“Kyrin”
She looked up with wide eyes when Daemionis appeared beside her in the small room. She immediately jumped up from the floor and fell to her knees before him. He had visited her before, but only when he needed her to do something for him.
“My Lord,” she whispered.
“How have you come to be in this dimension?” His voice was stern and sent fear into her. He stood over 8 feet tall, and his scaly green skin was pulled tight over inhumanly large muscles. Tall horns stood out from his mutilated face, and blood appeared in the corner of his mouth when he spoke. He stepped toward her on hooved feet, though they made no noise against the wooden floor.
“I was running from the Shadowmere.”
“This dimension is like no other I’ve seen.”
She nodded, “Yes, my Lord.”
“You have accidentally stumbled into Paragoy Dimension.”
She gasped, “I have?”
“Yes, quite an accomplishment.”
“I didn’t know.” The legendary Paragoy Dimension was rumored to be spared from hardships other dimensions were terrorized by. Shifters sought it and often died trying to find it. No one was sure if it was unreachable, if it was but a fable, or if those who reached it never returned.
“You are indebted to the king here?”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“I will be watching you.”
“What do you wish for me to do?”
“Learn about them.”
“Is that all?” she asked, and then looked up when he didn’t answer. She was alone in the dark room. The bed stood unused off to the side, and a single blanket was laid across the floor where she slept. It was dangerous to change clothing, so she slept in the dress she’d worn for the past week since her arrival. Various items of clothing were brought in for her, but she simply put them aside.
Kyrin stood up and pushed the curtains away from the window, so she could watch the sun rise. She saw servants begin to move about the castle grounds, so she walked over and opened the door to her room. Just outside was a large bucket of sudsy water and a clean towel. They hadn’t allowed her to work, claiming that she still needed to rest to heal from the wounds.
It was obvious the time for rest was over, so she knelt down beside the bucket, and wondered briefly why it was on wheels. Taking the hem of her dress in her hand, she dipped it into the warm water and began to scrub the floor. Once the spot was perfectly clean, she used the towel to dry it and then she scooted back to start on a new section of floor.
Kyrin looked up when she heard footsteps, and one of the many servants appeared. The young maid looked at her oddly and then turned and walked out of the hallway. Only a few minutes later, more footsteps were heard, but she kept cleaning. The hallway was long, and she figured it would take the entire day to finish.
“We didn’t give you the bucket to clean the floors with,” Alric said, stopping beside her. He fought back a grin when he realized she was scrubbing the floor with her dress and drying with the towel.
She knelt up and frowned, “Then what is it for?”
“For you to bathe in.”
“Bathe?”
“Yes, to get clean.” He watched with anticipation to see how she would react to what would surely be another waste of water.
“That is what I’m doing… cleaning.”
“No, bathing is when you clean your body.”
She looked down at her dirty dress, “I don’t understand.”
Alric reached out and pulled the bucket easily into her room, so she stood up and followed him. He decided not to ask why she was sleeping on the floor, and turned to her.
“There, you put this in your room, and you get in,” he explained.
“Into the water?” she asked, unsure if she understood.
“Yes”
“Is that part of my duty?”
He smiled, “Actually, yes it is.”
She nodded and then went to step into the large bucket.
“Wait,” he said, putting a hand out to stop her.
Kyrin looked up at him.
“You have to undress first. I will step out.”
“You want me to undress?”
“To bathe, yes.”
“Am I to be that kind of servant?” she asked, taking a step back.
He thought for a moment and then gasped, “No! I will leave, and you will be alone.”
“Alone?”
“Yes, you can even lock the door behind me.”
“But you have a key.”
“Well, yes… but I won’t use it. When you are done, please put on clean clothes. The tailor made you a tunic and pants.”
“Please tell me what you want,” she whispered, watching him.
“What do you mean?”
“You give me food, the same food you eat. I have water to drink, and a place to sleep that is warm. You’ve handed me clothing I can’t pay for and waste water for me. Doing so has added almost six months onto my sentence, yet you won’t stop.”
“Can you not trust me that I’m not adding to your time, merely offering you the same comfort I offer every person?”
“Trust you?”
“Yes”
“No”
He studied her, “You trust no one, do you?”
“No”
Alric sighed, “I hate to order you, but you’re about to leave me no choice.”
She glanced at the water and then back to him.
“Fine. I order you to strip naked, get into the water and clean. Then put on clean clothing and meet me out on the south lawn by the barracks.”
Without another word, he left the room, and she heard him use the key to lock the door behind him.
“What do I do Daemionis?” she whispered. He very rarely answered when she asked him something, so she felt she had no choice but to do as she was told.
***
“My Lord,” the Captain of the guard said with a deep bow. Alric had just walked onto the south lawn where the Castle Protectors were standing in rows. Their plate armor was shiny in the bright sun, and he was pleased to see their perfection.
“Thank you for gathering on such short notice,” Alric said. He looked out over the elite Knights.
“We are ready.”
“I see that. We need to wait though, another will be joining us.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“Actually, please have two of your newer members ready themselves for a fight.”
The Captain turned and ordered two of the Protectors forward. They moved quickly and soon had their swords in hand as they stopped before their leader.
They waited silently until Kyrin appeared. She had changed, as instructed, and looked more comfortable in the pants than she had been in the dress. Alric wasn’t surprised to see her flail tucked into her belt. She surveyed the gathered Knights as she walked up to Alric.
“Much better, thank you,” he said, smiling.
When she saw the two battle ready Knights, she suddenly drew her flail and crouched toward them, instantly prepared to fight.
The Captain chuckled, “Interesting.”
“Kyrin, this is for training. They won’t actually try to kill you,” Alric told her.
“What exactly do we do then?” one of them asked him.
“I wish to see her skill level. Start off easy and we’ll go from there.”
“You want them dead?” Kyrin asked, narrowing her eyes.
Alric smiled, “I don’t think you can kill them, but yes, that’s the general idea.”
The two Knights gasped when she lunged at them without the signal to begin. She kicked one hard in the chest and sent him flying to the ground. The precision it took to knock the Knight off balance using his own armor as leverage was surprising and the Captain was no longer smiling.
She swung the flail at the same time as she kicked the first, catching the other Knight in the throat. He fell to the ground. His windpipe had collapsed, and he fought for air. Alric barely had time to react as she brought her flail down onto the Knight she’d kicked and the spiked balls connected with his side. She swung her hand back and the flail ripped his breastplate off, exposing his vulnerable torso.
“Stop!” Alric yelled, and Kyrin turned with furious eyes. The evil look on her face made him take a step back, “That’s enough.”
The innocent expression returned to her face, and she nodded and stepped back. Alric dropped to his knees before the injured Knight, and within a few minutes, he was breathing again. Being a Holy Knight of Sithias granted him the ability to heal.
The Captain watched Kyrin closely and had even called some of his best Knights forward to keep her from attacking anyone else.
Once Alric was sure the Knights were ok, he stood up and faced Kyrin. She seemed un-phased by the brutal beating she’d just given to two of his Knights, “Care to explain?”
She looked over at him, “You said to kill them.”
“How long have you been fighting?”
“I’ve always fought.”
“I think I underestimated your ability.” Alric checked with the Knights again and then walked over to talk to the Captain in private.
Kyrin ignored the angry glares from the Knights, and looked around at the green lawns and lush trees. Most of the dimensions were brown and dead, so it was shocking to see one with such an abundance of water.
“Kyrin,” Alric said finally. She looked over at him, “I apologize, that was my fault. I do have a concern though.”
“Such as?” she asked.
“You don’t seem at all upset that you almost killed them.”
“You told me to.”
“Still… a conscience, some type of inner thought that killing them
would be wrong.”
She shrugged, “I do as I’m told.”
“Who did you say your god is?”
“Daemionis”
“Does he have Holy Knights?”
“No”
“What are his top followers called?”
“Is this relevant?”
“Yes, it is.” Alric and the Captain were trying to decide if the small girl was one of the fabled evils. A vile, repulsive being that disappeared when magic died.
“They are his Priest and Priestesses.”
“May I see your weapon?” the Captain asked, holding his hand out.
Her grip tightened.
“He won’t keep it. Please let him see it,” Alric said. She didn’t have a choice, so she handed the flail over to the large Knight. He weighed it in his hand and tried to grip it, but the small handle kept him from getting a good hold.
“Who made this for you?” he asked her, and handed it back.
She took it and slipped the handle into her belt, “Mika had it made for me.”
“Who is Mika?”
“I don’t believe that’s any of your concern.”
“He made it specifically for you?”
“He didn’t… but he had it made for me, yes.”
“That’s why it’s weighted differently,” the Captain said, narrowing his eyes. “It’s specifically made to move with her natural movements and to complement her personal fighting style.”
“Not only to assist her in battle, but to protect her. If an enemy were to get that flail, it would be less effective in their hands,” Alric added.
“Where can I find this Mika?”
Kyrin watched him, but didn’t answer.
“Answer him,” Alric said.
“Indebted servitude only goes so far. You may punish me for refusing to answer.” “You would take a punishment over that small bit of information?”
“Yes”
Alric began to walk around her, “Have you been punished often in your life?”
“Define often,” she said, looking straight ahead.
“You may go back to your room.”
She nodded and then turned and walked quickly back to the castle. Once out of earshot, Alric turned to the Captain, “She’s too young to be an evil.”
“Is she? Maybe she’s lying.”
“Still, magic is dead.”
“Not all evils had magic.”
He nodded, “That’s true. Her fighting is impressive though, for one so young.”
“We don’t know what she’s been through, Sir. She may have spent her entire life fighting,” the Captain said.
“That’s what I’m afraid of. That hard of a life can turn a heart cold.”
“Have you talked to her about the scars she had on her body?”
“No, I would imagine she won’t tell me.”
The Captain sighed, “To fight like she does, without remorse or regret, makes her more dangerous than even the Qualsax.”
“I know, but she’s so young.”
“Seventeen you said?”
“Yes”
“We need to learn more about her and somehow get her to trust us,” the Captain said. “If we have her on our side, the Qualsax wouldn’t know what hit them.”
“I cannot send one so innocent into battle with a Qualsax Warrior.”
“Innocent? She tried to kill two of my Knights.”
Alric nodded, “I know. I need to consult Sithias and see what he thinks.”
The Captain nodded and called his troops forward when Alric left for the temple. On horse, it took him only a few minutes to arrive.
“Sire,” one of the priests said, coming out to greet him.
“Lock the doors, I need to converse with Sithias.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
Alric walked into the temple and disappeared behind a hidden wall at the back of the main monastery. Behind that wall was his private chamber to speak to Sithias. Only a few bore the title of Holy Knight, and those few were able to speak to their god when necessary.
Alric left his sword by the door and then knelt before the tall statue. Sithias was a strong presence, but had a kind, caring face unless you crossed him. His statue was close to his true height of 7 ½ feet tall, and Alric looked up into the gentle face, “My Lord, I ask for your advice.”
When Alric lowered his eyes, a shimmer began before him, and Sithias stepped out, clad in white robes trimmed in sparkling gold, “You seem troubled, Alric.”
“Do you know of my houseguest?”
“Of course.”
“Do you know who she is, my Lord?”
“No, she walks from different lands than we know.”
“What does that mean?” Alric asked.
“There are lands beyond what you know. She runs deeper than you could ever imagine.”
“She’s so young.”
Sithias nodded, “Yes, but very old.”
“I fear she may be an evil.”
“Of that I’m almost certain.”
“Does she know magic?”
“I don’t know yet. It will take time to discover that.”
Alric looked up, “What if she is an evil? I cannot harbor her, but she thinks she’s indebted to me.”
“Take this opportunity to study her. If she’s an evil for certain, we’ll deal with it at that time. She is very young, and we may be able to sway her.”
“Her god, Daemionis… who is he?”
“There are many deities that I do not know. He is one of them.”
“Am I putting my people at risk having her here?” Alric asked.
Sithias shook his head, “Not if you watch her and learn her ways.”
“Her ways are barbaric and foreign to me.”
“I fear that she has led a life most of us see only in nightmares.”
“Can I help her?”
“If her soul is pure, she may come around.”
“Thank you, my Lord,” Alric said, and then bowed his head as Sithias’ image shimmered and faded.
Alric grabbed his sword on the way out of the room, and then was soon on his horse headed back for the castle. What Sithias said was weighing heavily on his mind. He was a Knight, a fighter, and didn’t know how to rehabilitate a lost girl.
“Sir!” Finn said, running up to him when he dismounted.
“What’s wrong, Finn?” Alric asked, tired.
“We had to put the girl into prison. She tried to kill Lukas.”
“She did!?”
“It was sort of his fault, Sir.”
Alric sighed, “Start at the beginning.”
“It began back in the Knight’s quarters. They started making fun of the two she fought, how they were beaten up by a girl.”
“Perfect,” Alric said, and started into the castle.
“It grew into a bit of a fight, until Lukas said he wanted a second round with her to prove he would win. She was still in her room, following your orders, but she opened the door when he knocked. He was furious by then and stormed into her room, demanding a rematch.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Pride, plain and simple. He was screaming at her that she cheated and attacked before the signal to begin. She started to get mad and when she readied her flail, he hit her.”
Alric turned, shocked, “He hit her?”
“Yes, and she just… well… she went off on him. He was cowering in the corner as she pummeled him with that flail. By the time they hauled her away from him, he was a bloody heap on the floor.”
“Sounds to me like he deserved it. Why is she in a prison cell?” Alric asked.
“She wouldn’t calm down. She attacked anyone who got near her. To protect her and the Knights, I had her locked up.”
He nodded, “I’ll go and talk to her.”
“Lukas is still healing. He could use some help, Sir.”
“I think he can heal on his own. What he did was beneath him, and I’m furious that he stooped to that level.”
“Yes, Sir,” Finn said, following Alric down into the dungeon. They stopped at the cell holding Kyrin, and looked inside. She was sitting, facing the wall with her legs crossed in front of her. She was barely breathing and not moving.
Alric dug out his keys and opened the cell, then stepped inside, “Can we talk?”
“Am I to finish out my time in here?” she whispered.
“No, I will take you back to your room.”
She turned to look at him, “What is my punishment?”
“I’m not going to punish you.”
“But you will,” she said to Finn.
“No, I will not.”
“Then I will punish myself,” she said, turning back to the wall.
“Come to your room, please,” Alric said, standing up. “I want to talk to you about what happened.”
“I wish to remain here.”
“No, come with me,” he said sternly. He wasn’t going to have her punished when she was attacked in her room while she waited out his orders.
Nodding, she stood up and turned to him. He frowned when he saw a gash along her arm.
“I didn’t know you were injured.”
“It’s nothing,” she said, covering it with her sleeve.
“I can heal it.”
“I’d rather you not.”
“Very well,” he said, and then walked up the stairs with Kyrin and Finn following. They all sat down in her room at the small table by the window.
Finn stayed just in case she lost her temper around the King. He saw her single-handedly take out 3 of his top Knights and didn’t want to risk her alone with Alric.
“I wanted to apologize,” Alric said to her. She frowned slightly and he continued, “He had no right to come in here and treat you like that.”
“Is he dead?”
“No,” Finn said. “However, he is severely injured.”
“I will be punished. It's ok.”
“You didn’t listen to me,” Alric told her. “You don’t deserve to be punished. He attacked you, and you defended yourself.”
“Can you tell me where you learned to fight? It’s most impressive,” Finn said.
“Where I come from, if you don’t fight, you don’t live.”
“Were you formally trained?”
She nodded.
“By this Mika?”
“Yes”
“What were his methods?”
She looked up at him, “His training methods?”
“Yes”
“He put me in the arena with members of the Apprehension Team.”
“Adults?”
“Yes”
“How old were you?”
“I was 7 when I started learning to fight.”
Alric sat back and let the Captain get out of her what he could, “So you learned by fighting grown men.”
“That was Mika’s way.”
“Is that how you got so many scars?”
“Some”
“Did you ever kill one of them?”
“Yes, it was death or get punished.”
“Wait,” Alric said, shocked. “At 7 years old you were in a battle to the death with adult warriors?”
“Yes”
“I’m surprised they didn’t kill you when you lacked experience,” Finn said.
“They weren’t allowed to kill me. Once I was unconscious, they were to stop.”
He frowned, “How often were these trainings?”
“It depended. If I didn’t kill the ones I fought, then I was punished, sometimes for a full week.”
“As a child…”
“Childhood is not an excuse to be inept.”
“Children should be nurtured and cared for.”
She smiled, “Here maybe.”
“How did you come to be with Mika?” Alric asked. He had been curious from the moment she mentioned her time with him.
“I was indentured to him.”
“Indentured?” Finn asked him.
Alric watched her, “It’s a barbaric practice where fines are paid by giving a slave. That slave works to pay off the fines.”
“So your parents owed this Mika…”
“No, I had no parents.”
“Who had you then?”
She stiffened, “They had no choice but to give me to Mika or risk all of them dying at the hands of his Apprehension Crews.”
“I understand that and I don’t blame them. I just wonder who they are, how you came to be with them.”
“I was left on their doorstep as an infant.”
“These Apprehension Crews you keep speaking of, was Mika training you to join them?”
“He never told me of his plans.”
“How did you get away?” Alric asked, leaning forward.
Kyrin shifted nervously, “I…”
“It’s ok. We just want to know.”
When she tensed and looked toward the window, Alric stood.
“I think that’s enough for now. You don’t have to worry about being attacked by my Knights again,” Alric told her.
Finn scowled, “They will not bother you again.”
“Are you still going to punish yourself?”
“Yes, you don’t have to worry about that,” she said to him.
“I’m more worried about you actually torturing yourself.”
“I have to.”
“How will you do it?”
“I haven’t decided.”
“Please wait until tomorrow and let’s talk again. For now, your dinner has arrived, and I must go and speak to Lukas.”
She turned to the window, so the others left.
***
“Again?” Alric said when the servant picked up the tray of food from in front of Kyrin’s door.
“Yes, my Lord.”
“Did she eat this morning?”
“No, Sir. It’s been five days since I’ve seen her eat.”
Alric walked up and knocked, “Kyrin, I want to come in.”
Finn appeared from around the corner and leaned up against the wall beside her door, “Still nothing?”
“No and I don’t like how quiet it is.”
“It may be time just to go in.”
“That’s kind of what I’m thinking.” Alric knocked again, “Kyrin, let me in, or I’ll have to force my way in.”
“We don’t have a choice.”
Alric pulled out his keys and slid the key into the door, but it wouldn’t turn.
“Is that the right key?” Finn asked, taking the keys.
“It’s the skeleton key to the castle.”
Finn looked over at him, “Care if I break it?”
“Be my guest.”
Finn took a step back and then kicked the door, shattering the frame, and it swung in. They both stepped into the dark room and instinctually looked at the bed, which was empty. When Finn lit the lantern, they both ran for her. She was lying unconscious on the cold hard floor, and her body was covered in burns.
“Is she alive?” Finn asked, looking her over.
“Barely,” Alric said, but then began chanting softly as his hands glowed. He ran them over the burns across her face and neck, and watched as they slowly healed. She was breathing in short gasps, and he was afraid he might be too late.
Two priests came in when Finn called for them, and they immediately knelt down and began working on the deep black burns. It took hours to repair the damage, and when she was resting peacefully on the bed, Alric sat down, exhausted.
“Where did the burns come from?” Finn asked, sitting beside him.
“The lantern is the only fire in here.”
“That would take a lot of willpower to burn yourself that badly with a small lantern.”
“I shouldn’t have let her be alone when I knew she felt she needed punished.”
“It makes you wonder if she punishes herself because it’s less than what others will give.”
Alric nodded, “We can only imagine what her life has been like.”
“Well we can’t leave her alone now. We can’t trust her.”
“We can’t take away her privacy either. She’s a young woman who needs time to herself.”
“To mutilate herself!”
“She told us she was going to though. I guess I didn’t believe her.”
Finn looked over at her, “Never again will I underestimate her.”
“Not for one second.”
“We need to find something for her to do.”
“She keeps trying to clean.”
“I’ve heard. I’d rather have her on my unit.”
“As a Knight?” Alric asked, looking over at him.
“She’s bested my most seasoned Knights. Seems fitting to put her out there protecting the city.”
“Except she’s impulsive and irrational. Can she be trusted to keep us safe?”
“True. Then let her clean.”
“I don’t feel right having a non-paid servant on my staff,” Alric told him. “Doing so would mean meeting her expectations of how others treat people.”
“Well she can’t sit around here in her room all day.”
“That’s what I hate. She would if I ordered her to.”
“Then let her be your personal assistant.”
Alric looked at Finn, “Do what?”
“She can follow you around and take notes, record upcoming appointments, that type of thing. You’ve always hated how after meeting with the townspeople on the full moon that you often forget things you’ve told them.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
“Are you going to talk to her about this p