Forced into Fantasy 2

Chapter 9 - Truth

Ivy;

Zarkin leads me all the way up towards his chambers, located in one of the tower rooms of the castle and closes the door behind him, latching it.

“What the hell is going on here?” I demand, still out of breath and confused as s**t! “I want to know what the HELL that thing was and why it wants me!”

Zarkin appears to be moving about, gathering objects of some sort, though I can’t see what they are. He seems very focused on his current task.

“It’s a creature of darkness hell bent on destroying all living things.” he announced vaguely, still collecting things.

“What?”

My hands are on my hips now as I struggle to allow this information to properly sink in.

“Where the hell did it come from?”

He shakes his head as he replies, still not meeting my eyes.

“No idea. I sensed its power only moments before it attacked you in your chambers. And quite frankly, I was lucky to be there in time.” he admits.

I suddenly realise that we left Adomis alone and unconscious in the chambers when we ran and my eyes widen as I gasp.

“Wait, Adomis!” I begin to dart towards the locked door as I speak rather frantically. “I must go to him, he was hurt during the attack…”

I am shocked as Zarkin steps between me and the door, a serious expression shown on his face now as he looks to me.

“What are you doing?”

“No Ivy. You must stay here.”

I frown in obvious confusion. Why would the Mage not want me to check on his Overlord? The man he is supposedly loyal to? Isn’t he concerned for his welfare as much as I am?

“Zarkin, move out of the way. I need to make sure he’s alright.” I command.

But he surprises me by remaining between me and the doorway. His expression does not change even in the slightest.

“I’m sorry Ivy, but I can not allow you to go to him.”

I’m finding it difficult to contain the amount of fury suddenly building up inside of me at the sheer arrogance of this man.

A part of me wants to punch him in the face!

But the more logical side of me feel as if I know Zarkin and trust him. So what’s his deal?

“You’d better start talking, Mage.” I warn in a harsh tone, my eyes narrowed by my withheld anger. “Right now.”

Zarkin’s eyes move downwards as he lets out a large uncomfortable sigh. The kind of sigh you make before you unload something unsettling.

'Now I’m worried.'

“I didn’t know how to tell you this… but that man in your chambers, the one who looks like our Overlord…”

He trails off uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck and this only frustrates me more. My eyes narrow even further now as I cross both my arms over my chest impatiently.

“Come on, out with it!”

“He’s not Adomis.”

His voice is softer than I expected it to be, and I have trouble understanding him, or at least I think I do. He couldn’t have just said that the man in my chambers isn’t Adomis.

That’s… well, it’s ridiculous!

My left brow lifts high as I condescendingly tilt my head.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Zarkin’s eyes flick up to meet mine and I can see the cold, hard stare he is now giving me. There is no room in his expression for jokes or lies.

He’s… he’s being serious!

“It’s not him Ivy, it’s not Adomis. He’s an imposter.”

I stand staring at him in silence for a moment before I finally decide what to say.

“I don’t underst-”

He quickly cuts in over my words.

“-You’ve been tricked. We all have. He’s nothing but an imposter and he’s been acting as our Overlord ever since we rescued you from the cave all those weeks ago.”

I still can’t make sense of what he’s trying to tell me. My head is spinning in circles.

How could Adomis… not be Adomis?

Blinking several times, I open my mouth but nothing comes out and I become lost in gigantic waves of confused thoughts, memories and endless questions that are yet to be answered.

Zarkin takes this opportunity to continue explaining his suspicions to me.

“Think about it for a second, is there anything about him that appears different? Anything at all, no matter how small it may be.”

I begin to feel strangely weak in the knees and need to sit down. Glancing around, I sight a chair and I slowly make my way across towards it.

After sitting down, I do as he says and try to think of anything that stands out about the man I have been spending weeks with.

This supposed imposter.

“Anything at all. Something he’s said or done that was out of the ordinary?”

Zarkin continues to try and prompt my memories from me.

“Something that you dismissed at the time perhaps…”

I shake my head as nothing comes to mind right away and Zarkin appears unable to give up his mission of convincing me.

He moves across to stand before me, then crouching down to kneel by my legs.

“Anything Ivy. Please try to recall.”

He is practically begging me now as his hands grasp at mine in desperation.

“It’s important.”

My brows furrow with painful hurt as I look at him for a moment.

And then it hits me, like an arrow straight to the heart.

I feel myself suck in a short, shallow breath as the realisation takes hold and I struggle to allow such a possibility to be real.

‘It can’t be real… it just can’t be!’

“The scar.” I mutter to myself and frown.

“Scar, what scar?” he urges.

I swallow nervously before continuing to explain.

“He has a scar here…”

I use my hand to place over my own heart to show him the location as I continue to explain.

“I’d never seen it before until after I was rescued. I thought that maybe he’d been wounded recently or perhaps while he was away, and I hadn’t noticed… I thought that… I thought he…”

It’s strange that I can’t finish that sentence.

“It’s alright.”

He assures me by squeezing my left hand tightly.

“You couldn’t possibly have known. He fooled all of us, not just you.”

“Wait, if it’s not Adomis, then who is it?” I ask, suddenly finding myself very interested in who this lying bastard could possibly be.

He’d have to be powerful enough to change his appearance and maintain such a spell.

Whoever it is, I want to strangle the smug life out of him with my bear hands!

Now Zarkin appears hesitant as he purses his lips together and lowers his head to face the floor. I can see his laboured breaths moving his chest up and down and know he is hiding something from me.

“Zarkin?”

It is my turn to squeeze his hand now and after the gesture, he visually takes a long hard breath before lifting his head back up to meet my concerned gaze.

“It all started shortly after we returned from rescuing you. He’d been acting strangely, going off on sudden quests alone and making secret plans without any of our knowledge. None of it made any sense until I spoke with him about the amulets. He had no idea of the one that he himself possessed...”

I frown in confusion as he continues.

“I knowingly tricked him into confessing that he wasn’t the Overlord and I’ve kept the secret hidden ever since. He has no idea that I know who he really is… that he’s an imposter.”

“You know who he is, don’t you?” I ask, becoming more and more frustrated by the second.

“I can’t be certain.” he almost whispers.

‘Ok, now I’m pissed!’

“Who!” I demand sternly, my gaze hardening into one of stone.

“Ivy… its better if you don’t know-”

“WHO!”

“It's Prince Ronaar... the imposter, I believe it to be Prince Ronaar.”

I can’t breathe…

My entire body feels as if it had suddenly disappeared and I can’t feel anything at all. My eyes remain wide open, unblinking as I fight to come to grips with what I’ve just had confessed to me.

‘No… no, no, no, no!’

‘Not him… anyone but him!’

After a moment or two of fading in and out of reality I hear Zarkin’s voice calling to me, his voice is echoing, as if he is in another place in time and I blink at long last, returning to the here and now.

“Ivy, can you hear me?”

He seems concerned now as he leans in closer to examine me, his hands on either side of my face as he looks deeply into my eyes.

“Ronaar?” I barely whisper the word, looking to the Mage for clarification.

His expression of pity gives me the answer I feared I would receive.

“I’m sorry, Ivy. I wanted to tell you earlier, I just…” he shakes his head, as if he feels guilty for keeping this from me.

“How long have you known?” I ask, frowning.

“I’ve had my suspicions for a while now, but it was only recently that I put two and two together and discovered the truth.” he admits. “I only hope that I wasn’t too late for… you know?”

As soon as he says those words I realise the mistake I have made and my heart breaks, shattering into a million tiny pieces.

I begin to gasp, unable to take air into my lungs as I go into some form of apparent shock.

‘I let that f*****g creep touch me!’

‘We almost… Oh my god, we almost…’

“Just breathe, Ivy. Come on, breathe… that’s it.”

Zarkin continues to coach me with remembering how to breathe as I fight the oncoming panic attack threatening to take over.

“I betrayed him.” I sob as tears flood the corners of my eyes.

“I betrayed the man that I love.”

Zarkin frowns now.

“You had no idea. You can’t think to blame yourself for this.” he fights to remind me.

But I can not push the guilt away that is now eating freely inside of me. I feel utterly horrible and what’s worse, I’ll have to break this news to the real Adomis whenever we find him.

I suddenly realise the obvious and lift my gaze to focus on the Mage once more.

“Adomis… where is he? If that’s not him then…”

“I’m already looking into it, don’t worry.” Zarkin assures me. “The last we saw of him was back at the cave that night.”

“But they were to duel to the death. And if Ronaar’s here, doesn’t that mean…” I stop, unable to complete the rest of my sentence.

‘I won’t say the words.’

‘I can’t! ’

‘It can’t be true!’

“You and I both know the Overlord better than that. And you’re bonded with him, remember? If he were truly dead you’d be the first to know, believe me…”

He continues with a promising smile.

“A bonding is one of the strongest forces known in the mystical arts. There is no breaking it. I have a strong feeling that the two of you will be reunited once more, with time.”

I close my eyes and tears roll down both sides of my face. I’m a mess right now but I don’t seem to care. My heart is in too much pain and only one man can heal such a wound.

“I need him, Zarkin.” I announce softly, opening my eyes to reveal the red shade now glazing over them from all of my crying, “I can’t live without him.”

“We’ll find him, Ivy. You have my word.”

-

Varrus;

The enchantment had been prepared and the mystical portal was ready for me to enter.

I stand before it’s watery blue glow in the middle of the enchantment chamber, Neilus standing beside me along with several other soldiers who are tasked to protect me with their lives.

My King’s Guards.

Taking one last deep breath in to calm and centre myself, I turn to Neilus who nods his head with a smile for a little persuasion.

His silent nod is all that I require.

My feet begin to move and before I know it I am stepping directly into the thick, cool liquidy doorway, face first.

I feel as the substance completely submerges my entire body and soon enough everything around me disappears.

‘Soon I will meet the Overlord Adomis and find a way to stop the darkness from consuming our world...’