ANDROMEDA

My heart raced as my mind scrambled to make sense of this new setting. Had I been whisked away to a secure prison in a faraway land? A thin bead of sweat rolled down the side of my face as I executed a full three-sixty to take in my surroundings. This doesn’t look like any prison I’ve seen.

I knew I wasn’t dead, so what was the explanation? Nothing about this place looked at all familiar. In fact, it was the opposite of any dwelling I’d ever been in. I was used to—and preferred—austere and functional. This room was . . . too much. Like an explosion of excess colors and shapes.

Every surface in the room was covered in small objects like figurines or something resembling a child’s toy. There were also images—not exactly paintings—everywhere. I moved toward a seating area where there was a large wall hanging with red paper streamers. It read: Gong Hay Fat Choy. A prison wouldn’t have had such a cheery message on the wall. So where the hell am I?

Suddenly, I heard movement in another area of the dwelling, and I froze, ready to battle whatever unknown threat lay behind the wall. Then a voice called out, “Andi, sorry, got distracted!” It came from a doorway to another room.

I watched the passageway with trepidation, and a few seconds later, a strange man stepped into the room, holding two glasses of some kind of red liquid. I narrowed my gaze at his jovial expression, which for some odd reason, he directed at me.

Taking a fighting stance, I said, “Who are you? What do you want with me?”

The man chuckled and continued to walk into the room. When I didn’t waver, he tilted his head at me, the grin still present but faded in brightness. “Everything okay, Andi?”

“How dare you speak so informally to me. Who gave you such permission?”

“What do you mean? He held up the glasses. “You said you were in the mood for wine . . . and food.”

I furrowed my brow and took a step back, thrusting my palm out, not just as a warning for him but to ready my magic. “Stay back!”

“Did you hit up some weed while I was in the kitchen?” He set the glasses down and came toward me.

Instinctively, I reached for my magic, and it was like I’d had the breath knocked from my lungs. I tried again. Nothing. No! That damned crystal!

The man heeded my warning and stayed back, but his expression turned to concern. Then he looked around the room before turning his attention back to me. “What happened while I was in there? You seem . . . different.”

Despite his concern, I didn’t trust him one bit. In this unfamiliar land, I would have to consider every stranger my enemy, so I repeated, “Stay back!”

The man stayed where he was and raised his arms above his head. He was actually a handsome-looking male, but I knew from experience those were the worst kind, proving I could not trust him. “Andi, you’re acting like you don’t know me. Are you okay? My God, did you get roofied or something? I’m Daniel, remember?”

“No, I don’t. And I don’t want to either.” I could tell this person was of no use to me, even if he wasn’t a threat.

His concern seemed to transform into annoyance as he huffed out a breath. “Either you smoked something while I was in the kitchen or you’re playing me. Either way, it’s getting very old.”

What is he going on about? If only I could turn him into a rodent and then squash him under my boot. Since that wasn’t an option, I turned and found something I could work with. There was an object next to me that looked like it would do the trick. I picked up the round rocky object and felt the weight of it in my hand. Yep, this will do nicely. Then I launched it at the man, who barely ducked in time to have the thing fly over his shoulder and hit the wall behind him.

“What the hell, Andi?”

“Get out!” I glanced around for another object, this time lifting something square and wooden with an image in the middle. My lips were pursed, eyes locked on the stranger. I held it.

“Sheesh, whatever—this isn’t worth it.” He paced away from me and grabbed a coat that was hanging by the door. “There’s something seriously wrong with you. I’m out of here.”

I remained vigilant as he carried his cloak and slipped his feet into some strange-looking footwear, then opened the door. As he shut it behind him, I could hear the man groan, saying, “Crazy bitch.”

You got that right!

I stared at the closed door for several long seconds, ensuring the threat wouldn’t return. When he didn’t, I set the object down on the desk and let out a breath. “What the hell is going on?”

I turned and moved to a window on the far side of the room. Long draperies covered it, and I flung them open before letting out a gasp. “It’s—” I didn’t know what it was. Some kind of new world I’d been transported to, only I had no idea where it was or why I was here. My eyes didn’t know where to look first, as nothing I saw before me seemed real. Maybe it wasn’t? Was it possible this was all happening in my mind?

Outside the window were odd contraptions that moved along a road but without horses. “These things . . . they move independently? Does that mean there is magic here?” I glanced over my shoulder to make sure I was still alone. I almost wished the strange man would come back so he could answer my questions.

As I stood and took in this strange place, fear replaced fascination. One must have magic in an unknown world; otherwise, how would you defend yourself? More importantly, how would you conquer and rule? Perhaps, I could reacquire what was taken from me, find a way to get my magic back.

And what of these structures? Whatever these buildings were, they must have been very important as there were so many of them. Some were taller than others but basically the same and so close together. Just looking at them made me wonder how the people here breathed fresh air. I adjusted my position at the window so I could gaze into the distance. “Is that . . . water?” This seemed to be some kind of an island with dwellings so high it looked as though they touched the clouds. How did a world so different from my own exist without me ever knowing about it?

A throbbing in my head had me taking a step back from the window. This was all too much. To find out how I had come to be in this strange land, I needed to think back. . . . The last thing I remembered was that filthy knight, Kane, driving his dagger into my chest. I should be dead. “You’re not dead, Andromeda.”

I moved to the desk from which I had picked up the objects moments ago. There were many papers and books on it, and I opened one that had writing in it. There were numbers in squares. Some sort of diary or documentation of days and times. Someone had written in it—mostly incomprehensible notes—in some kind of unfamiliar hand. “What is ‘circle time’?” I ran a finger along the words, trying to make sense of them.

In addition to the papers and books, there were several images housed in wood squares, like the one I was going to throw at the man. I hadn’t noticed before but now that I examined them, I saw there was a face—it was familiar. I picked up one of the squares and held it up for closer inspection. I gasped. “I don’t understand . . .” One of the people in the image looked exactly like me. If I didn’t know any better, I would think it was me. “But it can’t be!” I let the frame drop from my hand and it fell with a bang against the wooden desk.

I backed away, shaking my head, my stomach turning over. Was this some kind of spell that the Kingdoms had cast on me? “Is it a punishment. It must be. So . . . this is a prison?”

My eyes panned around and landed on the door the man went through. If this were a prison, it stood to reason there was a way out of it. I took several deep breaths and nodded. I will not be broken by this! I would escape. I just needed to get my magic back first, and then I’d get out of this magical place they’d banished me to. Damn, that Kane. Damn him!

Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion hit me, and I stumbled backward, falling onto one of the cushion seating options. It was all so overwhelming to be lost and magicless. My body and my mind obviously needed rest. My lids grew so heavy I couldn’t fight it and I let them fall closed, welcoming the escape if only for a few minutes.

The sound of heavy banging startled me awake. Where am I? I sat upright and tried to focus my mind. It all came flooding back: I wasn’t in the Mountain Echo kingdom. I was in this infernal and strange place. A muffled voice came from the other side of the door. This time it was a woman. I stood and made my way to the door, then jumped when the woman called out.

“Andi! Open up! It’s Bethany!”

Hesitantly, I reached for the handle and pulled it open, just a sliver. On the other side stood a woman with pale skin and a wrinkle in her brow. She looked me up and down, then said, “Why haven’t you answered any of my texts?!”