The escort surrounded us, Holy Knights on both ends, then Shadow Guards, then us in the middle. Our small group smelled definitely cleaner than the sticky air around us. We stood in front of the bullet-shaped Magichariot, which was waiting in a recess that served as its platform.

  The small fence separated us from the ramp. It grew toward the Magichariot with a brittle clatter, like metal hitting gravel repeatedly.

  The Inquisitor with Holy Knights accompanying him returned to their post.

  "Highest Priestess, what do you mean by traitor?" I asked.

  "We don't know how, but they infiltrated our defenses undetected. This can't be done without an inside-man."

  She pondered at her own words for a longer moment. The ramp was ready and the Magichariot was inviting us to its dimly lit entrance.

  *Someone helped bypass security? Worst scenario possible, if they don't catch the traitor, shit will hit the fan again - sooner or later. Damn.*

  The escort waited without a word, and I held back the urge to ask more.

  *She's lost in her own thoughts, does she have some idea?*

  Finally Pythia summoned the Inquisitor with a graceful, but somewhat impatient gesture of her hand. He reluctantly came back to us.

  "Yes, Highest Priestess?" Pythia placed her hand on his arm. He twitched as if she used more force than necessary. "Inquisitor, interrogate everyone thoroughly involved in the incident during Saint Leonard's preparations, without exception."

  He glanced at Evadne and my guards with a silent question in his eyes.

  "Yes, them as well, but strictly as witnesses, understood Inquisitor?"

  Evadne swallowed nervously, but it was the only crack in her composure.

  The Inquisitor gave a shallow bow saying, "As you wish, Highest Priestess." And then turned around without a word more. His dark robe covered his steps as he walked back toward his post.

  *Did he use spirit to relay message? Or he just ignored her?*

  Pythia said with a tone that gave me chills. "I unleashed the hounds, they'll get to the bottom of this. We can focus on the meeting now."

  She made a step toward the Magichariot entrance. The escort in front with their backs to us moved in sync, like they were sensing her position somehow.

  Since she was still holding my arm, she pulled me gently. Each step on the ramp sent vibrations to my feet.

  *Odd, the surface is solid and smooth but sounds like when stepping on metal grating floor.*

  "Whatever happens, do not agree to betrothal," Pythia advised. "We'll find a way if she insists."

  "Why would she want that?" I asked. "It's just the first meeting."

  As we came closer to the entrance, a chilling and clean air fought against the stench of the livestock and people in the port.

  She patted my arm and said like to someone who's about to receive a lesson of life.

  "Nothing is simple with royals, unfortunately. Observe and learn, the sooner the better."

  Her words silenced me.

  *Althea, my Guide, my relationship with her is complex, to put it mildly.*

  *Pythia and Evadne seem to support me, but their goals don't align with mine exactly.*

  *Legatus, he likely just wants to win the war. Means to an end. That's what I'm for him.*

  *Should I add the Princess to the list?*

  We entered the Magichariot.

  The inside basked in darkness cut by light from outside. Our silhouettes cast long shadows on the floor. The whole ceiling shone amber light, but faintly, and it barely lit the space.

  The air felt fresh, slightly cold, like a breeze. It was unnervingly quiet as well, the murmur from outside growing muffled.

  We sat in large, comfy chairs.

  Evadne leaned over me and grabbed what turned out to be the straps and connected them into a clasp at my waist.

  Before I could even check the fit, the harness came alive, cinching silently and swiftly against my chest and lap. It felt less like a belt and more like a cold embrace, locking me firmly in place.

  "The journey is not very pleasant, but it won't take long, Leonard. A week-long struggle is the alternative," Evadne said and sat in her own place. When the door shut, the ceiling's light died out, and silent darkness enveloped us.

  I was already sitting, but my body literally fell into the chair as I felt powerful but smooth acceleration. My heart skipped a beat. There was no noise except a low, more felt than heard, vibrating bass.

  A silent "wow" slipped out of me.

  Time passed, and I began to feel strange and uneasy.

  Everybody remained silent and I focused on the sensation of my grip on the armchair. After a while a single pair of bright eyes in front of me appeared. I closed mine, but instead of relief, the darkness exploded into the net of glaring eyes, and I opened mine once again.

  My grip on the polished armchair intensified.

  "Althea," I asked quietly, "do you see them?"

  "See what, Leonard?"

  I inhaled abruptly.

  "It's pitch black, Leonard."

  I exhaled slowly.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Took deep breaths to calm myself down.

  The eyes were still there, but my heart steadied a bit. As it did, a childish voice shook me again.

  "Papa, don't be afraid."

  My daughter clumsily climbed on my lap, but I didn't feel any weight.

  The name suddenly popped up in my mind, melting my heart.

  "Ve... Veronica?" I whispered.

  She was five years old and always sat on my lap for dinner. Her red dress looked beautiful with her deep amber hair, which left the smell of wind over the sea.

  "She's not here, Leonard," Althea said cautiously, "clinging to your past will lead only to pain."

  *I know.*

  I looked at my daughter, engraving every detail in my memory.

  *So what.*

  The Magichariot decelerated abruptly.

  My body launched forward but was caught by the straps that slammed me in place.

  And Veronica, still smiling at me, fell into the net of glaring eyes on the other side of the darkness and disappeared.

  A suppressed "No!" went out of me. My hand launched forward to catch her.

  Moments later we stopped, and once the door opened letting the light from outside in, the hallucinations faded into nothingness.

  *This was only a hallucination.*

  I gripped the armchairs to stop my hands from shaking and tried to breathe deeply.

  *This was only a hallucination.*

  Evadne helped me remove the straps, holding the clasp at my waist with two hands for a few seconds.

  *This was only a hallucination.*

  "Are you alright, Leonard?" Evadne asked, leaning in to me. "A little scary if you ask me, but you'll get used to it."

  *A little scary, good one*

  I whispered when Evadne went away, "Althea, can you always help me know if what I see is real?"

  "Yes, Leonard. I can do that."

  *My helpful Guide, holding the anchor to my reality, for now, until I forge my own.*

  Her declaration soothed the storm inside me a little bit.

  The light from the open door was bright. Let the murmur of the port inside. The Holy Knight and front guard were already standing at the exit, waiting. Evadne stood by Pythia, who was finishing unbuckling.

  I took one last deep breath in the darkness.

  *Veronica, my daughter.*

  Holy Knight led the way out, Pythia waited a moment for me, and I joined her with heart still pounding in my chest.

  At first, a sense of deja vu dominated.

  The port was the same maze of barriers and fences filled with people, cargo and livestock, a smelly soup of warmth and noise.

  But there were differences.

  The Temple Sentinels that I met before entering the Magichariot Port wore heavy plate armor. Guards here had leather armor with only a few platings in critical places - on the shoulders, elbows, knees, around the neck, on the waist and crotch, and chainmail on the chest.

  They also seemed to prefer long spears and short swords. What struck me the most, was their companions - dogs or wolves the size of a small man, their jaws full of teeth that didn't let them close their mouths, giving them a terrifying, predatory look.

  I walked out like on autopilot, initial shock after emerging from the Magichariot to the Port faded away. It was replaced by something smaller at first, but it grew stronger, burning inside me hotter than ever before.

  Resolve.

  *Veronica isn't a pain to avoid, she is a precious piece of me I reclaimed, and I won't give it away.*

  I avoided everyone's gaze to focus on remembering something more from my past.

  "Are you worried?" Pythia asked me, but I gave a reply that I forgot the moment I said it.

  We walked the corridors of the Royal Palace, but I tried to navigate something else entirely - my mind.

  *Victoria and Veronica, I got both your names back, at last.*

  *Maybe I'll recall more on a way back?*

  *Maybe, just maybe, I'll remember something more about myself? What I did in the past? My parents?*

  Finally we stopped.

  My eyes cleared from the sudden change of pace.

  I looked around. We reached a tall wooden door, surrounded by large windows through which I could see the green scenery. The Royal Guards at the door crossed their spears with their faces pale, blocking the entrance. We were in a hallway that was more like a large room. Frescos and sculptures of almost naked people decorated the interior, like the ones you can find in a museum.

  The Holy Knight leading the way demanded, "Step aside."

  The guards trembled, but didn't move.

  "Highest Priestess and Saint Leonard arrived," Holy Knight said like it explained everything.

  The hounds accompanying the guards gave a warning growl, their heads lowering as the fur along their spines bristled. The odor of their bodies and their steamy breaths suddenly surfaced to my attention.

  Holy Knight's armor responded with a single crack of electricity and hissed with anger.

  The guards placed their hands on the hounds' heads and forced them to submission, flattening them on the floor.

  "Get your puppy in place, I escort Pandora's second. This is the last warning," the Knight said. The large room we were in had more guards surrounding us, but they seemed like they were the ones trapped with us, not vice-versa.

  "Forgive me Holy Knight, this is a p-private meeting," the guard mustered courage to speak, "per Saint's request. Only Saint Leonard may enter."

  "Highest Priestess, your orders?" the knight asked, his voice changed by the helmet, but it sounded familiar.

  Pythia looked at me, her face a picture of "I warned you."

  I made a step aside to better see the guard and asked, "I appreciate, but I want my guards present."

  "F-forgive me, Saint Leonard, I assume?" I nodded in response, the guard was eyeing the knight, but replied politely, "The princess is waiting alone in the garden's center, the guards secure all entrances. Please come inside alone as agreed."

  Pythia didn't take her eyes off me. Just waited.

  *Is she waiting to see what I'll say? What a nice change of pace, although sudden. Is she testing me?*

  *No, it doesn't matter. I want to get this over with, but I won't go alone.*

  I closed the distance between me and Pythia with two decisive steps, and whispered to her ear:

  "Do they know about the traitor?"

  She just nodded in response, making her silver hair tickle my nose.

  I moved toward the guard. I stopped close enough to make it clear I'm not afraid, but far enough to feel the Holy Knight's presence, not the hellhound's.

  "Being polite comes after being alive," I started.

  *Rude as hell, but whatever.*

  "Due to recent events, I don't go anywhere without my personal guards."

  The guard opened his mouth, but I continued leveraging the situation.

  "There's a traitor in the Temple, or maybe even in the Royal Palace. Please relay my request to the Princess to allow one of my guards to accompany me, he will keep his distance."

  Silence.

  The guard's eyes were still jumping to the Knight regularly, and a single drop of sweat ran down his forehead. If he were to look firmly at me, I'm not sure if I would hold his gaze. He must have come to his conclusion, because he nodded and went into the door with his hound.

  Bird chirping and rustling leaves temporarily reached us as the door opened for a short moment.

  We waited.

  Pythia just smirked and gracefully waited as if nothing happened. Evadne came closer for a moment and whispered, "Good job," followed by Althea's "Well played."

  The praise made me lighter, starting to grow a smile on my face. But I remembered "Stay vigilant", so I hid it behind a wall constructed with my hand smoothing my face.

  Minutes passed, and I got a little nervous they'll turn it around again somehow.

  "So who is going with me, Silas, Corvus or Severus?" I asked the shadows, unsure who was who.

  "I'll be your shadow in the garden, Saint Leonard." One guard stepped in.

  "Silas?"

  He nodded in response.

  "Please always say your name when you address me."

  Another nod.

  The guard came back, leaving the door open this time. "Please come in with your personal guard, I'll accompany him."

  I walked into the sunny garden with Silas and the guard half step behind me. Windy air was full of various flower scents which I couldn't name. The sky was deep blue and the sun shone brightly. What was strange is that further from the garden the dark clouds hid the sky, as if they were repelled by the palace.

  I heard the last sentence, "Highest Priestess, please follow me to the resting area with refreshments," before the door finally shut.

  A paved road led to the center of the garden. Trees here and there surrounded it. Some were odd, like large eucalyptus, but there were also oaks, maple trees and other, which seemed familiar but I didn't know their names.

  A neatly cut line of hedge up to my waist distanced me from flowers and grass filling the space behind it. I spotted a squirrel, but it had larger claws than I expected. When it blinked, a second membrane like in reptiles closed before the eyelid did. It gave me shivers.

  *No doubt this is not like Earth. Even cute squirrels are creepy.*

  I walked toward the center of the garden. There, a round, small table with two chairs stood.

  One chair was occupied by a cascade of ridiculously long and thick braid made of hair. They weren't just red.

  They were a polished amber that fell in glossy waves.

  The deep green, long dress showed half of the shoulder blades revealing the skin contrasting nicely with the braid and the cloth.

  It wasn't light tan as Evadne and others had, but rather a finer, more delicate shade.

  A tone warmer than alabaster, as if the sun was shy to touch her skin.

  The Princess.