Grishma (Necoh Saga) (26 page)

“Ryder,” she whispered, “Ryder, your friend is awake and is calling for you.”

Ryder rubbed his eyes and looked around the room with a confused expression on his face.

“Huh? Where am I?” he asked.

“You are in Dratun. You arrived yesterday, remember?” pressed Sazian.

Images of Grishma’s attack flashed through his mind, followed by memories of the horseback ride to Dratun.

Ryder shook his head, attempting to clear out the morning fog. “Yes, sorry. I was just confused for a moment.” He looked at Sazian. “Did you say my friend is awake?”

Sazian smiled. “Yes, she is. She has asked for you.”

“Can you take me to see her?” he asked.

“Of course. Would you like a moment to get ready?”

Ryder shook his head and hopped out of bed. He was still dressed in the black pants and wool sweater from the previous night.

Sazian stifled a laugh. “Did you sleep in your clothes?”

Ryder smiled. “It appears I did.”

Giggling, Sazian motioned to Ryder. “This way.”

The healer’s room was only a short distance from his own chambers.

“Your friend is very beautiful,” said Sazian. “Will she soon be your wife?”

The question totally caught Ryder off guard. “No!” he stammered. “No, I mean, yes, she is very beautiful. But no, she is not to become my wife.”

“The women of Dratun will be pleased to hear the news,” said Sazian with a mischievous smile.

Before he could respond, they arrived in front of an old wooden door covered in ice. Sazian knocked and waited. After several moments, a woman missing several teeth opened the door and smiled warmly. “Ryder, I presume?”

“Yes,” he responded.

She reached out for his arm and held it tightly. “My name is Bressa, I am the royal healer. The guards brought me your friend, Alexia.”

“How is she?”

“She was on death’s doorstep when they brought her to me. I got to work immediately and luckily, I was able to save her life.”

Ryder sighed. “Thank goodness.”

“She has a long recovery ahead, but she will get better.”

“May I please see her?” asked Ryder.

Bressa released his arm and turned around. They walked down several stairs and stepped into a brightly lit room.

“She’s just through here,” said Bressa, pointing at a curtained off section of the room. “I’ll give you two some privacy.” She turned around and retreated back toward the steps.

Pushing the curtains aside, Ryder broke out into a huge smile. “Alexia!” He rushed to her side and embraced her, not wanting to cause her any pain.

“Ryder!”

She was covered in bandages and her leg was in a splint.

He knelt down beside her. “I’m so sorry, Alexia! I never should have asked you to join me. I almost got you killed!”

She placed her hand on his. “It was my choice to join you. Plus, we almost did it Ryder, we almost killed Grishma.”

“We came very close,” he admitted.

Alexia leaned forward, which caused her to wince in pain.

Ryder inhaled quickly. “Please be careful!”

She leaned back and whispered, “What did you tell them?”

He stood up and peeked around the curtains. Bressa was nowhere to be seen. Turning back, he sat down and leaned close to Alexia. “I told them we were hunting Grishma and that we stepped in just in time to save Price Algid and his new wife.”

Alexia nodded her head. “Okay.”

“They’re calling us heroes. There’s a feast in our honor tonight.”

She bit her lower lip. “They’ll recognize me.”

Ryder nodded in agreement. “Perhaps it would be best for you to stay here for awhile.”

“I think you’re right,” said Alexia. “I’ll tell Bressa I’m not ready for any other visitors yet. At least until we can come up with some sort of plan.”

They both froze when they heard something clatter on the ground in the next room.

Ryder looked around the curtain for a second time. This time, he saw Bressa leaning over a canister of spilled herbs. “Oh drat!” she mumbled to herself.

Ryder turned back to Alexia and kissed her on the head. “I will come back to see you later tonight.”

She was running out of energy quickly. “Thank you, Ryder,” Alexia replied as her eyes fluttered shut.

Ryder turned and stepped into the main room. Swooping down to help Bressa pick up the spilled contents of the canister, he was flooded by memories of helping his mother prepare herbal remedies when he was just a small boy.

Bressa stood and examined his face. “That’s a strange look. What are you thinking about?”

“Oh, I was actually thinking of my family,” answered Ryder.

“Are they back in Sumner?”

“I believe so,” he answered. “I just hope they’re safe.”

Bressa finished cleaning up the remaining dry herbs. “I hope so, too, dear boy.”

Ryder decided to change the subject. “Is it all right if I come back to visit Alexia later tonight?”

“Of course.”

“I should get going. I believe they’re preparing a dinner in my honor and I need to get ready.”

“Have fun,” replied the toothless old woman.

Ryder ascended the stairs and found Sazian waiting outside the door for him.

“How is your friend?” she asked.

“Bressa saved her life and she’s on the mend,” said Ryder.

“That’s wonderful news.”

Walking down the hall, she turned to speak with Ryder. “The King has asked me to inform you the feast is being prepared and will be ready shortly. His Majesty would like you to join them as soon as you’re ready.”

Ryder looked down at his clothing. “I take it that I need to change?”

“Yes, I would advise you do so. Julisa dropped off a number of choices in your room while you visited with Alexia.”

As they approached his room, Sazian excused herself and left Ryder to get ready.

In front of him lay at least twenty different outfits. Some of the shirts were covered in hideous ruffles, while others remained plain. The pants ranged from tight leather to loose cotton trousers.

After riffling through the selections, Ryder chose a pressed white shirt with a pair of tan pants. Next, he picked out a burgundy robe, which he fastened around his waist. Lastly, he slipped on a pair of brown leather shoes.

He walked over to a large mirror situated in the corner of his room. Giving himself the once over, he smiled.
Eh, not too bad.

There was a loud knock at the door, followed by giggling.

“Ryder? Are you ready?”

All right, time to play the part of the hero.
He strode across the room and opened the door. On the other side stood four gorgeous women, all dressed in colorful, tight-fitting corset dresses.

“Ladies, you look stunning,” said Ryder with a sly grin. They practically swooned as he kissed their outstretched hands.

More giggling. “We’re ready to escort you to the feast.”

Ryder held out both elbows, which two of the women quickly grabbed.

“Not fair,” pouted one.

Ryder flashed her a debonair smile, which caused her to squeal in delight, and followed them out the door.

Chapter Twenty-Five

B
rianna and Emlyn flipped through
dress after dress in Sophie’s massive wardrobes.

Emlyn held up a bright turquoise dress that was tied tightly at the bodice with a white ribbon. “How about this one?”

Brianna rolled her eyes. “No, that won’t do. She’s meeting the King and Queen tonight. She has to wear something special!”

Emlyn went back to inspecting each dress until she found something worthy to show Brianna and Sophie.

“So,” started Brianna with a coy expression. “How was last night?”

Sophie smiled as her thoughts drifted to the previous night with Algid.

With a dreamy look in her eyes, she murmured, “It was perfect.”

Emlyn spun around so quickly, she almost lost her balance.

“Spill!” commanded Brianna.

Sophie sighed. “Well, he could tell I had been crying when I got out of the bath. I guess my eyes were all red and puffy. Anyway, he comforted me like a warm blanket on a chilly day.”

Emlyn giggled. “Did you really just compare him to a warm blanket?”

“Shhh!” said Brianna. “So, you got out of the bath and he noticed you were upset. Then what?”

“Well, we had a beautiful dinner together and a few glasses of wine… Followed by Bressa’s antidote for dessert,” said Sophie.

“Antidote?” Brianna asked.

“Apparently, someone in Sumner gave me something that affected my memory,” said Sophie. “So when Bressa looked at my arm, she told me she would give me something to fix the problem.”

Emlyn’s jaw dropped. “Who would do such a thing?”

“Adeline,” said Brianna and Sophie at the same time.

Emlyn scrunched up her nose. “I never liked that girl!”

“Bressa warned me the antidote might make me feel strange, and man, she wasn’t kidding,” said Sophie with a sheepish smile. “I felt completely blissful, all my sadness just melted away.”

Emlyn chirped, “I bet Prince Algid liked that!”

Sophie could feel her cheeks getting warmer and she emitted an embarrassed giggle. “He did.”

Brianna looked Sophie in the eyes. “So fess up! Did you to do it or not?”

“Brianna! Don’t be so brash!” scolded Emlyn. Grinning sweetly, she said, “What she means is, did you two finally consummate your marriage?”

Sophie looked down at her hands and smiled. “We did, and it was magical.”

Gossiping and covering all of the juicy details, the girls talked until they had picked out the perfect dress for Sophie, pinned her hair up, and selected several rings and a jewel-encrusted bracelet to wear to the feast.

“You look stunning,” said Brianna.

“Time for us to get ready. Do you need anything else before we go?” asked Emlyn.

“No, thank you for your help,” said Sophie.

A few moments later, Algid returned to their bedroom chambers. “Wow,” he whispered as he walked up to her.

She turned to face him and kissed him passionately.

He traced her collarbone with his finger. “Are you sure you want to go to the feast tonight?” He kissed her neck. “We could just skip it and stay in here all night. Just the two of us.”

She pulled back. “No, I have to meet your parents tonight.”

He tugged her body roughly back into his. “Are you sure?”

Sophie kissed the stubble forming on his jaw line. “Perhaps we could arrive a bit late to dinner?” she teased.

He picked her up and gently tossed her on the bed. “Oh Princess Sophie, aren’t you a naughty one?”

Groping hands and hungry lips meshed together and for the second time that day, the two newlyweds became one.

After their romp, Sophie was exhausted and she found herself having trouble keeping her eyes open.

Strange voices and vaguely familiar faces floated through her hazy mind.

“Brooklyn, are you ready for the party tonight?”

More haze.

“That’s Ryder… He’s an exchange student from Denmark.”

More haze.

“Quick… Drink this!”

A shimmering rainbow drifted through her mind.

How beautiful.

The rainbow disappeared and several slimy tentacles burst up from below and started wrapping themselves around her legs.

Shrill screams erupted. Bolting upright, she found herself staring into Prince Algid’s wild and confused eyes.

“What’s wrong?” he gasped.

She put her hand on her chest and attempted to control her rapid breathing. “I was being attacked! These nasty tentacles were wrapping themselves around my legs and trying to pull me down!”

Algid enclosed her in his arms and ran his fingers through her tangled, damp hair. “There, there, it’s okay. It was just a nightmare.”