Chapter Eighteen

Astrid POV

Finnian and I jumped in the back of my truck. I leaned my head against the headrest. My thoughts had wandered to how I was going to explain this. I’ve been missing for weeks. Do I tell them about the other world? Can I even do that? Would that put them in danger? Would that put Kaden and Rathguard in danger? I, at least, can tell Lily the whole truth.

We reach the base camp, and I see my students trying to do my job. I see the stress on their faces. Samantha is the first to look in our direction. She hasn’t seen me yet. Finnian is the third to get out of the car. My students look at him, and their eyes follow him to the door. They saw me come out, and their faces were in complete shock.

“Professor Valenwood?” Samantha walks up and hugs me.

“Hey Sam, hey guys. I know you probably have a lot of questions.

“We do,” everyone said in unison.

“I first introduce a friend of mine. His name is Finnian; he will be helping me.”

They awkwardly waved to Finnian, “My friends call me Finn. You can all call me Finn. I am here to assist the Majesty Queen Astri…” I clamped my hand over his mouth.

“No, they don’t know of that realm yet,” Finn’s eyes widen in realization.

“Queen?” Lily questions.

“I told you I have quite the story,” I smile.

I went into my trailer and was able to take a shower. I didn’t imagine I would miss my trailer so much. Don’t get me wrong; life at a palace is luxurious, but this is my trailer, which has brought me comfort through the rough patches in life. I get dressed, and while I walk out of my room, Lily gives Finn a towel and explains shampoo and conditioner to him.

“Miss, thank you for the towel, but I’m not putting that on my head,” referring to the shampoo and conditioner bottle Lily was holding.

“Why not? It’s keep your hair clean.”

“Because I am a monk! I don’t have hair,” he whispered screamed.

I’m laughing to myself, seeing Lily notice his bald head. “Oh, um, I’m… my bad. Soap is in the shower; turn the left for cold and right for hot. Bye.” She quickly puts the shampoo and conditioner bottles down and exits the trailer. Finn went into the bathroom, and I followed Lily.

Lily is sitting at a small portable table that we take with us on digs. I sighed deeply and sat down next to her. “So…”

“Nah, none of that shit. Explain how,” she looks, waiting for me to answer.

“Okay, so here we go…” I tell her everything. Her reaction ranges from shock to seriousness to anger to confusion.

Daniel comes in, and she quickly summarizes it; she skips the intimate and personal details I told her. Daniel sits back and drinks his whiskey, trying to digest everything he has heard.

“So… you realize this sounds crazy, right?” Lily looked at me, “And that's coming from me.”

Daniel sat up to say something but leaned back, saying nothing. I turn back to Lily, “I know, but I need you to trust me. I also thought it was insane.”

“What can we do to help? Miss queen,” Lily smiled with a small laugh.

I smiled back; I knew I could count on my sister. “Kaden needs help. I need to look at the artifacts from the dig back in Lorea. Marcus would know what to look at, and Valerie would know where to look. Can you have them gather all the information we have from that dig? I’m going to talk to Finn about how I can work this amulet by my own will. Any questions?”

“So many…” Lily stares at me.

I huffed, “questions on the instructions given?”

“Nope, that part was clear as day,” Daniel gets up. “Let's get to it, Lily. Do what you need to do, Astrid. We got our part.”

Just as they walked away, Finn came out wearing Marcus’s outfit. “This world’s fashion suits you, Finn.”

“You think? I like my robe better, and it is comfier,” He smiled as he took a seat.

“You are literally the key to my understanding of this amulet. I need your help; I can’t help Kaden without you.”

“You love him, don’t you?” I turn to see Lily expressionless.

“I… it seems like I’m starting to fall,” I shrugged, not knowing what I was feeling exactly.

“Ooh, you got it bad, doesn’t she, Finn?”

With polite behavior, Finn turns to her, “Yes. Yes, she does,” he looks at me before looking at the table surface.

I let out a friend scoff, “I’ll have you know I don’t know what my feelings are yet.”

“That’s okay, we know.” They said in unison before laughing.

“Ok, alright, let’s get started,” I said, trying to avoid any more awkwardness.

“So you can save Kaden?”

“I’m going to put a spider in your room, and I won’t say anything. I will let you discover it one day.”

Fear evident in her face… “Hey, wait, ok, that was the last one. I’m sorry.” She sat down and made a gesture of her being quiet.

“So, Finn, tell me what I need to know.”

"The Amulet of Aranthor didn’t belong to some divine being, as many have come to believe. It was forged by a strong man, a humble soul named Daros Aranthor. Taken as a child, he was raised to be an assassin. But Daros was clever. He made them think they had broken him, made them think they controlled him. In reality, he remembered his true goal the entire time."

Lily leaned in closer, clearly hooked by the story. I nodded, eager for more, while Daniel, who had quietly appeared beside us, listened intently.

"Daros grew stronger, earned their trust, and was eventually sent on missions. His driving force wasn’t just anger, though that fueled him. He was motivated by love. But darkness followed him, shaped by the things he had to endure."

“You following?” Finn asked.

I nodded, anticipation bubbling inside me.

"Good. Well, Daros didn’t take as long as others to become a master. His skills surpassed theirs quickly. And when he was ready, he confronted those who had taken everything from him… they confessed that they bought him from his parents because they wouldn’t survive that winter. Daros didn’t believe them, so they told him to ask his parents. That’s what he did. He thought they would be happy to see him, but they didn’t want their other children to see him because they kept him a secret. They sold their firstborn so they could buy a comfortable life and have more children. He left that day heartbroken, but his real family welcomed him with open arms. It was a brotherhood that they had. He went on to only use his skills to save innocent lives. He never took more than what he needed and always tried to help others.”

Lily shifted in her seat, eyes wide. “Woah,” she whispered, but Daniel and I both shushed her in perfect unison.

"He didn’t want to rely on his assassin skills," Finnian continued. "So, he sought a new path, one that would bring him peace. He dedicated himself to mastering the balance of his Chi. Over time, Chi became his most valuable skill and, eventually, his greatest drive."

"Chi became his drive?" Daniel asked, his brow furrowed.

"Balance," Finnian clarified. "As he honed his abilities, Daros became a master of Chi. He climbed one of the highest mountains, a feat most people would never even consider. He endured harsh conditions, pushing his body to its limits. It was on one of these treks that he discovered a rare stone. He forged it into the necklace you now know as the Amulet of Aranthor. His Chi and his quest for balance fused into the amulet, giving it its power. The amulet chooses its bearer when it senses that balance must be restored."

“So... why did it choose me?” I asked quietly, unsure of where this was heading.

Finnian paused, his gaze softening as a flash of sadness crossed his eyes. He sighed deeply before answering, “Astrid, what trauma did you endure?”

“Damn,” Lily murmured under her breath, her hand flying up to cover her mouth.

His question hung in the air, and I found myself staring at him, unsure how to respond, a swirl of emotions stirring inside me.