Chapter One - Welcome to Shanaledge

I awakened on a solid cold stone floor. My vision was blurry with an immense amount of pain coming from my head as I tried to see where I was. I could not see a thing at first; everything was blending as I tried to focus my eyes.

Where am I? I thought as I started to get up off the floor. As I started to get to my feet, an excruciating pain sliced through my head, making me grab the side of my head as I fell back down on the floor. What the hell happened? Laying on the floor, I scanned the room with distorted vision.

An enormous door was in the front center of the room. I stood up, ignoring the pain in my head and the knots in my stomach as I tried to open it. Locked from the other side…. I continued inspecting the room. The only light cast into the room was from the illumination of the moon. I looked up through a very small arched window that is centered high in the stone wall. Wait…why are there two moons? A sense of dread filled within me, as I continued to scrutinize the room I am trapped in.

A wooden bench with a pale pink cushion sat in front of another window, which was closer to my height. I stumbled over to the piece of furniture, trying to recollect what happened before I woke up in this strange place. Looking out the window, I tried to determine where I was and how to get out of here. Dammit… Top floor, no way to escape… I thought to myself, slumping down onto the bench, staring up at the window at the beautiful two moons above me. The room was mostly bare, with no decorations anywhere. An enormous wooden bed with an exquisite orchid and gold-colored coverings rested against a stone wall across the room. A wooden vanity, matching the bed and containing a bare space for a mirror that seemed to have been removed, was resting in the corner.

In the back corner of the room was another door. I walked to it, praying that there was a way out through this door. Opening it, I found a huge luxurious bathroom. A massive bathtub rest in the center of the floor with a rug circling underneath it. There were no mirrors in this room either, only dark spots marked where some used to hang on the walls. It was a great big room, almost the same size as the bedroom, maybe slightly smaller. This room also did not contain any windows, only candelabras for light.

I turned back to the bedroom and found myself completely captivated by the two moons that were in the sky. One was larger, with a faded orange tint, while the other was tinted a light blue. The view was breathtaking compared to anything else I had ever seen. This place is gorgeous. Why would anyone ever want to leave this place? I thought to myself as I rubbed my head. But where am I? How did I get here?

As I continued to ponder what happened, my memories came crashing back to me; a vivid wave of visions engulfed my mind, playing out the story before my eyes. The terror in her voice when she screamed for Rory as Asher grabbed her in the forest. Rory’s head spinning quickly to look at her; he started running to her in hopes to save her from Asher. The panic she felt when she realized Rory wouldn’t be able to make it to her in time. But the hope remained. Her arm outstretched towards him to grab her hand.

The mix of emotion I had witnessed in Rory’s eyes as he ran towards me. It is the last thing I can remember. The panic, the determination, the betrayal he felt, and the fear were all so pronounced in his expression, as his hand reached out towards her, almost able to grab hers. The scream, the heart-wrenching, desperate scream, that I can still hear, which came from my own mouth before waking up sore, battered, bruised, and alone on the cold floor was all I could recall.

I felt so alone in this room. It was a beautiful place, but it is tainted by everything that has happened. I start to feel more and more alone, secluded from everyone and everything. My mind started to race as more and more questions started to come to me.

What happened to Rory after I was taken? Was he still alive? Is there any hope of seeing him again? Could he essentially find a way to save me? How would I find Ruth? I’m in a castle, which appeared to be huge, from what I could see from the window. Where is Asher? Why did he betray us like this? How did I freeze those people? How was I able to do any of the things I did in the forest? And above all else, what is Silas planning on doing with me?

The thought of everything just made my heart twinge as a nauseating pang filled in the pit of my stomach. I felt helpless. I cannot feel this way. I need to find a way out of this place, I thought to myself, trying to throw off this pessimistic wave of depression. I need to find Ruth and get us both out of here.

I remained on the bench, trying to ignore the severe ache in my head. Staring out the window, I tried to put together a plan. The view from this immaculate prison cell was breathtaking, yet I could not enjoy it. The beautiful view was completely wasted on me, as I came to terms with my fate. There was nothing I could do... Not yet anyway.

I continued arguing with myself. I needed to think of exactly what to do before it was too late. But how can I think of what to do next if I didn’t even know where I was? Every viable option I could contemplate was obstructed by another hurdle.

Defeated, I walked to the bed, falling helpless on the soft pillows, and started to cry. I felt completely helpless in this room. My head still contained an excruciatingly nagging pain. As the tears continued to flow down my cheeks, my eyes began to grow heavy. The last thing on my mind was that scream which came from within me and the panicked look on my soulmate’s face.

I had a restless night of sleep as that agonizing scream remained echoing in my mind. The event that occurred had been placed on a loop, like a broken record, continuously repeating itself. I would wake up every twenty to thirty minutes like clockwork. Then looking around, remembering the situation I found myself in, I would cry myself back to sleep.

The sixth time I woke up because I thought I heard something? Someone shuffling around outside the door… No… In the room.

I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn’t remain open. My eyes would close as soon as I forced them open. Suddenly, I could feel a warmness brushing across my face coming from a light that disrupted my sleep. My body felt heavy and I couldn’t make myself move. I felt trapped within myself. My eyes refused to open and my body betrayed any command to move. Whispers… People were whispering around me.

What are they saying?

I tried to listen, but I couldn’t make myself focus. I tried to speak, but my voice and mouth failed me as well.

A loud creaking noise, someone else had entered the room. The people before who were whispering stopped their discussion.

“What is the state of her injuries?” a man’s voice questioned.

I recognize that voice… I thought as my heart started to race. Anxiety and fear started to grab hold of me. I wanted to flee, but my body denied any order I gave it. No… No… I cannot be here… Please God no… The pang came back in the pit of my stomach, causing me to feel sick.

“She has a pretty bad head wound from falling. Mostly due to her fighting the soldiers mentally, but mostly she only has minor bruises and scratches which will heal up within a day,” a woman’s voice stated. “It took me quite a while to make her sleep so I could sedate her to check her wounds. She used her abilities quite a lot. She still is fighting against my sedation and needs to rest.”

“She is a lot stronger this time… How long will she be out for?” the man continued questioning the woman.

Asher brought me to Silas! Hatred and betrayal fueled the rage I felt. How could I have trusted him?

“For at least a day or two, my lord,” the woman responded, playing with a piece of paper or a wrapper that was making crackling noise. “She’s proving to be quite difficult for me to keep her under. I’m giving her something that will keep her out until such time.”

Sarai felt a pinch to her arm.

Ouch! She tried to verbalize, but she still couldn’t move.

“Very well…” Silas replied. “Make sure to report to me every day on her status.”

Footsteps.

Creaking door.

I was alone once again.

It has been four days since I awoke in this castle where I was being held captive. The days have been so long and boring. Once I finally woke up from the sedative I was given, or the sedation that the nurse was putting me under, I would try to find a way to escape. I was more determined to leave now that I knew I was being held in the same confined area as Silas. Unfortunately, I found the same problems I had initially encountered.

I was not allowed to leave my room. Outside the door, two guards were placed to make sure I couldn’t get out of this room. These guards made sure no one gets in except for those who are supposed to be there and everyone else but I was able to get out.

Occasionally, the days of boredom would be broken by visits from a nurse, who tends to my wounds from my abduction, and a servant girl, who would make sure I was comfortable and “have everything that I require.” The nurse heals my wounds and reports back to Silas on my condition.

The second day, when I was aware of what was going on around me, the nurse came in and introduced herself to me. “My name is Evelyn, I am a nurse who has been requested by Lord Silas to tend to your wounds and report back to him.”

“Lord Silas?” I scoffed while rolling my eyes.

The nurse ignored my statement and continued to examine me. “How is your head feeling?” she questions, after a brief silence.

“Loopy…” I replied aggravated.

The nurse gave me a questioning stare as if she never heard that term.

“It still hurts…”

“I’ll give you something for the pain,” Evelyn responded. “Are you having any problems with nausea or vomiting?”

“No.”

The nurse continued asking me other general health questions before cleaning and bandaging my wounds.

“Will I live, doc?” I asked to break the uneasy silence.

The nurse didn’t respond.

“It was a joke,” I replied to the nurse who still ignored me. “You know it is awfully rude to not speak to someone who is talking to you.”

The nurse let out a sigh of frustration. “We are not allowed to discuss anything with you. I’m only allowed to talk to you about your health and the servant is only allowed to help you with personal needs as well as talk to you about your wants and needs. That’s it. The end.” Evelyn grabbed her supplies and walked out the door, leaving me speechless.

A couple of hours passed on the fourth day as I stared out the window daydreaming. There was no way for me to escape Silas’s clutches. I was stuck in this stupid room all day and night with no one to talk to and no way of sneaking off.

What could he be planning? He hasn’t even come to see me. Coward… I thought to myself in disgust.

The only comfort I could find in this place is the beautiful, secluded garden I could look at through my window. It is a part of the castle and is seemingly off-limits. It appears to be the only area that has been kept up and tended to and contained alien plants and flowers that I have never seen in my own realm.

There is something about this place that calls to me. Something just feels like it is tugging at me when I look over the garden. This foreign garden keeps me entranced. Whatever this is, feels like something strange yet so incredibly familiar.

My thoughts were interrupted when the servant, Eleanor, walked into the room.

“Hello, Lady Sarai. Is there anything you may need this evening?” she asked politely as she waited patiently by the door. She wore a sweet smile on her face with fear in her eyes as she waited for me to respond to her question.

“Tell me, Eleanor, what is down in the garden?” I began mindlessly, knowing full well that Eleanor wouldn’t tell me anything I wanted to know. “It is so beautiful. It’s like it calls to me.”

Eleanor doesn’t respond, of course. She obeys her “lord’s” command of only speaking to me about needs or wants that I may have.

I let out an aggravated sigh. “Eleanor, I have been stuck in this room for four days. Day in and day out no one is allowed to talk to me, I cannot walk the castle, and I cannot go to the garden to even find some semblance of solace. I am tired of being left in this empty and unpleasant room,” I began to rant before suddenly changing my tune to begging. “I want to visit the garden!” I pleaded. “I want to know if Rory is alright. I want to know how my friend, Ruth, is doing.” Tears started to fill my eyes.

Eleanor’s facial expression changed as she looked down at the floor. Guilt and sadness colored her face.

“Why can no one speak to me?” I questioned with desperation in a raised voice. “This whole place… No, this whole situation is just insane!”

There was a pause before she hesitantly spoke. “Your friend is safe,” Eleanor replied quietly. “She is in a cell in the dungeon. I know this because I have tended to her when she arrived.”

“Is she going to be okay?” I questioned, relieved I received an answer, but eager for more.

“For now,” Eleanor responds, still in a quiet voice.

“What about Rory?”

“Is there anything else you may need or want, Lady Sarai?” She questioned in a monotonous tone. Eleanor turned back into her robotic self, obeying her orders.

Late that evening while I was lying in bed getting ready to go to sleep, I was lost in thought about Rory. I was trying to figure out a way to somehow communicate with him. There has to be a way to get in touch with him. We are soulmates. This means we can communicate across realms, or at least this is what I was led to believe.

While lost in thought yet again with my heart hurting and feeling an emptiness in my chest that I have never known before, feeling like my heart was burning as if something had actually been fractured inside it, I was interrupted by someone opening the door. I bolted upright in bed. No one comes in to visit this late at night, so it was odd for the door to open. When I finally saw who it was, the pain in my chest, the broken piece that was missing, and the self-pity that surrounded me were consumed by anger.

“Before you begin, I am here to tell you that I am sorry,” Asher said, with his hands beckoning me to remain calm. His eyes wore guilt but his face revealed no remorse.

This statement only made me feel even angrier at him. “What the hell were you thinking?” I questioned with hatred filling my voice, walking up to him.

“Sarai, this was the only way to keep all of us safe. If I didn’t do this, I would have lost all confidence that Silas has in me.”

“That is just an excuse, Asher. You had a choice and you chose to damn us all!” I fought back.

“This decision was not made lightly!” he replied defending himself. “I needed to protect Ruth. If you didn’t come here, then she would be dead! So yes, in the long run, I am not that apologetic because it was the only way.”

I was still furious with Asher, but what was the point in arguing with him at this moment? We would be going around in circles until he decided to just leave. I dropped my anger for a moment with an exasperated breath. “So how’s Ruth?”

“She is alright at the moment,” Asher responds lightly. “Ruth is in the dungeons of the castle, locked away in a cell close to the original royal family.”

“Wait, the original royal family?” I asked in shock. “I thought Silas murdered them.”

“He only murdered the king. He spared the queen and her two children. They may still be alive, but they are living a miserable existence,” Asher responded. “Much like Ruth is right now,” he stated, cutting his eyes at me.

“Why are you looking at me like that? It’s not like I chose to throw Ruth down in a dungeon!”

“You played your part in it. If you would have just come to Shanaledge, Ruth wouldn’t be here.”

“Okay, look, we need to stop fighting about this. What’s done is done whether we like it or not. Now we need to figure out how to clean this mess up,” I countered, swallowing my pride.

Asher looked away from me for a moment to contemplate. “Fine,” he replied after a few moments of thought. “Ruth has been asking about you. It’s kind of hard to tell her that you have a luxurious room to yourself with a view while she is stuck in a small cell at the bottom of the castle,” he stated grudgingly.

Tears started filling my eyes. “I didn’t ask for this to take place, Asher. If I had a choice, I’d be down there with her.”

Asher didn’t respond.

“Do you know anything about Rory?” I asked, hurt in my voice as the pain started to return in my chest.

“Yeah, he is alright,” he replied with a huff, not wanting to talk about him.

“He is alive?” Hope painted my voice.

“Yes, Sarai, he is still alive. He is probably off somewhere moping, wishing he wasn’t, but he is still in your realm,” Asher replied looking out the window, disinterested. “Look, the main reason I came in here was to make sure you know what Silas has planned for you tomorrow.”

“Has he finally worked up enough courage to face me?” I replied sarcastically, not sure if I was even ready for it.

“I wouldn’t keep that attitude if I were you. He is going to call on you tomorrow night.”

This frightened me; the pain returned to my stomach. “No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?” Asher stared at me in bewilderment.

“I mean that he can ask, request, or call on me all he wants, but the end result is me staying right where I am! I’m not going!” I started angrily. I started to grow irritated with Asher again. “And what makes you think I would just willingly do all of this?”

“Do you want to get out of here?” Asher questions seriously, an intensity growing in his eyes. “Do you want to see Rory and Ruth again?” he asked, not waiting for a response. “If you really want to get out of this room, to freely roam the castle without having someone watching your every move, you will need to do whatever Silas requests! You need to gain his trust.”

I stared at him speechless.

“You need to be friendly towards him. You cannot make him angry because you have a bone to pick with him.” Asher walked closer to me as he explained. “This will be our greatest chance at ultimately defeating Silas.” Asher hands me the amulet he had given to me just before all of this started three months ago. “This necklace will aid you in doing many things. It helps you to control your abilities.” His eyes looked deeply into my saddened eyes. “And I’m pretty sure it can help you communicate with others who are in other realms.”

My heart skipped a beat as I became excited. “I could talk to Rory?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

Asher’s facial expression contorted. “I don’t know.”

My hopes and excitement just crashed and burned as quickly as they were raised. “What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I may be able to help you with many things, Sarai, but this isn’t one of them. I have no idea how this amulet works because no one else has one.”

I eyed the amulet that I held in my hand.

“Silas knows how it all works,” he stated as he walked towards the door. “Remember to wear it at all times.”

I nodded to him before reflecting on what they had told me before. “But can’t I use this to jump to other realms?”

“Technically, yes…” he replied. “But I don’t think Silas would allow you to escape that easily, seeing how he wants you to have it.”

I stayed, transfixed on the amulet.

Asher hesitated by the door. “Look, Sarai, I would stay to keep you company and help you out, but I must leave before the guards become curious. I can only come to you under certain commands from Silas,” he confided. “I have to do a lot of sneaking around now for Ruth and you.”

After he left, I laid awake on the bed. I stared at the necklace in amazement, wondering how it worked.