Sundered Sky (Zirian Chronicles, #1) by Ariele Sieling

Author:Ariele Sieling
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: portal fiction, science fiction portal, portal scifi, portal science fiction, soft science fiction
Publisher: Ariele Sieling
Published: 2023-01-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

The dull gray-brown scene of Path was a welcome relief compared to the overwhelming emotional power of Cadrelle. Quin stumbled onto the bridge, feeling weak and tired in a way he had never experienced before. It was as though someone had taken his soul and stuck it in a wheat grinder and then wrung it out and tried to put it back together again. He grasped the rail of the bridge and took a few deep breaths of air, feeling useless and despising himself for not being strong enough. He looked at the sky, where a few black birds flew in lazy circles, and realized that he had never seen the actual sky—not the sun nor the stars. It had been cloudy every time they had come here.

“We should have Tobias take a good look at you,” John suggested.

“No,” Quin refused. “Don’t want to go there like this.” Irrational, he knew. But he didn’t want to appear weak in front of... other people.

“What, afraid Meriym might think you’re a baby? Well, too bad. I’m the boss now, and we’re going to get you some food and some sitting-in-a-chair time, and you are going to do exactly as I say,” ordered John.

Quin took a deep breath and stepped forward, focusing on his posture, calming the shaking of his hands, and ensuring that enough oxygen was reaching his brain. They were traveling through Doors and facing the unknown at every turn. He needed to be strong, needed to be ready in case something jumped out from around a corner. Once his posture was under control, he readjusted his senses. The world around him was quiet as ever, with most of the right noises, but missing the sound of the river. He had forgotten to ask about that. The wind caused the tall grasses to wave as usual, and the birds floated and hovered in the sky. It lacked any real smell—he hadn’t noticed this before, and wondered why.

“Come on,” John said, tugging on his arm. Apparently, he had only moved one step.

Each step he took became easier as his emotions calmed, his mind focused, and the scene around them solidified. He realized that the vividness of the dream had caused the real world to seem... unreal—but as the dream faded, everything around him solidified in his mind.

They reached the house a few minutes later and Meriym answered the door with a gasp.

“You look terrible!” she exclaimed, stepping back to allow them entry. “What happened?”

John pushed Quin up the steps and into the house, then forced him to sit on the couch.

“Is Tobias here?” he asked.

“Upstairs.” Meriym gestured to the trapdoor.

John scampered over and pulled it open. The rope ladder fell, and he scrambled up.

Meriym returned to Quin, concern written all over her face. “What happened? Are you okay? Do you need anything?” She sat down beside him on the couch.

Taking a deep breath, Quin reached into his pocket and pulled out the leaf encased in glass. He placed it carefully in her hand.

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