Following the blue lights, Cherry adjusted her painful grip on the dagger; she had no idea where she was heading or where this challenge would end. She felt she needed to continue into this strangeness. The cave seemed to be in the heart of the mountain. In all her memories, Cherry didn't remember coming back this far. A sudden flare on her left made her gasp. Snapping her gaze in that direction, Cherry paused as she waited for someone or something to show. Nothing happened, pushing her heartbeat thudding against her rib cage; her eyes darted in every direction, and she swallowed the rising panic against a dry throat. The flare became a red light, like the blue running toward her position. Cherry felt as though she wanted to run screaming for the hills but inhaling sharply, she waited as the light approached her spot, stopping a little short of her before running a circle around her feet, ultimately keeping her enclosed. Cherry remained in place, but nothing happened. Something rose within, bubbling through her veins, racing into the dagger and back to her core.

"Please meet Cannon Basset," she whispered, wondering why she needed to say her name that way but letting whatever needed to happen flow, "her full name is Cherry Anastasia Nadeleine Nadesha Odelette Neala Basset."

The red light sparked where it met at the circle, and a beam rose off the floor toward the ceiling. Cherry's eyebrows rose as she watched it stop just above her head.

Was it measuring her?

Could it see her?

Was she supposed to be intimidated?

Was it some sort of standoff?

Something kept her eyes level with the beam as though she was staring it down, suddenly, it exploded into red drops reminding Cherry of large raindrops, and they fell to the ground mixing with the blue, making red veins in the spaces and following the blue toward the back of the cave.

"Okay, it seems I passed whatever that was," she stretched her neck, rolled her shoulders and blew out a breath before looking down, "huh … no circle … I'm free to move on. I do hope I'm going in the correct direction."

Moving on, Cherry wished she had brought some water with her, her throat was dry from nerves, and the cave felt a little humid and stuffy, something a drink of water would alleviate. Rounding a corner, she stopped looking at a group of robed people scattered on different levels on the rocks, making a tunnel of some sort. The red and blue continued into the cave and disappeared down the tunnel, which meant there was further to go, but what was expected of her now?

"We are here to relieve your discomfort," a young woman stepped forward holding a beautifully engraved copper drinking cup, "before you continue … drink," she offered the cup to Cherry, "it is your choice, but you did say you wished you had brought water with you."

"I thought that," Cherry whispered, "how did you know?"

"We are of a world where deed, thought, and speech are as one," the young woman said, still holding out the cup of water, "do you not wish to drink?"

"Thank you, yes," Cherry said, carefully drinking from the copper cup. The water was chilled, quenching her thirst with each mouthful. Cherry smiled, returning the cup to the young woman, "that was good water; I appreciate your kindness."

The young woman smiled, nodding and showing the way through the small group watching her. Meeting each person's gaze, Cherry smiled and nodded as she moved through what appeared to be a rock passageway; each person smiled back at her as though mirroring her expression. Releasing a held breath, Cherry continued toward whatever her fate was. The blue and red seemed to stop a few feet before her. Walking up to where they ended, Cherry could see nothing. The darkness was all-consuming; putting out her hand to see if it was consumed by the black inkiness, instead, Cherry felt resistance. Pushing against it, she began to take small steps forward, the red and blue lights appearing as she moved the darkness away. The metaphor was not lost on her.

"It's my job to push the darkness away and lead into the light," Cherry whispered, gasping as she looked down to see a deep chasm at her feet, "and to watch where I'm going," she panted, "now what?"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Looking up and around, Cherry gasped, "Oh my, how beautiful."

Above her, the sun filtered through the brilliant green of trees, the foilage and other plants she was sure she had never seen. The light sparkled like tiny crystals, dazzling her as her gaze followed the shimmer to what lay below it. A river ran below her while trees stretched their branches from one side to the other, making a natural bridge; in the middle of the vast cave sat an island with flowers and lush grass. Frowning, Cherry narrowed her eyes before shaking her head.

"Is that … a hut?" she whispered.

A sudden desire to get to the other side and find out everything that hut could tell her rushed through every part of her, so strong it made her gasp and grip the rock wall behind her.

"Fine, I'm moving," she whispered, "let's see …."

Looking around, she decided on a broad branch of a tree nearby; cautiously edging onto it, Cherry crawled across, glancing into the deep water every now and again. The depth pulled at her senses like she wanted to dive into the water and swim for hours.

"Hut first," she whispered, edging off the branch, pulling off her shoes and socks, pushing her feet into the lush grass, and sighing, "yes, that feels so good."

Carrying her shoes and socks, she moved toward the hut where the wooden door stood ajar as though the occupants had left in a hurry.

"Hello," Cherry called, pushing the door open, "anyone home?"

Silence met her as she stepped through the door; it was clearly someone's home, but no one was there. Leaving her shoes at the door, she padded around the room. The usual furniture filled the space, tables and chairs; there was no bed, so she assumed this was the living room. Cherry found pictures displayed on wooden shelves like one would show off family members.

"Ahhh," she whispered when looking at the pictures of a baby smiling at whoever was taking the picture, "that is a beautiful child."

Slowly she moved through the pictures, which seemed to be taken of the same person at different ages; as they came to those of a preteen and teenager, Cherry felt her blood run cold. What was going on here?

That was her face.

Quickly moving along the line of framed pictures, she gasped at the last one; it was of herself eating ice cream at the beach. That was the day she was having lunch with Sam. The day in the sun before all this started.

"What is this?" she whispered, turning to the rest of the room as the air warped in waves, "what is happening?"

Grasping the back of a chair, she closed her eyes until her body felt steady enough to open them again. She gasped as she realised she was not holding a simple wooden chair but the back of a very ornate chair. Her gaze snapped up. She was no longer in the hut but in a long room with leather-clad warriors lining the walls, all standing at attention. On the other side of a round table stood someone who looked like her mother and a woman who looked like herself.

"Welcome, you nearly didn't make it," the person looking like her mother spoke, "but we're glad you did. I'm sure you're slightly surprised at everything you're experiencing."

"Not surprised … worried, concerned, frightened," the person who looked like her spoke, "but determined."

"Thank you, my dear," the mother version said.

"What is going on?" Cherry asked.

"You are now in the hall of the elders," the mother version said, "we are not versions of anyone. We are people just like you; the problem is you never knew of us."

Cherry frowned at those words, "Why would I not know of someone who looked like me?"

"A set of twins is born to the queen," her version said, "but only the eldest child is born with an identical twin. That twin lives in this world; the other twin lives in the other world."

"You're my twin," Cherry said, feeling like she was wading into a twilight zone, "my mother never told me of a twin."

"The Queen is not permitted to speak of this world and what it holds," her mother's twin said, "she may visit any time and how often she wishes but may never speak of what is seen, said or done here."

"Ever?" Cherry asked incredulously.

"Never," her twin said, "you are running out of time to take your place on the throne. Come, we must move quickly."

"Follow us," her mother's twin said as they turned and walked down the room's length, leaving Cherry to decide if she was to follow.

"Why not," Cherry whispered, "I've come this far."

"Exactly," her twin turned and smiled at her, "now you need to move your feet before you're left behind … and don't look back."

Moving around the table, Cherry followed the pair keeping her curiosity at bay and her eyes forward.