Dimension Shifter

  Chapter 8

  Alric strengthened the kiss and wrapped his hand to the back of her neck. She didn’t fight him anymore, and he knew she was finally realizing that he wasn’t out to get her.

  When he moved back, she blushed slightly and pulled away from him.

  “See, no pain, and I’m not whisking you off to bed,” Alric laughed.

  “Why would I go to your bed when I have one?”

  “Don’t mind that.” He walked over to get a glass of wine. “Back to our earlier argument. It’s just time.”

  “My room is fine. It’s more than adequate.”

  “There’s no reason for you to be down with the servants. That suite is empty.”

  “It was Genessa’s suite.”

  “Yes”

  “So it’s set apart for your wives.”

  He shook his head. “One wife.”

  “I won’t marry you.”

  “I don’t want to marry you, so stop worrying about it. The rooms were made for a lady, and yours were made for a servant.”

  “Which I am, and indentured servant.”

  “You’re the only one that makes that distinction.”

  “Not true. Every day when you order me into a dress and force me to stand here while you put your lips to mine, or make me eat with a fork, or learn manners, is done under direct order,” Kyrin reminded her.

  He couldn’t help but grin. “Oh right… well… sometimes you’re too stubborn to do what’s good for you unless it’s an order.”

  “How is this good for me?”

  “I’m making you less afraid of me.”

  She glared at him. “I’m not afraid of you.”

  “Okay then, I’m making it so you trust me.”

  “Good luck with that.”

  “Hey, it’s working, mostly. You don’t try to attack me anymore when I kiss you.”

  “I don’t want punished for assaulting you.”

  “That or you like it.”

  “Don’t flatter yourself.”

  “Well,” Alric said, sitting against the desk in his room. “We’re done for today. I’ll make a lady of you yet.”

  She turned on her heels and headed down to her room. Alric didn’t explain why he let her go early, but he got the feeling again that something was wrong. He had a sinking in his heart, and a dark pal had fallen over his thoughts.

  Kyrin was furious. She felt like Alric was on the verge of making her his wife, and every day he seemed to move her one more step into being what he considered a proper lady. She got to her room and then walked in and slammed the door shut.

  A soft voice came from the deep shadows of her room, and Kyrin spun toward it.

  “Creteloc?” she asked almost breathlessly.

  Even though she stepped out of the shadow, she remained shrouded in darkness. “Daemionis sent me.”

  “Is he mad?”

  “Not at you. The humans here are taking advantage of your innocence, and it concerns him.”

  “Like what?”

  “The training sessions are becoming too personal.”

  She nodded. “I wondered.”

  “You know not the ways of men, and we’ve kept it that way to keep you safe. This Alric is on the verge of overstepping.”

  “What can I do though? I have five more months to go.”

  “That is why I am here.” Creteloc moved to look out the window but her movement made no noise in the room.

  Kyrin gasped. “Are you going to kill him?”

  Creteloc smiled, something she rarely did. “No, but I’m not above that.”

  “I don’t trust him, if that’s what you’re concerned about.”

  “You are starting to. Daemionis’ main concern is that Alric has fallen in love with you and will do what he can to keep you here.”

  “I won’t marry him.”

  Creteloc turned toward her. “You don’t understand ways of the flesh.”

  “So?”

  “It will interfere with how you see him.”

  “I don’t see how. I don’t trust him and as soon as my servitude is over, I am leaving.”

  “Leaving here?” Creteloc said, silently moving across the floor. “There is water, food, and safety here. The Shadowmere cannot come into Paragoy yet.”

  “So you think I’ll stay because it’s easy to live here?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “I’m not weak enough to stay here just because there’s unlimited water and food.”

  Creteloc looked at her and her eyes glowed red. “Why not? I would stay if it served me in such a way.”

  “I don’t like it here. The people are odd and delusional about the real world out there. They think they are the only world and there are no other dimensions.”

  “I realize that it’s the dimension shifter’s way not to divulge the truth to such a dimension, but you may have to, to explain where you come from.”

  Kyrin frowned. “I’ve managed not to tell them where I come from. Why change that?”

  “Because, you love him, and you want him to understand you.”

  “Don’t insult me!”

  Creteloc ran her hands along the rack of clothing. “You’re old enough now that your body will respond to him. It’s out of your control.”

  “So tell me. I’ve been patient and waited. Why are you and Daemionis so afraid that I’ve grown? You both mention how bad it will be when I discover feelings of the flesh, but I don’t even know what you mean.”

  “In due time, Kyrin.” Creteloc swept out the door, and Kyrin watched, knowing it wasn’t her place to stop her. It was dark in the castle, nearing midnight, and she knew Creteloc was going to talk to Alric.

  Alric walked up the stairs, slowly scanning the entire castle. Sithias agreed that an evil presence had invaded Valhara, and he sent scouts out to check every village under his command and had found nothing. The evil was still present. He just couldn’t find it, and it had him worried that bad things were coming.

  Once in his room, he slipped his belt off and laid it, along with his sword, down beside his bed and then sat to pull off his boots.

  He stood suddenly when a shadow moved across the window in his room. In an instant, he had his sword in his hand and was looking hard into the dark corners of the room.

  “Pos tieth e sabia, Wipshe d’ Valhara.” He spun and faced where the voice had come from. A figure appeared from deep within the shadow of his room. All he could see was that the form was almost six inches shorter than he and wore a black cloak that obscured any sign of a face. He looked hard and was sure that red eyes glowed from beneath it.

  “Who are you?” he asked, readying his sword.

  “Have you ever met true evil?” she whispered, circling him slightly. Even passing close to the bed, the sheets didn’t sway and no sound gave away her movements.

  “Apparently, I have now.”

  “Yes, dear boy, you have.”

  “So who are you?”

  The cloaked figure turned to him, and the hairs on his neck stood up. He felt cut off from Sithias, something he’d never experienced before. “I am Creteloc, priestess to Daemionis and watcher of Kyrin.”

  Alric nodded. “Very well, what do you want?”

  “Only to let you know that we’re watching, and we know.”

  “Know what?”

  “That you love her. We won’t stand by while you corrupt her and try to turn her to the good side. Sithias is a formidable enemy, but we won’t hesitate to interfere.”

  “I care about her, just as I do every other person in my kingdom.”

  “I’m not as naïve as she is, dear King.”

  “Meaning?”

  “You love her, don’t deny that. She is beautiful and interesting to you. However, she belongs, body and soul, to Daemionis, and he doesn’t share,” Creteloc said as she stared at him.

  “You’ve mistaken what I’m doing here.”

  “Am I? You kiss her.”
/>
  “To make her trust me. She has to understand that not everyone that touches her wishes to hurt her.”

  When she smiled, her teeth shone like daggers beneath the dark hood. “If you say so.”

  “She has to learn to trust.”

  “No, she doesn’t. Trust leads to betrayal, nothing more.”

  “Then you are as naïve as she is.” Alric watched her, still tense. “So what are you here to do? Kill me?”

  “No, Daemionis is learning from Kyrin’s interactions with you. What I’m here to do is issue you and Sithias a warning, that any interaction with Kyrin is to be business.”

  “What is his interest in her? She’s obviously not a born-evil.”

  “That’s none of your concern,” Creteloc told him. “You will watch what you say around her. We’ve protected her from things for years, and I will not have you undo that.”

  “Protected her from what?! She was almost dead when she arrived here.”

  “Death isn’t what we protect her from.”

  “Then what do you?”

  “Carnal knowledge.”

  He frowned. “Why would you do that? She’s old enough to know such things and knowledge may help alleviate her fears.”

  Creteloc circled him again. “To stay loyal to Daemionis, she must not find another. We keep her pure so her thoughts stay with him.”

  “That’s insane! She’ll learn eventually, even with your misguided attempt at protecting her. Tell me why he is so interested in her. It doesn’t make sense.”

  “She will not learn. The great Daemionis will not lose her! Her thoughts are clearly on him and only him. She does his bidding and lets no other come between what she is to do. If she understood…”

  “I’m not going to stand here and have you tell me this!”

  Creteloc appeared at his side and ran a light finger along his chest, sending a warning shiver down his spine. “If she understood what we do… about desires and sensual gratification, then her mind would seek out a suitable companion, and Daemionis will not stand for that.”

  “Blocking natural information from that girl to keep her loyal to Daemionis has only kept her in unnecessary fear!”

  “You say that like fear is a bad thing.”

  “It is.”

  When she disappeared, Alric spun, looking closely around his room for her. There was no sign of her, the door was closed, and the windows were shut tightly. He ran from his room and out to the knights.

  “Get the castle on alert and lock it down. I want every window checked and every door locked!”

  The knights ran to follow his orders as he descended to Kyrin’s room. He didn’t even knock but walked in. “Where is she?”

  “She doesn’t tell me where she goes or what she does,” Kyrin told him.

  “You allowed her to come into my home?!”

  “No one allows Creteloc to do anything.”

  “There’s an evil in Valhara, and she came here because of you!”

  “I didn’t ask her here.”

  “Come here,” he said angrily, and then grabbed her arm and pulled her from the room. She watched closely as knights swarmed the castle and checked behind every door.

  “They won’t find her.”

  “We have to try,” he said, and then hauled her to Trox’s room and knocked.

  Trox looked up from a stack of books when they walked in. Kyrin looked around curiously at the columns of books and bubbling potions along the walls. The small bed was pushed up against the far wall beneath the window. An eagle stood in his windowsill and screeched at the intrusion.

  “Is there a problem?” Trox asked, looking over his glasses at them.

  “I was just visited by an evil,” Alric said, pushing Kyrin down onto a chair. “She came as a representative of Daemionis.”

  “Interesting, an evil you say?”

  “Yes, and I lost the will of Sithias in her presence.”

  Trox nodded. “Sithias’ will cannot be around something so dark. Was she a rogue? Thief maybe?”

  They both looked at Kyrin, but she didn’t reply.

  “What is her profession?” Alric asked her.

  “Answer the king!” Trox yelled.

  She looked Alric in the eye. “I’m more afraid of her than I am of you.”

  His face softened. “We can protect you from her.”

  “I don’t need to be on Creteloc’s bad side if you won’t force me to talk about her.”

  “What did she say to you?” Trox asked him.

  Alric glanced at her. “I’ll tell you about that later. She came because of concerns for Kyrin’s welfare though.”

  Alric straightened suddenly and looked out the window, as if listening to something. Kyrin watched him carefully, and Trox fell silent and lowered his eyes.

  “Sithias wants to talk to you, Kyrin,” Alric said after a few minutes.

  She frowned. “No.”

  “He won’t hurt you.”

  “I’m not afraid of him! I’m not going to face your god.”

  Alric stood. “We’re going to the temple now.”

  “No!”

  “You brought evil back into Valhara, and you have to face him over it.”

  “Over my dead body,” she said, standing suddenly.

  “I’m not fighting you over this, Kyrin. We’re going to talk to Sithias.”

  “I said no.”

  “Trox”

  She turned to Trox, just as he put a rag over her face. Before she even got a hold of him, she began to descend into darkness.

  Alric watched her sink to the floor and then picked her up. “How long do we have?”

  “Half an hour is all,” Trox said as they both walked out of the castle. They hurried on horseback to the temple. The priests were waiting for them and helped Alric off of his horse, still carrying Kyrin. Trox waited outside while Alric went in to talk to Sithias.

  When Alric was in the back room of the temple, he laid Kyrin down in the center of the large cross that was painted on the floor. He then knelt down and lowered his eyes before starting a prayer to Sithias.

  Sithias appeared suddenly and looked down at Kyrin. “This is the girl?”

  “Yes, my Lord,” Alric said, looking over at her. “She should be awake soon.”

  “She’s the one that brought an evil into my lands?”

  “I don’t think she summoned the demon’s priestess, but I do know that the priestess came here over concerns for Kyrin’s well-being.”

  “The evil has gone.”

  “For certain, my Lord?”

  “Yes. Her presence was too strong and the disturbance too great for her to be here and me not know it,” Sithias said, still watching the girl sleep. “Tell me what was said when you spoke to the evil one.”

  Alric went over the conversation, and just when he finished, Kyrin began to stir.

  Sithias moved to stand above her, and when she opened her eyes, she was looking into the kind face of the deity of Holy Knights.

  “Please, do not be afraid,” Sithias said when Kyrin sprung to her feet. He stepped away from her slightly, and she looked around for a weapon. Sithias seemed intrigued by her behavior and watched her for a moment before speaking. “I just wanted to meet you.”

  Kyrin saw the outline of a door and lunged for it, but Alric stepped in front of it. “You can’t leave yet.”

  She turned to face the deity, and her hands twitched at her side as he studied her.

  Finally, he smiled. “You are of concern to me.”

  She watched him silently.

  “I don’t believe Daemionis will punish you just for speaking to me,” he told her, as he glided along air and circled her.

  Alric thought for a moment, and then turned to his god. “Maybe start with a question.”

  “Why is the Shadowmere Consortium looking for you?” The topic was unfamiliar to Alric, but he kept quiet and watched the shock on Kyrin’s face.

  Ky
rin swallowed hard and looked for another door.

  “They are quite intent on following you, and I’m surprised that you do not choose to stay here, so as to keep away from them,” Sithias said.

  When she didn’t say anything, he smiled softly. “The Clemency Consortium is also looking for you if I am not mistaken.”

  Alric watched her closely, and she was starting to panic.

  “I am not going to turn you over to them. Their practices are barbaric and I wouldn’t inflict those on you,” Sithias told her.

  She fought against his kind words and thought of the punishment Daemionis would dole out if he found that she was in the presence of another’s deity.

  “With the plentiful resources here, such as water and food, I would also expect that you would want to stay. If it’s Daemionis that keeps you shifting, then I can protect you from him.”

  Kyrin made another break for the door, but Alric stepped in front of it and shook his head, and then pointed at Sithias.

  “You are on the run, dear Kyrin, from some of the most dangerous men I’ve ever seen. You worship a dangerous god, and you live where women are treated like property and humiliated for the amusement of the men. What draws you back to such a place?” he asked her, still floating through the air.

  “You are more than welcome to stay in Valhara,” Alric told her. She jumped for his sword, but he stepped on the sheath to stop her. “You won’t have to fight for your life here. When you came to this land, you were full of wounds and almost dead. You can’t keep living like that. Eventually, someone will kill you.”

  “I wish for you to marry Alric,” Sithias said suddenly.

  Alric looked up with wide eyes. “My Lord?”

  Sithias smiled. “I have a feeling about this one. She is hiding something from us, and I believe it’s something we can use to protect ourselves. The Consortiums haven’t made it here yet but some day they will, and she is our best bet at fighting them.”

  Kyrin was breathing hard and staring at Sithias, seething. She wanted to yell, to tell the god he was wrong, but she knew any interaction on her part would earn her a punishment from Daemionis.

  “That’s going to be more complicated than you’d think,” Alric told him.

  “I understand she is innocent in such things as marriage and relations, but who better to teach her, my Holy Knight?”

  “It’s deeper than knowledge.”

  “That is my wish.”

  “Yes, my Lord,” Alric said, lowering his eyes.

  “From her actions, I suspect our visitor to be an assassin, one that’s a high-ranking member of Daemionis’ fold.”

  Alric nodded.

  “You find strange company, dear child. If I was you, I would be careful who I associate with.”

  When Sithias disappeared, Kyrin rounded on Alric. “That’s it! The servitude is over. I’ll now go back to where I belong.”

  “Please, listen to me.”

  She stormed out and ran for the castle to get her things. When she ran through the doors, she immediately headed for her room and began throwing her things into the small pack they came from. She tore off her clothes and put on the dirty and worn clothing she had in her pack. She wanted nothing that Paragoy had given her and hoped to be long gone by the time the Consortiums figured out she was back in the dimensions.

  “I’m not going to honor your servitude as over,” Alric said from the door.

  “It’s over!”

  “No, you are soul-bound to me for another five months, and I demand that time.”

  “You just want me to stay here and be your wife.”

  “I’ll talk to Sithias about that. What I want right now is for you to stay here in Valhara where it’s safe. I didn’t know you were on the run.”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It does matter! Sithias said you are safe here for now, and I’m invoking the debt to keep you here another five months.”

  “Daemionis will hear about this.”

  “I’m sure he will.”

  “He won’t allow you to keep me.”

  “You’re indebted to me. He’ll see that.”

  She turned to him and realized he was right. Daemionis would hold her to her servitude. “Fine… but I stay as an indentured servant.”

  “Okay”

  “I work. I live with the servants, and I stay away from you.”

  “I can use you in any capacity I see fit.”

  “As long as it’s a job you have servants do. I’m not afraid of hard work, and I will expect no more of this comfort and luxury.”

  “If that’s what you wish.”

  “It is,” she said, crossing her arms.

  “Start in the morning by cleaning out the knight’s quarters. I want it scrubbed, and the beds made.”

  She nodded and watched him leave, and then she fell to her knees to talk to Daemionis.

  Alric decided to work her, to try to calm her and let her know that he wasn’t going to force her into marriage. He wasn’t going to talk to Sithias about the request. He knew his god was right, and it was his job to figure out how to do it. Instead of having her leave, Alric figured keeping her around for five months as a working servant was better than nothing.

  Early the next morning, Kyrin woke with the dawn and headed out immediately to begin cleaning the knight’s quarters. Normally, the knights would still be eating just outside of their sleeping quarters, but she found the building empty, so she started to make the beds.

  Hard work kept her mind busy. She tried not to think of what Sithias had requested of Alric. Daemionis hadn’t come to her when she asked for him last night, so she wasn’t sure if he was too busy, or if he was forsaking her for being in the presence of another deity.

  “You’re up early,” Finn said from behind her. The sudden voice made her jerk, and she stood and turned toward him, ready to attack. “Calm down, kid. I just wondered who was in here.”

  “The knights left early, so I started to clean,” she explained as she turned to start on another bed.

  “Yes, they’ll be busy for a while.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Qualsax has angered the mountain Minotaurs, and they have been attacking outposts.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “You have Minotaurs? Nice.”

  “Not nice. They attack at night when no one’s expecting it, and even though Qualsax started this, they are heading for Valhara’s land.”

  This made her heart pound. “How many of them?”

  Finn moved forward. “Have you encountered them before?”

  She nodded and finished the bed she was working on.

  “Don’t leave here! I’ll be right back.”

  “What’s…,” she began to ask, but he was already gone. She shrugged and started on the next bed. It was less than twenty minutes later when Finn returned with Lord Alric and the four top ranking knights.

  “Stop making the beds,” Finn said, walking up to her.

  She turned around and saw them. “What now?”

  “You said you’ve encountered Minotaurs before?”

  “Yes”

  “A lot of them?”

  “Why do you want to know?”

  Finn looked at Alric, who walked up to her. “We are inexperienced with them. Rumors are that there are hundreds that came out of the mountains to retaliate against Qualsax, but they don’t honor boundaries and are headed this way. Do you know how to kill a Minotaur?”

  “Hundreds of them?”

  “Yes”

  “You can’t kill that many with your forces.”

  “We have to try,” Finn said. “Tell us what you know.”

  She thought for a moment, looking over them as they watched her. “If they are a menace, how do you not know how to kill them?”

  “To be honest, we’ve not even seen them before. They keep to their mountain caves and normally leave us alone. I don’t think there’s been an encounter with one
in almost 600 years,” Alric explained.

  She sighed. “Fine, I’ll tell you what I know. Take it from me though, there are too many for you to handle.”

  “Just talk.”

  “Minotaurs are half man, half bull. They stand about 7-feet tall and are extremely powerful. They have thought and reason. They may not be intelligent, but they can work around adversaries, and they will know how to fight.”

  “Do they have a weakness?” one of the knights asked her.

  “Every creature has a weakness. The mistake with the Minotaur is to go for the head or heart. The top half is a bull and much harder to get by. Their skin is tough and protected by thick, black fur.”

  “So we go for the bottom half, the human half,” Alric said.

  “Yes, they will only send males, and they have the same weaknesses that you do.” She couldn’t help but grin.

  “Wait… you’re telling us…”

  “I’m telling you to use their weaknesses, from their breastbone to their knees. You get off gut shots, groin shots, and take out hips and knees.”

  “But we have to take out hundreds,” Finn said. “How can we mass exterminate them?”

  “You can’t. Minotaurs are too strong for that. I’ve seen one Minotaur take down six experienced warriors.”

  “There has to be a way.”

  “There isn’t one. Your best bet is to run.”

  “We can’t run,” Alric explained. “We have a fortress in the mountains, but not all of the kingdom can go there. We have villages on the border of Qualsax that could be attacked as soon as next week.”

  “Run”

  “We can’t run,” Finn said angrily.

  Kyrin started on another bed. “Then prepare to be wiped out. You can’t fight that many Minotaurs.”

  “Will they have weapons?” Alric asked.

  “Yes, hammers, axes. Their weapons are crude but efficient, and they wield them with a lot of strength.”

  “So they are stronger than a man?” Finn was getting irritated that she was still making beds while they fought to save the lives of the people in their kingdom.

  “Yes”

  “Maybe we need to call Auldian and enlist the help of the elves,” Finn suggested.

  Alric shook his head. “They won’t tangle with the Minotaurs. That would only bring the Minotaurs into Minathim.”

  “Kyrin!” Finn yelled.

  She jumped and turned around with wide eyes. “What?”

  “Our people are about to be attacked.”

  “Yes, I heard.”

  “Help us.”

  “I am! I’m telling you to run.”

  Angry, they left her to clean and went to the war room in the castle to decide on a plan. Once seated, Alric leaned forward. “If she’s right, we may have to evacuate to Fortress Ophang.”

  “We can’t get everyone there. Who do we decide gets to live?” Finn asked.

  “Obviously, the king will go,” one of the knights said.

  “No,” Alric told him sternly. “I will not hide while my people face the Minotaurs.”

  “We need our king safe.”

  “It’s out of the question.”

  “Sir,” Finn said, turning to him. “If this turns out disastrous, you are the only one that can help the people recover.”

  “Enough! I am not abandoning my people while they get attacked. Start moving the women and children into Ophang. Keep anyone old enough to wield a weapon.”

  Kyrin moved away from the door when they all stood up. She ran down the stairs to the knight’s quarters, so they wouldn’t realize she’d been listening in on their meeting. She knew that they had no chance at all to defeat the Minotaurs.

  Once safely in the knight’s quarters again, she sat down to think. She was shocked that Alric wouldn’t go to safety but put his life with the life of those in his kingdom. Kings were above reproach. They were selfish, greedy, and better than their people. Why was Alric acting like his life was no more valuable than the rest?

  Hoping to avoid getting yelled at again for her lack of help, Kyrin left the castle grounds quickly and ran to a lake up above where the orchard ended. She thought she’d get in a good swim while the Valharans fought in vain to save their people.

  When she made sure no one was around, Kyrin stripped and then ran into the warm water. She dove down and looked around at the sandy bottom of the lake with its ugly gray fish and slimy green plants.

  Alric watched her from behind a grove of trees. He saw her run off and thought she may be making a break for it before the Minotaurs arrived. She was their only hope to defeat them, and he wasn’t satisfied with the option she gave them to run. She’d fought them before, there had to be a way.

  What he hadn’t expected to find was her swimming naked in the lake that fed into the irrigation ditches around the town. He couldn’t help but watch her as she relaxed back in the water and floated with her hair swimming around her.

  He wished she was more comfortable around him. The few times she was in a proper dress he marveled at her beauty and her flawless form, but the next time he saw her, she was dressed like the Knight’s pages around the castle. She hid herself beneath men’s clothing, all out of fear from something not even in this world.

  It was wrong to watch her, hiding behind a tree like a thief about to steal, but he couldn’t tear his eyes from her. Here he stood, the king, watching the naked girl swimming while his town prepared to be systematically wiped out.

  Alric had to remind himself that she was an evil. He kept thinking she was going to come to their rescue and offer to help, but her current swim proved him wrong.

  Evils were out for themselves, period. They did what would benefit them, and no one else. He’d heard of evils that had a single loyalty and would do whatever was in their power to defend and protect themselves and the one they were loyal to, but that was rare.

  His guilt finally took over, and he tore his eyes away from her and returned to the castle to help with preparations. Scouts had informed them that morning that the Minotaurs were nearing Qualsax’s land, and the destruction would begin. They weren’t sure if the Minotaurs would hit Qualsax castle with full force, or if they would split their forces and move faster through the land.

  When Kyrin arrived back at the castle, the knights were gathered and preparing their weapons for a battle she knew they couldn’t win. Alric was there too, and though his armor was shinier and in better shape than the knights, it had obviously seen battle.

  After picking an apple, Kyrin sat down to watch them get ready. Finn glanced at her often, and she knew he was expecting her to come forward with some newly remembered knowledge on how to massively exterminate the Minotaurs, but there was none.

  No one paid much attention to her as she finished the apple and tucked the core into her pocket. When she left, she hoped to find a remote dimension that she could plant the seeds and have her own apple orchard, as she’d grown quite fond of the sweet fruit.

  One of the scouts rode up on his horse and dismounted quickly before Alric. The knights gathered around, and a commotion sounded. She watched them carefully and finally figured out that the Minotaurs were closer to attacking than originally thought, and they were beginning to realize that they couldn’t evacuate in time.

  Finn looked once more at Kyrin, hoping she would have an idea, but she just watched them and sat back against one of the apple trees.

  She leaned forward when one of the knights stepped away from the others. He looked more worried than the rest, and she got the impression that he was about to storm into battle alone.

  Alric broke off from the others, and Kyrin listened in on the interaction.

  “We’re doing all we can, Xan,” Alric said as he put his hand on the knight’s shoulder.

  “My wife, sir, she’s having the baby today.”

  “I know, and I’ve sent the priests to see if they can help her evacuate.”


  “She can’t. Last time, she almost died.”

  “We’re trying, okay? The priests know best how to help her to the fortress.”

  “I didn’t want more children, but she begged.” The knight was nervous and worried. Kyrin was still confused by the knight’s actions toward his pregnant wife and couldn’t stop watching them.

  “The priests can help her. I promise you.”

  “She doesn’t want to evacuate. She’s afraid if she moves too much it could hurt the baby. I tried to tell her that if she stays, she’ll be dead, but she’s too concerned that the move will hurt the baby.”

  “Would you feel better if I go see if I can get her to evacuate?” Alric asked.

  Kyrin gasped at the offer.

  “Sir”

  “I can get there and help the priests evacuate her. I’ve delivered babies before, and if she’s close, I can assist,” Alric said. “Sithias will guide us.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Xan said, and bowed deeply.

  Alric called for Finn to take over, and then he rode off into the city on his horse. Kyrin wanted to go watch, to see what Alric would do, but she had no desire to get closer to the Minotaurs that were coming in from the direction of the city.