Happy Birthday, Sky!!!! I hope you have a fantastic day filled with excitement and wonder :D
Thanks for being my best friend, I couldn't have asked for a better one!
*hands her cake and ice cream*
The knife was slick with crimson, shining in the dull light.
Sally stared at it, at the blood that coated her arms and hands. She looked down at the bodies lying at her feet.
Harry. Her mother. Bram. All staring sightlessly ahead. Bram's eyes were boring into hers.
She wanted to scream, to cry, to rage, but she didn't. Couldn't. She just stood there.
A deep chuckle echoed around her and the bodies before her were gone, drowned by ink.
She looked down and saw that her arms were covered in swirling, black symbols.
*
She woke in her bed, her hair damp with sweat.
That was the third time she'd had that nightmare in a month. She climbed out of bed and made her way to the bathroom.
Sleep still clouded her eyes and she turned the faucet on and leaned her head down, splashing the cool water over her face, washing the sleep from her eyes.
She turned the water off and reached for a towel to wipe it from her eyes. When she raised her head and met her eyes in the mirror, she clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming.
She leaned in, looking closely at her reflection, which seemed to have returned to normal. She sagged with relief. For a moment there, she thought she was seeing things.
For a moment, her eyes had been black.
* * *
Bram stood in awe as his vision cleared and he got his first good look at the Catalogs. They were row upon row of scrolls that glowed with a calming blue light.
He followed Slim and the Old Man deeper into the stacks, helpless to keep his eyes from examining each and every scroll as they passed by.
The scrolls seemed to react to their presence, glowing brighter as they approached, then dimming again once they'd passed.
"Does it go on forever?" He asked, his voice echoing around them.
Slim chuckled. "Not forever, no, but close enough."
Bram followed them deeper into the labyrinth until they reached a pedestal in the center of four intersecting corridors, each one as never-ending as the next.
The Old Man approached the pedestal while Bram and Slim stopped a respectful distance away.
"What's that?" Bram asked, he'd never been so deep into the Library, and was drinking in everything he could.
"It's one of the many Tomes," Slim answered in the same hushed tone Bram had used. "It contains most of the knowledge of the Library."
"The Tomes?" Bram asked.
"Yes," Slim replied. "The Tomes, while not actually books, are a compendium of all the knowledge we, as Librarians, have collected throughout the centuries."
"So each Tome contains a certain section?"
"Correct," Slim answered.
"Will you two shut up?" The Old Man threw over his shoulder, not bothering to look back at them.
"Sorry," they replied in unison and both watched with interest as the Old Man looked through numerous symbols, some which Bram recognized, while others he didn't. He was honest enough with himself to admit that a majority of them fell into the latter category.
He wasn't sure how long they stood there, the silence that surrounded them was almost a physical force, threatening to crush them. The only thing keeping the wave back was the occasional click or sigh from the pedestal.
Not for the first time, he wondered how old they were. The history of the Library had long been hidden, and only the Librarians truly know it's secrets.
The Old Man suddenly gasped, dragging Bram from his thoughts as the man stumbled away from the pedestal, ashen.
"What's wrong?" He asked at the same time as Slim as they both rushed forward, but the Old Man waved them away.
"I'm fine," he said. "It's been a while since I've read one of the Tomes."
"What did it say?" Bram asked, unconsciously leaning a little closer in anticipation.
The Old Man looked at him, his face a mix of concern and pity. "The Naruughe."
"The... the what?" He asked.
"The Naruughe," the Old Man repeated. "Is a creature that was locked within the pages of a book a very long time ago; before the Library came to be."
Bram's eyes widened. "What is it?"
"No one knows," the Old Man answered.
"I thought it was a myth," Slim said. "You're telling me that the Cela are real?"
"Wait, the Cela Cela?" Bram repeated. "Those things have been extinct for centuries!"
"Not all of them," the Old Man replied ominously. "A few, the Guardians of Old were able to trap within the pages of books, which were then hidden, never to be seen again,"
"Until now," Slim said, finishing the Old Man's sentence. They looked at each other gravely, each knowing the weight of what this meant, but Bram's thoughts were racing too fast, too chaotic to fully comprehend exactly what it meant that a Cela's prison had resurfaced, for he could only think of one thing: Sally.
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Friday, September 23, 2016
Happy Birthday, Sky!!!
Happy 21st Birthday!!!!!
*hands 21 Birthday cupcakes*
Hope you have a shiny day filled with a ton of books, cake and ice cream, and more books! :D
(Sorry it's a bit shorter than the other ones)
"Get it off me!" She yelled, wiping at her face.
"Sally, calm down." Bram said, grabbing her arms and turning her away from her reflection. "Breathe, okay?"
She took a deep, quivering breath.
"Good," He said. "We'll figure it out, okay?"
She nodded, but her eyes betrayed her fear. "What's happening to me?"
He shook his head. "I don't know," He admitted. "Look, it's gone."
She looked at her reflection again and to find her pale, wide-eyed face staring back at her, sans the symbols. She sighed in relief.
"But what was it? What caused it?" She asked her blue-eyed reflection. Behind her, Bram shrugged.
"I'll figure it out, I promise, but for now I think you should go home," He said, releasing her arms. "Try and get some rest. I promise I will contact you in a few days, alright?"
She nodded, too shaken to argue, and tried to calm her shaking hands. "How do I get back?"
"The same way you got here," He said. "Picture it in your mind and then will yourself there."
"Okay," She closed her eyes, picturing her bedroom, imagined how everything felt, what it smelled like.
When she opened her eyes, she was back in her room. She sighed and collapsed on her bed, studying her arms, but there was no sign that only a few minutes prior they were covered in swirling black symbols.
What did those symbols mean? She almost laughed. What did any of this mean? Why was she able to summon creatures, or travel to places she shouldn't be able to?
What was happening to her?
*
After Sally disappeared, Bram began picking up the remnants of what had once been a semi-organized table.
He looked around for the book she had picked up, finally finding it where it had landed several feet away.
He frowned as he studied it: there were no symbols on it now.
* * * *
"It has begun," The cloaked man said, raising his hands above the fiery brazier. "We won't have to wait much longer, my lord."
The dark figure behind the brazier chuckled. "Good."
* * * *
Sally dreamt strange dreams that night.
Some filled only with walking shadows, reaching out to her. Others were just voices, some screaming in pain, others shouting in what sounded like warnings, with one voice more distinct than the rest, that of a deep voice laughing.
She woke up in a cold sweat, her breathing ragged.
She ran a hand through her hair and looked at her clock. 3:05 am.
Groaning, she got out of bed and walked downstairs to get herself a glass of water.
She got a glass from the cabinet and turned on the faucet, allowing her eyes to close as she waited for the glass to fill.
When she opened them again, she screamed and dropped the glass, which shattered in the sink.
Her mother came racing down the stairs.
"What is it?" She said, carrying Sally's dads' old baseball bat.
Sally wordlessly pointed at the sink, and her mother gasped: what was coming out of the faucet wasn't water. It was ink.
* * * *
He raced down the halls, the now empty book cradled in the crook of his arm, trying to find a librarian to tell him what the book had been.
He had found it lying on the desk and had just picked it up when Sally had arrived, and he couldn't remember what he had been reading.
Finally, he found one, an old man called Slim.
"Slim!" Bram called, making the old man pause, allowing Bram to catch up. "I... need... your... help." He gasped, trying to catch his breath.
"With what?" Slim asked, his voice surprisingly silky for his age.
Bram wordlessly handed him the book while he continued to try and get his breath back.
Slim's eyes widened. "Where did you get this?" He demanded.
Bram shook his head. "It was on the table when I got there."
Slim shook his head, a worried light seeping into his eyes.
"Follow me," He said, leading Bram deeper into the Library.
* * * *
Sally sat at the kitchen island, eating her breakfast, and trying to shake off the bad mood she had been in all morning.
She had snapped at her brother (not all that unusual, actually), but she had become unnerved when she snapped at her mother, something she rarely, if ever, does.
It had been over laundry, of all things.
Her mother had asked her to do the laundry this week (the chores were on a rotation, some weeks Harry would do the laundry [not often, because he always messed it up], and then Sally would cook, and their mother would do the dishes, and other times, Harry would do the dishes, Sally would do the laundry, and their mother would cook, etc. etc.) as she had just taken on a new client to represent, and they had just gotten some new regulations (basically, she was pretty swamped), and Sally had snapped at her about it, leaving both parties in shock before Sally stormed off.
Her mother walked in then, followed by Harry.
"Mornin'," Harry said.
"Good morning, sweetheart." Her mother replied. Sally clenched her spoon tightly, they were being too obvious about trying not to set her off, which was about to set her off.
Instead of blowing her top (again), she stood and walked towards the living room.
"Sally, could you put your bowl in the sink please?" Her mother asked before Sally stepped over the threshold.
Sally just kept walking.
* * * *
Bram followed the librarian through the seemingly endless stacks of books. Some books were stacked neatly on their shelves, while others were piled carelessly on the floor, or on tables and chairs. Some stacks were as tall as Bram, some taller.
Bram hurried to catch up with Slim, who had gotten ahead of him whilst he'd been gawking at the books.
Slim led him to a small door, disguised as a wall. He pushed on a stone and it squeaked open on ancient and barely used hinges. The room beyond was definitely not barely used.
There were lit candelabras every two feet, showering the circular room in light, illuminating the many, upon many more bookshelves, which were infinitely more cared for than most of the ones they'd passed.
Directly across from the door was a large wooden desk, with some books stacked on it, and papers scattered everywhere.
There was a man seated at the desk, his head bowed over a stack of papers. He looked up at them when they walked in.
Slim bowed his head slightly. "Sir, we may have a situation."
"What is it?" The man said, his voice deep and baritone, shoving away the stack of papers, clearly glad of a distraction.
Slim held up the book. "This was found in the middle of the library."
The mans eyebrows shot up. "It was what?" He seemed to notice Bram for the first time. "Who are you?"
"Bram, sir." He said, receiving only a grunt in reply.
"Bram here is the one who discovered the book," Slim explained. "Apparently he found it among some other books that he had gathered."
The man now looked at Bram suspiciously, obviously thinking that Bram had somehow stolen the book.
"No, I didn't steal it." He said, meeting the mans unblinking stare with one of his own. "So you can lose the suspicious look."
The man chuckled. "I like him." Slim cleared his throat, bringing the mans attention back to the matter at hand. "Right, which book is it?"
"We're not sure, sir, its blank."
"Blank?"
"Yes, sir."
"How can a book go blank?" Bram asked. He thought it would be a stupid question for any ordinary occasion, but this was a magical library, and these were trained professionals, who were taught the mysterious of the library as soon as they passed the tests that it required, so he felt confident that he wouldn't be laughed out of the library.
"Haven't the faintest." The man behind the desk said, disappointing him. So much for the 'librarians are all knowing' saying. "Shall we find out what book it was?"
"How are you going to do that?"
"The usual way: checking the Catalogs."
"The catalogs?"
"Yes, the Catalogs." He answered as he stood and walked over to one of the bookshelves, followed by Slim and Bram, lagging behind, becoming even more uncomfortable with the situation. Why were they getting so excited about catalogs?
The man waved his hand in front of a large tome that had a strange rune on it that began glowing with a subtle blue light that gradually became brighter, until there was a swirling, blue portal where the bookshelf had once been.
"What is that?" He asked.
"The Catalogs." The man said, and stepped inside.
*hands 21 Birthday cupcakes*
Hope you have a shiny day filled with a ton of books, cake and ice cream, and more books! :D
(Sorry it's a bit shorter than the other ones)
"Get it off me!" She yelled, wiping at her face.
"Sally, calm down." Bram said, grabbing her arms and turning her away from her reflection. "Breathe, okay?"
She took a deep, quivering breath.
"Good," He said. "We'll figure it out, okay?"
She nodded, but her eyes betrayed her fear. "What's happening to me?"
He shook his head. "I don't know," He admitted. "Look, it's gone."
She looked at her reflection again and to find her pale, wide-eyed face staring back at her, sans the symbols. She sighed in relief.
"But what was it? What caused it?" She asked her blue-eyed reflection. Behind her, Bram shrugged.
"I'll figure it out, I promise, but for now I think you should go home," He said, releasing her arms. "Try and get some rest. I promise I will contact you in a few days, alright?"
She nodded, too shaken to argue, and tried to calm her shaking hands. "How do I get back?"
"The same way you got here," He said. "Picture it in your mind and then will yourself there."
"Okay," She closed her eyes, picturing her bedroom, imagined how everything felt, what it smelled like.
When she opened her eyes, she was back in her room. She sighed and collapsed on her bed, studying her arms, but there was no sign that only a few minutes prior they were covered in swirling black symbols.
What did those symbols mean? She almost laughed. What did any of this mean? Why was she able to summon creatures, or travel to places she shouldn't be able to?
What was happening to her?
*
After Sally disappeared, Bram began picking up the remnants of what had once been a semi-organized table.
He looked around for the book she had picked up, finally finding it where it had landed several feet away.
He frowned as he studied it: there were no symbols on it now.
* * * *
"It has begun," The cloaked man said, raising his hands above the fiery brazier. "We won't have to wait much longer, my lord."
The dark figure behind the brazier chuckled. "Good."
* * * *
Sally dreamt strange dreams that night.
Some filled only with walking shadows, reaching out to her. Others were just voices, some screaming in pain, others shouting in what sounded like warnings, with one voice more distinct than the rest, that of a deep voice laughing.
She woke up in a cold sweat, her breathing ragged.
She ran a hand through her hair and looked at her clock. 3:05 am.
Groaning, she got out of bed and walked downstairs to get herself a glass of water.
She got a glass from the cabinet and turned on the faucet, allowing her eyes to close as she waited for the glass to fill.
When she opened them again, she screamed and dropped the glass, which shattered in the sink.
Her mother came racing down the stairs.
"What is it?" She said, carrying Sally's dads' old baseball bat.
Sally wordlessly pointed at the sink, and her mother gasped: what was coming out of the faucet wasn't water. It was ink.
* * * *
He raced down the halls, the now empty book cradled in the crook of his arm, trying to find a librarian to tell him what the book had been.
He had found it lying on the desk and had just picked it up when Sally had arrived, and he couldn't remember what he had been reading.
Finally, he found one, an old man called Slim.
"Slim!" Bram called, making the old man pause, allowing Bram to catch up. "I... need... your... help." He gasped, trying to catch his breath.
"With what?" Slim asked, his voice surprisingly silky for his age.
Bram wordlessly handed him the book while he continued to try and get his breath back.
Slim's eyes widened. "Where did you get this?" He demanded.
Bram shook his head. "It was on the table when I got there."
Slim shook his head, a worried light seeping into his eyes.
"Follow me," He said, leading Bram deeper into the Library.
* * * *
Sally sat at the kitchen island, eating her breakfast, and trying to shake off the bad mood she had been in all morning.
She had snapped at her brother (not all that unusual, actually), but she had become unnerved when she snapped at her mother, something she rarely, if ever, does.
It had been over laundry, of all things.
Her mother had asked her to do the laundry this week (the chores were on a rotation, some weeks Harry would do the laundry [not often, because he always messed it up], and then Sally would cook, and their mother would do the dishes, and other times, Harry would do the dishes, Sally would do the laundry, and their mother would cook, etc. etc.) as she had just taken on a new client to represent, and they had just gotten some new regulations (basically, she was pretty swamped), and Sally had snapped at her about it, leaving both parties in shock before Sally stormed off.
Her mother walked in then, followed by Harry.
"Mornin'," Harry said.
"Good morning, sweetheart." Her mother replied. Sally clenched her spoon tightly, they were being too obvious about trying not to set her off, which was about to set her off.
Instead of blowing her top (again), she stood and walked towards the living room.
"Sally, could you put your bowl in the sink please?" Her mother asked before Sally stepped over the threshold.
Sally just kept walking.
* * * *
Bram followed the librarian through the seemingly endless stacks of books. Some books were stacked neatly on their shelves, while others were piled carelessly on the floor, or on tables and chairs. Some stacks were as tall as Bram, some taller.
Bram hurried to catch up with Slim, who had gotten ahead of him whilst he'd been gawking at the books.
Slim led him to a small door, disguised as a wall. He pushed on a stone and it squeaked open on ancient and barely used hinges. The room beyond was definitely not barely used.
There were lit candelabras every two feet, showering the circular room in light, illuminating the many, upon many more bookshelves, which were infinitely more cared for than most of the ones they'd passed.
Directly across from the door was a large wooden desk, with some books stacked on it, and papers scattered everywhere.
There was a man seated at the desk, his head bowed over a stack of papers. He looked up at them when they walked in.
Slim bowed his head slightly. "Sir, we may have a situation."
"What is it?" The man said, his voice deep and baritone, shoving away the stack of papers, clearly glad of a distraction.
Slim held up the book. "This was found in the middle of the library."
The mans eyebrows shot up. "It was what?" He seemed to notice Bram for the first time. "Who are you?"
"Bram, sir." He said, receiving only a grunt in reply.
"Bram here is the one who discovered the book," Slim explained. "Apparently he found it among some other books that he had gathered."
The man now looked at Bram suspiciously, obviously thinking that Bram had somehow stolen the book.
"No, I didn't steal it." He said, meeting the mans unblinking stare with one of his own. "So you can lose the suspicious look."
The man chuckled. "I like him." Slim cleared his throat, bringing the mans attention back to the matter at hand. "Right, which book is it?"
"We're not sure, sir, its blank."
"Blank?"
"Yes, sir."
"How can a book go blank?" Bram asked. He thought it would be a stupid question for any ordinary occasion, but this was a magical library, and these were trained professionals, who were taught the mysterious of the library as soon as they passed the tests that it required, so he felt confident that he wouldn't be laughed out of the library.
"Haven't the faintest." The man behind the desk said, disappointing him. So much for the 'librarians are all knowing' saying. "Shall we find out what book it was?"
"How are you going to do that?"
"The usual way: checking the Catalogs."
"The catalogs?"
"Yes, the Catalogs." He answered as he stood and walked over to one of the bookshelves, followed by Slim and Bram, lagging behind, becoming even more uncomfortable with the situation. Why were they getting so excited about catalogs?
The man waved his hand in front of a large tome that had a strange rune on it that began glowing with a subtle blue light that gradually became brighter, until there was a swirling, blue portal where the bookshelf had once been.
"What is that?" He asked.
"The Catalogs." The man said, and stepped inside.
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Chapter 44
Thankfully one of the guards at the entrance recognized them and ushered them in, waving over a stable hand to take care of the horses.
Deanna mumbled a 'thank you' to the boy, who was no older than fifteen, as he took Krennan's reigns from her.
Normally she would object and insist she take care of him herself, but seeing as how she could barely keep her eyes open, she couldn't be bothered.
The guard led them up to the kings tent, where Cayle was almost tackled by Cadman, who had seen them approaching from a nearby tent.
"I'm glad you're alive!" He said, a grin breaking out in his face. "Where's the girl?"
Cayle glanced at the guard, who had been watching, and the man ducked his head into the tent and announced the three of them, then stepped aside so they could enter.
The king was seated on a wooden chair at the head of a long table, that would ordinarily seat his advisors and generals, but which is now empty of all but the advisor.
The king stood as they entered, an anxious look on his face that made guilt twist in Deanna's gut that they had been unsuccessful.
His face fell as he saw that none of them were his daughter.
"I'm sorry," She said.
The advisor coughed at her lack of formality and she glared at him. This was not the time for formalities.
"We know where they are taking her, so we will be able to rescue her here." Cayle said, then added, after a glance at the advisor, who was scowling in disapproval. "Your Majesty."
The king took a few deep breaths, clearly trying to calm himself before he spoke. "Your advice to me is to wait? Who knows how they are treating my daughter in the meantime."
Deanna opened her mouth to speak when a trumpet sounded outside and a man ran inside and hurriedly bowed to the king.
"Forgive my interruption, Your Majesty." He said, his breathing labored slightly. "But we have spotted a group of people approaching the castle."
He hesitated.
"Yes?" The king prompted, attempting to keep his voice neutral, but his voice still shook slightly.
"We believe we have spotted Princess Marianna among them."
Deanna mumbled a 'thank you' to the boy, who was no older than fifteen, as he took Krennan's reigns from her.
Normally she would object and insist she take care of him herself, but seeing as how she could barely keep her eyes open, she couldn't be bothered.
The guard led them up to the kings tent, where Cayle was almost tackled by Cadman, who had seen them approaching from a nearby tent.
"I'm glad you're alive!" He said, a grin breaking out in his face. "Where's the girl?"
Cayle glanced at the guard, who had been watching, and the man ducked his head into the tent and announced the three of them, then stepped aside so they could enter.
The king was seated on a wooden chair at the head of a long table, that would ordinarily seat his advisors and generals, but which is now empty of all but the advisor.
The king stood as they entered, an anxious look on his face that made guilt twist in Deanna's gut that they had been unsuccessful.
His face fell as he saw that none of them were his daughter.
"I'm sorry," She said.
The advisor coughed at her lack of formality and she glared at him. This was not the time for formalities.
"We know where they are taking her, so we will be able to rescue her here." Cayle said, then added, after a glance at the advisor, who was scowling in disapproval. "Your Majesty."
The king took a few deep breaths, clearly trying to calm himself before he spoke. "Your advice to me is to wait? Who knows how they are treating my daughter in the meantime."
Deanna opened her mouth to speak when a trumpet sounded outside and a man ran inside and hurriedly bowed to the king.
"Forgive my interruption, Your Majesty." He said, his breathing labored slightly. "But we have spotted a group of people approaching the castle."
He hesitated.
"Yes?" The king prompted, attempting to keep his voice neutral, but his voice still shook slightly.
"We believe we have spotted Princess Marianna among them."
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Chapter 43
They looked at each other for a moment before acting as one, leading their horses off road into the small cluster of trees.
"Good thing the forest doesn't end for a couple more miles, huh?" Cayle whispered, grinning at her.
Deanna rolled her eyes as they crawled forward to get a view of the road.
They stopped just inside the tree line, where there were a few bushes to hide them should whomever is on the horses look in their direction.
They didn't have to wait long until the horses crested the small hill.
There were 3 riders, each with their own packhorse tethered to their horses. They were silent as they continued passed Deanna and Cayle's hiding place, before splitting up.
One man took the road north, the other two took the road to the south.
Once the riders were gone from sight, they slipped out of their hiding place and back towards the horses.
"Did you see what I saw?" Deanna asked, a frown on her face as she removed a collapsible bucket from her saddlebag and filled it with water for Krennan to drink from.
Cayle nodded. "One of those men was bearing the royal crest, but he looked no more a royal guard than I do."
She sighed as she leaned against a tree.
"What do you suppose we should do?" Cayle asked as he filled his own collapsible bucket for Starfall.
"I don't know." She said. "If there is an imposter in the royal house, we should warn the king, but would he listen to us?"
"Why wouldn't he?"
She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Really? A farmer and a fugitive? We'd be locked up before we got within two feet of the throne room."
He opened his mouth to reply, then shut it again. He couldn't argue with that.
"Then what are we supposed to do? Just let an impostor, a possible assassin, roam the castle grounds?"
"No," She said, picking up the bucket and putting it away, while also retrieving an apple and feeding it to Krennan. "We head back to the Dukes castle and talk to the others, we still need to rescue Marianna."
He didn't reply, so she continued. "Once we've accomplished that, then we will try and think of something to do about the 'guard.'"
'He nodded agreement and they led the horses out of the small copse of trees and mounted, immediately breaking into a gallop.
*
They spent a restless night in the saddle, stopping only to water the horses, before they would set off again.
When the light of day was just cresting over the hills in the distance, the Dukes castle came into view, and with it the Kings pavillion.
"Finally." Cayle said with relief.
Deanna nodded agreement and they spurred the horses into a trot towards the kings' camp.
"Good thing the forest doesn't end for a couple more miles, huh?" Cayle whispered, grinning at her.
Deanna rolled her eyes as they crawled forward to get a view of the road.
They stopped just inside the tree line, where there were a few bushes to hide them should whomever is on the horses look in their direction.
They didn't have to wait long until the horses crested the small hill.
There were 3 riders, each with their own packhorse tethered to their horses. They were silent as they continued passed Deanna and Cayle's hiding place, before splitting up.
One man took the road north, the other two took the road to the south.
Once the riders were gone from sight, they slipped out of their hiding place and back towards the horses.
"Did you see what I saw?" Deanna asked, a frown on her face as she removed a collapsible bucket from her saddlebag and filled it with water for Krennan to drink from.
Cayle nodded. "One of those men was bearing the royal crest, but he looked no more a royal guard than I do."
She sighed as she leaned against a tree.
"What do you suppose we should do?" Cayle asked as he filled his own collapsible bucket for Starfall.
"I don't know." She said. "If there is an imposter in the royal house, we should warn the king, but would he listen to us?"
"Why wouldn't he?"
She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Really? A farmer and a fugitive? We'd be locked up before we got within two feet of the throne room."
He opened his mouth to reply, then shut it again. He couldn't argue with that.
"Then what are we supposed to do? Just let an impostor, a possible assassin, roam the castle grounds?"
"No," She said, picking up the bucket and putting it away, while also retrieving an apple and feeding it to Krennan. "We head back to the Dukes castle and talk to the others, we still need to rescue Marianna."
He didn't reply, so she continued. "Once we've accomplished that, then we will try and think of something to do about the 'guard.'"
'He nodded agreement and they led the horses out of the small copse of trees and mounted, immediately breaking into a gallop.
*
They spent a restless night in the saddle, stopping only to water the horses, before they would set off again.
When the light of day was just cresting over the hills in the distance, the Dukes castle came into view, and with it the Kings pavillion.
"Finally." Cayle said with relief.
Deanna nodded agreement and they spurred the horses into a trot towards the kings' camp.
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Chapter 42
Herndon dismissed them all soon after, waiting until they had all filed out into the tunnel, before closing the door behind them and leaving the secret room with a smile on his face.
Fools.
* * *
"What should we do now?" Cayle asked, his blanket pulled up over his shoulders to ward off the chill of the night.
They had decided to camp in the clearing that night, and had deemed a fire too risky.
Deanna shrugged as she took a drink from her canteen. "We head back to the Dukes castle."
"Why?" He asked. "Shouldn't we try and pick up a trail?"
"Why?" She replied. "We already know where they're taking her."
"To be ransomed." Cayle said sullenly. "I don't like the idea of her being out there alone, with just her kidnappers for company."
"Neither do I," She said. "But there's nothing we can do; we don't know how much of a head start they have on us, and we'd probably just wander around the countryside in search of some clue, which they'd probably have covered up, costing us precious time."
He sighed. "I know."
"Besides, we need to head back to the Kings camp so that we can come up with a plan to rescue her."
"How are we going to do that?" He asked.
"I don't know," She said, laying down on the ground, wrapping her blanket around her. "That's why we need to head back first thing and make a plan. Goodnight."
*
"How is your ankle?" He asked, pausing. They had been leading the horses for a time to allow them to rest, and he had noticed that Deanna had started wincing with every step, which made him feel guilty, since had almost forgotten she had injured her ankle when they'd helped her escape from the Dukes castle.
"It's fine," She said. "Just twinges a bit."
"Well, we've been walking for a while now, I think it's time we switched to riding again." He said, preparing to mount his horse, who, since he didn't know the horses name, he had started calling Starfall.
"Wait," Deanna said, holding up her hand. "Do you hear that?"
"Horses." Cayle replied, putting his foot, which he had put in the stirrup in preparation of mounting, back on the ground. "Lots of horses."
Fools.
* * *
"What should we do now?" Cayle asked, his blanket pulled up over his shoulders to ward off the chill of the night.
They had decided to camp in the clearing that night, and had deemed a fire too risky.
Deanna shrugged as she took a drink from her canteen. "We head back to the Dukes castle."
"Why?" He asked. "Shouldn't we try and pick up a trail?"
"Why?" She replied. "We already know where they're taking her."
"To be ransomed." Cayle said sullenly. "I don't like the idea of her being out there alone, with just her kidnappers for company."
"Neither do I," She said. "But there's nothing we can do; we don't know how much of a head start they have on us, and we'd probably just wander around the countryside in search of some clue, which they'd probably have covered up, costing us precious time."
He sighed. "I know."
"Besides, we need to head back to the Kings camp so that we can come up with a plan to rescue her."
"How are we going to do that?" He asked.
"I don't know," She said, laying down on the ground, wrapping her blanket around her. "That's why we need to head back first thing and make a plan. Goodnight."
*
"How is your ankle?" He asked, pausing. They had been leading the horses for a time to allow them to rest, and he had noticed that Deanna had started wincing with every step, which made him feel guilty, since had almost forgotten she had injured her ankle when they'd helped her escape from the Dukes castle.
"It's fine," She said. "Just twinges a bit."
"Well, we've been walking for a while now, I think it's time we switched to riding again." He said, preparing to mount his horse, who, since he didn't know the horses name, he had started calling Starfall.
"Wait," Deanna said, holding up her hand. "Do you hear that?"
"Horses." Cayle replied, putting his foot, which he had put in the stirrup in preparation of mounting, back on the ground. "Lots of horses."
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Chapter 41
Harriet walked through the seemingly endless tunnel, her arm growing tired from holding the lantern aloft.
Her mood was almost as dark as the shadows that danced on the walls around her. Why had she been summoned? She hated talking to Herndon, he gave her the creeps, and she always felt as though he wasn't telling her the whole story.
Finally, the tunnel ended at a simple wooden door and she pushed it open and walked inside, quickly closing the door behind her so that the heat would not escape.
She set the lantern down on a table set up next to the door and walked over to the fireplace. She sighed in contentment.
This was much better than the cold, dank tunnels she had just spent an eternity walking down.
"Comfortable?" A voice asked, making her jump.
She spun around to face the speaker, seated in a corner of the room. "Why do you insist on doing that to me?" She asked, putting a hand over her heart.
The man stood and walked over to her. It was Cameron.
"Oh I'm sorry," He said, not sounding at all sorry. "Did I startle you?"
She opened her mouth to reply, when the door she had arrived through opened, letting in the chill of the tunnels, as well as two figures.
She stepped closer to the fire.
"Shut that thing, will you?" Cameron said, as one of the newcomers set his own lantern next to hers.
The newcomer, Harriet thought his name was Jared, cast an annoyed look at Cameron and closed the door, while the second, Jackson she believed his name was, looked around at the room.
He shed his cloak, revealing a clean military uniform, bearing the crest of the royal house of Huriendial: twin swords crossing over an Oak tree.
"Does anyone know why we were summoned?" Jared asked.
Harriet shook her head, as did Cameron.
"I suspect it is something to do with the Dukes plan." Cameron said.
"Why be so mysterious about it?" Harriet asked.
"You know that Herndon likes being mysterious." Cameron replied.
"Do I now?" A new voice said, and everyone jumped guiltily and turned to face Herndon, who was studying them all with a cool glare that set Harriet's teeth on edge.
She hated how he could make her feel so small so suddenly.
After an uncomfortable minute, Herndon's gaze relaxed a little from the icy glare he had been giving them, to his usual one of annoyance, as if he was surrounded by buzzing insects that wouldn't leave him alone.
"You are wondering why I summoned you." He said. "I have need of you."
"What do you need?" Jared asked after a moments hesitation. Apparently, Harriet wasn't the only one that Herndon made uncomfortable.
"You," He motioned towards Cameron and Jared. "Are to head to the Dukes estate and keep an eye on things."
They nodded as Herndon turned to Jackson. "How are things progressing?"
"The king is beginning to trust me," Jackson replied. "He has begun to take me into his confidences, but I have yet to learn of anything of great importance, but I am making progress."
Herndon nodded and finally turned to her. "And you, have you learned anything of use?"
She shook her head, trying to hide her unease. "No one has come asking about the Lady, but word has reached the village that she has been kidnapped, and that her father is camped outside of the Dukes castle."
"Anything else?"
"Rumors." She said.
"Of?"
She shrugged. "There are rumors that a ship has been sighted on the Westborn sea, and that the prince has been kidnapped. Some claim that the ship is filled with pirates who abducted the prince for ransom."
Herndon nodded thoughtfully and turned to Jackson.
"Any basis for this?" He asked.
Jackson shrugged. "The prince left for a minor excursion and never returned, some are claiming that he has been kidnapped by a rival king, others by pirates, as the girl says."
Harriet bristled at being called 'the girl'. After all, she was the one who had been trusted with kidnapping Marianna and keeping her hidden until it was time for her to be moved, but she said nothing.
She would let her actions speak for her.
Her mood was almost as dark as the shadows that danced on the walls around her. Why had she been summoned? She hated talking to Herndon, he gave her the creeps, and she always felt as though he wasn't telling her the whole story.
Finally, the tunnel ended at a simple wooden door and she pushed it open and walked inside, quickly closing the door behind her so that the heat would not escape.
She set the lantern down on a table set up next to the door and walked over to the fireplace. She sighed in contentment.
This was much better than the cold, dank tunnels she had just spent an eternity walking down.
"Comfortable?" A voice asked, making her jump.
She spun around to face the speaker, seated in a corner of the room. "Why do you insist on doing that to me?" She asked, putting a hand over her heart.
The man stood and walked over to her. It was Cameron.
"Oh I'm sorry," He said, not sounding at all sorry. "Did I startle you?"
She opened her mouth to reply, when the door she had arrived through opened, letting in the chill of the tunnels, as well as two figures.
She stepped closer to the fire.
"Shut that thing, will you?" Cameron said, as one of the newcomers set his own lantern next to hers.
The newcomer, Harriet thought his name was Jared, cast an annoyed look at Cameron and closed the door, while the second, Jackson she believed his name was, looked around at the room.
He shed his cloak, revealing a clean military uniform, bearing the crest of the royal house of Huriendial: twin swords crossing over an Oak tree.
"Does anyone know why we were summoned?" Jared asked.
Harriet shook her head, as did Cameron.
"I suspect it is something to do with the Dukes plan." Cameron said.
"Why be so mysterious about it?" Harriet asked.
"You know that Herndon likes being mysterious." Cameron replied.
"Do I now?" A new voice said, and everyone jumped guiltily and turned to face Herndon, who was studying them all with a cool glare that set Harriet's teeth on edge.
She hated how he could make her feel so small so suddenly.
After an uncomfortable minute, Herndon's gaze relaxed a little from the icy glare he had been giving them, to his usual one of annoyance, as if he was surrounded by buzzing insects that wouldn't leave him alone.
"You are wondering why I summoned you." He said. "I have need of you."
"What do you need?" Jared asked after a moments hesitation. Apparently, Harriet wasn't the only one that Herndon made uncomfortable.
"You," He motioned towards Cameron and Jared. "Are to head to the Dukes estate and keep an eye on things."
They nodded as Herndon turned to Jackson. "How are things progressing?"
"The king is beginning to trust me," Jackson replied. "He has begun to take me into his confidences, but I have yet to learn of anything of great importance, but I am making progress."
Herndon nodded and finally turned to her. "And you, have you learned anything of use?"
She shook her head, trying to hide her unease. "No one has come asking about the Lady, but word has reached the village that she has been kidnapped, and that her father is camped outside of the Dukes castle."
"Anything else?"
"Rumors." She said.
"Of?"
She shrugged. "There are rumors that a ship has been sighted on the Westborn sea, and that the prince has been kidnapped. Some claim that the ship is filled with pirates who abducted the prince for ransom."
Herndon nodded thoughtfully and turned to Jackson.
"Any basis for this?" He asked.
Jackson shrugged. "The prince left for a minor excursion and never returned, some are claiming that he has been kidnapped by a rival king, others by pirates, as the girl says."
Harriet bristled at being called 'the girl'. After all, she was the one who had been trusted with kidnapping Marianna and keeping her hidden until it was time for her to be moved, but she said nothing.
She would let her actions speak for her.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Chapter 40
She stood there, staring at the empty room, muttering a string of curses.
They'd been too late.
Marianna was gone.
She closed the door and put the padlock back on and made her way over to the stairs, blowing out her lantern and plunging the room into darkness.
She waited, listening for sounds of people above her. All was silent.
She slowly walked up the stairs and opened the trapdoor slightly, enough to see out of.
She could see Cayle still speaking with Harriet, now with a meal in front of him that looked as though it had already been eaten.
A waitress walked passed Harriet into the backroom and Deanna dropped the trapdoor, silently slipping back down the stairs and back into her hiding place.
The door opened and she held her breath as the waitresses descended.
She looked around, as confused look on her face and Deanna thought she had been spotted before her expression cleared and she walked over to a box that housed wine, rifled through it for a minute, before pulling out a bottle and returning upstairs.
Deanna released her breath and leaned back against the wall. That had been close.
* * *
Hurry up, Deanna. Cayle thought as he ate his meal, a concoction of ingredients that's origins he did not want to ponder, listening to a story Harriet was telling him, occasionally interjecting a witty comment, making her laugh. I can only be charming for so long.
He saw the trapdoor start to open and was just about to feel relieved when he caught sight of movement out of the corner of his eye: one of the waitresses had walked passed him, heading for the cellar.
He caught his breath as the cellar door slammed shut just as the waitress got close. She didn't appear to have seen the movement, as she opened the door and descended in the cellars depths, emerging a short time later with a bottle of what appeared to be wine, closing the door behind her.
He breathed a silent sigh of relief that she didn't appear to have spotted Deanna when she was below, and turned his focus back to Harriet when he realized she had asked him a question.
"I'm sorry, what?" He asked, smiling.
She returned the smile. "I asked if you had a place to stay tonight. We have plenty of rooms available if you'd like to stay here."
"I'm sorry, but unfortunately, I am only passing through." He said, his smile turning to one of sadness.
Her smile faded. "Alright then, perhaps another time." She said.
"Perhaps." He said, still smiling at her.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of blonde hair beneath a hood walk passed him and a frown threatened to tug at his lips, and he knew that it was time to leave.
He straightened up. "I think I had better get going now,"
"Very well then." Harriet replied, also standing straighter. He left a few coins on the counter and turned to leave, but her voice stopped him. "It occurs to me that you have remained nameless throughout our exchange."
He turns to face her again and waited for her to continue.
"Might you leave me your name?" She asked.
"A little mystery is good for the soul." He replied, dipping his head in a small bow. "Thank you for the meal, milady."
She smiled at the title. "You're welcome, milord."
* * *
He met Deanna at the clearing where they had left their horses.
She was standing near her horse, Krennan, absently patting his neck while he ate an apple.
"Well?" He asked, nearing her.
She looked up at him as he approached, but didn't reply.
"What happened?" He prompted. "Where is Marianna?"
"She's gone." Deanna said simply, her tone distracted.
"Gone?" He repeated. "What kind of gone."
"Missing, vanished, moved." Deanna replied sharply. "She wasn't in the cellar."
"They moved her already?" He asked, frowning, and when she nodded, he continued. "Why do you think they did that?"
"I'm not sure." She said. "They could have just left for the meeting with the Duke, or they could have caught wind that we were coming."
"Harriet didn't seem as though she'd been alerted." He mused.
She looked at him with a strange look in her eyes. "Really? I wouldn't have thought you'd notice anything beyond all the flirting you two were doing."
He didn't say anything. Was that jealousy he heard in her tone?
"Besides," Deanna continued, walking to the center of the clearing. "She's a good liar."
They'd been too late.
Marianna was gone.
She closed the door and put the padlock back on and made her way over to the stairs, blowing out her lantern and plunging the room into darkness.
She waited, listening for sounds of people above her. All was silent.
She slowly walked up the stairs and opened the trapdoor slightly, enough to see out of.
She could see Cayle still speaking with Harriet, now with a meal in front of him that looked as though it had already been eaten.
A waitress walked passed Harriet into the backroom and Deanna dropped the trapdoor, silently slipping back down the stairs and back into her hiding place.
The door opened and she held her breath as the waitresses descended.
She looked around, as confused look on her face and Deanna thought she had been spotted before her expression cleared and she walked over to a box that housed wine, rifled through it for a minute, before pulling out a bottle and returning upstairs.
Deanna released her breath and leaned back against the wall. That had been close.
* * *
Hurry up, Deanna. Cayle thought as he ate his meal, a concoction of ingredients that's origins he did not want to ponder, listening to a story Harriet was telling him, occasionally interjecting a witty comment, making her laugh. I can only be charming for so long.
He saw the trapdoor start to open and was just about to feel relieved when he caught sight of movement out of the corner of his eye: one of the waitresses had walked passed him, heading for the cellar.
He caught his breath as the cellar door slammed shut just as the waitress got close. She didn't appear to have seen the movement, as she opened the door and descended in the cellars depths, emerging a short time later with a bottle of what appeared to be wine, closing the door behind her.
He breathed a silent sigh of relief that she didn't appear to have spotted Deanna when she was below, and turned his focus back to Harriet when he realized she had asked him a question.
"I'm sorry, what?" He asked, smiling.
She returned the smile. "I asked if you had a place to stay tonight. We have plenty of rooms available if you'd like to stay here."
"I'm sorry, but unfortunately, I am only passing through." He said, his smile turning to one of sadness.
Her smile faded. "Alright then, perhaps another time." She said.
"Perhaps." He said, still smiling at her.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of blonde hair beneath a hood walk passed him and a frown threatened to tug at his lips, and he knew that it was time to leave.
He straightened up. "I think I had better get going now,"
"Very well then." Harriet replied, also standing straighter. He left a few coins on the counter and turned to leave, but her voice stopped him. "It occurs to me that you have remained nameless throughout our exchange."
He turns to face her again and waited for her to continue.
"Might you leave me your name?" She asked.
"A little mystery is good for the soul." He replied, dipping his head in a small bow. "Thank you for the meal, milady."
She smiled at the title. "You're welcome, milord."
* * *
He met Deanna at the clearing where they had left their horses.
She was standing near her horse, Krennan, absently patting his neck while he ate an apple.
"Well?" He asked, nearing her.
She looked up at him as he approached, but didn't reply.
"What happened?" He prompted. "Where is Marianna?"
"She's gone." Deanna said simply, her tone distracted.
"Gone?" He repeated. "What kind of gone."
"Missing, vanished, moved." Deanna replied sharply. "She wasn't in the cellar."
"They moved her already?" He asked, frowning, and when she nodded, he continued. "Why do you think they did that?"
"I'm not sure." She said. "They could have just left for the meeting with the Duke, or they could have caught wind that we were coming."
"Harriet didn't seem as though she'd been alerted." He mused.
She looked at him with a strange look in her eyes. "Really? I wouldn't have thought you'd notice anything beyond all the flirting you two were doing."
He didn't say anything. Was that jealousy he heard in her tone?
"Besides," Deanna continued, walking to the center of the clearing. "She's a good liar."
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Chapter 39
"So why are you after Herndon?" Cayle asked after they had been traveling for a while.
"It's complicated." Deanna replied in a terse voice that said that she did not want to discuss it. But Cayle was bored and feeling stubborn.
"I like complicated stories." He said.
"Too bad." She said, urging Krennan a little ahead of Cayle.
"Oh come on," He said, smiling. "You can't even give me a hint?"
"Nope." She threw back over her shoulder. "And if you were smart, you'd be focusing on how we're going to get Marianna."
He fell silent. She had a point, a very good point.
"Any idea where this Harriet might be keeping her?" He asked, urging his own horse forward.
"No," Deanna said with a frown. "I suspect a basement, as I didn't see a barn nearby."
"What do we do when we get there?" He asked. "Storm the place, swords twirling?"
"I was thinking a more subtle approach." She replied.
"Oh?" He prompted.
"Well, she hasn't met you yet, and if she saw me again she might get suspicious." She said. "I was thinking that if I could get passed her, I could investigate the backroom."
"So I'm the diversion?" He said.
"Pretty much." She said.
"Well, at least I have a purpose." He said.
* * *
When Cayle opened the door, he was hit by a variety of smells: ale, sweat, and smoke, both from pipes and the fireplace he could see as he walked towards the bar.
He stood at the bar, looking around the room, trying to surreptitiously spot Deanna, but there were several cloaked patrons, making spotting her difficult.
He saw someone seated in a corner, and thought he caught a flash of blonde hair when someone coughed at the bar, dragging his attention away from the crowd.
"Hello." A young woman said. She was pretty, with shoulder-length chestnut hair and sparkling gray eyes. She didn't look like a manipulative killer.
"Hi," He said, smiling his best smile.
"What can I get you?" She said, returning the smile.
"You're name, for starters." He said, his grin turning slightly impish.
She laughed. "My name is Harriet."
"A pretty name for a pretty girl." He said, earning himself another laugh.
"Well, aren't you smooth." She said.
"I'll have an ale, if you please."
"Coming right up." She said, turning to the massive shelves on her right, filled to the brim with alcohol.
Cayle sensed someone walk passed him, but dare not look, for fear that the slight movement of his head would draw Harriet's attention.
She turned back to him with a glass of ale. "Will there be anything else?"
"Depends," He said, sipping the ale. It was bitter and tasted like it's expiration date had come and went, but he didn't let his disgust show. "What do you recommend?"
She smiled. "Well, we have several specials available, would you like me to get you a menu?"
She turned to go to the backroom.
"No." He said sharply, making her turn back, a frown now creasing her face. "I would prefer if you could tell me."
"Why?" She asked, sounding suspicious now.
"Well, if I were to request a menu, then you would have to go and get it, depriving me of your presence." He said, smiling again. Internally, he was kicking himself for being so obvious, hoping that she would believe him.
She smiled in return again as she leaned on the bar. "Well, that's a bit unusual, but you're cute, so, just this once."
He only half-listened to what she listed, his thoughts distracted, hoping that Deanna would be able to find Marianna.
* * *
Deanna sat in the corner, her hood pulled up as far as it could go, watching as Cayle approached the bar and began speaking with Harriet.
She heard Harriet laugh at something Cayle had said. Flirting with Harriet, she corrected.
When Harriet turned to get him something to drink, she took her chance and quickly walked over to the bar, passing Cayle, and keeping a close eye on Harriet, lest she turn around and recognize her, even though she had her hood pulled up.
She made it into the backroom with no trouble, all the waitresses were on the floor, running orders and refilling drinks.
She looked around the small backroom, her eyes falling on a trapdoor.
She walked over and grabbed the handle, opening it as quietly as she could, casting anxious glances over her shoulder, hoping a waitress, or Harriet, didn't come back to get something or to investigate the noise.
The trapdoor revealed a short set of stairs, which she walked down, closing the door as she climbed down.
It was dark in the cellar and she felt around for something and found an oil lamp.
She felt in her pocket for her flint and lit the small wicker in the lamp, holding it in front of her as she took in her surroundings: she was in a food cellar.
She looked around, but there was no sign of Marianna.
She did a thorough inspection, but aside from some evidence of mice, there was no sign of the princess.
She was about to leave when she noticed a door that had been more or less camouflaged so as to go unnoticed.
She hurried over and noticed a padlock that had been purposely allowed to rust, so that it didn't reflect light anymore.
She pulled out her lock picking tools from her pocket, glad she had decided to bring them instead of leaving them in her saddlebag, and got to work.
She heard footsteps and froze.
She heard the cellar door open and she ducked down behind some wooden boxes, using her cloak to shield the light of the oil-lamp from view.
A waitress walked over to a water-tight box, taking a key out of her pocket, she unlocked it and pulled out something that looked like cheese, before quickly closing the lid and re-locking it, returning upstairs.
Deanna let out the breath she had been holding as the cellar went dark.
She walked back over to the door and set to work again. She was rewarded by a faint 'click' as the padlock unlocked.
She pulled the lock off and pushed the door open.
Inside was a small room, with a wooden pole set up in the middle.
She stared at the pole and started cursing.
The room was empty.
"It's complicated." Deanna replied in a terse voice that said that she did not want to discuss it. But Cayle was bored and feeling stubborn.
"I like complicated stories." He said.
"Too bad." She said, urging Krennan a little ahead of Cayle.
"Oh come on," He said, smiling. "You can't even give me a hint?"
"Nope." She threw back over her shoulder. "And if you were smart, you'd be focusing on how we're going to get Marianna."
He fell silent. She had a point, a very good point.
"Any idea where this Harriet might be keeping her?" He asked, urging his own horse forward.
"No," Deanna said with a frown. "I suspect a basement, as I didn't see a barn nearby."
"What do we do when we get there?" He asked. "Storm the place, swords twirling?"
"I was thinking a more subtle approach." She replied.
"Oh?" He prompted.
"Well, she hasn't met you yet, and if she saw me again she might get suspicious." She said. "I was thinking that if I could get passed her, I could investigate the backroom."
"So I'm the diversion?" He said.
"Pretty much." She said.
"Well, at least I have a purpose." He said.
* * *
When Cayle opened the door, he was hit by a variety of smells: ale, sweat, and smoke, both from pipes and the fireplace he could see as he walked towards the bar.
He stood at the bar, looking around the room, trying to surreptitiously spot Deanna, but there were several cloaked patrons, making spotting her difficult.
He saw someone seated in a corner, and thought he caught a flash of blonde hair when someone coughed at the bar, dragging his attention away from the crowd.
"Hello." A young woman said. She was pretty, with shoulder-length chestnut hair and sparkling gray eyes. She didn't look like a manipulative killer.
"Hi," He said, smiling his best smile.
"What can I get you?" She said, returning the smile.
"You're name, for starters." He said, his grin turning slightly impish.
She laughed. "My name is Harriet."
"A pretty name for a pretty girl." He said, earning himself another laugh.
"Well, aren't you smooth." She said.
"I'll have an ale, if you please."
"Coming right up." She said, turning to the massive shelves on her right, filled to the brim with alcohol.
Cayle sensed someone walk passed him, but dare not look, for fear that the slight movement of his head would draw Harriet's attention.
She turned back to him with a glass of ale. "Will there be anything else?"
"Depends," He said, sipping the ale. It was bitter and tasted like it's expiration date had come and went, but he didn't let his disgust show. "What do you recommend?"
She smiled. "Well, we have several specials available, would you like me to get you a menu?"
She turned to go to the backroom.
"No." He said sharply, making her turn back, a frown now creasing her face. "I would prefer if you could tell me."
"Why?" She asked, sounding suspicious now.
"Well, if I were to request a menu, then you would have to go and get it, depriving me of your presence." He said, smiling again. Internally, he was kicking himself for being so obvious, hoping that she would believe him.
She smiled in return again as she leaned on the bar. "Well, that's a bit unusual, but you're cute, so, just this once."
He only half-listened to what she listed, his thoughts distracted, hoping that Deanna would be able to find Marianna.
* * *
Deanna sat in the corner, her hood pulled up as far as it could go, watching as Cayle approached the bar and began speaking with Harriet.
She heard Harriet laugh at something Cayle had said. Flirting with Harriet, she corrected.
When Harriet turned to get him something to drink, she took her chance and quickly walked over to the bar, passing Cayle, and keeping a close eye on Harriet, lest she turn around and recognize her, even though she had her hood pulled up.
She made it into the backroom with no trouble, all the waitresses were on the floor, running orders and refilling drinks.
She looked around the small backroom, her eyes falling on a trapdoor.
She walked over and grabbed the handle, opening it as quietly as she could, casting anxious glances over her shoulder, hoping a waitress, or Harriet, didn't come back to get something or to investigate the noise.
The trapdoor revealed a short set of stairs, which she walked down, closing the door as she climbed down.
It was dark in the cellar and she felt around for something and found an oil lamp.
She felt in her pocket for her flint and lit the small wicker in the lamp, holding it in front of her as she took in her surroundings: she was in a food cellar.
She looked around, but there was no sign of Marianna.
She did a thorough inspection, but aside from some evidence of mice, there was no sign of the princess.
She was about to leave when she noticed a door that had been more or less camouflaged so as to go unnoticed.
She hurried over and noticed a padlock that had been purposely allowed to rust, so that it didn't reflect light anymore.
She pulled out her lock picking tools from her pocket, glad she had decided to bring them instead of leaving them in her saddlebag, and got to work.
She heard footsteps and froze.
She heard the cellar door open and she ducked down behind some wooden boxes, using her cloak to shield the light of the oil-lamp from view.
A waitress walked over to a water-tight box, taking a key out of her pocket, she unlocked it and pulled out something that looked like cheese, before quickly closing the lid and re-locking it, returning upstairs.
Deanna let out the breath she had been holding as the cellar went dark.
She walked back over to the door and set to work again. She was rewarded by a faint 'click' as the padlock unlocked.
She pulled the lock off and pushed the door open.
Inside was a small room, with a wooden pole set up in the middle.
She stared at the pole and started cursing.
The room was empty.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Chapter 38
Deanna ran to Krennan, her mind flashing back to the Inn Keepers daughter. Had she been manipulating everything from the start?
"Deanna, wait!" Cayle shouted, chasing after her, grabbing her hand just before she could mount Krennan. "What's wrong?"
"I know this girl." She explained, retrieving her hand.
"Marianna?"
"No, Harriet." She said. "I stayed at that Inn."
She silently cursed herself as she mounted Krennan and took off at a run. Why couldn't she see what Harriet really was?
Cayle cursed then ran to one of the mounted guards. "I need to barrow your horse."
"What?" The guard asked.
"Sorry about this." Before the guard could react, Cayle reached up and yanked the guard from the horse, then climbed on. "Cadman!"
"Yeah?" Cadman asked, wondering where his friends' wits had gone.
"Hold down the fort here and watch Finn." Cayle yelled before he took off after Deanna.
"What am I? Two?" Finn asked.
"Don't sulk, Finn, it's unbecoming." Cadman said.
* * *
He managed to catch up to Deanna. "Wait up!" He yelled as she pulled ahead,
"Quit following me!" She yelled back. "I am sick of you following me!"
"I'm trying to help." He said.
"Don't!" She said. "I can do this on my own."
"Why can't you accept my help?" She pulled up short, and Cayle didn't notice immediately.
He turned the horse around and trotted back to where she was staring at him.
"Why on EARTH would I accept help from a guy sent to kill me?" She demanded. "Answer me that."
"I wasn't sent to kill you." He said.
"Just kidnap me?"
He started to speak, but stopped. She was right.
He was sent to abduct her.
"You're right." He said. "I was sent here to retrieve you, but you killed a man."
"Not this again." She said, rolling her eyes. "I didn't kill anyone!"
He looked at her.
"Oh come on, killing people trying to kill me doesn't count." She said. "That's self-defense."
"So you didn't kill Gregory Hamel?" He asked, skeptical.
"No, I didn't."
"Then who did?"
She hesitated.
"Deanna?" Cayle said. "Do you know who killed him?"
She didn't answer for a long minute, before finally, she nodded.
"Then who?" He said, and when she didn't respond, he sighed irritably. "Deanna, if you know who did it, tell me, we can bring in the real culprit and the price on your head goes away."
"It's not that simple."
"Why not?"
"Because the man who killed Hamel is too powerful for that to work." She said. "He would just find some way to get out of it, and then I would be found hanging."
"Who is this guy, Deanna?" Cayle asked. "Why are you scared of him?"
"I am not scared of him."
"Then why won't you tell me his name?" He countered.
"It wouldn't make any difference." She said, attempting to push Krennan forward, but Cayle blocked her path.
"Then tell me." He said. "Deanna, you have to trust me; I can help you."
She looked at him for a long moment, before sighing. "His name is Herndon."
Cayle stared at her in shock. "Herndon? As in the 'Advisor to the King' Herndon?"
She nodded.
Cayle whistled. "When you pick trouble, you don't mess around."
* * *
"You're doing well." The man said, making Harriet jump and almost drop the cup she had been cleaning.
She spun around to face him. "Don't do that to me!"
"I would have thought you'd have been made of tougher stuff." He said teasingly. "I've been sent to inspect the merchandise."
"I assure you the package is intact." She said.
"I have my orders." He said.
She shrugged and led him to the storeroom, unlocking the door and stepping aside.
"Wakey wakey, Princess." She said. "You have a visitor."
Marianna looked up from where she was bound and flinched at the sudden brightness of the still open storeroom door.
"Hello, Princess." The man said, crouching beside her and removing the gag from her mouth. "My name is Cameron."
"What do you want?" She asked.
"I am simply here to make sure you are relatively unharmed." He said. "I have to check for loss of limbs, organs, stuff like that."
He stood and walked behind her, making sure she had both arms and hands, and all ten fingers, then he made sure she still had her legs and feet, with all her toes.
Then he crouched in front of her again. "Have you been operated on at any point?"
She shook her head.
"Have you been well fed?" She shook her head again.
He glanced briefly at Harriet, who shrugged innocently; he turned back to Marianna and asked a few more questions about what had happened since she had been captured.
Aside from a minor beating to subdue her when she was captured and a bit of malnutrition, she seemed in fine health.
He stood and walked behind Marianna again and undid her bonds, he doubted the poor girl had been given time to let the blood flow back to her limbs.
"What are you doing?" Harriet demanded, stepping forward. "She'll try to
escape!"
"I doubt it," Cameron said. "And even if she tried, judging by how she's rubbing her arms and legs, she wouldn't be able to get far anyway." He met Harriet's eyes.
"Did you let her limbs breathe?" He asked, and when she didn't reply, he sighed. "You idiot." He raised his hand to halt her retort. "You have to undo her bonds every so often so that her limbs don't die."
She looked at him for a moment before responding. "I didn't want to risk her escaping."
"You'd better hope that she's a fast healer, otherwise you'll have to deal with the Duke and his temper."
He walked passed her to leave, but paused and turned back. "And feed the poor girl. She's no use to us dead."
Harriet didn't reply as she closed and locked the storeroom door.
He gave her a look.
"What?" She said. "I can't risk her running away whilst I am preparing her food, now can I?"
He leaned against one of the shelves of food to make sure she did
indeed feed the girl.
He watched as Harriet prepared a meal of ham, cheese, and bread and take it to the girl, along with some water to wash it down with.
"You expect her to eat in the dark?" He asked, looking pointedly at a candle.
She sighed, barely containing her irritation and opened the storeroom again, bringing the candle inside and lighting it before coming out and looking at him expectantly.
"Any more orders?"
"No, you can close the door now." And she did. He waited until they were in the empty dining room before speaking
again.
"You should retie her bonds once she's finished eating." He said.
"No? Really?" Harriet said sarcastically.
"Says the girl who didn't know you were supposed to loosen them every few hours." He countered.
He could see the denial in her eyes before she even began to speak.
"Don't give me that 'I did know' crap," He said. "What part of 'she is not to be harmed' did you not get?"
"She is not harmed!" Harriet snapped.
"Oh really? And what do you call not being fed and almost losing her arms because you didn't want to deal with it?" She glared at him. "You're a moron, Harriet, I just didn't realize how dumb you were."
"That's harsh." She said.
"No, it's not, that's being polite." He said. "You were clever enough to kill your father and get your mother to cover for you, but that was as far as your cleverness goes, apparently. If I hadn't come when I did, she would probably have lost all of her limbs, thanks to you, plus the malnutrition, both of which are harmful, by the way."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine, I got the message."
"Good," He said, picking up his pack from the table. "Because if she is harmed in any way, we'll both get skinned."
She paled visibly as he walked out the door.
"Deanna, wait!" Cayle shouted, chasing after her, grabbing her hand just before she could mount Krennan. "What's wrong?"
"I know this girl." She explained, retrieving her hand.
"Marianna?"
"No, Harriet." She said. "I stayed at that Inn."
She silently cursed herself as she mounted Krennan and took off at a run. Why couldn't she see what Harriet really was?
Cayle cursed then ran to one of the mounted guards. "I need to barrow your horse."
"What?" The guard asked.
"Sorry about this." Before the guard could react, Cayle reached up and yanked the guard from the horse, then climbed on. "Cadman!"
"Yeah?" Cadman asked, wondering where his friends' wits had gone.
"Hold down the fort here and watch Finn." Cayle yelled before he took off after Deanna.
"What am I? Two?" Finn asked.
"Don't sulk, Finn, it's unbecoming." Cadman said.
* * *
He managed to catch up to Deanna. "Wait up!" He yelled as she pulled ahead,
"Quit following me!" She yelled back. "I am sick of you following me!"
"I'm trying to help." He said.
"Don't!" She said. "I can do this on my own."
"Why can't you accept my help?" She pulled up short, and Cayle didn't notice immediately.
He turned the horse around and trotted back to where she was staring at him.
"Why on EARTH would I accept help from a guy sent to kill me?" She demanded. "Answer me that."
"I wasn't sent to kill you." He said.
"Just kidnap me?"
He started to speak, but stopped. She was right.
He was sent to abduct her.
"You're right." He said. "I was sent here to retrieve you, but you killed a man."
"Not this again." She said, rolling her eyes. "I didn't kill anyone!"
He looked at her.
"Oh come on, killing people trying to kill me doesn't count." She said. "That's self-defense."
"So you didn't kill Gregory Hamel?" He asked, skeptical.
"No, I didn't."
"Then who did?"
She hesitated.
"Deanna?" Cayle said. "Do you know who killed him?"
She didn't answer for a long minute, before finally, she nodded.
"Then who?" He said, and when she didn't respond, he sighed irritably. "Deanna, if you know who did it, tell me, we can bring in the real culprit and the price on your head goes away."
"It's not that simple."
"Why not?"
"Because the man who killed Hamel is too powerful for that to work." She said. "He would just find some way to get out of it, and then I would be found hanging."
"Who is this guy, Deanna?" Cayle asked. "Why are you scared of him?"
"I am not scared of him."
"Then why won't you tell me his name?" He countered.
"It wouldn't make any difference." She said, attempting to push Krennan forward, but Cayle blocked her path.
"Then tell me." He said. "Deanna, you have to trust me; I can help you."
She looked at him for a long moment, before sighing. "His name is Herndon."
Cayle stared at her in shock. "Herndon? As in the 'Advisor to the King' Herndon?"
She nodded.
Cayle whistled. "When you pick trouble, you don't mess around."
* * *
"You're doing well." The man said, making Harriet jump and almost drop the cup she had been cleaning.
She spun around to face him. "Don't do that to me!"
"I would have thought you'd have been made of tougher stuff." He said teasingly. "I've been sent to inspect the merchandise."
"I assure you the package is intact." She said.
"I have my orders." He said.
She shrugged and led him to the storeroom, unlocking the door and stepping aside.
"Wakey wakey, Princess." She said. "You have a visitor."
Marianna looked up from where she was bound and flinched at the sudden brightness of the still open storeroom door.
"Hello, Princess." The man said, crouching beside her and removing the gag from her mouth. "My name is Cameron."
"What do you want?" She asked.
"I am simply here to make sure you are relatively unharmed." He said. "I have to check for loss of limbs, organs, stuff like that."
He stood and walked behind her, making sure she had both arms and hands, and all ten fingers, then he made sure she still had her legs and feet, with all her toes.
Then he crouched in front of her again. "Have you been operated on at any point?"
She shook her head.
"Have you been well fed?" She shook her head again.
He glanced briefly at Harriet, who shrugged innocently; he turned back to Marianna and asked a few more questions about what had happened since she had been captured.
Aside from a minor beating to subdue her when she was captured and a bit of malnutrition, she seemed in fine health.
He stood and walked behind Marianna again and undid her bonds, he doubted the poor girl had been given time to let the blood flow back to her limbs.
"I doubt it," Cameron said. "And even if she tried, judging by how she's rubbing her arms and legs, she wouldn't be able to get far anyway."
"Did you let her limbs breathe?" He asked, and when she didn't reply, he sighed. "You idiot." He raised his hand to halt her retort. "You have to undo her bonds every so often so that her limbs don't die."
She looked at him for a moment before responding. "I didn't want to risk her escaping."
"You'd better hope that she's a fast healer, otherwise you'll have to deal with the Duke and his temper."
He walked passed her to leave, but paused and turned back. "And feed the poor girl. She's no use to us dead."
Harriet didn't reply as she closed and locked the storeroom door.
He gave her a look.
"What?" She said. "I can't risk her running away whilst I am preparing her food, now can I?"
He watched as Harriet prepared a meal of ham, cheese, and bread and take it to the girl, along with some water to wash it down with.
"You expect her to eat in the dark?" He asked, looking pointedly at a candle.
She sighed, barely containing her irritation and opened the storeroom again, bringing the candle inside and lighting it before coming out and looking at him expectantly.
"Any more orders?"
"No, you can close the door now." And she did.
"You should retie her bonds once she's finished eating." He said.
"No? Really?" Harriet said sarcastically.
"Says the girl who didn't know you were supposed to loosen them every few hours." He countered.
He could see the denial in her eyes before she even began to speak.
"Don't give me that 'I did know' crap," He said. "What part of 'she is not to be harmed' did you not get?"
"She is not harmed!" Harriet snapped.
"Oh really? And what do you call not being fed and almost losing her arms because you didn't want to deal with it?" She glared at him. "You're a moron, Harriet, I just didn't realize how dumb you were."
"That's harsh." She said.
"No, it's not, that's being polite." He said. "You were clever enough to kill your father and get your mother to cover for you, but that was as far as your cleverness goes, apparently. If I hadn't come when I did, she would probably have lost all of her limbs, thanks to you, plus the malnutrition, both of which are harmful, by the way."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine, I got the message."
"Good," He said, picking up his pack from the table. "Because if she is harmed in any way, we'll both get skinned."
She paled visibly as he walked out the door.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Happy Birthday, Kal!!!
Happy 20th, Kallie!! :D
*hands her 20 birthday cupcakes*
Hope you have an epica day filled to the brim with balloons and purple, and, of course, cake :D
Aliandra smiled as well. "We'll start as soon as possible," she said. "But first there are some questions that we need answered."
"Like who sent the monster thingy?" Alice said, and Aliandra nodded.
"Things have been put into motion far too early, so we can only assume that whoever has started this has malevolent intentions." She said.
"I'm still not clear on what you mean by 'started things too early'" Alice said, raising her hand. "You said that before, at the clearing, what does it mean?"
"It's none of your business." Malark said.
"Malark, it's no use trying to keep it from her anymore, she is involved now, and it will do us no good to keep her in the dark, so we may as well tell her, even if it is too soon." Aliandra said, cutting off Alice's sharp reply.
Her mother walked towards them, a concerned look on her face. "Alice, are you alright?"
"I'm ok mo-" She corrected herself. "Pria."
She instantly regretted it when she saw the look of pain that crossed her face, but before she could say anything, she turned to Aliandra.
"What do we do now?" She asked.
"We don't have any other choice, we have to start her training." Aliandra said.
"Training?" Alice asked.
Malark laughed. "She's not ready to start training, she's barely grasped what's happening."
"Hey!" Alice said, glaring at him.
"Enough!" Aliandra said. "She has to be prepared, and in order for her to cross into our dimension, she has to have some training."
"Yeah, but she's-" Malark began.
"Malark, drop it." Aliandra said. "We have to begin as soon as possible."
"When is that, exactly?" Alice asked.
"Tomorrow."
"Wow, that is soon." She said, suddenly feeling reality crashing down on her.
Malark rolled his eyes. "We'll have to take some precautions tonight."
"Yes," Aliandra agreed. "Malark, can you handle that?"
He shrugged, which she took to be a sign of agreement.
"May I suggest we go inside now?" Pria said. "Unless you want to stand out here and freeze until you're limbs fall off, I hear it's going to be cold tonight."
"Sorry, Pria." Aliandra said, and they all headed inside save for Malark, who set off to begin setting the protective sigils.
*
"Breathe in." Aliandra said, her eyes closed. "Breathe out."
Alice did as asked whilst giving her teacher a withering look.
They had been doing this exercise for the past hour and she was anxious to begin her actual training. "You do know that I already know how to breathe, right?" She asked.
"Be quiet." Aliandra replied, continuing to direct her on breathing.
"Ophelia, we have been doing this for the past hour." She pointed out. "When are we going to get to the actual training?"
Aliandra finally opened her eyes. "This is one of the most important aspects of your training."
"How so?"
"Controlling your breathing as we have been doing allows you greater concentration." She answered. "By calming your thoughts, you will be able to grasp more of what we will be doing later on."
"Okay, I understand that." Alice said. "But why have we been doing it for an hour?"
"Because you're not good at it." Aliandra said, smiling to take the sting out of her words.
Alice laughed. "Okay fine, let's try again."
*
"Focus on the paper," Pria said. "Picture what you want to happen."
"Okay." There was a pause. "What do I want it to do again?"
"You want it to move, shift, or blow away." She replied. "If you can make it burst into flames, that would be all the better."
"Make it burst into flames?" Alice asked, and Pria shrugged. "Well, you've certainly given me a lot of options, haven't you?"
"Just try it."
Alice took a deep breath and focused on the paper, controlling her breathing like Aliandra taught her (she was trying to think of her as only Aliandra now, not Ophelia).
She pictured one corner getting folded back by a great breeze. The page stayed still.
She pictured the whole thing getting blown away. The page didn't move.
She pictured it bursting into flames and burning to a crisp. The page mocked her.
Frustrated, she gave it one more try.
She pictured the page getting soaked. It continued to mock her and she wanted to scream in frustration.
"Why won't it do anything?" She demanded.
"Did you clear your thoughts?" Pria asked, infuriatingly calm.
"Yeah."
"Did you picture what you wanted?" Pria asked.
"Yeah." Alice said, getting more and more frustrated.
"You have done everything, it would seem."
Alice paused, shocked out of her frustration. "You're saying, I can't do this?"
"Not at all." She said. "I'm saying let's take five."
And she walked back to the house, leaving Alice standing there, staring after her in disbelief.
*
"I said your left!" Malark yelled.
"That was my left!" Alice screamed back.
They had just spent the past half hour together, him trying to teach her some of the fighting styles from their dimension.
He had just told her to do a complex moved that involved a pivotal point where one has to spin on their left foot, kicking out with their right, swinging their fist, and then landing on their right foot and kicking out with their left to finish the move. Theoretically.
Alice had spun onto her right foot and kicked out with her left, then tried to punch Malark, something she had been wanting to do since she'd met the guy, then promptly landed on her butt.
It didn't help matters that she was still TO'd from not being able to move the paper.
"Then your other left!" He yelled. "How hard is it to tell your left from your right?"
She stood there, arms crossed, glaring daggers at him.
She didn't need this right now, she turned on her heel and started walking back to the house.
"And just where do you think you're going?" He demanded.
"To find a compass." She replied over her shoulder.
*
She tried and tried and tried some more, but that damn page wouldn't move.
She sighed. "What am I doing wrong?" She asked it.
"I'm imagining what I want, but why won't it happen?"
She put her head in her hand and groaned.
Everything was happening so fast.
Aliandra was training her, Pria was training her, Malark... well, she was pretty sure Malark just went along with training her so he'd have an excuse to yell at her.
She was being trained for... she didn't even know what she was being trained for. A war? Just how dangerous was this dimension? Did she even want to go there?
And the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she did.
She wanted an adventure. She wanted to find out what was happening. She wanted to be involved.
And more than that...she wanted this page to move.
She looked at it, more determined than ever before. It would move.
She glared at it, daring it to defy her again, after all, if she failed to move it again, she had a paper shredder with it's name on it.
"YES!!!" She screamed and jumped out of her chair, jumping up and down in joy.
Pria and Aliandra came in, wondering what the commotion was about, Malark ran in, sword drawn.
They all stopped in their tracks as they saw the cause for her celebration.
The paper was on fire.
*
The cloaked man walked with purpose down the hallway, his eyes seemingly fixed on the door at the end, his destination. Unseen by any who may observe him, his eyes never stopped moving, roaming constantly like a vermin.
He approached the door and knocked, a voice immediately answering. "Enter."
He did so, to find himself in a beautifully decorated room.
A fireplace dominated the western wall, a fire roaring inside; a elegant couch sat on the opposite wall, trimmed in gold; a massive desk took up most of the room, sitting against the northern wall, and carved into the wood were intricate symbols, flourid and beautiful. It was a desk fit for a king.
The man walked up to the ornate desk and bowed, his movements easy and graceful.
The figure in the massive chair barely acknowledged the man, his eyes scanning documents.
"Her training has begun, my lord." The man said, straightening from his bow.
The man behind the desk smiled.
"Excellent." He said.
*hands her 20 birthday cupcakes*
Hope you have an epica day filled to the brim with balloons and purple, and, of course, cake :D
Aliandra smiled as well. "We'll start as soon as possible," she said. "But first there are some questions that we need answered."
"Like who sent the monster thingy?" Alice said, and Aliandra nodded.
"Things have been put into motion far too early, so we can only assume that whoever has started this has malevolent intentions." She said.
"I'm still not clear on what you mean by 'started things too early'" Alice said, raising her hand. "You said that before, at the clearing, what does it mean?"
"It's none of your business." Malark said.
"Malark, it's no use trying to keep it from her anymore, she is involved now, and it will do us no good to keep her in the dark, so we may as well tell her, even if it is too soon." Aliandra said, cutting off Alice's sharp reply.
Her mother walked towards them, a concerned look on her face. "Alice, are you alright?"
"I'm ok mo-" She corrected herself. "Pria."
She instantly regretted it when she saw the look of pain that crossed her face, but before she could say anything, she turned to Aliandra.
"What do we do now?" She asked.
"We don't have any other choice, we have to start her training." Aliandra said.
"Training?" Alice asked.
Malark laughed. "She's not ready to start training, she's barely grasped what's happening."
"Hey!" Alice said, glaring at him.
"Enough!" Aliandra said. "She has to be prepared, and in order for her to cross into our dimension, she has to have some training."
"Yeah, but she's-" Malark began.
"Malark, drop it." Aliandra said. "We have to begin as soon as possible."
"When is that, exactly?" Alice asked.
"Tomorrow."
"Wow, that is soon." She said, suddenly feeling reality crashing down on her.
Malark rolled his eyes. "We'll have to take some precautions tonight."
"Yes," Aliandra agreed. "Malark, can you handle that?"
He shrugged, which she took to be a sign of agreement.
"May I suggest we go inside now?" Pria said. "Unless you want to stand out here and freeze until you're limbs fall off, I hear it's going to be cold tonight."
"Sorry, Pria." Aliandra said, and they all headed inside save for Malark, who set off to begin setting the protective sigils.
*
"Breathe in." Aliandra said, her eyes closed. "Breathe out."
Alice did as asked whilst giving her teacher a withering look.
They had been doing this exercise for the past hour and she was anxious to begin her actual training. "You do know that I already know how to breathe, right?" She asked.
"Be quiet." Aliandra replied, continuing to direct her on breathing.
"Ophelia, we have been doing this for the past hour." She pointed out. "When are we going to get to the actual training?"
Aliandra finally opened her eyes. "This is one of the most important aspects of your training."
"How so?"
"Controlling your breathing as we have been doing allows you greater concentration." She answered. "By calming your thoughts, you will be able to grasp more of what we will be doing later on."
"Okay, I understand that." Alice said. "But why have we been doing it for an hour?"
"Because you're not good at it." Aliandra said, smiling to take the sting out of her words.
Alice laughed. "Okay fine, let's try again."
*
"Focus on the paper," Pria said. "Picture what you want to happen."
"Okay." There was a pause. "What do I want it to do again?"
"You want it to move, shift, or blow away." She replied. "If you can make it burst into flames, that would be all the better."
"Make it burst into flames?" Alice asked, and Pria shrugged. "Well, you've certainly given me a lot of options, haven't you?"
"Just try it."
Alice took a deep breath and focused on the paper, controlling her breathing like Aliandra taught her (she was trying to think of her as only Aliandra now, not Ophelia).
She pictured one corner getting folded back by a great breeze. The page stayed still.
She pictured the whole thing getting blown away. The page didn't move.
She pictured it bursting into flames and burning to a crisp. The page mocked her.
Frustrated, she gave it one more try.
She pictured the page getting soaked. It continued to mock her and she wanted to scream in frustration.
"Why won't it do anything?" She demanded.
"Did you clear your thoughts?" Pria asked, infuriatingly calm.
"Yeah."
"Did you picture what you wanted?" Pria asked.
"Yeah." Alice said, getting more and more frustrated.
"You have done everything, it would seem."
Alice paused, shocked out of her frustration. "You're saying, I can't do this?"
"Not at all." She said. "I'm saying let's take five."
And she walked back to the house, leaving Alice standing there, staring after her in disbelief.
*
"I said your left!" Malark yelled.
"That was my left!" Alice screamed back.
They had just spent the past half hour together, him trying to teach her some of the fighting styles from their dimension.
He had just told her to do a complex moved that involved a pivotal point where one has to spin on their left foot, kicking out with their right, swinging their fist, and then landing on their right foot and kicking out with their left to finish the move. Theoretically.
Alice had spun onto her right foot and kicked out with her left, then tried to punch Malark, something she had been wanting to do since she'd met the guy, then promptly landed on her butt.
It didn't help matters that she was still TO'd from not being able to move the paper.
"Then your other left!" He yelled. "How hard is it to tell your left from your right?"
She stood there, arms crossed, glaring daggers at him.
She didn't need this right now, she turned on her heel and started walking back to the house.
"And just where do you think you're going?" He demanded.
"To find a compass." She replied over her shoulder.
*
She tried and tried and tried some more, but that damn page wouldn't move.
She sighed. "What am I doing wrong?" She asked it.
"I'm imagining what I want, but why won't it happen?"
She put her head in her hand and groaned.
Everything was happening so fast.
Aliandra was training her, Pria was training her, Malark... well, she was pretty sure Malark just went along with training her so he'd have an excuse to yell at her.
She was being trained for... she didn't even know what she was being trained for. A war? Just how dangerous was this dimension? Did she even want to go there?
And the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she did.
She wanted an adventure. She wanted to find out what was happening. She wanted to be involved.
And more than that...she wanted this page to move.
She looked at it, more determined than ever before. It would move.
She glared at it, daring it to defy her again, after all, if she failed to move it again, she had a paper shredder with it's name on it.
"YES!!!" She screamed and jumped out of her chair, jumping up and down in joy.
Pria and Aliandra came in, wondering what the commotion was about, Malark ran in, sword drawn.
They all stopped in their tracks as they saw the cause for her celebration.
The paper was on fire.
*
The cloaked man walked with purpose down the hallway, his eyes seemingly fixed on the door at the end, his destination. Unseen by any who may observe him, his eyes never stopped moving, roaming constantly like a vermin.
He approached the door and knocked, a voice immediately answering. "Enter."
He did so, to find himself in a beautifully decorated room.
A fireplace dominated the western wall, a fire roaring inside; a elegant couch sat on the opposite wall, trimmed in gold; a massive desk took up most of the room, sitting against the northern wall, and carved into the wood were intricate symbols, flourid and beautiful. It was a desk fit for a king.
The man walked up to the ornate desk and bowed, his movements easy and graceful.
The figure in the massive chair barely acknowledged the man, his eyes scanning documents.
"Her training has begun, my lord." The man said, straightening from his bow.
The man behind the desk smiled.
"Excellent." He said.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Happy Birthday, Sky!!!
Happy Birthday, Sky!!!!! :D *hands her 20 birthday cupcakes*
Hope you have an awesome day filled with cake and ice cream, and more cake :D :D
Her leg wasn't broken as originally suspected, but she still had to have a cast on her leg and needed crutches to walk around.
Four days passed before she was finally released from the hospital.
She'd spent that time being completely stressed, equally because of what her life has become, and because she was worried about her brother, who was in a medically induced coma because of his head injury.
When they could get ahold of the doctor, he told them that Harry had a concussion, and that there might be a more serious matter, and that he was in the coma so that they could more efficiently run more tests, and hopefully prevent any permanent brain damage.
Their mom was a wreck. She didn't understand what had happened, just that her daughter has a broken leg and her son is in a coma.
And throughout all of this, Sally had not seen any sign of Bram.
Every morning before she would visit her brother at the hospital, she would go to the park where she first met Bram, and wait. But there was nothing.
She was getting increasingly angry with Bram for not visiting, for ignoring her attempts to summon him, as she had on the day she accidentally teleported herself into the realm of a monster.
Disheartened and angry, she left the park again, heading for the hospital.
Whilst, unknown to her, a figure was watching from the trees.
* * * *
"There has to be an explanation here somewhere!" Bram said, frustrated as he looked upon all of the books he had collected.
"Calm down, Bram, we'll find something." Aerton said, setting down the book he had been reading and picking up another.
"I can't calm down when that girl and her family is possibly in danger!" He said, sitting down in a huff. And it's all my fault.
"Bram, you need a break." Coarson said. "You're focusing on this too much."
"I can't help it." Bram replied, picking up another book and flicking through it, and, finding nothing of importance, again, he slammed it back onto the table. "You would think that with an infinite library such as this one we'd be able to find a helpful book!"
"Well, this one is helpful," Coarson said, holding up a strange looking book.
"What is that?" Aerton asked, leaning closer.
"Apparently a book on how to properly care for a labradoodle." He said, looking puzzled. "What is a labradoodle?"
Bram rolled his eyes as he looked through another book, falling upon a chapter named "The Portal's of Syien", curious he started skimming it.
"Who is this Syien?" He asked, looking up.
His two companions froze.
* * * *
She sat dozing in a chair while her mother ran down to the cafeteria to get some coffee and food.
"Sal?"
She jerked awake at the sound of her brothers' voice.
"Harry!" She said, relieve overwhelming her and she fought back tears.
"What happened?" He asked, looking around the room. "Why am I in a hospital?"
"You don't remember?" She asked.
He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to remember. "I remember.. getting thrown into a... into a... what are those weird brick walls called anyway?"
She laughed. "I don't know."
He shrugged. "Well, I got thrown into that and then I woke up here." He paused. "Wait, there was that man, you said his name was Bram, why you're hanging out with Bram Stoker is beyond me, but, if that's how your friends treat people, I would consider getting new ones."
She smiled. "It wasn't Bram, I don't know who that was."
He frowned, and then he looked around the room again, as if a thought had just occurred to him. "Where's Sylvia?"
"She didn't want to come to the hospital." Sally replied, inwardly cringing at the thought of bringing this argument up again. "She said, and I quote: 'I don't need an amnesiac falling in love with me today, just tell him to call me when he's better'."
He just looked at her for a minute. "She said that?"
"Yeah."
He opened his mouth to speak when their mom walked through the door.
Seeing her son awake, she dropped the tray of food she'd gotten and ran over to him, hugging him tight.
"Mom," he laughed. "I can't breathe."
She stepped back and they could both see the tears streaming down her face. "Sorry, sweetheart, I'm just so glad you're OK."
"I'm sorry I scared you, mom." Harry said, and they hugged again.
There was a knock at the door, and the doctor peeked her head in.
"Hi there," She said, walking in. "I'm glad to see you're awake, Mr. Jameson."
"Hello Doctor Stiles." Their mother said.
"Hello, Mrs. Jameson." Doctor Stiles said, smiling. "I have some good news, we just got the test results back, and you are in remarkably good shape for someone who had brain trauma."
"So does that mean I can go home?" Harry asked.
"Soon," She said. "It's hospital policy to keep people who have had brain trauma for at least a week, and you have only been here for four days."
"So, he can come home at the end of the week?" Sally asked.
"It appears that way." The doctor said. "I have never seen anyone recover as quickly as you have, Mr. Jameson, it's quite remarkable."
"Thank you, I have been told that I'm remarkable before." Harry said, putting his arms behind his head.
"Yourself doesn't count." Sally retorted, making the doctor laugh.
"We will still be monitoring him for any changes, but it looks like he'll be ready to go at the end of the week."
"Thank you, Doctor." Their mom said.
"You're welcome." She said, and left.
Their mom turned to them and grinned. "Well, I knew you guys healed fast, but wow." She said.
They laughed.
* * * *
"What did you say?" Aerton said.
"I asked what the Portal of Syien was." Bram said, confused.
"Don't say that name." Coarson said, his voice taking on an edge.
"But who is Sy-"
"Don't!" Coarson and Aerton said in sync.
"Why?" Bram asked.
"Why do we never speak the names of the creatures to which you are caretaker?" Aerton said.
"Because to speak the name is to summon them." Bram said. "So you're saying that to say that name of this person is to summon him?"
"Yes." Coarson said.
"But who is he?" Bram asked. "And why did you get strange when I mentioned his name?"
"She was the first queen of the realm." Aerton said. "And trust me, you do not want to summon her."
"Why haven't I heard of her before?" Bram asked.
"Because she was erased from all but the memories of those who lived during her reign, who passed on the stories to their children, who passed it onto their children." Coarson said.
"For good reason, her reign was considered the Dark Times." Aerton said.
"She was that bad?"
"She was a tyrant," Coarson said. "She wasn't content with ruling this realm, she wanted to conquer all of the realms."
"Enough of this talk." Aerton said, standing. "We do not need to invite more malcontent into our lives than talking of the First Queen."
"Aerton is right, Bram." Coarson said, also standing. "Perhaps we should call it a day, we have been at this for hours."
"You're right." Bram said.
"I think I hear a stew calling my name." Aerton said, picking up his hat where it lay on a bookshelf and putting it on and heading out the door.
"I think I'll join you." Coarson said, following him. "Coming, Bram?"
"Maybe later," He said. "I think I'll stay here for a while, look through a few more books."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, you go ahead, I'll catch up." Bram said, picking up a book that had been underneath a few others.
"Alright," Coarson said, and left.
Bram put down the book he had picked up and instead picked up the book he'd been reading, flipping through the pages until he found the chapter he was looking for: The Portals of Syien, and started reading.
* * * *
Three days later, Harry was released from the hospital, to the joy of Sally and her mother.
They had set up a Welcome Home banner in their living room, hanging above the entrance to the kitchen.
It was cliché, Sally had to admit, but it was necessary, even if she knew her brother would make fun of it once he found out that it had been her idea.
When he walked through the door and saw the banner, he started laughing hysterically, like she knew he would, and she smiled quietly to herself. Everything was back to normal.
Her leg was healing well and quickly, which surprised her doctor, who said he hadn't seen a leg heal that fast, especially since he had declared the leg broken only to be proven wrong by x-rays.
After her brothers Welcome Home party, and she was able to sneak away for some time to herself, she finally allowed herself to think the thoughts that had threatened to overwhelm her since the incident outside her house.
She sat on her bed and confronted the memory of what had happened, allowing the memories to flood her.
Why had she mistaken him for Bram? She had at first thought it was because they were of the same height and build, and while that was true, it was more than that. He had had the same feel as Bram, and that weirded her out.
She nodded to herself, there was only one way she was going to get the answers she needed.
She had to talk to Bram, but how would she find him? She tried to think back to how she had called him the day they met, but it was fuzzy. She groaned in frustration and laid back on her bed and draped an arm over her eyes, when a thought occurred to her. She had summoned the... she stopped herself from saying the things name, by picturing it, and she could recall picturing Bram in her head just before he had saved her, and he had said that she'd summoned him. She sat up and slid off of her bed, and sat on the floor, and cleared her throat.
If Bram wasn't showing up in her world right now of his own accord, she would just make him.
*
After the fifth time, she all but screamed in frustration. She covered her face in her hands, taking deep breathes to calm herself.
"This can't be that hard." She said, pushing her strawberry-blonde hair back off of her face.
She took a deep breath and sat in the position she had seen numerous times in movies, then she shifted as searing pain shot up her leg.
She closed her eyes and cleared her mind, attempting to draw an image of Bram into her mind, she saw him as he had saved her from the creature she had accidentally summoned and felt that same kind of mental tug she had just before he had saved her, again (this was becoming a recurring theme, she noticed grimly), from the creature, but it felt different this time and when she opened her eyes, she was no longer in her bedroom, but in a library, bursting with books that looked so ancient, she thought that if she touched one, it would crumble in her hands.
She got to her feet and began wandering.
There were symbols on the side of the bookshelves.
"A numbering system?" She thought aloud, her voice echoing around her. "Okay, this is seriously creepy."
She kept walking, feeling as though she was wandering the labyrinth and that the minotaur was about to leap out at her at any moment, and once that thought had occurred to her, she started getting incredibly jumpy, starting at every little creak and crack that she heard, which, in the logical part of her brain, she knew to be the library settling (after all, it did look ancient), but the illogical part of her brain turned the sounds into the minotaur sharpening his claws, getting ready to gut her.
She shivered.
Sometimes she hated her imagination.
She saw a candle in the distance and relief flooded her, maybe she could ask a friendly librarian the way out.
Or maybe that librarian would just turn on her and have her for lunch, or maybe dinner, she wasn't sure; she didn't know what time zone she was in now, it could be breakfast for all she knew.
She paused in her step and almost giggled. That thought train got derailed quickly, didn't it? She thought as she approached the candlelight, taking great care to walk quietly, lest it actually be a hungry librarian who would want to have her for breakfast-lunch-whatever.
She stopped walking when she got close enough to make out the area surrounding the candle.
It was a table, piled high with books, and sitting at one of the four chairs surrounding it, was Bram.
He was reading an old looking book with strange lettering that she couldn't quite make out; and she found that when she looked harder at it to try and figure it out, she started getting nauseas, so she stopped and focused instead on Bram, who was oblivious to her presence.
"Bram?" She said and couldn't help the laugh that escaped her as he leapt at least three feet in the air.
He looked around for who had spoken and his eyes widened when he spotted her.
"Sally?" He asked in disbelief as he stood.
She waved at him. "Hi."
"How did..., what are you doing here?"
"I was looking for you." She said, walking closer to the table.
"Why?" He asked.
She looked at him incredulously. "Seriously? My brother and I were attacked, Bram, in front of our own house! And you're surprised that I was looking for you? The one person who might actually have answers for me?"
"Oh."
"'Oh'?" She repeated. "That's all you have to say? Where have you been all this time?"
He motioned around the room. "Baking cookies." She glared at him.
"You know what I mean." She looked around the room. "What are you doing in a library, anyway?"
"I don't know what you do in a library," He said, sitting down again. "But I'm doing research."
"Research? What do you need to do research for?"
"Well, research is something that one does when you need to learn more about a subject." Bram explained.
She glared at him again, then sat in one of the chairs. "I know what research is, nimrod, what I meant was, why do you need to do research."
"I'm flattered that you think that I know everything there is to know about virtually everything, however, the truth of the matter is, I do not, and so, I need to do research."
"Okay, you can lose the condescending tone, Mister."
"Mister?" He said, flipping through a random book he had picked up. "And we're getting away from the main point: What are you doing here?"
"Already answered that one." Sally replied, picking up one of the books.
"Okay," He took the book from her and placed it near him. "How did you here?"
"Well," She cleared her throat. "I'm not entirely sure."
"How can you not know how you got here?"
"I don't know how I teleported myself to another dimension that is apparently a prison for a monster that can be summoned just by picturing it or saying its name, so how on earth am I supposed to know how I got here?"
"That's.. a good point." He said. "What were you doing right before you appeared here?"
"Well, I was thinking about all the weird stuff that has been happening around me lately, and I figured you'd have an idea of what is going on."
"Unfortunately, I don't." Bram admitted. "I don't know who it is that attacked you, and I don't know how you managed to teleport yourself to the Albertron's realm, or here, for that matter."
"Wait, how can you say it's name without it appearing?" She asked.
"I'm the Caretaker of Creatures." Bram said, as if that explained everything.
"Could you be a tiny bit more specific?" Sally asked.
"I have mental locks in place to prevent my saying its name acting as a gateway." He said.
"Okay then.." She said. "Anyway, I thought back to when I was in Voldemort's realm and how you said I had summoned you, so I thought I'd give it a try. What?"
Bram had gotten a confused look on his face. "Voldemort?"
"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." Sally said.
"Thank you, that'd cleared everything up." He said, and she smiled at him.
"Now you know how I feel." She said. "Voldemort is a character in a book series, and since he is typically called He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, I thought it was a fitting name to call the thing that only you can say that name of."
"I see." He said, though he clearly did not. "We seem to have gotten off course again."
"I noticed that." Sally said. "Anyway, I thought I'd at least try it, and the next thing I know, here I am, in this really creepy library."
"What was going through your mind?" He asked, and when she gave him a confused look, he clarified. "Sometimes, if you are thinking hard about something or someone, but another thought appears in your head, it can shift the original summons."
"Oh, well, I was just thinking that I really needed to find you and thrott- I mean ask, you about the weird things that have been happening, and when I opened my eyes, I was here."
She thought she covered that up nicely until she saw the glint in Bram's eyes that told her he knew what she had been about to say.
"So now stray thoughts wandered into your head?" He asked.
"No."
He sat back in his chair, thinking, and Sally's eyes strayed to the book he had been holding when she first spotted him.
"What's this?" She asked as she picked it up.
"It's a book." he said absently.
"Really? I thought it was a pigmy goat." She said as she examined the cover.
It had one of those odd symbols on it, she ran her hand over it and felt a strange tingling all over as she opened the book.
A shock wave knocked her and Bram off of their seats.
"Sally? Are you alright?" He asked, as he got to his feet.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She said as she sat up, she rubbed her head. "What happened?"
"I don't know." He asked as he helped her up.
"All I did was open that book and..." She trailed off as she saw the expression on Bram's face. "What?"
"What's on your arms?" He asked and held up her arms.
Covering her arms, were symbols, similar to the one on the book cover.
"What is this?" She asked, attempting to wipe them off, to no avail.
She glanced to her left and caught her reflection in a suit of arms and gasped.
Her face was covered in swirling symbols.
Hope you have an awesome day filled with cake and ice cream, and more cake :D :D
Her leg wasn't broken as originally suspected, but she still had to have a cast on her leg and needed crutches to walk around.
Four days passed before she was finally released from the hospital.
She'd spent that time being completely stressed, equally because of what her life has become, and because she was worried about her brother, who was in a medically induced coma because of his head injury.
When they could get ahold of the doctor, he told them that Harry had a concussion, and that there might be a more serious matter, and that he was in the coma so that they could more efficiently run more tests, and hopefully prevent any permanent brain damage.
Their mom was a wreck. She didn't understand what had happened, just that her daughter has a broken leg and her son is in a coma.
And throughout all of this, Sally had not seen any sign of Bram.
Every morning before she would visit her brother at the hospital, she would go to the park where she first met Bram, and wait. But there was nothing.
She was getting increasingly angry with Bram for not visiting, for ignoring her attempts to summon him, as she had on the day she accidentally teleported herself into the realm of a monster.
Disheartened and angry, she left the park again, heading for the hospital.
Whilst, unknown to her, a figure was watching from the trees.
* * * *
"There has to be an explanation here somewhere!" Bram said, frustrated as he looked upon all of the books he had collected.
"Calm down, Bram, we'll find something." Aerton said, setting down the book he had been reading and picking up another.
"I can't calm down when that girl and her family is possibly in danger!" He said, sitting down in a huff. And it's all my fault.
"Bram, you need a break." Coarson said. "You're focusing on this too much."
"I can't help it." Bram replied, picking up another book and flicking through it, and, finding nothing of importance, again, he slammed it back onto the table. "You would think that with an infinite library such as this one we'd be able to find a helpful book!"
"Well, this one is helpful," Coarson said, holding up a strange looking book.
"What is that?" Aerton asked, leaning closer.
"Apparently a book on how to properly care for a labradoodle." He said, looking puzzled. "What is a labradoodle?"
Bram rolled his eyes as he looked through another book, falling upon a chapter named "The Portal's of Syien", curious he started skimming it.
"Who is this Syien?" He asked, looking up.
His two companions froze.
* * * *
She sat dozing in a chair while her mother ran down to the cafeteria to get some coffee and food.
"Sal?"
She jerked awake at the sound of her brothers' voice.
"Harry!" She said, relieve overwhelming her and she fought back tears.
"What happened?" He asked, looking around the room. "Why am I in a hospital?"
"You don't remember?" She asked.
He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to remember. "I remember.. getting thrown into a... into a... what are those weird brick walls called anyway?"
She laughed. "I don't know."
He shrugged. "Well, I got thrown into that and then I woke up here." He paused. "Wait, there was that man, you said his name was Bram, why you're hanging out with Bram Stoker is beyond me, but, if that's how your friends treat people, I would consider getting new ones."
She smiled. "It wasn't Bram, I don't know who that was."
He frowned, and then he looked around the room again, as if a thought had just occurred to him. "Where's Sylvia?"
"She didn't want to come to the hospital." Sally replied, inwardly cringing at the thought of bringing this argument up again. "She said, and I quote: 'I don't need an amnesiac falling in love with me today, just tell him to call me when he's better'."
He just looked at her for a minute. "She said that?"
"Yeah."
He opened his mouth to speak when their mom walked through the door.
Seeing her son awake, she dropped the tray of food she'd gotten and ran over to him, hugging him tight.
"Mom," he laughed. "I can't breathe."
She stepped back and they could both see the tears streaming down her face. "Sorry, sweetheart, I'm just so glad you're OK."
"I'm sorry I scared you, mom." Harry said, and they hugged again.
There was a knock at the door, and the doctor peeked her head in.
"Hi there," She said, walking in. "I'm glad to see you're awake, Mr. Jameson."
"Hello Doctor Stiles." Their mother said.
"Hello, Mrs. Jameson." Doctor Stiles said, smiling. "I have some good news, we just got the test results back, and you are in remarkably good shape for someone who had brain trauma."
"So does that mean I can go home?" Harry asked.
"Soon," She said. "It's hospital policy to keep people who have had brain trauma for at least a week, and you have only been here for four days."
"So, he can come home at the end of the week?" Sally asked.
"It appears that way." The doctor said. "I have never seen anyone recover as quickly as you have, Mr. Jameson, it's quite remarkable."
"Thank you, I have been told that I'm remarkable before." Harry said, putting his arms behind his head.
"Yourself doesn't count." Sally retorted, making the doctor laugh.
"We will still be monitoring him for any changes, but it looks like he'll be ready to go at the end of the week."
"Thank you, Doctor." Their mom said.
"You're welcome." She said, and left.
Their mom turned to them and grinned. "Well, I knew you guys healed fast, but wow." She said.
They laughed.
* * * *
"What did you say?" Aerton said.
"I asked what the Portal of Syien was." Bram said, confused.
"Don't say that name." Coarson said, his voice taking on an edge.
"But who is Sy-"
"Don't!" Coarson and Aerton said in sync.
"Why?" Bram asked.
"Why do we never speak the names of the creatures to which you are caretaker?" Aerton said.
"Because to speak the name is to summon them." Bram said. "So you're saying that to say that name of this person is to summon him?"
"Yes." Coarson said.
"But who is he?" Bram asked. "And why did you get strange when I mentioned his name?"
"She was the first queen of the realm." Aerton said. "And trust me, you do not want to summon her."
"Why haven't I heard of her before?" Bram asked.
"Because she was erased from all but the memories of those who lived during her reign, who passed on the stories to their children, who passed it onto their children." Coarson said.
"For good reason, her reign was considered the Dark Times." Aerton said.
"She was that bad?"
"She was a tyrant," Coarson said. "She wasn't content with ruling this realm, she wanted to conquer all of the realms."
"Enough of this talk." Aerton said, standing. "We do not need to invite more malcontent into our lives than talking of the First Queen."
"Aerton is right, Bram." Coarson said, also standing. "Perhaps we should call it a day, we have been at this for hours."
"You're right." Bram said.
"I think I hear a stew calling my name." Aerton said, picking up his hat where it lay on a bookshelf and putting it on and heading out the door.
"I think I'll join you." Coarson said, following him. "Coming, Bram?"
"Maybe later," He said. "I think I'll stay here for a while, look through a few more books."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, you go ahead, I'll catch up." Bram said, picking up a book that had been underneath a few others.
"Alright," Coarson said, and left.
Bram put down the book he had picked up and instead picked up the book he'd been reading, flipping through the pages until he found the chapter he was looking for: The Portals of Syien, and started reading.
* * * *
Three days later, Harry was released from the hospital, to the joy of Sally and her mother.
They had set up a Welcome Home banner in their living room, hanging above the entrance to the kitchen.
It was cliché, Sally had to admit, but it was necessary, even if she knew her brother would make fun of it once he found out that it had been her idea.
When he walked through the door and saw the banner, he started laughing hysterically, like she knew he would, and she smiled quietly to herself. Everything was back to normal.
Her leg was healing well and quickly, which surprised her doctor, who said he hadn't seen a leg heal that fast, especially since he had declared the leg broken only to be proven wrong by x-rays.
After her brothers Welcome Home party, and she was able to sneak away for some time to herself, she finally allowed herself to think the thoughts that had threatened to overwhelm her since the incident outside her house.
She sat on her bed and confronted the memory of what had happened, allowing the memories to flood her.
Why had she mistaken him for Bram? She had at first thought it was because they were of the same height and build, and while that was true, it was more than that. He had had the same feel as Bram, and that weirded her out.
She nodded to herself, there was only one way she was going to get the answers she needed.
She had to talk to Bram, but how would she find him? She tried to think back to how she had called him the day they met, but it was fuzzy. She groaned in frustration and laid back on her bed and draped an arm over her eyes, when a thought occurred to her. She had summoned the... she stopped herself from saying the things name, by picturing it, and she could recall picturing Bram in her head just before he had saved her, and he had said that she'd summoned him. She sat up and slid off of her bed, and sat on the floor, and cleared her throat.
If Bram wasn't showing up in her world right now of his own accord, she would just make him.
*
After the fifth time, she all but screamed in frustration. She covered her face in her hands, taking deep breathes to calm herself.
"This can't be that hard." She said, pushing her strawberry-blonde hair back off of her face.
She took a deep breath and sat in the position she had seen numerous times in movies, then she shifted as searing pain shot up her leg.
She closed her eyes and cleared her mind, attempting to draw an image of Bram into her mind, she saw him as he had saved her from the creature she had accidentally summoned and felt that same kind of mental tug she had just before he had saved her, again (this was becoming a recurring theme, she noticed grimly), from the creature, but it felt different this time and when she opened her eyes, she was no longer in her bedroom, but in a library, bursting with books that looked so ancient, she thought that if she touched one, it would crumble in her hands.
She got to her feet and began wandering.
There were symbols on the side of the bookshelves.
"A numbering system?" She thought aloud, her voice echoing around her. "Okay, this is seriously creepy."
She kept walking, feeling as though she was wandering the labyrinth and that the minotaur was about to leap out at her at any moment, and once that thought had occurred to her, she started getting incredibly jumpy, starting at every little creak and crack that she heard, which, in the logical part of her brain, she knew to be the library settling (after all, it did look ancient), but the illogical part of her brain turned the sounds into the minotaur sharpening his claws, getting ready to gut her.
She shivered.
Sometimes she hated her imagination.
She saw a candle in the distance and relief flooded her, maybe she could ask a friendly librarian the way out.
Or maybe that librarian would just turn on her and have her for lunch, or maybe dinner, she wasn't sure; she didn't know what time zone she was in now, it could be breakfast for all she knew.
She paused in her step and almost giggled. That thought train got derailed quickly, didn't it? She thought as she approached the candlelight, taking great care to walk quietly, lest it actually be a hungry librarian who would want to have her for breakfast-lunch-whatever.
She stopped walking when she got close enough to make out the area surrounding the candle.
It was a table, piled high with books, and sitting at one of the four chairs surrounding it, was Bram.
He was reading an old looking book with strange lettering that she couldn't quite make out; and she found that when she looked harder at it to try and figure it out, she started getting nauseas, so she stopped and focused instead on Bram, who was oblivious to her presence.
"Bram?" She said and couldn't help the laugh that escaped her as he leapt at least three feet in the air.
He looked around for who had spoken and his eyes widened when he spotted her.
"Sally?" He asked in disbelief as he stood.
She waved at him. "Hi."
"How did..., what are you doing here?"
"I was looking for you." She said, walking closer to the table.
"Why?" He asked.
She looked at him incredulously. "Seriously? My brother and I were attacked, Bram, in front of our own house! And you're surprised that I was looking for you? The one person who might actually have answers for me?"
"Oh."
"'Oh'?" She repeated. "That's all you have to say? Where have you been all this time?"
He motioned around the room. "Baking cookies." She glared at him.
"You know what I mean." She looked around the room. "What are you doing in a library, anyway?"
"I don't know what you do in a library," He said, sitting down again. "But I'm doing research."
"Research? What do you need to do research for?"
"Well, research is something that one does when you need to learn more about a subject." Bram explained.
She glared at him again, then sat in one of the chairs. "I know what research is, nimrod, what I meant was, why do you need to do research."
"I'm flattered that you think that I know everything there is to know about virtually everything, however, the truth of the matter is, I do not, and so, I need to do research."
"Okay, you can lose the condescending tone, Mister."
"Mister?" He said, flipping through a random book he had picked up. "And we're getting away from the main point: What are you doing here?"
"Already answered that one." Sally replied, picking up one of the books.
"Okay," He took the book from her and placed it near him. "How did you here?"
"Well," She cleared her throat. "I'm not entirely sure."
"How can you not know how you got here?"
"I don't know how I teleported myself to another dimension that is apparently a prison for a monster that can be summoned just by picturing it or saying its name, so how on earth am I supposed to know how I got here?"
"That's.. a good point." He said. "What were you doing right before you appeared here?"
"Well, I was thinking about all the weird stuff that has been happening around me lately, and I figured you'd have an idea of what is going on."
"Unfortunately, I don't." Bram admitted. "I don't know who it is that attacked you, and I don't know how you managed to teleport yourself to the Albertron's realm, or here, for that matter."
"Wait, how can you say it's name without it appearing?" She asked.
"I'm the Caretaker of Creatures." Bram said, as if that explained everything.
"Could you be a tiny bit more specific?" Sally asked.
"I have mental locks in place to prevent my saying its name acting as a gateway." He said.
"Okay then.." She said. "Anyway, I thought back to when I was in Voldemort's realm and how you said I had summoned you, so I thought I'd give it a try. What?"
Bram had gotten a confused look on his face. "Voldemort?"
"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." Sally said.
"Thank you, that'd cleared everything up." He said, and she smiled at him.
"Now you know how I feel." She said. "Voldemort is a character in a book series, and since he is typically called He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, I thought it was a fitting name to call the thing that only you can say that name of."
"I see." He said, though he clearly did not. "We seem to have gotten off course again."
"I noticed that." Sally said. "Anyway, I thought I'd at least try it, and the next thing I know, here I am, in this really creepy library."
"What was going through your mind?" He asked, and when she gave him a confused look, he clarified. "Sometimes, if you are thinking hard about something or someone, but another thought appears in your head, it can shift the original summons."
"Oh, well, I was just thinking that I really needed to find you and thrott- I mean ask, you about the weird things that have been happening, and when I opened my eyes, I was here."
She thought she covered that up nicely until she saw the glint in Bram's eyes that told her he knew what she had been about to say.
"So now stray thoughts wandered into your head?" He asked.
"No."
He sat back in his chair, thinking, and Sally's eyes strayed to the book he had been holding when she first spotted him.
"What's this?" She asked as she picked it up.
"It's a book." he said absently.
"Really? I thought it was a pigmy goat." She said as she examined the cover.
It had one of those odd symbols on it, she ran her hand over it and felt a strange tingling all over as she opened the book.
A shock wave knocked her and Bram off of their seats.
"Sally? Are you alright?" He asked, as he got to his feet.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She said as she sat up, she rubbed her head. "What happened?"
"I don't know." He asked as he helped her up.
"All I did was open that book and..." She trailed off as she saw the expression on Bram's face. "What?"
"What's on your arms?" He asked and held up her arms.
Covering her arms, were symbols, similar to the one on the book cover.
"What is this?" She asked, attempting to wipe them off, to no avail.
She glanced to her left and caught her reflection in a suit of arms and gasped.
Her face was covered in swirling symbols.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Chapter 37
"What are you looking at?" She demanded, but got no response from the two boys staring at her in surprise. She sighed. "I see you've gotten a new job as a fly catcher."
"What?" Finn asked.
"You're going to catch flies with your mouths open like that so you may as well shut them." And they did. "Good boys."
"Miss, how can I help you?"
"I'm here to help you find your daughter." She said simply.
"You," The king hesitated, wanting to know, but fearing the answer. "you know where my daughter is?" he asked.
"I know where she's not." She said. "The duke doesn't have her, and he doesn't know where she is. When he captured me, thinking that I was Marianna, he thought that she was on her way back to you."
"Where was she?" Cayle asked.
"She was visiting her friend, a nice girl she met when she was incognito once." The king said.
"What is her name?" Finn asked.
"And where does her friend live?" Deanna added.
"In one of the travelers towns, she runs an inn with her family, Marianna stayed there once while passing through, and they hit it off."
But Deanna heard nothing past 'she runs an inn.' "Your Majesty, what is the girls name?" Though she suspected she already knew.
The King looked at her a moment with a confused expression. "Harriet, her name is Harriet."
* * *
"My deepest sympathies." Nieson, the blacksmith said again as he paid for his meal. "I know how close you and your father were."
"Thank you," Harriet said.
"How are you holding up?" He asked.
She shrugged. "I suppose I'm still processing it all."
"If you need anything. you know where to find me." He said, a warm smile on his face.
"Thank you, Nieson." She said, returning the smile, which she promptly dropped once the door closed behind him.
She rolled her eyes. "Idiot."
She locked the doors and cleaned up the tables, dumping them in the kitchen for Marguerite to take care of, before heading downstairs to the basement.
She lit the lantern and carried it over to the storeroom where they kept their food and opened the door, smiling at the girl cowering in the corner.
Setting the lantern down on one of the shelves, Harriet walked over and took the gag from her mouth.
"Please, Harriet, let me go." The girl sobbed.
"Sorry, Marianna." Harriet said. "But your going to make me rich. I'd get some sleep if I were you, you're going on a trip soon."
The girl started crying again as Harriet stuffed the gag back in her mouth, grabbed a few things of food, setting it down on the table outside the storeroom, before going back in, picking up the lantern and, after a final wave at the captured princess, closed the door and locked it.
"What?" Finn asked.
"You're going to catch flies with your mouths open like that so you may as well shut them." And they did. "Good boys."
"Miss, how can I help you?"
"I'm here to help you find your daughter." She said simply.
"You," The king hesitated, wanting to know, but fearing the answer. "you know where my daughter is?" he asked.
"I know where she's not." She said. "The duke doesn't have her, and he doesn't know where she is. When he captured me, thinking that I was Marianna, he thought that she was on her way back to you."
"Where was she?" Cayle asked.
"She was visiting her friend, a nice girl she met when she was incognito once." The king said.
"What is her name?" Finn asked.
"And where does her friend live?" Deanna added.
"In one of the travelers towns, she runs an inn with her family, Marianna stayed there once while passing through, and they hit it off."
But Deanna heard nothing past 'she runs an inn.' "Your Majesty, what is the girls name?" Though she suspected she already knew.
The King looked at her a moment with a confused expression. "Harriet, her name is Harriet."
* * *
"My deepest sympathies." Nieson, the blacksmith said again as he paid for his meal. "I know how close you and your father were."
"Thank you," Harriet said.
"How are you holding up?" He asked.
She shrugged. "I suppose I'm still processing it all."
"If you need anything. you know where to find me." He said, a warm smile on his face.
"Thank you, Nieson." She said, returning the smile, which she promptly dropped once the door closed behind him.
She rolled her eyes. "Idiot."
She locked the doors and cleaned up the tables, dumping them in the kitchen for Marguerite to take care of, before heading downstairs to the basement.
She lit the lantern and carried it over to the storeroom where they kept their food and opened the door, smiling at the girl cowering in the corner.
Setting the lantern down on one of the shelves, Harriet walked over and took the gag from her mouth.
"Please, Harriet, let me go." The girl sobbed.
"Sorry, Marianna." Harriet said. "But your going to make me rich. I'd get some sleep if I were you, you're going on a trip soon."
The girl started crying again as Harriet stuffed the gag back in her mouth, grabbed a few things of food, setting it down on the table outside the storeroom, before going back in, picking up the lantern and, after a final wave at the captured princess, closed the door and locked it.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Happy Birthday, Kal!!!
Happy Birthday, Kallie! Here is the continuation of your birthday story, I hope you like it!
Have an epica birthday! I love you, sister!
*hands her 19 birthday cupcakes*
"Alice!" Aliandra shouted as she ran in the house. She heard distant sobbing. "Alice?"
She followed the sound to Alice's bedroom, where she found the girl sobbing on her bed.
She knocked on the partially open door as she walked in.
"Go away." Alice said between sobs.
"I'm sorry, Alice, but I can't." She replied, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I know this is shocking, and I didn't mean to spring it on you like this, Malark needs sensitivity training."
Alice laughed as she sat up. "How could you lie to me? I thought we were friends."
"We are friends, Al, but things have been set in motion that aren't supposed to happen for a few years."
Alice didn't respond.
"I was trying to protect you, that's all I've ever been trying to do."
"Were you ever my friend? Or were you just following orders?" Alice asked bitterly, turning to face her.
"Yes, and I really do think Jason McCormick is a hottie." Alice laughed. "My only order was to watch you. not let you become my best friend."
Alice smiled, finally losing the cold stare she had adopted.
"Now, ask any questions you have, I'll answer them all honestly."
"Promise?"
"I promise on all things sugery and sweet that I will answer truthfully." Aliandra replied, raising her hand and placing the other over her heart.
"Okay," Alice thought for a moment. "Am I really a princess?"
"Yes."
"I'm from another dimension?"
"Yep."
"Okay, I'm not sure how to respond to that."
"Didn't expect you to." Aliandra said with a smile.
"And you're from there too?" Aliandra nodded.
"Okay, so, why can't I know anything abou-" Alice began, but was interrupted by the sound of her 'mother' calling her name.
"We're up here." Alice said, her voice tight.
Mrs. Darwin entered the room soon after, smiling when she saw Aliandra.
"Hi Ophelia, what are you doing here? And why is there a strange boy moaning in pain on my porch?"
Aliandra smiled but didn't respond, only glancing at Alice, who got to her feet.
"Why did you lie to me?" She asked.
"About what?" Her mother asked, looking confused.
"About you being my mother." Alice replied.
"I never lied to you about anything!" Was the reponse.
"You're lying to me right now!" Alice said.
"What is going on with you?" Just before Alice could speak, Aliandra interrupted.
"She knows, Pria, you may as well drop the act."
Alice watched her mother as her shoulders dropped in defeat. "Alright."
"Why did you both lie to me about this? And what couldn't you tell me at the forest, Aliandra?" She said Aliandra's name with bitterness.
"Really? We're back to being ticked?" Aliandra responded before taking a deep breath. "There is a prophecy that, when the time is right, the Lost Heir will return to reunite the Feir Kingdoms. You're that Lost Heir, but you weren't supposed to know until you were 20."
"Why?"
"Because that's when the Prophecy said you were to return 'On the morning of the Lost Heirs twentieth year, the dawn of the new Feirs will rise.'"
"Seems really specific for a prophecy."
"Yeah well, our Oracle is really good."
"So what happens now?" Alice asked after a moment.
"I'm not sure." Aliandra admitted. "I wasn't expecting this to happen so soon."
"Guess your Oracle isn't so good after all, huh?"
"Watch it, Princess." Aliandra said, though there was a lightheartedness to her tone.
Suddenly, Malark burst into the room.
"Hey!" Alice shouted. "Get out!"
"We've got trouble." He said, ignoring Alice completely.
"What kind of trouble?"
"Grenra's cousin trouble."
Aliandra cursed in a language Alice had never heard before. "That's big trouble."
"What's a Grenra and why don't you like his relatives?" Alice asked.
"No time to explain right now, but in short, big monster that will eat you alive." Aliandra said quickly, grabbing Alice's hand and dragging her out of the room and towards the stairs when they heard a loud roar that literally shook the house.
Alice grabbed the railing for balance.
"That was the monster." Aliandra said unnecessarily.
"Well I didn't think it was a kitten!" Alice retorted as they ran out the back door, and stopped dead as they caught sight of a massive monster, easily standing 9 feet tall, with mis-matched skin of blue and black, it looked like a massive bruise.
They ducked as it swung at them, and Aliandra pushed her to the left as she leapt to the right, the monster turning to go after Alice as she crab-walked backwards.
A rock bounced off of its head and it paused, and reached its hand out to grab her, and another rock hit it on the arm with such force that Alice heard it snap; it hung limply at the monster side as it turned to face Aliandra, who was tossing a rock the size of a baseball in the air and catching it like she did at softball practice, and threw it, smacking the monster in the face with such force that it stumbled, but quickly regained its footing and cocked its head at her, studying her, and then a creepy thing happened, even creepier than a nine foot bruise: it spoke.
"Aliandra, you are interfering."
Aliandra looked as shocked as Alice felt.
"You can talk?" They said at the same time.
"This beast? Of course not, it is simply a tool." The monster said. "Too stupid to figure out how to use its vocal cords, but what it lacks in brains, it makes up for in being a brilliant assassin."
"Who are you?" Aliandra demanded.
"Now, now, Aliandra, don't go ruining my fun." It said, and the beast turned back to Alice. "Now back to business."
"Stay away from me!" Alice shouted as it reached for her. It didn't respond and she rolled out of the way, got to her feet and ran over to where Aliandra stood.
"Aliandra, you may want to snap out of it now." But she still stood there, staring at the monster. "Ophelia!"
Aliandra jumped and snapped back to reality, grabbing Alice's hand and running.
"How do we beat it?" Alice asked as they ran to the woods. She heard Malark behind them, shouting insults at the monster, and throwing what looked like fireballs. "Why can't you do that?"
"We can't beat it, it's a member of the Grenra family, they can only be contained, and we don't have the right equipment to do so," She answered. "And I'm a little busy trying to keep you alive."
"Can't you multi-task?" Alice asked. "Duck!"
They ducked just as the monster threw a small tree at them.
"Malark!" Aliandra shouted as they rolled away from the monster that was now stomping towards them. "Any time you want to help!"
"I'm working on it!" He shouted back. He had been weaving his hands in intricate patterns and muttering to himself.
They started running again, but Alice tripped over a stray tree root and hit the ground. She tried to get up, but was grabbed by the monster, who held her at arms length above the ground.
She tried swinging punches, but she was facing away from the monster, its claws digging into her back the more she struggled.
It suddenly dropped her, and she landed hard, her ankle twisting and she cried out.
Aliandra ran over to her and knelt beside her, checking the damage on her ankle.
"It's not broken." She said. "You just sprained it."
"What happened to the monster?" Alice asked between clenched teeth.
"Malark finished his chant." Aliandra said simply. "He took control of the creature and told it to stop."
"Didn't mean for it to drop you that hard though, sorry." Malark said as he approached, though he didn't sound all that sorry.
He turned to the monster and closed his eyes, standing perfectly still.
A light appeared behind it and it stepped into it and vanished as Malark opened his eyes and turned back to them.
"What did you do?" Alice asked.
"I told it to join the circus and it left to find a costume." He said.
"How do you know about the circus?" She asked. "You aren't even from here!"
"We're not forbidden from coming here, you know." He said, then dismissed her and spoke to Aliandra. "What do we do now?"
"I'm not sure." She said. "There isn't exactly a manual for this."
"Do we take her home?" He asked.
"I'm right here, you know." Alice said, waving a hand at them.
"Sorry, Alice." Aliandra said. "We can't take you back to our dimension yet."
"And why not?" Malark asked, crossing his arms. "At least there we'd have the home court advantage."
"Figures you'd be a basketball fan." Alice said.
"Where were you when we were being attacked by the giant monster?" Aliandra said. "It's certainly not from here, it was sent, from our dimension; and that means that there are enemies trying to kill her, and prevent her from getting there."
"Wait, if there are people trying to prevent me from getting to this oh so wonderful dimension full of all kinds of nightmares and killers, why not just go there if that's what they don't want?" Alice said.
"Because you have to have certain skills in order to cross over the dimensional borders, a skill you haven't developed yet." Aliandra replied. "We have to train you before you can move between worlds, and then we can really mess with them."
Alice grinned. "I get to learn magic?"
Aliandra nodded. "Yup."
"This day is turning out better than I thought it was." She said. "When do we start?"
Have an epica birthday! I love you, sister!
*hands her 19 birthday cupcakes*
"Alice!" Aliandra shouted as she ran in the house. She heard distant sobbing. "Alice?"
She followed the sound to Alice's bedroom, where she found the girl sobbing on her bed.
She knocked on the partially open door as she walked in.
"Go away." Alice said between sobs.
"I'm sorry, Alice, but I can't." She replied, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I know this is shocking, and I didn't mean to spring it on you like this, Malark needs sensitivity training."
Alice laughed as she sat up. "How could you lie to me? I thought we were friends."
"We are friends, Al, but things have been set in motion that aren't supposed to happen for a few years."
Alice didn't respond.
"I was trying to protect you, that's all I've ever been trying to do."
"Were you ever my friend? Or were you just following orders?" Alice asked bitterly, turning to face her.
"Yes, and I really do think Jason McCormick is a hottie." Alice laughed. "My only order was to watch you. not let you become my best friend."
Alice smiled, finally losing the cold stare she had adopted.
"Now, ask any questions you have, I'll answer them all honestly."
"Promise?"
"I promise on all things sugery and sweet that I will answer truthfully." Aliandra replied, raising her hand and placing the other over her heart.
"Okay," Alice thought for a moment. "Am I really a princess?"
"Yes."
"I'm from another dimension?"
"Yep."
"Okay, I'm not sure how to respond to that."
"Didn't expect you to." Aliandra said with a smile.
"And you're from there too?" Aliandra nodded.
"Okay, so, why can't I know anything abou-" Alice began, but was interrupted by the sound of her 'mother' calling her name.
"We're up here." Alice said, her voice tight.
Mrs. Darwin entered the room soon after, smiling when she saw Aliandra.
"Hi Ophelia, what are you doing here? And why is there a strange boy moaning in pain on my porch?"
Aliandra smiled but didn't respond, only glancing at Alice, who got to her feet.
"Why did you lie to me?" She asked.
"About what?" Her mother asked, looking confused.
"About you being my mother." Alice replied.
"I never lied to you about anything!" Was the reponse.
"You're lying to me right now!" Alice said.
"What is going on with you?" Just before Alice could speak, Aliandra interrupted.
"She knows, Pria, you may as well drop the act."
Alice watched her mother as her shoulders dropped in defeat. "Alright."
"Why did you both lie to me about this? And what couldn't you tell me at the forest, Aliandra?" She said Aliandra's name with bitterness.
"Really? We're back to being ticked?" Aliandra responded before taking a deep breath. "There is a prophecy that, when the time is right, the Lost Heir will return to reunite the Feir Kingdoms. You're that Lost Heir, but you weren't supposed to know until you were 20."
"Why?"
"Because that's when the Prophecy said you were to return 'On the morning of the Lost Heirs twentieth year, the dawn of the new Feirs will rise.'"
"Seems really specific for a prophecy."
"Yeah well, our Oracle is really good."
"So what happens now?" Alice asked after a moment.
"I'm not sure." Aliandra admitted. "I wasn't expecting this to happen so soon."
"Guess your Oracle isn't so good after all, huh?"
"Watch it, Princess." Aliandra said, though there was a lightheartedness to her tone.
Suddenly, Malark burst into the room.
"Hey!" Alice shouted. "Get out!"
"We've got trouble." He said, ignoring Alice completely.
"What kind of trouble?"
"Grenra's cousin trouble."
Aliandra cursed in a language Alice had never heard before. "That's big trouble."
"What's a Grenra and why don't you like his relatives?" Alice asked.
"No time to explain right now, but in short, big monster that will eat you alive." Aliandra said quickly, grabbing Alice's hand and dragging her out of the room and towards the stairs when they heard a loud roar that literally shook the house.
Alice grabbed the railing for balance.
"That was the monster." Aliandra said unnecessarily.
"Well I didn't think it was a kitten!" Alice retorted as they ran out the back door, and stopped dead as they caught sight of a massive monster, easily standing 9 feet tall, with mis-matched skin of blue and black, it looked like a massive bruise.
They ducked as it swung at them, and Aliandra pushed her to the left as she leapt to the right, the monster turning to go after Alice as she crab-walked backwards.
A rock bounced off of its head and it paused, and reached its hand out to grab her, and another rock hit it on the arm with such force that Alice heard it snap; it hung limply at the monster side as it turned to face Aliandra, who was tossing a rock the size of a baseball in the air and catching it like she did at softball practice, and threw it, smacking the monster in the face with such force that it stumbled, but quickly regained its footing and cocked its head at her, studying her, and then a creepy thing happened, even creepier than a nine foot bruise: it spoke.
"Aliandra, you are interfering."
Aliandra looked as shocked as Alice felt.
"You can talk?" They said at the same time.
"This beast? Of course not, it is simply a tool." The monster said. "Too stupid to figure out how to use its vocal cords, but what it lacks in brains, it makes up for in being a brilliant assassin."
"Who are you?" Aliandra demanded.
"Now, now, Aliandra, don't go ruining my fun." It said, and the beast turned back to Alice. "Now back to business."
"Stay away from me!" Alice shouted as it reached for her. It didn't respond and she rolled out of the way, got to her feet and ran over to where Aliandra stood.
"Aliandra, you may want to snap out of it now." But she still stood there, staring at the monster. "Ophelia!"
Aliandra jumped and snapped back to reality, grabbing Alice's hand and running.
"How do we beat it?" Alice asked as they ran to the woods. She heard Malark behind them, shouting insults at the monster, and throwing what looked like fireballs. "Why can't you do that?"
"We can't beat it, it's a member of the Grenra family, they can only be contained, and we don't have the right equipment to do so," She answered. "And I'm a little busy trying to keep you alive."
"Can't you multi-task?" Alice asked. "Duck!"
They ducked just as the monster threw a small tree at them.
"Malark!" Aliandra shouted as they rolled away from the monster that was now stomping towards them. "Any time you want to help!"
"I'm working on it!" He shouted back. He had been weaving his hands in intricate patterns and muttering to himself.
They started running again, but Alice tripped over a stray tree root and hit the ground. She tried to get up, but was grabbed by the monster, who held her at arms length above the ground.
She tried swinging punches, but she was facing away from the monster, its claws digging into her back the more she struggled.
It suddenly dropped her, and she landed hard, her ankle twisting and she cried out.
Aliandra ran over to her and knelt beside her, checking the damage on her ankle.
"It's not broken." She said. "You just sprained it."
"What happened to the monster?" Alice asked between clenched teeth.
"Malark finished his chant." Aliandra said simply. "He took control of the creature and told it to stop."
"Didn't mean for it to drop you that hard though, sorry." Malark said as he approached, though he didn't sound all that sorry.
He turned to the monster and closed his eyes, standing perfectly still.
A light appeared behind it and it stepped into it and vanished as Malark opened his eyes and turned back to them.
"What did you do?" Alice asked.
"I told it to join the circus and it left to find a costume." He said.
"How do you know about the circus?" She asked. "You aren't even from here!"
"We're not forbidden from coming here, you know." He said, then dismissed her and spoke to Aliandra. "What do we do now?"
"I'm not sure." She said. "There isn't exactly a manual for this."
"Do we take her home?" He asked.
"I'm right here, you know." Alice said, waving a hand at them.
"Sorry, Alice." Aliandra said. "We can't take you back to our dimension yet."
"And why not?" Malark asked, crossing his arms. "At least there we'd have the home court advantage."
"Figures you'd be a basketball fan." Alice said.
"Where were you when we were being attacked by the giant monster?" Aliandra said. "It's certainly not from here, it was sent, from our dimension; and that means that there are enemies trying to kill her, and prevent her from getting there."
"Wait, if there are people trying to prevent me from getting to this oh so wonderful dimension full of all kinds of nightmares and killers, why not just go there if that's what they don't want?" Alice said.
"Because you have to have certain skills in order to cross over the dimensional borders, a skill you haven't developed yet." Aliandra replied. "We have to train you before you can move between worlds, and then we can really mess with them."
Alice grinned. "I get to learn magic?"
Aliandra nodded. "Yup."
"This day is turning out better than I thought it was." She said. "When do we start?"
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Happy Birthday, Sky!!!
Happy Birthday, Sky!
Sorry for the wait, I hope you like it! :D
Hope you have a very shiny birthday :D Happy 19th!
*hands 19 birthday cupcakes*
Sally sat at her desk, absently tapping her pencil, thinking over everything that happened.
When she'd gotten home the previous week, her mother and brother had acted like she hadn't been gone for 2 days, and she decided not to question it. She really didn't need to be grounded.
She briefly wondered how long her mother would have grounded her for leaving the current dimension and laughed to herself at the expression she imagined her mother would have.
"What's funny?" Harry asked as he walked in, eating an apple.
"Nothing," she said, snapped out of her thinking. Her brother looked at her strangely, but said nothing.
"Have you finished the History homework yet?" He asked instead.
"Why? You need to copy it?" She asked.
"Nah, maybe next time when your not so day-dreamy." He said, sitting on her bed.
"What's up?" She asked, setting her pencil down.
"Nothing."
"Oh yeah right," She said. "You don't normally come in my room unless you wanted something, and you certainly don't eat apples."
He looked confused for a moment before looking at the object in his hand with an even more confused expression which quickly turned to horror and he screamed, throwing the apple at the wall, where it hit, imploded a little, leaving apple insides on her wall, before sliding down and landing in her clothes hamper.
She clamped a hand over her mouth to stop from laughing as her brother hunched over her trashcan and started dry heaving.
"What on earth is going on in here?" Their mother said as she peeked her head in. "Harry, what's wrong, sweetheart? Why are you retching in your sisters bin?"
"Ate...apple..." He choked out.
"Oh for the life of... It's just an apple, it wont kill you." She said, rolling her eyes at her son. "They're good for you."
"That's... what... they... want you... to think." He said.
"You are so strange," She said, shaking her head. "Sally, I'm going to the store, do you want anything?"
"Some more orange juice would be nice," she glanced at her brother, still with his head stuck in her trashcan.
"I'm... good." He said.
Their mother laughed as she closed the door behind her. A minute later, Sally heard the car start and pull away.
"Okay, I think you puked out all the apple, you can relax now." She said.
"I doubt it." He said, but he sat back anyway. "I can't believe I ate a fruit."
"Well, I think you've made it very clear that it was an accident." She replied. "What has you so upset that your eating healthy?"
"All right already, I'll tell you." He said. "It's Syl."
She sighed. "Why do you get so worked up over that Drama Queen?"
He gave her a look that only an older brother can give. "I love her, Sal."
"Why? There's nothing likeable about her." She said. "She treats you like dirt, treats me like I'm less then pond scum, and flirts with any man with a pulse. She's a snob who cares more about her makeup than you, and that's my nice description of her."
He sighed. "I know, but I can't help it. She puts up a front for everybody because she's scared to let anybody in, her mother left her when she was 3 and her dad remarried to an dis-inherited heiress who was always mean to her."
"Wow, she's got you fooled, doesn't she?" Harry's face darkened and he stood.
"Look, I know you don't like her, but I know the real her, ok? So stop acting like some big know-it-all and mind your own business!"
"Hey, your the one who came in here, remember?" Sally said, getting to her feet to face her brother. "You wanted my advice, and here it is: break up with her. She's rude to you and everyone else, she tells lies left and right like its no big deal, and she is dumber then a post! She's not good enough for you, Harry, why can't you just see that?"
"Forget it, ok? I'm sorry I brought it up." He opened the door, but paused in the doorway. "Why can't you just be happy that I'm with someone I love, other than you, who chases boys away like their flies." And he left.
She stared after him, tears in her eyes.
* * *
Bram tapped his fingers as he read through the tome. There was nothing useful in it, only obscure references, and he was getting frustrated.
He put his head on the book and sighed. Why did no one document anything useful?
Suddenly there was a sharp pain in his head, and he jerked his head up, thinking he laid his head down on a quill or the edge of the book, but the pain continued.
He massaged his temples and suddenly there was a wave of emotions that were not his.
Hurt, sadness, and anger. He blinked and he was no longer looking at dusty old book shelves, he was looking at a girl sobbing on a bed.
He stared at her. "What in the realms...?" He muttered.
The girl looked up, startled. It was Sally.
She jumped to her feet. "What are you doing? Spying on me?"
"N-no," He said, he was too confused to form coherent thoughts.
"Just go away!" She shouted and he was back staring at bookshelves.
"What just happened?" He asked them, and, naturally, they ignored him. Typical shelves.
* * *
Sally sat back down on the bed, wiping the rest of her tears away. Seeing Bram hadn't helped things, she didn't want him to see her cry.
She was the girl that faced the... She cleared her head before she could picture or think its name, she didn't know how she'd explain a monster that shouldn't exist suddenly appearing in her bedroom, anymore than she could explain a strange boy she'd met only a few days ago showing up.
She sighed, and picked up a Kleenex and blew her nose before going to her mirror to see how bad she looked. The last thing she needed was her mother freaking out on her.
Deciding she looked fine, she left her room, pausing briefly on the stairs to make sure she wouldn't burst into more tears when she heard her mothers voice, and continued into the kitchen, where her mother was making something that smelled foreign.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
Her mother spun around at the sound of her voice and smiled at her. "Oh, hi Sally, you startled me, I thought you were at Jordan's."
"No," Sally replied. "And don't dodge the question, what are you doing?"
"I'm cooking." Was the answer.
"Cooking?" Sally said, incredulous. "You never cook."
"I cook you breakfast every morning." Her mother countered.
"You put a pre-made meal in the over for 30 minutes, doesn't count." She said. "The last time you tried to cook, you almost burned the house down."
"Oh, shut up, I did not."
"We had to redo the whole kitchen!"
"Sally Elizabeth you stop talking right now." Her mother said, but she couldn't hold back her smile for long and she laughed. "It's a new dish I heard Margaret talking about, she gave me the recipe weeks ago and I decided 'what the heck?'"
"What kind of food is it?" Sally asked, peering curiously at the pan on the stove.
"It's something to do with curry, I think."
"Oh that's comforting." Sally responded.
"Hey mom," Harry said, coming down the stairs. "I'm heading over to Mi- what is that smell?"
"It's a new curry dish, she thinks." Sally answered.
"Curry?"
"Don't ask."
"Okay then..." He said. "I'm heading over to Mike's, and I think I may eat there as well."
"Fine, but you know they call that cowardice in some countries, right?" Their mom replied.
"I'd heard the rumor." He said, he glanced at Sally, opened his mouth, and then closed it again. "Later." He didn't wait for a reply and walked briskly out of the house, Sally right behind him.
She caught up just as he hit the lawn.
"Harry," She said. He paused mid-step and turned to face her. "Are you really going to Mike's, or did you say that for my sake?"
His face darkened. "What, now I'm not allowed to spend time with my friends? And whenever I do, I must be lying right? Where do you really go when you say you're going to Jordan's?"
"Harry, please, I didn't mean it that way."
"Sure, you did." He spun around and stalked off.
"Harry," She called. "Harry come on, we need to talk about this."
"No we don't," he called over his shoulder.
"Harry Robert!" She screamed. "You stop right now!"
He froze before turning on her. "How dare you use my middle name, you have no right to pull that card when you're the one in the hot seat!"
"We need to talk about this." She said as she caught up with him. "You're overreacting to the fact that I don't like your girlfriend, and I don't know why, you've never yelled at me like this before and I'm worried."
He opened his mouth to retort, but closed it and sighed. "I know."
"What?"
"I know, you're right." He said. "I don't know what's happening, but I can't help myself."
"You need to break up with her, she's toxic."
"I know, but... who's that?" He said, staring over her shoulder. She turned and saw Bram walking towards them.
"Bram?"
"Bram Stoker?" Harry asked.
"No, no Stoker, he's someone I met in the park... wait, that's not Bram." She said as the man got closer, he had the same height and build as Bram, but this guy looked meaner.
He paused in his stride and smirked at them before he waved his hand and they both went flying.
Sally landed on something hard and felt something crack, she looked up and had to fight the blackness that was threatening to take over her vision. She glanced at her leg and had to fight the urge to vomit, she didn't think it was supposed to bend that way.
She looked over in the direction her brother had went and saw him unconscious, his head on one of the brick wall things that no one knows the name off that their neighbor, Mr. Pressley, loved. He wasn't moving.
"Harry!" She screamed, trying to move towards him, but every movement sent a wave of pain into her brain.
The man was leaning over Harry like a vulture.
She blinked back more darkness and saw that he wasn't like a vulture, waiting for the prey to die so he could dine, he was studying her brother's head and the, she gulped, and the blood that was running out, almost curiously, like he'd never seen it before.
"Leave him alone!" She shouted, trying to get him away from Harry.
The man glanced at her and smiled, but it was a smile without amusement, it was the kind of smile you give someone when you're trying to be polite about them ticking you off.
"Poor little mouse," He said, he had an accent that she'd never heard before. "Your caught in the trap, can't get out, only one thing to do, to end the pain." He brought out a large knife from his boot and ran his finger along the edge. "Don't worry, I'll help." He stepped towards her and she screamed, which just made his smile grow. "Scream all you want, little mouse, no one can hear you."
"We're in plain sight, you psycho!" She shouted.
"Not in the time bubble, all time stands still, beautiful isn't it, my little mouse?"
She suddenly remembered the supposed bond she shared with Bram, and she sent all of her emotions through it, calling for help that seemed so far away, while the danger was oh so close.
She closed her eyes so she wouldn't see the final blow, but it never came. She heard a grunt and opened one eye to see Bram grappling with the psycho.
She breathed a sigh of relief but sucked it back in as Psycho appeared to be gaining the upper hand. "Look out!" She screamed as Psycho swung with the knife he had retrieved, after Bram had sent it spiraling.
Bram ducked and kicked out with his leg, connecting with Psycho's knee, making it buckle. Psycho used the momentum provided by gravity and launched himself at Bram, tackling him to the ground and punching him whilst holding the knife to his throat.
Sally looked around for something to throw, but there were no convenient rocks lying near her, which was very inconsiderate of them, she instead pulled off the shoe of her good foot and threw it.
It bounced off of his arm, but distracted him long enough for Bram to get out from under the knife and punch him.
Bram rolled to his feet and chanted some words that Sally could barely hear, and a portal opened up behind Psycho, who glanced at it and smirked.
"Until the next time, Sir Knight." Psycho said with a small bow, before turning to her. "And to you, little mouse."
He pulled something out of his pocket and crushed it in his hand, disappearing just as Bram ran forward to push him into the portal.
Bram landed with a solid thud in the flower bed. "Well that hurt." He said, sitting up.
Sally crawled over to Harry and checked his pulse, which thankfully was still beating and he was still breathing, she could have fainted right there.
Bram crouched next to her and put his hand on Harry's head, checking the damage. She punched his leg.
"Ow!" He said. "What was that for?"
"You're late!" She said.
"I got here, didn't I?" He said.
"Eventually." She said. "Who was Mr. Psycho?"
Bram was silent as he examined her brother's head. "He needs medical assistance; call for your mother."
"But who was he?" She demanded. "And Psycho said that no one could hear me call for help."
"And now he's gone, and so is his barrier, now call for your mother." He said. "Your brother has a concussion."
"Mom!" Sally called. "Mom, come quick!"
Her mother appeared in the doorway. "What's with all the..." She said, her voice trailing off. "Harry!"
She rushed over. "What happened?"
"Uh," Sally said, trying to think of something. "Would you believe we got attacked by a psychopath from another dimension?"
"Honestly, Sally, this is no time for games." She said. "What happened?"
She glanced at Bram, and did a double take. "And who is he?"
Before Sally could answer, Bram did. "My name is Bram, yes, I know, my parents thought it would be funny." He said, cutting off her mother's comment about Bram Stoker. "I was walking by and I saw the whole thing, your son tried to balance on the bricks here and slipped."
Her mother looked skeptical but didn't comment. "I'll go call for an ambulance." She said, getting to her feet and running to the house, and a few minutes later, Harry was on his way to the hospital in an ambulance, accompanied by Sally, because her leg had finally been noticed by her mother while they were waiting on the ambulance, and her mother.
Before she was taken away in the ambulance, Sally pulled Bram aside, and by that, she simply motioned him over and shooed away the paramedics, seeing as how she was now strapped to a gurney.
"You never answered my question," She said. "Who was Mr. Psycho?"
He hesitated. "You shouldn't worry abou-"
"Shut up, he attacked me and my brother, my brother, now who the heck was he?" She said; he didn't answer. "You don't know, do you?"
"Not at present, but rest assured, I am going to find out." He said, motioning over the paramedics and walking away before she could say anything else.
Sorry for the wait, I hope you like it! :D
Hope you have a very shiny birthday :D Happy 19th!
*hands 19 birthday cupcakes*
Sally sat at her desk, absently tapping her pencil, thinking over everything that happened.
When she'd gotten home the previous week, her mother and brother had acted like she hadn't been gone for 2 days, and she decided not to question it. She really didn't need to be grounded.
She briefly wondered how long her mother would have grounded her for leaving the current dimension and laughed to herself at the expression she imagined her mother would have.
"What's funny?" Harry asked as he walked in, eating an apple.
"Nothing," she said, snapped out of her thinking. Her brother looked at her strangely, but said nothing.
"Have you finished the History homework yet?" He asked instead.
"Why? You need to copy it?" She asked.
"Nah, maybe next time when your not so day-dreamy." He said, sitting on her bed.
"What's up?" She asked, setting her pencil down.
"Nothing."
"Oh yeah right," She said. "You don't normally come in my room unless you wanted something, and you certainly don't eat apples."
He looked confused for a moment before looking at the object in his hand with an even more confused expression which quickly turned to horror and he screamed, throwing the apple at the wall, where it hit, imploded a little, leaving apple insides on her wall, before sliding down and landing in her clothes hamper.
She clamped a hand over her mouth to stop from laughing as her brother hunched over her trashcan and started dry heaving.
"What on earth is going on in here?" Their mother said as she peeked her head in. "Harry, what's wrong, sweetheart? Why are you retching in your sisters bin?"
"Ate...apple..." He choked out.
"Oh for the life of... It's just an apple, it wont kill you." She said, rolling her eyes at her son. "They're good for you."
"That's... what... they... want you... to think." He said.
"You are so strange," She said, shaking her head. "Sally, I'm going to the store, do you want anything?"
"Some more orange juice would be nice," she glanced at her brother, still with his head stuck in her trashcan.
"I'm... good." He said.
Their mother laughed as she closed the door behind her. A minute later, Sally heard the car start and pull away.
"Okay, I think you puked out all the apple, you can relax now." She said.
"I doubt it." He said, but he sat back anyway. "I can't believe I ate a fruit."
"Well, I think you've made it very clear that it was an accident." She replied. "What has you so upset that your eating healthy?"
"All right already, I'll tell you." He said. "It's Syl."
She sighed. "Why do you get so worked up over that Drama Queen?"
He gave her a look that only an older brother can give. "I love her, Sal."
"Why? There's nothing likeable about her." She said. "She treats you like dirt, treats me like I'm less then pond scum, and flirts with any man with a pulse. She's a snob who cares more about her makeup than you, and that's my nice description of her."
He sighed. "I know, but I can't help it. She puts up a front for everybody because she's scared to let anybody in, her mother left her when she was 3 and her dad remarried to an dis-inherited heiress who was always mean to her."
"Wow, she's got you fooled, doesn't she?" Harry's face darkened and he stood.
"Look, I know you don't like her, but I know the real her, ok? So stop acting like some big know-it-all and mind your own business!"
"Hey, your the one who came in here, remember?" Sally said, getting to her feet to face her brother. "You wanted my advice, and here it is: break up with her. She's rude to you and everyone else, she tells lies left and right like its no big deal, and she is dumber then a post! She's not good enough for you, Harry, why can't you just see that?"
"Forget it, ok? I'm sorry I brought it up." He opened the door, but paused in the doorway. "Why can't you just be happy that I'm with someone I love, other than you, who chases boys away like their flies." And he left.
She stared after him, tears in her eyes.
* * *
Bram tapped his fingers as he read through the tome. There was nothing useful in it, only obscure references, and he was getting frustrated.
He put his head on the book and sighed. Why did no one document anything useful?
Suddenly there was a sharp pain in his head, and he jerked his head up, thinking he laid his head down on a quill or the edge of the book, but the pain continued.
He massaged his temples and suddenly there was a wave of emotions that were not his.
Hurt, sadness, and anger. He blinked and he was no longer looking at dusty old book shelves, he was looking at a girl sobbing on a bed.
He stared at her. "What in the realms...?" He muttered.
The girl looked up, startled. It was Sally.
She jumped to her feet. "What are you doing? Spying on me?"
"N-no," He said, he was too confused to form coherent thoughts.
"Just go away!" She shouted and he was back staring at bookshelves.
"What just happened?" He asked them, and, naturally, they ignored him. Typical shelves.
* * *
Sally sat back down on the bed, wiping the rest of her tears away. Seeing Bram hadn't helped things, she didn't want him to see her cry.
She was the girl that faced the... She cleared her head before she could picture or think its name, she didn't know how she'd explain a monster that shouldn't exist suddenly appearing in her bedroom, anymore than she could explain a strange boy she'd met only a few days ago showing up.
She sighed, and picked up a Kleenex and blew her nose before going to her mirror to see how bad she looked. The last thing she needed was her mother freaking out on her.
Deciding she looked fine, she left her room, pausing briefly on the stairs to make sure she wouldn't burst into more tears when she heard her mothers voice, and continued into the kitchen, where her mother was making something that smelled foreign.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
Her mother spun around at the sound of her voice and smiled at her. "Oh, hi Sally, you startled me, I thought you were at Jordan's."
"No," Sally replied. "And don't dodge the question, what are you doing?"
"I'm cooking." Was the answer.
"Cooking?" Sally said, incredulous. "You never cook."
"I cook you breakfast every morning." Her mother countered.
"You put a pre-made meal in the over for 30 minutes, doesn't count." She said. "The last time you tried to cook, you almost burned the house down."
"Oh, shut up, I did not."
"We had to redo the whole kitchen!"
"Sally Elizabeth you stop talking right now." Her mother said, but she couldn't hold back her smile for long and she laughed. "It's a new dish I heard Margaret talking about, she gave me the recipe weeks ago and I decided 'what the heck?'"
"What kind of food is it?" Sally asked, peering curiously at the pan on the stove.
"It's something to do with curry, I think."
"Oh that's comforting." Sally responded.
"Hey mom," Harry said, coming down the stairs. "I'm heading over to Mi- what is that smell?"
"It's a new curry dish, she thinks." Sally answered.
"Curry?"
"Don't ask."
"Okay then..." He said. "I'm heading over to Mike's, and I think I may eat there as well."
"Fine, but you know they call that cowardice in some countries, right?" Their mom replied.
"I'd heard the rumor." He said, he glanced at Sally, opened his mouth, and then closed it again. "Later." He didn't wait for a reply and walked briskly out of the house, Sally right behind him.
She caught up just as he hit the lawn.
"Harry," She said. He paused mid-step and turned to face her. "Are you really going to Mike's, or did you say that for my sake?"
His face darkened. "What, now I'm not allowed to spend time with my friends? And whenever I do, I must be lying right? Where do you really go when you say you're going to Jordan's?"
"Harry, please, I didn't mean it that way."
"Sure, you did." He spun around and stalked off.
"Harry," She called. "Harry come on, we need to talk about this."
"No we don't," he called over his shoulder.
"Harry Robert!" She screamed. "You stop right now!"
He froze before turning on her. "How dare you use my middle name, you have no right to pull that card when you're the one in the hot seat!"
"We need to talk about this." She said as she caught up with him. "You're overreacting to the fact that I don't like your girlfriend, and I don't know why, you've never yelled at me like this before and I'm worried."
He opened his mouth to retort, but closed it and sighed. "I know."
"What?"
"I know, you're right." He said. "I don't know what's happening, but I can't help myself."
"You need to break up with her, she's toxic."
"I know, but... who's that?" He said, staring over her shoulder. She turned and saw Bram walking towards them.
"Bram?"
"Bram Stoker?" Harry asked.
"No, no Stoker, he's someone I met in the park... wait, that's not Bram." She said as the man got closer, he had the same height and build as Bram, but this guy looked meaner.
He paused in his stride and smirked at them before he waved his hand and they both went flying.
Sally landed on something hard and felt something crack, she looked up and had to fight the blackness that was threatening to take over her vision. She glanced at her leg and had to fight the urge to vomit, she didn't think it was supposed to bend that way.
She looked over in the direction her brother had went and saw him unconscious, his head on one of the brick wall things that no one knows the name off that their neighbor, Mr. Pressley, loved. He wasn't moving.
"Harry!" She screamed, trying to move towards him, but every movement sent a wave of pain into her brain.
The man was leaning over Harry like a vulture.
She blinked back more darkness and saw that he wasn't like a vulture, waiting for the prey to die so he could dine, he was studying her brother's head and the, she gulped, and the blood that was running out, almost curiously, like he'd never seen it before.
"Leave him alone!" She shouted, trying to get him away from Harry.
The man glanced at her and smiled, but it was a smile without amusement, it was the kind of smile you give someone when you're trying to be polite about them ticking you off.
"Poor little mouse," He said, he had an accent that she'd never heard before. "Your caught in the trap, can't get out, only one thing to do, to end the pain." He brought out a large knife from his boot and ran his finger along the edge. "Don't worry, I'll help." He stepped towards her and she screamed, which just made his smile grow. "Scream all you want, little mouse, no one can hear you."
"We're in plain sight, you psycho!" She shouted.
"Not in the time bubble, all time stands still, beautiful isn't it, my little mouse?"
She suddenly remembered the supposed bond she shared with Bram, and she sent all of her emotions through it, calling for help that seemed so far away, while the danger was oh so close.
She closed her eyes so she wouldn't see the final blow, but it never came. She heard a grunt and opened one eye to see Bram grappling with the psycho.
She breathed a sigh of relief but sucked it back in as Psycho appeared to be gaining the upper hand. "Look out!" She screamed as Psycho swung with the knife he had retrieved, after Bram had sent it spiraling.
Bram ducked and kicked out with his leg, connecting with Psycho's knee, making it buckle. Psycho used the momentum provided by gravity and launched himself at Bram, tackling him to the ground and punching him whilst holding the knife to his throat.
Sally looked around for something to throw, but there were no convenient rocks lying near her, which was very inconsiderate of them, she instead pulled off the shoe of her good foot and threw it.
It bounced off of his arm, but distracted him long enough for Bram to get out from under the knife and punch him.
Bram rolled to his feet and chanted some words that Sally could barely hear, and a portal opened up behind Psycho, who glanced at it and smirked.
"Until the next time, Sir Knight." Psycho said with a small bow, before turning to her. "And to you, little mouse."
He pulled something out of his pocket and crushed it in his hand, disappearing just as Bram ran forward to push him into the portal.
Bram landed with a solid thud in the flower bed. "Well that hurt." He said, sitting up.
Sally crawled over to Harry and checked his pulse, which thankfully was still beating and he was still breathing, she could have fainted right there.
Bram crouched next to her and put his hand on Harry's head, checking the damage. She punched his leg.
"Ow!" He said. "What was that for?"
"You're late!" She said.
"I got here, didn't I?" He said.
"Eventually." She said. "Who was Mr. Psycho?"
Bram was silent as he examined her brother's head. "He needs medical assistance; call for your mother."
"But who was he?" She demanded. "And Psycho said that no one could hear me call for help."
"And now he's gone, and so is his barrier, now call for your mother." He said. "Your brother has a concussion."
"Mom!" Sally called. "Mom, come quick!"
Her mother appeared in the doorway. "What's with all the..." She said, her voice trailing off. "Harry!"
She rushed over. "What happened?"
"Uh," Sally said, trying to think of something. "Would you believe we got attacked by a psychopath from another dimension?"
"Honestly, Sally, this is no time for games." She said. "What happened?"
She glanced at Bram, and did a double take. "And who is he?"
Before Sally could answer, Bram did. "My name is Bram, yes, I know, my parents thought it would be funny." He said, cutting off her mother's comment about Bram Stoker. "I was walking by and I saw the whole thing, your son tried to balance on the bricks here and slipped."
Her mother looked skeptical but didn't comment. "I'll go call for an ambulance." She said, getting to her feet and running to the house, and a few minutes later, Harry was on his way to the hospital in an ambulance, accompanied by Sally, because her leg had finally been noticed by her mother while they were waiting on the ambulance, and her mother.
Before she was taken away in the ambulance, Sally pulled Bram aside, and by that, she simply motioned him over and shooed away the paramedics, seeing as how she was now strapped to a gurney.
"You never answered my question," She said. "Who was Mr. Psycho?"
He hesitated. "You shouldn't worry abou-"
"Shut up, he attacked me and my brother, my brother, now who the heck was he?" She said; he didn't answer. "You don't know, do you?"
"Not at present, but rest assured, I am going to find out." He said, motioning over the paramedics and walking away before she could say anything else.
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