Ethon (The Other Worlds Series Book 2) (8 page)

With that, Trier disappeared as suddenly as he had come, leaving Tiara to miss him, despite her shock. She released a sigh and sank back onto her bed. Her eyes drifted to her bed’s right nightstand. Inside one of its drawers was Olinia’s shimmer stone, hidden in the middle of a cutout book. Archrin had suggested they hide it. Could she use it now to escape her responsibilities and expectations? The notion of her being capable of learning to see the future of the Other Worlds seemed a little too surreal.

Letting her breath out in a rush, Tiara stood and began back to her wardrobe. She still needed to dress for dinner. She would tell Archrin about Trier’s visit when they went for their ride that evening. Until then, she would try to rid her mind of the many questions rolling around inside of it.

All at once, though, Tiara’s stomach felt like it would turn itself inside out. Tiara collapsed onto the floor, cringing in agony. She knew what came next, but as always was not prepared for the pain. It had been about a month since she had last felt the nausea.
Not again!
She pleaded silently.

But it was too late – her world was spinning. Tiara clamped her eyes shut and gritted her teeth. When was she going now?

:  :  :  :  :

Kissing the princess had been a mistake. Even while he was caught up in the moment, Sazx knew that he would regret his actions. If he had listened to the warnings within his head, Sazx could have built a sensible relationship with the young Lantz Legann. Now, he was doomed to a foundation of mistrust. Sazx should have been thinking more clearly. It was not in his nature to act out irrationally.

The problem was the princess. She was intoxicating. In a sea of Ethon Saerds, she shone all the brighter. Sazx had always believed Eveon women to be superior to all other races, but when he met the Wend Olinia he’d realized his error. She far surpassed any female he had previously encountered. No Eve could compare to a Wend in beauty. When Sazx was near her, all rational thought dissipated. She was evidently his weakness.

Sazx groaned and leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. He was on the couch in front of the muted television. Some local news channel was spewing Ethon information at him. During his time with the Key, Sazx had enjoyed watching any form of news. The events of Ethon were so different from that of the Other Worlds. In his realm, worlds were separate entities with multiple allies and enemies of other worlds. The internal rivalries of Ethon baffled Sazx.

Along with the politics of Ethon, it had been strange to discover that Trenton Alridge the Key – an old Balnorrean hero – was still alive. Sazx had never imagined himself meeting the man who had aided in the fall of Balinorre. But then, Sazx had always assumed the Key to be dead, as Dagon should have died generations ago, had he not partook of the Velvitor elixir.

He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. He missed the Other Worlds. The rhythm of his realm was completely different than that of Ethon. At the moment, he was certain that admittance to any world of his realm would sooth his agitated nerves. How odd to think that just a few short weeks before he had been in Caprith, wishing for a way to be rid of it forever. To be trapped now in Ethon seemed like a rather ironic solution to his previous predicament.

In truth, Sazx enjoyed the princess and her brother’s company, but he was not pleased with the circumstances he found himself within – trapped in Ethon. He doubted he was alone in his desire to return to the Other Worlds. The Princess and Lantz could not be entirely happy here.

Sazx sighed. He needed to get out of the house. Inside, his thoughts of Olinia were far too acute. He wasn't feeling himself. Sazx shut off the TV and began toward the laundry room that connected the garage with the house. Legann’s car keys hung from a peg beside the washer and dryer. When Sazx returned Trenton’s rental car a couple days back, Legann agreed to let Sazx use his car while he was at school during the day. Generous of the young Lantz, especially since Sazx had clearly left a sour taste in his mouth.

Sazx grabbed the keys from off the peg and headed into the garage. He would go for a drive. Even though it was a pointless act, it held the possibility of helping to clear his head. 

6

------------------

Olinia came home to an empty house, much to her disappointment. Sazx had left for a drive and didn’t know when he would return. He’d sent her a text just as she turned into the house’s long, paved driveway. She must have barely missed him. There went her idea of having some time alone to talk with him.

 After parking her car in the garage, she made her way inside, dropping her backpack at the foot of the stairs. She knew Legann wanted to study with her later so there wasn’t a reason for her to bring it up to her room yet. For some reason, he hated to study by himself.

Now that Sazx was gone, Olinia wasn’t really sure what to do. She decided to go into the kitchen’s medicine cabinet. Her left hand had been itching ever since she’d parted with Porter. A bug must have bitten her. She needed to put something on it before it drove her insane.

What was happening to her life? She seemed to be constantly surrounded by confusing men. First Sazx and now Porter. Her little visit with Porter that afternoon had been unnerving. She still had plenty of questions regarding his behavior.

The itching in her hand was growing worse. Where had Legann put that ointment? She fumbled around in the cupboard unable to find it.

The DS Academy was another annoying mystery. What was it really? Olinia had been living in Virginia for over a year now. Only recently had she heard anything of this elite progression school. What did DS even stand for?

Olinia was about to go crazy on her arm. The itching was steadily increasing. It almost felt like it was burning – just like when she used to... Olinia stopped her search through the cupboard and stared at her left hand. There was no bug bite as far as she could see, but she couldn’t believe that it would be anything else. Especially not Globing. She knew she couldn't Globe anymore. 

During the past year she had secretly tried to re-train herself in the gift but had failed repetitively. There was not even an inkling of the gift remaining in her right hand. But the itching now was coming from her left hand. She never really used her left hand for her gifts, as she was right handed. Now though she was well aware of the fire within it. Perhaps her problem with Globing all along was that she had given up the gift in her right side. Was it possible to be gifted in both sides separately?

The pain was becoming unbearable. Olinia cried out and clutched her hand to her chest. She hadn’t felt this kind of agony in so long that it was practically overwhelming. Olinia sank to her knees. The fire inside felt as if it would consume her. Her eyes dropped to her hand.

If it really did wish her to Globe then all she needed to do was wave it in front of her. The thought of moving her hand though made her cringe. It was bad enough to hold her hand still, moving it would be much worse. But the desire to relieve the pain outweighed her fear to move. Taking a deep gulp of air, Olinia peeled her hand away from her body and slid it through the space in front of her.

Nearly instantaneously she felt the relief. With a groan, Olinia collapsed onto her side, panting. She watched as the scene around her shifted. The line of blue light she’d created when she swept her hand through the air was spreading outward, replacing the wood floor and dark cabinets of her kitchen with tan carpet, black leather couches, and cream colored walls.
Since
Olinia had never Globed in Ethon
, s
he wasn’t sure if she would
be
taken to an event in the Other Worlds or Ethon. From the glimpse of the flatscreen TV in the corner of the room, she felt it safe to assume she was still in Ethon.

Slowly, Olinia pushed herself to her feet. Since it had been almost two years since she’d last Globed, her body was incredibly weak. Globing tended to take a lot out of her, especially when she wasn’t as used to it as she once was. Her legs wobbled from the exertion of using the gift she’d believed to be extinct.

From behind her someone gasped. “Olinia?”

She whirled. “Tiara!”

“You can see me?” Tiara looked as shocked as Olinia felt.

This little Globing escapade was becoming more and more surprising. Olinia let out a short laugh. “What are you doing here?”

“Me?” Tiara stepped around one of the couches to join Olinia in the center of the room. She rolled her eyes over Olinia’s figure. “What are you wearing? You look different. Is your hair darker?”

Olinia had to glance down at herself to remember what she had on. Seeing Tiara in a floor-length gown of deep purple, surrounded by Ethon furnishings, made Olinia feel off-balanced. Olinia had to glance down at her own gray T-shirt, dark jeans, and navy flats to steady herself. “Yeah, my hair is darker. I sort of look more like you now.” She looked back up at Tiara. “How did you get here?”

“I...” Her voice trailed off and she winced. “I didn’t come here on purpose.”

“Then, how did-” Olinia stopped mid-sentence as she noticed with a start that she couldn’t hear Tiara’s thoughts. “Where are you? I mean, where were you before this?”

“I was in Tlaid.”

“Of course. You’re still in the Other Worlds.” Olinia lowered herself onto the nearest couch. “Is that why I can’t hear you?”

Tiara furrowed her eyebrows. “You do realize we’re talking to each other now, right? And where else would we be if not in the Other Worlds?”

Olinia decided to ignore that question for the moment. Laughter was coming from the next room over. Both she and Tiara turned. Olinia stood. It was time to learn why her body had felt the need to send her to this unknown house. “Come on,” she called over her shoulder to Tiara as she headed for the room.

“I noticed you didn’t answer my question,” Tiara muttered.

“Well, you didn’t really answer mine about how you got here,” she shot back.

“I don’t even know where here is.”

“Ethon.” Olinia hesitated before entering the adjoining room. “We’re in Ethon. I’ve been in Ethon. I Globed from Ethon to here, but I sure wasn’t expecting to find you.”

Tiara was wide-eyed and staring. “You’ve been in Ethon? I don’t see you for a month and you’re in Ethon?”

“A month?” Olinia exclaimed. “You haven’t seen me in a month?”

“Yes. Hasn’t it been the same for you?”

“It’s been almost two turns!”

“Really?” Tiara blinked. “Time must move differently between realms.”

“So I’ve heard.” Olinia grunted.

“Did you say you Globed here?”

Olinia nodded. “I haven’t done it though since I was in the Other Worlds.”

“What is to Globe?”

“The best way I can describe it is to visit scenes of the past,” she told her. “It’s like time traveling, but not like what the Equilan do. I can’t change what’s happening around me – only experience it. No one can hear or see me either, so imagine my surprise finding you.”

“Oh,” Tiara chuckled to herself. “I didn’t realize it had a name. All this time I’ve just been calling it time travel.”

“Right. I forgot you know how to Globe.”

Tiara blinked. “You knew? How?”

“Archrin told me.”

“He did what?” She blurted.

Was that wrong of him? Olinia pulled a face, hoping she didn’t just get him into trouble. She decided to change the topic. “Why were you in Tlaid? Were you captured by the Kendrens?”

Her plan worked in getting Tiara’s mind off of Archrin. Tiara ran her tongue along the back of her teeth. “No, not exactly. I helped destroy the Kendrens.”

“What!” It was Olinia’s turn to be surprised.

“It’s true. The Kendrens are dead.”

“Then, who took their place?”

Tiara smiled slightly. “That would be me. I’m the official princess of the Saerds.”

“How?”

“I’m the real heir to the throne,” she replied simply.

Olinia was dumbfounded. “What do you mean by real?”

“My grandmother is your grandmother’s older sister.”

“We’re cousins?” Olinia exclaimed, a little louder than she’d meant to. “Is that why we look alike?”

“So, some guy came up to me today at tennis practice.”

The female voice surprised Olinia, but was a reminder that she still didn’t know why she and Tiara were there. She rounded the corner of the room first.

It was for dining, with a doorway to the kitchen in the opposite wall. The rectangular table and tall-backed chairs were a dark wood and sat in the center of the room. A long mirror hung on one wall, making the room appear larger than it was. The walls were painted a deep red. At the table, a teenage girl with choppy, shoulder-length hair and round blue eyes was studying several textbooks in front of her. More books were in front of the empty chair to her right. 

“Oh yeah?” Came a muffled response from the kitchen.

“It was kind of weird,” the girl called back.

“Why? Because he was trying to flirt with you?”

Even before the person reached the doorway to the kitchen, Olinia knew who was going to walk through it. To her, the man’s voice was unmistakable. Olinia suddenly felt ill, and found herself trembling. When he appeared in the doorway, Olinia had to use the wall to keep herself on her feet.

Tiara blinked. “Is that...”

“Will.” Olinia finished for her.

He looked just as she remembered him. The same dark blond hair, angled jaw, and eyes the color of a stormy sky. He was in jeans and a short-sleeved white polo. Ethon apparel was truly his style. The Other World clothes he had worn did not give his figure justice. 

The girl at the table rolled her eyes as Will joined her, a can of soda in his hand. “No, he wasn’t trying to flirt with me.”

Will laughed, a sound that made Olinia’s chest ache. “Then, what was so weird?”

“I think he was trying to recruit me for something. He said he’d been watching me practice for the past couple weeks. He said I have a rare set of skills.”

“That’s not weird. He’s just a talent scout.”

“No.” She shook her head slowly. “He wasn’t referring to my tennis. He kept bringing up my reflexes and how I’m different than most people, saying I’m special.”

“Different how?”

“Like how the reason why I’m good at tennis is because I can predict what my opponent will do next.” She frowned. “How did he know I could do that?”

Will took a sip from his soda. “You can really predict their next move?”

“If I concentrate hard enough I can. It doesn’t happen all the time though, just when my game is really on that day.”

“What is she talking about?” Tiara asked from beside Olinia.

“Tennis is an Ethon sport,” Olinia replied. “Sports are a big deal in Ethon.”

“Did he say anything else?” Will set his can onto the table.

“Yeah, he mentioned some East Coast after-school program he was bringing out here.”

“What’s it called?”

The girl’s face scrunched up. “I can’t remember it’s real name. The initials were DS, though.”

“No way.” Olinia stared. That stupid school was apparently everywhere.

“It sounds fake, Ariel,” Will said. “I wouldn’t get involved in that.”

“Oh, she’s his sister.” Olinia glanced at Tiara. “Ariel is Will’s younger sister.”

“Will has a sister?”

“He used to. She died.” Olinia couldn’t help but feel a little sad for the unsuspecting Will. He would lose his closest sibling along with the rest of his family in an instant. The pain Olinia knew he’d experience later embarrassed her somewhat for sharing in on his private moment with his sister.

Ariel nodded, flashing her brother a smile. “See? I told you it was weird.”

Suddenly, Tiara shrieked and fell to the floor, clutching her middle. Olinia dropped next to her, gaping. “What’s wrong?”

“Time is calling me back,” she muttered through clenched teeth. “I’ve seen what I was supposed to.” 

“This happens to you every time?” Olinia blinked.

“Sadly yes,” she moaned. “Before I go, you should know that I have your shimmer stone.”

“Where?” Olinia blurted.

“Back in Tlaid.”

“Please come get me,” she begged. “Legann and I are both stuck in Ethon.”

“Legann’s with you?” Tiara's eyebrows rose.

“Yeah, and we’re stuck. Please come save us!”

“I will.” With that she was gone. One moment she was there and the next she was not.

Olinia released her breath out in a rush and stood, returning her gaze to Will and his sister. They were quiet now, reading their books. Olinia wanted to cry. The only man she had ever loved was sitting in front of her, completely unaware of her existence. This scene was an instance from his past, before he even knew what the Other Worlds were – before he knew her.

“What has happened to you, Will?” Olinia whispered. “Where have you gone?”

She watched him for a few minutes, not wanting to leave his presence. Twenty months was a long time. She had given up on him ever returning during her first year in Ethon. Yet, she knew he wasn’t dead. Will’s Silver Heart had bound his lifeforce to her. As long as she lived, so did he. When Sazx showed up with his story of how it had been less than a day since he’d last seen Olinia, Olinia began to question her resolve to forget Will. Perhaps his twenty-four hours were not up yet after all. Olinia could have believed this if Tiara hadn't just appeared saying it’d been almost a month.