Collecting the Pieces of the Shandhi Sword (Book 2 of Mark Series)

Chapter 34

I blinked and blinked again, raising an eyebrow in question. "Your Highness?" I asked, and he nodded in confirmation. "What do you mean by that, Samuel? I am not a princess. Where are we? What happened?"

Samuel cleared his throat and shifted on his feet, looking everywhere before he looked at me again with dark blue eyes filled with worry and fear as if he did not know if he had done the right thing. "You should call me Raphael," he said and gestured for me to start walking a certain way. "Your Highness," he added as a random thought.

I pressed my lips into a thin line and narrowed my eyes, my eyes flashing just a tad, and he bowed more, looking very nervous and worried that I would continue to ask him when it wasn't safe. "And what do you mean about that?" I asked coldly, and I raised an eyebrow in question.

Samuel bit back an annoyed sigh and moved a hand across his face before he gestured toward the way he wanted me to go. "Please, Your Highness," he said. "Let's start walking, and I will explain what I can. We don't have enough time, and the spell can end at any time, leaving you without what you need to collect."

I set my jaw and narrowed my eyes further, but I did what I was told to do with something swishing against my legs. I paused and looked down to see that I was in a dress and not the shirt and pants I remembered wearing. "What th-" I moved my hand across the deep red dress skirt that I was wearing, not knowing where I had gotten such a thing.

Samuel bit back a small smile, and I could tell that he was amused about my behavior when I found out that I was in a dress and then some flats that I normally wouldn't wear. "You also have a crown on your head, as well, Your Highness," he said, looking at the top of my head before he looked at me again.

I touched the top of my head, and sure enough, I had a crown on my head. "Why?" I asked. I didn't take the crown off of my head, even though I wanted to and only placed my hand back by my side.

"Because you are a princess," he said. He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet, starting to look very annoyed that I was taking a long time to start walking in the way he wanted to go. "Please, Your Highness, let's go ahead and start walking this way. We do not have a lot of time to dilly dally unless you want to not get anything that you need."

I bit back an annoyed growl and set my jaw before I did what I was told to do and started to walk the way he wanted me to go. "Easy," I warned, my voice barely above a whisper. I bared my teeth in warning, and he hesitated before he bowed while he followed me.

"My apologies, Your Highness," he said softly. "However, we have to collect the base of the sword before you get the other pieces of the sword. This is the way that I know it is going to be in, since we do not know where it actually is."

I set my jaw and moved my hand across my skirt. "So, why are you behind me and not in front of me leading me, Raphael?" I asked coldly. "Shouldn't you do that instead?"

Samuel shook his head and bit back a small chuckle. "Unfortunately, I will not be able to do that, Your Highness," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Right now, I am more of your guard than not, and it is my duty to protect you."

"And what am I supposed to be called?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question. I tucked my head closer to my chest while I looked at him from the corner of my eye. "I am sure that I am not to be called by my actual name."

I didn't say my name, even though a part of me wanted to because I had no idea who was listening in and could hurt me in my present where I had other people needing me alive and well.

"You are called Princess Evangeline, Your Highness," he said and bowed, tucking his head closer to his chest while he cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, I am not able to say your last name."

"Hmph." I set my jaw and narrowed my eyes but didn't say an actual word. I moved my hand through my skirt some more, becoming very nervous and anxious, for I had no idea what was happening and what's going on.

Samuel cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. "You will be able to find something about yourself later, Your Highness," Samuel said while he bowed his head just a tad. He looked around before he looked at me. "There are books about you in the library where we are staying at. Ok? You will be able to look at them later."

"Are you in there as well?" I asked, and he nodded in confirmation.

"I am, Your Highness," he confirmed. Again, he looked around before he looked at me, pressing his lips into a thin line. "Tryon is also here," he said, and his voice was barely above a whisper. "He will know who you are if we ever cross paths with him."

He will know that you are Jasmine and the new Shandhi...

Subconsciously, I reached for the necklace that marked me as the Shandhi that I carried around my neck, and I couldn't help but stop when I felt it there, especially since I knew I had tossed it on the table before I left and followed Samuel.

My heart skipped a beat and pounded hard and fast in my chest, and my eyes grew wide, feeling very confused as to why I had this around my neck and if it was the same necklace that I had been given a long time ago.

What the fuck..?

"Your Highness?" Samuel asked, and there was a bit of worry but also amusement in his voice as if he knew that I would react this way. He gently pressed his hand against my back and silently urged me to continue down the path that we needed to go. "What is it?"

I licked my lips and cleared my throat, letting my hand fall to my side. "It's there," I said and looked at him from the corner of my eye before I looked in the direction that we were going in. "Why is that there?"

Why is my necklace back around my neck..?

Samuel bit back a small smirk and tucked his head closer to his chest, and amusement filled his eyes while he stared at me. "You are the Shandhi, Your Highness," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, and there was a trace of sarcasm in it that I could pick up on and did not like. "Why are you thinking that you are not?"

I set my jaw and narrowed my eyes while I looked at him, feeling very unamused and annoyed with him. I didn't say a word while I looked at him, and Samuel hesitated before he took his hand off my back and took a step back, submitting.

"You are the Shandi in this form as you are in the future, Your Highness," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "This was the only way that I knew we could get the next part of the sword safely and not deal with something that could harm us."

"Why? What happened to the other piece of the sword?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question, making sure to keep my voice barely above a whisper too because I did not want anyone else to hear us. "Where is it?"

Samuel shook his head and cleared his throat, grimacing. "No one knows," he admitted. "After a few generations, it seemed to disappear, and no one knows where it is. No one has ever been able to locate it." He paused and licked his lips. "And not even us."

"Then why didn't they come here?" I asked and furrowed my brows while I looked at him before I turned my attention back to the front. "I mean, could you have led them here like you are doing for me, correct?"

Again, Samuel shook his head no. "Unlike you, they were not connected to this part," he said. He raised his hand to silence me as if he knew that I opened my mouth to ask a question about what he meant. "I will answer all of your questions later when we are safe and back in our time, Your Highness. However, I can not say a lot, for it could change your future in a way that you will have no control over."

I bit back an annoyed sigh and slowly nodded, moving a hand across my face. "Do you promise?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "Or are you going to tell me that "all will be revealed in due time" or something along those lines?"

"I will reveal what I can," he said, being vague for some reason. He silently told me not to push while he bowed lower to the ground, flicking his eyes away from me before he stood all the way and clearing his throat while he looked at me. "You have my word, Your Highness."