“All in good time,” he said, as though he’d read her thoughts. “For now, you must rest. It will be months before you will once again regain use of your body. It will perhaps be years before you can access all of your once great powers.”
The words washed over her like acid rain. All that she feared seemed to be echoed in his gentle voice. Would she be a vegetable, lying helpless in bed for years to come?
Again, he spoke as though he’d heard her thoughts. “I’m not sure why, but I can hear your thoughts and I know your fears. I sense that your recovery will not be so long. I have learned much of the healing arts in my centuries of life. I will do all that I can to restore you to health sooner–rather than later.”
If she hadn’t been paralyzed, Grainne would have flinched back when she felt his large hand on her forehead. His palm was rough and callused, like a man who’d worked hard all his life. While he continued to stroke her forehead, she began to feel more comfort wash through her.
“I will strive to make you better than you ever were before, Dark Queen,” he said, as he continued to stroke her forehead. “When you have fully recovered and we work together, the revenge over your enemies will be assured. We will cause them to rue the day they dared challenge your right to rule your people.”
Grainne again felt a surge of peace and comfort run through her heart and mind, as he continued to speak in his soft, gravelly voice. Even though it wasn’t loud, she felt compelled to listen. She felt a great desire to hear what he would say next.
“Together we will accomplish what you could not do alone. You cannot imagine how long I hoped for the day we would meet and join together. With my help, I believe you can win your ancient war.”
Grainne felt drowsiness creeping back while she listened to the stranger’s voice in the darkness. She desperately hoped that she’d stay awake long enough to hear all his words, which filled her heart with hope. There was a subtle power in this gentle, well-spoken man. He may indeed be a great ally if his words actually came to fruition.
His hand slowly moved to caress her cheek as he said, “Sleep now, Grainne. When you awaken, we will begin the long journey that we’ve both waited for centuries to commence. It will be a journey that could end with the destruction of your enemies and perhaps much more.”
The stranger was silent for a long time, and Grainne thought he was through speaking. His calloused hand continued to gently stroke her cheek, and she was nearly asleep when she heard him speak very softly.
“I have watched you struggle to defeat your enemies for centuries. I once fought to rule this planet. I have lost thousands of my friends and fellow warriors in battle against countless enemies.”
Grainne felt empathy from the calloused stranger. She knew that he spoke the truth about his great losses and suffering. It was the same suffering she was going through.
“In the end, I alone survived to live on in a world that I was a stranger to. The only thing that kept me going was watching you and your relentless drive to claim your right to rule your people. In the end, we have both failed to accomplish our greatest desire. Together, we will finally achieve the victory that has eluded us for far too long. If we continue down our separate, solitary paths, we will both continue to fail. Only together will we achieve the final victory which has been denied us for far too long.”
Even through the terrible physical, mental, and emotional pain she was suffering through, Grainne felt a very slight sense of hope. The fact that she wasn’t alone, and the stranger believed in her, kept her going. She wouldn’t give up, despite the odds against her ever becoming the great warrior she’d been.
The tremendous fury and hate she felt toward Ashling, Eamon, and the young, red dragon, would keep her going. It was going to be a long, painful journey, but she would be back. “Hear my thoughts, Ashling. I will return!”
About the Author
Larry Forkner has been writing novels for more than twenty years. He’s published fifteen fiction and two non-fiction books. He also wrote and produced the musical: Erin’s Promise. Larry founded Highest Star Productions to provide authors the freedom to be creative and to offer the support necessary to be successful in today’s fast-changing world of writing and publishing.
You can connect with him at:
https://www.larryforkner.com
Also by Larry Forkner
The Wendel Wright Chronicles:
Portal to Mescalahem – Book One
He Who Would Come – Book Two
The Cimmerian Curse – Book Three
The Lost Continent – Book Four
Musterion’s Dark Union – Book Five
Arithor – Book Six
Standalone Books:
An Angel’s Song
How to Write Your Life Story (and Enjoy the Journey)
Joseph’s Cross
The Wendel Wright Chronicles
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074CD84FW
From Book One:
Wendel Wright probably should probably stay out of the woods.
Fifteen-year-old Wendel and his family are forced to move to an old house nestled into the forest on the Oregon Coast. The discovery of an eerie old tree house, hidden deep in the heart of the forest, is about to change Wendel’s life forever. The strange tree house transports Wendel into the magnificent but dangerous parallel world of Mescalahem.
A group of Mescalahem freedom fighters come upon Wendel, lost and wandering, and decide to take him in. Wendel soon discovers that he has incredible powers in this new world. Upon witnessing these powers, many freedom fighters believe Wendel was sent to liberate them from a growing tyranny engulfing their world.
His new found friends are not the only ones who are aware of Wendel’s arrival
