In this land that had been forsaken by the G.o.ds, no birds sang. No animal or insect scurried across the ruined earth. And no wind blew.

The still air felt cold against her clammy skin, and she shivered, wondering if Vandar was watching the troupe of slaves heading for the portal. He was nowhere in sight, but she felt the unseen touch of his strong powers. Probably, he was using his powers to view her progress toward the rock.

So why, exactly, did Vandar need her?

She hadnat dared ask the question. All she knew was that she was going to an unknown place where people put a toasted coating on bread. Did it crunch like the blackened land under her feet?

She had no idea what came next. Except that she must carry out Vandaras a.s.signmenta"or die. But maybe the rules were not what they seemed. Maybe when she got to the other side of the portal, she could break his hold on her.

And what?

She struggled to push the word aescapea out of her mind, lest he dip into her thoughts and discover that she was contemplating something forbidden.

A shrieking sound from the heavens broke the silence, making her cringe. Involuntarily, she glanced up and saw a silver-scaled dragon in the sky above her.

He was here.

Not as she had last seen him inside the cave, but as a great winged creature circling in the sky, ready to swoop down at any moment on the mortals below him.

While he circled above them, they all speeded up, bunching closer together as they headed for the portal. Wendon walked in back of her. The men in front were Barthime and Swee, two of the most powerful adepts among Vandaras slaves. Men he trusteda"at least as far as he trusted anyone.

When they reached the pile of rocks, the shadow was deeper, making her shiver. Clenching her teeth to keep them from chattering, she raised her head and saw that the rock sheltered the entrance to a small cave. Without a word, Wendon lit a lamp and disappeared into the darkness, the flame receding down a narrow pa.s.sage.

Barthime turned to look her up and down, giving her a final inspection. Again, she fought the impulse to fold her arms protectively in front of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

Swee smirked at her. aYou look lovely, my dear.a She didnat bother to answer.

Before the adept could make another comment, Wendon reappeared at the cave entrance.

aEverything is in order.a Kenna shifted her carry bag from one hand to the other. It had a change of clothing and a few other things she would need. She was glad Vandar hadnat asked her the name of the thing. It was a knapsack, but she kept forgetting the right word.

With a rush of wings Vandar landed fifty feet away, his hot breath warming the cool air, his glittering eyes fixed on them.

Kenna and the others froze in place. She almost expected the enormous creature to roar out words at them, although she had never heard him speak when he was in the form of a beast.

aGet inside the cave,a Barthime whispered, as if disappearing from sight would save them from Vandaras wrath if he meant to kill them.

Without another word they all hurried inside the dark pa.s.sage, and Kenna rejoiced that she wouldnat be coming back this way. At least not immediately.

Would Vandar drink from one of the men when they reappeared from the shelter of the rocks? Or was he just amusing himself by frightening them?

She didnat like his adepts, but she wouldnat wish death on them at Vandaras hands.

Pushing the thought out of her mind, she followed Swee to the back of the cave.

He gestured toward the solid rock wall. aThe portal is there.a Kenna peered at the rough surface. aI canat see anything.a He made a scoffing sound. aOf course not. Itas hidden, so n.o.body can escape through it, or come here by accident from the other world.a Kenna nodded, imagining a horde of slaves who would escape if they could, but she would be sorry for anyone who came here from the other world by mistake.

aIt took the mental powers of ten men to make this gateway. Now that it exists, it can be opened with a trigger mechanism,a he continued, pointing to a patch of rock at the level of her right shoulder. aYou press your palm against it, and the rock appears to thin, revealing the entrance. You must go through quickly, because the panel stays open less than a minute. There is an identical trigger point on the other side. Thatas how you get back. Do you understand?a aYes.a aRepeat the instructions.a She repeated what she had heard, just as she had earlier repeated all the facts she had learned about the other universe.

aDo you have any questions?a Wendon asked.

She managed to repress a hysterical laugh. She had thousands.

aWhat if I get into trouble? Can you rescue me?a aWe wonat know if you are in trouble,a Swee answered.

aAnd we are not permitted to come through,a Barthime added.

When she opened her mouth again, he shook his head. aWe are wasting time. Open the portal,a he ordered.

She swallowed, flexed her fingers, then raised her hand and pressed against the rough surface, feeling a slight tingling on her skin. At the same time, the rock in front of her seemed to dissolve, so that she was facing an open doorway.

The portal.

She marveled at the opening and what she saw. On the other side was a landscape very different from the territory around Vandaras cave.

Instead of blackened land stretching in all directions, she saw trees.

aYouave been there?a aYes,a Barthime hissed.

aHow was it?a aGo. Before we have to do this all over again.a aMay the G.o.ds protect you,a Swee whispered.

She was shocked at the benedictiona"and touched, because she knew he was risking Vandaras wrath to call on the G.o.ds.

In the next moment, he gave her a little push, and she stumbled into a place where the thick air held her in place.

Panic seized her as she imagined the rock reforming with her still standing in the opening. With a gasp, she struggled forward through the clinging air and broke freea"into the other universe.

She stumbled for a few more steps, catching her hand against a tree trunk. Whirling, she looked back through the portal into the world where she had come from.

At first she could still see the men in the cave, all of them staring solemnly at her.

Swee raised his hand in farewell. Then, as she stood with her heart pounding, the rock quickly solidified back into place, and she was left alone in the forest.

For a long moment she stood with her pulse pounding and her breath wheezing in and out of her lungs. Then she lifted her head, looking around in wonder at the unfamiliar surroundings. She had been preparing for this for weeks, but she had never really believed it would happen.

From one moment to the next, she was plunged into a world of differences, large and small. On this side of the portal, there was no cave, only the rocks and forest, which stretched away in all directions.

She had never seen so many trees in one place.

And the air smelled different here.

Of course it did. She wasnat breathing in the smell of burned vegetation. But there were more differences. This place wasnat like Breezewood, either, the city where she had lived. There was something in the atmosphere that wasnat entirely pleasant.

Vandaras words came back to her. He had said that this society was more advanced than the one she came from. Could the smell be from the gasoline or the electricity he had spoken of?

Perhaps. But all she saw was the vast expanse of virgin forest.

As she stood among the trees, a blast of wind shook the branches above her, and she shivered as thunder rumbled.

A storm was coming on this side of the portal. Was it on the other side, too?

TALON grimaced as he looked up from the computer screen. He loved taking people out on wilderness trips, but keeping track of all the details made him crazy.

Like now. He had a canoe trip coming up, and the dehydrated food his clients would eat hadnat been delivered. When head checked the order, head found that his supplier was out of beef stew, so theyad held up the whole shipment.

Head switched to chili.

Of course, dehydrated meat was never the first choice of a werewolf. But theyad be able to catch fish for a couple of meals.

Speaking of which, it was time to fix dinner now. Which wasnat too much of a problem. All he had to do was pull a package of steak out of the refrigerator and open it up. When he was alone, he didnat bother with the fiction of pretending to broil or fry it.

A noise outside made him tense, and he turned toward the office window. Since the visit from the cops, head been waiting for something else to happen. What that was, he wasnat sure.

Through the gla.s.s, he saw the wind kicking up the branches of the trees. Then thunder rumbled. Storms could be fierce out here in the woods, and head better bring in the tents that were airing outside.

PUSHING away from the tree, Kenna peered through the gathering darkness.

With no idea which way to go, she chose the easiest directiona"downhilla"her mind racing as she hurried through the forest.

For months she had been living in a terrible place where an evil creature dictated every move, dividing the people and setting them against each other. But it hadnat been that way in Breezewood, and there was no reason to think that she wouldnat encounter ordinary human kindness here.

Or would she?

As she hurried into the unknown, the rain broke, and she heard drops. .h.i.tting the leaves far above her head. When they began to fall on her, she raised her arms over her heada"not that it did much good. Her clothing would be soaked soon.

She stopped under a tree with thick foliage. It helped to shelter her a little, and she wanted to huddle there. But she remembered a school lesson from long ago. Lightning was attracted to trees. You could get hit if you were too close to one.

Yet how could she get away from them? They were all around her.

Somewhere to her right, a blast of light flashed. It was followed by a crack of thunder so close that it shook the ground around her. Then, through the rain, she saw a ma.s.sive tree come crashing to the ground, taking other trees with it.

Gasping, she tried to sprint in the other direction, but her sandals slipped against the wet ground, and she almost fell. When she felt steadier on her feet, she looked around, shading her eyes from the downpour. Through the branches to her right, a light shone out. Not a flash from the storm, but a steady, warm glow that called her forward.

Even through the rain it looked brighter than any artificial light she had seen in her universe.

Electricity. Thatas what made it so bright. She didnat know how it worked, but she knew that it did other things, too, like run refrigerators and televisions.

She had learned about those things in her recent studies, although she wasnat sure she believed what the adepts had told her.

The light looked like it might come from the window of a house, although she couldnat be sure. Still, she thought that heading toward it was her best option.

She kept her gaze focused firmly in the distance, which turned out to be a mistake. In the darkness, her foot caught on a root, shooting pain through her toe and almost sending her crashing to the ground.

Somehow she kept upright, then marched onward. Bursts of rain drummed down on her, making her shiver.

But at least the light was growing closer.

When she thought she saw the outline of a house through the gloom, she thanked the Great Mother. Probably, someone was home. Either that or they were rich enough to leave their lights on while they were out.

Trying not to slip again, she quickened her pace, heading for the dwelling.

Just as she broke into a clearing, another jagged spear split the sky, and thunder shook the ground.

When a huge tree came crashing toward her, she screamed and sprinted across the slippery leaves, trying to escape the toppling giant.

Though she ran as fast as she could, she felt branches clawing at her back. There was no way she could outrun the falling monster, but she instinctively used her telekinetic powers to keep the ma.s.sive limbs from crushing her.

CHAPTER FIVE.

CAUGHT BY THE sudden torrent, Talon stood inside the entrance of his storage garage, watching the rain pelt down and debating whether to wait out the storm or make a dash for the house.

In his human form head be soaked to the skin. As a wolf head get just as wet, but his thick fur would keep the water from penetrating to his skin.

Another bolt of energy speared the sky, lighting up the forest as the rain poured down with renewed force.

The power of the storm called to him, making the decision for him. Quickly, he began taking off his clothing. Naked, still standing inside the shed, he began to say the chant that turned him from man to wolf.

Once again, the familiar pain took hold as his body trans.m.u.ted from one form to another.

In the middle of the change, he sensed another lightning bolt above him, followed quickly by a bone-jarring roll of thunder.

As he came down on all fours, he thought he heard two sounds over the wind and raina"a ma.s.sive tree hitting the ground and a womanas scream.

Silently cursing, he thought about changing back from wolf to man so he could shout out the questions, aWhoas there? Are you hurt?a But that would only waste time. If someone was out there, he could find her more quickly as a wolf.

On all fours, he raced into the rain, stopping when he saw a great oak sprawled across the clearing at the edge of the woods, its branches still quivering from the fall.

As another sword of lightning split the sky above him, he sped toward the tangle of tree limbs.

THE tree was still rocking around Kenna, splashing water in her face and turning her hair into a dripping ma.s.s, but she had saved herself from getting flattened.

Cautiously, she moved her arms, relieved that they were not pinned down. They were sore, but the lack of serious pain told her that no bones were broken. Thank the Great Mother.

When she tried to shift her legs, the news wasnat quite so good. Her right foot was stuck.

Grasping the branches beside her, she braced herself and gave a mighty yank on her leg, but all she accomplished was sc.r.a.ping her skin.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she considered her options. Perhaps she could use her telekinetic abilities again.

Shead never tackled such a daunting task, but what if she could just lift the branch an inch or two?

She was gathering the energy to try it when the sound of wet leaves rustling made her head jerk around.