Ethon (The Other Worlds Series Book 2) (29 page)

Then, suddenly Aeorin released a battle shriek that Tiara didn’t realize she had in her, and dove forward. Tiara managed to drop to the floor just as the sword plunged into the television where she’d just been standing with a loud crack. Before Aeorin had the chance to recover, Tiara threw herself into Aeorin’s knees, thankful that for once she was not the one in a dress. Aeorin toppled backward with Tiara on top. Quickly untangling herself from Aeorin’s mass of fabric and limbs, Tiara jumped to her feet. She’d meant to run for the door, but was yanked back by her hair.

She cried out, startled and in pain, as Talik sneered down at her. Aeorin’s sword was in his hand. He must have retrieved it while Tiara was on the floor with Aeorin.

“Feisty wench,” he muttered.

Tiara suddenly felt ill. Her body trembled as the nausea welled up inside of her. It was absolutely the most inopportune time for this. Talik must have mistaken the change in her for terror because he laughed.

“Do not worry. I will not harm your pretty face, at least not yet.” He caressed her cheek with the thumb of the hand that gripped a chunk of her hair.

 If Tiara hadn’t already been sick, she would have become so now. She clenched her jaw, attempting to calm the upheaval in her stomach. “You have got to be joking.”

She was complaining more to herself than to Talik. She knew what was coming, and desperately needed Talik to release her. She had no desire to bring him along with her. But the big question was how to get him to let go?

“I do not joke,” Talik replied. He sounded mildly bewildered.

An idea struck her on how to free herself. It wouldn’t be pleasant, but it seemed like her only option at the moment. Tiara moaned and slackened her jaw. “I wasn’t talking to you,” she retorted.

Her churning stomach hurled again, and for once Tiara didn’t fight it. Even though she knew there wouldn’t be much to come out, Tiara aimed for Talik’s chest. The reek of vomit filled her nostrils as she retched down Talik’s front. He soared backward at Craele speed with a string of curses, liberating Tiara’s hair in the process.

Across the room, Aeorin pressed herself against the wall, one hand covering her mouth, watching with a disgusted look on her face. Tiara hastily wiped her own mouth on the back of her hand. Before Talik had the chance to come at her again though, Tiara snapped her fingers, willingly giving herself up to her Globing.

:  :  :  :  :

It took about two minutes for Olinia and Will to have their path blocked by the six Velvitors Archrin had warned them about. There were four men and two women. All had varying shades of skin, hair, and height. Olinia couldn’t help but stare. This was her first personal encounter with Velvitors. Never had she seen a group of people less human than those in front of her. She’d naïvely assumed Velvitor Craeles to be similar to Archrin. They weren’t.

Even though each face contained one violet eye, there really was no other resemblance between them. A rainbow of color stood before Olinia. One man actually appeared to have pink skin, making Olinia wonder if he became a flamingo. Although it wasn’t common among Craeles, she knew that some could transform into birds.

“Stay behind me,” Will breathed, inching her back with one hand.

Olinia still had one earbud out, dangling around her neck. “There’s no need to whisper since they can hear you anyway. They’re Craeles, remember?”

“Idiot Ethon. So oblivious to our ways,” a woman with orange-tinted skin and a scratchy voice muttered in Eveon.

Will snorted and shot back in Eveon, “Twenty bucks says I’ve seen more of the Other Worlds than you have.”

A few of the group growled in response, but the orange woman had an opposite reaction. She grinned, revealing sharp, pointed teeth. “I’ve always enjoyed playing with my food.”

“Food?” Olinia repeated, eyes wide. These Velvitors were definitely different than Archrin. She didn’t have to read minds to know that they wanted to devour her and Will.

What’s going on?
Hillary’s voice rang inside Olinia’s head.

Olinia had forgotten about her guide.
Just a short delay. We’ve met some new friends.

You know what they’re thinking so talk your way out of the situation and move on.

They’re not really that sort of friends,
Olinia replied.
I think we’re going to have to take them out first.

As in kill them?
Hillary was stunned.
Are you even armed?

Will is.

With that little sword you found in the comic book store?
She blurted.
Are you being serious?

Olinia smiled.
According to Will, it’s better than nothing.

“Kill him,” the orange woman barked, breaking into Olinia’s conversation. “We only need the decoy.”

“Decoy?” Olinia furrowed her eyebrows.

Just then, a surge of energy burst through Olinia in what she’d imagined an electric shock to feel like. She cried out in surprise as the Velvitors began to shift forms. With a start, she realized she was experiencing a fraction of what the Velvitors were as they transformed.

Will pushed Olinia back another couple of feet and reached behind his head. He’d strapped the sword to his back like a Kendren, the hilt by his neck. “Whenever you’re ready, Olinia,” he tossed over his shoulder in Saerdian.

Really, this had been part of the plan from the beginning. Olinia and Will knew they would eventually run into some type of opposition. The dull blade of Will’s sword was more for show than anything. Olinia would act as the weapon this time. She would simply shove the Velvitors aside for her and Will to slip by. They needed to get to Sazx before engaging in any real battle.

Turning her focus inward, Olinia extended her hand and shot the first Velvitor backward. His half-phased body crashed into the two Velvitors directly behind him, catching them off balance. All three landed on the floor in a messy pile. The other three still standing, including the orange woman, stared down at the tangle.

“What is going on here?”

Olinia whirled to find a slender girl with blonde, no, silver hair, kept short and spiky – reminding Olinia of a pixie. Her eyes were mismatched – one teal the other violet. She stood in a pair of black skinny jeans, purple sequined flats, and a white V-neck shirt with the word
pink
across the front, outlined in sequins the same color as her shoes. Olinia had been so distracted with the Velvitors she hadn’t heard her advance on them.

The girl looked familiar. Olinia blinked as she recognized her face from Legann’s thoughts. “Lillie?”

Out of the corner of her eye, Olinia noticed the Velvitors drop onto one knee. Even the now fully formed animals had sunk near the ground, as if bowing also.

Will lowered his sword. “Who’s Lillie?”

“Silence, Ethon,” the orange woman hissed.

Lillie raised a hand and said in Eveon, “Enough, Corv. Your hatred of the Ethons has blinded you to the truth that he is not simply one of them.”

Corv dropped her gaze to the floor. “Forgive me, heiress.”

“Disperse,” Lillie ordered, “except for you, Gortte. You may be my escort.”

The three animals followed Corv and a black-haired man with yellow eyes back the way they had come, leaving the flamingo man behind, still on one knee. Once they were out of sight, Lillie sighed and said in Saerdian, “You can get up now, Gortte.”

“What are you doing here, Lillie?” Olinia asked slowly. “Don’t you live in Virginia?”

“I
oversee
Virginia,” she retorted. “I don’t actually live there.”

“How do you know each other?” Will glanced at Olinia.

“We’ve actually never met,” she told him without turning. “Lillie was a friend of Legann.”

“I was protecting Legann,” she corrected. “Until Porter told that imbecile Aeorin of your identity. If he hadn’t, my father never would have learned of your presence in Ethon.”

“Your father?” Will repeated.

“Lilleia Palrt.” Olinia grunted. “Of course Talik’s latest heir would be here. The question though is why would you want to keep Legann a secret?”

Lillie released a short laugh and folded her arms. “Let’s just say that for the moment you and I share the same goal.”

Will raised an eyebrow. “Which is?”

“To destroy my father,” she answered as if it were obvious. “Unlike his many previous heirs, I’m willing to kill in order to become the Velvitor queen.”

Velvitor heirs weren’t born in sequence of birth. Rather, they were chosen by markings on their abdomen – a black swirling pattern found around the navel. Only one heir was ever alive at a time. The length of Talik’s rein had slowly killed off his many heirs as they’d aged, which meant that other heirs were born. Lilleia was his latest heir, and as far as Olinia knew, had been for at least a generation. Rumor was that she’d taken Talik’s elixir.

Olinia frowned, trying to hear into Lillie’s mind. Unfortunately, the Velvitor was quiet, and there wasn’t really time to venture through her mental barriers. Olinia did find it a little hard to believe that the Velvitor heir would be friendly to High Royalty, but if Lillie had been hiding them from her father then perhaps she’d be willing to help them a little. Olinia grimaced. “Legann’s with my uncle.”

“I know,” Lillie replied.

“I can’t go get him right now,” Olinia said slowly, “but you could. I know you can’t personally kill Talik, but I could.”

What was Olinia saying? The words came out of her as if on their own accord. It was a well known fact amid the Other Worlds that the Velvitor heir was not to be harmed by the current sovereign. Vice versa, the heir was not to harm the sovereign. It was the one rule the Velvitors followed with exactness. Olinia was basically asking Lillie to go save Legann while she got rid of Talik.

Lillie’s eyes narrowed, causing Olinia to expect some snide remark, but instead she turned toward the flamingo man. “Retrieve the Nagreth then lead them to my father.”

Gortte bowed at the waist and retreated down the hallway. Lillie watched him go. “If I help Legann, then do I have your word that Talik will die?”

“I swear it.” Olinia nodded.

“Then I will return your brother to you.” With that, Lillie spun around and went back the way she had come.

Olinia watched her go until Will’s hand on her arm pulled her around. Gortte had returned with Sazx.

17

------------------

Tiara was in an orb of silver and blue light. It was a situation she hadn’t expected to be in at all when she’d snapped herself into Globing. Had something gone wrong? Maybe if she snapped again she’d go to the past instead of this strange limbo. She sincerely hoped she wasn’t trapped in this crystal ball.

A robed figure suddenly stepped through the light, joining Tiara. She stared. He appeared to be around her age, but his piercing jade eyes held a depth that gave her the impression he was generations older. His white-blond hair was cut short, not even long enough to fall onto his forehead. The robe he was enveloped in was a mix of several shades of green with an ivy pattern embroidered throughout. It was a stunningly flawless reflection of his eyes.

He grinned. “Greetings, princess.”

“What?” Tiara croaked, stunned that someone could see her. It was like when she’d met Olinia while Globing to Will’s house, except this time she didn’t know her companion.

“Would you prefer a hello instead?” He chuckled.

“Hello,” she said slowly. “Have we met before?”

“No. However, I know who you are.” He bowed at the waist. “I am Leader Blann, guardian of youth. I have come as a representative of my kind.”

A Leader!
Tiara immediately dropped into a deep curtsy, even though she was still wearing the DS white attire. She realized she most likely looked silly since curtsies were really meant for those in gowns, but she was in the presence of a Leader – basically the royalty of the Fraers.

“Ohreen doveem naunt,” she breathed. “What have I done to receive the honor of the Leaders’ notice?”

Blann gestured for her to rise and winked. “You are much more important than you may know.”

Tiara let out a short laugh. “Forgive me, but my mother was an Equilan. I know better than to delude myself with ideas of grandeur. I’m just a Saerd.”

“Once again you disparage your potential,” he replied. “Remember, you are cousin to the future queen of the Other Worlds.”

“So, it’s true.” She ran her tongue along the back of her teeth. “Olinia really is meant to reunite the realm.”

Blann’s cheerful face darkened slightly. “If you can help it, she will be.”

“Me?” She blinked.

“You recently were visited by your brother, were you not?” His easy smile had returned. “I believe he recommended that you find a tutor.”

It felt odd to have a complete stranger aware of her private conversation, but Tiara just nodded. “Olinia has been teaching me what she knows.”

“What have you learned thus far?”

Tiara took a deep breath and began listing off Olinia’s guidelines, “I must keep my mind calm and focused on the person or world or whatever I wish to see the future of. I can’t think of any memories I may have regarding the subject, nor can I envision something I’d like to see. If I do, then I’ll be shown the past or a future constructed from my own imagination. Most importantly, though, I must willingly choose to Globe. If I don’t want to see the future, then I never will.”

“Very good.” Blann bobbed his head once. “Have you been to the future yet?”

“No.” She pulled a face. “I don’t know what I’ve been doing wrong. I feel like I’ve followed Olinia’s directions.”

“Perhaps you are simply missing another detail.”

“Another detail?” Tiara furrowed her eyebrows. Was Blann teasing her? “What am I missing?”

He didn’t answer her right away. Instead, he asked, “How did you get here?”

“To the orb? I snapped my fingers.”

“Alright, so you
chose
to Globe,” he remarked, “but why at that particular moment?”

She frowned. “Time pulled at me, and I can’t really ever stop it from dragging me away, so I simply let myself go.”

“Precisely.” He was grinning again. “You willingly accepted a call from Time, or rather, from the Fraers. You see, since you are not a Fraer in Andin, you are only able to witness the future when you are offered an opportunity to do so. Prior to just now, when did you last willingly accept a call from Time?”

Tiara opened her mouth and then shut it again. She honestly couldn’t think of another instance. Usually when she was called to Globe, she would fight back the nausea until Time took her away. “Today was the first,” she admitted.

“There is your missing detail,” he told her. “You must receive the offered opportunity.”

“I see.” She grimaced. Now that she was aware of this little fact, she sincerely hoped that the Fraers wouldn’t think it fine to interrupt her life more often than they already were. “I’ll accept what I’m given.”

Blann bowed again at the waist. “Excellent. This is what I came to hear. Farewell, princess.”

“Goodbye,” she said as Blann took a step backwards, disappearing through the edge of the orb. Tiara was alone again. “Now what?”

Suddenly, the silver and blue dimmed, evaporating into a different scene. It didn’t take her back to the labs, though, like she thought it would.

:  :  :  :  :

The labs were filled with all sorts of smells that Archrin was certain he’d never encountered until today. Yet, one scent overpowered the rest; he could recognize Tiara’s aroma anywhere, even within the labyrinth of DS.

As Archrin winded through the hallways, he swore at himself under his breath. He shouldn’t have let Tiara talk him into going to Ethon. This wasn’t their realm. They had other responsibilities in Tlaid that should have taken precedence to picking up the Princess Olinia. If Archrin had heeded the uneasy feeling inside of him regarding the trip, he and Tiara wouldn’t be in this mess with the Velvitors.

He rounded another corner and Tiara filled his nostrils. She was close. Picking up his pace, while listening for any approaching persons, Archrin made his way down the corridor. A new odor of vomit caused him to stop in his tracks, gagging at the stench. Wanting to retch now himself, Archrin pressed his nose and mouth into the crook of his arm in an attempt to quench the urge.

A little ways further down the hall, raised voices caught his attention. Knowing Tiara, a heated debate was just the sort of thing she’d indulge herself in. Taking a deep breath from the safety of his arm, Archrin headed toward that ruckus. He found a cracked door. With his free hand, he pushed it all the way open and stared.

On one side of the small, white room, Aeorin was pressed as close to the wall as possible – her face pale and eyes bulging. A man stood opposite of her, the front of his tunic dripping with sick. His face was a bright red and the long scar from his forehead to jaw was a deep purple. This had to be Talik. The scar gave him away. Tiara had mentioned it to Archrin earlier. But where was Tiara? The room reeked of her. She had been in here not long ago.

Talik must have noticed Archrin in the doorway because he grew redder. “You!” He shouted in Eveon.

In order for him to respond, Archrin had to remove his face from his arm. He choked as the smell landed in the back of his throat. “What did you do with Tiara?” He asked in kind.

“Who?” Talik spat out. His entire body was shaking.

Archrin groaned inwardly. Talik’s rage had caused him to begin to phase from his human form. In less than a minute, Talik would become whichever animal he was. Archrin tossed a quick glance at Aeorin and noticed her frozen in place, her gaze locked on Talik. She was fascinated, but she shouldn’t have been. It was common knowledge that Talik ate his wives when he tired of them. Any animal that feasted upon human flesh wasn’t one she should look forward to meeting, and especially not when she was his queen. The odds of her survival weren’t in her favor.

“Where’s Tiara?”

He whirled. Will was peering over his shoulder into the room. Olinia and Sazx were about a foot behind Will. Archrin had been too focused on the changing Talik to notice their approach, and his nostrils were too overwhelmed with the stench of puke to catch their scents.

“Good question,” he replied, switching to Saerdian. “My nose led me here.”

Olinia gripped onto Will’s arm, her eyes wide. “Talik is going to explode.”

“Explode?” Will repeated, glancing down at her.

“He’s about to phase,” Archrin explained, slightly amused that Olinia likened the process to an explosion.

Will frowned. “Do you know which animal he turns into?”

“A brown bear,” Sazx answered. “I’ve seen him become it before.”

Archrin returned his attention to the room just in time to witness Talik tear his clothes to shreds as he completed the final step in his transformation. An enormous brown bear had taken Talik’s place, nearly filling up half the room with its mass. Aeorin must have finally mustered some sense because she leapt back toward the door.

Talik produced a growl that rattled the televisions and desk behind him. Archrin had half a mind to simply close the room door and lock Aeorin inside with Talik. That part was instantly silenced though when Tiara suddenly appeared out of thin air directly in front of Talik. Tiara stared up at the beast as if she were in a daze. Her eyes locked unflinchingly with his. What was she thinking? Could she really not see that Talik would swipe her down with the flick of his paw?

Releasing a string of curses, Archrin dove for Tiara. They collided just as Talik swung, barely missing them. They landed on the floor, Archrin on top, beside an Other World blade. He reached for it, but Aeorin was already there. She picked up the short sword and aimed it into Archrin’s face.

Before he had the chance to react, Aeorin was flung backward against the wall. She fell to the floor with a sickening thud, clearly knocked unconscious. The sword didn’t travel with her, though. The moment Aeorin left her feet, the sword shot away from her toward the door into Olinia’s outstretched hand.

This was not the time for Archrin to be on the ground. Jumping to his feet, he noticed several actions at once. Will faced Talik with a sword of his own while Olinia gave Sazx the one she’d just stolen. Talik shattered Will’s weapon with his teeth, and Will muttered something about cheap metal, still pointing the splintered hilt at Talik. As for Tiara, she’d barely pushed herself up onto her hands.

“Are you alright?” Archrin asked, pulling her up the rest of the way.

She wagged her head without looking at him. “I’m fine.”

“Aye, I can see that,” he retorted.

Just then, Talik reared back onto his hind legs with a deafening snarl, and crashed into the televisions. Sazx had managed to injure one of Talik’s front paws, causing the outburst. Archrin yanked Tiara out of the way of one of the falling TVs, joining Olinia by the door.

“Hey, princess,” Will called over his shoulder, “think you could do something with the bear?”

“Are you joking?” Olinia blurted. “He’s gigantic! He is definitely way more than two of me.”

The thunder of feet made Archrin whirl toward the door. Olinia must have heard his thoughts because she turned as well. “Velvitors?”

He nodded. “Reinforcements.”

With the wave of her hand, the door slammed shut, barricading them in with the bear. Archrin grimaced. “That’s not going to keep them out.”

She grunted. “I realize that.”

“We’re trapped,” Tiara whispered so low that Archrin was sure only Craele ears could have heard her.

Olinia shook her head though and answered, “We’re not trapped. Not yet, anyway.”

Tugging at the neck of her shirt, Olinia extracted a shimmer stone. Her eyes connected with Archrin’s, and she lobbed it at him.
Think of somewhere safe,
she said inside his head,
Will and I will cover you.

In one fluid movement, Archrin caught the stone with one hand and dug it through the empty space in front of him, leaving a thin line of light in its wake. Using his other hand, he dragged Tiara against him. “You go first,” he told her.

She glanced up at him – her eyes still containing that dazed look. Wherever or whenever she had come from had left a lasting impression on her. “Where does the portal go to?”

 “You’ll have to find out for yourself,” he muttered and shoved her through. If the shimmer stone had worked correctly, then the portal should lead into Desnbi Castle. He turned to the former Nagreth and called out, “Sazx, you’re next!”

The former Nagreth threw a quick look at Archrin and the portal, realized what he was up next for, and pitched the sword to Will. He then slipped out of Ethon and into the Other Worlds without a word. Archrin turned to the princess. She’d inched closer to him, her gaze on the door that was now being banged on. He returned the stone to her.

“You sure you don’t want to come along?” He asked.

She gestured to Will warding off Talik. “And miss all the fun?”

Archrin snorted. “Fun?”

The door burst open and a tall, lanky figure filled its place. Olinia hurled the Velvitor back into the hallway with the mere extension of her hand. She forced a smile, panting a little. “Your turn, Archrin. I’ll be in touch.”

“Good luck.” He gave her a nod and disappeared into the portal as well.