In an instant, something or someone dragged me through the darkness. Swirling golden lights flashed by me, like the world on a moving bullet train. A rush of air knocked the wind from me, rushing past my ears, drowning out the sound of my screams while my frantic heart beat against my ribcage. A blinding light flashed and everything stopped. There was a loud pop, and I landed on something soft and fuzzy, rolling as if thrown, stopping face down. Frozen in fear.

What just happened?! My mind reeled. Blinking, a dark room came into view, its walls and structure eerily familiar. I stood, my body trembling as a chill swept down my spine. Where am I? I wondered. Surrounded by full, floor to ceiling bookshelves covered in a mountain of dust and cobwebs. The books were so old, the binding frayed and titles only faint wisps of ink. I realized I stood in a library as I stepped out into the two story room. Its layout identical to my fathers. There were subtle differences in the color of the drapes and furniture. The paintings that hung on the wall, artistic splashes of paint, some depicting nothing, other strange creatures with butterfly wings.

I peeked behind the curtain and my eyes widened. Gone was the winter wonderland. Instead, long green grasses rolled in the wind and colorful swashes of flowers sprouted. The sun lazily climbed up into the clearest blue sky I had ever seen. Warmth of a nice spring day radiated off the windows and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. This was incredible. Terrifying but incredible.

I've somehow found myself in a different part of the world. Somewhere more tropical, perhaps? How was this possible? The thought threatened to send my mind spiraling, but I had to keep a clear head if I was to get back home. Panicking would not help. Hell, maybe I had fallen and hit my head and this was some coma induced dreamscape. I reached out and tried to summon a kitten, something I'd done whenever I had a lucid dream, but nothing happened. I sighed. Not a dream then.

I turned back to the cold, quiet library. It reminded me of what Father's had looked like last night. Except unlike his library, the books in this one had been left to rot away. An ache settled in my heart at the sight of all the lost knowledge. Why would anyone let all this go? As I searched the aisles. The books had faded too much to read, and some even crumbled as I picked them up. What am I to do? I sighed and pulled the key from my pocket. The etching was gone. Had that been the trigger? Those words?

My brows furrowed. "Fýlakes tis Pýlis," the words rolled off my tongue a bit easier, but nothing happened. No distortion of space. No flashing lights. Just the empty library. How do I get back? My sister was probably having a mental breakdown. She needed me and now I've gone and disappeared, just like my father. I paused in my wandering. Was this what happened to him? Did he find himself trapped here as well? My father had been missing for years. What if there was no way back?

My lips pressed into a thin line and I clutched the key to my chest. I need to find help, I thought and moved toward what I believed to be the exit. If this were a replica of the library, then the door should lead into a hall, right? As I turned down another aisle, my heart leapt into my throat as a yelp escaped me. A dark figure stood frozen, reaching for a book on the tallest shelf. I clutched my chest and inched closer.

"Hello?" I said, but as I got closer I realized the figure was a statue and no reply would come. Strange. Why would someone put a statue here? Made of stone and six feet tall, the craftsmanship was incredible. Every detail etched carefully from the stitching on the fine robes he wore to the individual strands of hair. It was a man, in his late twenties, with round glasses perched on his nose and pointed elvish ears fanned out slightly. Why did he look so familiar? In his arms, a stack of dust covered books, as if someone plucked them off the shelf and placed them there. Very strange. Next to the man, a few feet away, looked to be a leather-bound journal. I slowly maneuvered around, my eyes not moving from the statue, and plucked the journal off the floor. It was so eerie how lifelike he was.

I shivered and continued toward the exit. There must be someone here who could tell me where I am and how I can get back to my home. The hall outside the library differed vastly from my manor. Warm pollen filled air tickled my nose, and I blinked from the bright sunlight. Archways lined the corridor, completely open to the outside, revealing a sprawling village that wound down the cliffs. Along the side, tall mountains rose high into the sky and stretched far into the horizon. I stumbled forward, my jaw dropping in awe. Absolutely breathtaking. The only slight on the visage was the thundering storm brewing off in the distance over a massive tree. So large its branches disappeared into the dark clouds.

Something pulled at my core the longer I stared at the tree, and faint whispers brushed past my ears.

"Amelia," they said. Calling my name over and over.

"Follow." another set of whispers spoke, sending chills down my spine.

Deep within me, the urge to touch the tree grew, drowning the want to go home. It took everything in me to pull my gaze from the tree and with it, the urge to go to the tree died down but still lingered, like an itch under my skin. Turning my attention back to the journal as I wandered down the hall, now unbound, I turned to the first page. My eyes widened at the name on the top of the page. This couldn't be!

Journal of Elias Gates.

Father? How? How did Father's journal end up here? So far away from home. Was he still here? and if he was how was I supposed to find him when I couldn't even remember what he looked like? He disappeared when I was so young. I closed the journal and clutched it to my chest. I had to find someone! "Hello!?" I called out. My voice echoing off the walls. "Anyone there? I need help!" only silence answered.

Room after room passed me by as I sped-walked, checking each one. Not a soul in sight. Was this place abandoned? I wondered. Pictures on the walls depicted more of the strange beings with draping butterfly wings. One stood out to me. A regal piece of a blonde-haired man and a rose-haired woman. Both beautiful and poised. Golden crowns sat on their heads. They didn't have butterfly wings like the other pictures. But their ears were long and pointed, like that statue back in the library.

The hall let out into a grand foyer. Stone statues carved into the walls, both men and women. More archways lead deeper into the building that seemed to go on forever. A giant wooden door near the bottom of the stairs looked like an exit. The elegant drapery and architecture screamed castle. There was no way to tell just how big or how long it would take to find someone. Should I continue looking? Or try my luck outside?

"Who are you!?" a cold voice shot out, sending ice down my spine. Gooseflesh ran down my neck and arms. I spun, my eyes wide. A woman stood across the balcony. Her silver armor glinted in the sun. long white hair pulled back in a high ponytail swayed as she stalked toward me. The sharp hiss of her sword as she pulled it from its sheath made my legs turn to jelly.

"I... I need help!" I stuttered, taking a step back from the bitter cold that radiated off her sword. "I've lost my way and—"

Her glowing silver eyes narrowed. "you humans were told to stay away, that this place was forbidden!" she stopped a few feet away from me and my breath caught. Her skin was as dark and blue as the night sky. She wasn't human.

"P-Please!" I pleaded. "I need—"

A sharp icy wind tore through the air. Before I could gasp, an unbearable cold slammed into me, like a thousand needles piercing my skin all at once. It spread in an instant. Freezing me in place. My limbs locked up as a thick crystalline layer of ice encased me.

I tried to move—tried to scream—but nothing happened. My body froze solid, but I remained painfully aware, still conscious. My heart hammered in my chest, each beat slower than the last. Slowly, everything went numb.

At first, it was just a flicker of warmth—a distant, almost imperceptible sensation. It brushed against the edges of my frozen consciousness, slowly growing like the first rays of spring after a long winter. The ice around me cracked, the sound sharp and brittle in the icy silence. A dull ache started in my fingers and toes, spreading outward. Pain, like pins and needles magnified a hundredfold, ripped through my body. My muscles twitched involuntarily, stiff and unresponsive at first, then slowly, agonizingly, starting to obey me again.

I gasped as the ice melted away from my face, the sudden rush of air hitting my lungs burned like fire. How I was even alive in the first place was beyond me. Every breath hurt, every movement a struggle as my body thawed inch by inch. The world around me came back into focus, sharp and vivid. My ears rang, and I blinked away the cold water that dripped down my face. The woman had moved me to what appeared to be a sitting room. Two sets of double doors on adjacent walls were before me, and the muffled sounds of an argument emanated from one.

I had to get out of here before she came back.

"You could have killed her!" a male voice boomed from the other side of the doors.

"Oh please, I made sure my ice wasn't cold enough to do that. I did as I was told. Apprehend any trespassers and bring them forward for judgment." a woman said. I recognized the bitter voice of the one who froze me.

"You didn't need to freeze her! What about her parents? All it takes is one word from the humans, and Thalor will retaliate. We aren't supposed to even be here! If word got back to King Tethras..."

The rest of the ice melted away, and I collapsed to the ground, my legs unable to support me. I groaned and shifted, fighting my body's violent trembling. Using a nearby chair, I managed to pull myself up. Every move burned. One foot after the other.

"You wanted to come out here! To this cursed palace. You haven't even told me why!" the woman screamed. Their voices faded as I slipped out into another corridor. My feet moved faster with each step as the cold ebbed away. I didn't know where Father's journal went or the key, but I knew I had to get out of here.

Miraculously, after a maze of hallways and rooms, I found the foyer again. My stuff wasn't on the floor where I had dropped them. I suspected that the woman took them and I hoped they weren't necessary to get home. That man had mentioned other humans and someone named Thalor. Maybe they could help me. The large wooden doors were heavy and indeed led outside. Despite its blinding brightness, the sun's warmth chased away the lingering cold from my bones.

The courtyard was in full bloom. Tall, graceful trees with emerald leaves swayed gently in the warm breeze. Their branches adorned with blossoms of every hue—pinks, yellows, and white shimmered in the afternoon light. The air was thick with the sweet scent of flowers mingling with the earthy smell of damp soil.

A tall gate stood just across the way and I ran for it. But by the time I reached it, my lungs burned from the excretion. Curse my lazy ass. All that time spent in the library. I should have run more, exercised more. There was no way I could make it down to the village in time. Surely those two would have noticed I escaped and were searching for me. My gaze swept across the tall wall and the buildings nearby. I spotted a stable. Horses tied out front.

That would work.

I grabbed the reins of the first one, a beautiful black mare. Its brown eyes studied me as I swung my leg over and sat in the saddle. "Come on, Amelia, you can do this. Remember the fair? Just like riding a bike." I squeezed my thighs and clicked my tongue to spur the creature, but it would not move. Panic welled up in me and I kicked, yet still the mare simply stared at me.

"Ugh! Please move! I need to get out of here! I'll buy you all the apples and sugar cubes you want. Just get me out of here, please." I pleaded, knowing that the horse couldn't understand me, and kicked again. The mare turned its gaze away from me and began a steady canter. I couldn't believe that my pleas had worked. "Thank you!" I whispered, stroked the mare's beautiful black fur and spurred her into a gallop.

© Copr. 2024. Jessica Powell. All Rights Reserved.

Art

Lady Zia