REALMWALKERS

17: Help Me ....

~ Rowyn Knox ~

As soon as I wake, all that happened the night before, or should I say, the early morning before, comes rushing back to me. I sit up and trudge to the wardrobe. I rummage through the clothes, pulling free a sweet, pale blue tunic and a pair of black silken pants. I toss the clothes on after cleaning up a bit, and I head downstairs.

Fable and Reverie are nowhere to be found, but I see Cora standing in the foyer. She looks up from her book, smiling at my appearance. I sit down across from here.

"Are we alone now?"

She nods. "Rev and Fable left, heading for a job tonight. Sal left before dawn. Why do you ask?"

I really do think of telling her. I want to tell her what I overheard between Salvatore and Hawthorn. But will she even believe me? Or will she think me insane?

In the end, I shake my head. "I was just curious, that's all."

Cora nods slowly.  "Um, okay. Well, uh, I have a job that I need to go out on today, so .... do you wanna come?"

Shane's laugh echoes in my mind. I remember seeing him as he was dragged away. Taken off to be killed by those bastards, because of Salvatore. I need vengeance. I cannot stand this man, fae, whatever the fuck he is. He is the reason that Shane's dead. And I need to make sure he pays for that.

Cora tilts her head.  "Rowyn?"

I shake my head. "I might just stay in my room, if that's alright. I'm sorry."

"You seem different today. Do you feel sick?"

"Homesick, I think," I say. "My soul hurts."

That is the truth, yes. But I am homesick for more than just my home. Shane. Esmeray. My home. The Guild. I don't want to go out on a mission. Yes, I know I'll get rusty if I do not go. But.... I can't get Shane out of my head.

Cora stands up. "I understand, Rowyn. More than you may realize. I will be Ilyena Nytva, a city a ways from here. The sisters won't be back for a few days. And Sal is likely in the same boat. He likes to wander, search for things he tells no one about."

I bet he tells no one where he's going. What he's doing. I bet they didn't even realize he'd found me, in another fucking Realm, too. How did he find me, anyways? Do I have some kind of .... sign or something that says I'm a Realmwalker that just floats above my head or something?

"I.... I will see you when you get back, then," I mutter.

Cora walks toward the front door, and I follow her. "Yes, well, I will most likely return around dinner time. We will be alone, so it will be a nice dinner for two."

I smile at her, and she returns it in kind. Then, with one last nod my way, Cora leaves.

And I am alone in a stranger's house.

I wander for a while, going down random corridors and up and down stairways. But when I find myself in a private looking library, I get interested. Especially when I open a book laying by a dead fireplace that has Salvatore Poe inscribed in the front cover.

I hum as I sit beside the fireplace, studying the pages of each book nearby and the first one I found. The book itself is an old one, dusty and yellowed. But there's no sign of anything useful. So, I move on to the next one.

Finally, I find a small book with feathers used to save places in it. It is simple, but also inconspicuous. As I sift through the book, it shows me what exactly Salvatore Poe is working on.

He needs a Realmwalker and someone who possesses something called the Lifespark. He has a... machine. And it is supposed to be the most powerful machine in the Realm, because with my power of moving between worlds, and the strength of life-giving or taking magicks, he ...

He would be untouchable. Invincible.

I shake my head, then shove a particular piece of paper into my pockets. Then, I sift through some more books before I realize that I need to see if that machine is in here. It's... it's gotta be, right? He'd have something so powerful kept closely, something so strong would definitely be something he'd need to use. And so, it's likely it's somewhere in this castle-like mansion.

So, I trudge down to the basement of the mansion. It is a dark and cold place. As I walk into the dim room, I hear the sounds of chains rattling. I turn, my heart in my throat. Didn't Cora say we were alone?

"Help me," says a deep voice that I hear in my dreams.