Meeting Karadese’s questioning eyes, the enormity of what I have just attempted to do finally registers in my panicked mind.
“I’m sorry,” I stammer. “I didn’t mean to…..”
Karadese steps closer, her hands entwined in front of her, careful not to touch me and reawaken the monstrous fear within.
“There is no need to apologise, Rayna. You have been through a great ordeal and it is understandable to be frightened in such a vastly different setting.”
I can’t disagree with her, it is clear that I am struggling to cope, but I doubt she realises just how close I had come to hacking everyone in the room up into tiny little pieces.
“Now, I would like to introduce you to my sons.” She motions to the boys in front of me like nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred and it takes a full minute for me to realise that she is talking about them.
The two guys, who had just unarmed me and witnessed my near meltdown, are in fact the two who I am supposed to be showering with gratitude for saving me. So far this isn’t going well.
“This is our eldest son, Blay.” The guy who had set off my panicked state merely nods in my direction.
“And this is our youngest son, Calasis.” The guy who had knocked my makeshift weapon out of my hands steps forward, a full smile warming his sweetly handsome face.
“Well if I had known you have such a fighting spirit I would not have been so worried about you.” Calasis reaches out, pulling my hand to his full red lips to plant a soft kiss upon my skin before I have a chance to react.
“I’m sorry,” I repeat on autopilot.
“Like my mother said, there is no reason to apologise.”
He releases my hand and I step back, grateful that no one else is trying to invade my personal space.
I can’t keep my eyes from glancing back to Blay, his face set like stone as he watches my struggle, his muscular arms crossed in front of him, his whole demeanour radiating ambiguity.
I turn my attention back to Calasis, out of the two boys he seems the most approachable.
“I don’t understand the full details of why you were at Zantron that day, but I do know that I owe you my life,” my voice quivers and I have to pull in a steadying breath before continuing.
“You somehow managed to save me against all odds and for that I am eternally grateful. Thank you both, so much.”
A lopsided smile pulls at Calasis’s face, his hazel eyes glimmering with satisfaction. He emits such warmth that I’m sure it would be infectious if I wasn’t so anxious.
“It was our pleasure. I will take any opportunity to defeat the Zantronians at any cost, finding you was simply an extraordinary bonus.”
“Well thank you anyway.” I hesitantly return his smile, although mine lacks his conviction.
My eyes flicker back to Blay, his eyes locked on mine and my breath catches, unable to comprehend why my mind is screaming out in alarm while it is so obvious that I am completely safe.
I don’t realise that I am staring until Araton clears his throat.
“Well, as entertaining as all of this has been, I do believe that it is time for dinner.” He pauses looking pointedly at me. “Shall we?”
Sitting down to eat with people that I don’t know and who I have only just monumentally embarrassed myself in front of, doesn’t particularly sound appealing, yet I find myself nodding in acceptance.
I shuffle forward, my eyes trained on the stone floor as I keep a set distance between myself and them while following everyone through several hallways until we come to a stop in a grand room, exquisitely decorated to create the feel of luxury while maintaining a certain level of warmth and boasting a table to fit twelve, already set with a huge assortment of food.
“Are there others joining us?” Fear spikes through my blood. I don’t think I can take any more people. In fact, all I want to do is curl up and go back to sleep, my muscles feel drained from the sudden adrenaline rush and I can’t contain the slight tremor they emit.
“Not tonight.” Karadese fluidly sits at one end of the table as Araton takes the other. Blay sits close to his father, for that reason alone I take a place next to Karadese as Calasis pushes my chair in for me, giving me a cheeky wink before taking his place opposite Blay, next to Araton.
“We will leave your formal introduction to our people for a few days yet. It will give you some time to settle in first.” Karadese’s unspoken meaning is simple, she doesn’t trust that I won’t flip out on everyone and cause another scene. Truthfully I agree with her.
There is no doubt in my mind that Blay sets me on edge and if any of the other Prytorians can evoke the same overreaction in me then I don’t think that I could handle it.
Her casual comment finally twitches in my brain.
“Your people?”
She doesn’t pause as she selects her dinner, piling her plate up high; the sight of it nearly derails my thoughts. How is it possible that she can eat so much yet remain so thin? Glancing around I see that the others are doing much the same, making my stomach queasy at the sheer amount of food.
Calasis is the first to respond to my question, his tone clearly immodest, his eyes twinkling as he smiles that lopsided swaggering smile of his that is both captivating and irritating at the same time.
“Has Mother not explained to you of our role here in Prytora?”
I refrain from sarcastically answering ‘well obviously not’ even as it burns on my tongue. Instead I lace my voice with intrigue.
“Should she have?”
“Mother is not one for boasting, Calasis.” Blay’s gravelly voice vibrates beneath my skin; the condemnation meant for Calasis only increases my heart rate, instantly setting me on edge, although it seems to have no effect on Calasis whatsoever.
“What our Mother must have failed to mention,” Calasis pauses to sip what I can only imagine is wine. “Is that she is the head of the Lonix family line.” He looks at me as if that is supposed to mean something; when it becomes clear that I don’t understand, he continues.
“Mother is Queen and Father is King of Prytora and all of its people, which of course makes Blay and I the Princes of Prytora.”
I feel my mouth drop open. Is he serious? The royalty of Prytora not only personally fought against those horrible creatures but also saved me and took me in?
When Karadese doesn’t correct Calasis, I let his words sink in, pieces of an unknown puzzle starting to click into place.
I had thought how luxurious and expensive their home appeared, exquisite beyond anything I have ever seen before, I just hadn’t realised why. Now it makes sense why the people of Prytora are so eager to meet me, it is because their Queen has taken an interest in me. Now if only I could figure out why she has done so.
Turning to Queen Karadese I feel the words slip out before I can stop them.
“Why would royalty care about what happens to one little human girl?”
Karadese stills, stopping mid-chew, her eyes flicking briefly to Araton before settling upon my puzzled face.
“I know very little about the inhabitants of Earth, so I can not disclose how your monarchs would react in similar circumstances, but here in Prytora, we value life above all else. As long as you prove yourself to be true, then we will always fight for you and embrace you with open arms.” Her gaze is penetrating, reaching deep down into my heart, holding on and refusing to relinquish its grasp.
“Now no more discussions, it is time to enjoy this food, I’m sure by now you will be quite hungry.”
As if on cue my stomach growls, enticed by all of the different aromas wafting in the air, but however amazing it smells after so long of not eating a decent meal, my mind is not so easily distracted.
I dish food onto my plate and eat on autopilot without tasting anything. My ever-restless eyes bounce around the table, taking in every detail as if at any moment I will need to defend myself.
Queen Karadese’s words may have slightly eased my curious mind but they didn’t resolve t
he anxious knot in my gut. I doubt anything will ever again.
We finish the meal in silence; even Calasis’s energetic charisma does little to soothe the tense atmosphere and I am grateful when Zaneth finally escorts me back to my room.
Queen Karadese was kind to me, yet I can’t dispel the feeling that I had hit a nerve; the thought leaves me anxious. I didn’t want to offend her, not after everything that they have done for me, but I can’t shake the feeling that I have somehow displeased her.
Once the door to my room closes, shutting me alone behind it, I am finally able to relax, even if it’s just a little. Today has been difficult, draining me of what little energy I contain.
Everything is so different, so strange. Being bounced around from world to world is hard enough without constantly feeling on edge too.
I try to fight it off; to stop what I know will be dredged up only to break my shaky instability down even further, but my mind has other ideas, playing a stream of memories from the last few weeks leading up to today.
Garvien’s hideous face morphs into his human façade, the images slowly melting into my mother’s hollow expression as I left her standing there, turning my back on her selfishness, then my friend’s last plea for help as they lay dying at the hands of pure evil.
My eyes shutter closed, the memories growing even move vivid, inescapable in their pursuit to terrorise me. My breath grows shallow, little puffs escaping in time with my pounding heart, threatening to burst free from my chest.
Icy cold sweat lines my burning skin and suddenly I can’t breathe, can’t force my lungs to fill while I’m stuck here on this unknown planet, far away from anything and anyone I know and trapped in this ridiculously constricting dress.
The fear builds, silent gasps wrack my quivering body. I grab at the dress, yanking at the zip, splitting the material with my force. I need it off, I can’t breathe; I’m suffocating as the material cuts into me, clingy against my sweaty skin. It’s all too much. I need to get out, out of this dress, out of this world, away from anything and anyone who reminds me of my ordeal.
My arm burns, screaming in pain as the dress catches on the bracelet, tugging at it in my haste to be free.
The dress finally falls in a heap to the floor, my lungs filling as if I am released from an overpowering force. My muscles shudder, slowly relaxing as my mind catches up to the fact that I am safe; I’m okay, even if I am going slightly mental.
Standing there, close to naked, a warm sensation tickles along my arm. Glancing down, I’m startled to see blood oozing from around the bracelet to stain my skin. I must have been far rougher than I had realised.
Twisting my hand around to survey the damage, the ruby shimmers as it catches the light and I run my fingertips across the gold band feeling it’s coolness even as my skin continues to burn. I must be reacting to it, I have never been one to wear a lot of jewellery for that main reason and once again my body refuses to accept the foreign substance.
I step further into the room, kicking the dress into the corner, not even caring that I have ruined it; I have bigger things to worry about than their dress code.
Plonking down onto the bed, I can’t keep my eyes off of the bracelet. It might have been from an evil source but it is hard to deny its beauty. The gold band shines as if it has just been polished clean, only marred by my blood which still seeps into the intricately engraved markings that cover half of the band, they could be words from an unknown language for all I know but they also look like drawings too.
I try to dispel the thought that they may have some menacing meaning, really it’s not like Garvien would be a fan of poetry or anything sentimental. It probably says ‘I’m going to beat to death anyone I cast my grotesque eyes upon’, that would be my luck.
Still it is pretty, even the large, flawlessly cut stone, the red as deep as blood yet impossibly sparkly. I twist my arm again to get another look at it. It is a shame to hide away something so exquisite, still I don’t want to come out in hives or something, nor do I want to explain to the Lonix’s why I had acted so irrationally as to take it in the first place. I doubt such a perfect family could fathom my final act of defiance, one I am still unwilling to give up on.
Though it is best to stop wearing it, to keep it hidden somewhere safe; even if it’s not around my wrist I will know I inflicted a minuscule amount of revenge on Garvien and that simple knowledge is enough to warm my petrified heart.
My fingers clasp around the bracelet, gently tugging to remove it, but as I twist the band, it stays put as if stuck by glue. Pulling more forcefully I let out a gasp as pain shoots through my arm, burning at the skin underneath.
What the hell is happening?
My heart speeds up, the fear which lay just below the surface rising once again, even though I don’t know why, yet subconsciously knowing something’s not right. I pull frantically, again and again, biting my lip as pain flares through my skin like being struck with a cattle prod.
It doesn’t make sense and I struggle to understand what is happening, all I know is that I need to get this damn thing off. It no longer holds any beauty, no pleasure at all. It is as evil as its owner and it is proving it by tearing at my flesh.
Blood drips down my arm, pooling around the bracelet, making it impossible to see what exactly is occurring.
I stand on wobbly legs, trying to stave off the building hysteria and hurry into the bathroom, not pausing to look at my terrified reflection in the full-length mirror, too scared that my eyes will confirm that this is all real, that this is actually happening.
A hiss escapes my throat when I thrust my arm under the hot running water in the sink, the biting pain only adding to the fire radiating up my arm.
The water turns pink as it washes my blood away and I’m finally able to see the consequences of my actions. My mind recoils at what I see, unwilling to believe it’s true or contemplate what it could mean.
The band has embedded itself into my skin, so tightly it’s as if it’s been super-glued into place. My stomach rolls with nausea and I have to clamp my lips together, drawing long shaky breaths in through my nose to stop from vomiting all over the place.
This doesn’t make sense, none of it does. The ring had come off of Garvien’s finger easily enough; it hadn’t been embedded into his skin, so why is it doing this to me?
Rapid desperation fills me now, making my movements jerky and frantic. I need this bracelet off. I want no part of it, no link to Garvien burned onto my body any longer.
I yank at it forcefully, not caring that the pain grows more intense each second, that my flesh feels as if it’s been torn from my bones as more blood squirts from my wrist.
Frustrated screams rip from my throat. Anger and fear numb my pain as my fingernails bend back from my panicked, feverish force and I continue to attack the bracelet, whacking my arm against the sink, trying anything to get it off, but it’s no use, it won’t budge.
It’s stuck, moulded to my arm, the band undamaged in my frenzied, failed attempts to remove it, still shiny and intact and completely unwilling to relinquish its hold on me, and with a sinking heart, I get the horrible sense that Garvien will never let me go.
This is my punishment. I will never be free of him.
What have I done?
Chapter Five
A knock at the door drags me out of the unrelenting nightmares which have plagued me all night. It’s almost a relief to wake up, to escape the torment - that is until I realise I can’t escape the nightmares of my reality.
Without waiting for a response from me, the door opens, allowing me only a second to slip my arm back under the covers before I feel a weight jumping onto the end of the bed.
Peering up I’m surprised to see a younger girl, her legs crossed in front of her, biting into a weird looking purple fruit as she openly stares at me.
“Um, hello?” I draw myself up to a sitting position, unsure of what to do.
She takes another bite, chewing loudly while h
er dark brown eyes flitter across my face. She pauses, takes another bite and with her mouth full, she finally speaks.
“So you must be Rayna, the famous Rayna. What’s that like?”
“It’s fricken wonderful, can’t you tell?” sarcasm leeches into my voice.
Who is this girl anyway and why the heck is she in my room?
“I heard you put on quite a show last night. I’m sorry I missed it, it sounded entertaining.” She tilts her head and I get the feeling that she’s waiting to hear my side of the story. Like I’m going to spill my guts to some stranger – I would rather attempt to pull the damn bracelet off again.
“Are you going to tell me who you are and why you are in my room, or are you just going to sit there being sarcastic?”
Her eyes narrow, a slight smile touching her rose coloured lips, the edge to her voice making me think she’s older than I first thought.
“Well you certainly are different aren’t you?”
“How so?” I retort, slipping out of bed while pulling a quilt around me in a feeble attempt to feel some semblance of control.
She shrugs, taking another bite of her fruit before throwing the remains into a bin across the other side of the room.
“Not many people would speak to me like that, not a Prytorian at least.”
My eyes flicker across her face, taking in the pale skin and delicate features that do spark a sense of familiarity.
“Who are you?” I ask again, agitation colouring my voice, after my hellish night I have very little patience to play nice.
“Well I am the one and only Ellestra, Princess of Prytora. And trust me, no one ever speaks to a Princess with such a common tongue.”
This girl is really starting to tick me off, Princess or not.
“Well you’re not my Princess, and I’ve done enough holding my tongue to last a lifetime.”
I haul the heavy quilt with me as I make my way to the wardrobe, my heart falling as I am once again greeted with too much silk and lace for my liking.
“Nothing in here is normal,” I mutter, more to myself than to her, yet she continues on as if I was.
Paladin Rising (The Paladin's Curse Book 1) Page 5
