by Blair Drake
Who is this girl, and what does this vision mean? Suddenly, he wanted to know everything and help in any way he could. He was certain clarity about her lay within the book.
He pushed a hank of dirty blond hair out of his eyes and stared at the healer. “Tell me.” He trembled with fear. At the same time, his heart filled with excitement and anticipation.
Rylan regarded him solemnly. The silence between them lengthened, and Jasper fought the urge to speak again. Finally, the old man answered.
“Like I said, this book was given to me by the gods and the spirits and anyone else who has a say in these things. It tells the story of who we are, what we’ve become, and where we’re headed.” His gaze swept over Jasper. “Our lives are predestined. But of course, ye know that, don’t ye?”
Jasper shook his head. “I know nothing of the sort. I’m just a teenager, in my final school year.”
Rylan’s gaze intensified until, once again, his eyes glowed a tawny gold. He slowly shook his head, dismissing Jasper’s words.
Jasper squirmed on the bed. He wanted to drag his gaze away, to look anywhere but at Rylan, but he was powerless to do so. It was as if the healer held him in a spell.
“Yer far too modest, Jasper Walker. Yer so much more than an ordinary school boy in his final year. Ye haven’t wanted to admit it, but ye hold magic deep inside ye. We all do.” He gestured to include what was around them. “I was the same as ye. I fought my destiny for a long time until I realized that to deny it was no use. I learned to accept my power of healing and put it to good use. Ye must also accept yer power. It’s yer destiny.”
Jasper stared at him and barked out a shout of laughter. “You’re crazy!”
Rylan’s expression remained calm, his golden gaze fixed on Jasper. “No Jasper, I’m not crazy, although I don’t blame ye for thinking that way. Ye’ve come here from another time, where magic isn’t common. People don’t visit healers, or spirit guides where ye come from. I’m right, aren’t I?”
Jasper nodded cautiously and wondered how the old man knew that.
“I know these things.”
It’s like he can read my mind…Jasper ignored the declaration and cleared his throat. “Well, we do have clairvoyants and mediums who people pay to have their futures told, but most people don’t put stock in those. And we have healers, of course. We call them doctors. But they’re not the kind of healers you’re used to. My cheek would still be swollen and throbbing if someone knifed me like this back home.” He shook his head in remembered disbelief. “I don’t know how you did it, but my cheek feels just fine now.”
Rylan nodded slowly in acknowledgement. “It’s part of my healing power. At one time, nothing was beyond my reach. Ye have a power, too.”
Jasper frowned. He recalled the weird feeling he’d gotten right before he’d broken Drakor’s arm. “You think I’m a healer? How can that be? I very nearly killed a man, and I faint at the sight of blood.”
“No, Jasper, ye aren’t a healer. Tisn’t yer special gift. The thing is, I don’t know what power ye have inside ye, although after seeing what ye did to Drakor, I suspect ye have the power of incredible strength. But whatever yer gift, know this: Yer the one the gods have sent. I recognized ye the moment I saw ye.”
Once again, Jasper regarded him with disbelief. “How could you recognize me? I’ve been thrust into a world many centuries past. There’s no way our paths have crossed. You must be mistaken. Either that, or you’re crazy. Take your pick.”
Rylan sighed heavily, opened the book, and spread the first two pages wide. A cloud of dust rose up to protest the intrusion. He brushed it away with his wrinkled hand, and Jasper saw one page bore a map. He wriggled closer to see better.
“I’m not crazy, and there’s been no mistake,” Rylan said slowly. “This is the land of Ardhi, the way it was from the beginning of time. Yer likeness is in this book. It’s how I recognized ye. A long time ago, I was cursed by an evil King. Ye have been sent to break the curse. Then at last, I’ll be free.”
Jasper stared at the pages. The first page depicted the solar system. He recognized some of the planets from their size and position, though they were called different names on Rylan’s map. Ardhi was a tiny speck of a planet that had been drawn between Venus and Earth. Despite its miniature size, it was so close to Earth he couldn’t believe astronomers in the twenty-first century hadn’t found it.
The page opposite showed more precisely the borders of several countries. Their names were strange and totally unfamiliar. Slowly, a realization settled in his gut, and with it came a sinking feeling of dread.
I’m in a bizarre and alternate universe! How will I find my way back?
“Show me where we are on the map,” Jasper said, needing to see exactly where he was.
Rylan’s gnarled finger traced a path across a huge land mass and then stopped in the middle. “This is the town of Yarrin, where I live. It’s surrounded by a vast central plateau, mostly covered by tropical rainforest. There are mountains in the north and west and grassland in the south. The high mountains of Mlima guard the eastern borders and the mighty Maji River runs from the topmost point to the bottom. It’s a harsh land, but the land of my people. The land I love.”
Pride shone in the old man’s eyes. His voice was thick with emotion. Jasper swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat, suddenly homesick for his country and time. So, he was on the planet Ardhi in a town called Yarrin, thousands of miles and light years from home, in a strange land surrounded by strange things in a time he could scarcely believe. His head spun at the thought of it.
How did it happen? Was it magic, like Rylan said? But, if so, what part did Headmistress Lalane and Headmaster Auster play in all this? Did they orchestrate what happened on the rooftop of their school, or was it mere coincidence that they were present at the very same time, and in the very same place, when Jasper and his classmates were swept away in that wild storm.
And where are my friends now? Certainly not here…
He didn’t have any answers and the questions only filled him with anxiety, the greatest of which stemmed from the fact he didn’t have the faintest idea how to find his friends or make his way safely home.
He couldn’t believe he’d accepted Rylan’s explanation for his presence, but if he was to ever return home, he needed to know as much as he could about the land and its people. Besides, if it turned out what Rylan said was right, Jasper wouldn’t be leaving this place without the healer’s help.
“Tell me more about your family and the spell you need broken,” Jasper said.
The old man didn’t reply right away. Instead, he carefully turned the next page. Another puff of dust rose into the humid air. It hung in a tiny cloud before slowly dissipating. Jasper watched in fascination. Finally, Rylan spoke.
“My family was always well regarded in Yarrin. We’ve been healers since the beginning of time, and we’re good at it. Everyone knows, if they need assistance with an illness, they can come to the Griffin camp and receive a cure. Rarely do we get paid in coin for our services, but we always have plenty to eat. People drop off a side of mutton or a platter of fresh vegetables, a pitcher of milk, a pat of butter—it doesn’t matter. We accept all gifts with thanks.”
Jasper felt a stab of guilt. He healed my cheek, yet I have nothing to give him…
“Don’t ye worry. Ye’ve paid me already. Ye saved my life.”
Rylan turned another page and was greeted by yet another cloud of dust. Jasper eased forward to see the pictures decorating the paper-thin pages. The largest one depicted a charcoal, hand-drawn image of a man and a boy walking through a field of tall grass. Both had longish black hair, and there was a striking similarity in their profiles. The man had his hand on the boy’s head. The boy was looking up at the man, a smile of affection on his face. A touching scene.
“Are they relatives of yours?” Jasper asked.
Rylan smiled down at the picture with fondness. “Yes, that is a picture of o
ne of the earliest members of the Griffin family. I believe his name was Fabian. The boy with him was his son. His name was Rylan, too.”
“You were named after him,” Jasper guessed.
“There have been many Rylans in the Griffin family over the centuries. It’s a well-used, well-loved name.”
“Were they all healers?”
“Yes. Like I told ye, that’s our family’s magic power. All my ancestors could heal the sick, the infirm, even the dying. And when someone truly desired to leave this world, my ancestors would hasten them on their way as painlessly as possible.”
“Full service,” Jasper quipped.
Rylan frowned. “Excuse me?”
“Nothing. It was a joke. A very bad one. Please, tell me more. Tell me about the spell.”
Rylan nodded. He continued to turn over pages until he was well past the halfway point. The pages were filled with foreboding images of a castle, complete with gargoyles and a moat. Then Jasper spied a drawing of a man whose dark and evil countenance snatched his breath.
“Who is that?” he asked, unable to believe such a character could be part of the Griffin family of healers.
Rylan stared at the image and remained silent for so long, Jasper thought he wasn’t going to answer. When he finally spoke, his words were preceded by a heavy sigh.
“That is King Defyron the Third. He’s the man who cast the spell over me. I’ve never met a more evil man.”
Chapter 4
The hair on Jasper’s arms stood on end. The fear in the healer’s voice was enough to send a shiver down his spine. He stared at Rylan. “What spell are you talking about and why did he cast it?”
Rylan compressed his lips. His eyes took on a faraway look. “It’s a long story, boy, and I don’t know if I have the energy to tell it.”
“Please, Rylan. You promised to tell me why I’m here. You want me to help you, but how can I do that if I don’t know what happened and how you believe I can assist?”
Rylan held his gaze then finally nodded once, resigned. “Yer right. If yer to achieve what ye’ve been sent to do, ye must know the truth.”
Jasper stared at the healer. His heart beat fast. Now that the moment was upon him, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Rylan’s tone was heavy with fear and resignation. What was he about to reveal? What does he expect me to do with the knowledge and how will it help me return home?
The questions rolled through his head, but he remained silent. He tensed in anticipation when Rylan began.
“I was barely twenty when I fell in love with Aeysha. She was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. I met her by the river. I’d gone down there to bathe. She was there with her maids collecting flowers. I fell in love with her in an instant. One look was all it took. I should have known my cause was hopeless, but by some miracle, she felt the same about me.”
Rylan’s lips turned up in a sad smile. His expression filled with sentimentality. “We started meeting in secret. I knew instinctively it was best to keep our budding relationship hidden. I knew her for three months before I discovered she was King Defyron’s most beloved daughter. She was a princess.”
Jasper gasped. He hadn’t been expecting that. “What did you do?”
“At first, I was upset Ayesha kept her identity concealed. She only gave me her first name. I knew there was something special about her, something setting her apart from all the other girls. I just didn’t know she was royalty. Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t know from the outset. I probably wouldn’t have even approached her, let alone let myself fall in love with her.”
“Why not?”
“Because she was a princess, and I was a villager. Our worlds were poles apart.”
“But it didn’t stop you, did it? You were willing to risk everything for love.” Jasper beamed. It was so romantic.
Rylan smiled sadly. “Yer right. It didn’t stop me. I was young and full of hope. I thought love would conquer everything.”
“Did you go and see the King and plead your case?”
“Of course. I was hopeful Aeysha’s father would look upon my suit with favor. I was wrong.”
“I take it things didn’t go well,” Jasper murmured.
Rylan gave a bitter laugh. “Ye could say that. The King granted my request for an audience, and I was filled with optimism. I began to dream of a future with Aeysha.” Rylan paused. “I should have known better.”
“What happened?” Jasper asked.
“The King had me brought into the great chamber where he sat high upon a throne. The frame of his throne was made of solid gold, decorated with precious jewels. I’d never seen anything so grand. And then he asked me why I was there.”
Rylan drew in a ragged breath. His lips thinned in a grimace. “I told him about Aeysha, how we’d met by chance and fallen in love. I did my best to convince him I could support her, make her happy. I asked if he’d allow her to become my wife.”
Rylan paused and his eyes took on a faraway look, as if he were back there with the King. Jasper held his breath. At last, the healer continued.
“He barely listened to my petition. He spent the entire time watching one of his courtiers clean his fingernails with a knife. And then I ran out of things to say and fell silent. I waited, barely able to stand still. That’s when I heard it: his laughter. Great booming guffaws that had his henchmen bending over with mirth. The entire hall echoed with it. I was beyond humiliated, but I stood my ground. Aeysha meant too much for me to turn on my heel and run, no matter how tormented I felt in that moment. So I stood there and took their ridicule, and I waited for the King to speak. I shouldn’t have bothered.”
His bitter self-deprecating laugh sent a shard of anguish straight through Jasper’s chest. His hands closed into fists, and he fought off a surge of anger. The injustice of what had happened to the healer burned inside him. He barely knew the old man, but already he cared about him.
Rylan sighed again and finished the story. “After a long moment, the King regained control of himself. He ordered his henchmen and the other courtiers to be quiet. He wanted everyone to hear what he said. He wanted my humiliation to be complete. He proceeded to tell me why a man such as me would never be good enough for his daughter. How she was of royal birth and no one lower than an earl would be considered. I was told to leave his sight immediately and never step foot on the palace grounds again; and of course, I was forbidden, under threat of death, to see his daughter again.”
Jasper’s anger at the injustice shown to Rylan simmered inside him. He wished he could hunt down the mean and spiteful King and run him through. Or at the very least, punch him in the nose. But of course, that wasn’t possible. Rylan was an old man. Many years had passed since he was twenty. The likelihood of the King still being alive was slim. It didn’t excuse the man’s actions or make them right, but the situation was beyond Jasper’s help. Slowly, his anger eased.
“Tell me about the spell,” Jasper urged quietly in an effort to break through the melancholy that had descended on the healer.
Rylan nodded. “To understand the spell, ye need to know what happened after that ill-fated meeting. I left the castle a shattered man. My love for Aeysha was as strong as ever, but I was forbidden to see her. The jeering followed me out of the castle. I was beside myself with anger and disappointment and grief. I didn’t know which way to turn. Blindly, I headed into the forest. Ye might have noticed it surrounds much in this land.”
Rylan looked at him for confirmation, and Jasper nodded. Rylan continued.
“I don’t know how long I stumbled along, but all of a sudden Aeysha was there. Looking back, I guess she must have overheard her father speaking and followed me out of the castle.”
Jasper sat forward, eager to hear more. “What did she say? Did she honor her father’s directive?”
A sad and wistful smile flitted across the old man’s face. “No. She was furious and so sad. She called him every name under the sun. She was determined to defy her father. She
urged me to run away with her. To leave Yarrin and go somewhere else, somewhere her father couldn’t find us.”
He shook his head sadly. “She was so certain we could do it and so angry at her father. I loved her even more for siding with me against him. But King Defyron’s mocking words still echoed in my head, even as I tried with everything I had to ignore them.
“The more Aeysha talked, the more I realized her father was right. I’d been kidding myself, thinking I could offer her the kind of life that would make her happy. I thought our love would conquer all, but her father’s words rang true. She was a princess, a direct descendant of the royal line. She deserved to live the life of a princess.”
He sighed heavily. “It was a life I could never give her. Even if she agreed to live in my modest hut in the village, it wouldn’t compare to the life she grew up with, and if we went on the run as she suggested, we’d also be fugitives—people without a home. We’d be nomads with nothing to call our own. It would be even worse than she could imagine. Even though she was adamant she didn’t care about that, I couldn’t do that to her.”
“So, you convinced her to go back to her father…” Jasper guessed.
“Yes, although not right away. I loved her. I selfishly wanted one night with her in my arms before I said goodbye to her forever.”
Jasper never thought of himself as particularly romantic, but his breath hitched at the knowledge Rylan had gotten to spend one night with the woman he loved.
“How did you do?” he asked, hoping it wasn’t too personal.
Rylan’s face broke into a wreath of smiles. “It was wonderful. The most beautiful night of my life. We loved each other hour upon hour until the dawn’s early light. We knew it would be the last time we saw each other. The morning came all too soon, and we sadly said our goodbyes. I didn’t know how I was going to live my life without her, but I didn’t have a choice.”
Rylan fell silent and closed his eyes. His head tipped forward until his chin almost touched his chest. A snore filled the room. Jasper frowned. Was he asleep? But he hadn’t finished the story. There was no way Jasper could go to bed without knowing how it ended.