We were facing a crisis like Riona had never seen before. The changes in our world were no longer subtle. In just three months, the forest around us had begun to die. It spread like a disease. The Bloodstone had begun vibrating in the pouch against my chest. It was a near-constant reminder that I was a failure.
Since my first meeting with the Knights, a thought had been persistently poking at the back of my mind. If Delia survived the trip through the portal to Earth, she could still be alive. There was a glimmer of possibility and I felt it welling up inside me. I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer; I called an emergency meeting of the Knights of Riona.
As the others sat around the table, staring at me expectantly, the only person I could look at was Tilda. She had relied heavily on me in the years following our retreat to the Western Wood. I knew that if we considered her our new leader, she considered me her second in command. News of my betrayal wouldn’t sit well with her. If I was going to come clean about my deception, I had to do it in a way that would show her I meant no harm. It wasn’t about protecting my reputation, it was about keeping the princess safe from pursuance.
“Chancellor, I feel I must confide something in this circle. Before I do, please remember that my number one objective has always been to protect the royal family and the Bloodstone.”
She waved her hand dismissively. “Yes, I am well aware. Just tell us already.”
I stood from my chair at the table. My palms were sweating and my stomach was in knots. The expectant faces around the table told me I had a captive audience. Many of them had not heard me utter anything more than commands to what remained of our army. People had drawn their own conclusions about me years ago. I took a deep breath; it was time to reveal the truth.
“I told you of the untimely deaths dealt to our Queen and her King. I told you of the journey Delia and I made to this very tower. I told you that the Gorum captured the princess. All of those things are true,” I paused to take a breath. “But, what I didn’t tell you is what truly happened to Delia.”
Tilda sat up straight in her chair. I had her full attention. The Knights of Riona leaned forward eagerly.
“The Gorum that held her did not eat her as I led you to believe. He threw her.”
“What?” Tilda shouted as though I had slapped her across the face.
“I know what you’re thinking. I know I shouldn’t have lied. But, I’m afraid the truth is slightly more terrifying than witnessing her death.”
“What could possibly be worse than our princess dying?” Lonzo demanded.
I buried my head in my hands. “What about having our princess tossed through a portal, then having the portal destroyed before your eyes?”
If Tilda’s eyes got any bigger they may have popped out of her head. “Where did this portal lead?”
I strode around the table and grabbed the journal from my desk across the room. When I placed it in Tilda’s hands, she looked at me with tears in her eyes. I watched her open the book and begin to pour over the words.
“I believe she’s on Earth.”
Tilda paused for a moment to regain her composure. “Is this why you’ve locked yourself away with all those musty books?”
I nodded.
“I wish you’d told me before now. We can still find her. She could still be alive. We can save Riona.”
“The portal was destroyed. How can we possibly find her?”
Tilda looked at me with firm determination. “If you’d told me when I found you after her disappearance, we could have gotten her that day. There’s so much you don’t know about that amulet, about Riona.”
I knelt in front of her, desperate to know what I could do next. “Then tell me!”
“I can’t tell you everything. Much of it is only meant for the Queen and her most trusted advisor. I can tell you the Bloodstone will reopen the portal. The amulet will find her. It’s infused with the same blood that courses through her veins. If she is alive, it will lead us to her.” She paused as though struggling with a decision before continuing, “The amulet is tied to Earth as well. The Great Alchemist, Sophronia, our first Queen, came from Earth.”
A murmur washed over the Knights of Riona. I had drawn the conclusion that our ancestors must have come from Earth because of the journals I’d read in Godfrey Tower, but there had never been any concrete evidence. If what Tilda was telling us was true, the situation may not be as hopeless as I’d initially thought it to be.
“You’re going to need to go to Earth.” Chancellor Tilda placed a hand on my shoulder, snapping me out of my thoughts.
The world seemed to turn upside down. I felt my stomach turn, and I broke out in a cold sweat. The guilt I’d already felt grew exponentially. I could have saved her long ago. I thought I was protecting her by not telling anyone she was alive. I realized then that I was protecting myself. I didn’t want anyone to know she was alive when there was nothing I could do about it.
I had vowed to find her and bring her home. Now, I had the chance to do just that. I made the decision right then that I would travel to Earth and find her. I’d read all the journals, I’d studied the maps. I was as prepared as I would ever be. It was time.
“What do I need to do?”
The next few months were a flurry of training and strategic planning. If it had been up to me, we’d have left immediately. Tilda had insisted that I bring the Knights of Riona up to speed on the research I’d done. I tried my hardest not to be short-tempered as they scrambled to catch up.
It was an uphill battle, but Chancellor Tilda was confident I would be able to bring a highly trained and educated team with me. The entire time I beat myself up about the length of time that had passed between her disappearance and the day I finally told the truth. I still had no idea where she landed on Earth, or if she had survived the transfer from our world to theirs.
Just days before our expected departure, Lonzo sought me out with a few of our fellow Knights. Concern was etched into his face.
“Commander Taeren, we’ve been talking. We’re wondering what the plan is to return to Riona once we’ve located the Princess. We know the amulet will take us to the dimension she ended up in, but will it bring us back?”
I hadn’t shared the extraction plan with my men before because we weren’t certain how or if it would work. I looked to Tilda for an answer. The older woman raised her eyebrows, waiting for me to offer an explanation.
“We believe the Bloodstone will open a return portal once it is reunited with Delia. The only reason we can use it to open the door to Earth is because it will naturally seek out the heir to the alchemist.”
It was clear my answer wasn’t enough for them. They were accustomed to following orders from their commander, but they were also accustomed to missions that protected Riona from outside invaders. For all but a select few, this would be the first mission that took them outside of their own world.
“Look, the truth is, none of us can be certain what will happen when we cross from this world to Earth. If leaving Riona is too great a risk for you, this is your last chance to leave. We don’t know what we’ll face when we arrive on Earth. We may not even arrive in the same location as the princess.”
“From what you’ve told us, Earth is a large dimension. She’s been gone for over three years, she could be anywhere! How will we know where to look?”
The question came from one of the older Knights. I knew he wasn’t questioning my ability to lead, he was simply trying to determine how we had concluded that this impossible mission was worth our effort. He waited for my answer as murmurs of agreement rippled through the small crowd.
“You are correct.” I sighed but maintained eye contact with the Knight. “It is a dangerous and possibly lengthy quest, but we must make an effort to find Delia. Without her, Riona will die. We have two options; we can sit here and wait for our world to decay until we starve to death, or we can go in search of the one person who could save it all.”
I paused and waited for any further questions. When there were none, I pressed on. “Take the next two days to think. I want to go into this mission with a clear head and men who are ready to follow me into the unknown. If you can’t commit to this mission, do not report for duty on our scheduled date of departure. But, if you are prepared to journey to Earth and search for our future Queen, I will be here waiting.”
When I finished my monologue, I glanced at Chancellor Tilda. I expected her to give me a reproachful look, something that told me she disagreed with my decision. Instead, the only expression I found was one of immense pride. She nodded at me in acknowledgement as the men slowly thinned out, leaving only Tilda, Lonzo and me.
“I don’t know if you’re a genius or an idiot, but I know I’ll be here with you in two days’ time.” Lonzo said as he grasped my shoulder.
I watched his retreating form and wondered how bad it would be if it were just the two of us, shoulder to shoulder, entering the portal to Earth.