“Okay, I get it,” she said. “I need to give the guy a break. But he can’t honestly think I’m a spy. Isn’t it pretty obvious that I’m not from around here?”
He shrugged. “He’s just being cautious. Darian is an extremely complicated man. And to those who do not know him well, he can appear distrustful and cold. He’s a lot like his father was.”
His father.
“Arrie, I really appreciate that you’re explaining all this to me, but—” she choked up, unable to get the words out. “You should know that my father just died, and we only buried him this morning.”
“Oh, no,” he groaned.
“I was already having the worst week of my life before I wound up here. I just want to wake up from this surreal nightmare.”
She buried her face in her hands and wept softly.
“Oh, Marisa, I’m so sorry about your father. Believe me—I know what you’re feeling. I lost mine when I was ten years old.”
“I just don’t understand why this is happening.”
Arrie handed her a napkin. “Come, it’s time that you got some sleep. You’ve had a rather long day and week from the sound of things. But first, let’s go find Darian and make amends.”
He offered her his arm, and they left the people, music, and dancing behind and stepped out into the chilly night air. She blew her nose with the napkin. She didn’t feel like talking to the unfriendly young man.
She followed Arrie down the main road, and when her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she spotted a tall figure standing on a bridge a few hundred feet away. It was Darian leaning over the railing, staring down into the water in quiet contemplation.
Arrie stopped her. “Let me go talk with him first. You wait here and come down in a few minutes.”
Marisa said nothing but just nodded and watched as Arrie hurried down to Darian. She gazed up into the heavens, stunned to see millions of stars. The sky was pitch black. Somehow the skies seemed so much darker than on Earth.
She waited impatiently as the men discussed something for several minutes. Each of the men took turns glancing up at her. Darian’s arms were crossed in defiance as he shook his head at Arrie.
At last Arrie motioned to her, and she walked to the bridge.
“Mar-eesa, I am sor-ry,” Darian began, emphasizing her name.
“What! You can speak English?” she exclaimed. “You made me think you couldn’t understand anything I was saying!”
“I must first make sure you are not a spy,” he said, his rich accent enveloping each syllable. “And it has been a lit-tle while since I spoke English.”
“Darian, please, I’m not a spy, okay? I can barely manage my own life right now.”
“I am very sorry about your father,” he offered. “Please ac-cept my, ah—condolences.”
“Thank you,” she said, loving the way he pronounced her name. “Listen, I don’t know yet what is going on, but I’m just a high school grad with an uncomplicated life. Or at least that’s what I used to think.” She smiled shyly at him. “You probably have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”
“I think I do,” Darian said, revealing a stunning grin.
Arrie stepped in. “Pardon my intrusion, but Your Excellency, the hour is getting late, and we need to get some rest. Tomorrow we have a long journey ahead of us,” he said.
Darian hesitated but finally nodded. The three exhausted travelers returned to the inn and trudged up the stairs.
As they reached the door of Marisa’s room, Darian stepped up to unlock it for her. She stood close enough to feel his warmth and noticed that he was a full head taller than she was. He opened her fingers and gently placed a small key in the palm of her hand. She looked up into his face and his eyes locked on hers. In only a fraction of an instant, she saw an intense sadness buried somewhere in their depths.
“Good night,” he said softly.
She paused before entering the room. She quickly turned to say goodnight, but they were already down the hall, quietly discussing something in their own language. She closed the door and slipped out of her dress and into her T-shirt before climbing into bed.
As she laid waiting for sleep to fall, Marisa’s thoughts drifted back to Darian. He was unquestionably the most attractive man she’d ever seen. Truth be told, there weren’t very many fabulous-looking guys in the small town of Jacksonville. But even if there were, none could match his striking appeal.
Beyond his good looks, he had an air of quiet sophistication about him. It was almost as if he had already seen and done far more than most people in their entire lifetime. She listened to the music still playing below in the tavern and was haunted by the image of his piercing eyes. Their color reminded her of the seaweed she and her dad used to find washed up along the beach.
Marisa drifted off to sleep and dreamed she was galloping on Siena through the forest. As she tried to dodge the lightning bolts striking all around, she kept hearing her father’s booming voice call out to her from somewhere deep among the trees.
CHAPTER 4
ARRIE
MARISA STARED AT DARIAN in defiance. She wasn’t about to get left behind. There was no way he could force her to stay in that godforsaken town all by herself.
“I’m coming with you, and that’s final,” she said, untying Siena’s reins.
“This isn’t a good idea,” Darian said angrily. “It’s much too dangerous and you’ll only slow us down.”
Her hazel eyes flashed at him. “What am I supposed to do around here in the meantime?”
“You’ll only end up complicating everything!”
“But I don’t know anyone around here. Who’s gonna understand my gibberish in this town?”
“She’s right, Darian. We can’t leave her here,” Arrie said as he mounted his horse. “I don’t think we have a choice.”
Darian scowled at him and unsheathed his sword. He pretended to examine the blade before finally shoving it back into its scabbard. He shook his head in frustration and climbed up onto his horse, seizing the reins a bit rougher than necessary.
“Well then, we’d best be on our way,” he replied coolly.
Marisa followed the two young men out of the village. She was at a complete loss to understand why Darian wanted nothing to do with her. He clearly saw her as a threat to their mission, but she couldn’t figure out why he seemed so intimidated by her.
After leaving the edge of the village, they traveled through hilly country for more than an hour. Marisa was amazed by the breathtaking landscape as she listened to the sounds of birds chirping and whistling high in the trees. She strained to listen to their beautiful songs, but Arrie kept chattering away, pointing out the various plants and trees and famous battles that had been fought in the area.
After a while, her mind began to wander. She wondered what the two young men were trying to accomplish on their diplomatic mission but decided to ask Arrie about it later. The main thing occupying her thoughts, however, was how she was going to return home. She remembered Arrie’s explanation of the vortex and decided she needed to know more.
“So, Arrie, just how many different worlds do you think exist out there?” she asked.
He looked at her with surprise. “Well, there could be an infinite number of worlds in coexistence. Scientists in your world theorize there are probably a total of eleven different dimensions according to their string theory.”
“Eleven? How did they arrive at that number?”
He shrugged. “It’s a complicated concept, but it’s just a theory. We’re only certain of four distinct realms in the multiverse of which we have firsthand accounts. Your world Earth is one dimension, then there is Carnelia, of course, and there are still two others. There is also a fifth dimension called Syion, but it’s more of a spiritual realm—forbidden for humans.”
“A spiritual realm?”
“Yes, but we know very little about it. No one alive has ever been there and returned.”
“Well, then how do
you know it even exists?”
“Oh it exists. But one may only enter in spirit once the body has died.”
“You mean like heaven?”
He nodded. “Heaven, yes, that’s right.”
“So once a person dies, they go to this Syion?”
“Only those who believe in Garon may enter,” Darian interjected. “Those who do not believe may not enter.”
“What do you mean? They believe that he exists?”
Arrie shook his head. “No, it’s much more than that. Believing in Garon is not just believing he’s out there somewhere. One must sincerely seek to know who he is. If you know him and follow his ways, you cannot help but love him and be thankful. That is what it means to believe.”
She didn’t know how to answer that. Although her parents had been pretty religious and had taken her to church almost every Sunday, Marisa wasn’t sure what she believed anymore. She wasn’t convinced that there was a God out there who even cared about her.
They had been traveling for a couple of hours when Marisa started to feel drowsy. She watched Arrie as he stroked his horse’s mane.
“Both of you have really beautiful horses—especially Darian’s. What’s his name?” she asked.
“Obsidian,” Darian answered.
Marisa stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to say something else. When he didn’t, she shrugged and turned to Arrie.
“And what do you call your horse?”
“Horse,” Arrie said with a smirk.
“Seriously? You don’t have a name for him?”
Arrie shook his head.
“Well, that’s just wrong. I’m gonna give him one.” She gazed at the dapple-gray horse. “Spot? Stormy?” She snapped her fingers. “Wait—I got it! Why don’t you call him Concrete?”
“Concrete? But isn’t that—”
“Yeah! And it’s perfect,” she said, laughing. “He’s the same color as our driveway.”
“Well then, Concrete it is!”
After they traveled for another hour, they stopped to rest in a beautiful wooded area. Marisa spotted an old tree stump and climbed down to stretch her muscles that were already becoming stiff.
She untied her satchel from the saddle and headed toward a large grove of trees. Arrie dismounted and led the horses down through the forest to a small stream to drink. Darian strolled over to where she was sitting and leaned against a tree.
“So tell me about your family, Mar-eesa.”
“There’s not much to tell. I had an awesome father and we were real close. He helped me through some pretty tough times.”
“How did he die?”
“Cancer,” Marisa said. She noticed his puzzled expression. “He got sick last year, and it worsened to the point where his doctors couldn’t do anything anymore.”
“I am very sorry for your loss,” he said.
“Thanks. The last two months have been the worst of my life.”
“I cannot tell you that the pain lessens any because it doesn’t. But after a while, it no longer consumes your every thought.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard.”
“Do you have any siblings?” he asked.
“I’ve got a younger brother, Mark. He’s sixteen. I also have an uncle who’s like a second father to me. He is my father’s twin. Everybody always says they look exactly alike, but I can—could always tell the difference.”
“What about your mother?”
“I can barely remember her. She died when I was six.”
“Such a shame,” he said, shaking his head. “That is much too young to lose a mother. How did she die?”
“Car crash.” Marisa looked at him. “Do you even know what a car is?”
Darian shook his head.
“I didn’t think so. Anyhow, my father broke the news to us one night. After that, he never wanted to talk about it. I think it was too painful for him.”
“I am very sorry.”
“I was so young when she died. Mark was only in kindergarten.” She closed her eyes as she tried to remember her mother’s face. “Our mother was such a kind person, but she was always very sad. I’ve never been able to understand how a person could be so sad.”
“Sadness comes in all shapes and forms to all people. It is how a person chooses to deal with it that matters,” he said, leaning his head against the tree. “Did your father ever tell you what the reason was for your mother’s sadness?”
“Nope. He never wanted to talk about her death. He used to tell me a neat story about how they first met, but not much else.”
“It must have been very difficult for him.”
“Yeah. It was.”
He gazed down at her hand. “I must say, that is a most extraordinary ring. Is your husband back on Earth?”
She looked at him, puzzled. “My husband?”
Darian nodded and pointed to the ring.
“But I’m not married,” she said in a puzzled voice.
As Marisa looked down at her mother’s ring and a realization suddenly came over her, she looked up at him and smiled.
“When I told Arrie that I’d received it ‘from a man I dearly loved,’ the man I was referring to was my father, Alan MacCallum. I’m not even engaged,” she joked.
He grinned slowly. “Ah, I see.”
“It was my mother’s.”
Arrie hurried over. “Come on, you two. We need to leave now if we want to make it through the Mychen Forest before dark.”
Darian nodded.
They quickly mounted their horses and continued down the road. The beautiful landscape began to change from gently rolling hills into much steeper mountains and rocky cliffs. Marisa noticed there weren’t many trees but mostly just shrubs and bushes. The majestic scenery reminded her of a coffee table book they had at home on Scotland.
The vistas were breathtaking, and once she was finally able to charge up with her solar charger, she snapped a few photos on her iPhone. She even managed to sneak a few candid shots of Darian and Arrie.
“Okay, now it’s my turn to ask the questions,” she said, slipping the phone back in her satchel.
Arrie grinned. “What would you like to know? I must warn you, though—I have no secrets that are worth hiding.”
“You said you lived on Earth. How did you get there?”
“Well, a few years ago I happened to be visiting Terracina, the country where my father was born. I made my way up into the hills to take in the magnificent view from Pescara Hill. All of a sudden, there were flashes of light all around me and I got sucked into a vortex, same as you. I landed down by the river in a small village called Resteigne, near the Ardennes Mountains in Belgium.”
“You probably had no idea what was going on,” she said with a chuckle.
“What an understatement! I thought I’d died,” he said. “But after the initial shock wore off, I did everything imaginable to fit into my new surroundings. I learned three different languages: French, Flemish, and English. I attended the École Polytechnique just outside of Paris and met a remarkable woman on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Her name was Astrid.”
“You’ve been on the Champs-Élysées?”
Arrie nodded.
“Incredible!”
His eyes grew distant. “Astrid and I were to be married in a little less than a month when I was unexpectedly transported back to Carnelia.”
“Married?”
“Married.”
“Gosh, Arrie, I’m so sorry. Talk about lousy timing.”
“Indeed, I must admit I was quite heartbroken.”
“Okay, I know this is probably a stupid question, but you said that the chances of a person being drawn into a vortex are fairly small. Just how did you manage to get sucked in twice?”
“That is one of life’s riddles that I may never know the answer to. By now I know what to expect, but back then, I’d only heard about vortices in stories and legends. When I was in your world, I studied quantum physics at the university hop
ing to gain a better understanding of them.”
“Why have I never heard of a vortex before?” Marisa asked.
“That is because the powers that be do not want you to know.”
“You’re not saying it’s a conspiracy, are you?”
He chuckled. “No, I’m not suggesting that. Your world has bigger problems to worry about. All joking aside, some people believe that there is an unseen force out there, controlling the gateways, opening and closing them at will. So you see, Marisa, I must have traveled to your world and back again for a reason.”
“Can a vortex be predicted?”
“Can you predict the path of a tornado?”
“No.”
“Well, neither can you predict a vortex. They don’t usually open up in the same place twice. Of course, all the information we’ve managed to gather is based solely on firsthand accounts. I’m afraid it isn’t very scientific.”
“So there are others who have traveled between worlds?”
Arrie nodded. “We’ve actually made discoveries of new technologies by traveling to some of these other worlds. When we return to our home in Crocetta, we’ll take you to visit Celino. He’s a sorcerer from Earth and may be able to help you.”
She brightened. “You mean there’s someone else from Earth who can help me get back to Jacksonville?”
“Perhaps.”
“But then, why haven’t you tried to go back to Earth?”
He didn’t answer.
“This fiancée of yours—Astrid, does she even know what happened to you?”
“I never told her about Carnelia, only that I came from another country,” he said. “I’d already mastered French when I met her, so I don’t think she suspected anything.”
She pressed him. “And...?”
“That’s all there is to tell. I still love her, but I’ve since come to realize that we are just not meant to be together.”
“But you went through a vortex twice, so maybe it could happen a third time, right?”
He smiled sadly. “That’s not likely to happen.” His face clouded over as he reached down for his flask and took a sip of water.
“I’m sorry, Arrie. I don’t know what to say.”
The Carnelian Legacy Page 4