Chapter Twenty-Two

Ryder followed the girl with the golden hair and eyes the color of the sea into her room. She smelled of sweet flowers and fresh spring air. He found himself distracted and he had to force himself to focus.

“So, you said you just saw Brianna? Which way did she go?”

“Give me one second, I just need to close the door,” said the girl.

Ryder spun around and admired her lavishly decorated room. “Wow, this is really nice.”

When he turned again, he found himself looking directly at a gleaming sword pointing directly at his throat.

“Who are you? And why are you looking for Brianna?”

“What the—”

“I don’t like to repeat myself, so I’m going to ask you this one last time. Who are you and why are you looking for Brianna?” spat the girl.

Before he answered, his eyes focused on the decorated hilt of the razor sharp blade pointed at his jugular. “Wait a minute! Why do you have my father’s sword? Where did you get it from?”

The question caught her off guard. “Huh?”

That’s all the time Ryder needed. He dropped to the floor and kicked the girl’s legs out from under her. She crashed to the ground.

The sword clanged on the wooden floorboards. Both Ryder and the girl reached for it.

The girl had one hand on the sword’s hilt and the other reached for Ryder’s face. She managed to scratch his cheek with her nails and draw blood.

He wrapped his legs around the girl and squeezed tightly. Then he rolled over, sitting on top of her, and grasped hold of the sword with both hands.

Finally, he ripped the sword away and held it above her head. “Don’t move!” he warned.

The girl took a deep breath and pursed her lips. “Fine.”

Ryder rolled off the girl, keeping the sword pointed at her.

“Sit down, over there.” He motioned toward an oversized chair with a high back.

Ryder pulled the sheet off her bed, ripped it down the middle, and quickly wrapped it around her in the chair and tied her arms to her side.

“Now, listen. I need you to tell me how you know Brianna and why you have my father’s sword.”

“Brianna is my cousin and I found this sword hidden in the royal garden after some party crashers had a nasty skirmish with Grishma.”

“She is not your cousin! That’s a lie!” snapped Ryder.

“It is not!” hissed the girl.

“It is too!” argued Ryder.

“Really? Then prove I’m lying!”

“Um, okay, that’s simple. I’m her brother. If you’re her cousin, then you’re my cousin, too. And I’ve never seen you before. That’s how I know you’re lying.” The girl’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened. “Wait a minute, you’re Ryder?”

“Yes, who the hell are you?”

“I’m Alexia. I may not be your real cousin, but I’m the closest thing you’ve got to one!”

“Explain yourself, now!”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, it all started several years ago. My mother, Lady Quinn, is a member of the Royal Court and one night, I became very sick. I was feverish, delirious, and I began to have convulsions. My mother was worried I would die and she begged the King for help. He sent for your mother and asked her to make the medicine necessary to save my life. She rushed to give me the concoction and stayed by my side until I had fully recovered. Without her help, I would have died. From that point on, she always treated me like one of her own.”

Ryder’s demeanor softened. “So you met Brianna through my mother?”

“Well, sort of. You see, two years ago, Brianna was appointed as one of Princess Sophie’s ladies in waiting. Naturally, they spent loads of time together. Since I’m a daughter of a royal court member, I spent a lot of time with them, too. Once I found out Brianna was your mother’s daughter, we became even closer.”

Ryder cocked his head and squinted while looking at Alexia.

As if reading his mind, she blurted out, “I’m not lying! Just ask your mother!”

“My mother is gone. She’s left the castle and is safe with my friends.”

Alexia looked at him in disbelief. “Seriously? How did you manage that?”

“Look, I don’t have time to go into detail. I need to know if your intentions are true. Were you really trying to protect Brianna when you lured me in here?”

“Yes! I was afraid you were trying to hurt her!” she said.

“Are you going to turn me in to the King?” asked Ryder.

“No! Weren’t you listening? I’m on your side!”

Without warning, someone knocked on Alexia’s bedroom door.

“Quick! Untie me or we’ll both be caught!”

With a split second to decide, Ryder sliced through the sheets and freed Alexia.

“Make haste and crawl under my bed! Now!” she whispered.

BANG, BANG, BANG!

Trying to remain calm, she shouted, “Coming!”

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then answered the door. “Yes?”

An armored guard stood with his hand raised, about to knock again. “Have you seen anything unusual tonight?”

“No,” she replied.

“Are you sure?” asked the guard.

“Yes, I’m sure. I just got to my room a few moments ago. I’ve been at the wedding festivities all night.”

The guard peered into her bedroom, searching for anything out of place. He was just about to turn around and leave when his eyes focused on something on the bedroom floor. “What happened to your sheets?”

“What I do in my bedroom is none of your business! Now please leave me alone before I report you to the King for taking too much interest in my personal habits!”

Completely caught off guard, he began backing out of the room, mumbling, “If you see anything, report it at once.”

She closed the door behind him and leaned against it. “That was way too close for comfort!”

Once it was clear,  Ryder crawled out from under the bed. He asked “So why are you so intent on helping me again?”

“For the hundredth time, your mother saved my life and I want to repay the favor,” said Alexia. “Plus, if even one tenth of the stuff you just told me is true, you need all the help you can get!”

“What if we get caught? Your mother would get kicked out of the Court and your family would be disgraced, put in prison, or even killed.”

“Grishma has long plagued the King and the Royal Court! I would be honored to help bring an end to it!”

Ryder hesitated. “Okay, well, if you change your mind, I’ll understand.”

Alexia rolled her eyes, causing Ryder to laugh.

Ryder scratched his head and furrowed his brow. “Okay, well, first I think we should go find Brianna. Then we can go find Princess Sophie, I mean, Brooklyn and—”

Alexia held up her hands. “Seriously? You’re just going to walk into the most heavily guarded part of the castle, find Brianna, and convince her you’re her brother and you’ve come to save her?”

“Well…” Ryder trailed off.

“Then what? Burst into the wedding suite and tell Price Algid that his new bride isn’t who he thinks she is and you’re just going to do them both a favor and sneak her out of the castle and take her home?”

Ryder had to laugh. When she broke it down, he realized his plan had slim to no chance of succeeding. “Okay, okay, smart-ass! You raised several valid points. So what’s your grand idea?”

“I think we need to leave the castle tonight with the other wedding guests. That way we won’t raise any suspicion. We can meet your mother and your friends under the city walls and stock up on weapons and supplies. Then your mother can lead your friends to the caves until Grishma has been murdered, otherwise their lives will be in grave danger.”

“Wait,” Ryder interrupted. “You expect me to leave the castle tonight without Brianna or Brooklyn?”

“Sorry! But it’s the best and more importantly, the safest option!”

“Okay, so if we leave tonight, then what?”

Alexia brushed a silky strand of hair out of her face. “We will wait until the royal carriages depart in the morning and we’ll follow them until an opportunity presents itself.”

Ryder stood up and paced around the bedroom. “What if an opportunity doesn’t just present itself?”

“It will, trust me.”

He sat on the edge of Alexia’s bed and rubbed his eyes. After several minutes, he shrugged and said, “Okay, your plan sounds way better than mine.”

Sneaking out of the castle proved much easier than Ryder anticipated. They simply followed a group of tipsy wedding guests as they stumbled out the castle and into the streets of Sumner.

They continued to follow the group of people until they reached a deserted alleyway. When they saw their opportunity, they ducked behind an old whiskey barrel and regrouped.

“To the city walls next?” Alexia asked.

“Yes, hopefully all went as planned and my mother and friends are there,” said Ryder.

The two walked as inconspicuously as possible, occasionally bumping into drunken Necohians still quite jovial from the wedding festivities.

“Hey,” slurred one man wearing a mint colored suit with a white bow tie. He sized up Ryder, staggered, then managed to say, “That’s an awfully pretty lady to be walking in the street without a proper escort. What are you doing out here so late, misss?”

Ryder stepped up. “Sir, we mean no harm. Now please let us be on our way.”

The man mocked Ryder. “Sirrrr, we means nos harms, paleaasse let us be on our wayyy!”

Anger coursed through his veins and he clenched his fists until his knuckles were white. “Excuse us,” he said as he attempted to push past the intoxicated fool.

The man stuck out his leg, tripping Ryder and causing him to fall to ground.

“That’s it, asshole!” Ryder sprang into the air and unsheathed his sword. “Back off or—”

“Or wawhat?” grinned the inebriated man. “You’ll poke meee with that little sword?”

Without further delay, Ryder tossed his sword to Alexia and slammed his first into the man’s stomach.

The man stumbled backwards over a wooden box placed near a small stone building. “Isssss that all you gots?” he cackled.

The man put his arms up and motioned for Ryder to come to him.

Ryder raced toward the man and they collided, smashing a window in the process. The two fell to the ground, where the man slugged Ryder in the arm and kicked him in the shins.

The man’s hot breath reeked of liquor. “You had enough yet?”

Ryder couldn’t take it anymore and he wrapped his arms around the man’s neck. His grasp tightened until he felt the man go limp in his arms.

Alexia’s eyes widened. “Did you just kill him?” she
stammered.

Ryder shook his head. “No, I just forced him to take a very long nap.”

Alexia sighed with relief and gave Ryder a hand, helping him up.

“Hey! What’s going on here?” bellowed a loud voice.

“Crap!” whispered Ryder as a large armored guard approached them.

Alexia wrapped her arms around Ryder’s neck and pulled him in against her body.

She had caught him by surprise. “What the hell are you doing?” he whispered.

“Saving our lives,” she said as she pulled him in for a kiss.

The guard was getting closer. “What are you two doing?” he demanded.

Alexia pulled away and batted her eyelashes. “I’m so sorry, we were, um, just getting to know one another and we accidentally broke the window.”

Ryder caught on. “It’s my father’s shop. He’ll deduct the cost of the window from my wages.”

The guard looked at Ryder and then Alexia, who had wrapped her arms around Ryder’s waist and looked up at him lovingly.

“Okay, but take it inside, you two, before you break anything else.”

They didn’t dare move an inch until the guard was out of sight and around the corner.

“That was close,” said Ryder.

“We better get to that wall before we run into anyone else,” said Alexia.

The two hurried through the streets and alleyways until they reached the city walls.

“It should be right over here,” said Ryder as he looked through the thick grass for the lever disguised as a stone.

He pulled the lever as soon as he found it and a small opening appeared. “Come on, quick!”

It took a moment for their eyes to adjust after they climbed down into the tunnel beneath the wall.

“Hello?” whispered Ryder. “Mom, are you here?”

“Son!” His mother embraced him as he entered the clearing. “Oh, thank goodness you made it!”

Alexia stepped out from behind Ryder. “Bethenny, I’m here, too.”

Ryder’s mother exclaimed, “Alexia! Is that you?”

“Yes, I helped Ryder escape and I’m going to help him find Brianna and his friend Brooklyn.”

Bethenny hugged Alexia then held her arms and looked into her eyes. “It’s far too dangerous! Your family could lose everything!”

“Grishma is destroying the Kingdom of Sumner! The King is only a puppet in Grishma’s quest to rule all of Necoh!” said Alexia.

“Are you sure you want to risk it all?” asked Ryder’s mother.

Alexia nodded. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

Ryder looked at Pidifer and Albie. “Are you still okay with accompanying my mother to the caves?”

“Yes,” responded Albie.

“Hopefully Lant, Kroy and the others will already be there,” said Ryder.

“Yes, they’ll be there, I know it,” said Albie.

Pidifer remained silent.

“Pidifer?” asked Ryder.

“I’m coming with you. I have to find Cridifer,” said Pidifer.

“Friend, I can’t put you in any further danger. Please, help my mother and Albie back to the caves. I promise I’ll find Cridifer and bring him home,” said Ryder.

He looked torn. “But I cannot abandon my brother. I would die for him.”

“I know you would,” said Ryder. “But please believe me, I will bring him home and my mother will fix him. I promise!”

“What happened to Cridifer?” asked Ryder’s
mother.

Pidifer buried his face in his hands and started crying. “It was horrible! In the middle of the royal gardens, Grishma turned him into a black statue!”

“Ah, the petrification curse… I know it well and it is true, I can fix your brother. But to reverse the curse requires many rare ingredients. I already have many of them in our home in the caves and I should be able to find the rest in the surrounding woods,” said Ryder’s mother.

Pidifer sighed. “Are you sure you can cure my brother?”

“Most definitely,” replied Bethenny. “I appreciate your bravery, Pidifer.” She patted him on the back, then stood and began digging through her knapsack stuffed with supplies. “I think it’s best if we depart tonight,” she said. “We want to be as far away from the castle as possible when someone notices we’re missing.”

His mother continued to pull out supplies and place them in a smaller canvas bag. “Here, this should be enough food and water for several days. Also, take this,” she said, handing him a small glass vial of runny black liquid that looked like ink.

“What is it?” asked Ryder.

“I found it in the castle’s cellar. It temporarily paralyzes whomever it touches. Drip some of it on your sword and your prey won’t stand a chance!”

Ryder looked at his mother and hugged her. “Mother, I’m so glad we found you! Please stay safe!”

Pulling back, Bethenny had tears in her eyes. “Grishma told your sister and I that both you and your father were dead. I thought I’d never see you again.”

“I vowed the day Father died that I would never give up until Grishma had been slain and I had found you and Brianna,” said Ryder solemnly.

“I’m so sorry this daunting task has fallen upon you,” said Bethenny.

She embraced him one last time and held him in her arms. “I love you, Ryder.”

“I love you too, Mother,” he replied.

Bethenny took a step back. “Okay, the sooner we depart, the sooner we shall meet again.”

“Agreed,” said Ryder.

Pidifer grabbed a torch off the wall and took a step down the hallway. “This way.”

Upon reaching the other side of the tunnel, everyone said their final goodbyes and promised to see one another soon. Albie, Bethenny, and Pidifer crawled out first and disappeared into the pitch-black night. Once they were out of sight, Ryder and Alexia slinked out of the tunnel and into the nearby brush.

Alexia pointed toward the horizon. “Up ahead is the main road out of Sumner. We’ll follow it until we reach the Zonam Mountains. The royal carriages must follow this route until it forks off and leads to Dratun, the Frozen Lands.”

“How do you know so much?” asked Ryder.

“My mother and I have traveled with the Royal Court. I have been to many distant lands. Never Dratun, but I know the road that leads there,” she said. “We’ll get to the mountains a day ahead of time, which will leave us time to rest and make a plan to save those you love.”

“Sounds good to me, let’s go!” said Ryder.

He silently followed Alexia through the woods. They never lost sight of the road that would lead Brianna, Brooklyn, and Cridifer to Dratun.

Their feet tangled in snaking vines and they were forced to weave and twist through branches and trunks of trees with jagged bark.

Through the moonlight, Ryder could see a small creek winding through the trees. “I’m getting hungry, how about you?” asked Ryder.

“Yeah, I think we’re safe to stop for the night,” said Alexia.

Ryder pulled out lera berries, a few small strips of dried meat, and a flask of water.

After eating, they pulled two blankets out of the small pack and laid them down on the cold forest floor.

His eyelids felt droopy and sleep was coming fast. “Hey, Alexia, thanks for coming with me,” said Ryder.

She yawned. “You’re welcome.”

The morning sun barely peeked through the dense canopy of trees.

“Hey! Wake up,” said Alexia as she nudged Ryder.

“Huh? Where am I?” he asked as he sat up and looked around.

She smiled and her blue eyes twinkled. “You’re in the woods near the Zonam Mountains with me. Now get up, I have an idea!”

He stood up and stretched. Each joint felt like someone had poured cement in it as he slept.

“I’m sore, too,” said Alexia as she watched him reach his arms above his head.

“I think I slept on a rock… or perhaps a boulder,” said Ryder with a smile on his face.

Alexia pulled out the water flask. “Here, I filled this in the creek.”

“Thanks. So what’s your plan?”

“Okay, so, I was thinking, how can we stop the carriage without getting caught by the guards?” She popped a lera berry in her mouth and chewed it. “And the answer is simple, all we need to do is block the path. There’s already a few felled trees just off to the side of the road. We just need to pull them across the path and the carriages will have to stop. That’s when we’ll strike!”

Ryder smiled. “That’s not half bad.”

“Yeah, I know! Plus, we can hide in the trees until we see the carriages,” said Alexia.

Ryder finished eating and went to inspect the felled trees. “I think we can move these three smaller trees across the path. There’s no way the carriage will be able to pass over them.”

Over the next several hours, the two pushed and pulled on the downed trees.

“These are heavy,” said Alexia.

Ryder could feel the sweat pouring off his face and running down his back. He stripped off his shirt and wiped his brow.

Alexia saw him out the corner of her eye and smiled. “So, this Brooklyn… are you two… together?”

Ryder instantly became flustered and he looked down at his feet. “Um, no, well, not really. I mean, I don’t know what’s going on between us.”

“Oh. I see,” responded Alexia.

An awkward tension filled the air. “How about you? I’m surprised you haven’t already been married off,” said Ryder.

“Surprised?” she snapped. “I will decide who and when I shall marry!”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you,” said Ryder.

“It’s fine. Look, they could show up soon. Why don’t you find a spot on that side of the road and I’ll stick to this side.”

Ryder frowned. “How will we know when to attack?”

“When you’re ready, just whistle three times,” said Alexia.

“I’ve got my father’s sword. Do you still have your dagger?” asked Ryder.

“Yeah,” snipped Alexia.

“Okay, see you in a bit,” said Ryder.

Ryder felt himself nodding off a few times as he sat perched in a large leaf-covered tree. Stay awake! You cannot blow this!

Suddenly, he heard branches snapping.

He whistled once, then twice, but before he could whistle a third time to cue Alexia it was time to attack, he froze! The scent of dead rotten eggs filled his nostrils. Grishma!

The foul monster came into view moments later. Inspecting the felled trees, she laughed and then slung something over her shoulder.

Was that a body?

Grishma took off back down the path and disappeared around a corner.

Ryder waited until the coast was clear and then whistled three times.

Alexia dropped down from a tree and quickly found Ryder. Her eyes were wide and fear coursed through her body. “What is Grishma doing here?”

“I don’t know,” said Ryder.

“What are we going to do?” asked Alexia.

“Let’s go see what the foul beast is up to,” said Ryder.

They crept through the woods until Grishma came into view. She was climbing a large tree.

“What is she carrying?” asked Alexia in a hushed tone.

“I think it’s a body,” whispered Ryder.

Moments later, the royal carriage came into view and Grishma threw the corpse. It ripped through the top of the carriage and someone inside shrieked.

Alexia covered her ears and her eyes glistened with tears. “What the hell are we going to do?” asked Alexia.

Ryder looked at Alexia. “I don’t have a choice. I have to kill Grishma and save my sister and Brooklyn.”

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***To pick up your FREE copy of Grishma from Amazon, visit this website: 

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***To get your copy of the sequel, visit this website: 

http://www.amazon.com/Ayla-Necoh-Saga-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00FKH35MS