Grishma (Book One in The Necoh Saga)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six

Ryder attempted to remain calm, but his fury was about to boil over like lava flowing down a volcanic mountainside.

His hands were all over her!

Walking back to his bedroom chambers, he continued to fume. Slamming the door, he thought to himself, Somehow, some way, I’m getting her out of here ASAP! The question is… how?

Before he could come up with a solution, he found a folded note sitting on his bed. He picked it up carefully.

Ryder,

Please come see me after the feast. It’s urgent!

Alexia

He sighed. Perhaps she’ll have an idea how to get out of this mess.

Before going to see Alexia, he changed into a less dramatic outfit and found a furry hat to wear. It is so damn cold here!

Ryder walked down the deserted hallways of the castle, trying not to draw any unwanted attention. When he made his way down to the healer’s room, he found only a handful of torches remained lit and a curtain hid Alexia from view.

“Alexia? Are you there?”

No response.

He reached out for the curtain and pulled it to the side. The cot Alexia had been lying in earlier was empty.

“Huh?”

He turned around to search the rest of the small room and almost collided with Bressa.

“Whoa! You about gave me a heart attack!” he exclaimed.

“So sorry, boy,” she replied with a strange smile.

“Where’s Alexia?”

“She’ll be right back. But first, I have a question for you. How do you know Sumner’s potion master, Bethenny?”

It felt like the wind had been knocked out him.

Why is she asking about my mother? He tried stalling. “Bethenny? Um, well, why do you want to know?”

She stepped forward and thrust her face inches from his. “I said, how do you know Bethenny?”

Ryder locked eyes with Bressa. “You could say we go way back.”

“Did you harm her? Word is that she is missing and no longer in the castle of Sumner.”

“Harm her? No, I would never do such a thing. Why are you so interested in Bethenny and her well-being?”

Bressa blinked several times, then turned away from Ryder.

“Well?” he pressed.

Her response tumbled out of her mouth before she broke down and began sobbing. “Because Bethenny is my sister and I’m worried sick that she’s dead!”

“Sister?” asked Ryder in disbelief.

“Yes,” Bressa cried.

“Prove it!” he demanded.

She crossed the room and pulled out several dusty scrolls. Carefully unrolling the first one, she held it up for Ryder to inspect.

“This is my family,” she said as she showed him several hand drawn sketches and a succession of spindly lines that formed a large drawing of a tree. “We are descendants from the greatest potion master of all time, Breka.”

Holy crap! I’ve seen these scrolls before, but I could never figure out what they meant. It must be some sort of cryptic family tree! Not ready to admit everything yet, Ryder said, “So, how do I know you aren’t trying to find this Bethenny and cause her harm?”