Sahara Ashdell: Rebirth of Patreek (Book 3)
Chapter 15: New Futures

As they approach a large group of creatures and escapees fighting, Brystol waves the blue sword above him in a circle causing a large bolt of electricity to burst from the blade and spread across the battlefield zapping multiple enemies. He even managed to kill three of the escapees. After a few minutes of Sahara controlling Tielus and Brystol using his electrical pulses to defeat the Underverse army, there are only a few remaining evil beings left and they seem to be running from the last of the living army. Sahara causes Tielus to enter the gates of evil with the last remaining four escapees and closes the gate with her word, “Telkinasika.”

She feels heavy as she falls to the ground holding her head from the piercing pain in her head. “Sahara!” Brystol says catching her. “Hold on.” She feels him reach into her pocket and then place the cold metal on her forehead, but the pain doesn’t go away. “Get us back!” She hears Brystol say as he cradles her in his arms before she falls unconscious.

Sahara wakes up in her bedroom at Kinderton Castle. She looks around her room realizing she is alone. She panics as she wonders if they are still in the Underverse as she runs over to the window. She sighs in relief as she looks down at the busy streets of Kinderton, filled with living elves. “You’re awake!” She hears an excited elleth’s voice enter her room and it causes her to turn toward the voice.

The elleth curtsies toward Sahara and she realizes it is one of her maids, Yoletha. Sahara smiles politely at Yoletha before she asks, “What day is it, please?”

“It is September fifteenth.” She looks outside realizing it is the day after Brystol’s birthday and it makes her sigh sadly remembering the horror of Aran Rayterbay dying and on Brystol’s birthday no less. “Congratulations on your defeat of the Underverse. I hear tell that you and Cundu Brystol were quite a team.”

“Where is Brystol?” She turned back and asked Yoletha.

“He returned with his mother to Holestroy to become Aran.”

“Aran?” Sahara asked in surprise.

“Yes.” Yoletha sounds consoling in her explanation. “Now that Aran Rayterbay is gone and Brystol is eighteen, he is to be the Aran. Well,” She looks at the time, “He will be in the next hour, I believe.”

“There is a crowning ceremony?”

“Yes. It is at Holestroy.”

“Without me?” Sahara asks feeling panicked. “Help me replace something to wear!”

“I believe they have your dress at Holestroy just in case you awoke in time. But I don’t know that you will make it your Royal Highness. It will take an hour’s carriage ride at least.”

“I will make it. Thank you, Yoletha. You may go.” Sahara says pushing Yoletha to the door.

“But your Royal Highness?”

Sahara ignores her protests as she closes the door and changes quickly from her night gown into a dress from her closet. She teleports herself to her room in Holestroy. She is surprised to replace three elleth waiting for her in her room. “You made it!” Guilda says with a sad-like smile and Sahara runs over wrapping her arms around her.

After a moment, Guilda clears her throat and taps Sahara on the shoulder. “We have not much time if you are to make it to the ceremony your Royal Highness.” The three elleths quickly dress Sahara and prepare her makeup before they open the door for her to exit her room. “They are in the throne room.” Guilda says with a curtsy.

“Thank you.” Sahara says as she moves out of her room in the golden gown she is poured into. She felt so uncomfortable and like she could barely breathe so she tried to adjust the corset underneath the beaded fabric. “Ugh,” She grunts as she tries to walk down the stairs in heels and still breathe.

“Sahara!” Trylla runs up the stairs to greet her with a large hug and it knocks Sahara backwards on the stairs.

“Hi,” Sahara says with a laugh. Trylla had grown so much since the last time she saw her; she was eleven now.

“Sorry.” Trylla says trying to help Sahara stand back up from the stairs. “Look, Brystol. She made it!” Trylla says happily looking behind Sahara.

“I see that.” Brystol sounds distant as he bends down to help Sahara stand back up. He looks tired Sahara thinks as she straightens her dress.

“Will you sit next to me?” Trylla asks holding Sahara’s hand and jumping with excitement.

“I would love to.” Sahara says with a smile before Brystol’s unhappy tone makes her frown.

“She will be there in a few minutes Trylla. Go sit with mother.”

Sahara feels awkward about how Brystol is acting. She isn’t sure if she should bring up his father or not. She decides to just stay silent and try moving down the stairs again. She feels a bit of relief that Brystol takes hold of her elbow holding her steady as she walks down the remainder of the stairs. She finally breaks the silence when they make it to the bottom of the stairs and she turns to face Brystol. “Are you alright?”

Instead of speaking Brystol looks away from her toward the throne room entrance before looking back at her. “I am glad you made it.” He says curtly before walking towards the throne room without her.

“Are you angry with me?” Sahara asks realizing he is most definitely not alright. Her question stops him, and he stops moving but doesn’t turn to look at her.

“Why would I be angry with you?” He asks over his shoulder.

“You just seem…” She pauses, realizing she isn’t sure what he seems like. “Different.”

“Everything has changed. I have a duty to uphold.” He says blandly.

She knows he is sad about his father, but she can tell there is more to his mood than just losing his father. She steps up next to him and tries to take his hand, but he pulls away from her. “You should go sit with Trylla and mother.”

She pauses for a moment feeling somewhat confused, but she does as he asks and walks into the throne room. She pauses when she sees Jewel sitting next to Tari Nathila wiping her eyes. She had obviously been crying over the Aran’s death. She had not thought the Aran’s mistress would be invited to the crowning of the new Aran. Sahara realizes she is standing in the middle of the aisle gapping at Jewel, so she moves her eyes down to the floor and quickly moves over next to Trylla to sit. Tari Nathila places her hand on Sahara’s as she sits down causing Sahara to look up at her smiling face.

The sudden sound of music comes from the orchestra that is on the balcony and all the elves in the room stand. Brystol enters the room and Sahara sees the elders standing at the front of the throne room. Brystol stays silent and looks sad during the entire ceremony. The elders speak in ancient elf language as they place the crown on his head and then all the elves in the room clap in excitement as Brystol sits on the throne. Sahara wants to feel excited but all she can think of is how sad it is that Aran Rayterbay is not here.

Brystol disappears through the side door of the throne room as the room begins to buzz with chatting from all the elves after the ceremony. Sahara excuses herself from talking to a few elves as she makes her way to the door Brystol had just exited through. She comes face to face with the head elder just before she reaches the door. “It is nice to see you awake Aranel. I wanted to thank you for your help in the battle of the Underverse.”

“It was my duty.” Sahara says knowing that she was the cause of the battle in the first place.

“We did need to discuss the matter of your punishment.” The elder says placing his hands behind his back and Sahara realizes she is not wearing the bracelet she has worn for months now. She holds out her wrist expecting him to place it back on her wrist, but the elder gives her an odd look. “We see no need for the extension of a punishment. You showed you pose no threat to our world but rather an asset in times of need. You may keep all your powers and use them as you see fit.” The head elder bowed to her.

“Thank you.” Sahara says feeling confused. She remembers the declure showing her being unable to teleport others when Patreek attacks Malorsty in a few months. She isn’t sure what to make of the future now with this turn of events.

“We do hope that you and Aran Brystol will visit us soon.” He steps to the side and holds out his hand toward the door Brystol stepped through a moment ago. She smiles at him feeling thankful as she quickly moves toward the door hoping Brystol has not made it too far.

She doesn’t see Brystol as she had hoped when she enters the room. She smiles, remembering it is the same room she had first met Tari Nathila and Aran Rayterbay in two years ago. “Brystol?” She calls seeing the door to the hallway left open. She moves into the hallway not seeing him, but she hears a door close. She moves down the hallway looking at the doors and realizes the door that closed must have been Aran Rayterbay’s office door. She stops outside the door hearing Brystol’s mumbling voice. She wonders who he could be speaking with and assumes he is speaking to himself before she reaches for the doorknob. She feels surprised to replace Waizlynn inside with Brystol’s arms wrapped around her in a hug.

She feels her heart hit the floor as she sees Waizlynn’s hands move to Brystol’s cheeks and wipe his tears away before kissing his lips. She is speechless as she stands there being completely unnoticed by the two of them.

“I can stay tonight if you would like.” Waizlynn says as Brystol keeps her in a hug.

“Brystol?” Sahara finally speaks and the two of them jump away from each other and turn to look at Sahara. Waizlynn has an evil grin on her face and Brystol just looks uncaring as he turns his back toward Sahara again.

“I thought you were with mother and Trylla?” He says keeping his back to her and Sahara just feels broken hearted as she stares at the two of them in surprise. “Go back.”

“Brystol?” She says feeling a deep wound in her heart grow.

“Go Sahara.” He says, keeping his back toward her but she refuses to leave. She had just gotten back her feelings for him and this is how he is acting. She replaces it confusing and aggravating.

She refuses to move as she stands there trying to breathe in the tight dress. “No.”

“Please?” He asks gently and she hears sadness in his tone, so she reluctantly leaves as tears stream down her face.

She felt too much pain to move any further when she arrived in the hallway. She didn’t understand what was happening. Why was Waistland here and kissing Brystol? Was this why Brystol was acting so oddly? She thought he and Waistland had no longer been friends. She has to lean on the wall for support as she cries painfully. After a few moments, she hears the knob to the Aran’s office begin to move so she hurriedly runs across the hall to the room adjacent to the office cracking the door so that she can see out in the hallway. She watches Waizlynn move out of the room alone and down the hallway back toward the throne room. Sahara then notices Brystol close the door to the office so that he is alone inside. She doesn’t stay in the room long before cleaning her face and teleporting back to Kinderton to be alone.

She returns to Malorsty the following day to replace her double is still there, but Brystol does not return to school as she thought he would. It had been three weeks since she had seen him at the crowning ceremony. He had sent her a note but she was too upset to read it so she tore it up and tossed it in the trash. If he wanted to talk to her he needed to do it in person, she thought.

She had been watching Saitar Regald closely but had not seen anything odd from him yet. Verdiwild no longer resided at the school to watch over her and help train her. She found that odd also because no one ever told her that he would not be there with her anymore. “Is it weird having an Aran for a deeto?” An elleth in her Advanced Transportation Spell Knowledge asks looking dreamy-eyed. Sahara glances over at Waizlynn as she tries to ignore the elleth. She really had no idea what it was like to date an Aran, because Brystol had been less than friendly with her since the battle of the Underverse.

Sahara is walking to Plorksol practice when she sees something move in the corner of her eye over in the wooded area. She does a double take and notices Saitar Regald moving through the trees. She gasps in excitement as she looks around making sure no one sees her as she runs toward the wooded area. She sneaks through the woods following Saitar Regald to the beast’s dungeon. She smiles realizing she was right but then rolls her eyes, realizing Brystol was not around for her to say she told him so. She realized she was on her own suddenly. She is alone. For a moment she pauses thinking it would be wise to go replace someone that could help her because she shouldn’t enter the beast dungeon alone, but she knows if she left now she would miss out on catching Saitar Regald red handed.

She cautiously enters the same door Saitar Regald had just entered, and she sees him turn the corner at the end of the long cement hallway. The lights flicker as she moves quickly down the hallway. Sahara suddenly jumps as she hears the door she just entered open. She hides quickly in a darkened doorway hoping whoever is entering will not notice her. She feels her heart stop as she sees Bularia pass by walking oddly. Sahara recognizes her blank stare as being just like it was last year when she was in a trans. Sahara manages to follow Bularia undetected down the remainder of the hall and to just outside a room that Bularia walks in and sits down in a dentist like chair.

“Did you bring the item?” Sahara jumps back as the room that was just visible with Bularia in it disappears along with the voices that were speaking.

“What?” Sahara asks quietly pushing the door open further. “No!” She says shutting the door and reopening it to see an empty room. “No!” She repeats louder as she shuts the door and reopens it again to see the room is still empty.

“Who goes there?” She hears Saitar Hove call out down the hallway, and she feels a bit of panic knowing that if she is caught down here Saitar Regald would hear about it and know she was on to him. Sahara hates to leave but she knows she can’t be caught, so she decides to teleport. She wants to teleport to Brystol and tell him about what she just saw, but after their last encounter she decides to leave him alone and she teleports to her dorm room instead.

Sahara paces the floor as she looks out of the window towards the woods as she waits for Bularia to come back. It had been over an hour since she had teleported back to the dorm, and she just knew that Bularia would probably return as Heltus. She wasn’t sure what she would do but she knew that she needed to be prepared to fight her best friend. Sahara notices a large crowd of students begin to run toward the wooded area in alarm. She notices a commotion occurring at the edge of the woods and she knows she needs to join the students to replace out what is going on. She runs down the stairs and out of the exit to Malorsty and follows the large number of students running toward the woods. She feels her heart racing when she sees Bularia standing at the edge of the woods covered in blood.

“What has happened?” Headorean Leavint asks as he and Headorean Shawdlortur arrive at the edge of the woods from Malorsty.

“Saitar…” Bularia says sounding in shock. “He tried to kill me.”

The students all gasp in shock and begin to mumble but Headorean Leavint urges all the students to calm down and asks the Saitars to herd the students back into Malorsty. Sahara walks cautiously toward Bularia not wanting to leave and miss out on what was happening.

“Go into the woods and investigate.” Headorean Leavint instructs the guards that are nearby “Come.” He says wrapping his cape around Bularia, who seems still in shock.

Sahara quietly follows the guards into the woods, and it doesn’t take long for them to replace the bloody corpse of Saitar Regald. Sahara gasps in shock at the horror and the guards hear her. “Aranel? What are you doing out here?” Sahara can’t speak as she tries to process what has happened. She isn’t sure how Bularia escaped and somehow killed Saitar Regald. “Take her back to the Academy.” One of the guards instructs another.

Sahara immediately tries to replace Headorean Shawdlortur when she returns indoors. She tells him about how she suspected Saitar Regald of being the elf she had seen last year and what she had seen earlier in the beast’s dungeon. “Thank you for telling me. You may go.” Headorean Shawdlortur says after Sahara finishes with all the details.

Sahara doesn’t see Bularia for the remainder of the evening, so she tries to look for her at breakfast the following morning. It isn’t until after breakfast that Headorean Leavint makes a startling announcement. “Attention. Your attention please? As you are all aware by now, Saitar Regald is no longer with us. Upon investigation, it was discovered that he attacked a student and attempted to vessel swap with her. The student was able to best him, thank heaven. I want to let each of you know that in response to this incident Aran Brystol has sent more guards to be on campus with us.” Just then the doors to the banquet hall open and dozens of guards flood into each level. “Courses will carry on as usual, and we have hired Saitar Deflute to take over Saitar Regald’s courses for the remainder of the year. I ask you to welcome him with respect and open arms. That is all for now, everyone make your way to your classrooms and have a wonderful day.”

“Can you believe such a thing happened?” Savanah asks Sahara as they stand up from the table in the banquet hall. “How scary for Bularia! Do you think she will return soon?”

“Return?” Sahara asks not understanding where Bularia could be.

“I saw them loading her into a carriage this morning before breakfast. I thought they might be taking her to jail or something.”

“Obviously they wouldn’t take her to jail if she was defending herself.” Sahara says wondering where they could have taken her. She decides she must replace out though as they exit the banquet hall, and she sees Headorean Shawdlortur walking up the stairs past them. “Headorean!” She says as she is in pursuit of him.

“Sahara.” He says flatly as he continues to walk. “I can guess what you are after.”

“Where did Bularia go?”

Headorean Shawdlortur stops moving as they arrive on the next floor, and he turns to face her. “Her parents were concerned for her well being and they insisted she return home for a time.”

Sahara smiled realizing that this was another thing that the declure had shown her that had now changed.

“Everything alright Aranel?” He asks, not understanding her response to the news.

“Yes. Wonderful!” She says happily turning to go to her class for the day. “Thank you, sir.”