Page 127 of Quest for her Knights
I sit across from her and place the bottles on the table. Her eyes are still wild, darting everywhere but at me, so I reach out and place my palm on the table in front of her.
“Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe here.” She finally looks at me and gives a tiny nod. “Do you want to tell me your name?”
“W-Willow.”
“Hi Willow, I’m Aribella. I’m not sure what’s going on, or how you ended up here, but you’re safe. I’ll help you figure it out.”
The truth was, I had no idea how to help her. It’s not like her doppelgänger had come through the Enchanted Veil and I could just send her to Dyconia to be safe. I’d have to keep her with me in my apartment upstairs. But depending on what she’s running from, that might not be enough protection.
I give her a closer look. She’s filthy, wearing only a dirty nightgown that was probably once white. The more I look, the more bruises and marks I see across her arms and everywhere her skin is exposed. It’s almost as if she’s been held captive.
Heavens above… maybe Idoneed to involve the police.
I stand and grab a hoodie from the cupboard, offering it to her.
“T-thank you,” she whispers, pulling it on immediately. She’s tiny and frail and looks to be in her early twenties.
“Are you running from someone?” I ask gently, needing to know what we’re up against.
She nods. “My f-father.”
My eyebrows rise in surprise. “Is he the one who did that to you?”
She nods again. “Some of it. H-he’s crazy. He said he’s going to k-kill me.”
“Kill you?” I ask, stunned. “Why?”
“He’s the leader of a cult. He was trying to get me to marry his second-in-command. But P-Paul is even older than my father, and crueler.” My hands tighten in anger around the skirt of my dress as I wait for her to continue. “He’s kept me locked up all my life. He said it was to protect my innocence. Now he says I must give my purity to Paul, or I’ll be offered up as a sacrifice."
“What kind of cult actually sacrifices virgins?” I ask, alarmed. “I thought that was a myth.”
“I-I’ve never seen it done before, so maybe he was lying. But I’d rather die than lie with Paul. He’s vile.”
“Willow, I think we should call the police,” I say tentatively.
Her eyes widen and she shakes her head quickly. “You can’t! He has friends on the force. They’ll say I made it all up.”
“Okay,” I say slowly, nodding as I try to figure out how to help her. “You can stay with me w—” I cut myself off, tilting my head. “Wait, how did you end up in my bookstore, anyway?”
She lets out a strange laugh and shakes her head. “I’m not sure. I found a chance to get away and I just started running. It’s probably been a few hours. I didn’t know where I was going, but my body seemed to know. As soon as I got outside your door, I just stopped running. My chest was pulling me in here.”
“Your chest? Not your head?” I ask.
She nods. “I can’t explain it, but I felt like I had to come in here.”
“Hmm,” I hum, thinking about my books. That’s exactly how I describe soulmate bonds: a pull in the chest. But she’s not my soulmate, and there’s no one else in here.
I glance over at the door where I create the portals to Dyconia. Could it be that she’s feeling the pull before it’s even open? That’s never happened before, but maybe the danger of her situation pushed up her timeline.
The problem is, I can’t send her through without finding her doppelgänger. But, maybe…
I stand and move to the door, placing my palm against it and closing my eyes.
“W-what are you doing?” Willow asks nervously.
“I have a theory. If I’m right, I’ll be able to send you somewhere far away from here. Somewhere safe, where your father will never find you.”
“What do—Oh my!” she exclaims as light spreads from my hand, engulfing the entire door. The glow fades, leaving a soft shimmer around the edges.
