~~

Trinity

~~

"I think I will take my chances, Alloy. There is no other option. And besides, it doesn't need to get us into the castle, just close to it." I smirked at him, seeing that there was a way around what he was saying.

"I guess that would work well enough. I just do not know how close it could get you. We might not even end up in the city at all."

"As long as we are a hell of a lot closer to the city than we are now, I will count that as a success." Reece turned and snapped at him with a slight amount of anger in his voice. "Damn, Alloy, you're such a pessimist."

I saw Alloy's shocked look on his face and the poorly suppressed laughter on Sterling's face. I knew that it was true, and I was pretty sure that Alloy did too, but that didn't mean that he was going to admit it outright like that. I stopped his protest the moment that he started, though.

"I am no-."

"Enough. Come on, we need to get back."

"Yes, let us just try the door, it will get us closer than we are now. Alloy, please stop finding new things to complain about right now. Please, my love."

"Sterling!" Alloy gasped when he heard the man's words.

"Oh, drop it, they already knew before they met us. They are not negatively judging us."

"That is besides the point." Alloy crossed his arms in petulance.

"Hush and let's go." Trevor snapped at them. "I, for one, want to get back before my mate is put into more danger."

"Like your mate matters right now, we're trying to save Queen Gloriana and Valerian." Alloy rolled his eyes at him.

"Queen Gloriana is my mate, asshole. Now let's go."

While shock filled the two Fae's faces, I opened the door to the city and started the process of taking us back to the castle.

"Here goes nothing."

The moment that I stepped through the door and toward the city that I was seeking, I was enveloped in a warm sensation. That had to be the magic itself. It was part of the Goddess, and she was such a calming presence that it was helping me to calm down and think things through as I walked onward.

When I had been going through the door into Alloy and Sterling's magical clearing, the walk had not seemed nearly as long as this one. Right now, I felt like I had been walking for several minutes and I hadn't reached the other side. Maybe my door hadn't been made properly after all.

Just as I started to doubt myself though, I saw another door on the other side. It was the exit. Thank the Goddess, there was the city. At least I hoped that it was the city.

"Trinity?" I heard Reece call out to me as I got closer to the door.

"Just keep walking, Reece. I can see the exit. Just keep going straight ahead."

I guided him with my voice, not daring to turn around and take my eyes off of the door. I was nearly there. I was almost to the other side. I could save my Aunt Glory soon.

"Hang in there, Aunt Glory, I am coming to save you and Athair mòr." I whispered the words to myself. It was more to make myself feel better than anything else, that was why I had said it so softly that I was sure that no one else had heard it.

"We're all coming to same them, together." I heard Reece's voice respond to my nearly silent words. He was right behind me now, closer than I thought he would have been.

Just as I felt Reece nearly brush against my back, I made it to the other side of the door and the bright warm light of the door was replaced with the late afternoon light of the city.

One by one, everyone started to come through onto this side of the door, only there was not actually a door there. Everyone was literally just appearing out of thin air. One moment they were there and the next they weren't. Even the carriage and horses all came through the door and appeared out of the air. One moment there was nothing there and the next the animals and the carriage were walking along the cobbled sidewalk.

"We're in the city!" Alloy was surprised to see the scenery around us.

"Not only are we in the city, but we are also right outside the castle." Sterling added. "Queen Trinity, I believe you are indeed a lot more powerful than we had given you credit for. Thank you for showing us just how wrong we were." I could see true sincerity in his eyes as he spoke.

"We can worry about that later, right now, it's time to go find Gloriana." Trevor was a little frantic as he spoke. "Something doesn't feel right."

"Trevor, have you already marked Gloriana?" I asked him, curiosity in my eyes. That was a little fast, but then again, others have moved faster.

"Of course I have, she is my mate after all. I wasn't going to not mark her when I knew that it was important for me to mark her so I could protect her."

"Trevor is right. Marking Queen Gloriana would inevitably protect her. He can sense whenever she is in danger, and I am guessing that he is sensing something now. Am I right?"

"Yes. Something seems off. It's like she is in danger but doesn't know it. I am guessing that something is about to happen, and soon."

"Then we need to hurry." I turned toward the knights that had the animal harnesses in their hands. "The three of you secure the horses then gather the others. We are heading to Queen Gloriana's private quarters. Meet us there when you are done."

"Yes, my Queen." The knights saluted and answered me in unison before heading off with the animals.

"Everyone else, let's go."