Page 6 of Contract Marked (Interdimensional Beings #1)
Chapter Six
Erin
A knock stirred me awake. Groggy-eyed, I scanned the sunlit room for the source of the noise, finding my door had returned. I searched for another way out of the room for most of the night, banging on walls, trying to open the windows, then trying to smash them open with no luck, as if they were made of something sturdier than glass.
The engraved symbol on the silver slate didn’t grant me another door or a way to leave, surely due to some ‘restriction’ Saya had mentioned. More like Dez didn’t want me freely roaming his mansion. I didn’t want to either, but what else did he expect me to do when Megan could be in danger and time was slipping away in my world?
“One second,” I called out. I slept in my jeans and T-shirt versus the silk pajamas the silver slate had provided. I wanted to be prepared for anything, and I wouldn’t put it past Dez to suddenly drop me into a meeting with the Council wearing nothing but a pair of silk pajamas. Which was odd, because I’d never slept in silk pajamas, nor had I any desire to change out my clothes when I touched the silver slate, which led me to believe that Dez had certainly tampered with it somehow.
I opened the door to find the man who had been standing next to Saya when I first arrived. He wore a purple collared shirt tucked into a pair of fitted slacks, his brown hair combed perfectly into place. While he was certainly handsome, he didn’t possess the same eerie beauty as Dez and the strange dark-haired being from yesterday, which meant he was human if my gut was right. Saya had said she was human, so it would make sense this man and the blonde-haired woman were also, but were they truly Dez’s playthings , as the dark-haired being had said? Or were they as trapped as I was?
“Good morning.” He smiled as he walked inside and closed the door. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”
I shook my head, taking a few steps back. Even if he was human, I wasn’t going to let my guard down.
“Forgive me, I didn’t quite catch your name the other day, but you may call me Rowan.”
More like Dez had tried to sweep me under the rug as if I was some problem he could ignore. “Lynn,” I lied. The less he knew, the better.
“Lynn,” he repeated, hopefully not catching the false note in my voice. “Pleasure to meet you. I’d welcome you to our family, but Master has briefly informed us of your circumstances.”
I refrained from asking him how much he knew and instead said, “I hope he sent word on a date of when I could leave?”
Rowan’s smile dimmed. “Yes, he sent me to tell you your date with the Council will be held in four realm cycles.”
I stared at him. “Can you put that in human terms?”
“Of course. As I’m sure you know, time works a bit differently here. It’s hard to translate exact times and dates in a way Lower Realms’ beings—us humans—understand, but the closest I can explain would be when the moon in this dimension goes through a full moon cycle four times.”
My heart sank to my stomach. “Are you meaning to tell me my trial date is four months away?”
He adjusted the collar of his shirt. “Actually, night and day cycles are a bit different here, and they can change depending on Master’s moods or the surrounding environments that affect this dimension. A realm cycle is like a moon cycle, but they’re not the same.” He blew out a breath. “I’m sorry I’m not explaining this well. I don’t fully understand it either, but your meeting date will probably be closer to six months to a year in your terms.”
“A year !” I yelled, and he flinched. “You’re kidding. Please tell me you’re kidding.”
He fidgeted with his collar once more. “It’s not so bad. You’re lucky to be contracted to our Master; he’s by far the most lenient and handsome, might I add.” His cheeks darkened. “Time will go by quickly. Saya and I have been with Master for a while, but Lucille is new like you. I’m sure we’ll all get along well.”
Rowan continued to ramble, but all I could hear was ‘six months to a year’ on repeat in my head over and over again. There’s no way I’m staying here for a year.
“We all like to gather for teatime when the sun is at its peak, and when Master is home, we’ll go out to stargaze by the lake, sometimes even—”
“Where is Dez?” I interrupted. “I need to speak with him. Now .” Mr. Shadow Demon was acting like a coward sending poor Rowan to tell me the bad news, knowing how I’d feel about being stuck here for a year .
“I know you’re still adjusting, but I do want to stress the rules. The first one is to never address the master of the house by his given name unless requested.” He looked around the room as if there were eyes and ears that would emerge from the walls any second before whispering, “I’m not saying this to be mean. It’s for your sake, as much as mine. Following the rules protects all of us. Master is kinder than most, but they’re not like us. When they experience strong enough emotions, it affects the whole dimension, and it can cause … deathly catastrophes for beings who aren’t a part of The Higher Realms.” His eyes grew distant as if recalling said catastrophe.
I closed my eyes, just for a moment, trying to collect myself. Rowan wasn’t to blame. I knew that. This was Dez’s fault, but the more Rowan told me, the more I realized just how screwed I really was. I wanted Megan here with me, knowing she was safe and sound. I wanted to be back in my boring, plain apartment. I'd even miss my soul-sucking corporate job if it meant I clocked in every day, knowing what to expect.
Sometimes, this boring, everyday routine is something we take for granted. Life could be much worse.
If only I had heeded that fortune teller’s warning.
“Is there any way I can meet with him ?” I refused to call Dez Master.
“He already anticipated your reaction and warned me to let you know he’ll speak to you on his terms and to tell you our rules in the meantime.”
The bastard.
I refrained from taking my anger out on Rowan as he continued, “So to reiterate, rule number one: Never address the master of the house by his given name unless requested. Rule number two: Never make demands, only requests. Only then will Master consider granting them. Rule number three: Never leave the estate’s perimeter as a protective barrier is placed around it. It usually resembles a large stone wall, but it can shift depending on the danger present, which can be deadly to all beings aside from the master of the house. Rule number four …”
There were thirty-three rules in total, most I had admittedly already forgotten. I told Rowan as much, and he provided me with a lamented piece of paper with each rule written out in curling script. He also mentioned if any of the rules should change, the piece of paper will update automatically. He insisted I keep this on my person at all times to avoid any trouble. I nodded, still reeling from today’s turn of events, as I tucked the piece of paper in my purse. I kept it beside my bed on the off chance my phone would chime with a notification, not that I had any service here. My fingers brushed the coin, and I quickly hid my face with a curtain of hair as a wave of hope surged through me.
“I know this is all a lot to take in, but we really are like a family here, so please come to us if you have any questions or concerns. Again, we meet every day for teatime when the sun is at its highest in the sunroom toward the back of the mansion. It’s one of the few rooms that never changes and has great views of the lake, oceans, or mountains, depending on what Master is feeling that day. I hope to see you then.”
I waited several minutes after Rowan left before leaving my room, slipping the silver coin that the fortuneteller gave me into my pocket. Rowan mentioned the rooms and hallways changed, which at least confirmed what I had seen the past few days, but I had noted one other room that remained the same as the sunroom.
The library was relatively normal, with shelves of books lining the perimeter of the room, separated only by a wood platform that reached the second level of shelves. I climbed the spiral stairwell, the polished mahogany railing cool and smooth beneath my fingers. I ducked beneath floating white and green candles, reminding me I wasn’t in Georgia, or anywhere on Earth for that matter, before pausing in front of a row of books. Dez didn’t have Wi-Fi as far as I knew, and since I didn’t see any computers, the second-best source of knowledge was going to be books.
Tracing the engraved symbols along the silver coin in my pocket, I searched.
Not all books were in English, but as soon as I opened them, the language blurred into one I could read. I skimmed through several large tomes, like the one Megan had brought, but didn’t find any that mentioned the Laws of the Higher Realms, and I was sure Dez had hidden that book somewhere private. A tug, whether by my own subconscious or the strange otherworldliness of this place, pulled me toward the shelf to the left, to a leatherbound journal with scratchy handwritten notes versus typed text. An image formed in my mind, me whispering into the journal, and I decided it couldn’t hurt to try.
“What does this coin mean?” I asked it.
The ink started to bleed as if someone had pressed down a ballpoint pen, draining its black ink onto the paper before it moved across the page, forming words and pictures. It took everything in me not to drop the book, but a sensation in my gut told me this would have the answers I needed.
The ink continued to swirl, bend, and wriggle across the page, disappearing and reappearing as I read.
Make sure the relic is in physical contact with your being…Envision what you need, letting your desire dance with the energetic properties of the relic…Use at your own risk…
The written words then transformed into images of someone who looked eerily like me, holding the coin while concentrating. I briefly wondered if the journal was somehow alive, like the face that had emerged from the front gate to Dez’s mansion. With that thought, I quickly put the journal back, suddenly uncomfortable, but at least I had some answers. Now, it was time to test out if the journal was telling the truth.
The sun hung overhead by the time I returned to my room. The sky was clear of clouds, the vibrant red and gold trees cascading down a series of rolling hills in the distance where the lake had once been. It was beautiful but terrifying how quickly this world changed. Too volatile, held at the whims of a being I didn’t understand and who hated my guts.
I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at my reflection. I had found a hair tie in my purse, tying my hair into a high ponytail, the brown strands falling over my shoulder just above my breast. The skin beneath my eyes looked more discolored than usual, the rest of my skin deathly pale in comparison due to stress and lack of sleep. I held the coin in my hand, my purse strapped to my side, and stared intently at the ordinary mirror, preparing myself for what came next.
No matter what Rowan said, time wouldn’t pass easily for me, and I refused to be trapped here for a year. Not when I didn’t know what was going to happen next. Not when I couldn’t talk my way out of things or knew the rules of this world and what governed its people outside of a handful of torn pages still kept in my purse—which, oddly, Dez hadn’t confiscated yet, but maybe he was confident enough in his abilities to trap me here that it didn’t matter.
Megan used to say I was like a yo-yo, wound tight most of the time but let loose only when the right person held the string. I disagreed. I was more like checkers—simple and straightforward for those who knew the rules. But there was nothing simple and straightforward about any of this.
“Here goes nothing.” I gripped the silver coin, envisioning Megan, when a knock came at the bedroom door.
“Lynn?” It was Rowan. “I didn’t see you in the sunroom for tea and wondered if you got lost.” The door rattled, but I had locked it earlier when I returned.
I frowned, debating on replying, but thought better of it. If I pretended I wasn’t there, maybe he’d go away. I focused back on the mirror and thought about Megan, the Council’s prison, and what it would look like, but Rowan continued to knock, breaking my concentration. I blocked it out and focused again, my thoughts trailing to the trial, to the mysterious being Dez hated more than me, and how he would get me a meeting with them.
“Lynn?”
Megan, focus on Megan.
I felt the tingling in my hands at first, then it trickled down to my toes. Images of Megan in her stylish striped shirt and blue jeans as she sat on my couch, flashing me her model-worthy smile, entered my mind. Then imaginary shadowy figures of the Council, all gathered around a conference table, overtook my thoughts before dissolving into a pair of blue eyes, golden blonde hair, and full lips.
My eyes flew wide as the bedroom door opened. I slammed the bathroom door and locked it in time before Rowan could enter. How did he get in here?
“Lynn? Are you okay?”
I gritted my teeth until I noticed the mirror had changed. My reflection wavered as if the glass had turned to water, my face cascading in a series of ripples across its surface until it changed to a dimly lit bedroom, the room too distorted to make out its inhabitants.
It worked. The journal was right, I had opened a portal to where Megan was. Whatever this coin was, it really was the answer to navigating this world and getting me and Megan out of it.
“Lynn?” Rowan was knocking at the bathroom door now, and my patience evaporated.
“Take a freaking hint. I’m not going, so go away and leave me alone.”
I double-checked my purse was tightened close to my person as I tested my balance on the bathroom counter, the cold marble digging into my jeans. I pressed a hand to the mirror, my fingers sinking into it like quicksand. My pulse quickened, and my body broke out in a cold sweat. What if it teleported me somewhere worse? What if entering this portal killed me?
“I can’t,” Rowan said. “The Master is attending teatime with us today and has requested your presence.” A hopeful note entered his voice. “You wished to speak to him, right? Now’s your chance.”
I closed my eyes. Now wasn’t the time to feel guilty for someone I hardly knew. My only objective was to get me and Megan back home. I wasn’t a hero here to save everyone, just a woman looking to fix her own mistakes.
“Sorry,” I whispered as I took a deep breath and shoved myself into the moving mirror.