A Key to Worlds: A Parallel Worlds Novel Read online

  If I break the bond between the worlds, there may be no returning home. I could be stuck in this prison cell forever. Then again, maybe I’d return if that happened. I don’t belong here and I shouldn’t have come. Why do I always let my curiousity get the better of me?

  She blinked away tears and tried not to show her softer emotions. They hadn’t even questioned her, just left her to rot in a cell for hours. What kind of society treated its people this way for trespassing? She’d been walking among a field of flowers, not breaking into someone’s home. This obviously wasn’t a good place. She turned back around to glare at her guard through the bars of her prison cell. He was large and muscular, which no doubt went a long way toward intimidating prisoners. His hair was a shade shy of black and his eyes were a warm brown, yet unyielding.

  “Let me go. You have no right to hold me here!”

  The burly prison guard shook his head like she was slow on the uptake and walked away. Alone in her cell, Nessa grew more worried. They’d taken her money belt off her when she was arrested but she’d had time to tuck the flower, which opened the doorway, into a pocket of her dress. If she’d dropped it in the meadow, she might never have found it again.

  The doorway would close with time when the flower died. It was one reason she chose living objects like plants as triggers, because one way or another, the portal would close on its own. Nessa reasoned that the best thing she could do was hold out for the time being. She tried not to breathe too deeply because the cell stank. Instead, she stared out through the bars – miserable, as her anger simmered away and her demeanour turned more meek than raging.

  “I can do this. It will be alright. Breathe, Nessa. There’s nothing they can do to hurt you. Who am I kidding? Yes there is.”

  They have no reason to hurt me, unless they’re evil people, which they might be because they locked me up. I suppose... if I owned a kingdom and a strange woman was wandering through my lands without a good reason, I might wonder why she was there. She could well be a spy or anything. A witch! Oh, they would definitely think I’m a witch if they knew what I could do.

  They might like witches but it was also possible they might burn them at the stake or leave them to rot in cells for all she knew. Better they know nothing about that.

  Nessa didn’t want them attempting it or pressuring her to open another gate if they realised she knew how. Could you open a second gate from a world you’re visiting, I wonder?

  Either way, it was a recipe for trouble and probably all sorts of badness. Her main worry was that they might find their way back to her own world – to her Earth. She’d always been cautious, but she’d never been imprisoned before and right now, the portal was hard to see but sitting wide open.

  I wish someone knew where I was. Why didn’t I think to tell anyone about all this? She tapped her foot in frustration. They wouldn’t understand, though. People never do. They never try! They just make light of what I do, other than Katy, but I don’t see them creating dimensional portals! Not that it’s that impressive from inside a prison cell, but this place... this ability is mine. “So there,” she muttered to the empty room. It didn’t help, but it did remind her that they couldn’t hold her for good.

  A distant door opened with a metallic clunk and Nessa heard footsteps approaching. She stood up straighter, trying to look strong when inside she was worried and more scared than she wanted to admit. They’d better not get any ideas about hurting me or I’ll hurt them right on back, possibly. She took a step back when three men entered the room outside her cell in single file.

  Two of them were prison guards – Nessa recognised their uniforms, though these were different guards to the ones she’d had the pleasure of meeting already. The third man wore richer clothes and he had a look about him of someone important. It wasn’t that his clothes were old-fashioned either; there was just a notable difference in quality and cut.

  His short hair was dark and naturally-curly, and he had a look to him that was Italian or Spanish. Nessa wasn’t sure that Italy had an equivalent country in this dimension. His gaze was stern and cold, and even his eyes were icy grey in colour. She might ordinarily have considered him attractive, but her haughtiness paled in comparison to his as he looked down on her. It made Nessa very uncomfortable.

  Nessa’s gaze was drawn to the rich man’s belt, where he had a holstered weapon unlike any she’d seen. It was a large gun, but she wasn’t entirely sure if it was old-fashioned or futuristic in design. The guards were stern but showed little true interest in her. It seemed more like they were doing their duty and that was all. The rich man seemed as if he must have some more intense motivation. It made Nessa wonder just what she was dealing with, because she wasn’t quite sure.

  She’d had so many questions but now her mind was blank. She was too afraid to speak first so she didn’t.

  “The guards tell me you’ve been shouting at them for the last few hours.”

  The man’s gaze lingered on Nessa so intensely that she felt compelled to look away. She had no reason to feel guilty. All she’d done was enter their land and it wasn’t as if the valley was even populated at the time she’d arrived. She wasn’t falling for their bullshit excuse for putting her in a cell. She could tell the rich man sought an answer, so she gave him one.

  “You could say that. It wasn’t without reason.” She sniffled, but it had more to do with the hay irritating her nose than burgeoning tears.

  Her response drew a smile from the rich man. There was something about it that set her ill at ease, as if he could turn dangerous if she responded in a way he didn’t like.

  “What you were doing in the King’s Lands?”

  The what? Nessa had to resist an eye roll. There was a castle, yes, but how could she ever have guessed there would be a King? It was the fricking United States, at least on her world. This land was very different, obviously.

  “I apologise. I wasn’t aware the land belonged to the King.”

  She heard a gasp from one of the guards and a laugh from the other. Both men were abruptly silenced by the rich man’s raised hand. “It’s not a mistake that would be made by anyone who lives around here, madam.”

  Her eyebrows rose slightly, but the men wouldn’t have known why that was. “I’m not from around here. I wanted to see the flowers in the valley up close. I meant no harm and I certainly didn’t know they were off limits.” And you bastards locked me up for it. Congratulations on proving what... fine gentlemen you truly are.

  “I’m not sure you understand the gravity of the crime you’ve committed. Trespassing on the King’s land can carry the punishment of one-hundred lashes.”

  Nessa frowned in shock, but her annoyance seeped through. “I saw no signs marking the land as belonging to the King. I’m sorry, you have my apology.”

  The rich man tilted his head with interest.

  Nessa wondered what he was looking at. It occurred to her that her clothes and her appearance might be different, or he might not be used to prisoners speaking up for themselves.

  “There is in fact a fence,” he said.

  He waited for a sign of guilt, but saw only a puzzled expression from Nessa. She knew why she hadn’t seen it, if the fence did in fact exist. She’d created her gateway inside of it.

  “I didn’t see it. I’m sorry. Would you please let me go? I’ll leave the King’s lands and you’ll never see or hear from me again. I guarantee it.”

  The man smiled. “How did you get here and where will you go if we release you?” It still had a cold edge to it, but she seemed to have triggered some sense of amusement.

  Nessa prayed the man wasn’t a sadist. “I walked.” She wondered how the bloody else she’d get here. She hadn’t seen any cars, only dirt roads and horses, and she obviously hadn’t been riding one of those. Certainly not in her blue dress. “If you release me then I’ll return home. I have an aunt and she will be worried about me if I stay away too long.”

  It was a partial truth – Katy had com
e to accept that Nessa ‘ran off’ on occasion or went out and didn’t come home for a day or two. What Katy didn’t know was why, at least some of the time.

  The rich man tapped his chin in a thoughtful manner. The guards seemed to relax, both of them silent as they listened, not interrupting the man in charge.

  “Who are you?” she asked, hoping it wasn’t some kind of faux pas.

  It didn’t seem to be, judging by the rich man’s reaction. He hesitated only briefly in answering her question, as if deciding whether it suited him to. “I am Waine Derannis, Duke of Ackzion. What’s your name?”

  Nessa hesitated at revealing her real name, but what harm could it do? It might sound different to theirs, but she had already asserted that she was from another place. She wondered if that included another time, because she’d never found a way to determine whether time between all dimensions was consistent.

  “I’m Vanessa Higgins. I travel a lot because I enjoy it.” She noticed the perplexed look the guards exchanged behind the Duke’s back.

  “Well, Vanessa Higgins–” He pronounced her name as if it wasn’t all that strange to his ears, “I could sentence you for trespassing but I believe it would do little good and might in fact dispose you poorly toward our kingdom. If you can convince me that you’re not a spy then I see no reason that we should hold you here any longer.”

  Nessa’s eyes lit up with hope. “I’m not a spy. I promise you that.”

  Duke Waine grinned. “That’s what a spy would say, but I didn’t think you were. There’s not a whole lot of interest in that valley.”

  It was lucky for Nessa that he glanced away just as he said that, because she winced.

  He spoke to the nearest of the guards. “Let her out. Have your men escort her to the King’s highway so she doesn’t make the same mistake again.”

  Nessa almost laughed, because she was so relieved, but she needed to get back to the portal. “I dropped something important when I was arrested. It’s precious to me. I don’t suppose we could stop through there on the way?” Nessa knew she might be asking too much.

  The Duke considered her request, but Nessa knew before he answered that he wasn’t going to grant it. “You best let it go and stay away from that meadow. Whatever it was you lost isn’t worth your freedom.”

  Nessa was disappointed, but she would try to return to the portal later. She’d just have to be careful about it. Perhaps her guard could be convinced to take her there, but it might be better to say nothing. Nessa hoped there wouldn’t be a patrol of guards waiting in case she tried it again, but it seemed unlikely.

  “Is that clear?” the Duke asked her.

  Nessa nodded. “Crystal clear.” She grimaced and tried to act annoyed and a bit hurt, as someone might if they’d lost a small item of value. It seemed to work. Nessa was relieved when one of the guards unlocked the door of her cell.

  The Duke had no reason to linger when the matter was dealt with.

  Nessa was more than happy to see him go. The nearest of the two guards directed Nessa out through the passage and into the courtyard she’d seen on her way in. They’d only stopped briefly while her money belt was returned to her.

  One of the guards seemed more friendly and talkative now. “You got off easily there.” He seemed much more comfortable now too that the Duke was gone. “That could’ve gone badly for you. The Duke probably wouldn’t have released you if he hadn’t taken a shine to you.”

  How reassuring. What kind of place is this? “I’m relieved to be free again,” she said simply. Nessa was also annoyed at being detained, thrown over a horse and imprisoned, but it seemed better not to say it. Well-disposed toward his kingdom? The Duke must’ve been joking.

  The guard waved to two other similarly-dressed officers who were talking outside a tavern on the far side of the courtyard. “This is James and Beck. They’ll see you to the highway.”

  The officers he’d pointed out approached casually, as Nessa and the guard escorting her walked toward them.

  “What is it, boss?” one of the men asked; likely James. He looked like a decent enough man, but with what she’d seen of the King’s justice, it was genuinely hard to say. One detail that stood out to her was that the guard seemed a bit untidy. It wasn’t any one detail that gave her that impression; it was a cumulative effect of the rumples in his uniform and tangles in his hair. Even so, he was quite handsome with dark hair and eyes. Beck on the other hand had plainer features, although his colouring was similar.

  “Duke Derannis wants the lady here taken down to the King’s highway and sent on her way. She was on the King’s land without permission and in error.”

  “You need both of us?” James asked, thinking that might be a complete waste of time.

  “Nah, I wouldn’t think so. James, you show her the way. Beck, there’s something I’m going to need your help with.”

  Nessa saw Beck nod and enquire softly of his superior, “What’s this about?”

  “We’ve got another poisoning.”

  “Alright, we’d better be going,” James said, ushering her along.

  “I’m Nessa,” she eventually said to James by way of introduction.

  He nodded to her in a friendly way. “You had me at a loss there,” he said with a friendly, if slightly formal, smile.

  This city had an odd feeling about it – almost familiar, but unlike any other place she knew. The castle itself towered high above shops and homes, but while it was old-fashioned in design, its structure wasn’t completely. It looked to her like it was built of modern materials, as it had metallic accents and what appeared to be roofing tiles on its towers. The people on the street went about their business in what was probably a normal way, and they were much as the people of her own dimension. They seemed to have placed less emphasis on their appearance, but there were some lovely, and in other cases unusual, accessories. One man wore a strange, lopsided hat of grey leather. An elderly woman had a large red feather protruding from her hair comb. Velvet waistcoats were common, but paired with short skirts? It was an odd combination.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Pandora's Home Dimension;

  Terania Settlement, Alverron – 6:12 p.m.

  The day passed quickly for Pandora in a haze of thoughts and hard work in the lab. Her dream from the night before kept re-surfacing and invading her thoughts. Some flashes of images seemed to carry her back to that smoke-filled room and they brought with them a feeling of helplessness like she’d experienced the night before.

  She knew they couldn’t be memories, because she simply hadn’t experienced those events before; at least so far as she knew. The dream and her recollections felt more like someone else’s memories or experiences, but it seemed more likely that they had some symbolic meaning or her mind had simply made them up.

  The presence of her grandmother in the dream stayed with her the most. She’d never met her maternal grandmother. She’d died before Pandora was born, but Pandora had formed a connection with her grandmother in her own way. Pandora had studied photographs and knew what her grandmother looked like, and what kind of person she was. It helped her form a link with her birth family that she’d lacked her whole life. Her mind also lingered on memories of Lucy from her dream and how it felt to have a sister. A sister she didn’t actually have. The dream hinted at pieces of a puzzle – what it would feel like to have family – and she tried to hold on that feeling and not let it go.

  It made her wonder if her adoptive parents had been entirely honest with her. Was it possible she actually had a sister named Lucy or that she’d been through something like a fire as a child, and was only remembering it now?

  Her grandmother Emily had been an honoured member of her family. She was a member of the council of elders, and she’d helped to build and maintain the library. When Pandora visited the library, it felt like a testament to her grandmother’s efforts, as well as so many other people. It was like a part of her lived on there in the shelves of books, photographs that hu
ng on the walls, and the smell of paper – some of it ancient.

  Some of her grandmother’s writings were kept there and more than once, Pandora had curled up with those leather-bound volumes to read about her grandmother’s exploits. It saddened her to think that her grandmother might not have been a blood relative – if her dream was to be believed – but she still had a connection and she knew she always would. Her adoptive parents had taken good care of her so she couldn’t complain.

  Pandora’s birth parents had been outsiders, which made them explorers or anarchists, depending on who you asked. There was a time when her parents were little older than she was now, and there were unsanctioned attempts to leave the settlements and return to living on the land. It was an old idea, but they had found the land wasn’t ready to support life again.

  People left Terania’s protection to settle in caverns below-ground and venture out to explore the world again using breathing apparatus. It was said all who left the settlement died or eventually returned to seek shelter and safety. No shelter outside of the settlements was capable of sustaining human life in the long term. Her mother made it back to the settlement’s gate with Pandora not long before she passed away. In doing so, her mother gave her a great gift – life. Pandora never learned what became of her father, but a childless couple were chosen as parents and took over her care.

  Pandora took a deep breath and let it out. The past had a way of pulling her into a reverie that set her thoughts in disarray. As she rubbed her tired eyes, the doorbell of her apartment rang. She thought she knew who it would be. Stretching slightly, Pandora strode over to the door and activated the view screen. Sure enough, it was Kailen, her boyfriend. She smiled at the sight of him.

  Pandora opened the door to let him in. She was happy and grateful to see Kailen. No matter how bad her day might have been, there was never a day that wasn’t made better by him being a part of it. “I’ve missed you.”