The Other Worlds (The Other Worlds Series Book 1)

by M. L. Greye

  Up above, shards from the ceiling fell like a thick rain, covering the stone floor and rugs. It was only a matter of time now until the whole thing collapsed. Sazx grimaced, loathing the day he became a Nagreth. He glanced out the window to Delvich and was startled to find Will already outside, sprinting for the strange blue flames. More time had passed than Sazx had thought. There was no way Will made it out in anything less than fifteen minutes.

  Taking a deep breath, Sazx focused his mind onto his feet, urging them forward with all the force his body could muster. He might as well have been pushing at a brick wall. His feet wouldn’t budge. Cursing the Vrenyx and all that it held, Sazx tried again to move. Still nothing. He was to either die there or escape with Dagon. Already, the binding was planting images of him running down the castle’s hallways with Dagon slung over his shoulders. The blasted Velvitors had done their work well. With Dagon about to die, all Sazx could do to resist saving the emperor was stand where he was. He was not about to allow Dagon to accompany him out of the castle alive. If Dagon still breathed, then Olinia was still in danger.

  Olinia. The young beauty filled his mind – the memory of her scent intoxicating him once more. Dagon often spoke of Illein as an enchantress to men, but Sazx knew the real charmer. Olinia had bewitched him, captivating his senses completely. Around her it had been so easy to be pale instead of gray. She had made the binding almost non-existent. There was no woman like her.

  A thought suddenly struck him. Sazx was no longer feeling the burning, somewhat unbearable pull towards Dagon. Olinia was purging him of the binding. Just from thinking of her, he felt immensely lighter. He decided to experiment.

  Keeping a picture of Olinia in his mind, he took a step towards the door. This time his body obeyed. Ignoring Dagon behind him, afraid to look back should the binding return, Sazx willed his feet forward. As long as he kept Olinia in his mind’s eye, he was able to move. The prospect of not dying with Dagon was a comforting thought. Within moments he was out of the banquet hall and into a dark hallway. Sazx set his direction for the nearest route out of the castle, leaving Dagon behind him.

  * * * * * *

  The throne room was closer than Tiara had anticipated. Pavn’s little trick door apparently didn’t drop very far. After only a few minutes, the soldier was pushing Tiara and the panther Archrin through a small crowd of Voiel’s followers, gathering around the throne room’s door.

  “Make way for the princess!” The soldier called out, guiding Tiara by the elbow.

  They split to both sides in order to form a path. At the sight of Archrin, the men backed away even farther, letting out their cries of surprise. Tiara only smiled at their pleas to remove the beast from her side. Personally, she had no intention of releasing Archrin for more than an arm’s length from her body.

  Once inside the room, Tiara realized it was full of Voiel’s allies, in both the Kendren green and Tlaidian purple. It must have been a short conquest and easy victory. Tiara doubted that a real war ended so quickly. In the center of the hall, directly in front of the three thrones stood Voiel and two of his officers. Their backs were to Tiara. At the shouts of her escort, all three turned. Tiara noticed Voiel raise an eyebrow of disapproval. She was still supposed to be locked up under his wife’s care, safe and out of everyone’s way.

  Tiara forced a smile and nodded her head in his direction. “General Voiel.”

  “Your highness.” He bowed briefly at the waist before his gaze dropped questioningly down at Archrin. “What brings you to Desnbi Castle?”

  That was his polite way of showing his absolute distaste for her presence. Tiara’s smile became genuine. Poor Voiel didn’t know her character well enough to predict her escape from Lyda.

  “I couldn’t resist the opportunity to see my Kendren friends once more,” Tiara told him dryly. “In fact, I just came from some quality time with Pavn.”

  “Pavn?”

  “He invited me back to the library to get reacquainted,” she smirked.

  “Where is he now?”

  Tiara grinned inwardly. “He’s dead. This panther killed him.”

  Several startled murmurs passed through the crowd. Voiel ignored them. “How fortunate that the panther did not attack you as well.”

  “A pet knows better than to bite its master,” she replied sweetly.

  “Pet?” Voiel glanced down at Archrin, amused. “Poor man.”

  So, Voiel knew Archrin’s secret after all. As he returned his gaze to Tiara, she decided to change the subject. “I was told you have captured Ryth. With both Flortt and Pavn dead, Ryth’s imprisonment means that we have won, correct?”

  The general nodded once. “We have captured Tlaid, m’lady.”

  “What are you going to do with Ryth?”

  “We have yet to decide.”

  “Are you open to any suggestions?”

  He raised another eyebrow. “What did you have in mind?”

  She ran her tongue along the back of her teeth. “Where is he now?”

  Voiel stepped back, sweeping his hand out toward the three thrones. There, on the ground kneeling with his hands behind his back was Ryth surrounded by a guard of his former men, their swords pointed at his neck. Tiara couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony of the situation. Just a few short weeks before she had been the one in his place.

  “May I present you with Ryth Kendren, your highness,” Voiel said with another small bow.

  “Thank you, general.” She motioned for two of the soldiers near Ryth to bring him closer. They obeyed quickly, raising Ryth to his feet. Tiara nodded her thanks before taking a step towards the king.

  Ryth glared down at her, his face tight. “You don’t remember me do you?” She asked in Saerdian, switching her language on purpose.

  He didn’t answer, but she hadn’t expected him to. She grunted. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t. Our meeting was brief, and the circumstance was most likely one of many for you.” She paused. “How shall I jog your memory?”

  Below her, Archrin snarled. Tiara smiled. “Do you see my face, Ryth?”

  A slight hint of recognition dawned in his eyes. Good. Tiara nodded. “That’s right. We met at an inn back in Kepleth. Your other prisoner was a boy named Legann. Looking back now, it really is somewhat humorous that the two people your officer chose to make an example out of were both royal.”

  Ryth frowned, and Tiara chuckled. “Here, let me explain. I am the true heir to the throne you recently held. As for Legann, he is a Reien – an heir to the Other Worlds, younger brother to Princess Olinia. He is also a cousin of mine.”

  “That boy was High Royalty?” Ryth grumbled in Arthelian.

  “The grandchild of King Yrond and nephew to Dagon,” she shot back in Saerdian.

  “An Eve?”

  “No, a Wend,” Tiara corrected.

  She glanced down at Archrin before locking eyes with Ryth once more. “Do you see my face, Ryth?” She repeated. “Remember it while you are swinging from the battlements, hung in the same fashion you murdered your sister. Mine is the face of the woman who took your kingdom and killed your brothers. In the turns to come, my face will be the one revered. Not yours.” She nodded to Voiel. “Have him kept in his own dungeon until daylight. Then have him tried and hung.”

  Voiel bowed at the waist. “Yes, your highness.” He waved a hand at Ryth’s guards. “Take him away.”

  As the men left the hall with their former sovereign, Voiel returned his attention to Tiara. “Tlaid is yours, m’lady.”

  “Thank you, general.” The whole princess thing was starting to be enjoyable. She crouched down beside Archrin, scratching behind his ears.

  Above her, Voiel asked, “Shall I arrange accommodations for you and your pet?”

  Tiara laughed, shaking her head. “No, you can arrange them for me and Archrin, because I plan on never letting him out of my sight again.”

  “Archrin?”

  She nodded, her eyes locked with the familiar mismatched set across
from her. “He’s around here somewhere. He can’t stay away from me for too long.”

  * * * * * *

  Will had memorized the route to Dagon’s study, thinking it would perhaps come in handy. He had been right. As Will tore down the different hallways, he noted there weren’t any Nagreth obstructing his way. The only life he saw at all was a few terrified courtiers and servants. Where was everyone? Dagon’s castle was supposedly thriving. At the moment, it was looking more like a ghost town.

  As he neared the castle’s exit, he heard the rumble of horses’ hooves and the screams of men and women – all in Eveon. But the accents had differed. Will burst through the open doors and found himself in a sea of people, all fleeing for their lives. Off to the left of him, stone was tumbling down from the battlements as if it were nothing more than rain. Will had that déjà vu feeling again. To the right of him, men on horseback seemed to be directing the crowd away from the castle. Will stared. The men were Eves. Had Dallyn finished up in Caprith already? Will peered into the Eves’ faces, but he didn’t recognize any of them as his or Dallyn’s troops. If Dallyn hadn’t brought them, then who had?

  Will didn’t have time to find out. Across from the castle, the blue flames were growing higher. He had to make it to Olinia. With renewed speed, Will ran for the forest, keeping to the edges of the crowd in an attempt to avoid the thickest traffic. Fortunately, most avoided him, backing away as far as they could. Will guessed his unsheathed sword was what scared them.

  A few moments later, Will was out and away from the throng. The forest was in sight. Will noticed that the outer trees had been burnt to mere stumps. That was a fast decimation. The blue fire had to be part of Olinia’s doing. He groaned. If the flames had managed to eat full grown trees in a matter of minutes, then what had they done to Olinia? If Olinia was dead, he honestly didn’t know what he would do. She had become so much a part of his life that just the thought of losing her twisted his insides.

  “Will!”

  He whirled. The shout stopped him in his tracks. At the edge of the forest’s ashes, an oddly shaped figure was shuffling toward him. Will blinked. “Who’s there?”

  “It’s Legann.”

  “What are you doing here?” Will shifted his direction to the figure.

  “I came with Yrond,” he answered.

  “Yrond?” Will frowned. That explained the Eves. They weren’t coming from Caprith after all. “Why is Yrond here?”

  “Trying to rescue my brother.”

  “Yrond, too?”

  “Is that the real reason why you and Olinia are here?”

  Will was almost to him now. The moonlight allowed him to discern Legann’s outline. “You know Olinia’s here? Did you see her?”

  Legann grunted. “I have her.”

  And so he did. Will was now close enough to make out her shape in the darkness as well. She was leaning up against Legann, her body at an odd angle. Will frowned, realizing that Legann was holding her upright. She was unconscious.

  “What happened?” Will demanded, slipping his arm around Olinia’s back, relieving Legann of most of her weight.

  Legann let out a sigh of relief as Will took her from him completely. “She did all of this.” He swept his arm toward the forest and castle. “She shot out a bright light from her fingers. I didn’t know someone could do that.”

  “I did.” Will furrowed his brow, inspecting Olinia’s face. She was breathing. That was a good sign.

  All at once, a burst of blue fire reached out at them, catching fire to the grass and undergrowth they stood on. Legann yelped and leapt away from the flames. “Let’s get out of here!”

  “Heads up.” Will tossed Legann his sword and hefted Olinia closer to his body. He darted a fresh round of the strange combustion and nodded for Legann to lead the way back to the castle.

  They didn’t get far. Just as Balinorre had done generations before, Dagon’s castle was crumbling to the ground in great piles of stone. They were trapped – caught between the flames and the falling rubble. Will glanced at Legann. “We’re stuck!”

  Legann shook his head. “Don’t give up so easily.” Using his free hand, he yanked out a stone from beneath his tunic and chainmail.

  Will let out a short laugh as he recognized the object at the necklace’s end. “You’ve got a shimmer stone?”

  “Sometimes it pays to be High Royalty.” He grinned, yanking it off from around his neck. He offered it to Will. “Take us wherever you please.”

  “To Evedon?”

  Legann shrugged. “Just choose fast. I think Olinia was hurt during whatever that was.”

  At the thought of how weak Tyra had been after Balinorre, Will grimaced. He didn’t doubt Olinia had hurt herself in the process of destroying the Vrenyx. Using one hand, he took the extended stone and held it out in front of him. Before he had the chance to glide the stone downward, Olinia let out a small shriek. Will stared down at her, alarmed.

  Her dark eyes looked up at him. “Will?”

  “I’ve got you, princess.” He tightened his grip around her as she tried to stand up on her own.

  She groaned, clutching onto him. “Why does it hurt?”

  “What hurts?”

  “My insides,” she croaked out between clenched teeth. “I can hardly breathe. Make it stop.”

  He winced. “You probably damaged something internally. Maybe your rib cage.” He turned to Legann. “Time to go.”

  Will slid the stone through the air, focusing on Fuladrik’s home in Evedon. But Tyra’s face managed to slip into his thoughts as well. The Healers hadn’t been able to cure her. Would Fuladrik really be able to help Olinia? The portal opened in front of him, its thin light brightening his face. Will realized with a start that he had been thinking more about Ethon than he had been Evedon. The portal he’d opened was to his own world! And it was too late now to open another portal. The Vrenyx world was crumbling down on either side of them. They were trapped inside the bubble Olinia had created.

  “What are you waiting for?” Legann shouted.

  “You’re in for a surprise,” Will muttered, jumping into the portal with Olinia still at his side. He felt Legann push up against him, forcing all three out of the Vrenyx at the same instant.

  Once through, Legann bent over with his hands on his knees, gasping. “That was far too close for my liking.”

  Will let out a short laugh and looked around. It was daytime here, even though a thick blanket of clouds covered the sun. At that moment the mass of gray was in the midst of relieving its contents onto their heads. It really did always rain here. Will took in the familiar grove he’d spent hours staring into. He’d never realized how much thicker the air in the Other Worlds was. Ethon’s air was thin, requiring his lungs to work harder.

  Across from him, Legann straightened, his face confused. “Where are we? I thought you were taking us to Evedon.”

  So Legann had noticed the change too. “I was,” Will replied, glancing down the small, worn path he had taken only once before. Taking a deep breath, Will began for his former home. Behind him, Legann hurried to catch up.

  “Where’d you take us?” Legann repeated.

  All at once Trenton’s mansion rose out of the trees, startling even Will. He’d expected it to be farther. Out of the corner of his eye, Will glimpsed Legann’s mouth drop. “Did you know this was here?” He asked, wiping away the accumulating rainwater from his face.

  “I used to live here.”

  “We’re in Ethon?” Olinia wheezed.

  “Yeah.” Will winced inwardly at the sound of her voice. She was in pain. If she was internally bleeding at all, she didn’t have long before she would be beyond aid. Will hoped that wasn’t the case.

  Quickening his pace, Will went for the door off of Trenton’s kitchen. He rounded the pond that had caught his attention so many times and stepped onto the blue-gray brick path Trenton had built through his rose bush garden.

  Legann was at his heels. “Are you sure this
is the real Ethon?”

  “I wasn’t under the impression that there was more than one.”

  “I was just checking.”

  Will raised an eyebrow. “Are you scared to be here?”

  “A little,” Legann admitted.

  “Don’t be,” Will assured him. “Trust me. Your realm is far more unnerving. Here, people don’t fly things through the air or pause time with the snap of their fingers.”

  They were to the door now. Will reached out to twist the doorknob, but before he could, it swung open revealing Milly. She stood wide-eyed and gaping. Will forced a smile. “Hello, Milly.”

  “Will, is that really you?”

  His smile became genuine. He’d missed her warm face. “It’s me. Where’s Trenton?”

  “Upstairs.” She stepped back as Will left the rain for the kitchen, followed closely by Legann.

  Will shook out his hair, spraying water. “Milly, I need you to call an ambulance.”

  “An ambulance?” She blinked. “All the way out here?”

  “Then get me a doctor,” he tossed over his shoulder as he headed up the staircase from the kitchen to the second floor.

  He took the stairs two at a time, while Olinia laid cringing in his arms, water dripping down her face. “Trenton!” He yelled, steering toward the room that had once been his. Inside, he lowered Olinia onto the bed.

  She stared up at him, her face pale. “You think I’m foolish, don’t you?”

  “No more than Tyra.”

  “Will,” Milly appeared in the doorway, “the doctor is on his way.”

  “How long will he take to get here?”

  “A few minutes,” she replied. “He was already in the area.”

  “Lucky us.” Will knelt beside the bed. “You’ll be taken care of soon.”

  “What do you think is wrong with her?” Legann asked from his perch near the room’s window.