She turns to me. “And you were the queen’s guard and protector. You were a knight from Earth—the most renowned and feared of any before you. You were sent here by the king of that world in a gesture of peace and friendship. You became a Guardian of Creation as well.”
Kyra sits forward. “I’ve heard this place referred to as the ‘Otherworld.’ Why?”
“To those who live here, this is the world of Lunaria,” Willow explains. “But to those who come from the place whence you came, it is known as the ‘Otherworld.’”
“Why is that?”
“Because only those with magic can open a portal between the two worlds and pass freely from one to the other. As the queen reborn, I am not surprised you possess this ability.”
Kyra and I exchange a knowing glance and remain silent, neither of us mentioning our familiars nor the fact that it was Astra who sent us here. After all, this woman may seem friendly, but it’s best to remain cautious.
“What happened to her?” Kyra asks. “What happened to Queen Alora?”
Willow sits back in her chair and gives us a subtle nod before taking another small sip of her tea. “It seems your memories are far from returned. You speak of Alora as if you do not remember that you are her.”
“I—” Kyra starts, but the old woman lifts her hand in a silent bid to be allowed to speak.
“Do not worry,” she says. “The memories will come.” She narrows her eyes as she looks to me. “It seems many of yours have returned to you, have they not?”
My mouth drifts open. How does she know? “How do you—”
She cuts me off. I look to the side and notice Kyra staring at me. Now she knows I’ve been keeping this from her. I lower my gaze, ashamed by the look of betrayal etched in her features. I’ll have to speak with her when we’re alone. I was only trying to give her time to adjust to all this. Now, I realize, from the look on her face that I should have just told her the truth.
The old woman is right. My memories are coming back. This world doesn’t feel as foreign as it first did. If anything, it feels as if we’ve finally returned home.
Willow continues. “Like the ancient queens of old, Queen Alora was supposed to choose her harem—the men who would guard and protect her with their lives.” Her gaze sweeps to me. “But she chose to only bond herself to one male. She was so in love with him, she refused all others who offered their hands. And that,” she says sadly, “was her undoing.”
I shake my head. “Why would she do that?”
Willow gives me a curious look. “You have experienced the nightmare of the queen’s death, have you not?”
I blink several times, stunned that she knows this. “Yes.”
“And yet, you do not remember the reason that the queen died?”
“Why would I remember?”
Her gaze hardens. “You were her guard. You were supposed to protect her.” She studies me a moment. “How is it you do not have this memory?” Her gaze shifts to Kyra. “And you? Do you not remember what happened, either?”
Kyra frowns and shakes her head. “I have nightmares of dying, but they are like fragments of memory shrouded in fog. I cannot see more than that.” She looks at me. “I only know when we touch, images flash through my mind. A man holds me in my dreams as I lay dying. And that man looks like Cael.”
Willow frowns. “This is strange. You both are supposed to regain all your memories now that you are here.”
“Perhaps it takes time, Mother,” Talina offers.
“I still don’t understand,” Kyra says. “What does all this have to do with us now?”
Willow takes Kyra’s hands. “I am forbidden from telling you everything. For there are things you must discover on your own. But I can tell you this: The balance of both worlds, this one and the one from which you have come, are linked. Destruction and Creation are two forces in complete opposition to one another. Thus, the gods have chosen their mages and their Guardians. The fact that the God of Creation made certain you were both reborn now means the God of Destruction is trying to rise to power once again.”
“But you just said there had to be a balance,” I interject.
“Yes, but the God of Destruction does not care to maintain it. He would destroy everything if he could. And you,”—she points to me—“cannot allow that to happen. Protect the queen, and you save both worlds.”
“What are you talking about?” Kyra asks. “This is crazy.”
Willow tips up her chin and draws in a deep breath. “The world from which you come… have there been any destructive cycles?”
“Destructive cycles?” I ask, trying to understand what she’s talking about. “What do you mean?”
She clenches her jaw. “Any disruption in the balance of nature. Unusual tempests or terrible quakes in the earth?”
Dawned understanding fills me. “The earthquakes,” I whisper.
Kyra’s eyes snap to mine. “They’ve been worse lately and no one understands why,” she adds.
Willow looks between us both. “The same thing is happening here. It is the God of Destruction. Someone has managed to free him from his prison. And now he means to tear both worlds apart.”
I shake my head, still having trouble wrapping my mind around all of this. “But why? Why would he do this?”
She shrugs. “It is his nature. He is the God of Destruction. He would see both our worlds burned and destroyed simply because it pleases him to do such a thing.”
“But why now?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “That, I do not know. Nobody does. The will of the Gods is their own. Who knows why they do the things they do.”
Kyra scoffs. “Assuming all of this is true. If I’m this queen you’re speaking of, how am I supposed to save both worlds?”
Willow narrows
