fine-spun gold. As she watched in silence, uncertain whether his presence meant ravisher or jailer or whatever her confused mind couldnât think of just yet, he moistened his forefinger and thumb, eased up the corner of the next page, and slowly glided his hand to the center of the edge. A pause as he finished reading whatever was on that side, and he gently flicked the sheet over. Giving her a glimpse of printed characters that werenât English, though her mind struggled to perceive them as it did English.
The slight headache at the back of her eyes was proof enough that there really was magic at work around her, that she really was no longer in Kansas anymoreâso to speakâand not just caught in a dream-induced delusion. She rubbed at her forehead and temples, then drew in a breath and spoke when he didnât acknowledge her movement. âWhat am I doing in here?â
âStaying in here.â
âSo Iâm a prisoner?â Kelly asked warily.
âYouâre a nuisance. And a danger. As soon as my brother has recovered, heâll find a place to dump you and send you there.â
âOh, like I asked to be yanked from my home and off to a universe full of magic,â she snapped back, irritated at the decidedly unfriendly reply to her enquiry. âMind you, Iâm damned glad Iâm not dead, burned to a crisp by those bigoted, close-minded, asinine fanaticals, but I havenât exactly had a comfortable time since I arrived here, either, you know!â
He frowned over at her, abandoning his book for a moment. âWhat do you mean by that?â
She gaped at him. He didnât know? âFirst you attack me, then you yell at me, then you attack me again, make me drink a horrid potion, and now Iâm your prisoner in this less-than-Best-Western room, and you ask me why Iâm not comfortable with all of it?â
He snapped the book shut, dropping his legs to the floor to sit forward and glare at her. âI meant, what do you mean by âyanked from my home and off to a universe full of magic â?â
âMy universe doesnât have magic potions that make communication in bizarre languages instantly possible! Most people donât even believe real magic exists, where I come from,â she added pointedly. âI wouldnât believe it myself if I wasnât suffering from it firsthand, today. Iâm grateful to be able to communicate, donât get me wrong, but all of this has been happening without my knowledge, or my fully disclosed consent.â
He stared at her. And stared at her. And stared at her.
âWhat?â she demanded defensively as he kept staring at her with those hard gray eyes.
âI am going to kill my brother,â the man stated flatly. âHe knows damned well that transdimensional crossings are forbidden, when one of the realms has no magic!â
âExcuse me?â Kelly returned, arching her partially singed brows. âIf heâs the one who did the bibbity-bobbity-boo thing and dragged me here across the multiverse or whatever, then if youâre going to kill him, I sincerely hope thereâs someone else who knows exactly what universe to send me back to. Hopefully not to the exact moment I left, though. Iâd rather stay here in loopy Wonderland than go back and die in a really bad case of murder by arson, thank you very much!â
That made him scowl. But not at her. âSomeone deliberately set a fire to kill you?â
âWell, I donât exactly have proof,â she pointed out. âBut there were a bunch of prejudiced, ignorant bigots living in the town Iâd moved to, idiots who thought I was involved in witchcraftâwhether or not thatâs a respectable career here, it certainly isnât considered to be by most people back in my universe.
âThey also hated me simply because I was involved in a group that liked resurrecting the old ways and cultures of