23. Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

I t was wise of Mary to make sure Ryker gave her updates on his locations and plans. The last update she had received was when he was off the Oregon coast, near a cave of ice or something. I couldn't hear all the things they were saying but Keil and Mary kept mentioning the name Arnold as we drove. I didn't know what that was: a person or a place? I didn't get all the details because Keil and Mary were talking so fast. Then they plugged coordinates into their phones, and the monotone GPS voice said it was a seven hour drive. Shad nudged my shoulder.

"You okay?"

"I think so. I'm still alive, right?"

He smiled at me, "Yes, you are. Ryker will be okay. He is very capable of handling himself." He took my hand and squeezed it.

"How do you know him?" I asked, figuring that our seven hour drive was as good a time as any to get answers to all the questions I had been searching for—for months.

"Ryker is the guardian knight for the prince and heir of the kingdom of Haleston. Unfortunately, Haleston suffered from corruption. Ryker suggested to the Prince that he should go into hiding, but Prince Lamont did not want to hide; he thought it cowardly. During that time of unrest and confusion, Prince Tarick, Prince Lamont's younger brother, murdered his own father and tricked his brother, so Prince Lamont ended up in the Dungeons of the Mist. That is a terrible place—filthy, black, rocky caves, which are vast, dark, deep, and smell of rot. There was once an old, wicked king who was imprisoned within that very rock, but he somehow escaped, and that was the beginning of the end. The Dungeons of the Mist with its hundreds of tunnels that lead to nowhere , rumored to have been dug by the Traitor King in order to drive the Terrans placed down there mad. However, Lamont's brother, Tarick, saw the dungeons as the perfect opportunity to hide the Prince away until he died a slow and miserable death—or went insane."

"That—that is, or I mean—Lamont was—my father, Shad."

Shad turned quickly, looking at me with shock in his eyes.

"What? He never had any children; he never married," Shad said quickly.

"He married my mother, here."

"You are the daughter of Prince Lamont?" Shad asked again, a look of shock in his eyes.

"Mary said I was," I nodded in her direction.

"I cannot believe it. It all connects; I feel like a fool for not thinking of it sooner," he exclaimed with a laugh.

"What connects?"

"You see, years later, Ryker made his way into the dungeons to search for your father. He ended up getting trapped in there for a time. I traveled to Haleston on an errand from my father, the King of Embra. Your uncle, Tarick, had me thrown into the dungeons—because I kind of tried to dethrone him, and then I discovered Ryker down there. Then we found ourselves here—on Earth, through a portal."

"So that is how you met?"

"I had seen him throughout my life, during my visits to Haleston every once in a while. But, because my mother was the princess of Torren, before she married my father, the crown prince of Embra, we visited often. The king and queen of Torren were my grandparents, so when I was young I remember seeing him there before he became Lamont's knight in Haleston."

"You are related to Snow White?" I gasped remembering Torren being the kingdom in my mom's book that had that fairytale. The princess was named Scarlet.

"Snow White?" he asked.

"Scarlet? The princess who broke her curse of beauty?" I clarified.

"Ah, yes, she is a distant relation," Shad said with a soft smile.

"That would explain your dark hair–and why you are so–"

"Beautiful?" he chuckled and I shoved his shoulder making him laugh harder. "Her curse was broken if you recall," Shad said.

"Yes, I know. Wow, this is so crazy. But you knew Ryker because of this?"

"Yes, Torren is where he grew up. He spent much time at court there. He traveled to my kingdom, Embra, a few times also. He is a direct descendant of a very powerful knight family line. Terran knights used to be praised for being unlike any other."

"King Ronin's family line?" I asked, remembering the story. Scarlet was cursed to be beautiful, and a knight named Ronin saved her. "Then you and Ryker are related?"

"Yes, distantly. One of King Ronin and Scarlet's children–third born, I believe–is where he has relations to the crown."

"Wow, it's still baffling that these stories are real, and that someone else knows them," I sighed.

"Your mother was wise for teaching you so much, without you ever knowing." We were silent for a few minutes. My mind kept thinking about the stories. I thought about Embra, where Shad's father was from.

"Are there still dragons in Embra?" I asked.

"Yes, I know of a few, but they are rare."

"My mother's stories spoke of Embra having magical fire dragons and fire flowers," I said.

"Fire flowers are enchanting. You would love them," Shad said with a smile.

"So, what happened to make Ryker hate you?"

"You would have to ask him that." He took a couple breaths. "After we came out of the portal and into a cave here on Earth, Ryker headed out to search for your father's melody, and obviously, he found it, and Ryker, being a guardian knight, would not leave him. Guardian knights are a sworn people. It is in their very blood and souls to protect the rightful heirs of Terra; they vow to protect, and they will do all in their power to protect and guard and fight to keep their heirs safe. Before he left me, he acted like a guardian to me for a time. I think that without someone to guard, he felt a little useless."

"So you and Ryker were friends?"

Shad shrugged.

"So, let me get this straight—you both used to be friends and then you went your separate ways?"

He nodded. "That pretty much sums us up."

"But why does he want you to stay away from me? It's clear you've helped me," I said pointing to the necklace, while meaning so much more. He brought me to life; his melody was what I needed to survive the sorrow of my life.

"Because of what we have between us. It scares him. He will always need an Heir to protect, and you are his Heir to protect."

We were silent for a time after Shad's explanation. I had so much new information to digest that I didn't even know what to ponder first. There was the fact that my parents had lived some secret life. Mary said they didn't want me to long for Terra, like they did, but I did long for it in a way. I felt that knowing about it would have made me more complete. I loved my mother's stories and had imagined them being real for so many years. There was always a hole within me that needed to be filled.

Mary insisted that we make stops at random places along the coastline. Mary, Shad, and Keil were all shielding their melodies. I didn't need to shield my melody because I had the crystal from Shad. I was very grateful for it, laying against my chest; its warmth felt like an anchor, keeping me in place and safe.

We drove four hours and finally arrived at some coastal town and checked in at a very old hotel, named Seagull Creek. I thought: that is just about the worst name for a beachside property that has ever been created. I mean, first of all, who likes seagulls? They poop on you and steal your food and don't even get me started about the spreading of diseases. Then there is the obvious creek—like, really people? This is the ocean! You couldn't be more incorrect. I stared at the sign for a while, and Shad nudged my shoulder.

"It is just a hotel. Does the name really matter?" he smiled, holding back a laugh.

"Shad, this is a ridiculous name, I mean, Creek , really?" I pulled my bag from the trunk and followed Mary and Keil down the outside of the building. They found our rooms, and Mary stuck the key card in, holding the door open for me.

Maybe there is a creek nearby , Shad floated that to me.

Maybe pigs can fly, I floated, through my melody, back to him.

They fly on Terra.

What? I sent him quickly.

Just kidding—

I shook my head as a picture of a pig flying over a babbling creek popped into my head.

"SHAD!" Then I heard laughter in my soul, and I could not help but send it back to him. I needed that. I needed to laugh.

That next morning, I woke up to dense fog on the coast. I stretched my aching limbs from the car ride and walked to the large window of our hotel room. It overlooked the ocean, but I couldn't see the water because of all of the fog that blocked the view. I slipped on a sweatshirt and my shoes and made my way down into the lobby. Soon, I had a cup of steaming hot chocolate, and I headed for the deck that wrapped around one side of the hotel. I watched as the sun peeked through the fog; then, I sat and closed my eyes for a moment. The calm within the constant crashing of waves soothed my weary mind, and I focused on it. So much had happened in such a short amount of time. Ryker knew my parents had been murdered, and he was looking for their murderer, and was correct in doing so. What would've happened if he had chosen to be open with me—if he had told me who he was—who I was, and what exactly was going on? Maybe he knew Mary was trying to find the right time to let me know I was Terran, but Ryker should have told me. What I could not figure out was how in my limited memories, did I have one of a six or seven year-old Ryker when he was supposedly a superior human who didn't age, so how was that even possible? Maybe he isn't Terran after all, I thought as I continued to listen to the crashing of the waves. I'd never heard his melody before, right? I had a song in my head, a song just for him, which reminded me of him. I stopped sipping my hot chocolate. That was it; that was his melody, I knew it; I knew the sound of it, and I could hum it right then.

So I'd heard both Shad's and Ryker's melodies. Shad explained that hearing melodies is how humans on Terra connected when not using verbal language. Shad's melody was much stronger than Ryker's or than any of them. Was that just because they all shielded their melodies? I also wondered about being a royal of Haleston. I didn't want to be from that kingdom, and it was obvious from what Mary told me about Tarick, there was still evil there. How could my father be related to such an evil man—and his own brother no less! How could his own brother kill his own father—my grandfather? How could he then sentence his own brother, my father, to an agonizing death?

I really hoped I would never have to meet that Tarick guy again, the man who caused my family so much pain.

Another thought came to me: What are the odds of Shad just happening to move in right across the street from me? Maybe he had a lot more to do with everything. He said he had been searching for me for lifetimes–What does that mean, exactly? I had barely lived one lifetime. I wondered about his family and what they might have been thinking about what might have happened to him— for all of this time. I wondered if they had lost hope of ever seeing him again. My own uncle sentenced him to the same dungeons as my father, and like my father, he arrived here. Why? Why did they all come here? Were there more reasons than this Earth realm, as they called it, being a safe haven for magical beings? There has to be something more to all of this— I was certain of it. I opened my eyes and saw the sun had chased away more of the fog, and as I sat up, I could see the dark blue-green of the water below. Black and brown jagged rocks were exposed, and waves crashed into them, spraying up white foam and causing small, little trickles of salty water to fall down the insides, water trying to drain back into the ocean before other waves crashed into the rocks again. But the cycle repeated, and the rocks' trickling never stopped, and the waves never stopped.

"Good morning," Mary sat down beside me with a drink in her hand.

"Good morning," I replied.

"Are you doing alright with all of this, Emma? I know it's a lot."

I thought about that question: Am I okay? Sure, I had like a million questions, but everything made sense, and I could not deny its truth–only grapple with it.

"Yes, I am," I answered, sipping some of my hot chocolate, which at that time, was just warm chocolate. How long have I been out here? I thought.

"You are an incredible young woman, Emma." She shook her head. "I am not sure if I could handle all of this as well as you have."

"I do have questions."

"Like—?"

"Is Ryker one of us? How did I go throughout my entire life, growing up with him? Like, I remember him being small like I was, and yet, you all don't age the same as humans on Earth."

Mary set her cup down and looked out to the water.

"He is a guardian knight; there is much that we do not know about them; however, it is thought that they can change and become whoever or whatever they need to be for the person or family they are protecting. I never saw him as a little boy; he was always the same Ryker to me as he is now. But you, you could see him the way you needed to see him until the time was right."

"What about school? Everyone around us thought he was our age, too."

"He can adapt minds, I believe, to make people see him how he needs to be seen. It is an Ancient's gift that only the guardian knight-line possesses. He isn't able to use it for anything other than for helping to guard and protect one of the Heirs. The Ancients set in place limits to each power they gift to us."

"So he wasn't ever a little boy,"

She nodded, no .

That was something strange to wrap my head around. I leaned against the back of the chair and watched the waves for a time. "I really wish Ryker had told me."

"He wanted to, but he was worried that telling you might make you worry for nothing."

"I've been worrying. How could he think I wouldn't discover that something was going on? I was his best friend. Maybe most of it is made up, but for me, it was real, and I knew and loved him, and he should have told me a long time ago; you all should have." I tried not to scream my words out near the end. I calmed my breathing and closed my eyes, letting the rhythm of the ocean calm me down for a moment.

"I understand, Emma; I didn't think it was right to keep you from it, but your parents did what they thought was best. Ryker is sworn to do whatever your parents say." She reached out and took my hand.

"I am worried about him. No matter how irritated and confused I am about all the details, the truth is that I'm scared, Mary. What if we never find him, or what if we do, and it's too late?" A tear dripped down my cheek, and I let it fall.

"All we can do is hope. It's only been one full day since he checked in with me. Maybe there is nothing wrong and we are just overreacting."

"Shad said he received word through his family's company that Ryker had been captured, captured by people who do not believe in the Ancients—people who want to find me and murder me, just like they did to my parents—because they hate us." Another tear fell.

"Okay, honey, I am sorry; I was trying—"

"I just want the honest truth from now on; I think I've earned that," I said, looking at her while wiping away tears.

She nodded. "Emma, we will find him." I could feel how determined she was to that end.

I wasn't so sure of that, and it hurt to think about it.

"Do you know that the last conversation we had was a fight? An argument about my parents' deaths? He blames himself; he knew it was murder, and he blames himself. Even if he is some knight-guard-thing, he still has his limits."

"Ryker blames himself solely for their deaths, as any guardian knight would. I assure you, I have tried to tell him that there was nothing he could have done to prevent their deaths, but he never got over it."

"But he knew they were murdered, and I didn't want him looking for the murderer. I yelled at him. He was hurting, and he was only trying to protect me and find the person responsible—for my parents' deaths."

"Emma, you were healing from everything. You just lost your mother and your father, and were in a horrific crash. I do believe he understands your hesitation. You believed that you were from this Earth realm, so he cannot fault you, Emma; he cannot. He doesn't."

I spent a few more hours on that deck, talking with Mary. The sun rose, eventually, high into the sky, and it started to get warm out. We had long before finished our drinks, but we sat there talking, and sometimes, we just stared into the ocean waves together. Eventually, we walked back toward our room.

"What do you think about you and Shad?" Mary asked me as we made a detour in order to take a short walk before we went back to our room.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it isn't normal for us to be able to communicate in the way you can with Shad, Emma. It was something only the Ancients could do."

"What does that mean?"

"It isn't something you should take lightly. There is great power in it. Many prophecies talked about such a connection. It's a powerful one. You do come from an Ancient line, and although far removed now, it still holds power."

"I don't understand," I looked at her as she focused on the path ahead of us.

"There are a lot of people on Terra that, I hope anyway, still believe in the Ancients. Years after the stories your mother told you in that book had transpired, Ancients began mingling and inter-marrying with humans, and over time, some of their posterity were discovered to possess the Ancients' abilities. There was a prophecy that foretold that someone from the Ancient Heir line would be born with a melody louder and more pure than any ever before."

"Are you saying?"

"Yes–you, Emma. The prophecy was kept safe for a long time by my people, the keepers. We were blessed by the Ancients, blessed with the gift to help the race of Ancient Heirs, who could see into the future; they were called seekers. Most of the keepers, who were blessed humans, died long ago. Your mother and I came from a small village in the Kingdom of Sorra. Our kingdom, also home to the Jinn, was known as the birthplace of the seekers, who were part of the royal family and were Ancient Heirs, blessed with the seeker's ability, and we, the keepers, worked with them and helped to train them. We revered them and protected them. We believed that if the seekers were ever lost, then we could never know the way back to the Ancients, and light would be gone forever. But on the night your mother and I left our kingdom, the last of the small number of seekers became corrupt."

"A seeker is a type of an Ancient Heir, and I am also an Ancient Heir–but my gift is to save the world?" I paused. "How? You have to be joking."

"You will help . The Creator will not leave you alone with that task."

We just looked at each other for a few moments.

She continued, "Also, yes , seekers have the gift to seek; they seek out information from the future and give prophecies. Those prophecies are recorded in the High Halls, which are stretched across the kingdoms in the blessed lands, and when a prophecy comes to pass, a huge celebration is held to honor that seeker for receiving knowledge from the Ancients."

"This is all just so unreal."

"I know, Emma, and I am so sorry. With time, you will learn how it all works."

While I highly doubted that any amount of time would help me, because time had proven to me, over and over again, how much of a jerk it could be, I didn't say anything about it.

"How come I never heard my mother's or my father's melodies?"

"They knew how to shield them. Even though it is frowned upon, we all know how to shield our melodies."

"Except for me," I added, looking down at my feet.

"Emma, you didn't grow up on Terra. You were not trained as we were. Your melody has been suppressed for nearly sixteen years. Having a melody is new for you, sweetheart. How can you expect to shield a huge part of yourself?"

"Yes, I guess, but still, if I am the reason Ryker is in trouble—"

"Stop that. What is done is done. We cannot dwell on what we could have done or might have done or didn't do. We must live in the now, Emma, and right now, we are going to save Ryker."

I nodded as we reached our hotel room door.

"Thank you, Mary, for talking with me. I do not know what I would do without you. I am so grateful for you." I gave her a hug and buried my face in her shoulder.

"I will always be here for you, Emma."