Page 3 of Quest for her Knights (The Lost Souls of Dyconia #5)

Chapter three

Blaze

S tanding at the bottom of the stairs, I listen to the quiet dungeon, where Princess Elora is the only occupant. It’s rare to have anyone down here, and the fact that the Princess of the North is the one locked up is entirely shocking.

I still can’t believe she had Princess Freya’s entire family killed and hired assassins to try and finish the job on Freya herself.

I’ve known this girl her whole life. Elora was a beautiful little terror.

She never hesitated to talk down to any of us knights or manipulate people to get what she wanted.

I have no idea how such kind rulers, Queen Althea and the Kings, could raise someone so vile.

Even her brothers, the princes, were kind-hearted and never spoke down to anyone. So the fact that Princess Elora turned out to be so… evil was utterly unexpected .

Speaking of the unexpected, finding out Freya was from another world…

it would’ve been unbelievable if I hadn’t witnessed the change in her myself.

But the princes are happy for the first time in a long time, and I’m pleased for them.

I’ve grown close to them over the years, and aside from Draven and Arrow, they’re my closest friends.

I’m glad to see them finally settle down with a good woman.

But what will become of Elora? If this were anyone else, they’d be executed for treason. But she’s the princess, the daughter of the Queen and kings. Surely they won’t kill her? I’m just glad I’m not the one making the decision.

Elora was screaming up a storm when we brought her down here a few days ago, and she only quietened down a couple hours ago. Arrow and Draven are off duty tonight, attending the princes’ wedding to Freya, leaving me here alone to guard her.

“Hello?” I hear her soft voice call out. “Is anyone there?”

I frown in confusion. She sounds completely different, her voice soft and musical. I listen intently, and after a minute she calls out again, a little louder this time.

“Hello? Can anyone hear me?”

The concern in her voice makes me hesitate only a moment before walking toward her cell at the end of the stone-covered hall. I can see her tiny hands gripping the bars, and when I come into view, both our eyes widen in surprise. I freeze in my tracks.

“Wow, who are you?” she asks in shock .

Who am I?

I’ve known her almost her whole life. But what I’m more concerned about right now is her appearance.

When I placed her in this cell, she was wearing a long pale blue dress. Now, she stands in the shortest pale pink dress I’ve ever seen. Her legs are completely bare, and she wears no shoes. The top of her dress skims the tops of her breasts, drawing my gaze to the exposed skin.

Her hair looks more beautiful than I’ve ever seen it. She’s always kept it shoulder-length and, more often than not, done up in some elaborate updo. But right now, her long copper waves fall around her shoulders, reaching down to her waist.

“Elora… what… what are you wearing?” I ask, unable to keep the question from my lips.

“What? Oh, this?” She seems startled by the direction of my question, but looks down at herself and swings her hips a little so the skirt of her dress does a small twirl, before looking back at me with a massive grin on her face.

“I made it. Do you like it?” She stares at me, waiting for an answer like she really wants to know what I think.

“It looks gorgeous on you,” I admit. My eyes widen in shock at saying such a thing to the princess, and I take a quick step backward, needing to get away from her.

She quickly grasps the bars again. “Wait, don’t leave! What’s your name?” she asks with a tilt of her head, watching me expectantly .

“Blaze.”

“No way! That’s such a cool name… Blaze.” The way my name rolls off her tongue sends a pulse of desire through me that I have no right to feel around the princess.

“I need to go get the princes.”

“Princes? Are we in a castle?” she asks, sounding excited.

I stare at her in confusion for a moment before it clicks.

Different hair, different clothes, clearly a different personality.

Has she switched places with someone, like Freya had?

What are the chances? Deciding I’d better let the princes know before I speak with her further, I answer, “Yes. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Wait here.”

“Very funny!” she shouts as I jog down the hall and upstairs. How the hell was I going to explain this to the princes? They need to see this for themselves.

The door bangs open, and the music in the great hall stops. I stand there, heart pounding, as I scan the room.

“Blaze?” Prince Arlo’s voice cuts through the silence as he strides toward me. “What’s wrong? Is it Elora?”

“Uh, yeah,” I stammer, feeling a little shaky. I hate being the bearer of bad news, especially during a celebration like this. “It’s about Elora.”

“Is she okay? Did she escape?” King Lewis asks, his voice tight with concern. The kings, queen, princes, Princess Freya, Arrow, and Draven all surround me, trying to keep our conversation from being heard by the rest of the guests .

“She’s okay. She’s still in the dungeon.” I rub the back of my neck, feeling every pair of eyes on me. “It’s just... I think the princes and Princess Freya should come down and talk to her.”

I glance at each of them, trying to convey the urgency without sounding completely insane. My stomach twists as I see the confusion on their faces.

“What could she have to say that would warrant us interrupting our wedding celebration?” Arlo demands, his frustration bubbling to the surface.

“I can’t explain it. But trust me, you’ll want to talk to her,” I say, hoping they’ll understand.

Arlo looks at me, then at the others, and finally nods. “Alright.”

I lead the way back down to the cells, the four princes and Princess Freya following me, with Arrow and Draven bringing up the rear. The atmosphere is tense as we descend the winding steps into the cold, dark dungeon.

My heart races, but I try to steady myself. I’m worried she’ll have changed back by the time we get down there, and that thought terrifies me, even if I don’t fully understand why.

As we near her cell, I see her small hands gripping the bars. Her eyes widen when she sees us approaching, her mouth hanging open in surprise. I feel a sense of relief to see that this new, bright-eyed version of her is still here.

Everyone stands still, silently watching her like they don’t know what to say. It’s the same way I felt when I first saw her .

“Wow, are all the men here massive hunks or what?” Her words shock me, making my jaw drop open.

Did she really just say that?

“Elora!” Arlo hisses, anger and confusion battling in his voice. “We’re your brothers! Why would you say such a thing?”

I see a flicker of surprise cross her face. “Brothers?” she asks, almost sounding hopeful. But then her expression falls. “All of you are my brothers?” I see her eyes dart to mine quickly before returning to Arlo.

“No… us five are your brothers,” Prince Talon says with a frown, pointing to each of his brothers.

Relief flickers in her eyes, then she points directly at me. “So, I’m not related to him then, right?”

“What? No, why?” Prince Cash asks, clearly just as baffled as the rest of us.

“’Cause he’s super hot,” she says matter-of-factly, her gaze sweeping over all of us before locking onto Draven and Arrow. “So are they.”

Arrow coughs like he’s choking on his own breath, and I see a spark of confusion in Draven’s eyes before he schools his expression into his signature scowl.

“Elora, did you hit your head?” Prince Grayson asks, stepping closer to the bars, his eyes scanning her for any sign of injury.

“No, I don’t think so. Why?” She tilts her head in confusion.

“You’re not making any sense,” Grayson says, concern etched in his features .

Suddenly, her face lights up. “Oh! I guess you don’t know what’s happened. Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Elora Silverthorn, and I’ve switched places with the Elora from your world, your sister.” She says it with pride, hands on her hips and a broad smile on her face.

“Excuse me?” Cash’s grip tightens around Princess Freya’s hand as he frowns at her.

Her smile falters slightly as she continues. “Well, you see, apparently I belong in this world. My soul was sent to the wrong place, or something like that.”

I exchange a shocked look with Arrow. Could she really be from another world, like Princess Freya was?

“She’s lying. Elora already knew Freya was from another realm. She’s making this up so we’ll let her out,” Prince Pyke says, his eyes narrowing as he studies her.

“Look at her. Really look at her,” I tell them, my gaze locked on Elora. The look she gives me says she’s grateful for the assistance, and I can’t help but offer her a small, tight-lipped smile in return.

“What is she wearing? Blaze, did you give her that?” Pyke asks.

“Of course not,” I scoff. “But it’s not just that, look at her hair.”

Right now, it’s hanging down her back so they can’t see the full length, but Elora seems to understand as she pulls it in front of her shoulders .

As soon as she does, Princess Freya gasps. “Oh! It’s so long now!”

“Oh, wow! You’re so pretty, who are you?” Elora asks, staring at Princess Freya.

“I’m Freya, your sister-in-law.”

“Freya! Oh, right, she gave me a message to give to you. What was it now…” she mumbles to herself, tapping her lips in thought. “Oh, right! She said she was sorry for drugging you and sending you here without you knowing… something like that. Does that make any sense to you?”

We all watch as Princess Freya seems to freeze with shock.

“Baby?” Pyke says, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just crazy to hear it said like that.”

“If it’s any consolation, she would have only done that because she had no other choice. She would’ve literally been racked with pain until she was able to get you through the portal.”

“Portal? Wow.” Princess Freya stares at her, clearly trying to process this new information.

“So, what do we do with her?” Arrow asks, his curious eyes on Elora.

“I think she’s telling the truth,” Cash says, watching her carefully.

“I’m not so sure,” Pyke says, eyeing her like she might suddenly lash out through the bars at his new wife .

“I can ask her something that only someone from my world would know. That would prove it, right?” Princess Freya asks, looking at Pyke. He gives her a nod, and she turns back to Elora.

“Sorry about this. We just need to prove you’re not the woman who was in this cell earlier today.”

“No problem. Ask me anything,” Elora responds with a smile.

For a woman locked in a dark, cold cell with barely any clothes on, while eight intimidating men and a princess scrutinize her, she was rather calm.

“What are the golden arches?” Princess Freya asks.

Elora responds instantly. “That’s easy. It’s the M on the McDonald’s sign.”

I don’t know what any of that means, but when a huge smile crosses both women’s faces, I assume she passed the test.

“Okay, let her out. This isn’t the Elora that tried to kill me.”

“She tried to kill you? No wonder you locked her up,” Elora says as I step forward with the key.

She takes a step back as the lock clangs, and I swing the iron door open. Stepping aside, I gesture for her to come out into the hall. She takes a single step forward before she stops.

“Wait, I almost forgot my book!” She turns and grabs a book I hadn’t noticed on the cot, then steps out into the hall, clutching it to her chest .

I half expect her to take off down the hall, but instead, she stands to the side, watching me like she’s waiting for me to walk beside her.

Curious as to what she’ll do next, I step up beside her, and she surprises me again by looping her arm through mine, making me freeze for a moment. When I look down at her, she offers me a warm smile and says, “Lead the way, Blaze.”

I swallow against my suddenly dry throat and start walking toward the dungeon stairs, everyone else following closely behind us. We ascend the steps, and I lead the group to the parlor, knowing they won’t want this done in front of all the wedding guests.

I can sense her eyes on me, and when I glance at her, her cheeks turn pink and she quickly looks ahead. When she does it again, I ask, “Why do you keep looking at me?”

“You’re like the hottest guy I’ve ever seen. It’s hard not to stare.”

Her words silence me. I’m unsure how to even respond to a statement like that.

When we finally reach the parlor and step inside, the kings and queen are already there, waiting for us. I sense Elora growing a little nervous, her fingers tightening on my arm, and her gaze glued to the queen and the four kings we're approaching.

“Elora?” I whisper as we move toward them.

“Yeah?” she asks, finally turning to look up at me .

“The queen and kings are kind people. Just continue being honest, and everything will be okay.”

“Thanks, Blaze,” she says with a smile before we finally reach the royals, who are now standing and looking at Elora in confusion.

The queen furrows her brow and asks, “What is this? Why is she not in the dungeon? And why does she look so… strange?”