Aftermath_The Armorian Chronicles

by Courtney Beals

  Lyla did not complain any further. At least they would have their own space. It was not like she would mind sharing a room with Lilly, but she did not want to get all close and personal with Giselle just yet and who was this Thomas?

  William turned and looked around for a moment before he yelled the name Thomas. Lyla followed his gaze to a man that must have been around her age. He was standing by a girl with blonde hair, her hand touching his arm. As William called his name he walked away from her, leaving her with her hands on her hips followed by an annoyed expression. As Thomas walked toward them, Lyla noticed that he was a very handsome man. He was tall and had short brown hair and pale skin. He had a plain gray T-shirt on with blue jeans, and Lyla couldn’t help but notice the definition of his muscles.

  Lyla moved close to Lilly and whispered “Lil, he’s so handsome.” Lyla knew Lilly didn’t want to hear about her ridiculous obsession with love that she’d acquired from reading her fairytale stories, but it was like this man had been pulled from one and placed right in front of her. It was a realization she couldn’t ignore.

  “Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” she said, almost annoyed. “This is the first boy you have seen apart from Joseph in the last fifteen years. Seriously, Lyla, you don’t have to gawk at him.”

  Once he was closer he looked even more handsome to Lyla, with his bright blue eyes and perfect smile. William made introductions and when Thomas shook Lyla’s hand she couldn’t help but stare into his eyes and smile. Afterwards, William explained that he had business to attend to and would not be home until later that evening, so Thomas and Giselle would show them the house.

  Thomas and Giselle guided them along the concrete paths that curved and winded past the shops. Each of them was riding one of the horses that came with them through the gateway. They explained that housing was placed all around the courtyard, and their house was in the northwest corner, placed on the top of a hill, by the large body of water that surrounded Armoria. They also explained that to the north of the courtyard was where they planted crops. They had a large garden as well as a corn and bean field. To the southwest was Starlight City, or what they called the “City of Lights.” It was told to be most beautiful at night when the lights were shining at their best, but it was too far away to see from where they were. To the southeast was Dresden, which was where the Demorites resided, or at least the ones that did not manage to get through the gateway to earth. In between the three areas were plains and rivers, but mostly vast forests.

  “What keeps the Demorites from coming to Armoria?” asked Lilly. “And how did they get through the gateway in the first place?”

  “The Demorites live in a dark castle surrounded by mountains and treacherous terrain,” said Giselle. “It is also surrounded by the same body of water as Armoria, but a large river separates it from our land. In order for them to get here it would take a lot of effort, but it is possible. That is why everyone in Armoria starts training at a very young age. We fear one day they will try to overrun us.”

  “Who are the Demorites, exactly? They have obviously invaded earth, but why?”

  “They are dark creatures that have a poison running through their veins, but they didn’t always used to be that way. Long ago, they used to be like us. The leader of the Demorites wanted to rule Armoria, and grew drunk with power. He had a few followers and eventually his army grew. They escaped to the mountains and built the castle they reside in now. I believe they are still planning their attack, which is why they went through the gateway, but they did not come through our gateway though. In the beginning of Armoria, two gateways were built. One for the north side and one for the south side. We believe one of the gateways resides in Dresden, which is how they had access.”

  “So, the Demorites can come and go as they please between the two worlds?” Lyla asked.

  “Not exactly,” Thomas said. Lyla tried not to smile when he caught her gaze. Even his voice was perfect. “The gateway was built for us to exchange merchandise to and from earth. They were originally Armorian, so they could get in and out as well until the gateway detected their evil. We believe that is why the gateway sealed. As you know, it took years for us to finally have the ability to get through again and even then. We are not sure how that happened. We do not know how much power the Demorites have and if they still have the ability to go through the gateway again. As far as we know, they have not made another attempt.”

  All this talk about evil and power gave Lyla and uneasy feeling in her stomach. This fight was not just for Armorians, but it was her fight as well. They murdered her mother and grandmother and abducted her grandfather. This was personal and she would make sure they would pay for what they had done.

  Along the way, they passed many houses and the edge of the forest that surrounded them. They came to a house that stood on a hill. It was an old white Victorian home that was very beautiful and massive. Just along the side was a fence set up for the horses. After the horses were settled they all walked up to the house.

  A grand staircase was the center of attention as they walked through the front door. Giselle and Thomas gave them a quick tour of the house. The kitchen and family room resided downstairs, along with William’s study, and all the bedrooms were upstairs. As they went upstairs, they were told which rooms belonged to whom. William and Giselle’s rooms were on the left side next to each other, with a bathroom across the hall. Further down was Lilly’s on the right, followed by Lyla’s on the left at the far end. At the end of the hall came a staircase that led up to the attic, which was where Thomas’s room was.

  All in all, Lyla and Lilly loved the house. It was very spacious and had a lot of charm. When the tour was over, each of them went their separate ways into their rooms.

  When Lyla walked in her room, the first thing she noticed was the queen-sized bed. It had white wooden pillars that rose above it, and it had multiple pillows. Lyla was not sure why it had so many, but the bed looked very comfortable so she didn’t mind. She placed her bag on the floor and let herself fall onto the bed, clasping the soft blanket in her hands. Thoughts quickly began to overtake her mind. She had so many questions to ask. If she and her sister really were witches, what kind of power did they have? Did they have a power source? What was the next step in rescuing her grandfather? They had to acquire Armoria’s weapons, but then what?

  She wanted to forget about her troubles for a moment and relax. She looked around and saw that there was a bookshelf, a dresser, a nice big closet already filled with clothing, and an attached bathroom. Excitement flooded through her. She had never had her own bathroom. She had always had to share and now she had her very own. She wanted to take advantage of this right away.

  She ran warm water and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked terrible. She had dirt on her clothing from sleeping on the ground the previous night before, her face was flushed, her hair was tangled, and she began to worry. This was the first impression she’d had on Thomas, and she looked like a homeless person. She decided that she would get cleaned up and the next time he saw her she would look more suitable.

  After her bath, she found an outfit in the closet that she liked. It was different from anything she was used to, since her grandmother made most of her clothing. She slipped on a black pair of jeans and a white short-sleeved top. She had her hair down, which was slowly drying into waves, and she put on makeup that she found in the vanity to add color to her face. She put on her weapons belt and slipped on her lace-up boots.

  Lyla made her way into Lilly’s room to find she was in the bathroom brushing her hair out. She too had taken a shower.

  “You have a bathroom as well, I see,” said Lyla. “It’s a pretty nice feature to have if you ask me.”

  “I couldn’t agree more, but I will miss racing you to the bathroom,” she replied.

  “So, what do we do now?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” said Lilly. “We raid the kitchen, of course.”

  They both laughed as Lilly fini
shed prepping herself, and headed downstairs. It was so easy for them to laugh together. When they got to the kitchen they checked the cabinets and the fridge, which were both fully stocked with all kinds of food. They had never had this much food in the house at one time. They were both starving, so they grabbed a little bit of everything and set it out on the counter.

  Many mouthfuls later, they heard someone coming down the stairs. They thought it was Giselle, but to their surprise, it was Thomas. Lyla immediately straightened her posture and swallowed the food she had shoved in her mouth. He wore the same clothes he wore earlier and his hair was messy like he had just taken a nap.

  He looked around and saw the mess that was all over the counter. “I see you found all of the food,” he laughed. Lyla was embarrassed by the mess they had made, but she started to smile.

  “I’m the same way,” he continued. “Except I usually do it early in the morning as a midnight snack.” He stopped for a moment and stared at Lyla and then looked away. “What are you ladies planning on doing tonight?” He noticed the weapons belt hanging from Lilly’s and Lyla’s waists. “It’s getting pretty late to be out and about by yourselves. It can be dangerous at night.”

  “We thought we would go and do some training,” Lyla replied. “William tells us that the weapons are different from ours so we figured we needed to get some practice in.”

  “Sounds like a great idea, but it will be dark soon and you don’t want to be out at night not knowing the area. How about I take both of you to the training arena tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, sure,” Lyla replied as she shrugged her shoulders.

  He stared at her for a moment and, before responding, he nodded his head in agreement, and then told them he would meet them in the morning, bright and early.

  “Nice going,” said Lilly after Thomas was gone. “You didn’t freak out.”

  “My interest in him is nothing to make fun of me for.”

  “You need to be the strong warrior girl that you are. Show him that in your training and see if he shows an interest in you. Men like girls that can handle weapons, and we both know you can.”

  Lyla knew she was right, but being as she’d never felt this way before, it was hard telling what would happen.

  William walked through the front door and smiled. “Making yourselves at home I see,” he said, looking at the food on the counter. “That’s good! I want you both to feel at home here. I’m actually glad you are both here, because I have something for you.”

  Lyla and Lilly looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. William gestured for them to follow him into his work study that was connected to the family room by French doors. Books were lining most of the wall space, with a few paintings here and there. He had a large wooden desk in the center of the room with a few papers scattered on the desktop. He had them sit in the two chairs facing the desk, while he sat in his chair behind the desk. He reached down and pulled open the bottom drawer, revealing an antique box. It was a wooden box with a key hole in front, surrounded by swirling metal.

  “What’s this?” Lyla asked out of curiosity.

  “This box contains your Armorian symbol. Everyone gets one when they are born and they are all different. They can also be in many different forms.”

  “What is our symbol?” Lilly interrupted.

  “I do not know. Your symbols have been in this box since you were born, and since I never got the chance to give them to you, they reside in this box. There is a key, but I cannot open it myself. Most children get them when they are babies, but they have to be present for the parents to open the box. After so many years, the receiver of the symbol, in this case, you, have to open it themselves.”

  He reached in the top drawer of his desk and pulled out the key. It was shaped like an older key, but it had unmoving mechanisms on it that looked like gears and chains. William handed the key to Lyla. It was unlike any key she had ever seen. She gave the key to Lilly and told her that she wanted her to be the one to open it. Lilly’s face immediately lit up as she took the key. William placed the box in front of her. Slowly she stuck the key into place and turned it, unlocking the box. She continued to open the box, placing one hand on each side and pulling the top up to where it stayed on its own.

  What they saw inside was beautiful. Two blue crystals dipped in gold at the top of each. They were both hanging from two golden chains. Lyla and Lilly each took one carefully in their hands.

  “What do we do with these?” Lyla asked.

  “These are your Armorian symbols and they will protect you always. I told you that you are both witches, but there’s something you must understand about the way things work. We are not like the witches and wizards you would read about in story books. We do not cast spells or change people into toads. We, as witches and wizards, draw energy from each other, which makes us stronger. Our symbols also provide us with energy when we need it most.”

  “So, no moving objects with our minds or hexing anyone?” said Lilly.

  “Not at all,” said William. “It has been done in the past, but that was a long time ago. No one has been able to do it since.”

  “Well, that’s no fun,” Lyla whined. She slouched in her chair and crossed her arms.

  “It is not about fun. It is about responsibility to Armoria and our people. I also must inform you that you two are the first Armorian twins in the history of Armoria. We are not sure what your power is limited to, or if your symbols tie together somehow. We will figure that out tomorrow. Now it is getting late and I need some rest. I suggest you both do the same.”

  “I have one question!” Lyla spat out. Not sure if she should ask or not, she began to hesitate. “Why does Thomas live with you? He’s not your son, right? Doesn’t he have family?”

  Even Lilly was curious to know the answer to her question as she leaned forward and waited for a reply.

  “Thomas’s parents died when he was very young and he had nowhere else to go, so I took him in and raised him as one of my own.”

  “But what happened to...”

  “That is all I have to say on the matter,” he interrupted. “I will not discuss his personal life without him present. If you would like to learn more, you may ask him yourself. Have a good night, girls.”

  William rose from his chair and walked out of the study. The girls rose right after and headed toward their rooms, admiring their symbols that now fell from their necks. They parted ways at their rooms. Lilly first as Lyla continued down the hall and into her room. She undressed and put on a long T-shirt. The clothes in Armoria were more modern than what she was used to. She liked the style, but she also missed the clothes her grandmother had made for her.

  Before she went to bed she placed the clothes from her bag in the closet and the book her sister got her on the table beside her bed. She reached in her bag again and grabbed the picture of her mother and placed it next to the book. She rested her head on her pillow and stared at the picture until darkness overtook her.

  Chapter 7

  Lyla fell into her usual nightmare.

  She is in the same room at the same unpleasant hour.

  She hears the same familiar voices followed by her mother intruding into the bedroom. She says her goodbyes to her children and goes to the door as she always has before. This time, before the door opens, she turns to Lyla and says “Find it, my dear. Find what they seek before it falls into the wrong hands.”

  Lyla stands stiff not knowing what to do. Nothing like this has ever happened in her dreams. Last night and tonight are the first time anything has changed in any way and now it is like her mother is talking to her directly as if she never left. “What is it I am supposed to find?” she asks. Her throat harsh and dry. “What do I need to keep from them? Where is it hidden? I need to know where it is.”

  Before her mother can answer the door bursts open. The same unidentifiable man, who Lyla now understands to be a Demorite, stands in front of them. He pulls out his sword, but instead of going after Lora
ine, Lyla’s mother, he goes after Lyla. Lyla’s heart pounds. She feels for her sword, but she does not have her weapons belt on. She steps back as he pushes forward with his sword pulled back ready to strike. Lyla’s back comes to the wall and she has nowhere else to go. She looks toward her mother for guidance or some kind of help, but she is in the same position as before. Facing the doorway like she is frozen in time.

  Is this real? Is she really under attack through her own dream?

  “You will find it and you will bring it to me,” says the Demorite in a deep voice.

  Lyla gains some composure and straightens her posture. She is still afraid, but she does not want this monster too see it. Her voice grows confident as she speaks. “Even if I find it, whatever it is, I would never give it to you. I will die before I let that happen.”

  The Demorite gives out an evil laugh.

  “So be it,” he says as he lunges his sword forward.

  Lyla woke up screaming. She was sitting up in her bed not yet aware of her surroundings. Her hair around her face was drenched in sweat. Dark shadows flickered around from the candle she had lit before falling asleep.

  Thomas was the first to enter her room, knife in hand. He looked around the room, not seeing any potential threats, and lowered his weapon. He took a few steps closer asking if she was all right, but before she could answer, Lilly came rushing in throwing her arms around her sister.

  “Are you all right?” she said. Lyla glanced at Thomas and then back again.

  “Yes, I’m fine,” Lyla lied. She did not want to show weakness in front of Thomas.

  “It’s the nightmares, isn’t it? They are getting worse.”

  Lyla stared down at her blanket that still covered her and nodded her head. William and Giselle cautiously entered the room, unaware if they had imagined the noise in their sleep or not.