Chapter Thirty-One

                                    

                                          
Instead of heading straight to the Fallamhain home to learn what I found, I stopped at Celestial Java. Being seen would give me an alibi if Devland suspected—or noticed—the flash drive gone and the extra large coffee with a shot of espresso settled my nerves so I had much-needed but naturally not in my disposition patience. It also helped me ignore the scrutiny Luna's customers always had for me.
I forced myself to stay long enough for a cup, though by the time I left with another to-go, the attention no longer bothered me.
The drive back to the Fallamhain house was quiet, uneventful. Onyx greeted me at the second floor door, tail wagging. I quickly rubbed between her ears and went to my room to get my computer. Only after searching my bag did I realize I left it in the Kingdom when I was writing notes—longhand, my hand would have cramped due to the volume I felt was worth documenting—and tracking the progress I made in training. 
My shoulders slumped. I sat on the foot of my bed and looked up to find Onyx in the doorway watching me. She back up, looked towards the living room direction, and then back to me. After a second, she barked and repeated the actions, this time constantly dancing on all four legs.
Unclasping my hands in my lap, I pushed myself to standing and tolled my eyes. I gestured with my hand to the opposite side of the hallway and headed out of the room, grabbing my mom's book as a last minute decision. Onyx backed up and to the side to give me room, then followed with a whimper.
"Come on then. If you need to go outside, I might as well get something done at the same time."
Onyx barked again and rushed past me, nearly knocking me of balance into the wall. By the time I made it to the space Zach had created a portal, Onyx was sitting staring at it, her tail sweeping the floor back and forth.
I laughed and stepped beside her to hold her collar. "Is that a potty dance or are you excited to play with Opal?"
It took little effort to picture the Kingdom in my mind and even less time for the portal to open. Once I was sure it was fully formed, I stepped through, keeping grasp of Onyx's collar until we exited the other side. When the sun kissed my skin, Onyx pulled free and took off barking in what I assumed was an announcement to Opal that she'd arrived.
In seconds, Onyx disappeared from sight.
I stepped out of the gazebo, following at a slower pace. Coming to the Kingdom settled the nerves that felt like a constant thrum when I wasn't here, and I felt a complete sense of calm fill me. I no longer felt the urgency of getting my computer to discover what was on the flash drive, though the importance still weighed heavily. It was like rushing to shop for something and then being content to use it because the desire to have it had been satisfied.
While I took the time to enjoy the view I didn't stop on the way inside or veer from the path. I went straight to my room, gathered my computer and its charger already stored in my computer bag, and headed back to the gazebo.
At the end of the path when grass began, I paused and called for Onyx. I took a couple steps forward, then tried again, but she never came. Putting my hand over my eyes like a visor, I could see her and Opal's shadows chasing one another.
I began walking to the gazebo, resigned to spend time reading until she realized I was waiting for her to come to leave. It was only fair to give Opal a play date—she couldn't leave and Zach was away because of something I asked him to do. Besides, the flash drive was safe and wouldn't save the newest missing person but learning something useful from my mom could.
Inside the gazebo, I switched out my book for the next and laid on my stomach to dig in. Again, the entries were more frequent than the sporadic ones that began her collection, and had greater specificity. Had the visions she'd channeled from me prompted it? A hidden entry jumped from the page midway through the book, and I sat up.