Adelfried

Adelfried’s grip on the Root loosened. What trickery was this? Minna never had freckles, and yet this heartless woman, ready to murder in the name of peace, was familiar. She was not Leyna nor Minna. But there was a resemblance he could not deny. His chest heaved with fear while his heart pounded with joy at the possibility of who she claimed to be.

“If you are who you say you are, what was my daughter’s favorite dessert?” Adelfried said, slipping back to his native tongue.

“Papa, it’s me, Minna.” Kreeg replied, matching his accent perfectly.

“Answer the question!”

“Cookies.”

“What kind of cookies?”

“It used to be almond, but it’s chocolate chip now.”

“Favorite game?”

She smiled. “Sword fighting, of course!”

He squinted. “What was my favorite hobby?”

“Fishing or was it brewing beer? To be honest I don’t quite remember, that was a long time ago.”

“This cannot be, no, what trick is this?” Adelfried squeezed the Root again, readying himself for an attack.

“On the day you left, Mama smashed a pot on Uncle Harold’s head, and I lost a doll and you to that flash of light.” She paused to wipe a tear from her eye. “Until today...Papa, it’s me, Minna!” Her commanding presence had melted away. Her eyes glistened with tears ready to spill down her face. She was no longer the most feared wizard in the world but a little girl yearning for her father’s hug.

Adelfried reached into his pocket and pulled the doll out. “This?”

“Yes.” Her voice broke as she took a half step forward.

“Minna, is it really you?”

“Yes.” She ran to him and wrapped her arms around him delivering the most overdue embrace of all time.

Adelfried squeezed her as tears fell from his eyes. Her hair was filled with the familiar smell of lavender. It was his Minna. Returned to him through the centuries. “How…how is this possible?”

“I have so much to tell you, I don’t know where to begin.” Her voice soared with excitement.

“Where is your mother? Is she—”

“What the hell is going on?” Ying stumbled on a belt still attached to her leg. “What’s happening? What are they saying?”

Minna stiffened. She stepped back from his hug as a distant look crossed her face. Her gaze turned to Ying and she straightened up as if she were suddenly aware of the people in the room witnessing their tender reunion. She was no longer a child who missed her dad, but Mistress Kreeg, the most powerful wizard in the world. Her voice returned to its forceful nature. “First, we must dispatch the enemy among us.” With a wave of her hand, Jim and Kae, who were standing in front of Ying, floated to the side. In response Evan stepped between Kreeg and Ying.

Minna commanded in English, “Out of my way, boy!”

“Minna, that is enough,” Adelfried said also switching back to English. “That is Ying, and she has been cured of the Sov poison.”

“Impossible. No manner of magic can undo what he has done.” Her hand started to glow bright green as if she were about to strike.

“It’s not magic.” Evan said, grabbing her hand forcefully. “See!” Minna struggled to free herself from his grasp, but Evan’s grip held true and the glow on her hand faded. “Now leave my mom alone!” he yelled, throwing her hand aside.

“Holy shit,” Nina said laughing. “Did he just toss Mistress Kreeg’s hand aside?”

Minna’s eyes widened in astonishment. “How is this?” She circled Evan examining him closely like he was a work of art in a museum. She made her hand glow again and touched Evan. As before the glow faded. “Perhaps you are the cure to the Sovereign scourge…but he has tricked us before. I must confirm this miracle. Move aside.”

Evan glanced at Adelfried. “Do you trust her?”

Did he? There was no doubt she was his daughter. But he knew his daughter when she was a child, but not this being of what must be over a thousand years old so willing to kill. But what choice was there at this point? He wouldn’t fight her. It would have to be enough for now. He nodded.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Ying’s body wrapped in a green aura and floated over to Mistress Kreeg. She reached out and put a hand on Ying’s head. She leaned in closer to Ying. “You have my word I will not dispatch her if she is who you think she is.”

Jim stepped forward sneering, “You better not do anything to her!”

Minna flicked a finger towards Jim sliding him backwards a few feet with a puff of magic haze. She closed her eyes and concentrated placing a hand on Ying’s head which started to shake.

Adelfried barked gruffly. “Minna!”

She released Ying’s head as a look of shock and delight crossed her face. “So, it’s true. She is cured.” She opened her eyes and considered Evan. “You are the cure for the Sov scourge.” She glanced back at Ying and put a hand on her face. “Here, let me undo some of the damage that has been done.” Ying’s scarred eyes started to turn to a dark red and then pink as new eyes formed. “As a part of the Sov hivemind you must know so much…now, tell me, where is the Warlock right now?” She removed her hand from Ying’s head and simultaneously the green aura around her disappeared.

Ying started to rub her eyes. “How is this possible? Did you regenerate cells or—”

“Tell me, where is he?” Mistress Kreeg grabbed Ying’s face. “I need to know immediately before he thinks to escape!”

Ying shut her eyes and continued to rub them. “Sorry, everything is jumbled…he was after something…”

“Minna!” Adelfried had been patient long enough. “Tell me of your mother this instant. What has become of her?”

She hesitated before looking back to her father, and then down. “Papa, I’m sorry, she’s…she’s dead...Harold killed her.”

“Wait.” Ying said, still rubbing her eyes and looking around. “Are we talking about—”

Adelfried’s world blurred for a moment. He slumped to his knees. “What? I don’t believe it. He would never.” Adelfried’s heart started to pound in his chest. “No…” The sorrow welled up in him. “Harold loved her like a sister…why would he…” The day he was thrown in the future flashed before him. The crazed look on his brother’s face was all he could see. His body was numb. Ying hugged him.

A mumble came from the foot of the stairs where Red was still incapacitated from Mistress Kreeg’s stasis. “Oh, right.” She said, nonchalantly flicking her wrist to release him.

“Gee thanks.” Red said, righting himself. He walked over to Evan and looked him in the eye. “If I bring my wife to you, can you free her from the Sovs, like you did with your mom?”

Evan nodded. “Sure, you mean give her a hug? Yeah, I can do that.”

Mistress Kreeg’s voice boomed turning to Red. “You think all is forgotten? You disobeyed a direct order! And while you got lucky, I cannot tolerate this disobedience from you or anyone.”

Red reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his Wrecht Order badge and tossed it at Mistress Kreeg’s feet. “Great, but I don’t owe you or Karen any more years of servitude. We had a deal and my debt to you and the Wrecht Order is paid in full.”

Mistress Kreeg sneered, “How dare you, you ungrateful worm! I should have left you in the trash pile I found you in.” She raised her hand and gripped him in a field of bright green energy, lifting him off the ground as he squirmed to break free.

“Minna, that is enough.” Adelfried stepped in front of her. “He is a good man who saved my life after you ordered him to kill me. I don’t know who you think you are, but you will hold your temper, and you will not harm him.”

Her face hardened, but she released Red from his imprisonment. He fell to the floor in a clump. “Who do I think I am? I am the one who kept this world safe for hundreds of years, through countless wars, safe from catastrophes, safe from evil, safe from the Warlock of Stonehenge, your brother.”

Adelfried’s breath left him. But how could Harold kill Minna? He loved her like a sister; he would never kill her. It couldn’t be true. But why would Minna lie to him.? No, there had to be something else to this. The events from when he arrived in this world streaked through his head. When Adelfried was first attacked, Sovs didn’t know who he was and were firing blindly at the Root because he was invisible. Only after the battle at the ballgame did they realize who he was. When they were not able to capture or kill him at the club, they tried to trick him at the Danakil Depression. This whole time, it was Harold still trying to get the Root, over a thousand years later. But that still didn’t mean he would kill Leyna. No, he needed to know more. “How is this possible. What happened to him?”

Minna took a deep breath. “Papa, I have so much to share, but just know that he was corrupted. Magic has a way of bringing out a person’s inner self to the surface. Now you see why I do what I must do, why I have done what I have done.”

“This is swell and all.” Red said, picking himself up and straightening his jacket. He put a hand on Evan’s shoulder. “Thanks. I’ll return once I’ve found her.”

He headed for the stairs when Nina grabbed his shoulder. “Wait up partner, I’m coming—”

“No, you will not!” Mistress Kreeg said glancing at Ying. “You have new orders.”

Red nodded. “It’s okay, I’ll find her.” He eyed Mistress Kreeg. “Besides, someone has to stay here to make sure the Wreckies don’t go killing more families, huh?”

He patted Nina awkwardly on the shoulder and turned to head up the stairs to which she responded by grabbing him in a hug. “Shield up, head down, okay?”

“You too,” he responded before heading up the stairs out of the basement.

“Wait. It’s coming to me now,” Ying said, in a panic. “The Warlock, he is after something...the JSC, they’re going to—” She went limp and fell where she was standing. Jim grabbed her before she hit the ground.

“Mom!” Evan yelled, running to her side.

“Here, let’s put her on the couch.” Jim said, delicately carrying her to the couch in Adelfried’s shop. He grabbed her wrist and leaned over her face. “She’s breathing and she’s got a pulse.”

“It has to be an after effect from the Sov mind control.” Nina said standing close to Ying’s limp body on the couch.

Jim stroked her forehead softly. “Ying, baby, can you hear me?”

Minna kneeled and put a gentle hand on Ying’s head. After a few seconds she looked up at Adelfried. “I think it is best we get her to one of our doctors. Come.” She rose and Ying’s body floated up from the couch in a soft green haze. Her body followed Minna out of the room.

As everyone followed behind Minna to the main room, Adelfried felt Evan tug his arm. He motioned his head for Adelfried to stay with him as everyone left the room. He wore a nervous grimace on his face. After waiting until it was just the two of them, he leaned into Adelfried’s ear and whispered, “She’s lying.”