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 rotted 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, 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 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 boots of speed, 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 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.”

“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 bed.

“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 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 ok, and that nothing seemed amiss.

His breathing softened finally and fell into the rhythmic pattern of sleep. She slid 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 ok.”

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 10 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 world, 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 soft 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.

 

***

 

Kyrin woke up, at first unsure where she was. She saw Alric’s bedroom though and then looked around, but he wasn’t there. She glanced at her arm and saw that the infected wound was healed, and her sunburn was gone.

She got to her feet slowly and noticed some clean clothes sitting beside the large bathing tub, which was full of warm water and bubbles.

Kyrin stripped quickly and sunk into the water. She’d dreamed of the feel of water, but had begun to believe she wouldn’t feel it again. As she washed the soot and grime from her body, she kept a close eye out in case someone came in.

She was pleasantly surprised that the clothes were pants and a tunic, and she slipped them on and brushed her hair before tying it up. A knock startled her, and she grabbed her flail and moved back by the window.

“What?” she asked.

“Breakfast, my Lady.”

“Ok”

A servant came in with a smile and put a plate of bacon and eggs on the table along with fresh fruit and hot sweet rolls with mounds of honey butter. Another came with a pitcher of water and then both bowed and left.

Kyrin was starving, so she sat down and immediately dug into the food. It was so hot it burned her mouth, but she kept shoveling it in. Just before wiping her hands on her shirt, she smiled and then washed her hands in the bath water instead.

Once finished, she started out of the room with her backpack to see if she could find Alric. Two Knights were waiting outside of her door, and she frowned, “Am I being detained?”

“No, my Lady,” one of them said, smiling. “Lord Alric just wanted to make sure you had what you needed.”

“So you aren’t here to make sure I don’t kill the King?”

“Well we’d prefer if you don’t, but that’s not why we’re here.”

“Oh, well… where is Alric?”

“He’s gone into town for a few hours.”

“Where’s Finn?” she asked, starting down the stairs. She wanted to go pick more apples and fill her pack with them, in case she needed to make a hasty exit.

“Ma’am?”

“What?”

“He’s… well… Captain Finn died.”

She frowned and looked at him, “He did?”

“Yes, my Lady. He died last year.”

“How?”

“Qualsax Warrior attack.”

She had the sudden urge to go pay a visit to Qualsax, but planned on doing that later to get the revenge that Alric and Trox had spoken of the night before.

“So it’s true, you are back,” Trox said from the bottom of the stairs.

“For now,” she said, watching him. She still got the impression he didn’t like her.

“If you’re going to stay, we should make amends.”

“Why? Is there a law that if I stay for a while, we have to get along?”

He seemed amused by that, “No, I guess not. However, Lord Alric made it clear that you are a priority of his and as such, it would behoove us to at least try to get along.”

 

***

 

“Did she tell you where she has been?” Sithias asked, floating a few feet above Alric.

“She said Daemionis took her to his home, and then she just wandered.”

“It is time you know.”

“Know what, my Lord?”

“This world… my world, is known as Paragoy. There are many such worlds, each with their own gods and their own people and histories. A select few can travel between these worlds, and Kyrin is one of those.”

“Why didn’t she tell me this?” He actually wondered why Sithias hadn’t told him any of this before.

“There’s an unspoken rule among the Dimension Shifters that they aren’t to interfere when a dimension knows no other and believes theirs is all there is to the universe.”

“So when she’s gone, she’s where I cannot find her?”

“Yes”

“My Lord, when I spent two years trying to find her, why didn’t you tell me?”

Sithias smiled softly, “Would you have stopped? Or would you have continued, this time trying to find someone to show you how to leave this world?”

Alric sighed. He knew his god was right.

“I’m just surprised that she returned. She must feel some loyalty to you.”

“How do you know?”

“She’s an evil. Evils do only what is good for them, unless they feel loyalty to another.”

“She seems less nervous than the last time.”

“She may have grown up a lot in the last two years. Watch her and learn.”

“And the magic?”

“Encourage it.”

“Really?” Alric was shocked.

Sithias nodded, “It’s a rare and splendorous ability. From what I saw, she’s a powerful magic user, and that power should be used and encouraged to flourish.”

“But magic is born of evil.”

“A common misconception, but one bathed in the truth. Watch her closely and see what she does with it.”

“If she starts to use it for evil, I don’t know what I would do.”

“We will deal with it at that time. It’s not a matter of if, but when. Evils are drawn to rage, and it’s hard to control that.”

He nodded, “I’ll watch her. What of her god?”

“I’m sure he knows she’s here. I’m sure he also knows you love her and will watch you closely too.”

Alric smiled slightly, “That obvious, is it?”

“It is hard to hide your heart from me.”

“What’s in her heart?”

“I’m not sure she can love yet,” Sithias said. “Only Daemionis can see into her heart and know how she feels. Any attraction is dangerous though, so I bid you to keep your eyes out and never take her for granted. Never treat her as anything other than an evil.”

“How do I do that?”

“By limiting your trust in her goodness. She may not possess any.”

“I will, my Lord.”

“You see the good in all, but that may make you blind to her true nature.”

Alric looked up and saw that Sithias was gone. He said a quiet prayer of thanks and then walked out into the temple.

“Is it true?” Dewell asked, walking up to the King.

“That Kyrin is back? Yes.”

“Is she well?”

“She had injuries, but they were small and I took care of them.”

“May we see her?”

He smiled, “I’ll think about it. She’s an evil. We know that now, a magic using evil… and Dewell?”

“Yes, my Lord?”

“I apologize for doubting what you saw. You tried to tell me that she knew magic, and I didn’t believe you.”

The Priest nodded, “It’s ok, my Lord. I realize how crazy it sounded at the time.”

“Until I find out what her intentions are and what her true nature is, I want the Priests to stay away from her.”

“Understood, Sire.” Dewell smiled broadly.

“What?”

“It’s good to have you back, Sir.”

“What do you mean?”

Dewell simply bowed and returned inside to the temple. Alric mounted his stallion and rode quickly to the castle. He was anxious to learn if Kyrin had stayed, and he wanted to talk to her again.

He met her on the road between the castle and Valhara. He stopped the horse and smiled down at her, “Going somewhere?”

She shrugged, “Not sure really.”

“Were you coming back?”

“I haven’t decided.”

He sighed, “Where would you go?”

“I don’t know.”

“Would you leave this world?”

She looked up at him, squinting at the glare from the sun, “You know?”

“Yes”

“I really don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“Start off by coming up here,” he said, and put his hand down for her.

She thought about it and then took his hand and swung onto the horse in front of him. He kicked the horse, heading away from the city and into the trees.

“Where are we going?” she asked after a few minutes of silence.

“I don’t know either. You seem to like to take off randomly, so that’s what we’re doing.”

She could feel him against her back and wasn’t sure what to make of the feelings she had, “Thank you, by the way.”

“For what?”

“For fixing my sunburn and the wound on my arm.”

“That was pretty bad, you know? You could have lost your hand.”

“Why did you look for me?” Kyrin asked him.

“You saved my life, and the life of my Kingdom.”

“So you wanted to thank me?”

“Mostly”

“What else?”

“I was afraid that Daemionis would hurt you.”

She felt like he was leaving something out, but decided not to press the issue, “No more problems with the Minotaurs?”

“Are you kidding? They’re scared to death to come out of the mountains again.”

Kyrin grinned and looked around the strange part of the forest.

“Now, let’s talk about you staying here.”

“I’ve never stayed in one place for long.”

“Well maybe it’s time to stop running.”

“What makes you think I’m running still?”

Alric laughed, “You are!”

“I’ll never stop running.”

“Are you afraid they will find you here?”

“They will, eventually. When they do then I’ll take off again.”

“Or you could prepare us and let the Knights do away with them.”

“Can’t happen. Running is my only option.”

Kyrin gasped when she felt Alric’s lips run softly up her neck.

“Please don’t do that,” she whispered.

“Why not?” Alric asked, brushing her hair away from her neck.

“It’s…”

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

“I’m not afraid you are.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

When Alric lightly flicked her ear lobe with his tongue, she shut her eyes and shivered, “ Please…”

He sat up, “Fine, if you can tell me why.”

“Because I don’t like it.”

“Yes you do,” he said, grinning.

Kyrin huffed slightly, but didn’t answer.

“You’ve grown up over the last two years and I suspect you aren’t as naïve about things as you were.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You didn’t try to kill me when I kissed you last night.”

“You had my hands.”

He chuckled and wrapped a hand around her waist.

“What do you want, Alric?” she asked, not looking back at him.

“That’s an oddly non-specific kind of question.”

“I mean what do you want me to do? Do you want me to stay and marry you? Do you want me to stay and find a home in the city? Do you…”

He cut off her words when he kissed her neck again lightly, “I don’t know what I want yet, but whatever it is has you in it.”

“How oddly non-specific.”

Alric’s hand tightened around her waist and pulled her closer against him, “I want you to move into the Lady’s chamber in the castle. I want you to be comfortable around me and let me treat you like you should be treated.”

“Such as?”

“Such as… let me pamper you once in a while. Leave the flail behind…” His voice dropped to a whisper, “Let me love you.”

Her stomach tightened, “No.”

“Is love so bad?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I thought we were over the selling you part and the wedding myths.”

“You don’t love me.”

“Yes I do, and I suspect you love me too.”

“I don’t…”

“Yes, you do,” he whispered into her ear. “You came back here to see me because you missed me. You came back afraid I wouldn’t be looking for you because you don’t have faith in me.”

She frowned, “That’s not true.”

“I’m going to prove to you that love isn’t something scary.”

She just shrugged.

“You might like it.”

“Love?”

“Yes”

“What part? The fights? The breaking up part? What about losing a loved one to death? Then with love comes disgusting and vile acts.”

He chuckled, “Do you even know what those acts are?”

“No, I don’t, and I don’t want to know.”

“You might like those too.”

“I doubt it.”

Alric stopped his horse at the edge of the lake, “Let’s go swimming.”

Kyrin nodded. She thought anything would be better than the direction this discussion was going. Once she dismounted, she walked over to the edge of the lake and looked along the crystal-clear water. She heard movement behind her and she turned just as Alric undressed and walked over.

“Ready?” he asked as he slowly walked into the water.

She’d only seen one other naked man, and was shocked to see another. Kyrin avoided looking at him and focused in on a tree off to the side of the lake.

“Kyrin, come in,” he said, laughing.

“I changed my mind. I’ll wait back at the horse.”

“Afraid to come in because I’m naked?”

She turned and her eyes narrowed, “No.”

“Then get in.”

Not to be outdone by a man, Kyrin quickly stripped and then dove into the water, coming up beside him, “There.”

“See, nothing in here will hurt you either.”

She swam out away from him and then sighed when she heard him follow her, “You’re running.”

“No I’m not, I’m swimming.”

Alric took her hand and pulled her up next to him, again trapping her hands at her sides. He reached out and gently began to kiss her.

The kiss was too intimate in the water and Kyrin immediately began to panic. She tried to pull away from him, to break the skin-to-skin contact, but he held her close and lightly ran his tongue along her lips.

“Calm down, I’m not going to hurt you,” he said softly as he looked into her eyes.

“Let me go, please.”

“No, I don’t want you to attack me.”

“Then stop attacking me,” she said almost breathlessly.

“Fair enough,” he replied, grinning. He let her hands go and swam out toward the middle of the lake.

Kyrin followed him, “Are you going to hold my hands every time you kiss me?”

“For a while, yes.”

“Why?”

“I don’t need turned into an ogre.”

She laughed, “I don’t have a spell for that.”

“I’m sure you can think of something.” Alric stopped and began to tread water.

She swam up close to him, “So you’re afraid of me is what you’re saying.”

“No, but you’re afraid of me, and I won’t endanger myself because of it.”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

“Yes you are. You’re afraid of men, of intimate contact, and of getting close to anyone… and I embody all of those.”

Without another word, she lunged at him and pressed her lips to his. He started to move back, but she wrapped her hand around to the back of his neck and gently reached her tongue out to touch his. She’d seen that a lot lately and had wanted to try it. The result was electric and she instinctively pulled her body closer to his.

He reacted strongly and pressed against her with a hand at her lower back. She finally pulled back and looked him in the eye, “See, I’m not afraid of you.”

“I stand corrected then,” he whispered.

She moved away from him, not sure where to go from there, and then crawled out of the water and slipped on her clothes. Alric chose to watch her before climbing out and getting dressed himself.

He wondered where this was going. He had to pay attention and stop things when they got too far. He wasn’t ready to teach her these things quite yet. Alric also had to be careful and watch his feelings for her. They were growing too strong, and she wasn’t yet able to handle it.

Once on the horse, they started for the castle, “So now that we’ve proven you aren’t afraid of me. I want you to stay in the castle in the Lady’s chamber.”

“Why? I liked my other room.”

“Because then you’re closer to me.”

“Why don’t I just sleep on your floor then?”

“Because I want you to get used to a bed, and I doubt you’re ready to share mine.”

“Then what? I’m not the Lady of the Kingdom, nor will I ever be. What do I do all day?”

“We’ll think of something. As long as I know you’re safe and not wandering other worlds, I’ll be happy with that for now.”

“I’m not agreeing to stay for long, but I’ll stay there for a little while.”

“Just please, don’t take off without telling me.”

“So I have to be accountable to you?”

“Not at all. Just as a common courtesy I ask that you not disappear.”

It was quiet for a few minutes before Kyrin spoke again, “I heard that the Qualsax got Finn.”

“Yes, they did. He was on a mission of mercy, bringing aid to a sick village when he was ambushed.”

Her eyes narrowed, “When was that?”

“About a year go.” Alric wondered at the sudden silence, and then it dawned on him, “It’s not your responsibility to avenge him.”

She shrugged.

“Kyrin, no,” he said sternly. “I realize your upbringing dictates your actions and that your first instinct is to kill those who killed him, but we handled it already.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I know, and that scares me.”

“It does?”

“Yes. How you kill without penitence scares me. I can’t imagine killing even an enemy without feeling some sort of loss or some regret for my actions.”

“If I kill them, then they deserved it. Why feel regret for that?”

“Because of a conscience.”

“Maybe I don’t have one.”

“It’s in there somewhere. I just have to find it.”

“Where are Finn’s wife and kids?”

“Emerisa has family in Tenesia. She’s gone to live there.”

“By choice or did you kick her out when her husband died?”

“Stop trying to make me out to be a tyrant!”

 

***

 

“You do realize I can walk alone,” Kyrin said as they walked hand-in-hand toward the east.

“I know that. Maybe I wanted to walk with you,” Alric told her.

“You’re just afraid I’m going to shift out of here.”

“So can you just do that?”

“Sort of. I have to have a portal key.”

“Where do you get that?” Alric asked.

Kyrin looked around the area and then pointed to the skeleton of a mouse, “That’s one.”

“That dead mouse?”

“Yes”

“How do you know?”

“I just know. If I pick it up, then a doorway will appear that I can walk through.”

“Let me see,” he said, reaching down for the mouse.

She grinned and watched him pick it up, and then turn and look around. The portal was off to his left, but she knew he couldn’t see it.

“You were teasing,” he said, looking over at her.

“No I wasn’t. The portal is right beside you, but only shifters can see it.”

He shook his head, “I thought you were done lying to me.”

“It’s the truth.”

“Then go through it.”

“I don’t want to. I don’t know where that portal goes, and it can take years to get back.”

“Oh, then don’t go.” Alric tossed the mouse off to the side, and they continued toward the sunset.

It was silent as they walked, each deep in their own thoughts. When they neared the edge of the forest, a dirt road appeared and Alric turned to her, “Will you show me something magic?”

“Like what?” Kyrin asked.

“I don’t know, anything.”

She looked around, “I don’t see anything to kill.”

“Don’t you have something other than offensive spells?”

“I have a shield, but you won’t be able to see it unless you throw something at me.”

“If you have a magical shield, why do you keep getting injured?”

“It doesn’t work for sharp steel.”

“So what good is it?”

“Well, it’s good for blocking arrows, and I guess if I ever meet another magic user it would help block incoming spells too.”

“Have you ever met another?”

“No”

He reached down and took her hand when they started back. In the four weeks back in Paragoy, she’d grown more comfortable with him, and he was learning to trust her more. She hadn’t overused her abilities, in fact, he was finding it difficult to see any magic at all from her.

“Fine, cast the shield and let me toss something at you,” Alric said finally.

“No”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want you throwing things at me.”

“But your shield will block them.”

She looked over at him curiously, “Why are you so interested to see magic?”

“It’s fascinating.”

“Is it that or does Sithias want to see it?”

“I think he’d be interested.”

“I’ll tell you what. Next time I go sacrifice, you can come with me.”

Alric stopped walking and frowned, “You do that here?”

“Of course.”

“People?”

She smiled, “No.”

“Are you lying to me or do you really stick with animals?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t sacrifice you next,” she said, laughing.

“That’s not what I’m worried about.” It was starting to get dark and her talking about sacrifices was making him nervous. Since they found the altar with the heart years ago, everyone was afraid there was a necromancer around.

He ran to catch up with her and saw that she was still grinning.

“I love when I scare you,” she said, looking out into the dark.

“You don’t scare me.”

“Fine, I love when my ways scare you.”

“Which is…” A loud crack of electricity shook the ground and they both spun suddenly and came face to face with Daemionis.

Alric let go of Kyrin’s hand and drew his sword, but Daemionis was looking at Kyrin, “The Nosata have one of my Priests.”

She gasped, “Which one?”

“One you do not know. Retrieve him for me.”

She nodded, “I’ll leave immediately.”

“Wait!” Alric yelled, and both turned to him, “Is the Nosata one of the Consortiums?”

“Yes, they are the undead,” Kyrin explained.

“And you’re going after them alone?”

“Yes”

Daemionis walked slowly around Alric.

“I’m not ok with that. You said it can be years to get back to a dimension and you just got here.”

“I know now how to find the portal though. It’ll be faster this time.”

“If you return! You can’t take on a Consortium alone!”

“Yes she can,” Daemionis said. He then turned to Kyrin, “Return him to me in Paramide.”

“Yes, my Lord,” she said, bowing deeply. He disappeared, and she turned and ran for the castle.

“Stop!” Alric shouted, running after her. “You can’t do this.”

She ignored him and ran up the stairs to her room in the castle, where she began throwing things into the enchanted backpack.

“Kyrin,” Alric said, taking her arm. “Don’t go.”

She looked at him, “Would you turn down such a request from Sithias?”

“Sithias wouldn’t send me alone into the hands of a Consortium.”

“He knows I can do it. I know the Consortiums better than anyone.”

“You’ll be outnumbered… what? 100 to 1?”

“Or 800 to 1 with the Nosata, they’re not very big.”

“Stay here, please. Sithias can protect you.”

“I have to go and get him, Alric. No one else can…”

“Send Creteloc. This sounds like a job for an Assassin.”

She ignored that and started for the door, but he stopped her, “I could keep you here.”

“No you can’t and you know it.”

“Then take Knights with you.”

She sighed, “I don’t need the added stress of watching over your Knights on my mission.”

“Not to babysit! They can help you.”

“I’ll be back, ok? Trust me. Daemionis wouldn’t send me if he didn’t think I could do it.”

“Yes he would. He would send you for sheer entertainment.”

“He trusts me. No one else has been held captive by each of the Consortiums but me. I know their compound layouts. I know their ways and their…”

“Do you not see how dangerous this is? You just admitted to being a prisoner to each of them, and you’re running in to save one of Daemionis’ Priests alone?”

“I’ll be back,” she said, and he followed her out of the castle. She began looking around, trying to find a portal key to get out of Paragoy. When she didn’t find one, she started across the orchard, picking an apple to eat on the way. She had a sudden thought and opened her backpack, then filled it full of apples while Alric fumed.

“You said you’d trust me,” Alric said, starting to panic when she began looking for another portal.

“I do, and you need to trust me. I have a god and I have to follow his will.”

“Not into your death!”

She reached down and grabbed something off of the ground that he didn’t even see.

“What?” he asked, following her gaze into the trees.

“It’s my portal. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she said, and then started through it.

When half of her disappeared, Alric realized she was serious and pulled her back through, then kissed her softly.

“I’ll be back,” she said again, and then disappeared.