by M. L. Greye
Suddenly, an image of her house’s long driveway popped up into her inner vision. Someone had entered her hundred-yard barrier. Legann must be back. That was fast. Then again, time seemed to always pass faster during her moments of solitude. As she watched the image twine in between the trees lining the driveway, she noticed the person viewing the scene was in a car, behind the steering wheel. But the color and style of the dash was wrong. The interior of Legann’s car was gray. This one was beige. Odd. Maybe the sunlight on the dashboard was playing tricks with the color.
A moment later, the car pulled to a stop in front of the house. Legann usually pulled into the garage off to the side. He must have forgotten his wallet. But wouldn’t she have heard him thinking? He rarely stopped his inner monologue by thinking only in pictures without any captions. Feeling a little anxious about the car’s mystery occupant, Olinia decided to reach out to Legann’s mind.
Legann?
Yeah? His thoughts replied.
Were you expecting a visitor? She sent him as the person in the car exited and headed to the front door of the house.
No? He was confused. Why?
Because someone’s coming to the door, Olinia grimaced.
She needed to go down and confront whoever had come to stop by. Releasing another sigh, Olinia began out of her room. She stopped mid-step though when the image from downstairs suddenly shifted from the front door to the entryway. The person was in the house.
She couldn’t help but stare as the intruder decided to leave the entryway for the dining room and then the kitchen. Again, she reached out to her brother’s mind. Legann, the guy’s inside the house.
What? He blurted internally.
I don’t know what he’s here for. She assumed the person was a man. The images were from eyes too high up to be a woman’s, unless the woman was six feet tall.
Hide, Nia. I’m on my way home. I can be there in five minutes.
That won’t be fast enough. Olinia pulled a face. She was on her own, and she hadn’t tried to protect herself for so long that she doubted any weapon could really be of use. It was still worth a try though. What did she have to lose? In the hallway closet, there was a collection of golf clubs from when Legann had tried to pick up the sport over the last summer.
Keeping her inner eye on the intruder’s thoughts, Olinia tiptoed to the closet and retrieved one of the clubs – a nice big driver. The man was moving towards the staircase, through the family room. He was contemplating seeing what was upstairs.
Slowly, Olinia raised the club above her head, in striking position, and made her way to the top of the stairs. For the millionth time, she longed for her former gift of invisibility.
As the man began up the first few steps, Olinia pushed her back against the wall, readying for her attack. The wall was around the corner of the staircase’s landing. If the man wanted to get to the rooms, he would have to pass by her.
Only a few more paces and he would be to her. Olinia’s heart quickened while her body anticipated his arrival. And all at once he was to her. Olinia swung the club toward his chest, but he was too fast. With one hand, he grabbed hold of the club, ripping it free of her fingers, and flung her backwards onto the ground with the other, ending with him kneeling above her. Olinia let out a shriek as she hit the floor much softer than she’d anticipated.
She wasn’t about to stay beneath him for long, though. Throwing her weight to one side, she rolled out of his grasp. But she had forgotten about the golf club. In one fluid movement, the man – by now she was certain about his gender – extended the club to wrap one end around her middle and yanked her back towards him. She released another yelp, this time from surprise.
Her hair covered her face, blocking her from seeing her attacker. His strength scared her. If this continued any longer, she would wind up hurt. Letting out a groan, Olinia decided to turn to her last resort: her gifts. She’d promised Trenton to not use her gifts in front of any Ethons, but this was somewhat of an emergency. Without her gifts, it would be hard to get rid of the man. All she needed to do was shoot heat through her skin to burn him a little.
The man gripped onto her wrists, and, while Olinia struggled to free herself, she transferred her focus inward. Just as she was about to spout the fire through her pores, she heard him think and say simultaneously, “Princess?”
She gasped and shook her head, trying to clear the hair covering her face. “Sazx?” He released her wrists, and she sat up, leaning back on her hands. “Ohreen doveem naunt,” she breathed.
It really was Sazx, the pale version without the gray skin. His piercing blue eyes and short, dark hair were exactly the way she remembered them. When was the last time she had seen him? It had been in her uncle’s personal study in the Vrenyx world. That seemed like ages ago. Now, it felt more like a past dream than a reality.
Sazx was crouching over her, inspecting her face. He’d noticed her hair was darker. At the moment, he was amused by her small attack. He found her resourceful. It was a nice attempt.
Hearing his mind instead of seeing just images caught Olinia off guard. He smiled slightly at her expression. You heard that, didn’t you?
“You know I can hear you?” Olinia raised her eyebrows.
He nodded. Trenton told me.
“Trenton Alridge?” Olinia blurted. “You’ve met Trenton?”
He sent me here.
Olinia let out a short laugh. “How did you get to Trenton?”
Suddenly, the downstairs front door burst open and Legann shouted, “Olinia!”
She rolled her eyes. That was his entrance when he knew someone had broken into the house? So much for subtlety. “I’m up here, Legann,” she called out.
“You okay?” He was confused again as he ran up the stairs. “What happened to the-”
He stopped mid-sentence when he saw them – Olinia on the floor with Sazx beside her. He stared. “Who are you?”
Olinia frowned, but then remembered that her brother had never met Sazx. Legann had entered the Vrenyx world with King Yrond, their grandfather, while Olinia had been with another group, which had included Sazx. Letting out another laugh, Olinia said, “Legann, allow me to introduce Sazx Tharrne, former captain of the Nagreth.”
He blinked. “What?”
: : : : :
From his spot in the kitchen nook of Olinia’s home, Sazx watched the trees outside sway in the wind. The sky was dark and dreary, which caused the trees to stand out against the clouds, their orange, red, and green leaves a stark contrast.
At the stove in the actual kitchen, Olinia was stirring a pot of oatmeal for breakfast. Legann had already left for school. He had not been happy to leave, since Olinia was not attending her classes that day. Nonetheless, Olinia had insisted that he go. Apparently, Legann’s education required strict attendance, while Olinia’s did not.
With Legann gone, Sazx and Olinia were alone in the house. Olinia had hardly spoken a word to Sazx since the night before at dinner, when he had explained his arrival in Ethon.
After Sazx left Dagon – Olinia’s uncle – behind in a crumbling castle in the Vrenyx world, he managed to escape the world just before getting crushed. He’d slipped through a portal by a fortunate accident. However, upon stepping through this portal, he was not only unsure of where he was, he was exhausted both from his duel with Dagon and the decimation of his binding to the evil emperor. He’d been practically delusional. Following his arrival to the unknown world, he passed out. When he awoke, he was under the care of Trenton Alridge and his housemaid, Milly.
During the next two weeks, while Sazx regained his strength, he was given instruction on the Ethon world and its ways, which had included simple lessons on driving an automobile. Once Trenton believed Sazx ready to survive in Ethon, he was sent off to Virginia to meet up with the princess and her younger brother, but not before discovering that the siblings had been in Ethon for more than a turn.
Now, looking at the princess, Sazx noted what the time away fr
om the Other Worlds had done to her. True, her hair was darker, shorter, and straighter, but the real change was in her face. Over the past twenty months, the gleaming, proud, courageous young eyes he had once known had dimmed. Judging from the day before, when she had tried to attack, the fire was still within her – it simply no longer displayed itself on her face. She kept it hidden, just below the surface.
Olinia finished her work at the stove and made her way to the table, two spoons and steaming bowls of oatmeal in her hands. She set one bowl and spoon in front of Sazx and then the other across from him. “Enjoy,” she said in Saerdian, the common tongue of the Other Worlds. She had not spoken in Eveon to him yet.
He frowned as she sat into the chair across from him. “I wish you would not serve me. I am below you, princess.”
“Not in Ethon.”
“I don’t think your title is any less true simply because you are no longer in your realm.” Sazx watched her take the first bite before he lifted his spoon.
Olinia smiled tightly. “You know, you don’t have to talk out loud now.”
“I want to,” he returned. “It feels unnatural to have my thoughts answered.”
She winced. “It feels unnatural to hear them.”
The Key had been right after all. He had warned Sazx of Olinia’s new ability to hear the minds of all in sight without putting forth the effort. It was a remarkable skill. Not many Eves ever reached such perfection in their gift.
“I wouldn’t call it perfection.” She grunted. “But is that why you were thinking in images yesterday? Because Trenton warned you?”
He smiled slightly. “I was wanting to surprise.”
“Was that Trenton’s idea?”
“No.” He shook his head. “It was by my own design.”
“Oh. Well, it worked.”
They fell silent for a moment as they ate. Then, Olinia asked, “My uncle is dead, isn’t he?”
Sazx lowered his spoon. It had been halfway to his mouth. “It’s probable. The last time I saw him, he was unconscious on the floor of his crumbling castle.”
“Then, he could still be alive?” She leaned back in her seat, placing her hands at the edge of the table. “Why did you just leave him? Where was W-” She stopped. “I mean, where was everyone else? Were you not able to kill him?”
He frowned, puzzled by her abrupt pause. “At the end, I was alone. Even though I have escaped the binding to him without harm, it was with great difficulty,” he explained. “When I was beside Dagon fighting him, the binding was so acute that all I could do was leave him if I wished to survive.”
“If the binding was so intense, how were you able to escape at all?”
The answer to that was sitting in front of him. “It was by thinking of you, princess. I discovered that I couldn’t serve Dagon when he was not the true High Royal heir.”
She dropped her gaze to her bowl. “It seems so strange to be called that again. I don’t really feel like royalty here.”
“You’ll always be a princess to me.”
“Thanks.” She smiled.
Once again there was a break in the conversation as they continued to eat. After a minute, Olinia asked, “So, what are you going to do now?”
“Do you mean in Ethon or now that I’ve disowned my Nagreth title?” Sazx replied.
She let out a short laugh. “Both, I guess.”
This was a topic Sazx had deliberated upon for numerous hours since he’d eliminated Dagon’s binding. “As long as I am in Ethon, I would like to stay with you and your brother as protection. High Royalty should never be without a guard of some sort.”
“If you ask Legann, he’d say we’re perfectly safe on our own.” Olinia chuckled. “But I think we both would agree that having the company of another Other Worlder would be much appreciated.”
“It would be my pleasure.” Sazx inclined his head.
“Great.” She grinned. “So, until further notice, you wish to be my bodyguard?”
“When we return to the Other Worlds, I would like to continue to assist you.” He offered her a tight smile. “As you may have heard, I have some military background. Perhaps I could be an advisor in this area to you.”
Her smile faded from her eyes. “If we ever leave Ethon, I would gladly take you as a military consultant.”
Sazx furrowed his brow. He was surprised that she doubted they would return to their realm, but he decided not to push the topic. Instead, he said, “I know very little about what you do here in Ethon.”
She glanced up, startled. “Didn’t Trenton give you the update?”
“He actually told me very little,” Sazx replied. “His main focus was on adjusting me to Ethon life. He said any questions I had about you could be answered by you.”
“Okay.” She pushed her now empty bowl away from her and met his eyes. “What would you like to know?”
“Can you still speak Eveon?” Sazx asked, switching from the common tongue of the Saerds to the language of the Eves.
“Of course,” she replied in Eveon. “Legann and I use it all the time when we’re alone.”
“Good.” He nodded once. “Trenton mentioned that you lost some of your gifts. How?”
“That day you left Dagon in the Vrenyx, I caused the destruction of the castle and Delvich Forest,” she told him. “I sacrificed some of my gifts to save the Other Worlds.”
“Which gifts did you lose?”
“Globing, invisibility, and pausing time.”
“I’m sorry, princess.” He frowned.
She shrugged. “It was so long ago.”
“How did you discover the fortress’s weakness?” Sazx leaned back in his seat. “I was under the impression that only Dagon and his captain were ever aware of it at any given time.”
“What do mean?” Her brow furrowed.
Perhaps she wasn’t aware of it after all. “Dagon’s castle and Delvich Forest were infused with the gifts of himself and his people.”
“Yes,” she nodded, “that’s how they lost their gifts – by using them to fortify Dagon’s new capital and prison.”
“True, but you seem to be missing one important detail,” he returned. “Dagon’s castle and forest could not be destroyed because of this unless done so in the same manner that it had once been demolished.”
Olinia stared at him. “You mean, the only way to bring down the Vrenyx was the way that Balinorre fell?”
“Exactly.”
She let out a short laugh. “Good thing I thought of that then. Otherwise things might have turned out quite differently two years ago.”
Sazx watched her for a moment, deliberating. He had yet to inform her and her brother of just how long it had been since he’d last seen her. They’d assumed it had been the same amount for him, not yet asking for exact details of his arrival. It was time to end such false notions though. “Princess, I have a confession to make. Our last encounter in the Vrenyx was just over two weeks ago for me.”
“Two weeks?” Olinia sounded like she was choking.
“Yes.”
“Just two weeks.” She shook her head in disbelief. “You said you’ve been in Ethon for two weeks.”
“True.”
“Then, when was the last time you saw me before you came to Ethon?”
“It was a few hours, princess,” Sazx answered slowly.
Olinia looked dazed. She stood abruptly, her chair screeching over the wood floor. “I – I have to go.”
He stood as well. “Where are you going?”
“Outside.” She began to back away from the table. “I need to go for a walk. I need some fresh air.”
“Allow me to accompany you.”
“No.” She was shaking her head again. “No, I won’t go far. I’ll stay on the property.”
“If you insist.”
“I’ll be back.” With that, Olinia headed out the back door into the trees behind the house, leaving Sazx to wonder why.
4
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Will Patten was exhausted. He couldn’t remember the last time he had slept. It had to have been more than forty-eight hours before. Why was he still awake? No, a better question was how was he still awake? Every muscle in his body was screaming out for rest. It was a miracle that he was still on his feet. High above him, the stars were shining brightly, competing with the light of the moon. It was long after midnight, but Will wasn’t going to bed anytime soon. Sleep wasn’t really an option right now.
“How are you doing?” A familiar voice asked in Eveon.
He turned as Dallyn Paran joined him. The Eve smiled grimly and Will rubbed at his eyes, forcing them to stay focused. He and Dallyn were standing in the front courtyard of Fuladrik the Healer’s home in the village of Willowvale. All around them were strewn the bodies of the wounded from the night before, all waiting for a turn with Fuladrik or one of the other Healers gathered in Willowvale that night.
“I’ll live,” Will replied in Eveon. It was all he used with his friend, even though both of them knew Will’s first language was Saerdian.
“You look awful.” Dallyn grunted.
“Thanks, but I doubt I’m as bad as they are,” Will noted, referring to the men littering the ground of the courtyard. “We need more Healers.”
“You weren’t doing so bad on your own, though.”
Will shrugged that off. During the past six or so hours, after he had bandaged up his own injuries, Will worked alongside the Healers in aiding the wounded. Fortunately, he had retained some of his pre-med schooling that could be used at a time like this. Still, he wasn’t a doctor and his medical aid was limited to disinfecting open flesh and binding bloodied limbs.
“Where is Zedge?” Dallyn asked after a moment.