Lorkana by Emily Zimmerman. (free e books to read TXT) 📕

remember was a sharp pain on my head, and Aileen’s furious bark.

“Johanna, can you hear me?” Demetrio’s soft voice woke me,
My eyes snapped open and panic overtook me “where is Logan?” I asked immediately, sitting up.
A pain in the back of my head alerted me that something was wrong. I didn’t pay much attention to it as I watched Vivia and Demetrio lower their heads in sadness, much like when my father died “we weren’t able to get to him fast enough, they have abducted him” Vivia said, her voice thick with tears.
Tears welled in my eyes and I shook my head profusely, ignoring the pain “no, please god no!” I cried.
The tears flowed freely as I stared at Vivia “he is gone, but still alive, he gave himself up so you wouldn’t be abducted, apparently the humans had been planning this for a long time” she whispered.
I dropped my head in my hands, sobbing “no, no, no please no” I sobbed repeatedly, Vivia wrapped me in her arms, trying to comfort me, but I could hear her crying softly.
Demetrio put his hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me as well. “He should have let me go! He should have!” I sobbed.
“He would never have done that, we took an oath to protect the king and queen at all costs” Vivia said.
“Of course, I don’t think that is the main reason he did it-ow!” Demetrio complained as Vivia quickly elbowed him.
A memory came back to me, as they took him away ‘I love you Johanna, never forget that’
I lifted my head, staring at the door that he once stood behind, desperate to kiss me, one last time. ‘I love you too’ I thought, a wave of determination strengthening my resolve to find him. I wiped my eyes and shrugged off Vivia’s arms “Vivia, Demetrio, we are going to get him back, get together the largest army you can within the week, and then, we plan” I said, wrapping my robe around myself and tying the ribbons.
Vivia and Demetrio stared at me in shock “go, quickly!” I ordered.
They both bowed their heads and got off my bed, walking out the door. I quickly ran into the bathroom, throwing my robe off, I slipped my night gown off and got in the warm bath filled with fresh water, I didn’t know who filled it, but they should be thanked. I sunk into the bath water, quickly scrubbing myself with the soap.
After washing my hair, I jumped out, walking over to my wardrobe, I picked out a simple white long sleeve dress and matching flat shoes. I slipped the form fitting dress on and walked out, I didn’t see Aileen, or her pups, and I panicked yet again.
I opened my door and walked out, looking around. “Your majesty?” one of the men by the door asked.
I looked at him with panicked eyes “where is Aileen?” I asked urgently.
“Do not worry majesty, she is being taken care of in the hospital ward” he assured.
“What about her pups?” I asked.
“They are with her, majesty” he said.
“What happened? Why is she in the hospital ward?” I demanded.
“She was protecting you, majesty, the man apparently pulled a knife from his boot and hurt her very badly” he informed.
With that, I ran down the stairs, panic overtaking me, I can’t lose her. I won’t be too late like I was for my father.
I ran into Vivia at the town square, Demetrio wasn’t with her “Vivia, you must lead me to the hospital ward, I have to see Aileen” I gasped.
She nodded quickly and grabbed my arm “do not worry so much Johanna, she is fine, a few cuts in her side, and they broke her leg, she actually saved you, they were planning on taking you, but were badly injured by Aileen” Vivia explained as she led me down another cavern.
“I know, I just can’t lose anyone else right now” I whispered.
“You won’t lose her, she is in high spirits, despite her injuries, she wags her tail when we come in, and even tries to get up a few times, I must warn you about her reaction toward you, she might get too excited, you must calm down” Vivia warned.
I nodded, reining in my panic. I stared ahead as I heard her booming bark echoing down the hall, I heard her urgent cry “what is wrong with her?” I whispered.
“She senses you, and smells you, you have a very unusually strong scent” Vivia informed to calm me.
I was anxious to see her as we walked at a rather fast pace down the cavern, I did not know what she would look like, would she not look as full of life as she did? Or will she look the same as she did before?
As we neared the opening I got more anxious to see her, and by her crying and barking, she seemed to be too.
Finally, we entered the hospital ward, she was lying down on a big comfortable looking bed on the floor, and she looked fine, other than the bandages wrapped around her torso, and the cast around her front left leg. I strode over to her, leaning down and scratching her ears “hey girl! You look terrible” I said, stroking her head.
I looked up at Vivia with a new thought “how did they find the kingdom? And actually get in?” I asked.
“Apparently they had been her since last month, you coming here was as much as a surprise to them as it was to us, they decided to take you, but Logan apparently told them to take him instead, they had been masking their scents somehow, we still have not figured out how though, and we do not know why they accepted Logan’s offer, since they were after the Lorkana” Vivia sighed.
My intuition sparked, and I looked up in realization “they think I’ll give myself up for him” I realized.
Vivia thought about it, and then nodded “it makes sense, they obviously know you feel something for him, and he feels something for you, I doubt he would let you give yourself up though” she said with a slight knowing smile.
I cocked my head to the side, remembering his words once again from that night ‘I love you Johanna, never forget that’ he loves me, he was doing this because he loves me, so I had to save him, not because I had to return the favor, but because I needed to tell him that I love him too.
I pat Aileen’s head softly and got up “we have to get him back, I don’t care what it takes, we must get him back” I said, staring at Vivia with determined eyes.
“But, with all due respect your majesty, we don’t know where he was taken” Vivia murmured gently.
“Then we’ll follow his scent!” I insisted.
“But, your majesty-“
“Vivia, we must find him, he is your brother” I insisted.
“But, Johanna-“
“What, Vivia?” I interrupted, getting irritated.
“They masked his scent, we are unable to track him” she murmured sadly.
Anger flashed through me “if they wanted me so bad, then why did they make it so hard to find him?” I asked angrily.
“We think they have a theory” she said, even quieter than before.
I looked at her expectantly “they think you two are connected in a special way, bonded through the soul, just by meeting! You can communicate through the soul by this bond, knowing where each one is all the time, if you do have this bond with Logan, you will know where to find him” she said.
I stared at her blankly, I never felt any different after I met him, other than the love I felt for him, he once said that he always wondered what I was doing when I wasn’t around him, and I never tried to communicate with him, maybe I do have some kind of connection.
“Johanna, in order to find Logan, we have to test that connection, because I know that you and Logan have it” Vivia said.
“Vivia, I-I don’t even know how to contact him, I can’t begin to know how” I said hopelessly.
Aileen sensed my distress and cried softly. I leaned down and stroked her gently. “I know, but you have to try, you want to get him back, correct?” she asked, staring down at me with dark eyes.
I nodded “of course” I whispered.
“Then we need to find out how to tap into this connection” she said.
I nodded, standing up with one last pat on Aileen’s head. Vivia and I walked back to my room, and when we got there, she sat me on the bed and told me to close my eyes.
I did as I was told “okay, now…just imagine yourself in his arms, or anywhere near him, imagine you are in the same room with him, maybe that will work” she said hopefully.
I did, I imagined him holding me in his arms, cradling me to his chest and telling me that everything was going to be alright. But nothing else happened, I still felt empty, and Logan wasn’t in the same room.
I opened my eyes and looked at Vivia, shaking my head.
“Nothing?” she asked.
“No” I whispered.
“Well don’t lose hope just yet, we’ll find a way” she murmured quickly.
I nodded slightly, and for the rest of the day, we tried to tap into the connection with Logan, trying everything we could think of, even trying to see if I could listen to my heart, and nothing worked, I was still empty, and had lost hope.
I sighed as Vivia tried to think of anything more, it was late, and I was tired “Vivia, I need rest, and though I do not think I’ll be able to rest under these circumstances, I must try. We can test the connection a little more in the morning, alright?” I asked softly.
She studied me for a while, before nodding with a sigh “alright, we’ll speak in the morning” she murmured.
I nodded and said goodbye to her as she left the room, as the day had gone by, and as Vivia and I had been trying to figure something else out, they had brought Aileen back in, seeing that I was well enough. Aileen was under stress the few days she was in the hospital, always trying to get up and leave, they suspected to go find me, she succeeded once, sneaked away while no one was watching, limped all the way to the stairs inside the castle before she couldn’t go anymore, the stairs were too hard to climb. They said that when they found her laying at the foot of the stairs with her head on her paws staring up, just dying to go up and see me.
Aileen had taken her rightful place in the bed on the floor beside mine, with her pups surrounding her. I got off the bed and walked over to my wardrobe, I opened it to pick out a few night clothes. I slipped on a gown that looked so beautiful in the light of the candles, it was form fitting, and the patterns woven into it were absolutely stunning. I slipped the silken dress on and almost melted into its soft feel. I lay back down and sighed, snuggling into my pillows and pretending, just this once, that Logan’s arms were around me, I could almost feel his strong arms around my waist. This is what helped me get to sleep.

I was in a dark room, pitch black, I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face, but