by Martha Woods
Gates of Dilemma
(Book 2 of ‘Princess Anastasia’s Tales’)
Martha Woods
© 2017 Martha Woods
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
For permissions contact: [email protected]
Chapter One
Sign up for FREE Romance books!
A knock on the door echoes through the stone room, causing me to wake from my slumber. I reluctantly stick my head out of the thick layer of furs as I call towards the door, “Who is it?”
“Princess, your presence is requested in the conference room. The generals and the Queen have begun to assemble,” the voice responds through the door. I look over at the clock resting on the table next to the bed, realizing I have to be somewhere in a few minutes.
“Thank you!” I call back as I push away the blankets and hastily walk to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face to hopefully hide the fact I had cried half the night away. I quickly dress in a gray and red wool uniform, and tie my long black hair back into a pony tail. Lastly, I pull on a pair of black boots, completing the traditional attire of everyone who lives within in the Kingdom, both human and non-human.
Focus, I tell myself as I step out of my champers and into the busy hallway. Everyone seems to be in a rush to get somewhere as I fall in line and hurry towards the conference room. A part of me is wondering what Darien and his family are currently doing. After being the first of my kind to bring a purely human family to the Kingdom, I couldn’t help but notice how many of my people kept gazing at me, pointing, and whispering behind their hands. Normally I wouldn’t mind, but I know that everyone is wondering why I have brought the Mathews family to our protective home.
As a child, I had spent several summers at the Mathews’ estate while traveling with my uncle. Even from a young age, I had demonstrated a noticeable amount of power resulting in my parent’s decision to send me abroad to study with my uncle, a master teacher. But when I discovered a token in the Mathews’ home, a small amulet that contained a dangerous spirit, I not only burned down a wing in their home, but killed my uncle in the process. Ever since that day, I hadn’t spoken to Darien till I received an email from him three weeks ago, detailing the death of his parents.
I made the decision to leave the Kingdom for the first time in fifteen years to help Darien sell his parent’s antique business and in turn stabilize the Kingdom’s trading routes in both North and South America. But in the process, I had discovered another token and fell prey to its trap. Thankfully I was able to escape and destroy the demon inside, and in doing so I learned more about the supernatural realm and how to enter this place without relying on the gates my ancestors had created. Though I was able to return to my realm with new knowledge that will aid my people in sealing off the supernatural realm for once and for all, I had to tell Darien the truth about my existence once I realized his sister Elizabeth had my power within her.
Now Darien and his family reside within the walls of the Kingdom. They are not thrilled to be here since we have discovered there is no way for Elizabeth to be freed from my powers, or why she has them to begin with. For the time being, I need to concentrate on this meeting that will hopefully help determine what course of action my people will take next to destroy the gates leading in and out of the supernatural realm. Maybe if we can find a way to seal that realm away from ours, then these powers will leave our bodies and we’ll be free to live a normal human life.
“Perfect timing, Anastasia. We had just begun,” my brother calls as I enter the room. I quickly take a seat next to him as the room’s focus turns on me. I ignore their stares as I give my mother a simple nod as she stands and faces the room.
“Generals, and fellow warriors, I’ve called this meeting to address new intelligence we’ve been able to collect over the last few weeks. Please note that what is about to be explained was gathered under extreme circumstances and should not be taken lightly. Without any further delay, I command Anastasia Juravinski to give a full report of her findings.”
I don’t hesitate as I stand and turn my attention to the room. “Thank you, my Queen. During my absence these past few weeks, I traveled to North America to aid Darien Mathews in his transition in selling his parent’s business. As you know, Mr. and Mrs. Mathews managed the trading routes in both North and South America in relation to the gathering and containing of lost tokens. With their death, I took it upon myself to see that their great work passed onto a worthy successor. I’m pleased to report that the trading routes have been passed on and the work in North and South America continues.” I’m satisfied with my introduction as I receive a few approving looks from varies leaders, as the general’s exchange a few words between themselves. I wait for the chatter to cease before I continue.
“During my time there, I also came into contact with a lost token. Unfortunately, I succumbed to its trap and spent two days unconscious.” I had expected the uproar as generals stood and shouted towards my mother. I stood still and waited for the room to quite once again as they gave their verbal disapproval of me. Even though I was born to two great warriors and have trained under the most respected masters, my unique power has always caused me to be an outcast of sorts. My people possess what we call ‘hell fire’. When you look into a warrior’s eyes, you’ll see the red fire that burns and waits to be wielded against the creatures of the supernatural realm. But I was born with blue fire, a power that often erupts and causes damage when I either become too emotional and even sometimes when I’m having a bad dream. The scorch marks on my chamber walls are proof that even now at the age of twenty-five, I still don’t have full control over my power.
“Silence!” my mother yells as the room is forced to quiet. “I warned you that what needs to be explained came from extreme circumstances. Now you’ll all remain in your seats till my daughter has finished her report.” Slowly the generals take their seats and a few mumble their apologies as I look around the room. Of all the reports that have ever been documented since my ancestor first discovered and harnessed the power of the supernatural realm, I’ve been the only one who has ever survived touching a token. And now I’ve done it twice.
“Thank you, my Queen. As I was saying, I came in contact with a token and was unconscious for two days. During that time, I battled with a demon and his slave, a muse. When the demon wasn’t taunting me, he was often fighting with the muse. Through their arguments and eventually the demon’s trickery and betrayal to his muse, I was able to discover that token traps are not in the supernatural realm, but in the mind of the one who touched the token. Once the muse realized that she had been tricked into regaining her freedom, she shared with me secrets that would help me both escape the trap and destroy the demon that had enslaved her. She explained that when we enter the supernatural realm, we leave our bodies behind and enter using our spirits. She also explained that to escape the token traps we simply need to wake up and burn everything around us. That is how I escaped and freed myself from the trap.”
“So, your saying that when warriors pass through the gates into the supernatural realm, they are being separated from their bodies?” a general speaks up before I can continue.
“That is the theory. We know that warriors often don’t feel hunger or any sensations in the supernatural realm. We have always thought this is because the immense time difference between our realms and how time moves slower in the supernatural realm. That is why we t
ry to spend as little time there as possible, and maintain our warriors on this side of the gates. Now I believe this lack of sensation is because our spirits are what travel to the supernatural realm and our bodies are left behind, possibly in the gates themselves. And if we can prove this theory, then we may also be able to enter the supernatural realm without having to use gates, leaving our bodies on Earth and sending our spirits to the supernatural realm. While in the token trap, the demon and the muse would often disappear and reappear. It now leads me to believe that they were able to enter the supernatural realm, but were not able to go far because of the trap. The demon was waiting for me to die before he would be able to be fully released. By destroying him before my body could give out, I was able to free myself and make sure the demon never returned to its realm.”
I took a moment to take a few deep breaths and let everyone I have said sink in, allowing my leaders to full process what I was proposing. “I now ask permission from the generals to conduct research with my brother, Marcus Juravinski, to prove this theory and find an alternative passage to the supernatural realm. If successful, we’ll be able to destroy the gates form within and travel back to our realm without needing the gates. Thus, creating a way for us to seal away the supernatural realm forever.” As I finished speaking, a round of applause erupts around the room at the idea of being able to be free from the supernatural realm once and for all. It is our common goal as a people and any new information was greatly received, despite who the messenger was. I couldn’t help but feel confident with their approval, even though I knew what I’d have to do in order to prove my theory.
I look down at Marcus as he reaches up and squeezes my hand for reassurance. As someone who has studied different ways to enter the supernatural realm, I was certain he also understood what we would have to accomplish to appease the generals. Though they have led our people to battle several times through the gates in order to keep the supernatural creatures from coming into our world, they have no idea what it was like to be trapped inside their own minds without no way out. If I was going to prove this theory true, I would have to go back into a token trap.
“And what of the Mathews family? Why have they come to the Kingdom?” another general spoke once the room had settled down once again. I took a deep breath as I readied myself for the final test.
“Once I had freed myself from the token trap in America, I was revived by Morgan the Vampire, my escort for this trip, and Darien Mathews. Upon witnessing my power, I took it upon myself to explain the truth of our existence.” Loud whispers swept the room, but my mother quickly raised her hand to silence them once again so I could continue. “It was perfect timing since Elizabeth Mathews, Darien’s younger sister came of age and started showing signs of possessing hell fire. It is obvious that her situation is very unique since her parents were not warriors. Upon further analyses by out trusted masters, Elizabeth’s hell fire is not active, nor can she utilize it. There has also been no evidence that it can be removed. And finally, it was determined that the hell fire the resides behind her eyes is my power.”
“What do you mean, Princess?” my mother asks before another general can speak up.
“I mean that the blue hell fire in her eyes is mine. She appears to be more of a carrier for my power than someone who is capable of controlling it. The Mathews family will remain here till Elizabeth can be released from my power and be cleared to safely return to her home in America.” When I finish speaking, I take a seat and reach for a glass of water. The room quietly chatters as I drain the glass. I squeeze Marcus’ hand as we wait for the room to finish deliberating and give a final response.
Finally, the general on the other end of the table stands and addresses the room. “Your Majesty, we respect the decision of our masters and will gladly welcome the Mathews family in our Kingdom. We can’t ignore the unique situation surrounding Miss Mathews, nor the great service her parents gave us during their time on this Earth. We look forward to the Princess’ next report and we all hope for an ending to this war.”
With a nod from my mother, the room quickly empties as the generals leave my family to continue deliberating the final details of what will happen next. I feel a huge sense of relief as the door closes and I can stand and stretch my tense muscles.
“Well, that went better than I expected,” Marcus comments as he pours our mother a glass of water before filling my glass and finally serving himself.
“I agree. Our people yearn for an ending to this war. With Anastasia’s new theory to enter the supernatural realm, they in turn gave her leniency concerning the Mathews,” my mother responds after she takes a long drink of her water. “But I would like to know exactly how you plan to prove your theory.”
I can’t help but chuckle as I sit back down and begin sipping my water. “I will discuss my theory and a course of action with Marcus’ team. I’m sure their research will help finalize a plan we can test. If we are able to reach the supernatural realm and return, we’ll know my theory is correct.”
“I want final say in this matter before anyone takes action,” my mother quickly says before she stands and stretches. “I’ll see you two tonight for dinner.” And with that the Queen of our people leaves the room to continue her duties for the day.
“Do you think she understands what we must do?” Marcus speaks first as I finish my water.
“No. I don’t think anyone truly understands. Not even you Marcus,” I admit as I glance down at him. “Anyways, I need to go check in with Darien and his family. As you can imagine, things didn’t go well when I explained they would have to stay here till we can find a way to remove my power from Elizabeth. We have no idea what can possibly happen with my uncontrollable hell fire within her. But this is truly the best place for them till we can find a solution.”
“One thing at a time, Anastasia. Let’s figure out what we are going to do to prove your theory before we can focus on Elizabeth. I know this must be stressful for them, but don’t lose focus of our mission. We must end this war before all else,” Marcus pleads with me before I can make it to the door. I give him a reassuring smile before I open the door and leave. But once I’m in the hallway, my expression fades and I feel completely numb. I’m torn between my role as a warrior and now one of my people’s last hopes in this war, and a friend to Darien and his family. I’m the one that convinced them to leave their home and travel with me for their own safety. But now that I’m not standing in front of my mother and the other leaders, all I can think about is how Darien looked at me the moment he understood he could neither leave nor could I give him a solution to Elizabeth’s ‘condition’. I was more nervous about facing him than a room full of generals.
I stop by the suite the Mathews’ have been assigned only to I find the area empty, so I head towards the more common areas of the Kingdom. I’m not surprised when I find the family of three sitting in the cafeteria enjoying their breakfast. After all, it’s still early morning and a normal family would just be getting up. I feel a little more relaxed when I hear John, Darien’s younger brother of five, laugh about something. At least they appear to be in better mood this morning.
“Did you just roll out of bed?” John pipes up as I sit across from him and Elizabeth, and next to Darien. I don’t look over at Darien right away as I focus on John. At least he seems to have forgiven me.
“Why? Do I look that bad?” I ask as I start smoothing back my hair. Granted, I could probably use a shower after this morning’s tense meeting, but I didn’t think I looked horrible.
“You just look really tired,” John replies as he takes a big bite of his breakfast sandwich. I just shrug my shoulders as I look over at Elizabeth. Her eyes are focused on her food that appears to be untouched. The sight of all three of them dressed in the traditional uniform of my people is still something I’m trying to get used to.
“How would you three like to see some parts of the Kingdom?” I ask after a few moments of silence. I look over at Dar
ien and catch my breath as I look into his eyes. His face looks relaxed compared to how I had seen him last night. I’m still nervous of what he may say so I try to at least keep breathing.
“I think we can spare sometime to have a look around,” he responds with a shadow of a smirk showing. I hear John giggle as I look away from him and glance back over at Elizabeth. She finally looks at me and I can’t help but focus on the fire in her eyes. It’s slightly comforting knowing someone else shares my blue hell fire, but then I remember that Elizabeth thinks of this power as a curse and would rather be back home in America.
“Great. Let me grab something to eat and we’ll get started. It’s a large place and there is a lot of neat stuff to see,” I say as I stand, but before I make it to the line, Darien grabs my hand and turns me around. He quickly embraces me and I can’t help but return the gesture as I loop my arms around him.
“Thank you for not giving up on us after how I reacted last night,” he whispers into my hair. I can’t help but smile considering how nervous I was to speak with him today. I’m so happy that our friendship has survived this ordeal, but then I notice how the room has grown silent as the warriors in the room stop and stare at our display of affection. Of course, Darien wouldn’t understand that only bonded couples embrace in public. I quickly let go of him as my face reddens.
“What’s wrong?” Darien asks once he notices my reaction.
“Forgive me, Darien. I’ll explain once we get out of here.” I walk back to the table and extend my hand to Elizabeth. Without a word, she takes it as I grab her sandwich and lead us quickly away from the cafeteria.
Chapter Two
Sign up for FREE Romance books!
After touring the school rooms, training arenas, and the areas of the Kingdom where different races inhabit, we finished our tour with the research labs. “And this is where you can find me during the day. I’ve been tasked to work with my brother Marcus to discover a different way to reach the supernatural realm. If we are successful, then we can destroy the gates and return another way,” I explain as I stand in the doorway, watching Marcus huddled with his team as they observe a few documents set out in front of them.