Mark of the Empress | The Empire Saga #2

Chapter Twenty

"It was no more than a hunch," Treyan attempted to explain as Bria tended to his injured arm. He went to move but thought better of it as he winced halfway through making the gesture. "It must have something to do with Lexan's presence, Sarayna's arrival in the Empire, and the inevitable syncing of their Prophecy."

Alex already had her leg bandaged, and held her daughter tighter, refusing to let her go as if she would grow even older right before her eyes. Even after the initial shock wore off, Sarayna did not leave her mother's side. The gravity of what had just happened—to all of them—was still too much for any of them to deal with alone.

She could not fathom how it happened, no matter how many ways Treyan tried to explain it. Whether it would have happened regardless of her coming over on her own or in Alex's arms, she couldn't help but still feel bitter towards him, as though he alone took away their daughter's innocence—her very childhood—just to come back to this place.

It didn't seem worth it anymore.

Sarayna, other than being a grown woman, appeared to be fine. She thankfully fit into Bria's clothes without issue, seeing as she had none of her own. Whatever it was, magic or otherwise, it had aged her completely. Her mentality was that of a woman her age, yet she still knew the circumstances of her existence, remembering everything that happened between the two realms. It would have been remarkable had they the time to admire it.

The room they were in turned out to be Bria's cottage on the outskirts of the Empire, and conveniently close to the Borderlands. They soon discovered that her cottage was the main source of the Key transports they had all taken. According to Bria, Keys to the Otherrealm did not work within the Borderlands.

As for Lexan and Crystal, they had escaped before anyone in their group came to. Bria insisted she woke alone, which meant Lexan chose to leave her behind instead of bringing her back to Reylor. Alex and Treyan accepted this with a grain of salt but would remain vigilant while they remained at the cabin.

How long they would remain had yet to be decided. The fewer people who knew they had returned, the better they would be, at least until they were ready to stake their claim to the Empire. But with Lexan undoubtedly on his way to the Borderlands, their presence would be detected soon enough. Once their son informed Reylor of what transpired in the Otherreealm, the proverbial clock would begin its countdown. They would need to move first, before Reylor could act, all while keeping Sarayna safe in the process.

The thought that Reylor was again so close made Alex's stomach turn, and she excused herself to walk around the end of the cabin and throw up the contents of her nearly empty stomach. Even after all this time, she could still feel him on her skin, and it made her feel as though a thousand small ants were just underneath the surface. Suddenly the warm day turned extremely cold, and she held herself as she sat on a small wooden bench along the outer wall of the cottage.

The Borderlands were a few miles away; Alex could see them from where she sat. Nothing else lay in the way between the cottage and the mangled trees, which explained how access between the two lands was so easy for Bria to maintain. It also meant that without cover, travel would be easily visible by anyone looking, on either side, which made a clandestine entrance or exit no longer an option. It also meant that they would be able to keep an eye out should anyone care to pay them a visit.

No sooner had she made a mental note to mention that to Treyan than he was sitting next to her on the bench. "Quite a view, eh?" he asked, following her stare towards the Borderlands.

"Do you think Crystal is over there?" she asked, somber.

"She's either there, or the palace, but the Borderlands would get my vote."