Roses and Thorns

Chapter 19~New Friends

She was shocked. She didn't want to go back to the Other World. It's been more than six months since she had left, and she felt more at home here, then in the Other World.

"Wh... Why?" she asked shocked.

" Because, you're not safe here." said Baradhyl.

"Merikh thinks, that you're dead, but if you stay here... he will find out sooner or later that you're alive." explained Delroy.

"Poloma and Delroy will acompany you to the portal. And on the other side, another friend of ours will be waiting for you. " said Baradhyl "We'll hide your ears. Once you get to the Other World noone will see them." Ivelle nodded and stayed silent. She didn't want to leave. Coming here was so surrealistic, but now...leaving seems just as surrealistic.

They left the next morning. All three of them wore simple clothes: brown leather jeans, with white linen shirt and black boots. They wore brown capes too. Baradhyl gave them horses, and they went to the surface.As soon as they stepped outside, all they could see was infinite desert. It was realy hot already.

"Once, this place was covered with trees and lived by thousands of species." said Delroy examining the landscape " Now it's just sand and scorpions."They mounted their horses and started their way towards North.

They reached a small oasis by nightfall. Delroy got off his horse and started murmuring something in latin. The small pond's water disappeared at once, and they saw a hidden staircase.

" Leave the horses here, and follow me." he ordered them.The small staircase led to a hidden chamber. It had a stone table in its middle with a dusty, old book. Delroy opened it and started murmuring in latin again. Soon a red spot appeared in the air, and grew wider and wider. It grew into a portal, although it didn't look safe, with its bright red colour and lightnings in it.

"You have to go through it." Ivelle looked at the portal unsure, and then back at Delroy. "It's safe, I promise. Trust me."

"Says the dark soldier." Delroy gave her an angry look "Fine, fine. " she stepped closer to it" Well, I hope we'll meet again. " she smiled and stepped in.

Her journey was very uncomfortable. When she stepped out of the portal she felt dizzy, her lungs hurt, and she was close to throwing up. Her sight was blurry, but she could see, that she was in a dark alley. She was lying on the ground. She could feel that someone picked her up and started walking away with her. She wanted to ask who it was, or where he was taking her, but the words didn't came out of her mouth. She lost her consciousness, once again.

She woke up in a light room. She was lying in a double bed. Next to the window, in an armchair was sitting a man. He was staring out the window. Ivelle sat up silently. She examined him. He had shoulder - lenght, black hair, and was tall. She noticed a dagger in his hands and she sat there transfixed with horror. The man turned his head and examined her.

"Impossible." she thought.

She recognized him. She recognized his pale skin, his black hair and emerald eyes. He was none other, than the brother of Merikh, the Dark King.

"What do you want from me? " she asked in a shaky voice.

"I thought it was obvious. " he said on a soft, but cold voice "I'm the friend of Baradhyl. "

"You want me, to believe this? "

"Yes." he stood up and walked towards the bed. He fliped the dagger in the air, so now he was holding its blade. "I believe it belongs to you. " he said on a bored tone

"My dagger. " She took it from him. " How... "

"Every weapon that we confiscate from our hostages is taken to the armory. I walked in and took it. Nothing special. " he sat back to the armchair.

"Why are you doing this? " asked Ivelle looking at the man's face.

"Doing what? " he asked staring out the window.

"Helping me. "

For a minute he was just examining her in silence. Then took a deep breath and spoke up.

"You need me. And I need your help. "

"How could I help you? "

"I have to hide. You know this world better than me." they sat in silence again.

A weak voice in the back of Ivelle's mind told her to run, but she couldn't get rid of the feeling, that she can trust him. The man stood up slowly.

" Put on something more... normal. " he said and left the room.

Ivelle just stared after him. What the hell was going on? She looked at her dagger, then walked to the wardrobe. She put out a red knitted sweater, black jeans and black sneakers. She got dressed and made a quick ponytail. She put her dagger in the back of her jeans and hid it under her sweater.

She left the room and found herself in the hall. There were four doors on the hall. The one that was on the end of the hall was slightly open, and obviously belonged to the bathroom. The other one (which was next to Ivelle's) was closed. The door that was opposite to her door was closed too, and had a peephole. That must had been the front door. The other end of the hall was open and led to a living room.

Ivelle went to the living room and found the man sitting on the couch with his eyes closed. He wore more usual clothes now: a black t-shirt, with black jeans and black sneakers. Ivelle stood in the doorway, unsure about what to do.

"Are you going to stand there all day, or will you come in and sit down?" he asked, his eyes still closed. She went to the yellow couch and sat down across the man, not taking her eyes off him. His eyes were still closed.

"Who are you?" asked Ivelle "I mean I know that you're a Dark Prince, but what's your name?" The man opened his eyes slightly and gave her a half smile.

"Adrastos." Ivelle nodded, and he closed his eyes again.

She sat there wringing her hands and examining the man. As he sat there with his eyes closed and his head tilted slightly back, he looked so peaceful and menacing at the same time. Adrastos winced, took a deep breath and opened his eyes. He examined Ivelle and stood up. As she sat there looking up at the man she felt like a weak child.

"The thing is, that you need help to stop my brother from concuering Sanctuary and killing thousands of people. I can help with that." he started explaining "And in return you won't tell anyone that you saw me, and help me...fit in this place." Ivelle stared at him for long minutes.

"How could I be sure, that you won't get advantage of the situation and sit on the throne yourself?"

"You can't be sure about that." he grinned "But if I did, trust me, I'm much better than my brother."

"Sure, you say that now, but..."

"Enough" he raised his voice "I told you my conditions. You either accept my help, or leave, but I assure you, you won't live long without me."

"Deal." she said finally.

"Great." he said walking to the fridge. He took out two sandwiches and gave one to Ivelle. "Eat, you'll need energy."

"How can you help me?"

"The only way you can defeat my brother is finding the Dark Blade." he explained eating his sandwich "Only the rightful owner of the blade can control the Dark Soldiers. After the previous war, the elves hid the blade. We have to find it and destroy it."

"But he already controls the army."

"Not the whole of it. Right now, he has enough soldiers to scare people around Sanctuary, but a great part of the army didn't join him, because he doesn't have the blade."

"I guess he's looking for it too."

"Of course he does. Why do you think he needed you?"

"What? Me?"

"Yes, you." he looked at her "Your mother hid that blade."Ivelle's eyes widened. That was impossible. Her mother left Sanctuary long before Erebos was killed. And noone knew where she was.

"The elves gave the blade to Margita to hide it, and she gave it to your mother." he explained.

"Oh..."

"We should get to work right away." he said, standing up "Where should we begin?"