Layla, the next installment to Ian's Realm
A quick little excerpt
I’m sending out a little excerpt from Layla for you to enjoy. There’s a Kickstarter coming up in January for a hardcover illustrated edition and I thought my Substack subscribers might like to read a little from the story.
Abbi and Elisa get lost in the Realm, having entered with the dragon shield while trying to use magic to heal a friend. Ian and Elisa’s brother Brad burst through the portal in search for them. After tackling the dragon, and parting ways with Brad for reasons you’ll discover in the book, Ian stumbles upon a beautiful young woman who heals his wounds.
Without telling you the entire story (there are a lot of subplots interwoven in the tale), we are taken to this scene when Ian first meets Layla.
Layla
Ian took one last glance behind him and cringed. Though the crystal was now invisible, a milky red smoke seeped from where the portal was. Could the dragon be powerful enough to destroy that seal? Could Stenhjaert escape from his dungeon and haunt this world again? He hoped not.
The prairie glowed brightly in the moonlight, so Ian had no difficulty finding his way. He walked a good hour before he came to the forest edge, turned east, and stumbled onto the familiar woodland trail. Had he not walked this way in the past, he could have been lost. However, the Alcove Forest trails were landmarks where the first of his experiences in the Realm began. He knew the terrain well.
What a bittersweet return to the Realm this had been already. He couldn’t visit his father, nor had he come across the horse that had once been his companion, and now he learned that Xylon, the keeper of Alcove Forest, had been pushed out of his home. Who was this wicked queen, and where did she come from? And how could she be stopped?
When Ian came to the old oak where he and his father had long ago kept his armor, saddles, and tack—he paused. No door remained, just a hollow shell of a stump with no sign of ever having been modeled into a storehouse. Ian sighed, disappointed that those early days of exploration, wonder and enchantment were gone. Even though he had faced imprisonment and war, friendships had been built, and the lessons that were learned were worth the hardships.
Unfortunately, from what Ivar had said, ill fortune continued to transpire. Would there never be peace in the Realm?
The cache marked a crossroads. One trail led along the shore of Inlet Bay and back toward the mountain. One led a short distance into the woods where the first portal entry had been, and another through the marsh and into country Ian had yet to explore. He’d seen the shoreline of that area once while on a pirate ship three years ago, but never explored the area by land. Adrian and the old captain used to run their bootlegged gun operation from the cove. He assumed that route led to Bandene Forest.
Ian removed his sneakers, took off his socks, rolled up his pants and stepped from the soft mulch of the forest floor into the marsh. Mud clung to his jeans, and despite the foul odor, soothed the burns on his legs. He waded knee deep in the murky waters, navigating through towering cattails and bulrushes. The reflection of the stars glittered on the water like jewels in a mirror. A gentle slope of drier ground brought him out of the bog onto a grassy meadow. There he sat to wipe his feet and put his shoes back on. From the wetland, he traveled on sandy soil through graceful willow trees scattered along the beach, and over grassy dunes. He came to a stony shoreline where white boulders glowed in the night and breakers rumbled over the rocky beach. To the south, a gentle woodland of cottonwood, willow and mesquite paralleled the coast. In the distance was the dark profile of a timber forest. He had hoped to arrive in Bandene before the moon fell past the horizon, but his hopes faded with a blackening sky.
Piloting over rocks and stones in the dark was not a simple chore. Ian trudged on until he rounded a bend and came upon a quiet cove. When he collapsed on a nearby boulder, the smell of smoke caught his attention. Alarmed that there was a forest fire, he looked to the south to see what trouble there might be. Deep in the willows, a campfire burned. Just maybe, it was Abbi and Elisa. He left the beach to investigate.
There were no trails which led to the fire. Instead, he had to blaze through underbrush and low-growing mesquite. Because of that, he did not arrive as secretly as he had hoped. If the camper had been a ruffian, a thief, or murderer, he would have lost his life before he even got there. Fortunately for him, a young woman knelt by a fire, calm and collected. A lean-to constructed from willow boughs stood in the shadows behind her. She looked up at him casually as he untangled his hair from the low-lying branches that hovered over her campsite.
“Good evening,” she greeted in perfect English.
Ian’s blood rushed to his head, embarrassed that he had made such a clumsy entrance.
“Hello.” He bowed slightly, and the woman smiled. Firelight lit her dark eyes with stars of amber. She brushed her hair over her shoulders, the waves caressed her slender form, and bounced with energy when she stood. Ian stared, mesmerized by her beauty. How could he have thrashed through bramble, thorns, and sticker bushes, only to stumble upon the most beautiful woman in the world?
“Whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?” she asked.
Still flustered at his own awkwardness, Ian stuttered a bit and then offered her a handshake. “Ian Wilson. And you are?”
“Layla. Just Layla.” She rested her soft hand in his and Ian felt a tinge of energy pass through his body.
“That’s a nice name.”
“It means ‘born at night.” She smiled.
“Really? Were you? I mean, were you born at night?”
“I was told I was.” She looked away quickly and gestured toward her campfire. “Would you like something to drink or to eat? You look as though you’ve been traveling.”
Ian regarded his tattered and burned clothing and released a self-conscious laugh. “I guess I look kind of disheveled, don’t I?”
Her smile broadened as she regarded his wardrobe. “You look like you’ve been fighting a dragon or a riotous beast of the woods.”
“Yeah….” The reference to the dragon stunned him, and he studied her. Something was odd about this encounter. He was a stranger appearing from nowhere at her campsite and she, calmly with no fear or misgivings, greeted him as a friend. And she seemed to know about the dragon! Who was she? What else did she know?
“Sit and have tea with me, and I’ll heat the stew I made for supper.”
A hot meal sounded good, and even though his conscience told him to be wary, Ian chose a stump by the fire and watched her as she prepared food for him. He had to admit to himself, despite the strangeness of this happenstance, that her presence alone was a feast as she was more beautiful than anyone he’d seen in the real world. Her brown eyes sparkled; a dimple on her chin, full eyebrows, smooth dark skin, with a faint hint of freckles that speckled her nose and cheeks. She moved gracefully. Glittering bangles inlaid with shimmering stones adorned her wrists. Her sleek shirt was laced with leather ties, with just enough gather to complement her gender. She wore silky balloon pants which in daylight would be arrayed in color, but tonight only glowed gold and honey tones from the firelight.
“See that?” she asked, nodding toward the sea, though only a suggestion of the bay could be seen through the trees.
“What?”
“A heavy fog rolls in. Every evening, and often in the mornings, the clouds come to rest on the earth.”
Ian had failed to notice the mist that settled in around them. The dampness sent a chill through him. He scooted closer to the fire.
“It’s good you found me when you did. Otherwise, you would be lost in these woods. No food. No water. And with such a heavy cloud moving in, you wouldn’t be able to see anything but your toes. Did you travel far?” She studied him with a critical frown.
“Not far, but a treacherous journey. I supposed that would make it seem like a longer excursion than it was,” Ian responded, unwilling to admit to a stranger his foolishness of not being better prepared for a lengthy hike. He didn’t even have a backpack! Talk about acting spontaneously. Why did he let Brad talk him into leaving so hastily?
“I surmise that whatever struggle you had, you won?”
Ian laughed to himself. He had won nothing.
“Do you mind me asking where you came from?” She handed him a cup, and he sniffed before he tasted it.
“Smells like cinnamon. What else?”
“Maryswort. It’s good for pain.” She glanced at his swollen hands.
“You’re very perceptive.”
“It’s part of who I am.”
“And that is who? I mean, I know your name, Layla, but where do you come from?” he asked, hesitant to tell her too much about himself without first knowing about her. He might be in a vulnerable situation, but he wasn’t a fool. Personal information should be divulged only on equal terms.
“An island near to here.”
“Does your island have a name?”
“Does yours?” she asked with a cunning grin.
“Seattle,” Ian answered bluntly. “Do you know of it?”
“No. Mine is Taikus. Do you know of it?”
“No.” He frowned a bit, trying to remember what Ivar had said about Taikan warriors. “No, I don’t think I’m familiar. Does that make you a Taikan?”
Layla pushed coals into a pile with a stick and set a pot of stew on the embers. “I’m not a Taikan any longer. I am no longer a citizen of the island. That’s why I’m here in these woods on the mainland.”
“Oh?”
The fire popped, and smoke skirted into his eyes. He leaned away. “You absconded?”
She nodded. Her hair fell over her shoulders as she gazed into the fire.
“Why did you abscond? What happened?”
“Politics. My father died when I was young, and my mother served the queen’s army and was sent to fight in many wars. When I came of age, the queen commissioned me to serve. I don’t want to be a soldier for a tyrant. I just want to find a place to live in peace. Being a warrior is not something I care about. So—I’m doomed to live a lonely life in these woods.”
She shrugged and stirred the broth with a wooden spoon. Not knowing if he should press further, he watched her. The silence became stiff, though, and he grew restless, wanting to know her better.
“How long have you lived here?”
She snickered and tossed a stick into the fire. “Too long.”
How lonely to live a life of solitude and in exile. Foraging for food, seeking shelter, protecting herself from enemies and whatever other evil lurks in these woods. He regarded the mysterious landscape beyond the firelight.
“It must be hard, living on your own in such a wilderness. I’m sorry for you.”
“I, at least, know these woods. You don’t,” she said.
He flushed and took a sip of his tea.
“What war are the Taikans fighting?”
She looked up at him. “Indeed, you’re a foreigner,” she noted.
Had he revealed too much? Did it matter? Their eyes locked a moment long enough for Ian to lose himself, as if incarcerated by her.
“I suppose you could call me that,” he whispered. She nodded.
“I’m not familiar with Taikus, nor your enemies.”
“We have more enemies than we do allies because of who our queen is. Hacatine is not popular.”
“What if your enemies found you here in Alcove Forest? What would they do to you?”
“Kill me, most likely. I fear Hacatine would do the same.”
He studied her as she stared at the fire.
“Aren’t you worried about who I am? Or about divulging all this information to a stranger? What makes you think I’m not a spy?”
With her sleeve wrapped around her hand, she took hold of the pot handle and pulled it out of the fire.
“I can sense the energy in people. You’re not a threat to me.” She smiled at him. “In fact, it’s pleasant to find someone strong, handsome, and peaceful like you in these woods. I enjoy the company. As for divulging information? You would have found out. Everyone talks around here. It’s better to be transparent than to wait for a rumor to spread about you.”
Ian looked around again, puzzled. “Everyone like who?”
“There are those out there. I’m sure you’ll run into them.” She touched the stew with her finger and brought a taste to her lips.
“It’s hot.” She picked up the spoon and gestured with it. “And now your turn. Tell me about your adventures here.”
“Not too much to tell.” Ian pulled his cell phone from his pocket, swiped it, and checked the time. 9:30. He could travel still. He looked up to find her watching him. Curiously, she didn’t ask about the phone, but she seemed intensely interested in it.
When their eyes met again, she chuckled. “Oh come! I can see by your bruises you were in a fight. Who with?”
Her laughter raised a smile from him. He tucked his phone back in his pocket, debating on whether he should share its technology with her, but decided against it.
“I look that bad, do I? If you must know, I traveled through a portal.” The last he blurted without thinking and then bit his lower lip. Why did he tell her that?
Her eyes widened, and she smiled. “I see. And did you run into a dragon?”
Ian studied her continence as she dished out the stew into a bowl and placed a smaller wooden spoon in it. Their eyes met briefly. “Did you?”
He cleared his throat. “I did,” he whispered.
“And you came out alive. Good for you. You must be very brave. Strong, indeed.” She handed him the bowl, their hands touching briefly, sending a rush of energy through him again. Was it magic?
He looked up at her, surprised, but she seemed unmoved. Perhaps the warmth was from the stew. “I don’t know about bravery. It’s what I had to do to get here.”
“And for what purpose did you come?”
“To find my girlfriend and my neighbor’s child,” Ian answered.
A slight pout graced her lips. “A girlfriend? Who is she?”
“Her name’s Abbi.” He wondered about her pout. “We’ve known each other for a long time.” He raised the spoon to his lips and blew. Such delicious aroma, just smelling it nourished him. He took a bite.
“Where do you think Abbi is?”
He swallowed and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “We were told she followed the little people to Bandene Forest.”
“Oh really? Is that where the little people are going? I wonder why. Do you know?”
“I guess they’re looking for their wizard. That’s what I was told.”
“I see. And who told you that?” She poured hot water from a kettle into the empty pot and set it aside as he ate. His mouth too full to answer, she asked again. “Who told you?”
Ian swallowed.
“He said his name is Ivar. A Kaempern boy we met in the prairie.”
“I see. A boy in the prairie? At night? I wonder what he was doing.”
Ian didn’t answer. He was too busy devouring the food she’d given him. It warmed his belly and all suspicions of it being poisoned had dissolved into the broth. He hadn’t eaten since he left home, and he couldn’t remember how long ago that was.
“You must love Abbi very much to have come through so much trouble to find her?”
Ian thought for a moment. “She’s a friend. A good friend.” He shrugged. “I told her I loved her, and I do. But I don’t know. There are other ways to love besides… you know.”
“Many ways,” Layla said softly and moved closer to him so that he sensed her faint and rosy fragrance. “I hear there is a special sort of love between a woman and a man.”
“You hear?” Ian’ asked.
“It is talked about sometimes but there are no men on Taikus, none that aren’t slaves.”
Ian looked up. Slaves? The temperature must have dropped, for he shuddered.
“It’s one reason I left. I don’t want to be a spinster forever.”
“Where do you expect to find someone? Who is there in these woods to meet?” Ian’s voice trailed. That gentle smile, those eyes. What was she suggesting? That their meeting was a chance encounter?
“Fate works in mysterious ways. I did not expect a handsome stranger to stumble into my campsite like this. Don’t you find it odd that we’re here, together? Alone?”
“I do,” he stuttered, and then laughed and shook his head. “No, I’m not the one you’re looking for. I’m…I’m…”
“A wanderer?”
“Yes! I’m here today, gone tomorrow, you might say. I’ve come for Abbi.”
“So, you love her?”
“Does it matter to you?” he asked.
“I’m curious. I have never talked to a man like this before.”
Ian flushed and took another bite. “Very well. She’s my good friend and yes, I love her.”
“Then why did she come here without you? Aren’t people in love supposed to do things together?”
“I don’t think you would understand. My relationships, the people that I trust, and those who trusted me…It’s all changed. Drastically.” He was rambling, but he couldn’t stop himself, as if he had too much to drink. “People in our world put pressure on you to do things their way. They invest in you, and you must live up to their expectations, and sometimes that’s not always possible. Sometimes you have your own standards you want to live up to. You know?” He looked up at her.
She put another piece of wood on the embers. The fire spat and hissed softly.
“I know.” She had a genuine smile, sweet and mischievous. Her eyes mesmerized Ian, though. Deep brown and shadowed with long lashes, the longer he studied them, the more he could see a rainbow of color in her irises; blues and greens; even red dashes like confetti. He smiled back.
“Tell me about your fight with the dragon.”
Magic filled the Realm. He had never questioned that phenomenon. The magic of the dragon shield, the Kaempern children’s songs, the dagger Daryl once wielded. Healing. Perhaps magic was working even now. He didn’t doubt this woman knew where he’d been, or maybe she had even seen him in the void between their worlds. He could never lie to someone like her and get away with it. She would know. So why not tell his story?
“He’s an enormous creature,” Ian began. “Huge! More powerful than…” he paused, looking for a comparison when there was none. “He’s big.”
“And he breathes fire?”
“Boy, does he ever!” He took another mouthful of the stew. For having been cooked in the wilderness, the flavor far surpassed any camp food he had ever had. He ate greedily and nodded a thank you as he scrapped his bowl.
“So, where were you when you confronted him?”
Ian glanced at her. “I’m not sure. A huge tunnel. A dark chamber between this world and mine.”
“And you escaped that chamber without the dragon? How is it the dragon didn’t come out with you?”
Ian snickered quietly. “Not big enough of a hole, I guess.” When she waited for more, he obliged. “We had to chisel our way out.”
“Chisel?”
“Yeah, the crystal which Am…” he stopped short. Her expression didn’t change—still a sweet, inquisitive smile. He shouldn’t reveal Kaempern’s names to her. To do so would violate Amleth’s confidence. Maybe he shouldn’t have even mentioned Ivar’s name. What he shared with strangers could come back to haunt him.
“Look, I don’t feel like talking about it any longer. The total experience was traumatic.”
“I understand. You must be weary. It’s been a long day for you.”
Ian set the empty bowl by the fire and laid the spoon on top of it. “It would be good to sleep. I don’t suppose I would get far in the dark.”
“No! You mustn’t leave tonight. I’ll go with you tomorrow. I’ll help you find your friends.”
“I’ll be okay.”
“I insist. I like your company, and besides, there are enemies in these lands. There is strength in numbers. Two is always better than one.” She patted a sword laying on the ground next to them. He hadn’t noticed the weapon before, as the sheath was leather and blended in with the forest floor. Now he noticed the exquisite, curved blade it protected, and the intricate patterns burned into the leather. Dragons, gargoyles, and lotus blossoms.
“I’m good with my weapon. You must be as well, judging that you slew a dragon.”
“I didn’t slay it.”
“No?”
“No. It’s still there.”
“I see.” She rose and walked to her lean-to, bringing a blanket back with her. Instead of handing it to him, she stood behind him, wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, and then stroked his neck. The same warmth he had felt in her touch before now swept through him like a wave of warm water, and the tightness in his body left him. She massaged his back as he watched the flames flicker and die in the fire pit. He should resist this, he thought once, but resisted the thought instead. Why shouldn’t he have a moment of comfort, even if given by a stranger? Contact with her had a mystical effect on him, a peaceful effect, the same tranquility he remembered having years ago when he was a little boy, and his mother was alive. The worries of his world vanished and, for the moment, the worries of finding Abbi and Elisa evaporated as well.
“There,” she breathed. “Get rest. You’ll be safe here for the night.”
She didn’t have to say anymore. Ian had already found his place on the ground and let the quiet of the evening lull him into a deep sleep.
For those of you who have the series, I am revising all the books of Ian's Realm Saga, that's why some of them are delisted and they will be numbered differently as I rebundle them. All of these new editions will be launched on Kickstarter. This is the reading order of the books.
Ian's Realm (The Trilogy illustrated Edition) coming in January.
Layla book 4 released on Kickstarter in January
Cassandra's Castle book 5 (coming spring of 2023)
Diary of a Conjurer will be bound in leather, be a spin off novel, and will interconnect with the Taikus novels Released in 2023
Tale of the Four Wizards (available now)
Lost on Taikus (available 2023)
There may be more Taikan novels before the final conclusion as things develop.
The Taikus novels and the saga will conclude in the next novel(s) not yet written.
If you don’t know how Kickstarter works, you’ll need to make an account. Whenever you pledge, nothing is taken from your credit card until the campaign is completely over and the creator has reached their goal. If they don’t reach their goal, no money is collected neither do you get your rewards. Kickstarter has been around for many many years and has established a crediable reputation as being the best crowd sourcing site around. As far as books and publishing goes, it gives authors a wonderful platform to reach out to their fans with detailed description of their projects and special offerings. I encourage you to try it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
Thanks for following.
Dianne
Such a wonderful story!