In which Lethia is recognized

Chapter 19 of the Time-Teller

Chapter 19
In which Lethia is recognized

 

Megan coughed. Her head ached.

 

“Everything was revenge for my parents deaths!” Megan cried out. “Everything!” Pyralis held Megan with her arms at her sides. “Let me go already! How long are you gonna keep me trapped like this!?”

 

“Until I’m positive you won’t attempt to hurt yourself again,” Pyralis drawled smoothly. “I am sure that I was not as shocked as you were. I was surprised when he came back after all that time. I never suspected that he would have had a child. Come to think of it, he took over the attack against Labelle only slightly after I brought you to this world, which means that perhaps you were the only thing tying him to that world.”

 

“So it’s my fault the people of Labelle castle suffered like that!” Megan screamed trying to kick herself with her legs, the only thing Pyralis hadn’t managed to capture. “I have nothing! I have nothing! Nothing! Nothing! Nothing! Everything was taken from me! And by who? By my own father!”

 

“Calm down, Megan,” Pyralis said softly. “You could have had no idea that your father was such a person as Gethin. I am surprised myself that he had a child. It shows that his sense of duty and responsibility haven’t quite vanished completely yet.”

 

“Duty!?” Megan screamed kicking vigorously in an attempt to escape Pyralis’ tight hold. “Duty! So, when my dad bought me that stupid board game I’d always wanted for my birthday, it was duty. He took me to those… those… theme parks and to friends houses and to the mall out of… DUTY!!? He brushed my hair when I was little and mom was in the hospital out of duty!? He stayed up all night with me when I was afraid because of the twilight zone out of duty!?” Megan took a breath. She could barely see anything because her eyes were so swollen from crying. She wondered if her face was even recognizable.

 

“Shhh…” Pyralis said, not loosening his hold. “I’m sorry I don’t have anything to offer you. Perhaps, Gethin actually loved you. He is not in the least incapable of such things. He simply tries with all his might to avoid becoming attached to anything. Although, the fact that Gethin is your father explains why you are so capable in magic.”

 

“Oh shut up about magic! I don’t want to hear that word ever again!” Megan choked on her words. She relaxed a little, hoping that Pyralis would loosen his grip, but he didn’t.

 

“For a disabled person, you’re strong,” Megan yelled, not knowing whether she wanted to insult Pyralis or just have something to say.

 

“My sight has no effect on my strength,” Pyralis sighed. “And I will not release you until you calm yourself or all your energy is drained. I tried to retain you with magic, but you know my magic too well and were able to break it with your own. The fact that you’re being held still like this is your own fault.”

 

“Everything’s my fault, it seems!” Megan spat. “Why the heck won’t you move your filthy cloak away from me! I’ve never once seen you wash that thing!” Megan noticed for the first time, that Pyralis’ cloak smelled extremely clean.

 

“I don’t have to clean it,” Pyralis drawled. “I have a magic on it that keeps it clean.”

 

“Stop saying ‘magic’!” Megan felt like she was going to faint. Her head throbbed painfully. “Just let me go already!” Pyralis sighed deeply.

 

“Megan,” he said. “I never knew my parents. They left me in a forest to die. I spent half my life hating them for that, but then I realized that it just isn’t worth it. I had people who cared about me. What about your mother? I’m sure she cared for you. What about Jonah? He’s your friend, isn’t he?”

 

“Just shut it, will you!” Megan swung her feet back and forth. “My mom is dead, and I only knew Jonah for like a really short time.”

 

“But in that time, he became your friend. Imagine how many friends you could make if you just start over fresh. You have such a long life ahead of you. This is only one Chapter of it. There is so much that you can yet see and learn.”

 

“What do you care! You should be mad at me! My dad killed your wife! Why aren’t you mad at me?!” Megan screamed shrilly.

 

“I hold no grudge against you for what your father did. As far as I can see, you are innocent. It is true that Gethin destroyed what was my world, but Helia would not want me to live in sorrow forever, and I don’t want you to live in sorrow. Cheer up, little Megan.”

 

“Cheer up, calm down, it’s okay! Is that all you can say Pyralis! Can’t you just be a little mad!? I can’t believe how stupid I was to think I was normal, and I caused so much suffering, and my fathe…”

 

“Come on, Megan,” Pyralis said calmly. “I’m only trying to help you.”

 

“Me!” Megan screamed. “I’ve hated you the whole time, when it should have been me who was hated by you! My very existence should bother you!”

 

“I told you, Megan. Your father hurt me. The only thing you have done that could possibly hurt me is your continual hatred, and I am not hurt by that. I respect your hate for me. I took you away from the known and into the unknown. Perhaps Megan, if I hadn’t taken you, Gethin would not have killed your mother. It is altogether a possibility.”

 

“I hate you!” Megan shouted, now trying with renewed energy to escape from Pyralis. “So, my mom’s death might have been your fault! Why you… Why you…” Megan threw up. Pyralis’ cloak, however, remained unsoiled as the slimy chunks splattered to the floor.

 

“You have a fever, Megan.” Pyralis spoke. “You cannot perform such a difficult spell and be so active. You need to rest.”

 

“Easy for you to say, you monster,” Megan shouted. Pyralis released his grip.

 

“I’m glad you’re somewhat back to the Megan I know.” Megan had stopped struggling to hurt herself. Her mouth tasted like vomit and she could barely feel her face. Pyralis waved his arm, and a make-shift bed materialized. Megan made no more objections as Pyralis picked her up and pulled the covers up to her chin.

 

“Don’t give up on me now, Megan,” Pyralis said softly and winked his blind eye in her general direction. Megan closed her eyes.

 

It took Megan over three hours to finally come by sleep. Her stomach ached, and she was sweating. She couldn’t stop thinking about Gethin, about her father.

 

Megan felt herself crying as the flames surrounded her. The wooden bars kept her in, and she couldn’t escape. She couldn’t escape the emerald and blue flames the surrounded her tiny enclosure.

 

“This is a dream,” she whispered to herself. “I’ve had this dream before.”

 

“Dilana!” she heard a male voice calling frantically. “Dilana! Dilana!” Megan stood up. She hadn’t even realized that she’d been sitting. The wooden bars only reached up to her stomach.

 

“I can escape,” Megan whispered. She tried to climb over the wood, but one of the flames licked her side and she fell back in pain. “Dilana!”

 

“No!” a female voice screamed. “I have to!”

 

“Nutmeg!” Megan sat up startled. She was sweating all over and breathing heavily. She didn’t know why this word came into her mind all of the sudden. It seemed strange, but somehow, the word ‘nutmeg’ popped into her head when she had heard the man’s voice.

 

“I don’t get it,” Megan felt her face. It was still swollen. She stood up and looked around the cave. Lethia was curled up in a ball on the floor, asleep. Pyralis was leaning against her bed. He had turned to face her when she stood up.

 

“Are you feeling better?” he asked.

 

“Were you awake this whole time?” Megan asked startled. “How long was I asleep?”

 

“A long time. You kept tossing and turning then you were murmering stuff like, ‘I can escape,’ and ‘this is a dream.’ Then, you said ‘nutmeg’ when you woke up. Why did you say that?” Pyralis didn’t seem to be teasing Megan. On the contrary, he seemed genuinely curious.

 

“I don’t know. It seemed to fit my dream.”

 

“Did you dream of pumpkin pie?” Pyralis raised an eyebrow.

 

“Yeah,” Megan lied sarcastically. Pyralis left it at that, knowing Megan did not want to disclose the information of her dream to him.

 

“How did you make the bed appear?” Megan asked, not really interested, but wanting to keep her mind off of things. She remembered the long lectures Pyralis had given her on various plants, which had turned to lectures on magic. She wanted to forget.

 

“How indeed,” Pyralis half-smiled. Then, he began to tell her how objects are never made from nothing and that the materials are generally something small, but able to be manipulated. Megan forced herself to pay close attention to Pyralis. Somehow, his lecture on materialization led to many other topics, and he was telling a story about a famous witch named Olvenne when footsteps were heard.

 

“Dragon!” the voice of a young man called from outside. “I have a message for you!” Megan looked at the sleepy dragon. It half-opened its eye.

 

“Come in if you wish to speak with me,” the dragon said sleepily. “I’m napping right now, which is why I haven’t thrown you from my mountain.”

 

“Yes, well,” the young man’s footsteps echoed into the cave. He walked in. Megan could only see his legs, the dragon’s spread wing was in the way of his face.

 

“I was umm in a valley down there for some reason. I’m not sure how I got there.” Megan recognized his voice, but couldn’t quite place it. “I umm met this umm I think he was a wizard or something… umm anyway, I helped him walk a ways until he was a little better… I umm anyway umm he told me to uhh tell you that uh he uh tells you not to umm talk to any wizards if they uh show up otherwise umm he’ll umm he said he’ll uh find your family and umm…” Megan heard the young man swallow loudly.

 

“I have no family,” the dragon boomed. “And even if I did, I wouldn’t worry much. Besides, it’s too late, I have already spoken with another wizard.”

 

“Jonah!” Megan suddenly realized. The dragon moved its wing to look at her. Sure enough, the young man was Jonah.

 

“Me-Megan!” he said astonished. “How did… and Pyralis?”

 

“You are acquainted with this scared young human?” the dragon asked Megan.

 

“Yes,” Megan replied. “We helped him a little in saving his home, and earlier he saved my life just in time.”

 

“If you saved her life, then I will not harm you,” the dragon said and promptly went back to sleep, not fearing Jonah in the least.

 

Lethia sat up groggily. She stared at Jonah.

 

“You’re that guy!” she said loudly. “That guy I keep seeing in my dreams. Do you… Do you know who I am?”

 

“Ruth?” Jonah half-whispered. “I thought you were dead… you… you don’t… you don’t remember me?”

 

“You’re the only thing I do remember. Although, I can’t quite place who you are or where I know you from.”

 

“What happened to her?” Jonah faced Megan and Pyralis. “Why doesn’t she remember?”

 

“Apparently, my father attacked her,” Megan said dramatically.

 

“I thought your father…” Jonah didn’t finish.

 

“So did I,” said Megan, brushing several tears away before they slid down her face. “I though my father was dead, but it turns out, he’s really an evil wizard, Gethin, who was leading the siege at Labelle castle, killed Pyralis’ wife, and did many other terrible deeds.” Jonah said nothing.

 

“Jonah?” Lethia spoke softly. “Is that your name?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Do you know my name?” Lethia walked over to Jonah.

 

“Ruth… Ruth Labelle,” Jonah said. “You are the daughter of the king of Labelle castle, and you secretly ran away with me, but a storm struck our ship, and I was unable to protect you.” Jonah didn’t know whether to feel joy at finding Ruth or sadness at the irony that she couldn’t remember him, and he didn’t know his way back to Labelle.

 

“Jonah,” Pyralis interrupted. “Why don’t you escort the princess home. She will no longer be in danger, and Megan and myself will be able to find Gethin without having to worry about her safety.”

 

“Who says I still want to go after Gethin?” Megan yelled. “What if I don’t care anymore!”

 

“The journey,” Pyralis started, “to Labelle is rather long. However, I will assist you on this journey. I have some friends, who are indebted to Megan here and would be more than happy to carry you and the young princess back to Labelle where you will be safe.” Pyralis whistled an extremely loud and obnoxious whistle. Immediately a blue light shone in the cave and grew bigger until it was visibly lighting, a portal of lightning. A giant, many headed creature flew into the room. Lethia, now known as Ruth, screamed shrilly. The dragon remained asleep. Pyralis hissed and whistled for several minutes with the creature.

 

“He will carry you to Labelle!” Pyralis announced. “However, because I have done you this service, you will give me what you took from Gethin.” Jonah stepped back.

 

“I didn’t…” then his eyes grew wide. “I... he dropped it when he left, and I… I picked it up for him, but he was gone.” Jonah handed Pyralis a small bag of which seemed from appearances to hold several small objects.

 

“Thank you,” Pyralis smiled. “Now you may go home.”

 

“Wait,” Ruth said. “I don’t want to ride on that thing.”

 

“It’s safe,” Pyralis drawled. “It has no reason to harm you.” After several moments of thought Ruth said, “I trust you, but I want to give you something to thank you for taking care of me.”

 

“That’s okay,” Pyralis said. “Promise us we’ll be invited to you and Jonah’s wedding, and I’ll be happy with that.”

 

“Our what!” Ruth jumped. Jonah turned red instantly.

 

“She doesn’t even remember me!” Jonah managed to say breathlessly. Pyralis nodded and raised his arms. Jonah and

Ruth immediately flew into the air and landed on the creature, which disappeared through the strange portal.

 

“I suppose now would be a good time to leave,” Pyralis said spontaneously.

 

“But I said I don’t want to…” Megan began.

 

“It’s best to continue what’s started, eh? And besides, I think you probably have a few questions you’d like to ask Gethin yourself.” Megan was too taken aback by Pyralis’ suddenly straight-forward nature that she didn’t say anything as he made the bed vanish, and packed up any loose objects that had been left lying around either for eating or trying to calm Megan.

Then, Pyralis left the cave with Megan following him.

 

“To meet Gethin, forward,” Pyralis stated as he exited.

 

‘Megan,’ the dragon thought. ‘Take my name with you. A dragon’s name is a useful thing indeed.’

 

‘Your name?’ Megan thought back.

 

‘Kra’ag-landr.’