Through the screen of trees, I could see the criss-cross of yellow police caution tape. Leihalani did not pause; she simply ducked beneath the tape and continued on. I, however, eyed the tape with some trepidation. Law-abiding citizens didn't cross police lines. Then again, a child's life was hanging in the balance. Better to ask forgiveness than permission, I thought grimly and shoved my way past it. Hopefully there was some truth to that old saying.

The loader had done a number in this area. A huge ditch, nearly twenty feet wide and thirty feet long had been excavated; piles of dirt lay nearby that were almost twice my height. Cheap plastic tables lay upside down nearby, along with several folding chairs. I stepped around a jackhammer with a broken blade that had been left next to the ditch and stood near Leihalani.

Arms folded, the elf stared into the ditch, feathery eyebrows furrowed. Hitching the backpack to settle more comfortably on my shoulders, I followed her gaze. The loader had dug in front of and behind the silvery stones, leaving a thin strip of dirt and grass between them.

My brows furrowed. Puzzled, I turned to the Leihalani. "Are we still able to use it?" I found it passing strange that they had dug around the stones, rather than between them. Had the Gate's magic prevented them from doing so?

She huffed, then nodded. "Yes, but it's going to take me while to move enough dirt to stand on. I have to touch the stones to activate the Gate."

Hadn't I been present when she wielded grass like a living weapon? "Uhm, aren't you an earth-magic user? Can't you just make stairs or something?"

Leihalani flicked silver eyes in my direction before returning to stare at the Gate. "My magic is plant-related, not dirt and rocks." She sighed. "Sadly, constructing complex items is not relative to my skill level."

Great.

I gauged the height from the base of the ditch to the nearest stone. Leihalani was significantly taller than I—at least five-eleven to my five-six. But she was also slimmer. I didn't like the idea that formed in my mind, but what else could we do?

"What if you got on my shoulders? Think that would help?"

She looked me up and down. "That might work."

Well, she didn't have to be so eager about it.

I walked around the massive pit, looking for the best way to get down. Thankfully, a ramp had been constructed on the right side, so we descended to the bottom from there. As we picked our way through the ditch, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were going to be caught at any moment. The fact that we hadn't tripped any wards made me wonder if the cops simply dismissed the site and were taking their time in fixing the damage.

Once we reached base of the Gate, I shucked off my backpack. I'd never had anyone on my shoulders before (all of my kid relatives preferred the men to play piggyback) so I hoped I didn't blow my back out with this stunt. I squatted and braced myself for the elf's weight.

Leihalani slipped one leg, then the other, over my shoulders. "Ready?"

"Sure," I grunted, wrapping my arms around her legs. Lift with your back, not your knees, I chanted as I wobbled, straining, upright. Up went the elf. While she didn't weigh as much as I expected, it was still considerable.

Sweat popped out on my forehead, underarms and lower back as I strained to remain standing. My knees trembled as I swayed back and forth. "Got it?" I groaned. Please, please, please ...

Leihalani stretched out, scrabbling for the stone as dirt peppered me in the face. Wincing, I swayed.

"Aioh úllaine," she whispered.

God, my back was going to give out. I trembled and began to sink downwards; there was no way I was straightening back up. To my intense relief, Leihalani jumped off—showering me with more dirt as one hand reached out for the wall.

A deep hum rolled along the ground like a wave, crashing over and passing through me. Dazed and out of breath, I could only gaze up in wonder as the Gate flared to life. Two massive silver obelisks shimmered in the dawn light, gauzy and insubstantial. An opaque film stretched between the pillars, rippling like a sheet in the breeze.

I craned my head back, mouth open in awe. Oh, God ...

"Here, hurry." Leihalani shoved my backpack at me. I staggered backwards, still winded. Without waiting for me, the elven woman jumped up and began to climb the dirt wall, scaling it like a goddamn spider.

I stared at her as she shimmied to the top—and continued right on through the opaque portal on hands and knees. At first, it seemed to mold around the edges of her body like plastic wrap, but as Leihalani pressed forward, she simply disappeared. The portal snapped back into place with nary a ripple.

Shit. Juggling the weight of the backpack on my shoulders, I cursed the fact that we'd packed so much stuff. Better get going, Michaels.

Taking a deep breath, I walked up to the wall of dirt. Roots that were about the same thickness as my own fingers weaved in and out of the shelf, some broken by the backhoe. Gritting my teeth, I reached up for the first root and lifted my left leg at the same time. Inch by trepidatious inch, I climbed my way to the top. Dirt showered down, getting into my face, hair and nose. Keep going, a kid needs you, I thought, pushing against the pain in my already-abused muscles.

If this was just the beginning of the journey, I was certainly in for a wild ride once we got started.

My chin poked over the edge of the shelf, bringing me nose-to-nose with the portal. Energy rippled outwards like a pond on a breezy day. Grunting, I heaved my right arm onto the thin strip of dirt that lay between me and the Gate. Leaning forward, I took several deep breaths while my heart thudded against the earth.

Gotta move, I thought, remembering what Leihalani had said.

Digging the toe of my sneaker into the shelf, I shoved hard upwards on my forearms. The top of my head touched the portal, sending ripples of energy coursing through my body. Oh, God! Adrenaline kicked in, galvanizing me into action. Like a terrified dog, I scrabbled on hands and knees through the Gate.

In the blink of an eye, I was on the other side. Sun-warmed grass caressed my arched back and I heard birds sing faintly in the distance.

"There's dirt in your hair," Leihalani remarked, reaching out and brushing the top of my head. "You can get up, now."

Flushing, I stood up; grit from my climb shifted around, falling into the collar of my shirt. Ugh.

"Welcome to Atlantis."

In all the confusion, I hadn't registered where we were. Now that my heart was slowly returning to its normal beats-per-minute pattern, I was finally able to observe my new surroundings. It was as if a film had been lifted from my eyes—everything appeared brighter, more vibrant.

Cleaner.

The air tasted different, more pure than I'd ever experienced before. Maybe that's because they don't have any pollution, I thought, tilting my head back to examine the sky. It was also warmer than I was currently used to.

Dropping my pack, I shrugged out of my Streamfield Community College hoodie and wedged it into whatever free space I could find. Leihalani watched me, amused.

"It's rather warm here," I explained lamely.

"Indeed?" she replied with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

I stared at her until the answer reached up and smacked me in the face. "Oh. Summer Kingdom." Duh. "So, does that mean that there are other kingdoms aligned to the seasons? Like a Winter Kingdom? Does it always snow there?"

Leihalani laughed. "Yes, there are other kingdoms, but it doesn't quite work like that—"

A ripple of energy drew our attention back to the Gate. Oh, shit, did the cops find out that we were here? I gripped the straps of my backpack as a massive cream-colored wolf flew through the Gate and skidded to a halt.

"Rachael!?"

I ran up to my silly, foolish cousin as she turned her head to pull at the straps of her harness. Once free, she shifted and grinned at me. A grin that slipped into uncertainty when she saw how angry I was.

"You get that harness back on and march home!" I shouted, jabbing a finger in the direction of the Gate. "Your parents are going to freak out when they see you're gone!" God, of all the stupid, idiotic things to do ...!

Rachael took a step backwards, hesitated, then lifted her chin. "No! I won't go back. I want to help."

"You can help by going home," I retorted, stubbornly folding my arms.

My cousin stared at me, brows drawn together angrily. What right did she have to be angry, anyway? She was just being impetuous as usual.

"You know what? I'm sick of being looked down on, for being pushed to the side because I have too much energy and I get excited a lot," she told me through clenched teeth, fists balled up at her sides. "You think that I'm blind as well as stupid? Don't think for a minute that it doesn't hurt—it does, a lot. But you know what I felt when we tracked the elves' scent? Useful. I wasn't being dismissed because I was 'too young'. I was useful!"

Oh, God. My mouth opened, but nothing came out. That was exactly how I felt.

"And you know what?" Rachael continued hotly, unaware of my revelation. "There's no way you can track Jimmy by yourself and you know it! I'm a wolf—I have a better sense of smell than you."

"Rach ..." I trailed off and turned. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Leihalani walk up to the Gate. On this side of the portal, the silver obelisks were solid, substantial. The opaque film stretched upwards between the two pillars.

"Aioh rudh," she murmured, long-fingered hands tracing golden glowing runes into the rock's surface.

The film crackled like wrapping paper and faded into motes of glowing white dust.

"She cannot return now," the elf noted evenly. "We have a task to attend to, if you remember correctly." With that, she walked away, heading towards a small building I hadn't realized was nearby. It nearly blended into the rich, exotic landscape.

Rachael watched her, arms folded defiantly. "See?"

I sighed. "Look, Rach, I'm sorry. I get it, because ... well, that's how I feel, too." I laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Really?" she asked, eyes widening. "You feel overlooked?"

"Well, not overlooked, exactly—more like I feel there is something more I could be doing."

"But you're an adult—shouldn't you have this all figured out by now?"

A short, barking laugh left my throat. "I hate to break it to you, Rach, but you don't automatically get all the answers at eighteen."

"Well, shit."

"Shapeshifters!" Leihalani called out, annoyance heavy in her tone. "Shall I leave without you?"

Both our heads turned at the same time. She gestured impatiently at us. Next to Leihalani was a tall elven man dressed in green and silver plate armor that covered him from neck to torso like a knight. Except it looked lighter and more maneuverable. Beneath the armor he wore a dark green tabard and pants. A sword swung from one hip, what looked to be a hatchet hung on the other. Pinned to his shoulders with twin ruby clips was a green and silver cloak. Dark black hair was pulled back from his face, accentuating the high cheekbones and pointed ears.

Handsome ... but deadly-looking.

And looking right at us.

Suddenly, I realized that both Rachael's and my hair were up in ponytails. Our rounded human ears were clearly visible to the elven man. Heart-thumping, I hustled over to Leihalani.

She regarded me quizzically. "Yes?"

Turning away from the guard or whatever he was, I hissed into her pointed ear, "So much for keeping a low profile?"

Leihalani's eyebrows rose, then her expression relaxed. "Don't worry about the captain. He can be trusted to keep our secret."

Uh ... okay. Turning around slowly, I gave the captain a self-conscious little wave. He stared at me impassively.

"Captain Ashlore," Leihalani said, looking up at him, "have you two extra horses to spare?"

The captain turned his moss green gaze upon us. Within seconds, I felt assessed and judged, by what criteria I couldn't say. "We do indeed." He paused. "Does the lady require clothes?" he asked equably in a deep, Irish-sounding accent, nodding at Rachael.

I glanced at my cousin. It didn't occur to me until just then that she was only wearing a bra and panties. As shifters, we tended to overlook such things.  "Oh!" she exclaimed, reaching for her bag. "No, no, I'm fine." She dug around for a minute and pulled out a pair of jeans, tank top, and sneakers. "Sorry about that." In short order, she was dressed. "See? All set!"

The captain cocked his head to the side, then straightened. "I will see about rounding up two mounts," he said. "Your—Lady Leihalani." Bowing to Leihalani, he turned and walked back to the small building.

No, it wasn't strange that I hadn't noticed it before now. Leihalani did mention that they favored organic architecture, and this building was no different—curved walls and a sloping roof that made it seem rather avant-garde. It was oak brown in color and mottled to blend in with the surrounding forest. A large, wide structure, which I assumed was some sort of stable, sat behind it.

"So. What did you tell him about us?" I asked once he was out of what I presumed was ear-shot.

"A little lie about bringing you home for insight on your people." She lifted a hand and brushed dirt off of one shoulder. "Come, we have a lot of ground to cover before nightfall." Without waiting for us, she took off towards the building.

Rachael and I exchanged a glance and hurried to keep up with her.