Knights of Riona Read online

  “I’ve tried not to call him that, but it’s easier than calling him ‘that weirdo who called my book enlightening and gave me a strange necklace’.”

  The doctor chuckled. “I have missed your sharp tongue. But seriously Delia, you need to be very careful. Schizophrenia isn’t a joke, it’s a very serious diagnosis. Are you still taking your medication?”

  “Of course.”

  “Good. Tell me about life with Paula, you seem to have adjusted well to the outside world.”

  When I left his office, I wasn’t sure if I felt better about the situation. He only told me what I already knew; don’t go backward. Now that I was confident of the stranger’s existence, I had to find out why he was taking on the identity of the guard who simultaneously saved the princess, and let her get swept away by the enemy.

  “We were so close!” Lonzo lamented when I returned to the crew.

  She’d been within reach, and I’d let her slip through my fingers again. The look on her face was etched in my mind; she looked relieved. Was it seeing me again that gave her that relief? I couldn’t help but feel hopeful that it was. Perhaps she was ready to come home but the woman with her was holding her against her will.

  “Don’t despair, men. We now have another piece of information that will help us find her.”

  They looked skeptical, but only one of them spoke up; Philo, one of the younger Knights. “What information is that?”

  “We know that she lives in the suburbs. The train she took is an express that only goes back and forth between the northern suburbs and downtown New York.”

  “That only widens the search area, Commander,” Rafe told me.

  “Men, we will find her. Or, she will find us when she’s ready.”

  “And what if she isn’t ready until it’s too late to save Riona?” Gerrit asked.

  There was no real way to answer that question. It might already be too late to save our home, but we had to try. Before I gave her the Bloodstone, it had begun to change. The edges were darker than they should have been; I could only interpret that as foreshadowing the future of our beautiful world.

  “I wish I had more positive words to share with you, but right now, all we have is each other and the hope that we will one day return to Riona. We must cling to that hope no matter what we face in days to come.”

  I noticed a marked difference in the demeanor of my men as we returned to our daily work. My words may not have been the most inspiring, but they’d done the trick for the time being. Even Lonzo seemed more optimistic as he went about his work. I did my best to hide my own melancholy; it wouldn’t help if they knew I didn’t believe my own speech.

  The house shook. Something wasn’t right. I sat up in my bed to find my roommates in various stages of waking up. Solon rushed to the window with speed that defied his age. I swung my feet around to touch the floor only to be shaken once more.

  “What’s going on out there, Solon?” Rafe asked through a yawn.

  “Nothing, but it looks like we’re not the only ones experiencing the shake of the earth.”

  Another tremor shook the walls of the room I shared with three other men. We were wide awake now. I didn’t know much about Earth or how their world worked, but I did know that earthquakes were uncommon for New York City. I went to the window and peered out next to Solon. It was still night time, the darkness accentuated by the lack of artificial light that normally came from street lamps. There was no power. We waited with tense muscles for another shake, but nothing happened.

  “What was that?” Lonzo asked, stumbling in from the hallway.

  He was followed by our other men. We lived in a two-bedroom apartment; it wasn’t ideal, but it worked. Sleeping in stacked beds was nothing new, we’d done it during training for the Royal Guard, and any time we were out on the battlefield. The hard part was convincing our landlord that we weren’t having distasteful parties or “sinning,” as she had put it. I hadn’t entirely worked out what that meant and wasn’t sure I wanted to.

  “It was an earthquake,” I said as I turned from the window and sat on my bed.

  “Is that normal?” Garrit asked.

  I shrugged. I didn’t think so, but I wasn’t an expert. “I doubt we’ll know anything until morning. The power is out, we can’t watch the news.”

  After a few more minutes of staring at each other in the dark, we all wandered back to our own beds with the hope that when we awoke, the world would be back to normal.

  No one could explain the earthquakes that had become regular occurrences in New York City. According to scientists, the center of each quake originated in one location; a location I knew all too well. They were most intense in Central Park. Perhaps I was reading too much into the situation, but it seemed too coincidental that the unusual phenomena would originate in the very location of the portal from Riona to Earth.

  I couldn’t help but wonder if the quakes were a sign of the destruction of my home, or if something was breaking down the barrier between our worlds. According to what I’d read in Godfrey Tower, only an alchemist could lift the veil between worlds. I knew none of our alchemists would do something like that unless it was absolutely necessary. My stomach clenched at the thought of what would bring them to do something so rash. Riona must be in worse shape than I’d imagined.

  Thoughts of finding the princess were still at the forefront of my mind, but my immediate concern was determining if we should be helping our people, or preparing for an attack on Earth. It was the second option that scared me most. Could the Gorum have found a way to smash through the portal without the help of our alchemists? Was their brute force enough to accomplish something like that?

  I’d posed that exact question to Orin as we sat in our cramped living room, watching the evening news.

  “I don’t know that I could answer that question. I think we need to find someone who knows more about the art of alchemy.”

  I hadn’t thought of that. “Where would we begin to look for someone on Earth that would be as well-versed in alchemy as those in our own world?”

  “Well, I think we should start with the occult. See, on Earth, alchemy is considered the forerunner of chemistry. Very few still look to alchemy for its magical properties. People who are well-versed in magic may be able to point us in the right direction.”

  Just like that our mission split. Orin and I began looking for someone to answer our alchemical questions while the rest of the crew continued to look for Delia. Searching for the princess had become an obsession of mine; one I had to let go of if we were going to be successful. It took Odin a few tries before I finally relented and let Lonzo take over the search. I knew the other men would pursue relentlessly the mission I had allowed to cloud my judgement. I didn’t care to admit it to anyone, but Delia was a soft-spot for me. Ever since I held her hand in the tunnel behind the tapestry I knew she was my responsibility. My failure hadn’t done anything to loosen my grip on the idea that I was the one who would save her, and in turn, our people. But our time on Earth had shown me that my people were more important than my pride.

  Another earthquake jerked me back to reality. It was more intense than anything I’d ever experienced. I looked to my men, trying desperately to keep the fear from showing on my face. There was no time to waste in accomplishing our missions. A loud rumble began outside shortly after the shaking started; it was distant, but seemed to echo the urgency of the situation.

  I rushed to the window, followed by my fellow Knights. In the distance, we watched in horror as a building collapsed. I had no idea what building it was or if it was of any significance to the city, I didn’t know if there were people inside. My stomach turned as I thought of our building doing the same thing.

  “It was an office building. Probably all but empty today since it’s the weekend, but next time...” Orin pulled out his cell phone and called his wife.

  Lonzo looked to me for orders, and this time I was ready to deliver. “It’s time to stop trying to blend in
to this world. We need to find the princess and look for some way to get home. Pack up what you need. We’re Knights of Riona, it’s time we start acting like it.”

  Putting on the necklace had been a terrible idea. I’d been sitting in my room, staring between the phone and the pouch. I couldn’t decide if I was going to call Taeren again or not. After our encounter at the train station I’d been more curious than ever about who he was. Someone had yelled my name, but it wasn’t him. Even though we’d barely spoken I knew his voice. I would know his voice anywhere. The man who yelled my name was older; there was something familiar about him but I couldn’t place it.

  It felt like the Bloodstone was calling to me. I knew it was crazy, and I knew what Doctor Larkin would say about that notion, but there was no denying the connection I felt with that necklace. The moment I let the smooth metal back rest against my chest, the earth shook. Not metaphorically.

  Pictures fell from the walls, sirens went off, and people were screaming. According to the news, the earthquake originated in Central Park. We lived miles from there in a suburb north of the city. If the quake had wrought that much destruction in my home, I could only imagine what it had done to the area immediately surrounding the park.

  I couldn’t tell Paula that I thought the earthquake was somehow connected to the amulet. She was already watching me like she expected me to have a mental breakdown at any moment. I also couldn’t let her see that I’d begun wearing the necklace in the privacy of my own room. I had to see if it would cause another earthquake.

  Instead, I started having strange dreams. These were nothing like the dreams that brought Riona to life; these were full of death and decay. The landscape was definitely the world I’d created, but everything was wrong. It was dying.

  The vibrant green flora had disintegrated to nothing, the once brilliant sky was palest yellow with no stars in sight. Worse than all that was the presence of the dead and dying amongst those who still clung to life. They were suffocating. It was as though their world was collapsing in on them, like the air had been siphoned from their lungs. The once beautiful world I’d longed to live in seemed to be coming to a gruesome end.

  My book had also taken a darker turn. I was inspired by the death and destruction I witnessed in my dreams. Lisa was equal parts intrigued and disturbed by the apocalyptic twist I’d added to the story. I had the princess stranded on Earth and Taeren chasing after her when the world began to crumble. The scenes I wrote about Riona were gut-wrenching. It was raw and terrifying and Lisa wanted more.

  I felt myself falling into a dark state of mind. I had no will to do anything but sleep and write. My dreams fueled my words, and my words felt like the only real thing in my life. Paula tried to convince me to come out of my room but I wasn’t interested in appeasing her. I hadn’t bathed in days. I stopped taking the medication I’d relied on for years. I hardly ate anything. My devolving mental state should have been alarming to me after everything I’d dealt with, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

  The nightmarish creatures I saw in my dreams started to flit about in the corner of my vision. They weren’t really there. Paula didn’t seem to notice them, but I did. Shrouded black creatures that never set foot on the ground reached for me when I wasn’t looking. I barricaded my door. If there was no way for them to get in, they couldn’t steal my amulet. If I was all alone, no one would be able to kill me.

  The earthquakes had become more frequent. My mind was so clouded that I couldn’t be certain if the shaking was real or just a residual effect of the powerful necklace I wore. I quit answering my emails, my phone, my door. Paula and Lisa both spoke to me through the barricade. They were worried about me. It broke my heart to hear them so upset, but I couldn’t let them in. I couldn’t trust that they were acting of their own volition.

  I was sleeping fitfully one morning when a bang shook me awake. Another bang sent my barricade tumbling to the ground. The bedroom door flew open. In a moment of betrayal, Paula and Lisa stood behind Doctor Larkin and two sturdy men dressed in crisp white. I screamed and scurried under the bed for shelter.

  “Delia, honey, this is for the best. We need to get you well again,” Paula said through tears that clung to her cheeks.

  “I’m fine. Go away. Get out of my room!” My scream sounded like a wounded animal.

  “Delia, I need you to relax. These men are going to help me hold you steady while I administer a tranquilizer. We’re taking you back to the hospital until you’re better again.”

  “No!” I tried desperately to become smaller so they couldn’t reach me under the bed.

  It was no use. Strong hands gripped my legs and pulled. I was in the open. I kicked and punched at the men holding me down. Soon, my arms were secured to my sides as one of the men straddled my midsection. The other man held my calves as my muscles screamed for release. I felt a sharp prick on the side of my neck. The last thing I saw before it all went dark was Doctor Larkin leaning over me.

  I woke from a strange nightmare. Everything was choppy and pieced together in a random order. None of it made sense. I remembered seeing the Sideon from my story in my room, but that didn’t make any sense. I tried to roll over to get more comfortable in bed. I couldn’t move.

  Opening my eyes, I blinked against the harsh overhead light. Fluorescent. I tried to reach my hand up to grip my pounding head but found that I couldn’t move. My arms and legs were both strapped to the metal sides of a hospital bed.

  “Hello?” I called out, hoping Paula would appear to reassure me.

  There was no response. I listened carefully, hoping to hear a sliver of conversation, the hum of the air conditioner, something, anything. There was no sound to be heard. I’d spent enough time in the hospital that I knew what that meant. I carefully lifted my head to get a better look at the room; white padded walls surrounded me.

  It hadn’t been a dream. I was back in the hospital. I was in solitary confinement. No one could hear me, and I wouldn’t hear anything at all as long as I was in that room.

  The door opened. Finally, someone was coming to let me out of my prison cell. I must have fallen asleep because the room was dark and the narrow window near the ceiling let in just enough light to tell me the moon was high in the sky. Someone quietly approached my bedside.

  “Delia?” It was Paula. Part of me was relieved to hear her voice, but a stronger part was angry with her.

  “Go away.” My voice was barely above a whisper.

  “I know you’re mad at me. I’m sorry. You aren’t well. I was hoping you’d be able to turn it around on your own, but you just got worse.”

  Paula removed the restraints that held me to the bed. Apparently, they were no longer worried that I would hurt myself or someone else. I rolled my wrists and pointed my toes to stretch my feet. I sat up in bed and watched Paula set up a food tray. There was no clock in the room, so I had no idea if this was an appropriate time to be eating the pancakes that smelled so good, but I was going to anyway. My nurse deftly cut the pancakes into bite size pieces then wiped off the knife and slid it in her pocket.

  “Here, you need to eat. Taking yourself off your medication messed with your appetite. You haven’t eaten more than a few bites in nearly a week.” She slid the tray table over the side of my bed.

  I could tell from her folded arms and popped hip that she wasn’t going to move until I’d eaten something. I took a few tentative bites, added more syrup and practically devoured the rest. She handed me a cup of milk and two pills.

  “I’m glad you ate. You can’t take these without food, and this milk will help coat your stomach. This medicine can cause a pretty intense stomachache.”

  I popped the pills in my mouth and took a long drink from the Styrofoam cup. My body seemed to fight me as I swallowed the medicine; like it knew what I was doing and rejected the decision. After gagging a few times and downing the entire contents of the cup, I finally swallowed them. Paula seemed satisfied with what I ate as she took the tray away and
sat on the bed to face me.

  “Delia, why didn’t you tell me you stopped taking your medicine?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t even remember stopping. I just remember the nightmares.”

  She reached up and stroked my cheek but I pulled away. “Honey, you’re going to get better again and we’ll go back home. I’m so sorry.”

  “When do I get out of solitary?” I ignored her request for forgiveness.

  “Dr. Larkin will be in shortly. He thinks you need to be in here until the medicine builds up enough that you won’t have another break from reality.”

  I sighed deeply. “Just go. I’m tired.”

  I could practically hear Paula’s body slump as she moved toward the exit. I almost called out to her, but I wasn’t ready to forgive her yet. It wasn’t exactly her fault that I’d landed back in the psych ward, but she wasn’t an innocent bystander either. I couldn’t help but wonder how much of what had happened in the past few months was real. Had I imagined seeing Taeren? Was the amulet part of my delusions? I couldn’t rely on my memory at all.

  A single tear slid down my temple, tracing the curve of my cheek bone and pooling in my ear. Maybe I wasn’t as well as we’d hoped.

  They finally let me out of solitary. According to Paula, I’d been in the hospital for a week. There were still earthquakes. They were happening more and more frequently and still no explanation for them. I felt better, I felt like me again, but Doctor Larkin didn’t feel comfortable letting me out so quickly. I was going to spend at least three months in the hospital.

  This time, I wasn’t housed in the ward for children. My fellow patients seemed dangerous and unpredictable instead of childlike and imaginative. I tried to spend as much time as possible in my room. The adult ward didn’t have private rooms. My roommate never slept. Instead, she sat in her bed scratching the walls or whispering to herself about government spies. After two nights I was practically begging to be put back in solitary confinement.