. “Okay.”
    Seth grasps the handle again. “Remember, once we go through this door, we’re Aegis and Apprentice. No gawking.”
    The reminder gets under my skin because, as Seth is still Seth, I am still me. I smile sweetly. “Whatever. Should I call you Mr. Hewitt?”
    He smirks and places his other hand on the body of the door. With a substantial push, the door moans and shakes free from the wall. Seth steps aside and presses his hand against my lower back, nudging me forward as the door swings open.

F OUR
    A s soon as my eyes adjust to the light, I see butterflies. Everywhere. I go still, sucking in a quick breath. Masses and masses of vibrantly colored wings flit about in all directions—lingering in the shadows between squat stone buildings, hovering above emerald-green grass, and loitering near the arches of wildflowers poised above wide, cobbled paths. The sun hangs low in the sky, and I lose all concept of time. Is this a repeat of today’s sunset, or have I already leaped into tomorrow? “What time is it? Is it still today?”
    “Yes. The mystical realm is a little behind.”
    I step away from the tunnel, moving slowly down the lush grass toward the broadest of the nearby trails. The trees are enormous, with trunks as wide as the house I grew up in, and heavily leafed limbs stretch high over my head.
    Wooden stairs climb all the way up around the trunks of some of the smaller trees, leading to other buildings and balconies balanced high in the branches. A few of the particularly massive trees have steps at their bases that seem to lead directly into the trees themselves. I stare at one such tree nearby on the opposite side of the path, examining its steps, trunk, and the crowds of leaves spouting from its higher limbs.
    Suddenly, a well-concealed door swings open from the trunk. “Whoa,” I breathe.
    I