Page 2 of Quest for her Knights (The Lost Souls of Dyconia #5)

Chapter two

Elora

M y mind is spinning. I pace Ari’s bookshop, waiting for her to return.

She took her guest upstairs to her apartment hours ago and told me she’d be back once she finished explaining things to her.

I asked if I could go too so that she could explain it to both of us at the same time, but she said it would be too hard to explain two sides of this at once.

So here I am, pacing her bookshop and wondering what the hell just happened. Was that some sort of magic? Is Ari a witch? No, she’d tell me if she was, wouldn’t she?

I hear the door at the back of the shop, the one that leads to the stairs up to her apartment, open and close, followed by the sound of her gentle footsteps approaching. When she sees me, she sighs and holds out two wine glasses, both filled to the brim.

“Drink? ”

“God, yes!” I say, taking the offered glass as we settle back into the beanbag chairs we were sitting on a few hours ago.

We both take a few sips, watching each other, saying nothing.

“Soo…” I trail off, waiting for her to start.

“So,” she says with a sigh. “Where do I even start?”

“Are you a witch?”

“A witch? Heavens, no!” Her surprised expression shifts to a frown as she adds, “Well… at least, I don’t think I am.”

“Ariiiiiiii,” I whine, letting my head drop back. “Explain what that even means.”

“Okay, well, I do seem to have some sort of magic, but I don’t know why or what it is. I don’t think I’m a witch, but I also don’t know what I am.”

“And what was that back there?” I gesture toward her office. “Did you… open a portal or something?”

“Yes. That’s exactly what I did. The Enchanted Veil is the white office space you saw. I have to go there in order to open a door to Dyconia, which is where that woman was from.”

“My doppelganger?”

“Yeah… about that,” she says, licking her lips as she stares into her wine glass, looking nervous.

“Ari, you can tell me. I won't be mad.”

“It’s complicated.”

“I’ve got nowhere to go.”

It’s true. I’ve lived on my own ever since moving out of my parents’ home at the age of eighteen, six years ago. My parents were good people, but I had no interest in living in Michigan a moment longer. It was always cold and had never felt like home to me.

Pacific Cove, on the other hand, felt like home the moment I arrived in this oceanside California town. Sure, I could only afford a place in the sketchier part of town, but you can enjoy hot weather from anywhere.

“That pain I was getting earlier, it happens when someone needs to leave Dyconia and come to this world. It keeps coming until I open a portal and let them through. Normally, I have a few hours before it gets that intense.”

“Why was it different this time?” I ask, taking another sip of the fruity wine.

“I think it was the desperation of her soul to get out of there.”

“Her soul?” I ask, already feeling confused.

“Yes. You see, some women are born in the wrong realm. Her soul was always meant to be born in this one, what I call the human realm, but it got switched and ended up in Dyconia instead. I’m able to pull her through the Enchanted Veil so she can live where she was always supposed to be.”

“Wow.” I try to take in what she’s just told me. Other people might think it’s just some crazy, made-up story, but Ari never lies to me. And after what I saw today, I expected something pretty wild.

“But why does she look like me?” I ask, still feeling confused .

She stares at me with a worried expression, pressing her lips together tightly.

“What? Ari? What aren’t you telling me?”

“It means that you were supposed to be born in Dyconia, that you’re going to have to go through the veil.”

“Ex-squeeze me?” I ask, stunned. “I have to go live there? For how long?”

“Forever, Elora.” Tears fill her eyes, making mine well up too.

“But… but… what about you? And my parents? I won’t see any of you again? Ever?”

“I’m sorry,” she says softly, looking down at her wine glass, unable to meet my gaze.

“I don’t understand. Why can’t I just stay here?”

“That pain I got earlier, it’s already returned, and it will keep getting stronger until you go through the veil.”

“What happens if I never go through?”

“I’m not sure. It’s never happened before.”

“But you’ll be hurting?” I ask.

As if on cue, her face scrunches in pain, though she tries not to react.

“It’s happening now, isn’t it?”

A tear slips from her eye before she quickly nods.

“Hells bells, Ari. Fine, I’ll go.”

“You will?” she asks in surprise. “Just like that? ”

“Of course! I’m not going to let my best friend suffer. Now tell me what I need to know about this place. Is it a parallel world or something?”

“Sort of. To be honest, there’s more I don’t know than I do. Everything I’ve learned comes from the women who’ve come through.”

“So tell me what you do know, so I can be as prepared as possible.”

“Yes, of course. So, the main difference is that Dyconia is kind of like our realm in medieval times, but with a hint of magic.”

“Magic?”

“Yes. It’s not full of witches or shapeshifters or anything like our paranormal romance books.

There are a few rare people who exhibit gifts, like healing or commanding the elements, but they’re very few and far between.

There are some creatures there that don’t exist in our world, so be careful, especially in the woods. But that’s not the important part.”

“What is?” I ask eagerly.

“Men outnumber women. By a lot. I believe it’s something like ten or twenty to one.”

I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face before I cheer, “Hell yes!”

She tries not to laugh at my reaction, but I see her shoulders drop as some of the tension leaves her. “If you like that, you’ll love the next part. ”

“Tell me,” I beg, eager to hear what could possibly be better than a plethora of men to choose from.

“Because of the imbalance, women marry groups of men, often a set of brothers.”

“Wait—” I hold up a hand as I process what she just said. “Let me get this straight. You’re sending me to a world where I get my own reverse harem?”

“Pretty much, yes.”

“Holy cow! This is unreal. Can I go now?” I ask eagerly, making her laugh.

“Soon,” she says, grimacing as another flash of pain consumes her. When it passes, she looks at me again. “When you get there, you’ll basically be taking the place of the Elora that’s upstairs.”

“We have the same name?” I ask in surprise.

“Yes, same name, but now that I’ve met her, I can guarantee your personalities are polar opposites.

Also, it’s unlikely her family looks anything like yours.

I don't understand how all of this works, but in all my experience, there’s only ever been one woman who saw a doppelg?nger of someone she knew here in Dyconia. ”

“Okay… so will I have to explain to her family who I am?”

“Yes, I think you will.”

“Is this… normal for them? Will they believe me?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. I think you have brothers there, and parents, but the upstairs Elora is not an easy person to get information from. In fact, I’m not sure I believe anything she’s said, and I’m pretty sure she’s running from something. I’m sorry I can’t give you more information.”

“Do I have time to call my parents?”

“What would you tell them?”

“I—” I cut myself off, realizing there’s no way to explain this. “Here.” I open my purse and hand her my phone. “Passcode is six-nine-six-nine.”

She laughs at my choice of numbers. I roll my eyes as she takes the phone.

“You’ll have to pretend to be me from now on, I guess. Text my mom every Sunday. If they ever want to meet, just tell them I’m sick or traveling or studying abroad or something.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll do my best. I can take care of your apartment and your belongings. You can’t really take anything—ah!” She grasps her stomach again as a drop of wine spills from her cup.

“I guess we'd better get me through that portal now, huh?” I ask, eyeing her nervously.

“If you don’t mind?”

I down the rest of my wine and stand, then help Ari to her feet. She takes my glass and sets both of them on a table before grabbing my hand and leading me down a row of bookshelves. Halfway down, she stops and turns to face the shelf, skimming the titles.

“What are you looking for?” I ask, glancing at the section of romance books we’ve stopped in front of .

“I’m going to give you a book to take with you. It might give you some ideas,” she says, giving me a wink before continuing her perusal. “Ah! Here it is.” She pulls a blue book off the shelf and hands it to me.

Turning it over, I read the title: Hiding for the Holidays. On the cover is a picture of a woman surrounded by three men. My eyebrows rise, and I look up at her smirking face.

“Elora, you’ve read a lot of romance, but I don’t think you’ve ever actually read reverse harem before, have you?”

“I’ve heard of it, obviously, but you haven’t carried any before.”

“It’s got a huge audience in ebooks, but there isn’t much market for it here. That’s the first one I decided to carry, I thought it'd be a good Christmas read.”

“Dang,” I say, skimming the back cover as we head toward the rear of the store. “It sucks that I’m leaving and won’t get to read any more of them.”

“I have a feeling you’ll be experiencing the real-life version anyway. You’ll be able to write your own book.”

“Ohh, El and the Eligible Bachelors, ” I say with a smile.

“Or Elora’s Medieval Men. ”

“ Eli and Her Dirty Dudes. ”

“ Elora: The Realm-Jumping, Romance-Loving Girl and Her Super Hot Harem. ” I laugh as she places her palm on her office door, the light flashing out just like it did last time .

She pushes it open as I suggest another title. “ Elora: The Woman Who Missed Her Best Friend So Much She Had to Sleep with Fifty Men Just to Stop Crying. ”

“That’s a terrible title,” she says, turning to me. When she sees my eyes watering, she swears. “Dammit, Eli, come here.” She pulls me into a tight hug, and we stand there for a minute as the enormity of the situation hits us.

“I’m going to miss you so much, Aribella.”

“I’m going to miss you, too, more than you know. You’ve been my only friend here.”

“You’re sure you can’t come too?” I ask her hopefully.

“No, the barrier doesn’t let me through.”

“Do you have to do this for the rest of your life?”

She shrugs as she leads me to the other door. “I guess so. It’s not like I got a rulebook or anything. I’m just figuring this out as I go.”

We both watch as she places her palm on the door, and light shoots out. When I open my eyes, she’s turning the knob and pulling it open.

“It’s really dark in there,” I whisper.

“I love you, Elora. Take care, okay? If you ever meet someone named Freya, tell her I’m sorry for drugging her and sending her there unknowingly. And don’t go into the woods on your own, ever.”

“What? Why?” I ask nervously .

“Because you don’t want to run into any trolls or ogres. Love you!”

My eyes widen at her words as she nudges me forward. I step through the doorway but turn my head back, my gaze locked on hers as she gives me a sad smile and waves before slowly closing the door.

The second it shuts, the place I’m in becomes draped in darkness. I spin around slowly, waiting for my eyes to adjust. I see a flickering light and wait as my surroundings become clear.

Stone walls surround me on three sides. Some sort of old cot sits in the corner, and in front of me is a wall of metal bars.

Hells bells. I’m in a dungeon.