Luathara - Book Three of the Otherworld Trilogy by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson

quiet and slightly strained.
    And that’s when the lump, which had snuck up on me in the last few seconds, lodged itself in my throat.
    “I don’t belong here Tully,” I whispered.
    I drew my legs up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my knees.  Cade tightened the arm he had draped around me.  I felt somewhat comforted but not entirely.
    “But, your family, your friends!” she said, a little louder but not shouting.  Tully never shouted.
    The guilt was nearly overwhelming.  She had been so calm earlier, so ready to accept the fact that I was much more different than she had always thought.  Now it was Tully’s turn to let me know how upset she was.
    “They know, and now you know,” I murmured.  “I’ll be living in Eile Tully, but it doesn’t mean I’ll never come back and visit you again.”
    Tully made to say something else, but then closed her mouth and gave a short nod.
    “Can we come visit you?” Robyn asked eagerly.
    I grinned despite my sadness.  Yes, now that Robyn was willing to believe my crazy story, she would be the first one to hitch a ride through the dolmarehn.  If only she could . . .
    I sighed.  “You can’t come visit me.  Humans can’t cross into the Otherworld.”
    Her face fell and I could almost feel her disappointment weighing heavily in the air.
    “But Meghan, what about that demon you guys killed,” Thomas said. “There must be more of them in the Otherworld.”
    I regard ed him and gave a small smile.  H e was worried about me.  It was a nice change from the distrustful anger.  I took a deep breath to answe r him, but Cade beat me to it.
    “I won’t let anything hurt her.”
    His voice sounded determined, fierce even.  My smile broadened.  “Besides,” he continued, “Meghan is extremely strong.  She has more glamour than most Faelorehn and as soon as we get to Eile , her magic will grow even stronger.”
    That caused everyone to pause and look at me with great awe.
    “Magic?” Will practically breathed.  “Oh Meghan, can you show us?”
    Cade shook his head.  “She’s been in the mortal world too long.  She needs to spend some time in the Otherworld in order for her magic to work properly.”
    “Oh, darn.”  Will sounded so disappointed, but then Cade released a soft chuckle.
    “She can’t,” he said, moving to stand up, “but I can.”
    What followed was a modest, yet impressive, display of Faelorehn magic.  Cade simply gathered his glamour in the palm of one hand and proceeded to make a dark green flame flicker and dance and take on the shape of various images: a bird, a leaping fish and a raindrop splashing into a puddle to name a few.  I merely sat back and enjoyed the show alongside my friends.  I had seen Cade do so much more, but I appreciated this little offering.  It helped to ease the tense mood and took my mind off of what had passed earlier in the night.
    By mid-morning we had packed up our sleeping bags and taken down the tent.  Before leaving for home , I wandered down to the lakeshore and just stood there, staring out over the water as the breeze tugged at the loose strands of my hair.  I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply through my nose, my thoughts wandering off into the Otherworld.
    “You know, I always thought there was something special about you Meghan Elam.”
    I jumped, then turned to look at Tully.  She was smiling, but her eyes were sad.
    “Oh Tully,” I said quietly, lowering my head and returning my gaze to the lake.  “I can’t believe you still want to be my friend after the way I’ve treated you these last few years.”
    Tully didn’t say a word.  She merely stepped forward, bent down to pick up a flat rock, and threw it out across the lake.  We watched it skip four times before it dove below the surface.  Eventually she shrugged.
    “Sometimes the measure of a good friend is knowing when to simply be there in case you’re needed.”
    “Tully,” I said, my voice harsh, “I practically