Knights of Riona Read online

  I didn’t like the sound of that at all. “Is it going to hurt?”

  Her hesitation answered my question before she spoke. “We will start at a low enough level to minimize pain, but it isn’t going to be comfortable.”

  I bit my lip and nodded. I knew I had no choice in the matter, so the best thing I could do was allow them to try their treatments until they were ready to let me go.

  We were facing a crisis like Riona had never seen before. The changes in our world were no longer subtle. In just three months, the forest around us had begun to die. It spread like a disease. The Bloodstone had begun vibrating in the pouch against my chest. It was a near-constant reminder that I was a failure.

  Since my first meeting with the Knights, a thought had been persistently poking at the back of my mind. If Delia survived the trip through the portal to Earth, she could still be alive. There was a glimmer of possibility and I felt it welling up inside me. I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer; I called an emergency meeting of the Knights of Riona.

  As the others sat around the table, staring at me expectantly, the only person I could look at was Tilda. She had relied heavily on me in the years following our retreat to the Western Wood. I knew that if we considered her our new leader, she considered me her second in command. News of my betrayal wouldn’t sit well with her. If I was going to come clean about my deception, I had to do it in a way that would show her I meant no harm. It wasn’t about protecting my reputation, it was about keeping the princess safe from pursuance.

  “Chancellor, I feel I must confide something in this circle. Before I do, please remember that my number one objective has always been to protect the royal family and the Bloodstone.”

  She waved her hand dismissively. “Yes, I am well aware. Just tell us already.”

  I stood from my chair at the table. My palms were sweating and my stomach was in knots. The expectant faces around the table told me I had a captive audience. Many of them had not heard me utter anything more than commands to what remained of our army. People had drawn their own conclusions about me years ago. I took a deep breath; it was time to reveal the truth.

  “I told you of the untimely deaths dealt to our Queen and her King. I told you of the journey Delia and I made to this very tower. I told you that the Gorum captured the princess. All of those things are true,” I paused to take a breath. “But, what I didn’t tell you is what truly happened to Delia.”

  Tilda sat up straight in her chair. I had her full attention. The Knights of Riona leaned forward eagerly.

  “The Gorum that held her did not eat her as I led you to believe. He threw her.”

  “What?” Tilda shouted as though I had slapped her across the face.

  “I know what you’re thinking. I know I shouldn’t have lied. But, I’m afraid the truth is slightly more terrifying than witnessing her death.”

  “What could possibly be worse than our princess dying?” Lonzo demanded.

  I buried my head in my hands. “What about having our princess tossed through a portal, then having the portal destroyed before your eyes?”

  If Tilda’s eyes got any bigger they may have popped out of her head. “Where did this portal lead?”

  I strode around the table and grabbed the journal from my desk across the room. When I placed it in Tilda’s hands, she looked at me with tears in her eyes. I watched her open the book and begin to pour over the words.

  “I believe she’s on Earth.”

  Tilda paused for a moment to regain her composure. “Is this why you’ve locked yourself away with all those musty books?”

  I nodded.

  “I wish you’d told me before now. We can still find her. She could still be alive. We can save Riona.”

  “The portal was destroyed. How can we possibly find her?”

  Tilda looked at me with firm determination. “If you’d told me when I found you after her disappearance, we could have gotten her that day. There’s so much you don’t know about that amulet, about Riona.”

  I knelt in front of her, desperate to know what I could do next. “Then tell me!”

  “I can’t tell you everything. Much of it is only meant for the Queen and her most trusted advisor. I can tell you the Bloodstone will reopen the portal. The amulet will find her. It’s infused with the same blood that courses through her veins. If she is alive, it will lead us to her.” She paused as though struggling with a decision before continuing, “The amulet is tied to Earth as well. The Great Alchemist, Sophronia, our first Queen, came from Earth.”

  A murmur washed over the Knights of Riona. I had drawn the conclusion that our ancestors must have come from Earth because of the journals I’d read in Godfrey Tower, but there had never been any concrete evidence. If what Tilda was telling us was true, the situation may not be as hopeless as I’d initially thought it to be.

  “You’re going to need to go to Earth.” Chancellor Tilda placed a hand on my shoulder, snapping me out of my thoughts.

  The world seemed to turn upside down. I felt my stomach turn, and I broke out in a cold sweat. The guilt I’d already felt grew exponentially. I could have saved her long ago. I thought I was protecting her by not telling anyone she was alive. I realized then that I was protecting myself. I didn’t want anyone to know she was alive when there was nothing I could do about it.

  I had vowed to find her and bring her home. Now, I had the chance to do just that. I made the decision right then that I would travel to Earth and find her. I’d read all the journals, I’d studied the maps. I was as prepared as I would ever be. It was time.

  “What do I need to do?”

  The next few months were a flurry of training and strategic planning. If it had been up to me, we’d have left immediately. Tilda had insisted that I bring the Knights of Riona up to speed on the research I’d done. I tried my hardest not to be short-tempered as they scrambled to catch up.

  It was an uphill battle, but Chancellor Tilda was confident I would be able to bring a highly trained and educated team with me. The entire time I beat myself up about the length of time that had passed between her disappearance and the day I finally told the truth. I still had no idea where she landed on Earth, or if she had survived the transfer from our world to theirs.

  Just days before our expected departure, Lonzo sought me out with a few of our fellow Knights. Concern was etched into his face.

  “Commander Taeren, we’ve been talking. We’re wondering what the plan is to return to Riona once we’ve located the Princess. We know the amulet will take us to the dimension she ended up in, but will it bring us back?”

  I hadn’t shared the extraction plan with my men before because we weren’t certain how or if it would work. I looked to Tilda for an answer. The older woman raised her eyebrows, waiting for me to offer an explanation.

  “We believe the Bloodstone will open a return portal once it is reunited with Delia. The only reason we can use it to open the door to Earth is because it will naturally seek out the heir to the alchemist.”

  It was clear my answer wasn’t enough for them. They were accustomed to following orders from their commander, but they were also accustomed to missions that protected Riona from outside invaders. For all but a select few, this would be the first mission that took them outside of their own world.

  “Look, the truth is, none of us can be certain what will happen when we cross from this world to Earth. If leaving Riona is too great a risk for you, this is your last chance to leave. We don’t know what we’ll face when we arrive on Earth. We may not even arrive in the same location as the princess.”

  “From what you’ve told us, Earth is a large dimension. She’s been gone for over three years, she could be anywhere! How will we know where to look?”

  The question came from one of the older Knights. I knew he wasn’t questioning my ability to lead, he was simply trying to determine how we had concluded that this impossible mission was worth our effort. He waited for my answer as murmurs of agreement ripp
led through the small crowd.

  “You are correct.” I sighed but maintained eye contact with the Knight. “It is a dangerous and possibly lengthy quest, but we must make an effort to find Delia. Without her, Riona will die. We have two options; we can sit here and wait for our world to decay until we starve to death, or we can go in search of the one person who could save it all.”

  I paused and waited for any further questions. When there were none, I pressed on. “Take the next two days to think. I want to go into this mission with a clear head and men who are ready to follow me into the unknown. If you can’t commit to this mission, do not report for duty on our scheduled date of departure. But, if you are prepared to journey to Earth and search for our future Queen, I will be here waiting.”

  When I finished my monologue, I glanced at Chancellor Tilda. I expected her to give me a reproachful look, something that told me she disagreed with my decision. Instead, the only expression I found was one of immense pride. She nodded at me in acknowledgement as the men slowly thinned out, leaving only Tilda, Lonzo and me.

  “I don’t know if you’re a genius or an idiot, but I know I’ll be here with you in two days’ time.” Lonzo said as he grasped my shoulder.

  I watched his retreating form and wondered how bad it would be if it were just the two of us, shoulder to shoulder, entering the portal to Earth.

  My treatment had begun. I was on a strong medication that made me feel confused and forgetful. Focusing on anything had become nearly impossible, which didn’t help me at all with the lessons I’d begun. The hospital insisted that if a patient was of the age to be in school, they had to adhere to a strict school schedule. I was learning so many things about Earth, but none of it really made sense to me.

  Paula said I was only confused about what I was learning because of the medication. Dr. Larkin assured me that my body would adjust to the dosage he’d prescribed and that I would soon be feeling better than I had in a very long time. After I’d been on the medication for a few weeks, I was told it was time to start the ECT.

  It was the worst thing I’d ever experienced. I was taken into a cold, sterile room that only held a machine with multiple dials and a bed. When I laid down on the bed, Paula gently strapped my arms, hands and ankles down with thick leather restraints. My heart rate picked up and I thought I was going to scream.

  Paula stroked my hair and gave me a sympathetic look. “Try to stay calm, Delia. I know it’s scary, but it won’t last long. I’m going to put this in your mouth to keep you from biting your tongue.”

  I held my teeth together tightly as I regarded the object she held in my line of sight. It looked like a crude outline of a human jaw. There were valleys sculpted to fit my teeth on the top and bottom. I gave my head a shake as a tear escaped my eye.

  “Oh, honey, I know. I’m sorry.” Paula leaned closer and whispered in my ear, “If it were up to me, we wouldn’t be doing this at all.”

  Dr. Larkin pushed through the door before my nurse could say anything else. “Are we ready, nurse?”

  I stared into her eyes before releasing my jaw and allowing her to force the mouth guard in. The doctor stuck something on either side of my head and instructed the nurse to step back. I closed my eyes tightly, which allowed a few more tears to trickle down both cheeks. I tried to take a calming breath, but was interrupted by a strange vibration that burst through my skull.

  White light filled everything. It was all I could see, feel, hear and think about. It stopped. Glimpses of the blurry room appeared amidst the blotchy white that still danced in my vision. A high-pitched sound filled my ears and my head felt as though it may burst. I wanted to beg them to stop, but the thing in my mouth kept me from speaking. It wouldn’t have mattered because the white filled everything again. I don’t know how many rounds I had to endure before I lost consciousness, but I woke hours later in my room with Paula sitting on the end of my bed.

  “Water.”

  The nurse quickly filled a plastic cup and held it to my lips. She helped my shaking hands keep it steady enough to take a drink. The cool water sloshed around in my mouth before mercifully flowing down my throat. I drank greedily until the cup was empty.

  “That is one of the more common after-effects of ECT. It’ll be better soon, I promise.”

  I looked at her in confusion. I knew who she was, I knew she was there to take care of me. But I was having trouble remembering what had happened to me. She must have registered my confusion because she gently stroked my hair, pushing it from my face in an attempt to soothe me.

  “What do you remember, dear?”

  My throat was raw, so I knew my voice would be unstable at best. I shrugged. “I don’t really know. I know I don’t belong here, but that’s about it.”

  “What do you mean you don’t belong here?”

  “This place, whatever it is, isn’t my home. I want to go home.” I felt a sob rising in my throat and fought to hold it back. I failed.

  Paula rubbed my back tentatively. “It’ll get better, I promise. Tomorrow you’ll have another therapy session and begin hypnosis. We won’t do another ECT until the end of the week.”

  I let the sobs take over. They were going to make me feel like this again? I buried my face in the pillow and cried myself to sleep.

  When I woke, it was dark in my room. The small window that allowed bits of natural light to pour into my artificially lit room showed no signs of daylight. Night had fallen and I was wide awake. I noticed a book sitting on the table next to me and scooped it up. Inside, I found lines filled with writing. As I began to read, I was glued to the story. It seemed familiar, like a fuzzy memory desperate to become clear. Bits of it filled me with longing for a home I couldn’t quite remember. The emotions were almost too much; I was confused and heartbroken, and I couldn’t figure out why.

  I put the book in the table drawer and closed in softly. With a sigh, I reminded myself of my identity. “My name is Delia. My parents are dead. I need to go home...I just don’t know why.”

  “How are you feeling this morning?”

  The doctor’s voice was like a rock being bashed into my skull. I kept my eyes lowered to avoid the harsh light overhead.

  “Perhaps it would be better if I turned off that light and opened the curtain by the corner.”

  I nodded my head in agreement, but even that small movement sent a throbbing through my head. I closed my eyes and waited until I heard the small click of the switch. The relative darkness instantly relieved some of the pain I was experiencing. He opened the curtain just a sliver to allow some of the outside light to invade the room. It provided just enough illumination to see my surroundings clearly, but not so much that it caused me further pain.

  “I understand the nurse gave you a pretty strong pain reliever with your medication this morning. It should be kicking in soon.” He regarded me quietly for a few moments before continuing. “Do you understand what we’re going to do today?”

  I shook my head. I’d been told we would be using hypnosis to help me regain some clarity, but I was so lost I didn’t know what needed clarification. I also had no idea what hypnosis entailed. The only thing Paula told me was that it wouldn’t hurt.

  “I’m going to have you lie down on the couch and take some deep breaths. All we’re going to do is focus on a time when you felt safe.”

  I followed his instructions and tried to force myself to focus on something safe. Tiny flashes of memories flipped through my mind, none of them staying long enough for me to make sense of them. As I breathed in and out slowly, Dr. Larkin spoke in a soft, reassuring voice.

  “As we begin to visit your memories, I want you to do me a favor and squeeze my arm if you get scared. I can guide you away from things that cause you concern, but only if I know what you’re facing. Are you ready to begin?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, imagine a blank space, nothing but black should surround you. Remember to breathe, in and out, in and out. Now, picture a face, someone you tr
ust. Who do you see?”

  The face began to form before I even tried to think about it. Gray eyes were outlined by distinct wrinkles, the kind that indicate a life filled with laughter. Salt and pepper hair spread across the prominent cheekbones until a finely trimmed beard covered his cheeks and surrounded his lips. The same color spread across his head until thick waves flowed gracefully around his crown. The crown was made of gold with jewels of varying hues encrusted in the precious metal. His white, but somewhat overlapping teeth appeared as he smiled at me.

  “Who do you see?” Dr. Larkin asked again.

  “My father.”

  “Good. And, where are you?”

  The scene around us morphed from black to a familiar setting. My heart skipped a beat as I saw the intense green grounds I used to roam with my father. He held my hand tightly as we wandered across the garden, picking flowers.

  “We’re in the garden.”

  “Where is the garden?”

  I began to see more than what was immediately before my eyes. The garden spread, and the darkness disappeared, like a cloth being pulled away. To my right, slightly uphill, sat my home.

  “In the courtyard of the castle.”

  “Where is the castle?’

  I struggled to see beyond the castle, to see the area that surrounded it. There was nothing else.

  “I don’t know. It’s just there.”

  “What does it look like?”

  “It’s beautiful. The castle walls are made of what seems to be a random combination of precious gems, but I know they were chosen for a reason. It doesn’t look like it was built, it looks like it grew from the ground.”