A Sorceress From the Future

Chapter Two

I slowly turned to face my impending doom while nervously pulling at the hem of my flannel. Heat rose up in my cheeks when my eyes took in the sight before me. Barry’s elder brother held a lost look in his emerald eyes which were almost covered with his unruly dark bangs of hair. He had a masculine physique and his chiseled jaw made me wonder if Barry had been adopted.

No offense Barry.

Did I mention that this man wore an actual body armor and had some sort of sheathed sword tucked in his waistband? Despite his attractive looks, I knew he wasn’t someone kind. His hard lines and cold exterior spoke volumes.

“Since when do you entertain wenches in your chambers little brother?”

My mouth opened and closed not quite positive on how to explain my presence there. I mean I didn’t even know how I had come to be here. Wait he thought I was a prostitute? I huffed in annoyance as I noticed the man’s eyes currently ogling at my lower body, how could I forget? My body was only halfway covered!

“S-stop spouting nonsense L-luke. I have n-no idea who she is! I highly d-doubt s-she is from our K-kingdom…”

Barry clutched his mouth in horror. Without knowing it, his honesty had termed me as some sort of threat. I could tell by how Luke’s features had suddenly gone rigid at the mention of me being a complete stranger.

“How could you harbor a stranger within your chamber? Even after father’s sudden illness you still choose to be naïve? Even after seeing what our kingdom is going through, our men, my men you still have the nerve of allowing a stranger into the castle? Your room?”

Barry began to panic as his brother’s voice heightened with rage.

“Speak Baric! Where did she come from?”

“S-she appeared in m-my washing area this afternoon. I-I was going about m-my business completely immersed in it when I f-felt something was off. W-when I recalled my running bath I-I dashed to add c-cooling water. T-that is where I f-found her or rather her b-body for she was not b-breathing initially. It was only after I p-placed her in my b-bed that I d-discovered that her p-pulse had well, returned.”

Silence swept over the room and for a moment, the howling wind took dominance as far as sound was concerned.

“That is sorcery brother. Do you know the penalty for such a crime?”

Luke’s tone had turned cold, his features impassive. Barry’s eyes widened before he fell to his knees his whole body quivering.

“S-she is p-pure of heart can’t you see? S-she is as harmless as a reindeer…b-beautiful too.”

My eyes welled at Barry’s statement. His kind words were foreign to me and even more dumbfounding because he was a total stranger. I found myself smiling despite the dire not to mention confusing circumstances I was in. If this was indeed a dream, I prayed to remember his words when I woke up.

“We both know her life is not in your hands.”

Luke’s features were callous as he approached me. His eyes once again trailed below my torso before heading to what I deemed to be a closet. It was certainly not the upbeat one, more of an antique piece from medieval movies or Greg's antique store back at home.

Home.

Barry’s relay made its way into my mind and I scanned the room, my curiosity overpowering my fear. A feeling of nausea hit me as I observed the splashed water surrounding the humongous tub in the corner of the room. Wet footprints trailed towards the bed I had unceremoniously woken up in. If Barry’s account held some truth in it, then maybe sorcery was really in play here.

Ha-ha Nina.

“What year is it?” I whispered not quite certain about my sanity.

Barry paused his whimpering to address me.

“Y-year?”

I swallowed the metallic taste that was rapidly forming at the back of my mouth. Nothing was making sense, from the attires on their bodies, to the sophisticated language, the wooden structure of this room, what in the bloody name of father Christmas was going on here? I slapped myself across the face causing Barry to jolt upwards and Luke to retreat from the closet. The stinging in my cheeks was tactile, this was happening.

“Stop messing around and don these clothes. If you try anything, I will not hesitate to end your life here and now.”

I believed his words. The way he pronounced every syllable with such venom reminded me of my own father. I was almost certain his was fueled by his profound loath for sorcery. If my memory served me correctly, he had just said that sorcery had caused his father’s illness. I silently retreated to the corner of the room away from the two brothers who refused to address each other. A pang of guilt washed over me as I saw the wedge I had driven between them.

Once I was done, I reappeared from behind the curtain, my mind swimming with endless inquiries. The most pressing one was, how in the name of father Christmas had I ended up in this era? My arm was taken captive by a familiar painful grip and I automatically retaliated by hitting Luke in the shin. His eyebrows furrowed as he glanced at his leg but he shrugged it off as if the impact was insignificant.

Was he made of stone?

“She will face the council and the King will give his final word. I wouldn’t keep my hopes up little brother.”

Oh superb! It appeared that wherever I went the grim reaper seemed to shadow me. I had been this close to thinking that maybe the human race was not doomed after all, well once bitten twice shy. Luke paused at the door, his grip around my arm tightening.

“And tell your i***t of a friend to find a better hiding position next time.”

Barry’s gaze held mine as he mouthed the words “sorry” to me. What did he have to be sorry for? If anything, he had saved my life and tried to defend me, a total stranger, in front of his brother. I offered him a lopsided smile as Luke began dragging me from Barry’s room.

My jaw dropped as I took in my environment. The hallway leading away from Barry’s room was made of marbles instead of bricks with snazzy, well varnished wood appearing here and there. It was almost as if I was in the hallways of a real castle. As Barry had mentioned, there were guards lurking at either side of the hallway and as Luke passed them, they raised their weaponry as if honoring him. That is when it hit me, Luke and Barry, they were actual princes.

Real live, actual princes!

“Tell me you witch, is it you that brought this illness to our Kingdom? Is it true that your people have forged an alliance with Strata?” Luke’s breath fanned my ears sending a shiver down my spine.

“I am not a witch. If I was, I would have whistled for my broomstick and flown away to the skies while cackling wickedly.”

Luke squinted his eyes at me as I began to desperately look for exits. My mantra made its way into my head, I would not surrender as I had done before the onset of all these strange happenings.

We reached an entrance which bore two humongous wooden doors. A guard opened it but not before regarding me with absolute confusion.

“Is the council in?”

“Yes, my Prince, even your father has joined them today. They are discussing the details regarding the Strata invasion.”

Luke gave the guard a somber nod before swinging the doors open. My eyes significantly widened at the sight of the royal depiction in the room. Burgundy velvet was draped over the walls where sophisticated paintings hang. There were no photographs just elegant ornaments splattered across the large room. Had the camera not been invented in this era? I really needed to pay more attention in my History class. I almost chuckled at the thought of the girls from my previous school being here without access to their smart phones, however would they live without their precious selfies?

“I wish to address the council.”

The men at the round table in the middle of the room shifted their attention to Luke and then their gazes landed on me. I squirmed under their intense stares.

“Speak boy.”

The voice that had spoken this command was grizzly and out of breath. It did not take me long to connect the dots, the owner of the voice was Luke’s father, his majesty.

“I believe a sorceress has been found in our midst.”

Loud chatter erupted from the men, their attention fully captured by Luke’s words. My heartbeat accelerated to uncontrollable rates. If they believed him, I would be killed in another era.

Oh the irony.

“If that is so, why is she in front of us? Take her to the gallows.”

My blood turned cold as my eyes landed on the man who had just passed my sentence nonchalantly. I was used to cruelty anyway, nothing surprising there.

“Don’t you want to listen to her first Dawson?”

I c****d my head towards Luke, was he giving me a fair trial after all?

“I see no need for it, do as I say Luke.”

Luke did not move a muscle at the gritted out instruction. I followed his gaze; he was looking at his father.

“Does he give the final say now?”

The king weakly lifted his head up, even from where I was standing, I could tell the illness had taken a toll on him.

‘’I have no strength for this right now son…”

His voice faltered as a series of coughs filled the room. I saw the members of the council exchange worried glances.

“Can’t you see that you are upsetting your father? Rid us of that sorceress immediately!”

I felt a familiar pain in my chest, the kind of pain that resurfaced whenever I thought of my father’s hate towards me. I had never fathomed its intensity, not even once as I grew up. What had I done to deserve such animosity in this lifetime? Or my previous one for that matter?

The door to the enormous room opened and Barry coyly entered with Lawrence in tow. Everything fell incredibly silent apart from the king’s heavy breathing.

“S-she is not a w-witch father. S-she is j-just a t-tad lost that is all.”

Barry’s nervous statement erupted another chatter from the round table. The king’s tired expression seemed to mildly dissipate upon seeing his younger son. It was as if he had not seen him in quite a long time. I scarcely wondered why.

“Of course Baric and Lawrence had a hand in this shenanigans. My king I implore you do not listen to this nonsense. We do not tolerate sorcery in our lands and what if she is a spy? It is our duty to protect the- “

The King raised his hand causing the brash lunatic to cut his statement short.

“My son has never stepped outside his room for any occasion since my wife’s murder and today he not only does that but he also appears in front of the council…”

The king’s breath began hitching causing his speech to falter. His symptoms were similar to that of tuberculosis, a deadly but treatable disease. With the correct ingredients and make shift technology, I bet I could help the king recover. I had always had a vested interest in medicine and technology but my father would rather I become a drug trafficker than attain a degree in medicine.

Oh the irony.

Strained coughs filled the room as the king struggled to fill his lungs with air. Luke, Barry, Lawrence and the guards rushed towards him completely forgetting my presence in the room. My eyes spotted the exit, if I was going to escape, it had to be now. My mantra made its way to my mind. Acting quickly, I turned on my heels, my bare feet initiating no sound as I made my escape.