My eyes snapped open. I couldn’t pinpoint what had awakened me, but if I had to guess I would have said it was the steady beeping that assaulted my ears. Something was off; I didn’t know where I was or where my men were.
“Lonzo?” I called into the darkness.
“It’s about time you woke.” The voice that responded was not Lonzo. “I’m going to turn on the light.”
Bright, unnatural light blazed to life overhead. I squeezed my eyes shut against the pain it caused in my head. Taking care not to move too quickly, I carefully began opening my eyes. I was in a bed of some kind, in a white room with various machines sharing the space with me. I’d read enough about Earth to know I was in a hospital. I tried to push my unkempt hair from my face, only to discover my hands were restrained. My heart rate spiked, causing the machine next to me to increase the rate of its incessant beeping.
“Calm down, you’re fine. You’ve been out for a while, but you’ll be alright.”
“How long have I been here?”
“You were found in Central Park with a bunch of other guys. A few of them were dead. The police have been waiting for you all to wake so they can question you.”
I finally opened my eyes enough to focus on the man who was talking to me. He had kind eyes and seemed genuinely concerned for my well-being. Salt and pepper hair spread across his face in a well-trimmed beard, but his head was shiny on the top from receding hair.
“They think I...? No. Those were my men.”
“Your men? I’m not sure I understand.” He leaned forward with interest.
“They were my friends.” I used the only word I could think of that would describe the relationship between us without giving away our status as knights, or telling him we’re from another world.
“I see. Well, you were found covered in their blood so naturally there are questions.”
“You didn’t answer my question. How long have I been here?” I hated to think that my men were lost somewhere in an unfamiliar world while I lay chained to a bed in a hospital.
“You’ve been here for four months.”
I swallowed against the panic that threatened to erupt from my mouth in the form of vomit. “And the others?”
“You were all brought here. No family came forward to claim any of you. That seems odd to me. But, the thing that was oddest of all was the item I found clutched in your hands.”
I froze. The Bloodstone. “Where is it?”
He blinked at me, slowly, before rising and walking to the corner. From within a cabinet, he withdrew the leather pouch I knew so well.
“I’ve kept it safe. I’m not going to lie to you, this is not the first time I’ve seen this necklace, but I can’t figure out why you brought it to Earth.”
I watched him round my bed and return to his seat. He regarded me with what could only be described as confusion. The man by my bed spoke as though he wasn’t from Earth, as though he was from...but that was impossible. He couldn’t be from Riona. All our scouts had come back safely, hadn’t they?
“What’s your name?” He asked. When I refused to answer, he continued. “My name is Orin, Knight of Riona.”
Chills covered my body, every hair on stood on end. This man not only knew what Riona was, he was from my home. I recognized the name from the journals kept by Paloni. Orin had been a scout on Earth. It wasn’t clear why, but he had elected not to return to Riona after his last mission. Of all the people to find on Earth, I found the one person who would understand the importance of my mission. I tried not to let my elation show on my face, but it was difficult to conceal.
“I am Taeren, Knight of Riona and commander of the Rionian Guard.”
“Commander? You’re so young. Tell me, what has changed that you would bring this to Earth.” He held the amulet up for me to see.
I sighed. “Riona is dying. A dark force called the Sideon enslaved the Gorum and invaded our world, they killed both the Queen and her King. Princess Delia was thrown through a portal to Earth.”
“And you’ve come to find her? Do you have any idea how vast this world is?” Orin whistled between his teeth.
“How did you come to be here?”
“I served under Theophilus when he was the Commander of the Royal Guard. I was one of the first scouts to explore Earth. We were sent on individual scouting trips to study and learn from the people here. I chose not to return.”
“What made you stay?”
“A woman. I met her on my second scouting mission and fell in love with her. Something about her completed everything that was missing in me. I went to college, I became a doctor and have made a great living for myself.”
A thought struck me. “Were you unconscious upon arrival too?”
He shook his head. “No. I just walked through the door and into Central Park. Did you use the archway?”
“It was destroyed by the Gorum. They threw Delia and she was snatched by the light coming from the portal, then the great brute was so angry he smashed the arch.”
“Then how did you come here?”
My eyes quickly flit to the amulet he still clutched in his hand. “The amulet carries the blood of the alchemist in it. It brought us here because Delia is on Earth. I remember the pieces of the arch reassembling, it must not have been complete.”
Orin looked impressed. “Handy.”
I didn’t entirely understand, so I nodded, never taking my eyes off the pouch he held. “I need to get out of here. I’ve got to gather my men and begin our search for the princess.”
“I’m going to help you. I may not be a knight anymore, but I would be honored to help you get the lay of the land.”
I was grateful for the offer. I thanked him for his help, then instructed him to get the police so they could question me. The sooner I spoke to them, the sooner we could leave. He warned me that they would ask questions that I may not understand and insisted that I answer with care.
The interview was long and pointless. They asked if we’d killed the men, if we’d played tug of war with them until their arms detached from their bodies. I was particularly disappointed in that line of questioning; how could they even think that was a possibility? What kind of monsters lived on Earth that would make them think that was a viable conclusion?
When they were finally satisfied that I didn’t know what happened to my friends, they told me I was free to go but not to leave the city. I knew they were lying, but they told me there may be a need to question me further. If they were being honest, they’d have admitted that finding two dead, unidentifiable men in Central Park was the least of their worries.
As soon as the police left, Orin returned. “We need to get you out of here. They’re done questioning everyone and won’t be holding any of you. You’re free to go.”
“Good, will the others be going with me?”
Orin nodded his confirmation. “They’re waiting for you downstairs in the lobby. You’re the only one they found covered in blood so they questioned you more extensively than the others.”
I dressed in the clothes Orin brought me. First, he provided me with a tight-fitting garment that I was informed was meant to hold my tender bits in place. I’d never seen anything like them and was skeptical about putting them on. The bottoms were a heavy, blue material that felt stiff against my legs. The top was a light-weight, soft material that had a swooping symbol on the front.
“Good thing the shaggy look is in for kids your age.” Orin remarked as he eyed my unkempt mane.
I ignored him and insisted we go to my men. We’d already been delayed long enough, there was no telling what state Riona would be in if or when we returned. Lonzo was the first to spot me when I stepped off the metal contraption Orin called an elevator. He rushed forward and pulled me into a strong embrace.
“Two men and four months lost. Tell me you have a plan, brother.”
I surveyed the men around me, they looked anxious. It was time to put my own concerns aside and show the men that we would succeed in spite of the setbacks we’d experienced.
“I’m sure you’ve all met Orin. He is going to help us begin our search. We must remain vigilant in every way if we are to find Delia in time to save our world.”
Orin cleared his throat. “Look, I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but we do need to take this pep rally somewhere else. The last thing we need is for someone to hear you and lock you up in a mental health facility.”
I stared at him, while I didn’t know the words he’d used, I understood from his tone that he didn’t enjoy “pep rallies” and being locked in a “mental health facility” was not a good thing. I gestured for him to take the lead. We piled into a shiny black vehicle with Orin in the operator seat. I’d learned about cars from the notebooks in Godfrey Tower, but I never thought I’d be riding in one. People on Earth were in such a hurry that they had to create something that would get them somewhere faster than a horse. I even learned they used the term horse-power to indicate the power of their vehicle.
All these things rushed through my brain as the engine roared to life. Orin chuckled at the varied reactions of the knights; these men walked blindly through a violent portal but gripped tightly to whatever was within reach as the car began to move.
“My wife knows about my former life. Surprisingly, it didn’t take much to convince her. She seemed to understand that I was different from the beginning. She’ll understand why I had to bring you home.”
I couldn’t tell if Orin was trying to reassure us or himself as we exited the parking structure and merged into traffic. The younger men looked green while my seasoned Knights were alert and watching our surroundings. Lonzo stared straight ahead, his mind was busy with something I would have to wait to hear. He looked uncomfortable with our situation and kept eyeballing the back of Orin’s head suspiciously. I couldn’t deny that his sudden appearance was troubling, but I had no doubt that he was once from Riona.
I held tightly to the pouch around my neck. The Bloodstone hadn’t vibrated at all since I’d had it back in my possession. I wondered if we had misjudged its ability to locate the princess; maybe it would only work in Riona. We drove for what seemed like an eternity before we finally broke free from the congested roads. We were leaving the city. I glanced at Orin, waiting for him to tell us where we were going. He was focused on the road.
“Orin? Why are we leaving the city? Do you believe our princess is no longer there?”
He shook his head. “I haven’t the foggiest idea where she may be. I live in the suburbs, we’re going to my house. You can’t just start knocking on doors asking if anyone’s seen a princess. You’ll be talking to the police again in no time!”
“What do you propose we do?”
“We need to make a plan. You need to get more familiar with the area before you go traipsing about town. This isn’t Riona, people aren’t inherently good. Back home, the monsters are obvious. Here, they hide in plain sight. They look like you and me.”
Orin’s words brought me back to the interview I’d endured with the police. No wonder they acted as though I may have had something to do with the death of those men; they were accustomed to interrogating men who behaved like Gorum.