Here She Rules: The Chronicles of Erla: Book 1 (56 page)

Nelson raised his hand and reached out; his fingers met a smooth, slick surface.

“Damn.” Disappointed, he turned back to Willow, took the laptop, and started one-handed typing.

Willow, unable to resist, reached towards the glowing green mass.

“Nellie!” she shrieked as a force seemed to snatch her hand and pull it into the rift.

Nelson looked up and stared in shock before he grabbed her other arm, snatching her away from the glow.

“What the hell?” Willow rubbed her arm; it felt like tiny bolts of lightning were dancing up and down it.

Nelson reached out again and encountered the same result he had before.

“Do it again, Will,” he pushed her.

“The hell I will.”

“Come on, Will. This is science. This is how we figure things out. It won’t let me through, but it let you. So, now we have to do it again to test my theory,” he pleaded, and Willow frowned. “Do it for Cass.”

“Okay, but you hold on to me.”

Nelson set his computer down on the floor and took hold of Willow’s arm as she reached out again towards the rift. It immediately pulled her arm inside, and Nelson pulled with all his strength to get her out.

“Well, that settles it; it doesn’t seem to like men.” He picked up his computer and started typing. Nelson typed faster with one hand than Willow did with two.

He ushered her out of the glass box, and they went back to the instrument panel.

“Okay. I can give it more juice, then you can go through, find Cassie, and then, when I re-open the rift—in, say, twenty four hours—you bring her home.” The situation was settled as far as he was concerned. He didn’t even look at Willow as he spoke; he just kept typing on his keyboard.

“Nelson, this is nuts. What if something goes wrong?” Willow felt the oddest sensation as she stared at the shrinking green glow in the enclosure.

“Nothing is going to go wrong, Will. If I could, I would go, but it’s probably better if I stay here anyway to make sure the rift gets opened again.” He patted Willow’s shoulder. “I will make sure I get my girls home, okay? I promise.”

“Okay. I have some leave I can get pushed through. We will make a go of it on Friday. I will get some things together and meet you here. What time?”

“Let’s say early; no one is here on Friday’s.”

Willow sighed and straightened her shoulders.

“See you then,” she said as she left.

Now

The dappled sunlight coming through the trees made it nearly impossible to clearly see the face of the person standing beneath the branches, and although the colors of the desert camouflage were at odds with the greenery surrounding the figure, it was impossible to make him or her out clearly. So, the warriors put their hands on their swords instinctively.

For a long moment, neither the cadre of warriors nor the silent figure dressed in the strange apparel moved.

Cassie pushed her horse through the line of warriors, who had protectively surrounded their Commander against the stranger in their forest. Emerging from their midst, she pulled her horse to a halt some twenty yards from the motionless figure.

“Who are you?” Her voice rang out across the space between them.

“Cass?” the figure replied. “Cass, is that you?”

Cassandra’s mouth fell open at the sound of the all too familiar voice. She slid off her horse and started moving towards the stranger—much to the assembled warriors’ dismay.
 

They slid from their mounts and followed, pulling their swords from their sheaths.

“Will?” Cassie now ran full tilt towards the figure. “Will!” Cassie’s warriors watched with apprehension as the stranger ran forward and embraced their Commander. They reached them only seconds later and surrounded the pair.

“Oh my God, Will! Oh my God. How is this possible? How are you here?” They watched as Cassie reached up and pulled the cap from the head of the stranger and a long, black braid slipped out and down the woman’s back.
 

The two women laughed and embraced again. “I cannot believe you are here!”

“Where exactly is
here
, Cass?” She looked at the warriors surrounding them with swords drawn and then at the mounted women holding swords at the ready, and her hand went to the firearm at her hip. “Who are these people, Cass?”
 

“Holy crap. Did you bring a gun?” Cassie was shocked at the sight of the weapon; it was so foreign and yet so familiar. Then, she nearly laughed at herself for being shocked. Willow was a Marine First Lieutenant; of course, she would be armed.

“Well, duh. Of course,” Willow said as she was sliding the gun out of its holster. Her eyes scanned the women on horseback. “Get behind me, Cass,” she ordered.

“Will, please don’t shoot my warriors. They are just trying to protect their Commander.”

“Well, where is their Commander? I evidently need to speak with him.”

Cassie started to laugh and moved to stand in front of her friend.

“I am their Commander, Will. Ladies,” Cassie spun to her warriors, “sheath your swords. This Lady is my friend, Willow. She and I have been best friends since we were children. Will, these are my warriors. They are sworn to my service and that of the country of Erla, which is where you now find yourself.” The warriors slowly slid their swords into their scabbards, but still remained on high alert.

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Acknowledgements

I want to thank my family and friends for their support and encouragement of my writing.
 

A special thanks goes to my husband and partner in this life (and all the others to follow). Without his patience and belief in me, I couldn’t have come this far.

Here She Rules
had a long, hard road to get to its current, polished condition. I want to thank my dedicated editor and friend, Shannon Steed. She believed in the story and worked so many long, sometimes frustrating hours, wresting with an author’s creative mind, which wasn’t easily focused on the business of editing.
 

Thank you, Shannon. Everything you have done is appreciated more than you know.

About the Author

I'm a Santa Cruz, CA native who now resides in rural South Alabama. What I write generally comes as a surprise to me. There are these moments of inspiration, which kind of explode, and I have to write them down. I am really just an average woman trying to make it. I don't have any kitschy hobbies, nor have I traveled as much as I would have liked, but I've been told I have a great imagination!

About Kat's Heroines

When I was a kid, Cinderella exasperated me. I felt like she was too weak to stand up for herself, and they tried to make it seem like she was being selfless. She could have been a household laborer anywhere, and nearly anyone else would have treated her better. Instead, she waited around for the Prince to save her.
 

My heroines don't wait around for some man to save them; they get off their behinds and save themselves. If a guy helps, well, that's just a bonus! My heroines are all strong women who carry on despite their insecurities. I think they represent real women with real struggles—albeit in a fictitious setting.

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