Page 28 of Their World

“Okay, I’ll be right out,” I called back as I tried to calm my racing heart.

Chapter

Eight

Lying in the garden in my snake form, I enjoyed the warm sunlight along my scales and tried to figure out why I had such an uneasy feeling in my stomach.

Dhun lay near me, his eyes open as he kept guard. Zoman sat in the shade, humming a song that sounded familiar, though I couldn’t place where I knew it from.

Yesterday, the Grand Advisor had come to see me, but when I brought up the “goddess” issue, he had gotten mad and then, strangely, I couldn’t remember much of what we talked about after that. It was even more strange since Zoman claimed we had been in the conference room for over an hour and the Grand Advisor had come out very upset. So upset that he had stormed out of the castle without speaking to Jol or anyone else.

The more time I spent with the Grand Advisor, the less afraid of him I became. He was clearly trying his best to help the people here, though his abilities were limited since he could not help the land or grow things.

I felt the energy shift seconds before someone jumped over the wall, startling Dhun and Zoman to their feet.

“Lily!” a familiar female voice exclaimed.

I shifted to my human form and opened my eyes to find Talrinir squatted before me. Blood dripped down her head, one floppy ear completely coated in blood, and there were cuts all over her arms.

“Talrinir! What happened?” I gasped as I stood and hurried to examine her.

“He knows,” she hissed. “He figured out I knew about you and sent his minions to try to kill me. It’s not safe, you need to go. You need to return to your world.”

“Wait, slow down. What are you talking about?”

“Who knows what?” Zoman demanded as he came up behind me.

She searched my face a moment, brows furrowed, then her eyes widened and she asked, “Did the Grand Advisor come to see you recently?”

“Yes, I met with him yesterday.”

“What did you tell him?” She gripped my arms hard, her claws against my skin, but not piercing. “Princess, what did you tell him?”

“I—I don’t know. I don’t remember much of yesterday, to be honest.”

She growled and said something in a language I didn’t understand.

“Talrinir, what is going on?” Zoman snapped.

“He’s erased her memory,” she whispered and cupped my face. “If I’m right, Grand Advisor now knows that you’re the prophesized one, what your lineage is, and you are in grave danger. I don’t know why he hasn’t killed you already, but you threaten everything he’s done. Come with me now and I’ll?—”

“You’re not taking her anywhere,” Jol growled as he approached us. His aura was dark, billowing around him like a storm.

Talrinir dropped into a low bow, her head on the ground. “Your Majesty.”

“Talrinir, why do you think he’s going to hurt me?” I asked, ignoring Jol for the moment.

“He’s not who he seems. He isn’t a demon,” she whispered. “You threaten to reveal his true identity and to take away everything he’s spent the last decade building.”

“How do you know about this?” Jol asked.

“We females spend our time on the edges of demon society. We watch many things happen that those within the walls don’t see. I think …” she swallowed hard, “… I think he has been brainwashing people and taking or overwriting their memories.” She looked at me and asked, “Do you remember the note I gave you?”

My brows furrowed. “Note? What note?”

She whined. “It’s as I feared. I gave you a note, told you that you were in danger and to meet me today. When I was attacked, I knew I had to come find you.”

“You are making a lot of serious accusations,” Jol said. “What proof do you have?”

---