Chapter 26
“Bastian had to speak with Elder Arian for a moment,” Arius said, “he’ll be here shortly.”
I nodded, then looked to Quinton. He stood by the door, his arms crossed over his chest, watching me.
“You two giving each other looks is cute.” Michael said with a smirk.
Leone nodded, “yeah, despite wanting to pound you into the ground for not telling us about what was happening with you all these years,” he glanced at Rafael, “it’s entertaining to see you mooning over Reagan.”
Quinton looked at him, then to Rafael, “I’ll pound you all into the ground if you don’t shut up.” He turned to Michael. “You too. Did you look into my idea?”
“What idea?” Troy got up from where he’d been perched on the table.
Michael cleared his throat and gave Quinton a wide berth as he came further into the room. “Uh, comparing locations of where Detrick, Gudrun and the others we got out of that place were when they landed there.”
“And the conclusion is?” Victor straightened away from the papers he’d been looking over.
Michael went over to the map. “It’s not that easy. Detrick and Gudrun were both on patrol when it happened to them, but it was two hundred and fifty years apart, so trying to pinpoint it on a map is hard.” He tapped the map Victor had shown them when we had the meeting. “The wasteland was barely there when Gudrun was still in Alterealm…”
“Was it a wasteland for Detrick?” Bethany asked.
Quinton nodded and went over to the map. “Yeah it was out to here,” he tapped the map, “when he disappeared.”
“Okay, so,” Chase came over and looked at the same map, “the three of you that remember no wasteland need to sit down with the historians and cartographer and figure it out.” He looked at Alona, “are any of the others that we brought back coherent?”
Alona didn’t look hopeful. “Not too many, but a few are.”
Chase nodded, then turned to Victor, “if three or four can confirm a location, that’s all we need.”
Arius looked at Quinton, “what are you thinking?”
Quinton glanced at me, then to his brother, “I doubt everyone ended up in that basement after wandering through the trees and stepping on a rock.” He turned to Victor, “Det landed in the basement right from the wasteland…”
“Then there’s another portal in the wasteland.” Daxx sat down, then looked at the map, “that’s a lot of space to search.” Her head snapped around to give me a look, “and there’s only one that can see the damn portals.”
“Simple, we narrow down areas and start there.” Paisley turned and looked at the door.
Bastian stood in it.
“I’ll get on it.” Michael said nodding.
“Leone, Raf, you help.” Chase told them in a tone that was not strictly brotherly.
Both men nodded.
“Prince Bastian.” Emil said in a groggy way, “we’re here and awake, what is so urgent?”
Bastian looked around at everyone, then zeroed in on me, he smirked and glanced at Quinton. “I ask for one and get the whole family.”
“Why did you need to see Reagan?” Quinton’s tone wasn’t jovial.
Bastian sighed loudly, then came toward me, “it’s pertaining to your father,” he glanced at the others, “would you prefer to talk in private?”
I hugged my waist and shook my head. “No.”
He nodded slowly, then motioned to a chair, “please sit—” he looked at my arm, “princess.”
I sat down slowly. I heard chairs scrape the floor as the others did, but didn’t look away from the dark eyed man giving me a sympathetic look.
“I found your father.” He said softly.
I inhaled sharply, but then realized he wasn’t finished speaking.
“They,” he huffed out a breath, “reset him, his mind,” he glanced to Quinton who stood beside me, “it’s the only way I can explain it.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“He’s alive, but has no memory of your mother,” he sat back, “or ever being over in that realm.”
“His memory has been wiped?” Arius asked.
Bastian nodded.
I just sat there, not sure what I was feeling. “So, I’ll never know the man that was my father.” I said quietly. “He’ll never know he has a daughter.”
Bastian didn’t nod or make any sign of a movement for several moments. “I’m still looking into who is responsible. I talked to one of my brothers—he’s just as livid as I in discovering you are even possible.”
“Is there any way to undo what’s been done to him?” Alona’s expression showed as much pain as I was feeling.
“I don’t know.” He turned to Troy, “I don’t know who I can talk to, or trust, right now.” He leaned on the table, “between looking for those helping with the barrier fiasco, and who is responsible for hiding the fact that a realm that few females are born into can indeed mate with those from other realms…”
“It’s not the time.” I stood up and shook my head. “We’ll deal with the barriers and finding this Arwan lunatic, then,” I nodded, “then we’ll figure it out.”
Bastian cocked his head to the side. “You’re certain.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, “Yes. I’ve had no father for one hundred and fifty years, longer won’t matter.”
Quinton came over and put his arm around me, sending me comfort I couldn’t have possibly felt on my own in the moment.
Bastian stood up slowly. “I won’t give up until I have answers.” He said with great conviction.
“I appreciate that.” I nodded and leaned closer to Quinton.
Bastian looked around. “Any closer?”
Troy rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “We apprehended Willis Hubert—only to discover he’s not running the show.”
Bastian looked from Troy to Chase, then back to Troy again. “The ancient mage is?”
Troy nodded, a somber expression on his face.
“I checked the asylum. There are no patients from other realms but there are two with Alterealm DNA. I gave the room numbers to your red-eyed nurse.” Bastian rubbed his hand over his messy hair. “Let me know if I can do anything, but right now I’m chasing my tail trying to find our own traitors.”
Troy nodded. “We’ll keep you up-to-date.”
Bastian nodded, then looked to me and inclined his head for several seconds. “Princess, I will find those responsible for the injustice done to you.”
I couldn’t speak, so I nodded at him briefly.
“I must go.” He bowed his head to no one in particular. “Until next time, royal family.”
Everyone watched him leave, then turned to look at me.
“I’d like to go rest.” I nodded and moved away from Quinton.
“Call if you need someone to talk to.” Alona said. “I’ve got my own horrible father story.”
“Same for us.” Paisley said while looking at Autumn.
“Thanks, I just need to—process.” I told them, but wasn’t able to offer even a polite smile.
Michael moved over to Quinton and patted him on the back, then gave him a little shove.
Quinton scowled at him. “I’ll come with you.” He said, still glaring at his sibling. “I was going to anyway, you moron. I’m not one of you idiots.” Shaking his head, he came toward me and put out his hand.
I took it and felt better, knowing I wouldn’t be alone.
We reached my room, I looked at the door. “Come in with me.” I tugged on his hand as I opened the door.
Quinton stopped right inside the door. “I’m sorry.” He said in a rough voice.
I released his hand. “For what?”
“About your dad.” He said quietly.
I gave him a grimace, “I thought him long dead.” I sat on the bed. “Then thought maybe there was a chance he was alive,” I looked at the floor, “but to find out he had his mind scrubbed because he’d been with my mother,” I shook my head, “I can’t even process it right now.”
He came over and sat beside me, “we haven’t slept in close to twenty-four hours, that could be part of it.”
I looked at him, “how do you do it?” I motioned in the air, “just keep going day and night.”
He smirked, “oh, there are decades of nothing to do, so we rest then.”
I brushed my hair back from my face, “I don’t know how you did it, all those years, keeping your health a secret and still functioning.”
He shrugged, “I did it because I had to.”
I touched his cheek with my gloved hand, “you are an incredible man, Quinton.” I tilted my head, “and the most stubborn being in any realm.”
He chuckled, then stood up. “Rest. We’re back at it in a few hours.”
I jumped up and grabbed his hand. “Stay here. I may still have an emotional eruption and don’t want to call anyone else.”
He gave me a skeptical look. “I need to go feed.”
I raised one eyebrow and lifted my chin, baring my neck. “I can do that.” I lowered my chin, “I want to, for you.”
His chest rose and then lowered slowly, “I’m a bit afraid I might fly like superman with your essence this time.”
I laughed, “brave enough to chance it?”
His eyes were shining with amusement. “Guess we’re going to find out.”