“Just a couple boxes.” She pulled a long, rectangular one out. On the side were pictured arrows with red fletching.
“What the hell does he need with those?”
“Taking up archery?”
Daniel put his hands on the drone’s remote and made it start up again, piloting it into the open front door of the guest house. That Ryan had not meant to leave was clear, but Daniel still didn’t expect foul play. Even so, sending in the drone with its camera was better than going in personally. He saw more boxes inside but no people, including the second floor as he moved it around everywhere but the basement, as the door was closed. He landed the drone there.
“Okay, let’s go in.”
He had wondered if he’d been seeing right through the camera, but there was no denying it now. Someone had stacked books on medieval customs and warfare on a table. A dozen swords of varying lengths lay atop the Persian rugs. Several round and rectangular steel or wooden shields leaned against a wall. Three Western-style horseback riding saddles were in one corner where helmets, crops, horse blankets and more were stacked. Four boxes held what looked like long bows, and another four were crossbows, each of slightly different styles and none of them looking modern. That contrasted with a big screen TV hanging on the wall, a make-shift entertainment center filled with electronics that weren’t plugged in, the boxes everything had come in still here. The tables for a living room set were haphazardly placed, possibly because they were waiting on missing couches.
“Is this all for RenFest?” Susan asked, picking up a sword by the hilt.
Scowling, Daniel replied, “I doubt it. I mean, he’s been doing it for years and never needed all of this stuff here.”
“What’s with the TV? It’s like he’s setting up to hang out here or something. Is he moving down here?”
“No. I don’t think so. He didn’t say anything. And I doubt he would start with all of this these things. I mean you don’t furnish a house with weapons, then go furniture shopping.”
“True, but your brother is weird.”
Daniel saw light from under the basement door. “Can you open it? I’ll send the drone.”
Wordlessly, Susan did, and he piloted the device down the stairs to the wide cellar. His first priority was again verifying that no one was here, which he did. He was dying to go down himself but had her go without him, as she confirmed what the camera showed him. A punching bag hung in one corner, as did another, maybe for kicking. They had set two treadmills and a stair climber up. Several gym mats were stacked in one corner, but nearly half the floor had been covered with them. Someone had stacked several archery targets along with their stands. The biggest surprise was two armor stands, one holding the suit of plate mail that Ryan wore at the Renaissance Festival, the other empty.
Now Daniel knew his brother was lying. The last 24 hours had proven it, but he’d been certain all along that they weren’t telling the truth about what happened at Stonehenge. “We don’t remember” is such a lame excuse and exactly what he might have said if something odd had happened. But what he really wanted to know now was why it looked like they were preparing to train in using these weapons? Where had they gone? And why?
He couldn’t help saying it aloud as Susan returned to his side. “What the hell are they doing?”
Chapter 4 – The Orbs of Dominion
Thoughts rushed through Anna’s head with the same chaotic intensity as the roaring of sound and light that accompanied a summoning. Her friends. The car. The highway. Speed. And no one at the helm. She still clenched her hands before her on a steering wheel that wasn’t there anymore. Her right foot wasn’t placed against an accelerator, but beneath her as she stood, yelling “no” over and over. The concerned faces of Eric, Ryan, and Matt before her made another round of thoughts tear through her. A quest. Danger. People watching. Their expectations. The ruse of being the Ellorian Champions. Their startled reaction to her arriving screaming. She stopped herself just as the summoning ended.
Her breath came hard, eyes darting around for peril like the last time. The Quest Ring stood with its light fading. A dozen calm people outside it. No weapons drawn. A gray partly cloudy sky above, the sun nearly overhead. A castle in the distance. Mountains behind it, dramatic hills and a river between. A hill beneath their feet. No more people. No creatures. No danger. Not yet.
Anna twisted her back to those who had summoned them, trying to slow her breathing, calm her face, and wipe the panic from her eyes. Eric came around to her, one firm hand on her arm through the now familiar white robe of Eriana.
“What happened?” he whispered.
“I was driving.”
“What?”
“70 miles an hour, the highway.” She heard Ryan step closer in the golden armor, his boot scraping the smooth stones beneath their feet.
“Were you alone?”
She shook her head, too afraid of what was happening back on Earth to say it aloud.
“Oh shit,” muttered Ryan.
“Okay,” started Eric, “we can talk about that in a minute. There are people looking at us. We need to act like heroes and–”
“I can’t,” she said, shaking her head.
“You don’t have to say anything. Ryan.”
“Right.” The big guy turned away, his voice regal and cheerful as he said, “I apologize. We needed a moment to discuss something urgent that was happening before your summons.”
A gravelly voice replied, “Of course. We understand that we have pulled you from your lives and you may time to adjust. We are deeply sorry for any inconvenience, but our matter is most urgent.”
“The quests always are!” Ryan said heartily, and Anna thought his time playing a knight at the Renaissance Festival had prepared him well for what he was doing. He sounded convincing. The thought
