A bolt of pain shot through my head. I screamed clamping my hands over my ears, my body tipped forward and fell to the ground. The pain pounded through my head like hammers, then a new sensation entered my consciousness.
"Jadyn," A feminine voice purred in my ears, "What are you doing so far from home?"
"I'm not Jadyn," I mumbled through gritted teeth. Her laughter sounded again, rising to a decibel level so high, I screamed again.
"I know, Preston," She purred. "Your determination to separate yourself from your twin is admirable if misguided."
The fact she knew my name scared me.
She seemed to read my thoughts, "How rude of me not to introduce myself. I am Sephrina."
Her voice had toned down to a more bearable throb. There was a strange, echoing quality to her words that was terrifyingly similar to Jadyn's voice.
"What might the brother of Jadyn be doing so far off his sibling's land?" She said, her voice tinged with humor. "Looking for his sister? Ah, yes, dearest little Bella."
Once again I was perplexed by her knowledge of my family. I gritted my teeth, willing myself to speak.
"How do you know about my sister?" It was barely a whisper.
She laughed with glee. Her finding my situation humorous caused me to growl in anger.
"I know all about your little family, Preston." Her laughter stopped. "And based on your position Preston, I would guess you are in dire straights."
Her grip on my mind dissolved. I stood, shaky.
"How do I know I can trust you?" I yelled.
"An enemy of your enemy is your friend, Preston. We both have a common goal." She let that sink in for a moment. "I see your plan right now is to march into Jadyn's palace and take Bella by force. That will never work."
I scoffed at this. She underestimated me.
"You must find me, I hold the key to Jadyn's weakness." Her presence began to fade.
Something didn't feel right, "Wait! Surely you must want something in return."
She reappeared "I want nothing more than you want." Then she was gone completely. I collapsed. I didn't care if I got dirty, or that my legs flared in pain.
I'm not sure how long I was on my knees. I only knew how difficult it was to move, let alone stand. I traced my fingers through the dirt of Justine's garden.
I knew I needed help. Perhaps the strange woman did have something of worth to offer me. I wanted to say that I didn't need her help, but she had seen through me so easily. I needed her.
But I didn't know where to find her. Suddenly, I heard the underbrush snapping with someone's approach.
Justine's voice rang out, "Preston!?"
"Are you alright?" She burst out of the bush, "I heard screaming."
She twirled the dagger in her hand casually. Her eyes narrowed as she peered around, searching for enemies.
"Why the heck were you screaming?" She snapped, upon finding none.
"You couldn't hear her?" I asked, straightening up painfully.
"What do you mean?" She looked suddenly concerned. I suspected she had a figment of an idea of what I meant.
"Does the name Sephrina sound familiar?" I asked.
She shook her head. "I know only of the Sephrina Woods." But she was fidgeting profusely.
What was she hiding?
"I must visit the Sephrina Woods then," I declared.
Justine's face twisted with agony, "No no no, you mustn't go there," She cried. "My parents always warned me against that terrible place," She shivered.
From the look on her face I knew that some terrible fate had befallen the family of Justine. In her face I saw my own grief.
"It's the only way to find Jadyn. I must go to the woods, and I think you know why." I said this as gently as possible.
She was shaking, looking at me with clouded eyes. A small whimper escaped her lips, and she took off into the shack that was her home. I made no attempt to comfort her. I could tell she wanted to be alone.
I had a feeling that somehow Sephrina already knew her.
Finally, Justine emerged. She looked a mess, her eyes red from crying. Clearly, she had tried to cleanup herself, and met with little success.
With steel in her eyes she said, "We leave in the morning." Her voice was more broken than the house she lived in and I knew then we were two of a kind.