Someone was slapping her face. Brina grabbed the wrists and opened her eyes, ready to kill her attacker.
Lanna’s frightened face hovered over her. “Finally.”
“Why are you hittin’ me?”
“You would not come back. Your energy was drifting. I told you about problems with wanting to stay in dream.”
Brina took the hand Lanna offered and stood up, searching her surroundings. “Where are we?”
If Lanna had looked frightened before, she sounded terrified now. “You do not remember that we are stuck in unknown realm?”
Brina reached up to her throbbing head and clutched it, which did nothing to stop the pounding. “Sort of. I remember you and ... teleporting, right?”
“Yes, but what about the dream. You went into deep sleep. Did you find someone and tell them what happened to us?”
“I can’t remember.” Visions of a man flickered in Brina’s mind. Tzader. “I think I saw Tzader.”
“Did he say anything?”
“I don’t know, Lanna.” She hadn’t meant to sound so irritated, but she was struggling to figure out what was going on and Lanna kept pressing her for answers.
“Who is Tzader to you?”
Brina put both hands on her head, but the banging wouldn’t stop. “He’s with the Beladors.”
“I meant, how important is he to you? Is he your lover?” Lanna asked with the sincerity of someone trying to discern an important detail.
Brina, on the other hand, didn’t care for some young woman sticking her nose into Brina’s private life. She stared ahead at nothing, thinking on that. Tzader was part of her private life. Oh, yes. They’d made love under a large tree, a spot they’d chosen as their secret meeting place as teens. But that was not something she was sharing with Lanna. “You’re asking impertinent questions. I’ll remind you that I’m ... “ Brina paused, struggling to finish that sentence.
“You are Belador warrior queen.”
“I know that!” Brina snapped, but her irritation was over the momentary lapse. So I’m a queen? No wonder Lanna was distressed. Brina’s shoulders relaxed. “I was havin’ a moment of confusion, but I’m fine now.”
Relief poured off Lanna. “Thank goodness. I was very worried. But I still need to know if you told Tzader anything.”
Brina couldn’t honestly recall. She dug around in her mind, trying to pull up details and started shaking her head. “They should have found us by now. I’m a queen and you’re Quinn’s family, right?”
“Yes.” Lanna whispered, but her eyes matched the fear in her voice when she said, “Maybe you should try to relax.”
Images started flying through Brina’s mind of Tzader and warriors fighting and someone throwing Noirre majik on her. Her body began shaking so hard she couldn’t make it stop.
She stumbled to the side and Lanna grabbed her arm. “Lie down and I will help you sleep again.”
“No!” Brina jerked away. A vision of Lanna jumping toward her while Brina was covered in Noirre bloomed in her mind. “Who are you? She backed up another step.”
Lanna yelled, “I am Lanna. You know me. Come back. Do not move any more. I can hardly see you!”
Brina took another step back. “You attacked me in the castle. You’re with the enemy.”
“No. You are confused. Stop!” was the last thing Brina heard before the fog closed in around her.