Page 54 of Quest for her Knights (The Lost Souls of Dyconia #5)

Aribella

I set my phone down on the counter and let out a deep breath of relief. I can't say I saw that one coming. This version of Elora was nothing like my best friend, so the fact that she got herself arrested within a month of being here wasn’t surprising.

It’s been two years since she arrived, and she’s finally had her full sentencing: fifteen years for kidnapping and false imprisonment.

I tried to tell her about this world and how things worked, but I don’t think she could get over her superiority complex from being a princess.

The first man she found attractive who wasn’t willing to do everything she asked, well, she used a knife to force him to drive them to a hotel.

She kept him there for only a few hours before the cops found them.

Unfortunately for her, he was the son of a politician, so the kidnapping was taken extremely seriously.

I’m just pleased that I don’t need to worry about her anymore.

What I’m more annoyed with is the fact that since I sent Elora through the Enchanted Veil two years ago, I haven’t had a single person to transport. Not getting debilitating stomach pains was great and all, but I wasn’t sure what it meant.

It’s not like I hadn’t gone several years without moving anyone before. There were at least two years between sending Penny and Freya. But I guess deep down, I’m hoping that one of these days, someone will come through the veil looking like me, telling me it’s finally my turn to move there.

It’s not that my life in this realm is bad.

I own this bookstore and it makes enough to pay the bills.

I even started writing my own fantasy romance books based on what I know of Dyconia.

Sometimes I loosely base them on what I’ve seen of the women I sent through the Enchanted Veil, but since I don’t watch them the whole time, I take some liberties with the stories.

And they’ve amassed a decent following. I’ve released three books a year for the past five years.

I’m about to publish book number fifteen.

Each story uses elements of Dyconia I’m able to glimpse through the windows I can create into that world.

It’s picky about what it lets me see, but I can always check in on my girls.

I don’t like to snoop too often though. Last time I checked on Elora, she was tied up against a tree being tag-teamed by her husbands.

That was not something I wanted to watch.

Still, I occasionally check in to catch a glimpse, to make sure she’s happy.

If she’s not getting railed by her hot knights, she’s with her two children.

I don’t know their names, since sound doesn’t travel through the window, but I know she has a boy and a little girl born a year later.

She looks happier than I’ve ever seen her, and that’s all that matters.

All the women I’ve sent through seem to be happy, and I love that I’m able to do that for them. I’m just wondering if I’ll be free of this and able to visit Dyconia myself.

The bell over the door jingles, and I lift my head from where I’m leaning on the counter to see a distraught girl entering, looking around wildly.

“Hey, are you okay?” I ask, moving around the counter to check on her.

She pushes her long, messy blonde hair behind her ear, revealing bruises on her neck.

Shaking her head, her eyes bounce around the store, unable to focus. “N-no. I… I need help.”

“Okay, one second.” I flip the open sign to closed and lock the door. “Come with me to the back. You’ll be safe here. ”

She fidgets nervously as she follows me. On a whim, I decide to take her to the Enchanted Veil. Nobody can reach us in there.

She doesn’t even notice when I place my palm on the door, and it glows. I turn the knob and usher her in before closing it.

“Sit anywhere you like. I’ll get you some water,” I tell her, grabbing two bottles from the fridge.

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 doppelg?nger 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 I do need 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 doppelg?nger. 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.

I grab the handle and take a deep breath. “Here goes nothing.”

I pull it open to find the inside of a tent, not a camping tent, but a medieval one. Blankets and fabric are strewn everywhere. Bundles of what look like dresses go flying across the room as someone growls in frustration.

“Ah! It’s not fair! I just want—” The frustrated woman stands and notices me. Her eyes go wide in shock. “What on earth…” she whispers, turning to face me. Her gaze moves past me and lands on Willow. She gasps.

It would be surprising to see your exact look-alike suddenly appear in a magical doorway, because that’s what she is. Willow’s doppelg?nger.

This has never happened in reverse before, but clearly, Willow was led here for a reason.

“You want to get out of there?” I ask the new Willow, stepping aside and gesturing into the Enchanted Veil.

Loud voices outside her tent make her flinch.

“Sounds like you don’t have much time to decide.” I turn to the Willow behind me. “You ready to go somewhere far away from here?”

They both stare at each other for a few seconds before the new Willow moves forward, slowly stepping through the door. Her body shudders, then her shoulders slump, the tension easing from her frame.

“Willow?” I say, glancing at the bruised girl still watching the doorway nervously. “I’m sorry, I don’t have time to explain. Just know, this isn’t the first time I’ve done this, and it’s always worked out for the women I’ve sent there.”

The other Willow snorts, and I shoot her a quick glare, silently telling her to stay quiet. This is a delicate balance, both girls clearly want out of their situations, but stepping into something unknown is never easy.

Still, I know Dyconia is the safest place for Willow. It’s my job to help the woman who belongs there cross through.

Willow steps up to the door and takes a shaky breath. Turning to me, she whispers, “Thank you.” Then she steps through into Dyconia.

I close the door behind her, relief flooding me. That swap went smoother than I expected. In fact, it was the quickest exchange I've ever done.

Turning to the new Willow, I find her gazing around the room curiously.

“I’m sorry you’re not walking into a great situation here. Her father was abusing her and trying to force her to marry an older man.”

She waves a hand in dismissal. “I can handle that. As long as I don’t have to participate in some stupid, archaic mating hunt, then I’m happy to be here. ”

“Mating hunt?” I echo, stunned.

My gaze flies back to the door I just sent Willow through as worry and doubt creep in.

Heavens above… What have I sent her into?

Keep reading for a chapter from Taken by her Princes, the Lost Souls of Dyconia – Book 4. This is Freya's story.