by T.M. Nielsen
Chapter 14
She was weak with hunger as night fell on the fifteenth day waiting for a portal key into Paragoy. The skeleton beside her was her only company, and her only source of food. Twice in the last two weeks a small rodent had scurried to the bones to check for one tiny morsel of food, and both had become her dinner.
This dimension had rain every few nights, just enough to keep her from dying of thirst. It was more like a mist, but she’d managed to gather enough to keep herself alive. However, there wasn’t enough to stop the burning in her throat or to stop her cracked lips from bleeding.
She was starting to lose hope and knew that waiting this long in a dimension was asking for the Shadowmere Consortium to find her. She heard them come by once, but they didn’t recognize the dimension and passed by her without noticing her tiny form hidden beneath the rotten logs of a fallen tree.
Kyrin twirled her flail in her hand, trying to stop the boredom that threatened to drive her insane. She’d piled the dead Shadowmere’s armor into a heap and leaned back against it to settle in for the night when a ring caught her eye. The ring shone bright in the moonlight and her heart raced.
The second she touched it, the portal opened, and beyond it, she saw the mountains of Valhara. Not waiting to make sure the way was clear, she ran through and then fell against the leaf-covered ground and looked behind her to see the portal close.
It was an autumn day in Paragoy, and the cool air felt good against her burned skin. Sitting with little shelter waiting for the portal had exposed her to the suns of that dimension, and her face and hands were burned and blistered.
Adjusting her pack, she climbed down the sheer face of the cliff and ran over to what Alric had called the Boriana ruins. There was no snow this time of year, so she scanned around her and found a stream flowing quickly down beside the ruins. It was deep enough her entire head was submerged as she plunged it into the cold water and drank deeply.
When she sat up, she looked around the ruins. The last time she was there, she was unconscious when she was carried into Valhara, but she was sure she could find it given the time.
Footsteps approaching startled her and she quickly disappeared into the shadows beneath rubble from the ruins.
Two knights came into view, and they stopped to rest at the small stream. She watched them, knowing they would lead her back into the city where she hoped to catch sight of Alric or find if he was even alive.
“Think we’ll ever stop this?” one of them asked as he removed his helm and splashed cold water across his face.
“No, he’s never going to stop looking for her,” the other answered.
“Well, I’m getting tired of scouring the mountains looking for a long-lost girl.”
Kyrin managed to maneuver a little closer as they spoke.
“I’m not. She saved Valhara from the Minotaurs.”
“Yeah, well she saved Qualsax too.”
“So!? We didn’t have a single death that day because of her. Sure he wants to find her. He owes her a great debt, and he’s afraid her deity killed her for helping us.”
“She is an evil though.”
“Again, that doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, it does. She’s not only an evil but a powerful magic user. If she can take out over 300 Minotaurs, then she can kill off every Valharan within a day’s travel of the castle.”
“Welp,” he said, standing up. “We’d better find her or we’ll be searching all of the lands for the rest of our lives.”
Once they were gone, Kyrin moved out of the rubble and brushed herself off. She began to follow behind them, hoping they would eventually lead her into the town. She was shocked to learn that Alric was looking for her, even after two years. It was great to hear that he’d survived the skirmish, and she looked forward to seeing him.
A sudden thought made her freeze though. What if they had mistaken Alric’s search for her? What if he actually was searching for a criminal that he wished to kill as an evil? The knights didn’t speak of her again, or of their mission, but she followed far behind them making sure she wasn’t seen.
It was three days later when they reached the outskirts of Valhara and Kyrin disappeared into the orchard. The first thing she did was pick an apple and sink her teeth into the sweet flesh of it. She watched carefully around her as she filled up on apples, and then slowly made her way to the castle at the end of the orchard.
She didn’t run into anyone else in the trees, and as she neared the castle, the sun began to set behind the mountains. Everything seemed just as she’d left it. Four knights stood at the door though, as opposed to two from before.
Kyrin sat back and watched, studying the knight rotation and paths, trying to find a way into the castle. She needed to confront Alric alone. If his intention was to capture her for her use of magic, she had to be able to get away fast. She had the poisons to do it, but it wouldn’t work if the castle was alerted.
As midnight approached, the knights readied to lower the portcullis and block the doors to the castle. It was when they were preparing that she found her chance. Aided by her speed boots, she flew past them and disappeared underneath the stairs where the maids kept cleaning supplies.
She fought to calm her breathing as she heard the thud of the portcullis lowered into place. Once the portcullis was closed, the knights made one more round through the halls and then only a scant few were left for the night.
When it was safe to ascend the stairs, she ran up them and didn’t stop until she reached out to open his bedroom door. She stiffened though and wondered if she would find him alone.
She’d paid more attention to relationships since she left Paramide, and she’d learned a lot. Before, she paid no attention to when a man and woman were together, and she still had a lot of questions, but she did realize that they normally slept in the same bed.
Deciding she had to know, she slowly opened his door and stepped into the king’s bedroom. She shut the door silently behind her and then walked up to the bed. When her eyes adjusted, she saw that it was empty and perfectly made. A sound in the hallway made her spin, and she quickly crawled under the bed.
Two sets of feet entered, and all she could tell was the color of their boots. They were moving around the bedroom, and she started to wonder if there was a problem, but finally, Alric spoke.
“Sithias was right. We have to stop it immediately.”
“How though?” Trox asked. “They know we’re honor bound and use that against us.”
“We’ll find a way. First, they brought down the Minotaurs, and now they are trying to cause a rift between Valhara and the elves of Minathim.”
“It’s too bad Kyrin scared the Minotaurs badly enough they all went back to the mountains. It would be nice to be rid of Qualsax all together.”
“We’re not that lucky. I’m tired of sharing borders with such an uncivilized group of humans.”
Alric sat down on the bed, and Kyrin found herself squished and trapped by the mattress.
“We just have to be persistent,” Alric told him. “They will mess up eventually and will get what’s coming to them.”
“Good night, my Lord,” Trox said, and then left, shutting the door behind him.
When Alric stood up to get dressed, she was able to slip out from under his bed and hide behind a couch sitting under the window. Alric changed out of his clothes and slid into bed in only a nightshirt. She debated when to appear and finally decided she wanted to wait until he was asleep, so she could watch him sleep. Kyrin wanted to make sure he was okay and that nothing seemed amiss.
His breathing softened finally and fell into the rhythmic pattern of sleep. She moved out from behind the couch and stood silently. The moon fell across his bed, and she watched him. He hadn’t changed at all. She shut her eyes and inhaled, savoring in the smell of him that she remembered.
Kyrin couldn’t wait any longer to talk to him. She pulled her flail
out from its place on her side, just in case, and sat down beside him in bed.
Alric’s eyes flew open and he sat up and jumped to his feet, ready to fight whoever was in his room. When he saw her, he froze, unable to move. He wondered if he was in a dream, or if he had died and Sithias had granted him one last view of her before taking him to paradise.
“Kyrin?” he whispered softly.
She nodded. “It’s good to see you again, Alric.”
He turned and lit the lantern, lighting up the room before turning back to her. He half expected her to be gone in the light, but she was still sitting on his bed with her flail lying across her lap.
“My god, Kyrin,” he said, and moved to her quickly. He pulled her off the bed and wrapped his arms around her. “I’ve been so worried about you.”
Even though she’d dreamed about being near him, she tensed and backed out of his arms. “I’m okay.”
He looked her over. “You have injuries.”
“How are you?”
He smiled. “Thanks you to, I’m good. In fact, thanks to you, Valhara is still standing.”
She nodded and looked out his window. “Nothing has changed.”
“Where have you been? I’ve looked everywhere for you.”
“Daemionis took me to his home, and then I’ve just been wandering.”
“You mean running,” he said softly.
“Maybe”
“When did you decide to come back?”
“About ten months ago.”
“What took you so long?”
She turned toward him and leaned back against the windowsill. “Are you afraid I’ll use magic on you?”
“No”
“You aren’t afraid of me at all?”
He took a step toward her. “No. If you wanted to hurt me, you had plenty of chances. I just wonder why you kept it from me.”
“In my land, magic is illegal.”
“Why?”
“Magic pulls forces against nature and was deemed evil.”
“Well, that’s true, but here it’s not illegal, just forgotten.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
“I’m just glad you came back. I asked Sithias about you, and he thought you probably wouldn’t return.”
“I wasn’t going to but…”
“But what?” he asked, and then took the risk and gently laced her hand in his.
“When I left, I wasn’t sure if you were alive or if you were hunting me down for using magic.”
“You know me better than that. I told you that magic isn’t illegal here.”
“People lie,” she told him, looking into his eyes.
He smiled. “Mostly you.”
She laughed. “True.”
“Are you going to stay?”
“I haven’t decided yet. I guess I’ll see how things go.”
His smile turned to a grin, and he stepped closer to her.
“What?” she asked, tensing. He took her other hand in his and held them at her sides.
“I’ve waited too long.”
“For what?”
He answered her with a tender kiss. She tried to move, but he held her hands tightly, making sure she couldn’t get them together. Even though she’d longed for the feel of his lips again, she started to panic when the flutter in her stomach started.
The kiss turned more passionate as he leaned against her, pressing her body into the window at her back. He wanted to reach up and hold her head in his hands but knew he was safer with her hands at her sides.
Finally, he pulled back and smiled at her. “I still didn’t hurt you.”
She knew she was now sporting a deep blush and wasn’t sure what to say. Her mind pulled the only thing she could think of. “I’d better be off then.”
“Where are you going?”
“I was going to stay at Boriana ruins.”
“Why?”
“I’m not indentured to you anymore.”
“So? Stay here with me.”
“I’m an evil. You don’t think that would cause problems?”
“No, I don’t. I’m the king, and if I want evil in my castle, then no one can say anything about it.”
“I didn’t come here to ask for my room back.”
“Why did you come back?” he asked, tightening his grip when she tried to get her hands loose.
“I just wanted to see you.”
“Well, you’ve seen me. Stay here. In the morning, we can talk.”
She looked toward the door. “Is my room empty?”
“No, it’s not. Stay here in my room with me,” he said, and moved back toward the bed as he pulled her gently.
“In here?”
“Yes”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?” he asked, sitting down on the bed. She finally pulled her hands free and looked around the room.
“I guess I could sleep by the fire.”
“On the floor?”
She nodded and then sat down on a bearskin rug in front of the dead fireplace. “This is fine.”
“You know… I can behave.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning you can share the bed, and I won’t try anything.”
Irritated that she wasn’t sure what he meant, she slipped her flail into her belt and laid down on the rug, facing him.
He laid on the bed and rolled onto his side to face her. “Swear to me, you’ll be here in the morning.”
She smiled. “You’d trust that?”
“No, I guess not.”
“Good night, Alric.”
He nodded and watched her until she fell asleep.
