Turning his back on the smoldering embers that remained of the old cabin, he headed in the direction he’d followed the stranger a week earlier. Thanks to the notes he’d found in one of Francine’s books, he was almost one hundred percent certain, that he’d chased a Stealth Guardian, a preternatural creature who could not only render himself invisible—which would explain why he hadn’t been able to see him during the chase—but also pass through solid objects like walls and doors. If Francine’s research was to be believed, the Stealth Guardians were a benevolent race who’d made it their mission to protect humans. Just like Scanguards had. Which was reason enough to establish contact with them and see if they could help each other.
Who would have thought that one day he’d be grateful to Francine, the witch who had very nearly killed him and his siblings over two decades ago? After Francine’s well-deserved death, he’d had the foresight to appropriate any of her possessions related to witchcraft. Francine’s books and tools had become the foundation for his quest to regain his powers. A quest he’d won. Though he could never truly forgive Francine, he could appreciate her research and her dedication to her craft.
It didn’t take long until he’d reached the shack in which the stranger had disappeared. Everything was quiet. Still, he entered with caution. The interior was empty. Wes pulled a flashlight from his pocket and pointed it at the stone boulder. At first, he couldn’t see the dagger that was carved into the stone, but when he shifted the light, he recognized it. He hadn’t imagined it.
According to Francine’s book, the portal, which worked as some sort of transporter, opened only to the touch of a Stealth Guardian. However, Wesley had experimented with a variety of spells that could unlock all kinds of locks, and he knew just what this particular lock wanted.
He himself had to become the key. It was the only way in. But he was prepared.
Chanting softly, Wes started putting himself into a trance, while focusing on the face of the stranger he’d burned into his mind. He felt his facial muscles move, his skin shift and stretch, his hands curl and uncurl, his breathing change.
“I am you,” he continued his mantra. “I am you. I am you.”
Gently he placed his palm over the carving. Beneath it, he felt warmth. It turned hotter with every second, but he didn’t dare open his eyes, didn’t dare distract himself. He only thought of the stranger and that he was like him.
Something suddenly shifted under his hand, and a second later, he felt nothing. He opened his eyes. The boulder was gone.
Not losing a moment, he stepped into the portal that had opened before him and looked around for any buttons or signs, anything that would tell him how to operate the portal and close the opening.
But there was nothing. The walls on the inside of the portal were smooth, free of indentations.
How the hell was he going to get anywhere now? It was like that time he’d been traveling with some of his college buddies, and had run out of money and gotten stranded. Where had that been? Yeah, somewhere on the East Coast.
Suddenly the boulder moved and closed the opening. He was hurled into the air, floating, losing his balance.
“Oh shit!”
But it was too late now. The portal was in operation.
He could only hope that he wasn’t going to end up in hell.
~
About the Author
Tina Folsom was born in Germany and has been living in English speaking countries for over 25 years, the last 14 of them in San Francisco, where she’s married to an American.
Tina has always been a bit of a globe trotter: after living in Lausanne, Switzerland, she briefly worked on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean, then lived a year in Munich, before moving to London. There, she became an accountant. But after 8 years she decided to move overseas.
In New York she studied drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, then moved to Los Angeles a year later to pursue studies in screenwriting. This is also where she met her husband, who she followed to San Francisco three months after first meeting him.
In San Francisco, Tina worked as a tax accountant and even opened her own firm, then went into real estate, however, she missed writing. In 2008 she wrote her first romance and never looked back.
She’s always loved vampires and decided that vampire and paranormal romance was her calling. She now has 30 novels in English and over three dozens in other languages (Spanish, German, and French).