Sonneri interjected, “In short, they became jealous and have assumed that Alunia is power mad, and madness it would be if they were correct. They believe a wizard of Olliana freed the dragons at the request of Queen Lorella, who subsequently made a deal with Nir’lion that Alunia is not to be attacked. Instead, we will wage war with the dragons upon the rest of Honyn.”
Looking confused, Anna observed, “But that doesn’t make sense. Why would you have summoned the, uh, four of us before to banish the dragons if this is what you wanted?”
Sonneri replied, “Banishment was your decision, not our request. If you remember, the previous quest’s requirement was to control the dragons so they could not work together against our world, and to nullify them permanently.”
Tall order, thought Eric. The four we’re impersonating must be really powerful.
“Also,” continued the wizard, “the assumption is that Alunia became power mad after that quest and only now made a deal with the dragons.”
“I see,” said Anna, looking concerned.
The Prime Minister pointed at a region on a map. “Most recently, a neighboring kingdom, Rokune, has threatened action against Olliana and this hastened our attempt to summon you. They are not the only kingdom preparing for war, but they are the nearest. Since you have not answered a summons in many years, our announcement that we would try was considered a shallow, empty gesture. However, now that you’ve arrived, the queen’s messengers are quickly sending out the news.”
Perfect, thought Eric, wondering if now was a good time to confess. Being sent back probably required Sonneri’s cooperation, so they had to stay on his good side.
“Since this began,” the Prime Minister continued, “tensions are high and the queen hasn’t quite been herself. I must beseech you to resolve matters quickly.” He looked expectantly at Ryan. On seeing this, Eric realized the big guy was the apparent leader of these champions. He wasn’t known for decisiveness.
Matt asked, “Is there an historical record of what we did here before? It could refresh our memory.” Eric looked at him in approval, thinking it was a fantastic idea.
“Yes,” answered Sonneri, looking apologetic, “though I must confess we made a copy of the scroll you provided before locking away the original, which was regrettably stolen years ago so that its secrets are likely known. I will have the copy delivered to your suite along with a scroll describing our gods and religions for Eriana to re-familiarize herself with, as is customary, of course.”
Anna exchanged a look with Eric, who knew what she was thinking – there was no master plan, destiny, afterlife, ghosts, or any of that other baloney. He’d let her vent to him later. Now was not the time and she seemed to know it. Sonneri’s words also suggested that Eriana, and now Anna, had to learn the gods of each world she visited and commune with one, getting familiar, before being able to have one heal through her. Being able to ask someone about such concerns would’ve been nice, but everyone thought they were the real Ellorian Champions, who would know such things.
As they exited the War Room, a court page advised them that Queen Lorella had arranged for a castle tour. It could have been an innocent excursion were it not for the noblemen and women who were let loose upon them. They spent an hour fending off questions about past exploits, where they’d been, what it was like to be so revered, what they thought had happened to let the dragons loose upon Honyn again, and more importantly, what they were going to do about it. After Ryan tried to be helpful and answer these questions despite being clueless, Eric took over to deflect the inquiries, claiming they needed to keep certain things to themselves. People kept asking anyway, and it was with some relief that the tour finally ended.
Along the way they’d seen much of Castle Olliana, a living home full of royalty, dignitaries, pages, scribes, and people on court business, including knights and wizards who asked questions they deflected. White towers swirled gracefully into the sky, spiraling up to blue domes topped with silver points. The four large, corner towers served the royalty, the knights and their squires, priests and clerics, and finally the kingdom’s arch wizard and followers. But they saw signs of the dragon rampage in that some buildings were destroyed and others seemingly permanently burned by dragon fire. Their suite lay in the royal wing a few halls away from the queen’s, a prestigious location. A steward advised them of various housekeeping matters before leaving and closing the doors, which Eric crept up to, listening to the footsteps fading away.
“Okay,” he said at last, turning back, “we’re alone.”
Chapter 4 – Fresh Wounds
Anna had seldom if ever seen Eric look serious, as he was so often quick to joke, but she knew of his troubled past and that there had to be more to him than one-liners and sarcasm. His demeanor since they’d disappeared from Stonehenge had made more of an impression than Ryan’s casualness, though that had since vanished. The strain of pretending to be fine over the past hour, with all those people asking questions and looking to them for help, while a growing dread had been filling her had made her relieved to be alone with her friends. But she excused herself, looking for a bathroom and heading through an adjacent doorway, where she found only four bedrooms, none with toilets or a sink. Each had a tub, washbowl, and chamber pot, to her dismay. With a frown, she closed an ornate door behind her.
As she walked, she caught her reflection in a mirror and stopped a moment. While she’d noticed elements of her outfit, the full picture only now became apparent. Golden patterns and symbols she didn’t recognize covered the bottom edge, cuffs, neck, and hood of her white robe. Her long blonde hair was
