Lyla gazed at her sister. She had just noticed the blood that drenched her clothing from her grandmother.
“Lil, you didn’t have to do that. I could have...”
“Yes, I did,” she interrupted. “ I couldn’t have just stood by wallowing in my grief while you did everything. You may not show it, but I know you are grieving just as much as I am, and I know that you are trying to be strong for me, but we’re a team! We do this together; we are stronger together.”
“You amaze me, Lil. Sometimes I think that you are just so fragile and innocent. I forget how strong you really are. So, forgive me for thinking that.”
“You made me this way. You made me the strong person that I am, but even though I am strong, I am still fragile, and that’s okay. Sometimes I think you need to let go and not try to be so tough all the time.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
“I am right.”
They hugged each other, wishing they could forget the sadness and despair all around them.
Together, they placed their grandmother in the coffin that Lilly made. They said their goodbyes and placed the lid on the coffin. In some way, they managed to place the coffin in the deep hole without any mishaps. They shoveled the dirt into the hole, leaving a mound of dirt behind when they were finished. After, they both made their way inside, washed up, and finally went to bed. By this time, it was almost one o’clock in the early morning. Lyla lay in bed so tired, yet so awake, ready for the journey ahead. Ready for vengeance.
Chapter 4
Lilly awoke, just having a few hours of sleep. Lyla was soundlessly sleeping in her bed, and the house was completely silent. She was still tired, but very much awake. She continued to lie in her bed, not wanting to disturb Lyla. Through the window, she noticed the light of day barely starting to creep up through the darkness. She got up and looked into the mirror that hung on the wall. She looked slightly better than she did before she went to bed. She’d had red, puffy eyes most of the night and her hair was an absolute mess. Now the redness had disappeared, but her face was flushed and her lips dry. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had water with all the chaos going on.
She decided to go to the kitchen and retrieve a glass of water. She had a long cotton night dress on that her grandmother had made. Under her blankets she was nice and warm, but once she moved closer to the kitchen she felt a chill rush through her body. She went back to her room and put on her robe, adding an extra layer of warmth before returning to the kitchen once more.
Much better.
When she was back in the kitchen, she grabbed a glass of water and drank it slowly as she stood in front of the sink. She looked out the window that was placed right above it. It was still mostly dark, but with the sun creeping up she could see the silhouettes of everything, such as the trees and the barn that stood just to the left.
All of a sudden, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Whatever it was, it was heading toward the front of the house. She sat her glass of water on the counter and ran toward the front windows of the house. Was it some kind of an animal? She wasn’t sure yet. She pulled the curtain back just enough to see out of it, and coming toward the door was a person, a man. Her heart was racing. She felt as though it would jump out of her chest at any moment. Who was it? It had to be a Taker. Who else would it be? They had found them. Had they come here to murder them like their grandmother or take them away like their grandfather? She wasn’t about to find out.
She rushed to her sister’s room and began shaking her, whispering her name over and over. Lyla woke up with an almost angered look from being awoken so violently.
“Seriously, Lilly, what on earth could you possibly want at this hour?” she asked.
“Someone is here! It must be a Taker. We have to prepare ourselves.”
Immediately, Lyla got out of bed while Lilly told her what had happened. “So, you only saw one?” Lyla asked as she grabbed her sword and started to walk toward the door. She wore a cotton night dress just as Lilly had been, but she didn’t care about her choice of wardrobe at the moment. She was ready for blood to be spilled. “Yes, just one,” Lilly finally answered. “Good! That means he’s as good as dead.” Lyla held out her sword and walked carefully to the door. She put her hand on the handle and looked back at Lilly. She nodded toward Lilly and she nodded back, indicating that she was ready for whatever was about to happen. She turned the handle and opened the door ready to strike, and then she paused.
Standing before her was a middle-aged man with short brown hair and a matching mustache. He was tall and was wearing black pants with a long, gray overcoat. The last thing Lyla noticed was his deep blue eyes as she raised her sword up to his throat.
“State your business here,” she demanded with eyes like daggers, a firm mouth, and a tightened jaw. She knew he was not a Taker. He did not dress like them or look like them in the slightest, but the fact that he was at their door made her uncomfortable.
“Lyla and Lilly Langston, I must speak with you,” he said in a firm tone, despite the sword pressing against his throat. Lyla’s eyes grew wide. She turned back to Lilly and noticed hers had done just the same. “How do you know our names?” demanded Lilly. “Who are you?” She looked from the strange man to her sister, who had returned her gaze to the stranger, and back at him. “I know your names,” he said, “because I am your father.”
Lyla’s mouth opened, her sword dropping to her side, staring in awe and confusion. A moment of silence had passed and she was back into warrior mode with her sword right back where it had rest before.
“That’s a lie,” she said. “Our father died when we were only infants. You’re an imposter, a madman, and I want you to leave my house immediately.”
“If you would only let me explain,” he said. “I can prove to you that I am who I say I am.”
“I don’t believe you! As soon as we turn our backs you will take our lives. No, I won’t let you do that. Leave while you still can.”
Lilly had been silent the entire time. She could not make sense of what the man had just said. She had to know why he was saying these things. What if this man really was their father? What if what he was telling them was the truth?
“What is your name?” Lilly shouted over the two of them. Lyla looked back at her in surprise. “Lilly, what are you doing?” she asked. “What is your name?” she commanded. “Why do you need to...” but before Lyla the finish the man interrupted. “My name is William Langston. Father of Lilly and Lyla Langston and husband of Loraine Langston.” Neither Lyla nor Lilly knew what to think. Their minds could not apprehend the reasoning for this man’s appearance.
“This can’t be right,” said Lyla. “Our father is dead. He died many years ago. Nana and Papa even said so. They wouldn’t lie to us.”
“Lyla, you have to give him a chance to explain. Who else could this man be? How else would he know our names and our mother’s name? Our parents have been dead for many years. Who else would know that information?”
Lyla stood for a long moment before finally speaking. “Fine, he can explain himself, but until I’m convinced I will be keeping a close watch on him.” She turned to the man, her eyes sharp. “My sister may be more believing and convinced of who you are as of now, but if you make one wrong move, I promise I will throw a knife right into your heart. I hope we understand each other.” The man only smiled and said, “You’ve got fire in you just like your mother.” Lyla rolled her eyes and walked into the seating area of the kitchen.
Lilly was being most kind to the man that had claimed to be her father. She never had a picture of him or anything, only an idea of what he looked like. He looked nothing like what she had imagined. He looked much better with his kind eyes and gentle smile. She gave him a glass of water before he began his story.
Lyla sat across from him, knife in hand, as if this were an interrogation, while Lilly sat in the chair next to him. She looked like a little girl ready for story time, Lyla thought. How
could she let down her guard so easily? Even if he was their father, they had just met. She figured Lilly would be a little more cautious, especially after what had happened the night before. As she thought about the previous night, her throat started to tighten and her eyes started to sting, but she fought back the tears as the man began his story.
“All right, girls, I must ask you not to interrupt until I am completely finished. Please save you questions for the end, as I’m sure you will have many.”
“I can’t promise anything,” Lyla said. William took a deep breath and continued as if she had never said anything.
“What seems like so long ago, I met your mother, and we grew quite fond of each other. We fell in love, got married, and moved into this house. Soon after, your mother informed me that she was pregnant, and we, later on, found out that we were having twins. Oh, your mother was so happy, and I was as well, but there was something about me that I never told your mother until after the two of you were born. This upset her very much, so she pushed me away and told me to leave and never come back. She never wanted your grandparents to know, so she told them I had died in an accident. I tried to come back, but I couldn’t. It took years for me to finally get through after the Demorites invaded. After all these years, I finally found you.”
“Who are the Demorites, exactly?” asked Lilly.
“They are the dark ones that invaded these lands.”
“Oh, you mean that is the proper name for the Takers?” said Lilly.
“That would be correct.”
“What was this big secret that made her push you away?” asked Lyla, still unconvinced. She was twisting the knife on the table creating a small circular indentation in the wood.
“Well, that’s just it. This is where I may lose you. You may not believe me, but it is all true. The truth is that I come from a different realm. A realm that has nothing to do with earth, and is a separate place of its own. In a way, it’s like a different dimension. It’s where witches and wizards live.”
“Oh, you must be joking,” said Lyla. “This can’t be real. There are no witches and wizards in the world. That’s all made up, all storybook stuff. No wonder Mom pushed you away. You’re mad!” she said almost laughing. Even Lilly was taken aback by what he had just said. Everything he had said up to this point made perfect sense, but this, this really was madness.
“I speak the truth. You are both half witches and I can even prove it to you. Let me take you to Armoria and show you.”
“That’s what it’s called? Your alternate universe is called Armoria?” asked Lilly.
“Yes.”
“All right, that’s enough,” Lyla chimed in. “I’ve had enough story time, and you may go.” She got up and started pushing him toward the door. She had heard enough talk about such an impossible thing by someone that she didn’t even know. Someone that was claiming to be her father. She had actually started to believe him until he came up with that nonsense. They had more important things to think about other than an alternate universe.
“Wait, I have one more thing to show you before I go, and then if you still wish me to leave, I will.”
Lyla let out a deep breath and dropped her shoulders, showing how annoyed she was, but she allowed the man to have one last attempt to prove himself. Lilly stood next to Lyla hoping what he was about to show them would be enough to convince Lyla to let him stay. He reached into his pocket. Lyla tensed thinking he was going for a weapon, but all he pulled out was a small piece of paper. He looked at it for a moment then handed it to Lyla. Lyla turned it over and pulled her hand up to her mouth. Lilly was just as shocked at what he had given them.
It was a picture. A picture of them, and their mom, and...him. He was sitting next to her and they were both smiling. One was holding Lilly and the other was holding Lyla. They had never had a picture of their dad, yet there he was with their mom, as happy as could be. This proved it. This proved everything. Everything he had said was the truth. He really was their father.
Lilly ran to him and gave him a big hug. Lyla didn’t have the same reaction. She still held the picture in her hand and kept looking at it like it would disappear if she looked away. She was sad and almost angry. She finally looked up at him, Lilly still at his side.
“I believe you are my father. How can I not believe it after this, after what you have told us? You can’t expect me to go on as if none of this ever happened though. As if you were around all these years, because you weren’t. I barely know you, so don’t expect me to call you my father. You have to earn it. You can’t just walk back into our lives and expect everything to be all right. It’s not. It’s still far from it. We have to find our grandfather, and we don’t need you getting in the way, so you can help us or leave. Your choice.”
“I understand that, and I would love to help you rescue your grandfather, but in order to do so, you have to come to Armoria first.”
“We don’t have time to explore your dreamland. We have bigger problems,” said Lyla.
“Yes, you do,” he said. “For starters, your weapons will not kill the Demorites, it will only wound them for a short amount of time.” Lyla and Lilly looked at one another. They were thinking the exact same thing. That was why the three Demorites at the bridge were not dead, even with a perfect throw to the heart. “They are from my world. They somehow got through the gateway, which caused it to lock itself shut. That is why it took so long for me to get back. I was stuck in Armoria because the gate wouldn’t open, until it finally did. I already knew the general location of the house, but for some reason I could not find it. It was like it moved, until this morning, when I saw it clear as day as if it never left.
Lyla immediately felt an urgency flow through her body. The barriers had gone down allowing him to see the house. If he could see, so could everyone else that came near. The rock walls still surrounded them, but the barrier was invented by their grandfather as an added source of camouflage to hide their location. It was only a matter of time before their home was discovered.
“The barriers are down,” she said in a panic. “Papa must have taken the device with him. Either he somehow hit the button in transit or the Demorites figured out what it was for and how to use it. We must leave now. They could be here at any moment.”
Lyla and Lilly both ran to their rooms, changed their clothes, and gathered only their things of importance. Lyla grabbed her usual bag, and added the picture that was sitting on her end table and the book that her sister had given her for her birthday, along with extra clothes. Lilly was already by the door next to William, holding three canteen bottles that she had just filled with water. They ran toward the stables and quickly got the horses ready.
Lyla and Lilly would ride their horses and their father would ride the black horse named Athena, since he had supposedly walked the whole way there. Lyla tied the brown horse named Mercury to Athena so that she wouldn’t be left behind to be slaughtered. As they rode away, Lyla looked back at the house, not knowing if she would ever see it again. This was the place she had grown up and where her mother had lived. This was her home. It was all she had in this cruel world.
As much as Lyla didn’t want to admit it, this Armoria place was sounding like a pretty good place to be at the moment, if it was even real. But where else were they supposed to go? Their home was the only safe place they knew, and they couldn’t be on the run for the rest of their lives, constantly watching their backs with no peace of mind.
“I suppose we have no choice but to let you lead and take us to Armoria. After all, we have nowhere else to go,” Lyla said as she looked back at her father. She was very angry, but not at him. She was mad at everything that had been going on. Yesterday she lost her grandparents and now this. How could this possibly get any worse?
“I am very sorry that it had to happen under these circumstances, but, yes, we must. We have no other safe place to go, and, besides, we have to go there anyway. I really do think you will love it. It is a very beautiful place.”
Both of the girls remained silent, and Lilly had been surprisingly overly quiet. She had not talked since they left the house. It must have affected her more than Lyla thought.
William made his way in front of the girls to lead them toward the gate that divided the two worlds. They had ridden for hours through open valleys and wooded areas before they had finally come to a resting place. It was an open area surrounded by trees in the middle of the forest. A campfire was still present from when William had been there months ago. The fire was out, but the ashes still remained. Lyla and Lilly had never ventured this far in this direction. When they traveled, it was mostly just in the general direction of the city. It wasn’t much different than what they were used to, except the air was unusually cool in this area for the middle of summer.
William started a fire while the girls prepared a resting place to slumber for the night. They were used to sleeping on the ground with just a blanket over them on their travels so this was normal for them. When the fire was lit they all sat around it. Lyla had her blanket over her shoulders and she was staring into the fire. She didn’t want to speak to anyone. She had heard enough for one day and needed to take it all in. Lilly was sitting next to her father, engaging him in quiet conversation.
Lyla knew Lilly was very happy to find out that her father was alive, and she should be as well, but she wasn’t. After all these years, they thought him to be dead, and then he’d just shown up at their door unexpectedly. He seemed sincere though, and Lyla knew he meant well, but it didn’t seem right. In time, she would warm up to the idea and maybe establish a good relation with him, but for now she wouldn’t call him father, only William, until he proved himself to her that he was worthy of the title.
It wasn’t much farther William had told them, so first thing in the morning they would head straight for the gate. Until then, all Lyla wanted was some sleep.
Aftermath_The Armorian Chronicles Page 4