9
Ollie opened her eyes and immediately knew something was different.
It was too bright. Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the bed she was lying on. She slowly pushed herself to a sitting position and rubbed her eyes. She thought she'd dreamed the night before, or rather hallucinated it. A rescue. She could barely remember being scooped up into strong arms, being carried outside. She'd woken up just once, had been jarred by movement as the horse they were on climbed a rocky embankment.
A door opened. Tavia walked into the room. "Good afternoon, Ollie." She smiled brightly. She carried a tray covered with food. Ollie felt her stomach rumbling.
"Afternoon?" She asked.
"Yes. How is your back?" Tavia set the tray aside and came to the bed. Ollie made a face.
"Sore. But…not really as bad as it was yesterday."
Tavia nodded. "Let me have a look." Ollie shifted and lifted the gown someone had put on her. She looked down at it, confused.
"When did I change clothes?"
Tavia grinned. "I changed you. You helped a bit. Do you not remember?"
"No." Ollie grimaced as she moved her arms higher. "Is it…as bad as I think it is?"
"No, no. You are healing nicely." Tavia laughed. "I have more salve for you. Not that worthless stuff from Dimitri's castle. The king himself helped to make this." She pulled a small glass jar from a deep pocket on the front of her dress.
Ollie sat still while Tavia smoothed the new salve across her back. It was cool and smelled faintly of peppermint. Tavia lowered the gown Ollie was wearing. "There. We will put more on tonight before bed, but that should be plenty." Tavia held out the jar. "You can do your stomach, I will set your breakfast out for you."
"Thank you." Ollie took the jar and gingerly raised the gown. The mark across her stomach had been bad last night, seeping blood. Now it was a faint red line. She frowned and rubbed a small amount of salve onto it. "How…" She didn't know how to finish the question.
Tavia glanced at the wound. "I do not know how you are healing so fast. The salve was merely to stop the pain and prevent scars." She smiled. "They will be faded out by tomorrow, gone by the next day."
"Good." Ollie readjusted her gown as Tavia brought her the tray. There were several plates, a glass of what looked like orange juice, and a bowl of fruit. She thanked Tavia again and began to eat, while the other woman took a seat on the edge of the bed.
"After breakfast, you will have a bath and a change of clothes. Then the king would like to speak to you."
Ollie nodded, taking a drink of the juice. "I don't know what I could tell him, I don't even know how I got here!"
"Do not worry, Ollie. We will figure that out." Tavia gave a grin and rose to her feet. "I will see to your bath while you eat. Take your time, relax. There is nothing here to harm you."
With that Tavia exited the room. Ollie sampled a bit of everything on the tray, drank her juice, ate the fruit, then sighed and sat back against the pillows. She looked around the room. Everything was white. The bed was made of some kind of light wood. It was an airy, summery room. Nothing at all like the cell she'd been stuck in. Of course a broom closet would have probably been better than that place.
Tavia returned a few minutes later, nodded in satisfaction at the almost empty tray. She set it aside and motioned Ollie to her feet. "The bath is ready. I am sure you are craving one by now."
Ollie nodded and carefully stood. Last night her legs had been unable to hold her. After the long rest and the salve, she was steady. She padded along behind Tavia as the woman led her out the door and down the hall. Two doors down was a room that held nothing but a deep tub. Steam rose from the water. Ollie saw that Tavia had put out towels and soap.
"Thank you, Tavia." She suddenly felt like crying. "Thank you for everything."
Tavia grinned. "Now, now. No crying on my behalf. I am just doing as I am told by the king. Thank him, he is the one who got you out of there." She helped Ollie shrug out of the gown and gave her a hand into the tub. "I will let you have some time, take a good soak. I will be back in a bit with some clothes for you to wear."
Ollie nodded and sank into the hot water, flinching a bit when it hit the marks on her back. The pain faded. She let the heat sink into her for a few minutes, then began washing her hair, her face, scrubbing until her skin glowed. She hadn't realized how filthy she had been until she saw the water turn gray.
She rinsed off and rose from the water, toweling her hair dry. She wrapped it around her body and looked around. There was nothing to do but wait for Tavia to come back with clothes. With a sigh she sat on the edge of the tub and used her fingers to work the tangles from her hair.
A few minutes later the door opened and Tavia walked in, carrying a dress over her arms. "I think this will do." She smiled and handed it over. "We will have to find you some shoes, the stone is very cold even with the fires burning." She stated, helping Ollie tug the dress on. It fell almost to the floor was snug around her chest and hips. "Almost a good fit. We can have someone let it out a bit…"
"No, it's fine." Ollie smoothed the material over her stomach. The dress was a dark forest green, plain, but made of some soft material. She felt a little strange not having anything under it, but she would just have to deal.
"Come, back to the room." Tavia held the door. "We will get your hair brushed and your shoes, then the king waits to meet you."
Ollie followed silently. Tavia was right, the stones of the floor were cold. She sighed in relief when they entered the bedroom, where thick carpet had been laid out. Tavia had her sit at a dressing table and began fussing over her hair, brushing it straight. She pulled the sides back and pinned them, getting the hair out of Ollie's face. Satisfied, she left the room muttering about the shoes.
Ollie looked in the mirror. Her face was bruised. She hadn't noticed. Of course, she hadn't seen a mirror until now. The dark mark ran the length of her jaw. She didn't remember how she had gotten it. With a sigh she adjusted the neckline of the dress.
Tavia returned quickly. She had a pair of black slippers in her hands. "See if these fit, Ollie." She helped her slide them on. Tavia nodded in approval. "That will work. Now, just follow me, we will see the king, then I will take you for a tour of the castle."
Ollie could only nod and follow the other woman. In the hallway, she cleared her throat. "Your king…is he…"
When Ollie didn't finish, Tavia stopped walking and looked at her. "Is he what?"
Ollie made a face. "Is he like…"
Tavia smiled. "Dimitri? No. Nothing at all like him. He is not power mad, he does not like to see people in pain. He saved you, remember?"
"I don't know." Ollie sighed and nervously brushed at the dress. "I remember getting hit again. I remember you putting more of that stuff on me. After that everything is blurry."
Tavia put a hand on Ollie's arm. "You have nothing to worry about. You will see." With that she took Ollie's hand and led her down the stairs.
They went through a long hallway, the walls hung with murals. Outdoor scenes. Ollie barely had a chance to register them, Tavia was going so fast. They came at last to a door, and Tavia knocked with her free hand.
The door was opened by Michael, who smiled at Tavia, then looked to Ollie. His eyes saddened. "I hope that you had a peaceful rest."
"I did. Thank you." Ollie smiled at him. Michael came into the hallway and motioned for Tavia to go through the door. The woman did, giving Ollie's hand a reassuring squeeze before she let her go. The door shut, leaving Ollie and Michael alone in the hall.
"I just wanted a moment." Michael said, taking the hand that Tavia had been holding. "To tell you that I am sorry for all you endured. I would have liked to stop it, but I had a mission there."
Ollie smiled again and touched his arm with her free hand. "I understand. I also understand…that it could have been worse."
"I would never have let him go that far." Michael stated. He released her hand. "I know men who would have been destroyed by a beating. You stood up well, Olivia. The king would like to hear your story, if you are willing to tell it."
Ollie nodded. "All right. And call me Ollie. I think Olivia's a bit formal for someone who has seen me naked." Michael flushed a bit. Ollie laughed. "I don't hold that against you either."
"Thank you." He looked relieved. Ollie stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, surprising him.
"No, I should be thanking you." She shushed him when he began to protest. "For whatever it is that you did to get me…and anyone else there…out of that evil place."
Michael nodded and turned abruptly to open the door. He held it while Ollie walked through. She looked around. The room was huge. The ceiling was at least twenty feet overhead. The walls were painted in more scenes of the outdoors, although this time the artwork was part of the wall, not hanging on them. There were tables and chairs scattered around. Ollie decided it must have been part of some massive dining room.
The table at the head of the room was the only one occupied. Tavia stood next to it, speaking softly to the man who was seated. And even sitting down, he was almost at Tavia's eye level. He was huge. Ollie let herself be led in that direction, unable to take her eyes off of him.
The man felt her gaze and turned his head, meeting her eyes. His were light hazel, kind. His dark hair fell to broad shoulders. He had a smile forming on his lips. Ollie came to a stop a few feet away while Michael introduced her.
"King Glen, this is Olivia…" He looked at her. "From a far world apparently." He finished, bowing a bit at he spoke.
"Olivia." His voice was a deep rumble. Ollie half-smiled and met his eyes again. "Please have a seat." He gestured to the chair next to him. Ollie slowly sat down, unable to take her eyes off the big man to her right. "Michael, I would like you to enjoy the rest of your day. Please, take some time off." Glen spoke to the other man.
"Sire, if it is all the same to you, I would rather go on patrol with the men." Michael stated.
Glen nodded. "I assumed you would say that. You work too hard. Tavia…go with Michael to his rooms. Make sure he relaxes." Tavia smiled. Michael huffed a sigh. The two left with Tavia goading him and leading the way.
Glen turned his attention to Ollie. "Michael has worked undercover at Dimitri's castle for a long time. He should rest and try to get used to being home again."
Ollie nodded, suddenly not able to look at him. She toyed with a napkin that was lying on the table. Glen studied her in the light from the windows. Her hair had been freshly washed and brushed. It seemed to glimmer in the light. She was a fine looking woman, even after all she'd gone through.
"Olivia…"
"Ollie." She said, looking up at him. "Nobody calls me Olivia. Well, my sister does…when she gets mad at me." And right now Abby was probably livid. She felt her smile falter, thinking about her sister.
"Ollie, then. Where do you come from?"
"Texas." She smiled at the frown on his face. "Although I don't think there will ever be a Texas in this time."
"What do you mean?"
"Well…I guess the best way to put it is that I managed to send myself back through time. And ended up here." She said, sighing. "I've never heard of any of you people, or Remi. So I am starting to think that not only did I travel in time, I also sent myself to a…well…a parallel world. For lack of something better to call it."
Glen was nodding. "It would take a witch of some power to bend space and time, the way you have."
"But I am no witch. I'm a teacher." Ollie sighed. "Was a teacher. Where I am from, I taught mythology."
Glen smiled. "If you were not a witch, you would not be here. As I said, it takes some power to do what you claim to have done."
"But…nothing has ever worked before!" Ollie flung the napkin away. "One of my classes has been playing with these so called spell books for months, trying things out. Nothing ever happened!"
"So why did it work this time?" Glen asked, reaching for her hand. Ollie grew still as his fingers stroked her palm.
"I don't know. I made Abby…that's my sister…say the spell with me, but she hates this stuff, she doesn't believe a bit of it…" She noticed the look on Glen's face. "What?"
"Sisters. Both witches?" He asked, obviously not expecting an answer. "You would have to be. To travel through time like you claim, it would take so much power, more than one person could emit."
"I have no powers." Ollie said, pulling her hand away. Not that she didn't enjoy his touch, in fact, it sent tingles up her arm. It was just so hard to think when he was touching her. It was scary, actually. "It was Abby!"
"Your sister?"
"Yes!" Ollie rose to her feet, unable to sit still. "Nothing happened until she showed up. Nothing happened the first time I did the spell. She got home my second try. And then BOOM!" She clapped her hands together. "Here I am." She hitched in a breath. "I don't even know if she's here, if she got sent to the same place. I have to find her!"
Glen had risen to his feet and gotten behind her without Ollie noticing. He touched her shoulders, making her jump. "It is going to be all right." He said softly, turning her to face him. "If she is here, we will find her."
There was a certainty in his voice that Ollie could not deny. She looked up at him and relaxed a bit. "Do you think…that Dimitri has her?"
Glen shrugged. "There was no one else at his castle that I did not know." He felt her slump at the news. He gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze. "That does not mean anything. He has many camps, she could be in one of them. If you were found near the second river, as Michael says you were, she could just have easily wandered into my brother's territory. That is, if she were sent to approximately the same place."
"Your brother?" Ollie sniffled and her eyes widened.
"Yes. He rules the south lands." Glen said, not looking at all happy when he spoke.
"If he's got her, we have to go get her!" Ollie tried to pull from his hands. Glen was not letting her.
"If she is with Mark, she will be well taken care of, Ollie. Mark would not hurt her, anymore than I would hurt you." His voice was low, as if he were soothing a wounded animal. Whatever he was doing, it was working. She relaxed again.
"What about Dimitri? What if he comes back for me…or what if he finds out about Abby?" She asked, staring up at him, her eyes dark with worry. "If he hurts her, it'll be my fault. I was the one with the…" She trailed off. Glen touched her chin and made her look at him again.
"With the what, Ollie?" He asked softly.
"I had a book of spells. It came with us. With me. It was by the river. I saw it right before I blacked out!" She said, her voice carrying a tone of hope that Glen was relieved to hear.
"Then we must have this book."
"It was mostly hidden. I hope no one found it." Ollie said with a frown.
"We will find it." Glen stated. He stroked her chin with his thumb. She was very lovely, the green dress making her hair seem golden. But this was not the time to be thinking of that. "Tomorrow. We will leave early. It is late today, Dimitri's men may yet still patrol the area of the river." Glen said, trying to calm her a bit more. She seemed ready to bolt. "The book will be there, your sister will be with Mark. It will all work out."
"You sound sure." Ollie muttered, liking the fact that he was confident while doubting what he said at the same time. He couldn't know any of it, was just guessing to make her feel better.
"I am sure." He released her. "I am also sure Tavia offered you a tour of Raventhorne."
"The castle?" Ollie said, smiling a bit.
"Indeed. Since she is occupied, I would like the honor of showing you the castle. If you do not mind." He said it almost shyly. Ollie's smile brightened.
"I would be the honored one." She hooked his offered arm with her hand. She knew he was done talking about Abby and the book…for now. She might as well enjoy his company and make the day go faster. There was really nothing else for her to do.
