The Return To Erda Box Set

by Beca Lewis

  That left the Priscillas and me with nothing to do, but Aki was right. I didn’t want to sit in the cave with Garth and Anne by myself. Instead, the four of us sat outside under a huge oak tree, and I thought about what would happen to this land unless we stopped Abbadon. In our time, all of this land was barren and shattered. What could have ever caused something like this to happen, and what did the Priscillas have to do with it?

  I didn’t ask them. They had promised not to tell, and as fierce and sometimes feisty as the Priscillas are, I knew they would never break a promise, and I would not ask it of them. We ate a little food that Beru had packed for us and waited in silence for the return of the team.

  They weren’t long. Niko and Zeid were the first. Then Pita and Teddy and Ruta. Aki appeared right after that and ushered us all inside.

  Once we were all seated, and everyone reported that all was calm on the outside, Niko motioned for Anne and Garth to begin. If anyone had found anything outside, it appeared they were going to wait until this was settled before sharing it.

  However, before Anne could begin, Pris flew off my shoulder and hovered in front of Anne and Garth. She was joined by Cil and La.

  Once again, surprisingly it was Cil who spoke. “We are worried that because of us you won’t fairly hear what happened. So you need to know, that they asked us not to tell for our safety. Not theirs.”

  La looked at her sisters who both nodded and then settled down in Anne’s lap instead of mine. All three smiled at me, and I smiled back. They were supporting Anne, and I loved them for it.

  Their announcement removed all the bitterness from the room. They were right. We weren’t going to hear the story fairly.

  “Thank you,” Niko said to the Priscillas. “I do believe that we are ready to listen now, Anne.”

  Anne closed her eyes for a moment, sighed, smiled down at the Priscillas in her lap and said, “I wish I could start this story with the words Once-Upon-A-Time as if it hadn’t happened. But it did.

  “Garth and I are even older than we told you before. We have been traveling between dimensions for hundreds and hundreds of years. Sometimes we stay for a while if it is a place that we can fit in without being seen as outsiders. Other times we have to leave almost immediately because nothing is the same as here, or it is too dangerous.

  “We learned the skill from our parents, who were part of a small group of people in Erda who are also dimension travelers. Our job has been to learn and share what we learn when the information is needed. In many ways, we are living historians. Not just of Erda but of many other dimensions that exist on the planet we call Gaia. It’s a dying art, though. There are only a few of us left. Either the others find a dimension that they are happier in and stay there, or something happens to them, and they never return.

  “As much as we enjoy this work, it is often dangerous, and sometimes things go wrong. And in one of our travels, something went terribly wrong.

  “At first we didn’t know anything was wrong. We stepped through the portal and found a beautiful world. It looked just like Erda, which was surprising in a way, but it made us happy. We had talked about finding another dimension that we could stay in if we got tired of Erda, or if something went awry, and this looked like one we could keep in mind.

  “We spent a few weeks exploring. We didn’t meet anyone at first. In fact, we tried not to. It was what we usually do when we travel.

  “We take time to soak in the feel of the world, get to know how nature works there, and once we feel as if we are part of the dimension we will search out whoever lives there. We think it’s important to not look like a stranger.

  “Besides, the dimension we thought we had traveled to was so beautiful we wanted to enjoy it as much as possible before getting to know the people, or beings, the dimension belonged to.

  “Finally, we made our way towards a village. We watched from a distance and were struck again by how much the people looked like the people of Erda, except it was a little off. We just couldn’t put our finger on it. When we felt we were ready, we walked into the village.

  “It only took us a few minutes to discover that we had made a huge mistake. We had not gone into another dimension the way we had planned. Something had gone wrong within the portal. We had gone back in time.”

  Abbadon Twenty-Five

  Anne held up her hand as we all started to talk. “I know you all have questions, but if you would let me tell the story, I think it will answer most of them. I’ll make it as brief as possible.

  “We don’t know how it happened. And much later when we managed to get back to our own time, we found the tiny mistake that had been made, and it never was made again. But it did help us design the portal we used to get here, so I suppose some good has come out of it.

  “On the other hand, if it wouldn’t have occurred, perhaps none of what Abbadon has done would have happened, and we wouldn’t have to be here now putting all of you in danger.”

  ‘We don’t know that,” Garth interjected. I could tell he was having trouble letting Anne tell the story.

  “I think you have to look at what Earl did just to make sure you didn’t try to blame us, and especially yourself for what happened. We didn’t make the mistake that brought us back here, and it wasn’t your fault that Abbadon fell in love with you.”

  We all gasped, Anne closed her eyes and sagged back against the wall. Garth looked around the room at all of us staring at the two of them.

  “I suppose I shouldn’t have just blurted it out that way, but if you want the short version of the story, I think I am the one to tell you. Anne is still going to try to take responsibility for what happened, and I can’t let her. I don’t think our friends the Priscillas plan to let her either.” They looked up at him and nodded.

  “So we found out that we were in the past. Now we had a problem. We didn’t know if we got into the portal if it would take us back to the time we came from or if we would end up somewhere else.

  “Yes, if we would have been brave enough, we probably would have marched right back to the portal and stepped in. But we weren’t. On the other hand, we were the first people we had ever heard of that had gone back in time. We couldn’t help wondering what we would discover that could help the future if we made it back home.

  “We’re basically historians and collectors of information. Here we were in a world we never expected to find ourselves in. So combining that with our curiosity and our fear that we might not make it back to the future, we decided to stay a while.

  “At the time, we didn’t know about affecting the future, but because of our dimension traveling, we knew it was always best to keep a low profile.

  “To fit in, we made up an almost true story. We were traveling historians. We just left out the part that we were from the future. The village was kind to us, and we loved meeting the people. We helped out in their stores, and in the fields, and in return they fed and housed us. It was always our intention to return home, but we got comfortable. We almost forgot that we didn’t belong there.

  “Both of us thought about staying. I met a girl that I liked, and that increased the temptation to settle in that time period.

  “What we hadn’t realized was that Abbadon’s Castle was not that far from the village of King’s Watch, although I suppose the name gave it away. At the time, he wasn’t well known, but he also wasn’t the monster that we know him to be today.

  “The people looked up to him because he was the King. Once a year he held a ball at the Castle that everyone could attend. I think it was more a publicity thing than an act of kindness, but it did make the people think well of him.

  “It was a huge event for the village. All the girls loved going. It was a chance to dress up. Of course, the women of King’s Watch told Anne she had to go. It didn’t take much persuading.”

  Garth
looked over at his sister and smiled at her. “Anne is beautiful, but in some ways, she hides it now. She didn’t then. Anne looked stunning in the gown one of the girls in town loaned to her. She had long hair then, and it was bound up into some complicated hairstyle.

  “Anyway, you can guess what happened. Anne went to the ball. Abbadon saw her, and the story goes that he immediately fell in love with her.

  “Since I had already thought about staying, we both agreed that there was no harm in seeing the King. After all, that would make her a Queen if their relationship progressed that far.”

  Anne put a hand on her brother to stop, and she took over.

  “Abbadon was handsome, and although a little full of himself, he was generous and kind to me, and when he noticed the people of the village, he was kind to them, too. I was caught up in the glamour of being the King’s favorite.

  “I met the Priscillas a few months later. At the time they were living in the forest and would come into town once in a while. Mostly to play practical jokes on people and have a little fun. No one minded. Everyone loved them. Just as they do now.”

  The Priscillas giggled and looked down as Anne continued.

  “After I got to know them, they stayed with me more often. It was because of them that I started asking myself if what I was doing was the right thing. Did I really want to stay back in time? I missed my friends.

  “I knew I would miss the people that I met in the village, but the urge to try to go home became greater than my fear about stepping into the portal.

  “Garth and I talked and talked about it. Finally, we decided to leave. He told his girlfriend that it was time for us to move on. We were traveling historians after all. We had managed to keep the secret that we were from the future from everyone, except for the Priscillas who figured it out. Once they did, they were insistent that we return to the future. I think they also knew Abbadon better than I did.

  “Then it was my turn to tell Abbadon. We went for a walk as we often did. Unknown to me, thankfully the Priscillas came with me. I think they were worried. For a good reason, it turned out. I told Abbadon how much I cared about him, but it was time for my brother and me to return home.

  “Only then did I see the side of him that has grown into the monster we know today. He was furious. The more I tried to explain how much I cared about him and was sorry to leave, the angrier he got. He hit me, and I fell.”

  Anne paused and took a drink of water. I looked over at Pita and realized he knew this story.

  Anne looked over at Pita too as she continued. “It was two Ginete that saved me. I didn’t know they were your family, Pita, or I would have thanked you long ago.

  “They heard me screaming and came running. The Priscillas were doing their best to fight Abbadon off of me, but brave as they were it wasn’t enough.

  “I don’t know how the Ginete got us away from him, but they did. As we ran, we could hear Abbadon yelling that he would punish everyone I loved from now until forever.

  “The Ginete found my brother, took care of us until I was better, and then Garth and I returned to the portal, which happily brought us back to our own time.

  “Since then Abbadon has been keeping his promise. Not just punishing me, but all of Erda.”

  Abbadon Twenty-Six

  I couldn’t believe it. I was so furious that I stood up and yelled, “Abbadon became a monster because you broke his heart?”

  Zeid reached up and pulled me back down beside him. Anne burst into tears.

  “I’m sorry Anne, that wasn’t meant for you. You didn’t do anything wrong. People break up every day and move on. They don’t beat on the person they claimed to love or destroy things. Abbadon is a stalker, serial killer, psycho with extraordinary powers. He is magic gone wrong, and your story made me even more grateful for being here so we can stop him now.”

  Everyone murmured in agreement, and Anne whispered, “Thank you.”

  “I have a question,” Zeid said, “Why didn’t we go back to that time where you were, and take care of him when he was still not as powerful as he is now?”

  It was Pita who answered Zeid. “We did. We are here before Anne breaks his heart. We are here before Niko and Aki are captured. And we are here before Abbadon destroys villages. But that doesn’t matter. The trigger to Abbadon’s madness happened years before Anne met him. He was destroying things long before they got here. That’s another reason why Abbadon’s destruction of the planet isn’t Anne or Garth’s fault.”

  Turning to Garth and Anne, Niko asked, “Is that true? We are here before you got here the first time?”

  When they nodded affirmatively, Niko turned to Pita, “And how did you know this?”

  “It’s in the story my family has told. They saw us when we arrived from the future. It’s confusing and hard to explain, but they saw us after they rescued Anne. They remembered a past that would become the future.” Pita shrugged and added, “It’s a gift that my people have.”

  I was beginning to understand why the people of Dalry both admired the Ginete and feared them a little too. “So your people see timelines and remember them? In a way, I understand that. It would be like reading a book about something that happened that didn’t happen yet. Wait, I’m not sure that makes sense when I put it into words, but it makes a little bit of sense when I feel it inside.”

  Pita smiled at me and said, “Not bad. I am not sure how to explain it better. I should tell you though that this kind of memory isn’t a constant. My brothers and I do not hold multiple timelines in our head, nor for the most part, remember them. But when it’s important, the story gets passed down, or a memory surfaces, as in this case because it is so important.”

  Teddy grunted and stood up, taking up as much space as he could. “Talk, talk, talk. Tired of talking.”

  We all stared at him, “Okay, so I guess I need to know a few more things before we go gallivanting all over the countryside. But could we do it later? The only thing I want to know right now is if we are going to run into the Anne and Garth from the future, and if we do, how will we know which one it is, and what should we do?”

  Anne laughed. It was the first time I had ever heard her laugh, but I understood why she did. Teddy made everything better, just by being Teddy. I wouldn’t be surprised if he started giving her unique names too.

  “Yes, you might. This is the area we stayed in, but not in this cave. However, at this time we are living in the village of King’s Watch. But if for some reason you see us you’ll know which one of us it is. First off, I had hair. A lot of hair. And we wore very different clothes this time, on purpose. You won’t have any trouble telling us apart.”

  “Well, then Pita and I are off. Pita says he knows where to find the Ginete.” Teddy paused and looked at his friend. “Oh, now I know why you wanted to wait. You wanted me to know that I was meeting your family, from the past.”

  Teddy grabbed Pita and hugged him. It was an odd sight. A bear-like being was embracing a squat, big-eyed, big-headed creature. Teddy slapped Pita on the back, which actually made Pita smile, and said, “Okay, mate, let’s go meet the past.”

  As they sauntered out of the cave together, I looked at Zeid and said, “Mate?” Everyone laughed including Teddy who overheard me. He stuck his head back into the cave and said, “Righty-oh! See you all back here around dinner.”

  The Priscillas, taking a cue from Teddy and Pita, were also heading out of the cave. They didn’t bother to say where they were going.

  I used to worry about them when they did that and then tried to stop them from heading off without telling me where they were going.

  But Pris had made it abundantly clear that they didn’t like it when I tried to control them, even if it was out of love. This time I was happy to see them go. That meant they had a plan. We would all learn about it when it was t
he right time, just as it was the right time for them to fly out of the woods and help Anne.

  Is that where they were going? To help Anne again? The other Anne? It was hard for me to grasp that the Priscillas that had been with me since childhood had been with Anne hundreds of years before that. They chose us both—another reason for me to get to know Anne better.

  I was so busy thinking about the Priscillas and Anne that I didn’t see Ruta leave. He had remained silent the whole time we were talking about the past. Usually, that meant he knew something and wasn’t sharing it. But like the Priscillas, he would tell us when it was time.

  Niko turned to the rest of us, “Aki, Garth, and I are going to check on our former home, Willowdale. Zeid, you, Anne, and Kara will check on King’s Watch. For Zut’s sake, stay out of sight and just observe what is happening there. Don’t do anything!

  “I’ll cloak the cave so no one will see it while we are gone. Be careful. We still don’t know the whole story of what happened back here.”

  “No kidding,” I mumbled under my breath. And then I realized that Anne was going with us. I would drag more information out of her. Niko caught my eye as we left the cave together, and I realized that was precisely what he wanted me to do.

  I winked, he winked back, and we were off in different directions, but with the same goal in mind.

  Abbadon Twenty-Seven

  Since Anne knew the way, we let her lead us towards King’s Watch where her past self now lived. We walked in silence, all of us busy with our thoughts. It didn’t take long before thinking took second place to what we were seeing.

  The forest was full of life, and as we kept our energy withdrawn, the birds and animals had no trouble revealing themselves to us. We saw everything from a red fox to a woodcock who treated us to his dance. We did our best not to laugh. His dance was so silly, but we didn’t want to hurt his feelings.