It never came.

That is, it nearly came as my heart practically burst out of my chest with every hard thump. I was pulled up to the very edge of disaster but something snatched me out of certain death. A faint spicy scent tickled my nostrils and a gentle whiff of air brushed against my cheeks. I opened my eyes in time to watch swirling mists of dark red magic fall away behind me. I twisted my head around and beheld a portal large enough to fit me. The view inside the hole showed the hill I’d just left, but I couldn’t study anything else before the magic collapsed in on itself and disappeared.

My magic also made a quick exit. I felt the pressure release and the thin strands floated outward, evaporating as they separated from me. I glared at the wisps as they vanished. “Oh sure, run off and leave me, um-”

I looked around and found myself on a small island, but this wasn’t like the others in the kingdom of heaven. This one wasn’t surrounded by clouds but by an endless sea of water. The brilliant blue water was as bright as the azure sky and as calm as a mirror.

The island itself was separated into two parts with both of them hardly more than a hundred yards square. I stood on the first half which was separated by a shallow stream that divided the two. A small curved wooden bridge some ten feet long crossed the gap and was their only connection.

The bridge led to a large pool in the center of the other island and a round pavilion lay on the far side of the water. Large thick reeds rose from the pool waters near the bank closest to the pavilion and exquisite purple flowered bloomed from the tops of the stems. Lilypads floated on the surface, showing off their soft pink and white blooms.

I stood on a stone path that wandered over the bridge and to the pool where it separated into two. The pair encircled the water, creating a beautiful border. Small square paper lanterns dotted the side of the path ready to be used. A grove of trees stood on my right and several more dotted the path leading to the pond where they were replaced with patches of red and white wildflowers. Emerald-green grass mingled with the flowers and carpeted the bank of the pool and spread outward to the base of the pavilion.

But none of that was the most fantastic part of the area. What really held my attention was the sky in all its darkening brilliance.

My heart skipped a beat when I beheld one of the most beautiful sunsets I had ever seen. The setting sun disappeared below the ocean-lined horizon and darkness spread across the sky. I turned in a slow circle as the heavens filled with countless twinkling stars. Their soft light cast a gentle glow on everything as the lanterns on the path lit up on cue.

My smile warmed me as I walked down the path and to the bridge where I leaned my arms on the curved railing.

A sparkle of light caught my attention and I glanced over at the pond. The smooth surface reflected the sky and was disturbed only by the occasional flip of a fin as a fish swam past. I pushed off the railing and strolled down the curving path to the grass that surrounded the water. I leaned over the waters and my face stared back at me.

“How did you enter here?”

I stiffened before I spun around. Lord Eastwei stood not more than ten feet away from me just on my side of the bridge. His dark eyes studied me with an expression I couldn’t quite figure out. Was that annoyance and amusement?

“W-what are you doing here?” I choked out.

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“I could ask the same of you,” he mused as he strolled over and passed me. I turned my head to follow him and he stopped at the water’s edge a few feet away from me. “I created this area as a place solely for myself.”

Oh God. I’d stepped in it. Again.

I fidgeted with my hands in front of myself as I turned my face away. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get in here. I just, it’s-” Should I really tell him that my magic was so out of my control that I’d been dragged here against my will?

He continued to stare into the waters. “You also neglected to bow again.”

The color drained from my face. I clapped my arms to my sides and bowed so low at the waist that I lost my balance. A yelp escaped me as I tumbled forward and my foot slipped on the damp water’s edge. I fell toward the pool and would have fallen in if Eastwei hadn’t acted so quickly.

Before I knew what had happened, I was caught in the man’s arms and pulled against his firm chest. My arms came between us and rested on the front of his robes as I stared in bewilderment at his attire. He was a good head taller than me and I had to lift my chin slightly to catch a look at his handsome face.

His dark eyes stared down at me with his customary complete indifference. Or was that a smile teasing the corners of his lips?

“S-sorry,” I stuttered as I scurried back out of his grasp. “I really didn’t mean to get in here. I just sort of, um, stumbled through whatever that portal thing was. It was just an accident. Really.”

He turned his back toward me and faced the pond. “I believe you.”

I perked my head up and blinked at him. “You do?”

He gave a curt nod. “Yes.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and backed up. “Well, that’s great, but I think I’ll be going now.” I looked over my shoulder and bit my lower lip. “How do I get out?”

“Walk through the portal again,” he instructed.

I nodded. “Thanks!” I spun around and scurried toward the bridge with all the enthusiasm of a rat escaping a sinking ship.

“What do you think of this place?”

His words cut through my enthusiasm and I skidded to a stop. My heart pounded in my chest as I half-turned to him. “Pardon?”

He turned his head far enough so one sharp eye studied me as he used a hand to gesture to the island. “What do you think of this place?”

I lifted my eyes to the twinkling sky and smiled. “I think it’s beautiful, but how is it night here and nowhere else?”

“I crafted this place within the realm of the heavens. It is both inside and outside of that realm.”

“Oh.” I couldn’t quite grasp what he meant but the results were spectacular.

That dark eye continued to examine me. “It has no memories for you?”

I blinked at him. “No. Should it?”

He stared at me a moment longer before turning his face away. “No. You may leave now.”

I didn’t wait for a second invitation but scurried over the bridge and up to the ‘entrance.’ I approached the edge of the island with some trepidation, but true to his word the portal opened. The city of the heavens was revealed to me. I took one step through the strange gateway, but paused and glanced over my shoulder.

Lord Eastwei remained standing at the edge of the pond staring up at the starry sky. He looked so incredibly lonely. I hesitated. Part of me wanted to go comfort him.

Then I remembered this man in front of me was millions of years old. He was probably used to being alone.

I stepped through the portal and back into the bright sun-filled city.