Book 2: The Sequel (that went a little harder on romance than I intended)
Chapter 1
New Mexico wasn’t known for its cool weather, but even I thought this was extreme. Only May, and already we were going for a record-breaking heat wave. The temperature was in the mid-nineties and rising by the day. The wind was vacationing somewhere else, offering no relief. I was dressed in my usual summer attire; a pair of shorts, a v-neck shirt, a pair of durable sandals, my dark blond hair in a braid down to the middle of my waist, light mascara around my hazel eyes, and sometimes a hat depending on how overbearing the sun was.
I stayed in my small, white, one-story house, venturing out only for work and to take my sister, Cathy, to school and bring her home. Today, as I dropped her off, I asked if she could make it home by herself today.
“You aren’t going to pick me up?” she asked, distressed, her heart-shaped face going into a pleading look. “But, Joan, what if I have a lot of homework? I’ll have to carry everything home! It’s hot!”
“I don’t know if I’ll be back by the time school’s out,” I told her.
Her eyes, the same shade of hazel as mine, widened. “Are you going to Valeria?” she breathed. “Oh, Joan, can’t I come too?”
I laughed. “Cathy, Dad would have had a fit if you skipped school.”
“You did!”
“To take care of you,” I reminded her. “Because there wasn’t anyone else, remember? Dad threw a fit then too. There’s no reason for you to skip school. As soon as school’s out, we’ll be going to Valeria all summer. I just need to make sure they’re ready for us.”
Cathy giggled. “Well, they don’t have a war this year, so there’s no reason why they should be worried about us coming back.”
“Maybe that’s just it,” I teased. “Since there’s no war for me to stop, maybe they’re afraid I’ll start one.”
Cathy laughed. “You just want to see Martin!”
I couldn’t help smiling. “That may be a part of it.” Martin Gonhiad, my boyfriend for almost a year, was the Captain of the Royal Guard of Valeria, a country in another world seen only by those under thirteen…and me. Valeria comprised the states of New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado on the other side of the gate. There were twelve other countries that claimed the United States territory, excluding Hawaii and Alaska, but I wasn’t familiar with all of them. I knew Lendia, the country that covered Utah, Nevada, and Idaho; and I knew Linson, covering Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Valeria and Lendia had been at war last summer, which was how I was familiar with that country, but I knew Linson because it was Queen Florinda’s home country, where her family was. She’d moved to Valeria when she’d married King Alan and they had a child, Princess Mari, who I had protected last summer during the war. Mari was also Cathy’s best friend. Now Queen Florinda and King Alan were at peace with Lendia, and with Cathy taking her summer break soon, I was looking forward to spending some much needed time there with the people who were my closest friends, and my biggest secret.
“Can you tell Mari hi?” Cathy asked. “If you won’t let me go?”
“Sure,” I agreed. I pulled to a stop in front of the school. “I’ll see you when I get back. Call me if you have any problems.”
“I will. Bye, Joan!” Cathy climbed out and ran towards the school. Her dark blond hair unbraided and flying out behind her, her hazel eyes lighting in excitement about getting to see Valeria soon.
I smiled and drove to the train tracks, parking in a gravel lot in the shade, locking my green, five-year-old car before walking down the abandoned tracks to where I knew the gate to Valeria was. No one came down here, which made it perfect for the Valerian gate. The railroad tracks were rusted and weeds were encroaching through the rocks that led to where the tracks set. There were no houses nearby, and only a few buildings that could be seen from here. Both the weeds and the rocks crunched under my feet as I moved quickly, as eager as Cathy to see Valeria. Taking care of Cathy had meant we had very little opportunity to go to Valeria, between my jobs and her school activities. It had been months since we’d been to Valeria, and longer since I’d seen Martin in person. Being Captain of the Royal Guard was a time-consuming job that left very little time for personal matters some days.
Randall Winters, a senior guard and like a second father to me, was waiting by the gate. I couldn’t see the gate, but I knew when I stepped past him I’d be in a place that was nothing like where I was now. Randall had dark brown hair that was beginning to silver around the temples, gentle, brown eyes, and wrinkles and lines on his deeply tanned face that showed his age. He smiled and hugged me. “It’s good to see you, Joan.”
I hugged him back. “Hi, Randall. Where’s your car?”
“Waiting on the other side of the gate.” We walked through to the other side together, down the path to where the car was waiting. The world changed from broken-down buildings and railroad tracks to a dirt road that led to a gate in the distance. We were currently in a dead end, surrounded by a miniature mountain range that enclosed the entrance to the Flip Side. At the entrance to this area was a sort of turnpike that was manned by several guards, and behind the gate was the car. It was a car I recognized; a silver Bugatti Veyron probably still worth far more than my house ever could be. This had been the car that Randall had gone in to meet my father and convince him that he was wealthy enough and safe enough that I could stay with his ‘granddaughter’ full time, several hours away. Now that my father was dead, there wasn’t anyone I had to worry about giving a cover story to. I wished I did. I missed my father.
We didn’t have far to go, and the guards at the gate smiled and greeted us. We returned the greetings before getting in the car and driving to the castle. “How’s your job?” Randall asked.
I shrugged. “Working in the police office isn’t near as fun as I thought it would be.” I smiled as he laughed. “Well, not fun exactly, but…you know…” I tried to explain. “Purposeful. I don’t feel as good when I work there as I do when I’m here.”
“You just need to get out there,” Randall suggested. “Being a dispatch operator would bore you here. Maybe if you join the academy you’ll fit better.”
I sighed. “I hope so.” I’d told Randall how frustrated I was that I didn’t know what I wanted for my future and how I didn’t have any plans since my future was so uncertain. At this point, I was trying to make plans in case I couldn’t come back to Valeria. Cathy turned thirteen on the first of September, and since I was the one exception, as far as anyone knew, in all of history to the rule of not being able to see them after age thirteen, I didn’t know if Cathy would be another exception. If she couldn’t see them, I didn’t know if I would ever be able to go back to Valeria. If she could see them, I wouldn’t be able to go back until Cathy was at least eighteen, because I was her legal guardian. Cathy and I were the only family left. That meant I had to stay with her.
“You’ll find your place, Joan,” he assured me. He parked and kissed my forehead. “Go have fun. I’ll be around.”
I had to go visit the king and queen first, curtseying to King Alan and Queen Florinda once Liam had let me into the throne room. “Your Highnesses.” It had been many months since I’d been in Valeria and things had changed since then.
“Joan Ilion.” The queen stood to embrace me. “It is good to see you,” she said fondly, dark blue eyes alight with simple delight. Her black hair was pulled into a loose bun that fell to the nape of her neck, on which she wore a simple circlet for a crown.
I grinned at her. “The same, Florinda.” I looked at King Alan, the blond hair that he’d passed to his daughter cut short, a second circlet resting on his brow, his facial hair neatly ordered, and eyes so pale blue they seemed almost ghostly. “It’s good to see you too.”
His face eased into a smile. He didn’t smile very often and he didn’t talk a lot. Maybe now that he wasn’t busy fighting a war he wouldn’t be so stern and silent. “Mari will be excited to see you.”
“I’ll visit her soon. Are things going better now?” Part of the reason there had been so little interaction between us had been what Randall referred to as after-war problems. People from both countries hadn’t laid down their weapons just because the nations were officially at peace. There was a lot of anger on both sides. Between rogue Lendians and rogue Valerians going after their enemies and their own people, it made for some tense days and a lot of listening to rumors and hunting down those who mistakenly thought they could escape the royal guard.
“Fewer attacks and fewer complaints. Lendia has helped immensely by cooperating with us in dealing with their outlaws.” Florinda’s face tightened a moment, then smoothed out again in a smile. “I assume you’re planning on resuming your position?”
“Knowing your guards, I’m certain they’re fervently wishing they’ll get removed from chasing after an energetic eleven-year-old girl.” I was smiling. “Cathy and I have missed her. We thoroughly enjoy the stories of her running the guards in circles, however.” Mari wasn’t pleased with someone else standing as her personal guard. She wanted me, and had made that quite clear. “Randall’s said I could be on the next shift?”
“Clear it with Captain Gonhiad. He should be putting the schedule together now.”
“I don’t suppose you know where Martin is?”
Florinda smiled. “Headed to the guardroom, if I’m not mistaken. Go find him.”
I dropped into a short curtsey and headed out of the guardroom.
Liam closed the doors behind me. The electronic keypad they’d installed since last summer beeped softly. In order to better secure the castle, and cut down on the manpower needed to protect the throne room and whoever was in it, the keypad had an alert button. It would lock the doors and prevent anyone without the passcode from getting in. “Going to flirt with the captain, are you?” he teased.
“Not if you’re just going to gossip about it,” I teased back.
“It’s discussion,” he defended.
“And what’s your fancy word for eavesdropping?”
“Eavesdropping. It’s part of my job title.”
I laughed. “Well, you continue eavesdropping and I need to get myself on the schedule. I’ll be back by after I see if I’m being rehired,” I joked, walking backwards since there were two men approaching the throne room.
“We’re all waiting on word,” he joked in return, waving as I headed around the corner.
I’d made it a few steps down the hall when Liam’s voice was suddenly loud, then abruptly stopped. I didn’t like the moment of tension I’d heard and turned around, moving back down the hall. Liam was still at the door, and the two men were waiting to enter the throne room. One jabbed something in Liam’s side. “Unlock that door now!” he ordered. The second man was futilely trying to type in the key code next to the door.
By the furious look in Liam’s eyes, and the mark on his cheek, I knew they weren’t welcome guests. He wasn’t striking back however, despite that his hands weren’t pinned or at all hindered. “You’ll have to shoot me then,” he growled out. “Because I’m not opening this door.”
The other man was holding some kind of strange weapon. I couldn’t quite identify it, but he held it like a gun. It wasn’t shiny, like a metal gun usually was. Instead, it was a dull black, with lots of bumps and ridges. At the top of the gun, it looked like there was some kind of tank. At Liam’s refusal, he jabbed the weapon into Liam’s chest. “Do it now or I shoot! This weapon is from the Flip Side, and it can kill you in a matter of seconds!”
From the Flip Side? It was like no weapon I’d ever seen. Snapping my fingers at a nearby page, I put a finger to my lips and drew my knife, crouched at the corner. His eyes grew round, but he didn’t speak. Instead, he bolted in the direction of the guardroom, I hoped to get help. A maid entered the hallway seconds later, and at the same symbol, nodded once. Instead of running, she crept closer. “Danger?” she whispered.
“Armed men,” I breathed back, listening to them shout at Liam, who wasn’t bending. They were detailing how painfully Liam would die if he didn’t open the door. “Clear the hallways.”
She nodded and scurried off. I turned my attention back to the two intruders. I didn’t know what this weapon was that they were describing, but since this was my area, I straightened and stepped around the corner. “That’s quite a weapon,” I said genially. “To be able to do all that. The Flip Side must have greater weapons than I know about.”
The second man whirled on me. I finally saw the weapon he was holding on Liam, and my jaw dropped. The nozzle was orange. Bright orange. A familiar bright orange. I suddenly knew what weapon they were holding. “You invaded the castle with that?”
“That’s right!” The second man tried to sound tough. “And it’ll kill you quicker than any weapon you have on you!”
Perplexed, I glanced at Liam. He didn’t look like laughing. In fact, he didn’t look any less furious than he had a moment ago.
“On the ground,” the second man ordered. The first man was still holding his weapon to Liam’s side.
I tapped the knife I held against my leg lightly. “Or what?”
“I’ll shoot him!” the first man threatened.
I shrugged. “Okay. Shoot him.”
Liam shot me a look, then closed his eyes.
“I’ll do it!” he screeched.
“Your bluff has been called. You’ve got nerve, I’ll give you that. I’m actually a little impressed. And I’ll laugh really hard over it later. But I’m from the Flip Side, and I know what that will do. And what it won’t.”
There was a flash of brown behind the two men, showing the royal guard had arrived. They were armed to the teeth, and unseen by the unskilled intruders. I raised my hand holding the knife, signaling them to stop without taking my eyes off the man in front of me. “You have five seconds,” I warned the two men. “And then you’re going to be very sorry.”
They hesitated. Too long. I moved, sending the knife thudding by Liam’s ear. The man holding the weapon on him flinched, but Liam moved, grabbing the knife and bashing the man with an elbow to the nose. The man lifted his weapon, as if it would scare me. I didn’t even pause. I slid to the right, ducked down, then slammed my body into his, sending us both sprawling to the floor. The gun went flying, and before I could do much more than press my knife to his throat, stopping him cold, Randall was standing over me. “Most people wait until they’re wearing their armor to take on armed intruders,” he pointed out.
“I’m not on duty,” I replied. “I haven’t even had a chance to find Martin yet.”
“Well, since you’re still off-duty, why don’t you let us arrest him?” he suggested. “And we’ll call it good.”
Remy was shaking his head. “Welcome back, Joan. Not even here ten minutes, and you’re already risking your life.”
I snorted. “Liam was the one most in danger.” I climbed off the man under me and looked over at him. “You all right?” I asked.
Liam shot me a dark glance. “You told him to shoot me.”
“You told him to shoot you,” I couldn’t help but point out. I bent down and scooped up the weapon.
The people around immediately tensed. “Be careful with that!” Remy cautioned. “Put the safety on!”
I stared at him. “The safety? You all really don’t know what this is, do you?” I asked, astounded.
“It’s a weapon from the Flip Side. We’ve heard of how unstable they can be.”
“Unstable?” I parroted, unable to believe my ears.
Keeton’s green eyes were wary as he eyed the other black gun on the floor. “We’re lucky nothing’s exploded yet.”
I could find nothing to say. They were afraid? Of this? I looked over at Liam. “You’re going to be so mad in a minute.” I scraped at the black, and peeled away a section of paint to reveal bright green plastic underneath. “Do you know any real weapon that’s bright green?” I asked. Before he could answer, I said, “Me neither.” And I shot him in the shoulder.
He let out a yelp, then frowned as water dripped down his uniform. He stared at his shoulder, at the gun, at me, back at the gun, then at the man on the floor. Then, his scowl deepening, he socked the man nearest him in the jaw, sending him to the floor.
“I told you.” Now that the immediate danger had passed, I couldn’t fight the smile. “Congratulations, gentlemen. You’ve successfully defended the castle against a water gun.” And I laughed.
When I finally managed to explain to them that the water gun was nothing more than a toy, and took it apart to show them, they proceeded to rag on Liam mercilessly for vowing to get shot by a water gun before giving up the entrance to the throne room. Liam had finally calmed down once he realized I hadn’t actually threatened his life by telling another man to shoot him, and punched me lightly in the shoulder. “Perhaps next time, you could let me know my life wasn’t in danger from a new Flip Side weapon.”
“To be honest, I couldn’t imagine you didn’t know it was toy.” I looked around. “Why hasn’t Martin showed up yet?”
“We responded immediately. We didn’t stop to find him,” Remy explained.
Florinda’s voice came from the other side of the door. “Guardsman Vega, is everything all right?”
Liam punched in the code to unlock the door, and the doors swung open. Queen Florinda glanced around, her gaze settling on the two men in handcuffs, and then me. Her eyebrows rose. “I see we missed something. Are those the new Flip Side weapons we’ve heard of?”
I couldn’t help the grin. “They are. And it’s quite a story. I’ll let you hear it from your loyal guard who vowed not to open the door even if it cost him his life. I’m going to figure out why Martin hasn’t heard of this yet.” After giving a short curtsey, I quickly left, anticipation quickening my footsteps. I passed by elegant tapestries, portraits of important people long since dead, several coats of arms, waving down the hallways at those I passed that I recognized. They had no more than a chance to give a startled wave back before I was gone, rounding the corner to find the hallway that held what I fondly referred to as the break room for guards. Here, all guards stored their weapons, their uniforms, and lounged in between shifts, or as they came off or went on a shift.
As I was about to head into the guardroom, I heard Martin’s voice from next door, in the page’s room. I cracked it open, trying to make sure I wasn’t interrupting him giving orders, to find Martin and a female attached to him. I stopped, eyes wide, then froze as the female I recognized as Charlene plastered herself closer, leaned up, and kissed him.
I tried not to panic unnecessarily, I tried to use logic, but logic wasn’t helping. It was Martin, I was sure because it was his captain’s uniform, and the same red-gold colored hair, and the same skin tone. I was sure it was Charlene. Her silky-looking brown hair was pulled into a fancy bun and I recognized the way she held herself, the tilt of the head and the tantalizing smile that last summer she’d used on Remy. It was clear she was kissing, and I would have been fine, except for the fact that Martin wasn’t pushing her away. Instead, his arms were wrapped around her and he was kissing her back.
I didn’t want to watch, but I couldn’t move as my heart broke into tiny, little pieces the longer I stood there. When I finally got ahold of myself, I stepped back, closing the door quietly. I stood there a moment longer, wishing I didn’t know what was happening, then I slammed my palm into the door. “How could you?” I whispered in anguish. “Why would you?” Unable to face him, not wanting to hear the familiar excuses, I headed down the hallway. I made it around the corner when the door opened.
“Captain!” A young girl’s feet rushed to him. “Sir, there’s been an incident by the throne room. You’re needed right away!”
I heard Martin following the girl down the hallway, and stayed where I was, not knowing where to go. I closed my eyes, which made it a little easier to breathe past this giant hole where my heart had been. What was I going to do now? How had things fallen apart until we had reached this point? Or had I completely misunderstood who Martin really was?
I jerked when I heard footsteps coming closer and stared uncomprehendingly at Charlene. I couldn’t get anything out.
She smirked. “Look who it is, Martin’s ex-mistress.”
“I was never Martin’s mistress,” I said automatically. Then what she said sank in.
“Well, you certainly aren’t now.” She idly inspected a perfect nail. “There have been some changes since last summer.”
“Obviously. So you’ve taken to making out with Martin in the page’s room?”
She didn’t even look ashamed at being caught. Instead, she looked almost triumphant. “As if he’d wait around for an accidental war hero who shouldn’t be here anyway. Martin has been with me for quite…some…time. Besides, don’t you think you’re too busy raising your sister?”
Rage boiled. That she would shove it in my face made anger uncontrollable. That Martin would choose to complain to her about Cathy was so low I was ready to lash out. I found my knife in my hand, and her eyes widened as she realized she’d pushed me too far. “Run,” I hissed.
She turned and ran, leaving me shaking still. Then I dropped the knife, sat down right there in the hallway, and began to cry.