Rebirth and Second Chances

Chapter 18: Ambushed

I'd played football in gym class during junior high in my previous life, and the experience of being tackled was just as painful as I remembered. The momentary disorientation as your body goes flying, the disorientation as you try to establish up from down as you travel through the air, only to have the air knocked out of you when you land.

Once we'd crashed to the floor, whoever had tackled me, didn't release me. Instead, he tightened his hold and rolled us away from the entrance and out of view of those that had launched a sneak attack. I was only released after we had stopped rolling and I was out of the line of fire from whatever was happening in the hall.

Although it seemed as if I had been rescued almost as soon as the attack had been launched, that wasn't the case. Even as fast as my rescuer had been, he hadn't managed to mitigate all damage. I felt a searing sensation on my right upper chest and shoulder. I could feel a sizzling and smell burnt flesh. The pain was manageable, and the wound began to heal instantly. Dead and burned cells sloughing off as new skin formed and replaced the damaged.

The sounds of battle continued and what sounded like bombs began exploding, set to detonate outside the room. The room began to shudder, but whatever wards and materials had been used to create this room, held. The wall firmed, the scorch marks on the floor remained and the door had been blasted off its hinges, but the structural integrity of the room and hall remained firm.

"Summerlands!" I heard someone chant as I worked to regain my feet. Nausea and disorientation enveloped me and increased exponentially as the world seemed to warp.

Reality and the world forming and reforming, glimpses of two destinations competing for primacy. The transition between here and there, changing as my chamber in the palace transformed into that of a forest and then back. The back and forth between the two realities continued to battle for supremacy. Faster and faster the change in worlds occurred each time the forest domain lasting longer until finally, the forest stabilized.

"What the hell was that?" I demanded, addressing my comment to anyone and everyone that could hear me.

[You've been forcibly transported to the Summerlands,] Caraid answered. [The assassination attempt was probably a feint to get you here.]

[As for who or why?]

[These are not Lord Kel's lands, so Knight Thom is not geas bound here. I don't know for a certainty he is behind this, and if you consider the Political repercussions of having a new Prince Ascending, the number of suspects that might make the attempt increases, honestly it could be the Sovereigns, Unseelie, Slaugh. The number of factions that might choose to assassinate you are too many to mention.]

"They would have to be really brave, really stupid, or aligned with Lord Kel to act while I am housed in the Ambassador's Palace, wouldn't they?" I asked.

[Probably all three]

[I'd suggest grabbing a weapon out of that ring of yours. You should also be summoning your shield and preparing for battle. I doubt just transporting you here is the end of their plan; they must know you have your own portal spell and can easily return.]

A quick examination of my surroundings allowed me to identify the person who had tackled me, I nodded my head towards Squire Cedric, acknowledging the debt I owed him, as well as recognizing I understood that he was responsible for my life.

The location we found ourselves was a clearing in a forest. The land looked untouched, a fresh and unspoiled quality. The indigenous plant life was vaguely familiar, but there were subtle differences that existed. Differences that enhanced the surreal aspects of the landscape.

Trees were brown and composed of bark, but leaves were shades of blue, with shapes and form similar to what I was used too. The strangest change was the sky. Glimpses were available through the forest canopy, and the blue and whites I expected of sky and clouds were instead composed of greens and yellows. I couldn't see the sun, but I wondered if it might be a giant blue star.

I wasn't an astrophysicist in my last life, so I wasn't really familiar with stars and how they worked, but it contained a certain logic that different colored stars would affect and be diffused in the atmosphere in different ways. They all probably radiated the light on the same spectrum, but perhaps the intensity of each spectrum differed based on the classification and type of star.

My introspection about the how's and whys of my current surroundings were interrupted when someone stepped forward to confront me. "Prince Mac," she sneered, "Knight Thom was right. You were deceptively easy to capture. I do not understand how you survived the Ascension process, but one thing is certain. Once trash always trash.

"A bit of misdirection, and explosion or two, and you and your guards were kept busy while we established and triggered a portal array."

"I would welcome you to the Summerlands, but I think your stay will be short.

"With your sacrifice, we can stake a claim to this dimension. These lands will finally be ours and answer to our commands.

"You are a pawn in a Cosmic game, but even a sacrificed pawn can change the playing field and alter the landscape.

"There is no escape from here, no rescue, there is only death. If as you Sidhe believe, blood makes the land grow stronger. The crops grow richer. The harvest more bountiful. We will splash the blood of a Prince to enrich this land today," she bragged.

"Make up your mind. Am I trash or a Prince? Why would you want to splash the blood of trash on your lands?" I mocked. I didn't know who this person was if she was working for herself or someone else, but her words suggested she was connected with Knight Thom.

I was uncertain if that meant she worked for Thom or if Thom was being used by her. Or even if her words were true. Perhaps she meant to establish a false connection a bit of deception and misdirection on her part to shield someone else.

What motivated her?

I was certain I would find out. Villains always took the time to pontificate and explain before beginning the final showdown.

While I waited for him to respond and explain, I quickly assessed the situation. Guards Ril, Gil, and Squire Cedric had been transported to the Summerlands with me. The clearing we were standing in was small and surrounded by ten people. These ten people made no attempt to hide or camouflage their identity.

It seemed her words, at least as far as my fate was concerned, had the essence of truth. They meant to kill. Possibly just my guards, but I doubted it. Negotiation was a non-starter. The confidence and hubris radiated from each of them. They were certain there would be death and slaughter here this day.