The Return To Erda Box Set

by Beca Lewis

  Seeing my puzzled face, Sarah said, “Look in 4D. Do it without the necklace.”

  Although I had struggled with 4D sight on my own before, and expected to find it hard to do, within seconds of trying, my sight switched over, and I saw the cabin that just moments before was invisible to me.

  “Oh!” was my brilliant response.

  Once I saw the cabin, I didn’t need to keep my 4D sight in place to continue to see it. The Priscillas and I followed Leif and Sarah inside, and I sighed in relief and happiness.

  I felt welcomed. So different than Abbadon’s Castle. Comfortable chairs and couches were arranged for conversation. Light streamed in from the windows that circled the room. All I wanted to do was sit in a chair and never move again. But Sarah took me by the hand and led me down the hall to a room with a big bed, with my favorite clothing lying on it.

  Until that moment I hadn’t realized how much I wanted to take off the dress that belonged in the past. “Get cleaned up, Kara,” Sarah said. “And then we have one last thing to do before you can return to your future.”

  Although Sarah was smiling when she said those words, I felt a chill run down my spine. Weren’t we done yet?

  Although my body wanted me to take my time in the shower, my mind wouldn’t let me. What had we missed? I dressed and hurried back to the small living and dining room. The table was set for tea, and the Priscillas were already sitting on it eating something that looked like a flower sandwich.

  Through the windows, I could see Leif. He appeared to be carrying on a conversation with someone, but there was no one there but trees.

  Sarah flicked her wrist, and I saw a light land on Leif’s shoulder, and before I could blink, he was sitting at the table with us. Interesting way to get someone’s attention, I’d have to learn that trick.

  “Are you full of questions again, Kara?” Leif asked.

  “Yes. Shall I ask them or could you just answer them because you must know what they are.”

  The Priscillas tittered, holding their hands over their mouth. I think they were afraid that I was being impertinent to a wizard, and I suppose that I was, but all I wanted was to go home. And the home I meant was back to my friends, and Zeid. It worried me that Zeid still thought that I was lost to him forever.

  Sarah put her hand on Leif’s arm as she addressed me. “No need to keep you waiting, Kara. You’re right. No one knows you have returned. After all, it’s only been a few hours, and they are all back at the Castle mourning and celebrating. Mourning for you, and celebrating the monster’s evil has never touched the Erda they returned to.”

  “However, there is one place that has not been restored, and I think it would be important to you to do so before you return to the Castle.

  “It’s a task that only you can do. And to do it, we have to send you back in time once again.”

  My heart sank. Every cell of my body protested. I wanted to stay here. But at the same time, I knew that Sarah and Leif knew that I would do it. Whatever it was.

  “Where am I going?”

  “Back to a village that was destroyed before you returned to Erda. Not by the Shrieks, or Shatterskin, but by the monster we were calling Abbadon. It was personal to him, so he did it himself. And then he locked the destruction in place so it could never be undone.”

  “If it can never be undone, then what good would I do to go back to whatever village you are talking about?”

  “Because he made one mistake. He didn’t know that your mother had left the bracelet for you. That bracelet and your magic can stop him from locking it.”

  All the blood rushed out of my head, and I thought I was going to faint. “Are you talking about Ruta’s village and my mother?”

  Sarah and Leif nodded. “You mean I have to defeat Abbadon one more time, even though he is gone? Me? I have enough magic to do this? And if I don’t, the village and everyone in it will remain destroyed?”

  “That about sums it up. Except you have to go alone,” Leif said, smiling at me as if he was merely asking me to go to the store for cream for his coffee.

  The Priscillas looked on in disbelief. I felt as if the universe had slapped me. We did all that, and still one more thing to do. Not a small thing. Something more important than me. Again.

  At that moment I understood. I had thought that my choice to marry Abbadon was the pivot choice. And perhaps it was, but this one, this one, was the one that determined my future, and who knows, maybe more than mine. Without all my magic, without my confidence in myself, I could not be Queen, and Erda could not thrive.

  “Two questions. When do I go, and what do I need to know?”

  Abbadon Fifty-Nine

  In the end, I didn’t learn much from Leif or Sarah. All I knew was that I would arrive at the village right before Abbadon. I had to stop him from locking in the destruction. Since I didn’t know how he locked it in, it seemed to me I had to stop him from doing it in the first place. Not that I knew how to do that either.

  However, Leif and Sarah both assured me that I had everything I needed to accomplish the task. Still, I kept thinking they were leaving something out. Why would they do that? They wanted me to succeed. So why not tell me everything that I needed to know?

  All I did know was that I was at the edge of a forest that bordered the path that Abbadon would be walking as he headed to the village to destroy it. Right before he encased me in the blue haze, Leif said, “Remember the bracelet.”

  I figured whatever was happening was why my mother left me the bracelet in the first place. I knew what I had done with it before. I had used it to magnify waves of energy. I had learned how to control the power so as not to kill, only stun.

  Neither Sarah nor Leif seemed worried about sending me back to this time, so that meant I already knew what to do. At least that’s what I told myself.

  As I waited, it occurred to me that perhaps this was a test of my willingness to become who I was meant to be. I was thinking so deeply about that possibility, that I almost missed the signs that someone was coming. Someone that the creatures of the forest did not like. Everything had become silent. I could feel the beings of the woods moving away from the road and deeper into the woods.

  It had to be Abbadon. I wondered if he would look like the monster I had seen or the man Abbadon pretended to be.

  There was no point in confronting him head-on. I couldn’t battle someone like Abbadon on my own. And Sarah and Leif knew it. What did I know that could stop Abbadon?

  In a flash, it came back to me. I could use his own trick of illusion. If I could produce a strong enough field to protect the village from destruction, and then feed back to him the illusion that he had done it, then he would never know he had failed. I didn’t have to defeat him using force. All I had to do was give him the illusion of success.

  It would work. The question was, did I have enough magic to do so?

  A blue haze flashed, and Leif stood beside me.

  “You only had to choose, Kara. Now that you have figured it out, we can do this together.”

  *******

  What happened next would be burned into my memory for the rest of my life. Everything that Abbadon threw at the village, we reflected back to him as if it was happening.

  That meant we had to spend time in his head hearing his thoughts and intentions. It was like entering a dark cave filled with creepy crawly things, terrible noises, and disgusting smells. We had to stay there to see what he expected to see so that we could produce it for him.

  It was horrifying to be inside his thoughts and see the joy he was receiving by causing chaos and destruction. It was also terrifying because we couldn’t let him know that we were there. Otherwise, the plan would fail and he would turn all his destruction on us, and I wasn’t sure we could hold him off.

  Abbadon had
arrived looking like a man. That made it even worse. Anyone meeting him on the road would not know what he was. Not only had he disguised himself as a gentle and kind man, but he had also disguised his thinking to match.

  The only thing that gave him away to us is that we had met him before. And of course, the creatures in the woods weren’t fooled.

  He had stationed himself where he could see the entire village and then let go with a destructive force so intense, Leif and I had to do everything we could to keep it from reaching the town. It was horrifying to witness the fierce pleasure Abbadon had as he destroyed.

  What the encounter with Abbadon did for me was remove any illusion I had harbored that no one really meant to do harm. If I had an inkling of doubt that there were monsters I didn’t have one after that. I knew it would make me a better Queen. I would not be easily fooled by charm or false kindness.

  After it was all over and Abbadon had returned to his part of Erda thinking he destroyed the village, Leif had brought us both back to the cabin where Sarah and the Priscillas waited. I didn’t waste time before asking them the obvious question.

  “You sent me there to test me, didn’t you?”

  “Not so much to test you, but to teach you an invaluable lesson,” Sarah replied. “And, it had to be you. No one else could have done it.”

  She was right. It was invaluable. I still knew that good was more powerful than evil, but I also had to recognize that evil is intentional, and to destroy it before it becomes as powerful as Abbadon had become. And I had to accept that it had to be me. I had to accept my destiny.

  I was definitely not the twelve-year-old Hannah who had tripped over her own feet as she stepped out of the portal from Earth to Erda. I thought back to what Suzanne had told me then. That I had to become beautifully terrifying. Now I understood more of what she meant.

  I could feel the strength of my magic, but more than that, I could feel the power of love that had defeated evil. Not me alone. All of us, the community, the Kingdom, my friends.

  However, I was still curious, and I had a ton of questions.

  “Would you like to wait to ask all those questions until after we return to the Castle?” Sarah asked, putting her arm around me.

  Up until that moment I had not allowed myself to think about my friends. A part of me was afraid I would never be able to return. I was so overcome with gratitude I could only nod, “yes.”

  Abbadon Sixty

  After affirming with Leif and Sarah that everyone was safe back at the Castle, but not expecting me, I asked Leif and Sarah if we could arrive outside the Castle and walk to it. I wanted time to absorb what had happened before I was caught up in the celebration of my return.

  Once again, nothing would be the same, and this time I wanted to face it head on, on my own terms. Besides, some of the questions I had didn’t need to be answered in front of everyone.

  They had agreed, and I think they were even a little pleased with my choice. Perhaps I was demonstrating some wisdom. And when Sarah suggested we wait until I had gotten a good night’s sleep I was only too happy to say yes. In fact, I’m not sure I said anything at all because I didn’t remember anything about going to bed.

  The waking up was wonderful though. Pris, Cil, and La were sitting on my bed waiting for me. That was different. Pris was usually prying my eyes open if I slept in. I smiled at the three of them and lifted the covers. They didn’t need to be invited twice. They snuggled under the covers with me and in a flash, I fell asleep again. Not before I thought I heard Pris snore. I suppressed a giggle. I had something to tease her about now.

  I woke up again, this time to the smell of coffee and cinnamon buns. Sitting at the table with Leif, Sarah, and the Priscillas I felt as if I had been transported to heaven. I lingered over breakfast as long as I could. I hoped I could come to revisit this cabin someday. It was almost like being back in Earth. Another home for me, here in Erda.

  “Of course, dear one,” Sarah said. “You are welcome anytime. But perhaps it’s time for us to go to the Castle, and give your friends the gift of your return?”

  I had already dressed in the clothes that had been laid out for me, and the Priscillas had tucked themselves into my pocket. I smiled and started to say, “Yes,” when I found myself on the road that led to the Castle. The other way led to Dalry. I couldn’t wait to visit there again to see how it had fared in the future, but that visit would have to wait.

  “How do you do that?” I asked Sarah and Leif. “And that is one of my first questions. If you could go back in time like that, why did we need the portal?”

  “I used a different kind of portal, Kara Beth, and I could only take you through it. And only after you made that first choice,” Leif answered.

  “The choice to marry Abbadon?”

  “The choice to do what had to be done for something bigger than yourself, and to do it with love in your heart, and not hate, resentment, or discouragement. Not an easy task, but you did it, Kara Beth. And look at what happened.”

  “But, it wouldn’t have worked if I hadn’t done it that way, or expected to be freed from the decision?”

  Sarah looked at me with pride in her eyes. She didn’t need to say anything. I felt the answer.

  As we walked, I allowed myself to be back to the future. It’s another reason that I chose to walk. I wanted to see the sky, feel the trees, and be at peace in this new self that I had acquired. I needed to be ready to face what I found at the Castle without breaking down.

  Which meant there were more questions that I needed to ask before we got back. The first one was about the village.

  “Since we stopped Abbadon from destroying Ruta’s village then it never happened, right?”

  Leif and Sarah nodded, and the Priscillas hopped up to my shoulders waiting for my next question.

  “That means that Ruta’s family and my mother never died? And if that is true, and you knew that, how did you keep it a secret from all of us, and why?”

  “I think the why of it is obvious. If Abbadon knew he hadn’t been successful at destroying the village he would have returned, and we would have to continue to play that time loop over and over again,” Sarah answered.

  “And as to how,” Leif took over, “We used the same technique that Abbadon used on Kinver. We ‘froze’ them in a time portal until the being we were calling Abbadon was destroyed. Then I had Ruta set them free.”

  “Ruta? Is that who you were talking to when you were talking to the trees?”

  “Well, I was asking the trees to let Ruta know what we were going to do. When they saw us come back, they told him where to find his village. By now he and Suzanne have returned to his village and set them free. We thought he would like some time with his family.”

  “Another reason you asked me to wait. You wanted to give them time to release the village, and Ruta to see his family?”

  Sarah nodded, and I kept on walking, the implications of what they had said beginning to sink in.

  I started to talk out loud. “So my mom knew I would need the bracelet to save the village she was going to visit? That probably means that we failed a few times. This time we succeeded.”

  As I talked to myself figuring things out, I started walking faster. When I saw Cahir loping out of the woods, I stopped walking and started running. People I loved were waiting for me, and I was finally ready to return to them.

  Abbadon Epilogue

  Six months later…

  Once again I stood on the hill overlooking my hometown of Eiddwen. This time was different. My mother Rowena and my father Darius were living there together. Both well. Both happy.

  I had returned from the past to find everything as if Abbadon had never existed. Some people had no memory of him. Although those of us who had traveled in time remembered, and we would never forget. I k
new it was supposed to be that way.

  Before Sarah and Leif returned to their cabin, I had one last question for them. We were sitting around Aki’s tea table with Niko when I asked the question that had been on my mind since seeing both the man Anne had fallen in love with, and the being that we had called Abbadon.

  “The monster, the being that I saw, was one of the bored brothers wasn’t it? My father’s brother is the man Anne married. He was the real Abbadon, wasn’t he?”

  “Yes,” Leif answered. “The brothers had returned to check on the dimensions and their experiment. One brother hated that nothing was happening in Erda. He was losing the bet that evil would take over Erda someday. He had bet that the real Abbadon would try to kill his brother, your father, and it was obvious that he had no intention of doing so.

  “Not wanting to lose, the brother decided to speed things up. He stayed in Erda, and took over everyone, including Abbadon. He manipulated and controlled behind the scenes. However, when you defeated him with love, he lost the bet and his brother returned and took him away, leaving Anne free to marry your uncle, the real Abbadon.”

  “But this is another memory that only a few of you will have. Most of Erda only knows the real Abbadon and Darius. And Anne is still Queen of Abbadon’s Kingdom as you are for your father’s.”

  I hadn’t been surprised to hear that answer. It made everything fall into place. It explained how Anne could fall in love with a monster. He wasn’t one. And the trigger that began the destruction was the brother, not something that happened in Erda. In many ways it was a relief. Erda could continue in peace and harmony with nature and each other.

  And even though some of us retained the memories of the destruction, we wouldn’t let those memories keep us from celebrating our victory over evil. It would keep us alert to evil if it ever attempted to rise again.