A Week Later
The twelfth of Dahnez. The day she’d leave to see her mother.
She threw off the covers and rolled out of bed. Alaric had stayed out late the night before, making preparations for her trip, and she’d fallen asleep before he’d returned.
A few modern toiletries and clothing were scattered onto his desk next to three backpacks. Those hadn’t been there before she’d fallen asleep. Evelyn skipped over to the desk and fingered the stiff tube of toothpaste and soft cotton jeans. Seeing them after being in Torva was strangely relieving. It was evidence that the world she’d grown up in, known, and loved still existed out there somewhere.
And she was going to see it again.
She clasped the toiletries to her chest and bounced on her toes, doing her best to suppress a squeal of excitement. A thrill ran through her, like the fresh, crisp excitement of Christmas morning.
Alaric moaned and turned away from her, his wings dragging the sheets with him. Though she’d been in his room for nearly a month, he still wore a shirt to bed. “It’s terribly early for you to be so energetic, Evelyn.”
She laughed. “Normally, you’re the early bird… or half-dragon.”
He huffed. “I was abed late, due to making preparations for someone’s excursion.”
She smiled, though he couldn’t see it. “Preparations which are much appreciated. By the way, how did you find so many things from Earth?” She rolled a red plastic toothbrush between her fingers. “Last I checked, Torvans didn’t use plastic.”
“I made a list and sent a few knights through the portal to go grocery shopping.”
She could just imagine the bemused knights wandering through Walmart. “I’ll bet that was a culture shock.”
“Not exactly. It’s common for Torvans to visit Earth in disguise, often to celebrate once they reach their majority. I have, on occasion.”
That meant it was quite possible she’d seen a Torvan, even before her journey to Torva. Her gaze landed on a second backpack—and men’s clothes. She picked up a pair of jeans and held them to her waist. The legs ran down past her feet. “What are these?”
Alaric released a long forlorn sigh before sitting up. “What are what?”
She held up the enormous pair of jeans.
“Clothes.”
“No kidding. I meant what are they for?”
“Me.”
She blinked and lowered the jeans. “…you?”
“Yes. I’m going.” He stretched his left arm against his chest before slipping off the bed.
“I thought my guards were going with me.”
“Now I am.”
“Instead of the guards? But don’t you have kingly stuff to do?”
He shrugged his broad shoulders. “I do, but I spent much of last night delegating the tasks.”
So that was why he’d been out so late. Evelyn folded the pair of jeans. “When exactly did you decide you were coming?”
“Yesterday.”
She set the jeans on the desk and smoothed them. “Oh.”
“Disappointed?”
She shook her head. “No, but why the sudden change of plans? And you have a lot of stuff to do, so leaving the palace is a pretty big deal.”
He only shrugged again. “I’ve had more training than your guards and in addition, thanks to the times I’ve visited Earth prior, I know how to drive cars, so my company would be of benefit to you.”
“But why is it so important for you to go, specifically? If visiting Earth isn’t uncommon, I’m sure you could find a guard or two who could drive.”
“Well…” Alaric strode to the table and ran his finger along the stem of a toothbrush, fingered a belt loop in the jeans, and rifled through a sheaf of documents before clearing his throat. “A king’s place is with his queen.”
“Really?” Evelyn sat on the desk. “I thought it was with his kingdom.”
“The kingdom is important, but what is a king without his queen?”
“Still a king.”
“Well. Yes.”
She waited for him to elaborate, but instead he turned away, face flushing. “Whatever the reason, I’m glad you’re coming,” she said.
His gaze snapped back to hers. “You are?”
“Of course. Whatever happens will probably be pretty emotional for me, so having you there will be like having an anchor in a storm.”
A small smile lit his face. “I’m glad to hear that.” Then he lined up the objects on the desk before picking them up, one by one, and setting them in his backpack.
How inefficient. Evelyn scooped up her toiletries and clothes before jamming them into the backpack. Though she yanked at the zipper, it wouldn’t zip all the way.
Alaric chuckled. “That’s why you organize.”
“At least my way’s faster.”
“What’s the point of speed if you can’t close the backpack?”
“Oh, I can close it.” She hauled it off of the desk, plopped it onto the floor, and straddled it. While squeezing her legs to compress the backpack, she slid the zipper across the opening. “See? Told you.”
“So you did.” Alaric slid a folded pair of clothes toward her. “These are yours.”
She unfurled long johns, cargo pants, and a long-sleeved nylon shirt. “Not exactly fashionable.”
“But they are practical, especially considering we’ll have to hike until we reach civilization.”
“Hike? For how long?”
“Not more than a day.”
“I suppose now would be a bad time to tell you I hate hiking, huh?”
Alaric smirked. “Quite unfortunate.” With his foot, he nudged a pair of hiking boots toward her. “Those will keep your feet warm, and this,” he held up a thick coat, “will do the same for the rest of you.”
She ducked behind his screen to wriggle into the layers of clothing. When she emerged, all bundled in her long johns and fluffy jacket, she felt like a marshmallow. This must have been what it felt like to be the Michelin Man. She waddled to the mirror mounted on the wall.
“This isn’t exactly the most flattering outfit I’ve worn.”
“If need be, you can buy different clothes once we’ve arrived.” Alaric slung one backpack over his shoulder and grabbed the third backpack—which was larger than both of the others. “Unflattering clothing aside, are you ready?”
She slipped on her own backpack and straightened. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
A carriage snuck them outside the city walls. Then Alaric held her as they flew above the treetops, claiming it was faster and stealthier than other forms of travel.
Frankly, she was just happy to be flying again. Whenever Alaric dove toward the ground, her heart lurched within her chest, filling her with elation and fear. Alaric could fly lower than a plane, affording her a close-up aerial view of Torvan villages, fields, and forests.
After a few hours of flying, they arrived at the portal, guarded by knights hidden in the forest. Alaric gripped her hand tightly and told her not to open her eyes. Moments later, tingles washed over her, from head to toe and—POOF—they popped into the middle of Mueller State Park in Colorado.
And now they were hiking, following a dirt path weaving past trees and around rocks. Once they reached the visitor center, they would drive the rest of the way in the rental car that Alaric had arranged to be left for them there.
Evelyn shuffled behind Alaric, hands shoved into her pockets as her numbing fingers clung to the last of their warmth. Okay, so maybe she was glad she’d bundled up. When she’d last been on Earth, it’d been a toasty June in Texas. Now it was September, and she was in Colorado.
At least the time that had passed in Torva was roughly equivalent to the time that had passed on Earth. She’d been slightly worried that years would pass on Earth while mere months had passed in Torva.
Alaric had gained more ground than her, so with a huff, she jogged to Alaric, her backpack thudding against her spine.
He’d offered
to take her backpack for her, but he had enough to handle as was. He’d brought an additional large backpack with a slit to stuff his wings into, which was how he’d move around without being conspicuous… but the large backpack seemed pretty conspicuous anyway. Since he couldn’t carry his luggage-filled backpack on his back, he alternated between carrying it on his left shoulder, then his right shoulder.
“When do you think we’ll get to the visitor’s center?”
“Likely within the hour.”
Less than an hour. She could do that.
“When do you think I’ll get to see her?” Evelyn asked. Her heart thudded so fast the noise of its beat seemed to clatter in her chest.
“Your mother? Perhaps tomorrow. Today, we only need to focus on leaving the park before it closes. We don’t want to be stuck here at night.” He fumbled with the zipper on his backpack.
“Why? It’s not like there are Malakrai here.”
He jerked the zipper downward before rifling around his backpack. “There are a few on Earth, but they tend to be more reclusive and cautious than those on Torva. I’m more concerned about the cold. I brought sleeping bags and a tent just in case, but if there’s a sudden cold front, it could prove to be an issue.” He withdrew a flat disc of bread, which she recognized from her dinners in Torva, and extended it to her. “Are you hungry?”
“No, though a drink of water would be nice.”
Alaric pulled a bottle of water from his bag and tossed it to her before taking a bite of the bread.
Evelyn took a sip. Even beneath her layers of clothes, the water was cold enough to chill her. She regretted all those times she’d complained about the summers in Texas; she’d much rather take that over more cold. And there was no humidity in this air. Every time she breathed, it stripped her throat dry.
After a few minutes, Alaric’s pace slowed.
“Need a break?” she asked.
He huffed before pulling the backpack higher onto his shoulder. “No, I don’t.”
They reached the visitor’s center within an hour. Evelyn couldn’t wipe the goofy smile from her face at the sight of the American flag flapping above the green metal roof of the building.
Even though it wasn’t Texas, it was Earth, and Earth was home. In the forest, everything had appeared the same as it had in Torva, and it hadn’t quite hit her that she was back—and about to see her mom for the first time in years. She felt nearly dizzy with happiness at the thought.
The forest path led to a sidewalk, which snaked alongside the parking lot. After walking for so long on dirt, the slap of cement beneath her feet felt strange.
Alaric was breathing hard, probably from the altitude. Or maybe something about being on Earth was affecting him.
Evelyn tugged at his sleeve. “Al—”
He fished a key from his pocket and shoved it into her palm. “You can drive.”
Not so much as a “please” or “thank you”? Alaric crossed the parking lot and stopped next to a blue car.
Her numb fingers fumbled with the key before she slid it into the slot. She turned it to the right and yanked at the handle. It was still locked.
“What’s taking you so long?” Alaric’s harsh tone took her aback.
“Hold your horses, buster.” She turned the key to the left, and the car doors clicked. Success. “See? That didn’t take so—”
He stuffed himself into the tiny car and slammed the door shut.
“—long.” She shook her head and slipped into the driver’s seat.
Why the big rush? Had Alaric seen some sort of people following them that she hadn’t? If so, why wasn’t he telling her? Maybe because he feared being overheard? Or that she’d freak out?
Evelyn twisted to face him. “Is everything okay?”
“Drive.”
“But my license—”
Alaric speared her with a fiery glare. “I have all the documents we need, including licenses. Did you not think I’d be sufficiently prepared?”
“No! I didn’t mean to imply—”
“Drive.”
She had half a mind to jump out of the car and walk away with the keys, but she didn’t need Alaric’s foul mood souring.
“Sir, yes, sir,” she muttered before pushing the keys into the ignition and cranking the car. She pulled out of the parking lot and stopped in front of the road. “Left or right?”
“Left.”
She pressed the accelerator.
“No. Right.”
Evelyn slammed on the brakes, jerking both their heads. “Well? Which is it?”
“Right, Evelyn, right.”
She pursed her lips to suppress her frustration and turned right. Within minutes, they were on the highway. Rocky, red hills, blanketed in verdant greenery, framed the road. If it weren’t for Alaric’s backseat driving, she might’ve actually enjoyed the view.
“Pull over.”
Evelyn clenched the steering wheel until her knuckles shone white like snow-capped ridges. “Alaric, no. There’s no shoulder.”
“Onto the dirt—now.”
“But why?”
Alaric thumbed the lock, and it clicked open. She had no doubt he’d jump out of the car if she didn’t pull aside. She slowed and pulled onto the dirt. What was wrong with him?
Alaric staggered out into the grass before falling to his knees beside clusters of yellow and purple flowers. His entire body clenched before he vomited. And vomited. And vomited.
Sympathy doused her anger. She’d gotten carsick before, but never this carsick. “Alaric, once we reach town, we can buy some medicine.”
He spat once, grimaced, and rose. “We must continue. We’ve lost too much time.” He glared at her again—as if this were her fault. Was the carsickness making him like this? No, he’d started acting grumpy shortly before they’d gotten into the car.
Alaric slammed the car door shut, and they were off. Within a few minutes, they reached a small town.
“If you want to stop—”
“No. Right turn here.”
“All right, fine.”
The buildings disappeared as grass and trees dominated once more. A shallow stream cut into the grass on the right before running beneath a shallow bridge. The car clacked as it crossed the metal strip dividing the bridge and the road.
Alaric curled next to the window with a moan. “Stop.”
“Stop? But I thought you didn’t want to lose any more time.”
“Evelyn, stop. Please stop.”
She sighed. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop as soon as there’s no guardrail on the right.”
Alaric’s breath shuddered through him. “Please, Evelyn.”
“Just a few hundred more feet.” A quick glance at Alaric revealed he looked worse than before. His face was like white candle wax, void of color and shining with sweat. The guardrail ended, and she pulled over.
Alaric opened the door and practically collapsed onto the ground.
Evelyn leaned over, straining against her seatbelt. “You okay?”
The retching was worse this time. After a few minutes of listening to him heave and cough and pant, Evelyn glanced at the highway before opening her car door and rounding the car to Alaric’s side.
She cupped his shoulder. His skin was hot enough that she could feel its burn against her palm. He was obviously sick. Had he caught some sort of airborne disease? And only in the first few minutes of being on Earth?
The muscles beneath her hand tensed just before he vomited again, and a sour smell singed her nostrils. How did he even have this much food in his stomach to vomit? She knelt beside him and froze. The color of his vomit was a dingy orange-yellow, brown, and red. Blood, maybe?
“Oh.” She pressed a hand to her mouth as her own stomach churned. “I think you need to go to the hospital.”
“Not… an option.” His brow crumpled as another wave of tension tightened his body.
When he was done, he crawled back into the car before setting his forehead on the dash and c
losing his eyes.
Evelyn got into the driver’s seat. “Okay, maybe not a hospital, but we’re definitely finding somewhere to stay in the next town until this passes.”
When Alaric didn’t protest, she knew he must have been pretty sick.
They managed to make it into the next town, Woodland Park, without another bout of vomiting, though there’d been a few close calls. As soon as she spotted a motel, she pulled into the parking lot.
“Stay. Here.”
Alaric kept his eyes shut and didn’t respond.
Who was she kidding? It wasn’t like he was going anywhere. Evelyn slid out of the car and strode into the main building. She opened the door, and the smell of lemons and dust greeted her—probably from a malfunctioning vacuum cleaner. A few gaping fish on wooden plaques had been mounted to the wall.
She halted in front of the corrugated steel reception desk. “Excuse me?”
Though the receptionist’s hairline was slinking back at the temples, his skin was tight and youthful. “I’m sorry. I don’t speak Portuguese.”
Portuguese? Evelyn thought back to what she’d said and realized she’d spoken Torvan. She mentally made the switch back to English and said, “Sorry, my bad. Do you have any rooms available?”
He glanced to the right, staring at an alligator-green mounted fish. “How many nights?”
He was still staring at the fish, so it took a moment for her to realize that she’d been addressed. “Two?” Surely Alaric would be better by then.
The man blinked, and his gaze flicked to the computer screen. He typed slowly, using his right index finger to press each key.
Her finger beat out a steady rhythm on the counter until she forced herself to still. Would it kill the guy to use two hands? Or at least more than one finger?
He finally stopped. “We have two standard rooms available.”
“Great. I’ll take one.” Evelyn slapped her back pocket to feel for her wallet—only to remember she hadn’t brought money. Hopefully Alaric had. “Just a second.” She darted back out to the car and opened the door. “Alaric? Do we have any money?”
He was silent for so long she feared he wouldn’t reply. “My backpack. Smallest zippered pocket.”
She snatched his backpack from the backseat and soon found a slim leather wallet.
Captive and Crowned Page 24
