Grishma (Book One in The Necoh Saga)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The night had gone from bad to worse. After they parted company with Ryder, Algid had become increasingly jealous.

“He sure seemed interested in talking to you again,” said Algid for the tenth time.

Brooklyn had tried changing the subject, even pretending to fall asleep, but he just wouldn’t give up.

That all changed when several royal guards burst through the door. “She’s an imposter!” one shouted as he pointed a stubby finger in Brooklyn’s face.

Algid jumped out of bed and stared suspiciously at Brooklyn.

“What is the meaning of this?” he demanded.

“Sire, the real Princess Sophie and her mother, Queen Yolanda from Sumner, just showed up a few minutes ago outside the gates of Dratun,” said another guard.

His jaw dropped and his eyes opened wide. He pointed at Brooklyn and screamed, “You liar!”

“We must take her at once!” shouted the guard.

Algid didn’t even put up a fight as the guards barged past him and grabbed Brooklyn. She screamed as they hauled her out of the room and down the vast hallways of the castle.

One of the guards threw her over his shoulder as they descended flight after flight of steep stone stairs.

Brooklyn lost all awareness and soon became disorientated. It wasn’t until she hit the cold hard floor of a small cell that she realized she had been thrown in the dungeon.

“Wait! What’s going on?” she asked.

No one responded. The guards turned and left her sitting alone in the dark. A short time later, Brooklyn heard the guards rounding the corner again. They opened the door to her cell, threw Emlyn and Brianna in roughly, and then slammed the door shut again.

Emlyn started to cry. “What’s happening?”

“Why are we down here?” asked Brianna.

Brooklyn reached out and hugged both of them. “It was terrible! The guards burst into our room and said they found the real Princess Sophie and her mother, Queen Yolanda of Sumner.”

“What?” asked Emlyn in disbelief.

“They called me an imposter and Prince Algid believed them!” said Brooklyn.

“An imposter? You’re not an imposter!” said Emlyn.

Brooklyn started to cry. “I am. I’m so sorry! I’ve been lying to both of you, but not on purpose, I swear! Remember the antidote I told you Bressa gave me? Well, it helped me remember who I really am, and I’m not Princess Sophie. My name is Brooklyn.”

Brianna and Emlyn stared at her.

Emlyn spoke up, “Are you serious?”

With tears racing down her cheeks, Brooklyn nodded.

“Wait, what did Bressa look like?” asked Brianna.

“Um, she’s a little old lady, missing several teeth and she’s got a crooked nose,” said Brooklyn. “Why?”

“Oh no,” said Brianna. “I think she paid me a visit last night.”

“What do you mean?” pressed Emlyn.

“A little old lady with missing teeth and a crooked nose brought me a cup of tea last night before I went to bed. She said you sent it to me,” said Brianna. “Since then, I’ve been having these really strange flashbacks. They don’t make sense, it’s like they’re memories that I can’t quite place.”