Into the realms

"The river ran backwards on the day the Queen vanished."

Ezra stood at the riverbank, watching the water twist and churn as it surged the wrong way, flowing back toward the mountains. All around him, the villagers murmured in hushed voices, some crossing themselves in fear, others glancing at the castle looming on the horizon. News had just spread that the Queen was gone. Just… vanished. Some celebrated her absence as the fall of a tyrant, but Ezra sensed something more—something sinister.

A familiar voice cut through the muttering. “The Queen disappears, and suddenly nature’s unraveling?” James stood beside him, hands on his hips, a grin on his face. For someone who’d been in trouble more than once with the Queen’s men, James looked more amused than concerned. “Maybe we should be grateful, right? With her gone, maybe we’re free for once.”

Ezra barely heard him. There was an unease that had settled in his chest, a familiar itch he couldn’t place. Over the past month, he’d been plagued by the same strange dream. He was running through a forest, shadows looming all around him, a voice calling his name, urging him forward. Each night, he’d wake up in a cold sweat, the dream slipping away like mist.

“Earth to Ezra,” James interrupted, raising a brow. “Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

“It’s… nothing,” Ezra mumbled, though he couldn’t shake the feeling. He had Maren and Adam waiting for him at home, and he didn’t want to risk anything foolish. But that itch was getting harder to ignore.

James watched him closely, his eyes glinting with a mixture of mischief and curiosity. “Come on, Ezra. You’re dying to know what’s out there as much as I am. What if that dream of yours means something? Maybe this is fate giving us a shot at something real.”

Ezra hesitated, glancing down the road that led into the heart of the kingdom. The Queen’s stronghold wasn’t far, and the rumors he’d heard since dawn were troubling—people claimed the city gates were open, the castle unguarded, and an unnatural silence had fallen over the once-bustling capital.

Ezra’s other friend, Kaleb, approached, his face serious as he took in the odd sight of the river. A former soldier, Kaleb was the quiet, cautious one of their trio, always thinking two steps ahead. “I don’t like this,” Kaleb said in a low voice. “It feels like a trap. Like we’re being led to something.”

Ezra felt torn, but James’s grin widened. “A trap? Maybe. But what if it’s our chance to learn the truth? Ezra, Kaleb—just think about it. The three of us, one step ahead of the rest. What do we have to lose?”

After a tense silence, Ezra took a steadying breath. “Fine. Let’s go. But we’re careful—we don’t know what we’re walking into.”

---

They set off the next morning, the road twisting like a dark vein through the thick forest. The closer they got to the capital, the more they felt the weight of the Queen’s absence. Fields lay abandoned, as though everyone had fled overnight. Carts and tools were left scattered by the roadside. The silence was deep, broken only by the occasional caw of a crow.

Hours into their journey, Kaleb stopped suddenly, his hand raised to signal silence. Ahead, the path forked, splitting into two shadowed trails. Kaleb’s eyes narrowed. “Which way?”

James shrugged. “Left looks quicker.”

Ezra’s instincts screamed at him. He couldn’t explain it, but there was something wrong about the left path. The trees there were twisted, their branches curling like claws. The ground beneath them looked scorched, like something had burned the earth bare.

Kaleb was frowning too. “Left feels… wrong.”

Ezra made his decision. “We go right.”

As they took the path on the right, a cold wind swept through the trees, carrying with it the faintest scent of smoke. Ezra shivered, gripping his cloak tighter around his shoulders. The shadows stretched long across the forest floor, their dark fingers reaching toward the three men as if trying to snatch them away.

---

Night had fallen by the time they set up camp, their small fire crackling weakly in the darkness. Ezra’s mind spun with the eerie events of the day, and he found himself staring into the flames, lost in thought. Kaleb and James sat close by, both of them unusually quiet.

After a while, James spoke, his voice low. “You know, I thought this would be more… exciting. But something feels off. Like someone—or something—is watching us.”

Kaleb nodded, his face grim. “I noticed it too. The silence. It’s like the whole forest is holding its breath.”

Ezra nodded, feeling the familiar dread settle over him. He was about to speak when he heard it—a faint whisper drifting through the trees. He froze, his pulse racing.

“Did you hear that?” he whispered.

The other two looked around, tense, their eyes darting through the dark. But the whisper had faded, leaving only the soft crackle of the fire.

“Probably just the wind,” James muttered, though his voice held an edge of uncertainty.

But Ezra knew it wasn’t the wind. That whisper had sounded familiar, like the voice from his dreams, calling to him again, pleading for help.

---

The next morning, the three men continued on, their footsteps falling heavily on the worn road. They neared the Queen’s stronghold by midday, and as they crested the final hill, they looked down on the castle. The gates stood open, unmanned, the entire place dark and still as if it had been abandoned.

“Not a single guard,” Kaleb murmured, shaking his head. “The Queen’s own stronghold, left defenseless?”

Ezra felt a chill settle over him. It felt wrong—too easy. He led them forward, keeping his steps light, his senses on high alert.

They passed through the gates and entered the courtyard. The silence was absolute, the stone walls seeming to absorb even the smallest sound. Ezra felt his heart pounding as he led the way through the deserted halls, the walls casting eerie shadows in the dim light.

At last, they reached the throne room. The great hall lay empty, the Queen’s high-backed chair looming ominously in the center. Ezra approached slowly, his footsteps echoing through the vast chamber. The throne itself was cold and empty.

And then, without warning, a voice echoed from the shadows.

“You shouldn’t have come here.”

Ezra spun around, heart hammering, as a figure stepped forward from the darkness, a man draped in dark robes. His face was hidden beneath a hood, but his eyes gleamed with a dangerous light.

The figure’s voice was low and unyielding. “Leave now, or face the same fate as the Queen.”

James took a step forward, his usual bravado faltering. “What… what happened to her?”

The figure’s eyes flashed, a hint of menace in his gaze. “She discovered truths that were better left buried. Secrets that are older than the stones beneath your feet. And if you value your lives, you will turn back now.”

Ezra felt a surge of defiance, his dream still haunting him, the voice calling for help echoing in his mind. “We’re not leaving without answers.”

The figure smiled, cold and sinister. “Very well, then. But you may find that the answers you seek come at a high price.”

In one swift motion, he vanished back into the shadows, leaving the three friends alone in the silent, empty hall. Ezra felt a shiver crawl up his spine, the weight of the man’s warning heavy in the air.

Kaleb’s voice was barely a whisper. “Ezra… maybe he’s right. Maybe we should turn back.”

Ezra clenched his fists, staring at the throne, the cold stone mocking him with its emptiness. But something in him refused to leave. He’d come too far to turn back now. He turned to his friends, his voice steady but filled with resolve.

“No. We keep going. There’s more to this than we know, and I’m not leaving until I find out the truth.”

As they stepped deeper into the hall, the heavy doors creaked shut behind them with a final, resounding thud. The sound echoed through the empty castle, sealing them inside.