《Strangers: A Tale of Two Souls》


 Chapter 0 - The End of the Beginning I

    The heavens burned above the holy mountain; torn asunder by the mad energies the old gods released upon their deaths. Shimmering strands of energy cascaded across the reddish sky and great thunderheads crackled as they struck the mountain, throwing wide great rifts in its skin of gray stone. Far above the chaos a myriad of stars shimmered, sharing the heavens with the pale white disk of a full moon. It lit the plateaue atop the mountain, illuminating the ancient temple that rested thereupon in a ghostly white, and reflected upon the polished marble.


    Within the temple, Emily stood proud before the last altar. Blood dripping from a wide gash in the side of her chain mail and tunic, where her shield had failed during her battle with Balthazar, the god of War. Her face and armor were covered in soot and ash after his hellish domain, and her auburn hair¡ªa smoldering mess¡ªdanced in the strong winds that blew at the edge of space. The god of war had been the most difficult opponent of her three gods. But in the end, he had fallen, just as his brethren before him. Cut down by the glowing sword she now held casually, point rested upon the marbled floor. Excalibur, a weapon forged in fires of a dying star by the ancient dwarves; a weapon made for just such a purpose. She shifted the weapon in her hand and glared at the god upon the altar; the All-Father. Her shining emerald eyes shimmered as another explosion of energy lit the sky, illuminating the temple with its scintillating colors.


    He stood frozen upon his altar of black stone as if in a trance; arms stretched towards the heavens. His billowing robes moved on the wind, and his great white beard trembled as he mumbled under his breath. He had stood there since they had arrived at the gods domain; for it was all he could do to keep the new gods at bay. He was the last; the greatest of the old ones. When he fell, the war would finally be over, and her world would be free. But the years of fighting had finally caught up to Emily. She was tired; her arms were heavy, and her legs soft. She knew she could not defeat the greatest of the gods as she were. He was too ancient, too strong. Instead, she watched, and waited for her partner to arrive. Even if she had been strong enough to defeat him on her own, she would have waited. For they had started this war together, and they would end it together.


    The All-Father shuddered as a great bolt of lightning lit the reddish sky. Then a thunderous crack echoed throughout the world, signaling the death of another god. Moments later, Alex appeared at the altar to Emily¡¯s left; the altar of death, and the gateway to the realm of despair. Golden brown hair standing on end after his previous battle with the goddess of the sky, his cape torn at the edges and covered in a thin layer of melting snow. His appearance was as ragged as her own, but for the staff held in his hand. Bifrost, shimmering white with energies like rainbows flashing around its center, forged by the magic of a newborn star, it was both the opposite of Excalibur, and its sister.


    She turned towards him, spinning the sword in her hand before driving it into the floor, and as she released her grip upon the hilt the blade¡¯s soft glow faded. Alex looked up at the sound of cracking marble, and his dull blue eyes quickly found hers. He looked her up and down, and for an instant his features contorted into a frown as he laid eyes upon the wound in her side, then his eyes traveled back up to meet hers, and his face lit up with a smile. It was quite infectious, and she found herself smiling back as he joined her at the edge of the world.


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late,¡± he said as he stopped before Emily, his voice echoing unnaturally loud within the temple. ¡°The goddess of death did not see it fit to join her subjects. Any problems with old Balthazar?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Emily said and shrugged, wincing as the wound in her side ached. ¡°He was his usual over-dramatic self. Throwing fire about the place and monologuing about strength.¡±


    Alex chuckled. ¡°Sounds like him alright.¡± Then he stood the staff on the floor, as he let it go its light dulled, and the ever-present rainbows twirling about the crystal at its crown slowed onto a crawl. Emily had never figured out how he did that; if it was the staff¡¯s own magic that kept it standing, Alex¡¯ magic, or if he was just really good at balancing it. But she had never bothered to ask, for she preferred it to be a mystery. With his hands freed he placed one over the wound in her side, and the other on her back, over her heart. She forced herself to stand still as his warm skin pressed against the exposed flesh, sending a jolt through her body. But she was a noble, and a trained knight, a little pain was nothing she couldn¡¯t handle.


    ¡°Ouch,¡± she teased. ¡°That hurts.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow as he looked down into her eyes, his hands lighting up with a holy light. He hummed and leaned in, breathing, ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Emily¡¯s breath caught in her throat as his face came inches from hers. Her eyes fluttering closed as his warm breath hit her lips. Her hands unconsciously gripped his arms. Then, painfully slowly, he placed a passionate kiss¡­ on her forehead. Not where she would have preferred, but she trembled either way, for his touch¡ªthrough a combination of heat and magic¡ªwas truly electrifying. When she opened her eyes, she had a theatrical pout firmly in place, only to be greeted by Alex¡¯ eyes glittering with mirth, and a smile plastered across his face.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Not fair,¡± she muttered, as the wound in her side melted away under Alex¡¯ care, to be replaced by healthy¡ªif a little pale¡ªskin. Physical intimacy was something she craved after an upbringing devoid of it, and Alex sure knew how to provide. But their opportunities to sneak away had diminished significantly as the war progressed, and as they had begun their last push on the mountain a good month past, their few chances had all but vanished.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he mumbled, and wrapped her in a tight hug.


    She felt him take the opportunity to refill her shield with magic, and her vision flared with gold as it returned.


    ¡°Better?¡± he asked as he took a step back, keeping his hands on her waist.


    She nodded. ¡°Much.¡± Then she furrowed her brow, and said, ¡°But you should use your energy for your own shield.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one leaping into sword range,¡± Alex smiled and brushed a lock of hair from her cheek, causing her breath to hitch in her throat. ¡°There is no need to worry, I have more than enough left for myself.¡±


    She held his eyes for a moment, then she sighed, and turned back towards the altar. ¡°I suppose you know best on matters of magic. But I can take care of myself, you know.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± he said and turned with her. ¡°But I don¡¯t want anything to happen to you. Especially not when we are this close to the end.¡±


    ¡°You worry too much.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I do.¡± Alex gripped Bifrost and the staff lit up as its master¡¯s magic flowed through it. ¡°Well then, are you ready to finally end this farce?¡±


    ¡°As ready as I¡¯ll ever be,¡± Emily answered and wrapped her right around the soft leather clothing Excalibur¡¯s hilt. The marble around its tip¡ªwhich had been tight enough to keep the sword standing in her absence¡ªcracked with the sound of thunder as the sword came alive.


    Alex smiled wryly. ¡°Then let¡¯s give the father our regards,¡± he said and motioned for the altar with his staff. Emily nodded, and followed as he started across the temple. Their footfalls echoed in a silence only broken by howling winds, and the occasional crack of thunder. The All-Father did not stir as they approached, there was nothing to indicate that he was even aware of their presence within his halls. But they knew he could see them; that he had watched as they had slain his brethren within their domains. He knew they were now coming for him, and he was afraid.


    Together they approached the altar, and the god upon it. Together they raised their free hands and spoke the words of change. Together they dove deep within their wells of power and enacted the spell to break him out of his trance. Together their power swelled and magic of their dual fates¡ªentwined since before their births¡ªexploded towards the All-Father. Black, white, and every color in between, the magic surged the distance to the altar, scintillating in the darkness it lit the temple like a falling star. With the sound of thunder, it impacted the All-Father¡¯s shield throwing golden light in endless waves about the god. For a moment it seemed the shield would hold, but the next it fractured, long uneven cracks forming in its perfect surface, before shattering in a shimmering cascade of gold. Unhindered their magic flew free, crashing through the All-Father, setting his clothes and beard alight in magical flames, then streaked out of the temple and vanished into the night sky.


    They held the magic. Neither had any delusion of the magic being enough to kill the god. But if it could weaken him just a bit, it would make killing him an easier task.


    Then the god laughed. A horrid cackling sound of a madman that grated on their ears. The god¡¯s head snapped towards them and his eyes shot open, blood red and glowing with hatred and malice. Yet they held the magic, and the god fell silent.


    ¡°You have killed my brothers and sisters, and now at last, you come for me.¡± His voice echoed in the temple, growing louder as it surrounded them with evil.


    Neither Emily, nor Alex spoke, they knew it would be fruitless. The mad god would never surrender, never admit defeat. They had to kill him, they had to end the war.


    ¡°But it matters not. Neither your allies nor your weapons will avail you here. For by coming here, you sealed your fate. Wallow in despair, insolent mortals. Wallow, and die with me!¡±


    The god laughed again, and threw his head backwards, his neck snapping with a loud crack. His maniacal laughter grew in intensity as he turned transparent, his essence condensing into raw energy. Then a great vortex¡ªa swirl of mad energies¡ªformed around him, absorbing any magic around. Wind rushed, howling as it was sucked into the vortex. The temple began to crack, large pieces of ancient marble coming lose and following the wind into the black hole of despair.


    They released the magic, and Emily heard Alex swear under his breath and start lengthy incantations. Bifrost glowed as he lifted it before him, straining against the winds that buffeted him towards the altar.


    Emily raised Excalibur before her. There was still time, she could still end this, if only she could reach the All-Father. She began forward, ignoring Alex¡¯s accusing gaze upon her back. Even if she died there; if she could just take the god with her, it would all have been worth it.


    But she was too slow. For as she leapt, the god¡¯s laughter turned to a scream of horrible pain, and a great light erupted from the vortex, and what remained of his charred form, expanded outwards faster than she could ever have imagined. Time seemed to stretch as the light reached the sword she held before her, instantly melting its blade where they touched. Then¡ªwith a jerk¡ªshe was pulled back into the darkness of a rift, flinging her from consciousness and harm¡¯s way as the mountain shattered in the explosion; that last act of the mad gods.

 Chapter 1 - A New World I

    Alex awoke to chirping birds.


    He squinted against the sudden onslaught of light. Flinging his arm over his face, he tried to chase away the evil glare, but it was for naught. The sun was there to stay, and it seemed he was not to return to his slumber. He groaned and blinked, as his eyes adapted to the bright light of a healthy star, so unlike the sickly red hue his own had taken on at the end of days; poisoned by the mad gods rampaging energies.


    He wondered what had become of the world¡ªof M¨®nvell, for that was its name¡ªafter the last god died. The new gods had surely taken their place upon the pantheon, and hopefully, they would rule with a fairer fist than the last. Not that it mattered to him anymore. Wherever the rift had taken him, it was far away from that reborn star, and not in a million years of trying would he be able to make a rift back. For such things were based on luck and good fortune, neither of which he possessed.


    Neither could he be sure Emily had come to the same world as him. He didn¡¯t need to look around to know she was not with him, for Bifrost slumbered within him, broken until it could be reunited with its brother. But he could still feel the unmistakable pull of fate upon his heart, urging him to find her. Yet he did not worry. If he could still feel it, she was at the very least alive, and from the strength of the pull¡ªmost certainly on the same star. They would find each other again, as they had so many times before. But he did not stress the details, and if he was honest with himself, he was just happy to be alive. He hadn¡¯t had a contingency planned for a god going nuclear, which¡ªlooking back¡ªhe should have had. The rift was made in a moment of panic, and that he had arrived in one piece was more than one could have hoped for. Above him the leaves flowed like water as the wind whistled among the ancient trees.


    Taking offense to a root poking him in the back, he sat up and looked around. His surroundings were as familiar as they were strange. He sat in a small glade upon a sea of moss, its brown-green surface covering rich dirt and stone alike, whilst its moist underbelly left a large damp spot on his torn cloak, making it look more black than brown. He reached out and pulled at a nearby bush. Its leaves reminded him of one he remembered from home¡ªits leaves making a passable tea¡ªbut they were not identical, for the leaves he held in his hand had twenty-two blades, rather than twenty-one. He checked a couple more until he was sure his first assessment of his situation had been accurate. He had indeed traveled to a new and different world, separated from his own by countless miles of dark, empty space.


    He ran his fingers through his ruffled hair. Since there was no going back, he would have to make the best of this new world he found himself in. He stood up and brushed the dirt and moss off the back of his cloak. Wondering what he should do first his eyes wandered. The leaf covered trees were a vivid green and the wind blew warm where it could find a way to the bottom of the forest. Small collections of brilliant flowers bloomed where the sun reached the floor, drinking in its light. He did not look too closely, but if he had, he would have found a myriad of small creeping and crawling things wherever he looked. The forest was teeming with life. Which made the sudden chill that crept up his back all the more suspicious.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°The rift was only open for a moment or two,¡± he muttered to himself and dove into his source. ¡°They couldn¡¯t have gotten through so quickly.¡± He cast a quick spell upon himself, letting him see the hidden world of magic. His gaze searched the glade until he found what he was hoping he would not. He swore under his breath as he found the tear. A remnant of the rift he had created when escaping the old god¡¯s last act of madness. A great black crack in the fabric of reality. It began but a couple of feet from where he had woken up and tore a path through the forest. Malice and hatred oozed out of the rift, and dark, incomprehensible magic flowed like a river. He dove again into his magic, deeper this time, and put his hands up against the start of the rift. A perfectly white tendril of magic reached out of his hand and into the darkness. His palms grew deathly cold, as if he was holding them against the coldest of ice. But he did not flinch; did not remove his hands. For if he did, the magic would be broken.


    The tendril flickered, and he poured more magic into it, searching for the thread that connected the void to his reality. It didn¡¯t take long for him to find it; after all, he wasn¡¯t¡­ hadn¡¯t, he correct himself, been the greatest magician of M¨®nvell for naught. With another push of magic, he severed the thread and the tear snapped shut before him, and with a cascade of light reality repaired itself. He rubbed his hands together to warm them up, he had closed the tear and stopped anything from coming through. But the tear had been long, and there were a chance voidborn could have found their way through before he closed it. For the third time he dove into his source and forced the magic to do his bidding, and before his eyes a semi-transparent red line appeared. Fluttering¡ªas if moved by the gentle breeze¡ªit vanished into the forest, leading the way to anything that did not belong in this reality.


    He set off following the line, pushing his way through the undergrowth and stepping over fallen trees. The line vanished as he followed it, its edge always one step ahead, and whenever he had to take a detour to get around a cluster of trees or a large rock the line moved to stay before him, guiding him forever forward. After almost half an hour of walking he spotted a road through the thickets, and with some clambering he left the difficult terrain behind and marveled at the packed dirt path. It was no paved road, and he would much rather have been riding a horse, but it was a lot better than the forest. But the well-traveled road gave him pause. For it meant people, or at least some sort of society, and if the voidborn found people before he found them. Well, let¡¯s just say he didn¡¯t want more corpses on his conscious.


    Starting again, he set a high tempo for himself, forcing his already tired legs to move forward. It wouldn¡¯t do for him to arrive, only to be too tired to fight, but if he arrived to late it might not matter either way. But he did not need hours, for barely a quarter hour later he heard the unmistakable sounds of battle. And when an otherworldly scream pierced the calm, he knew he had found his targets. Digging through his pockets he pulled out a coin. Copper, with the face of emperor Reginald imprinted upon it; a dead emperor of a lost world. Yet Alex could not help but freeze for a moment. Reginald had given him everything he had. If not for his kindness, Alex would have wasted away as the homeless son of a dead whore. Another scream¡ªthis time of a man in pain¡ªsnapped Alex out of his thoughts. He formed the sign for Gecit over the coin, assigning it as a beacon, and dropped it on the ground where he stood. The coin embedded itself in the soft mud, and as Alex hurried towards the sounds, he swore to himself¡ªjust as he had done so many times before¡ªto pay the dead emperor¡¯s kindness forward.

 Chapter 2 - A New World II

    Mud splattered as Alex ran towards the noise.


    Thoughts like; ¡®it must have rained pretty recently¡¯ and ¡®though judging from the trees this might be a swamp,¡¯ passed through his mind like strangers at the edge of his vision. They did nothing to impede his process as he again dove into this source. His brow creased, the only outward indication of the worry he felt over the lack of magic therein, he had never been so low before, and quite frankly, he didn¡¯t know if his offensive spells would work like they should. Letting the magic flow through him, he prepared a sign, a simple one this time¡ªsimple for him at least. Varti, the sign of the the divine, and his right hand lit up in a silvery light. With it prepared he layered another sign over it, Flits, or as the old tome had described it; Call upon the flames of heaven, upon the thunderheads that might strike down even the mightiest of foes. Alex smiled to himself, just calling it lightning would have saved everyone a lot of time. But that¡¯s not how tattered old tomes work.


    He pulled himself out of his thoughts. The noises were closer now, and he could make out voices among the clamor, as well as the sounds of monsters. Clicking, gurgling, chewing, shrieking; the sounds of hell come alive.


    ¡°Too me, too me!¡± someone bellowed, his voice carrying across the clearing with the strength of someone used to making themselves heard on a battlefield. ¡°Cover the prince, lay down your lives if you have to!¡±


    Alex offered a quick thank you to the universe that the translation magic he had put on himself and Emily worked just as well here as it had on M¨®nvell. Another few steps forward along the road, and he could see them. First they were only spots of color among the trees, and bushes; hidden behind wide oaken trunks and the thick crowns of young beeches. Alex quickly made his way around the bend in the road and the thicket it avoided. Finding himself before a clearing he stopped and leaned against a tree, his breathing heavy and legs numb after the run.


    The ground was mostly dirt, as grass, shrubbery, and flowers had been cleared away by the many people that had used it as a rest stop. A couple still smoldering fires sat forgotten within rings of stone, and tents lay collapsed or cut down where men had forced themselves out. A single lonely banner still stood were all others had fallen; it depicted a golden griffin passant upon backdrop of royal purple. It was clear the voidborn had taken them by surprise, but then, who expected to run into the spawn of darkness in the middle of a cheery forest. The sun shone from a mostly cloudless sky, and its bright light shimmered off the many soldiers clad in full plate, crowding in the center of the clearing, their swords following the ten voidborn circling them.


    Abominations of twisted flesh; vile creations of a cold, dark universe. Both descriptions too kind for the horrid purple creatures dominating the clearing. Limbs, and eyes, and mouths in all the wrong places. Some crawling or sliding across the ground on smoking trails of mucus, others bumbling through the air on misplaced wings. They had but one goal upon this star; to consume flesh and blood, be it human or animal, it mattered not to them. The solders had held their own surprisingly well, and only a handful of the almost thirty soldiers showed any signs of having thrown up. Though five or six, it was hard to tell with what was left, had already been killed, and two voidborn were stuffing themselves on the solders¡¯ sweet innards.


    Alex wrinkled his nose when the sweet smell of rotting and melting flesh hit him, and he wished he could close his ears to the crunching of bones and ripping of skin. He let his cloak fall to the ground and wiped the sweat of his brow, then he stepped off the road and started across the clearing, towards the circle of soldiers. As much as he would have wanted to stay as afar away as possible, his lack of magic forced him closer, or the lightning might be too weak to break through the voidborns¡¯ thick hides. It didn¡¯t take long before one of the soldiers noticed Alex, that he was able to relay this information to the commander was nothing but an extraordinary feat, considering the circumstances.


    The commander spun towards Alex, his brown hair coming lose from his warrior¡¯s ponytail, his face clad in sweat and blood, and yelled, ¡°Run away, you fool!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one behind you,¡± Alex shouted back, and watched as the commander turned and threw out his sword against a flying voidborn. The sword struck against its hide with sound of hitting a drum clad in stretched leather, and the creature was flung back, but otherwise unharmed.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Alex stopped barely ten feet from one of the voidborn chewing on a leg it had pulled out of its armor. This close his eyes watered as the smell stung in his nose, and he mumbled a quick spell to keep his last meal in its intended place. Then he raised his right, and with a thunderous crack that silenced all other sounds in the clearing, lightning shot out of his palm. For a moment the thunderhead lit the clearing in a brilliant white that left sparks dancing in Alex¡¯ eyes. But the spell had done its job, and nothing remained of the voidborn but for a charred spot on the ground. He looked up towards the remaining foes, and noted that they had all turned towards him, forgetting their old targets in favor of this new one.


    Again he raised his hand, and this time¡ªconfident the spell worked as it should¡ªhe let his magic lose. With another crack, lightning shot from his palm, this time it did not stop after the first voidborn, but bounced onto the next, and the next. When the light settled only eight creatures remained. The dwarves had always said the creatures of void did not know fear, but if they did, the ones remaining would have been pale. Alex wondered if a pale voidborn would take on a more pinkish hue, or stay purple; he would probably never know. With another firing of his sign another four voidborn died; two left spots of black on the ground, the other two fried in mid air. The divine magic erasing their perverse flesh from this mortal realm.


    The last four seemed to hesitate for a moment, wary of the light that had slain their brethren. But they were creatures driven by nothing but an endless hunger, and eventually it overwhelmed them. Alex raised his hand for the last time as they surged towards him, and let the his last bolt free.


    The calm that settled over the clearing was as unnatural as the pandemonium had been. The soldiers stood frozen in their defensive positions, swords half-raised as if not sure whether he was a friend or foe. The commander was the first to move. Lowering his sword and pushing his way through his petrified soldiers, waking them up as he touched their shoulders for them to move. Alex didn¡¯t move, rather he wavered where he stood. His magic was all but used, and his head swam even as he stood still. It had been a long day, and the short nap he had taken after leaping through the gate had not been enough, not by a long shot.


    He wasn¡¯t sure what it meant when the commander suddenly stopped, and raised his arm as if pointing to something behind Alex. But then he felt something behind him, and fell to his knees out of instinct, barely avoiding getting his head swiped by the passing voidborn. He cursed himself, of course there was one more, creatures of the void always traveled in packs of thirteen; something he had forgotten in midst of the chaos. He didn¡¯t have enough magic left for another bolt of lightning, nor did he have the magic needed to activate another sign. Shaking his head, he forced his eyes to focus, and let them dart across the ground. He found what he was looking for, and as the voidborn came back for another strike, he rolled, somersaulting forward. Hearing the creature strike the dirt behind him, he reached out and snatched up a sword lying on the ground, beside the bloody and half-eaten remains of a soldier.


    Forcing himself to ignore the sight, Alex gripped the sword with his right and let whatever magic he had left turn divine as it flowed through the sign, into the blade. He got to his feet¡ªa little to fast and his sight blackened for a moment, then he turned to face the last voidborn. It looked like a baby, if the baby had been born six months early, and by a mutated giantess. A massive bald head criss-crossed with bulging blood-vessels sat upon a body barely larger than the head, with two misshapen arms, both ending in stumps rather than hands. It¡¯s legs were different sizes and horribly bent, as if broken in three places each. And upon its back two tattered bat-wings flapped frantically to keep the creature in the air. But worst of all was its eyes; different sizes and shot with blood, one darting as if crazed, the other fixated on Alex with a bloodcurdling stare.


    Unfortunately for the voidborn, Alex had stared down more intimidating foes, and when it charged, he had not frozen in place as it had expected him to. Alex waited for the last moment, then he spun into a pirouette, a move he had picked up during his many sparring sessions with Emily, and pushed the rest of his magic into the sword. The blade lit up in a silvery light, and for a moment, it shone brighter than the sun. It sung as it cut through the air, then the voidborn sung in pain as its massive head was severed from its body. The wings continued flapping for a couple seconds before the body figured out it was dead, and it fell to the ground beside the head, the divine magic shed by the blade slowly withering the twisted flesh.


    As the last of his energy left him with the waning effects of adrenaline, he thrust the sword into the ground, and with a heavy sigh he laid his weight upon its guard. He knew Emily would have had his head for treating a blade like that, but at the moment he could not bring himself to care. The signs in his palm vanished as his magic ran dry, and and the blade flickered until its light went out. He blinked and watched his red guiding-line flicker out of existence; its job finished. Then he had no more time to ponder, for the commander was approaching, his soldiers watching warily from their defensive positions. Alex only hoped gratitude could be exchanged for information, and maybe a little food.

 Chapter 3 - A New World III

    Alex didn¡¯t move as the commander approached.


    He was a handsome man, standing perhaps an inch over Alex¡¯ six foot one, and wider at the shoulders. His brownish hair had mostly slipped out of its knot, and hung down to his chin, framing a face made from stony planes and angles. Blood, sweat, dirt, and the stubble you get after a few days on the road gave him a rugged, yet noble appearance. His eyes¡ªthough narrowed in suspicion¡ªwere as brown as his hair, and seemed to almost flicker with intelligence as he tried to calculate his chanced to walking away alive. His armor had been stained during the battle, but still shone in the sunlight, and his cloak, though tattered at the edges, shone red, like a herald of dawn. But despite his appearance, he seemed young, Alex could not say for certain, but he did not seem older than twenty-five.


    He stopped a dozen feet before Alex, his hand resting upon the pommel of his sword. ¡°I¡¯m Charles Boulet of Nydawin, commander of the royal guard,¡± he said, sounding as calm and collected as the ground upon which they stood, but Alex could see the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. ¡°May I ask who you are and from where you come?¡±


    Alex gave the commander a tired smile, hoping it would help him come across as harmless. He was too tired to fight anyone, especially a platoon of trained soldiers. ¡°The name¡¯s Alexander Blackwood, though you may call me Alex. I¡¯m a magician by trade, and I am¡ªI suspect¡ªa long way from home.¡±


    Charles furrowed his brow. ¡°You are not a paladin? I thought you used holy magic to aid in your fight.¡±


    Alex bowed his head. ¡°I did,¡± he confirmed. ¡°I can cast many forms of magic. Though I would not describe myself quite so righteously.¡±


    Charles didn¡¯t pursue the line of questioning any further instead he motioned towards one of the many charred spots where a voidborn had fallen. ¡°You know those creatures then? I¡¯ve never seen anything like them, thank the gods.¡±


    ¡°Voidborn,¡± Alex said, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. ¡°Though lesser such. They are drawn to fresh meat and blood, it matters not who or what it belongs to. Though some are known to favor that of humans, for what reason I cannot say.¡±


    ¡°These voidborn, then,¡± Charles said in a tone that showed his distaste, as if tasting the word and finding it vile. ¡°Will there be more?¡±


    ¡°No. They travel in packs of thirteen, and only one pack slipped through the rift.¡±


    ¡°Rift?¡±


    ¡°A rift in space, the same one I came through.¡± Alex didn¡¯t like lying, but not telling the whole truth was another matter. ¡°I sealed it after I had arrived here.¡±


    It was clear the commander didn¡¯t know what Alex was talking about. Though he hid it well, if Alex had not had a lifetime worth of experience dealing with people trying to hide things from him, he wouldn¡¯t have noticed.


    ¡°Can you give any guarantee that there won¡¯t be more?¡±


    ¡°Nothing beyond my word, whatever that¡¯s worth.¡±


    Charles hummed, and stayed quiet for a moment as he considered Alex¡¯ words. A calm breeze passed through the clearing, swaying treetops and throwing summer-green leaves into a dance. It brought the smell of flowers at bloom: of lavender and lilac, of daphne and roses; mixing with a heavy sent of pine, and a hint of rain. Alex dragged a hand through his hair in an attempt to flatten it into place. Charles mirrored the action, perhaps without even realizing it, though¡ªon account of having longer hair¡ªhe also pulled strands away from his face.


    Then he spoke up. ¡°You were hunting these creatures then? You seemed to know how to handle them,¡± he asked.


    Alex shook his head. ¡°I came through for other reasons. But it¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve had brushes with creatures of the void. Though, I¡¯m glad I found them before they could cause more harm. They are hard to kill, as I¡¯m sure you noticed. I am sorry for your losses, but if they had found a town or village first¡­ I shudder to think what would have happened.¡±


    Charles nodded in agreement. ¡°Indeed, there are no towns large enough to keep a competent priest¡ªmuch less a paladin¡ªfor a few days ride, though the road is speckled with smaller villages.¡± He glanced at what remained of one soldier. Torn armor and clothes could do little to hide the mess of flesh and blood, out of which crushed and half-eaten bones poked at strange angles. He sighed, and slumped a little. ¡°They were soldiers, they knew the risks.¡± Then he turned back to Alex, it seemed like he had a question at the ready, perhaps one wondering why Alex had come through the rift, but he held it, hesitated. Then he shook his head as if angry with himself. ¡°Gods have mercy; here I stand, interrogating you like a common criminal after you saved our lives. My family would be ashamed.¡±


    Alex chuckled. ¡°I¡¯d say a bit of suspicion is warranted.¡±


    Charles shook his head again. ¡°I¡¯ve never known a dishonorable man to risk his life to save those of strangers. Though you are right, I suppose. But this assignment has me jumping at shadows. You might have already guessed, but by saving us you¡¯ve saved a member of the royal family, prince Elliott Lemoine of Nydawin.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the banner gave you away,¡± Alex said and nodded towards the one still standing. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone but a royal use either gold, nor such a shade of purple.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Where is your charge now?¡± Alex asked, though with how the remaining soldiers were still clustered around the same spot, he could hazard a guess.


    ¡°I fear he fainted during the attack,¡± Charles said, as if it was only natural, but again, Alex could see something flicker in his eyes: contempt, or perhaps even disgust. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll wake any moment. And he¡¯ll want to meet his savior when does.¡±


    ¡°If you are asking me if I want to stick around, I¡¯d be honored,¡± Alex said, then¡ªnot bothering to hide his smile¡ªhe added, ¡°I¡¯d be especially honored if you had any food to share, I¡¯m starving.¡±


    Charles bowed his head. ¡°That can certainly be arranged. If you would give me a moment to speak with my men?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Charles turned for the soldiers. They had clearly followed the conversation as best they could, whilst still keeping an eye out for more of the creatures. But as Charles spoke, they stood down, and with efficiency that displayed their excellent training and discipline, Charles split them into three groups. He sent the first to gather up the animals that had torn themselves lose and fled at the scent of voidborn, another to reclaim their camp, and the third to bury what was left of the fallen soldiers. The last was a gruesome task of collecting strewn bones and pieces of flesh and armor, yet they did it without question or complaint.


    Charles soon returned with a small pouch, which he handed to Alex. ¡°Since we travel along the king¡¯s road we are not carrying much provisions. This is what I can give you for now, but tonight we will dine in a village a couple hours south.¡±


    Alex accepted the pouch and looked inside, finding fluffy bread and cheese that almost seemed to glimmer like gold. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m sure I could have eaten a horse, if it was offered.¡±


    Charles gave him a quizzical look. ¡°A horse?¡± The word seemed strange in his mouth, as if it was not part of his native vocabulary, and whatever took care of translations hadn¡¯t found anything that matched. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard the word. Is it another creature of the void?¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Alex tilted his head. A different world meant different rules, he knew that. But everything had seemed so familiar up until that point that he was thrown off for a moment. ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s an animal. Eh¡­¡± He wasn¡¯t sure what animals existed on this world so he didn¡¯t know what he could use as a comparison. ¡°Four legs, about eight feet tall at the head. Used for transportation; either by riding or pulling wagons.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re describing a dalama,¡± Charles said after a moment of thought. ¡°Though they are mostly used for pulling wagons and farm equipment¡­ and they have horns.¡±


    ¡°Never heard of it, though it sounds like an ox.¡±


    Charles shook his head. ¡°Ox also sounds strange to me.¡±


    Alex hummed. ¡°But if you do not ride horses,¡± he said, remembering Charles had mentioned days ride as a unit of measurement ¡°Then what do you ride?¡±


    ¡°Moas,¡± Charles said simply. ¡°My men should be returning with them soon.¡±


    A shout drew their attention. The soldiers had finished digging graves for their fallen comrades and were calling for the commander to perform the rites that fell onto him as the highest in command. The bodies of the fallen had been laid out beside the graves, covered in banners pulled off spears and poles, their swords laying atop, perhaps as a way to honor their pledge to the blade.


    ¡°I suppose I will await these mysterious creatures with bated breath,¡± Alex said and pulled a piece of bread out of the pouch. He wouldn¡¯t invite himself into a burial for those whose deaths he inadvertently caused. Charles nodded and turned towards his somber duty, but before he could take more then a couple steps, Alex realized something.


    He quickly swallowed the bread. ¡°Charles,¡± he said, drawing the commander¡¯s attention. Standing up, he pulled the sword he had been leaning on out of the ground, and held it out, saying, ¡°A soldier should be buried with his sword, should he not?¡±


    Charles stepped back to Alex and accepted the weapon. ¡°He should,¡± the commander agreed with a sober expression. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s given back to who it belonged.¡±


    Alex nodded, and again watched him go to the soldiers. Breaking off a bit of bread he stuffed it into his mouth and took a bite of the cheese. When the ceremony began, he turned his back and walked back to the road. There he picked up his cloak and dusted off the worst of the dirt, before turning back. He let it hang over his arm, putting it on would have been to warm in the summer heat.


    Walking back to the camp he did his best to avoid the soldier¡¯s running by, salvaging what they could from torn tents and strewn equipment. Three soldier¡¯s were still standing around an unmoving body on the ground, clothed in velvet and silk of royal-purple and evening-blues. His boots matched Alex¡¯ in quality, and seemed to be of soft calfskin. This was the prince then, Alex assumed, as he studied the boy¡¯s face.


    For he was no more than a boy, perhaps sixteen years of age. Old enough to be counted a man, certainly, but not old enough to be treated as such. His face was thin and his complexion pale, and his hair¡ªa sand like blond¡ªhung in soft strands to his chin, in what was most likely the fashion among noble boys. His features were sharp, putting Alex in mind of a hawk, but of one that had barely left the nest. They were still soft, lacking the hardness that came with age and experience. Unlike Charles, Alex did not blame the boy for fainting during the attack, voidborn were harsh foes to encounter for even the strongest of fighters, and not something a fledgling prince should be forced to suffer through. Though, he supposed it wasn¡¯t fair for anyone to be forced to suffer through such a thing, but you couldn¡¯t save them all.


    A sudden loud chirp snapped him out of this thoughts, and he looked across the clearing to where soldiers were returning from their task, with what must have been moas in hand. They were massive¡­ birds? Alex wasn¡¯t sure what to classify them as, but they had feathers and beaks, and one even showed off an impressive set of wings as it strained its long neck towards some low-hanging fruit, fluttering its long, broad tail-feathers. They stood twice the height of the men that led them, with legs covered in scales and thick as tree-trunks, ending in over-sized feet of four clawed toes¡ªthree forward and one back. Their beaks were large and serrated, like the teeth of a saw, and above sat two surprisingly intelligent, forward facing eyes, with an iris and pupil, unlike anything Alex had ever seen on a bird before.


    A score of them were being led into the clearing, and from the sounds of it, more were on the way. Most of them had dresses of yellow feathers, but a couple had black, and one was even purple! Though Alex could guess to who that one belonged.


    ¡°Impressive, eh?¡±


    Charles had managed to sneak up on him, an impressive feat for a man his size.


    ¡°Quite,¡± Alex said. ¡°Though, I¡¯m not so sure how you are supposed to ride them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s simple enough. Throw a saddle on their back and bridle around their neck, and they¡¯ll carry you to the ends of the world.¡±


    ¡°You sit on their backs?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Can their legs really handle that kind of weight?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not; it¡¯s what they are bred for.¡±


    Alex hummed. ¡°Can they fly?¡±


    ¡°No. Though, flying moas are a bit of a legend. Supposedly, they exist far to the east where mountains are tall enough to touch the sky. But I¡¯ve certainly never seen one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pity,¡± Alex mused. He could fly on his own¡ªany self-respecting archmage could¡ªbut doing it on the back of a massive bird just seemed like a lot more fun. Maybe he would travel east then, and see if he could find one. Unless he came across something more important first, that is.


    ¡°Commander,¡± one of the soldiers around the prince exclaimed. ¡°He is waking up!¡±


    Alex followed as Charles made his way over to the prince and his two sentinels.


    The prince groaned as he woke; slowly at first, his eyes fluttering open and taking a moment to focus on the clouds far above, before flickering to the face of Charles, and the two soldier¡¯s that flanked him. Then he seemed to remember why he had fainted and his eyes widened with fear. Instantly he shot up, stumbling before one of the soldier¡¯s could steady him. ¡°Where are they?¡± he asked, panic in his voice. ¡°Are they still here? Are they gone?¡± His eyes darted around the clearing, before landing upon Alex, taking in his appearance, then upon Charles.


    ¡°They are gone, your highness,¡± Charles said. ¡°Vanquished by this man, Alexander. We owe him our lives.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Elliot straightened and pulled at his tunic in a vain attempt to smooth out the creases that had formed during his time unconscious. Lifting his chin to to the sky he managed to display some semblance of nobility, though the image was spoiled by his bed-hair and dirt-streaked clothing. ¡°Commander,¡± he sniffed and snapped his fingers. ¡°You may reward this man for his valor in service of his prince.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your highness.¡±


    Alex did not need the glance from Charles to know he shouldn¡¯t correct the boy, but he did appreciate the sentiment. Alex bowed his head, perhaps not as deep as would have been strictly appropriate, but the prince did not notice, as he had already turned away.


    ¡°You may ride with us,¡± the prince said as if it was the greatest of honors. ¡°But at the end of the column.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    The prince sniffed again and left for the remains of his tent, the two soldiers flanking him. Charles came up to Alex and handed him another pouch, this one small but heavy, and it clinked as Alex accepted it.


    ¡°Twenty gold,¡± Charles said. ¡°I wish I could give more, but this is what we have to give away.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Alex said and weighed the pouch in his hand. ¡°I did not do it for money.¡± Though he was glad to have a stash of local coins, no matter how much they were worth. ¡°Though, I¡¯m surprised a royal escort is not carrying more. Were you in a hurry when you set out?¡± It wasn¡¯t just the money. He had noticed there were too few tents for the amount of soldiers, and even if no one had strictly dirty armor, all soldiers showed signs of wariness and the fatigue of the road.


    Charles furrowed his brow. ¡°You¡¯ve got a sharp eye. But yes, you are correct, of course. We have barely an hour from command to leaving the palace in Esterlake. We¡¯ve been on the road since then, from morning to evening, with only a short break for lunch.¡±


    ¡°Something big has happened then, I gather.¡±


    ¡°Aye,¡± Charles said, his face turning somber. ¡°The old queen died unexpectedly. We are traveling to Spellhedge to collect the young princess.¡±


    ¡°My condolences,¡± Alex said.


    Charles nodded. ¡°There¡¯s a few things I need to check on. We leave as soon as the camp has been broken.¡± He looked around, and sighed. ¡°We were going to spend the night here, but after these events I think its better if we travel for a few more hours. I¡¯ll make sure you get a moa to ride.¡±


    Charles left to tend to his duties. Alex watched him go, and then he canceled the last sign¡ªthe sign of Gecit¡ªsince he no longer needed the escape route. As the coin he had dropped in the mud returned to his hand with a soft pop, so did what little magic the sign had held, like a drop of water in a desert. He rolled the coin between his fingers, letting the cold metal cool his warm skin. He really wasn¡¯t sure what to do about the situation with his magic. It would refill naturally from the ambient levels of magic, but that would take months, if not years. Meeting up with Emily would let it refill faster, as together they could access cosmic stores of magic, but he couldn¡¯t depend on that happening any time soon. For he had no idea when fate would deign to bring them together. The coin had grown warm and he sighed as he dropped it into his pouch; there was nothing he could do but wait and see.

 Chapter -1 - The End of the Beginning II

    Balthazar''s bellowing laugh echoed through the grand cavern, and the thickly flowing rivers of magma answered with jets of molten stone as fire rained down across his hellish domain. Emily stood proud upon a raised platform of black stone, holding her sword¡ªExcalibur¡ªat her side. She gasped for air within the choking smoke, and the wound her side ached something fierce. But though her armor, face, and hair might be stained with ash, and blood, and sot, she yet stood; facing the God¡¯s rage and madness without fear.


    For across the platform¡¯s burnt and cracking surface, stood the mad God of war. He towered above her at almost twice her height. And floating lazily beside him were his broadsword, a great lump of metal a good six feet long and one foot wide at the hilt. Emily had become terribly aware of just how hard he could make the weapon hit. For their battle had been long and arduous, and her side stung where Balthazar had breached her defenses. Her shield had taken the brunt of the impact before failing in a cascade of gold; and yet the God''s sword had broken through her armor and left a cut the width of her midriff.


    But it did not matter, for as he had stuck her, she had finally found the flaw in Balthazar''s seemingly perfect defense, and her next attack would be the last. With slow and calculated motions she repositioned her sword, before leaning heavily on her right leg. If she did it right, she might fool the God into closing the distance for her. And that she did, for Balthazar smiled dangerously when he saw her feigning fatigue, and walked towards her, leaving fire in his wake as his sword spun ominously in the air beside him.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    "I am Balthazar!" the God roared as he begun another of his monologues. "I am the strongest of the old gods. The embodiment of strength and power. No mortal may stand against me for I have killed millions on battlefield; and you will be no different." He loomed over Emily when he stopped, and she got into position to strike, carefully lining up Excalibur for her final attack. Balthazar seemed not to notice, or perhaps he did not care, for so confident was he of his own victory that he continued to speak. "I am the destroyer of nations and slayer of kings; I am war eternal." He paused, his sword drawing backwards for a strike¡ªas Emily knew it would. Then he looked down onto her, his eyes burning with unholy fire. "Compared to my greatness. What. Are. You."


    Emily whipped a few stray locks of auburn hair out of her face and smirked up at the blazing inferno of a God as Excalibur lit up with a golden glow in anticipation, and said, "Still standing."

 Chapter 4 - A New World IV

    Emily awoke to something sitting on her chest.


    She opened her eyes, only to snap them shut. The sun was blinding where it hung, high in the sky. Raising a hand to cover her eyes she opened them again and lifted her head. The furry face of a brown squirrel greeted her; its beady eyes almost quizzical.


    ¡°Get off,¡± she said, and swiped at the rodent with her free hand. With an indigent chirp it leapt off her chest, avoiding her hand. She let her head fall back to the ground and groaned as a light headache made its presence known. ¡°Damn it, Alex. You have to warn me before you do stuff like that.¡±


    She waited for his quippy answer for a moment too long, expecting it to arrive at any moment. When it didn¡¯t, she groaned again and propped herself up on her elbows and looked around. Rolling green hills covered in vivid green grass¡ªbending for the wind like waves upon the sea¡ªsurrounded her as far as she could see. ¡°What the hell,¡± she muttered, and closed her eyes. Diving into her source she mumbled, ¡°Farsight.¡± Her skin prickled as the magic took effect, energy surging into her eyes. It was a strange feeling for one still not used to the touch of magic, and one she was not sure if she enjoyed or despised.


    Using her hand to shadow her now extremely sensitive eyes, she looked out across the plains. Yet, even with a magnification that let her count straws of grass five miles away, she could not see any signs of civilization; or Alex. She couldn¡¯t even see a single tree. It was nothing but grass extending to the horizon in every direction. It struck her as a tiny bit weird, and she felt as do something was off, but she couldn¡¯t put her finger on it, and she had more important things to worry about.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare be dead, Alex,¡± she said to herself. ¡°You still owe me that honeymoon you promised we¡¯d go on after the war was over.¡± Ending the spell and standing up she finally noticed the pull of fate upon her heart. She smiled; he wasn¡¯t dead at least, and she supposed the honeymoon could wait a little longer. Continuing to ignore the squirrel chirping at her feet, she looked herself over. Her armor and clothes were a mess, but they would have to do until she found replacements. Her biggest concern was not having a weapon. She could still feel Excalibur slumber within her, but the weapon had been destroyed in the explosion, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to summon it again until she could meet Alex, and have it reforged within their bond.


    But would she even need it? She had no idea where she was, which was weird, for she had traveled most of M¨®nvell, either by herself or with Alex, and she had never even heard of a place like this. Though, if she had been pulled through a rift, chances were pretty good she wasn¡¯t even on the same star anymore. She shrugged. It didn¡¯t matter. As long as she could find something to eat, and somewhere to sleep, she¡¯d be fine.


    Onto the next mystery then.


    She squatted, and to the squirrel she said, ¡°What is it you want? I¡¯m not a tree and I don¡¯t have any nuts.¡±


    The squirrel seemed taken aback, if such a thing was possible. Then it stood on its hind legs and¡­ gestured for her to follow? She could scarcely believe her eyes.


    ¡°Do you want me to follow?¡± she asked.


    The squirrel nodded.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    The squirrel blinked and froze for a moment. Then, after taking a deep breath, it pointed to itself before bending down and grabbing a few straws of grass Emily had flattened when she lay on the ground. Pulling the grass up it built a small cage-like structure over itself. Emily tilted her head. The squirrel then wriggled about inside its cage of grass, as if pretending to be stuck.


    ¡°Is your family stuck somewhere?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    The squirrel shook its head and chirped.


    Am I playing charades with a squirrel? The thought struck her suddenly. She shook her head; she¡¯d done crazier things in the past. Then another thought struck; it might be a trained squirrel.


    ¡°Is your master stuck somewhere?¡±


    The squirrel jumped up and nodded, chirping happily.


    ¡°And they need my help?¡±


    Again, the squirrel nodded.


    ¡°Is it dangerous?¡±


    For a third time, the squirrel nodded.


    ¡°Of course it is,¡± Emily sighed. Well, it wasn¡¯t like she had anything better to do. And anyone smart enough to train a squirrel to do charades would probably know where she could find a town, hopefully one with an inn¡­ and a bath. ¡°Lead the way,¡± she said, and stood. The squirrel chirped and bounced away through the tall grass, its fluffy tail showing the way. As she took the first step to follow, she felt a chill run down her spine. Her eyes snapped back, and she peered out across the plains behind her. She thought she saw something¡­ a flicker of purple? But then it was gone, and all she could see was the endless green. She shrugged and followed the squirrel.


    The plains were truly like a sea¡ªor a desert. The only thing exposing their progress were the rolling hills, as sometimes the horizon would vanish as they dipped into a valley, only to reaper suddenly when they crested the opposing hill. If not for those small variations in height, she wouldn¡¯t have been sure if they were moving at all. And soon she was utterly bored of the view, and quite tired of the endless wind blowing from the side, casting her hair into her face. When she¡¯d had enough, she ripped a piece of cloth off the bottom of her tunic, where it hung out from under her chain mail, and used it tie her hair into a ponytail.


    She¡¯d need to find new clothes anyway. The ones she was wearing were sooty, burned, torn, and had begun to smell, And she¡¯d really prefer leather armor to the heavy and bulky chain and plate she was currently wearing, armor enchanted to protect her against the magic of the mad gods didn¡¯t help her much now that they were dead. Neither did the thick metal and leather help much against the heat, and she had begun to sweat underneath the layers. The sun stood high upon a sky dotted with small fluffy clouds, and judging from the warmth of the wind, it had to be in the middle of summer.


    Surrendering to the heat she pulled up the arms of her chain mail and tunic, but kept them on, they were her most important defense, after all. The plates around her legs, however, were not as important, and he quickly shook them off. She felt a little bad over leaving the armor in the middle of nowhere, but it wouldn¡¯t serve her if she collapsed from heat-stroke, and the plate really didn¡¯t help with cooling. She kept her pants of heavy linen, and calf-skin boots, as she didn¡¯t want to run around half-naked, at least not until she knew if there were any dangers to be found.


    As she mused on the topic, the fluffy tail she had been following vanished. Stopping in her track she looked around. ¡°Where¡¯d you go?¡± she asked the plains, and it answered with a soft chirp from before her. Blinking, she peered out across the plains. ¡°I don¡¯t see you.¡± Another chirp, this one more insistent. She shrugged and took another step forward. Instantly the world around her changed. Gone were the rolling hills of green and the endless blue sky, as if she had stepped into a bubble of another world. The ground clinked under her metal boots, and the sky was overcast, with ragged bolts of lightning racing across it, illuminating the ground in flashes of brilliant white. Though they were quiet, for no thunder followed the lightning, rather, all she could hear was the endless swishing of the wind. Neither had the temperature changed from the warm sunny plain.


    Taking a step back she again found herself out on the plain, the barren landscape nowhere in sight. Reaching out her hand¡ªglove and all¡ªvanished into nothing, as if cut off at the wrist. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good illusion,¡± she muttered, and again stepped into the bubble. The squirrel waited for her inside, before a strange gateway of moss-covered stones. She wasn¡¯t as sensitive to these things as Alex, but even she could feel the magic radiating of the structure. Through it, a tunnel descended into the earth, and from that tunnel came a chill; a cold breath of air that seemed to carry a hint of menace.


    The squirrel chirped as she approached, finding a path through the crap strewn across the ground. ¡°Is your master through here?¡± she asked and motioned for the gate.


    The squirrel chirped and pointed at a not too rusty sword, leaned against the side of the gate.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Emily said, picking it up and testing its balance in her hand, leather creaking as she flexed her fingers around the grip. It was no Excalibur, but it would do. Rolling her shoulders, she motioned for the gate again, and said, ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    The squirrel chirped happily as it vanished into the dark, Emily tight on its heels.

 Chapter 5 - A New World V

    Emily kept her left hand on the wall as she followed the squirrel down the tunnel.


    It was damp and slimy and covered in moss and mold. But she kept her fingers prodding along the grooves between the rough stones. Soon the tunnel turned, and what little light had found its way in through the gateway vanished completely. When Emily could no longer see the squirrel before her, she dove into her source, and mumbled, ¡°Light my way.¡± A divine came into being, floating above her head. Bobbing up and down in time with her steps, it lit the tunnel in a ghostly white. The squirrel stopped when the light appeared. Standing on its hind legs it stared at the light for a moment, looking surprised, if such a thing were possible. Then it turned back and continued down the tunnel, its fluffy tail swishing from side to side as it walked.


    From what Emily could tell, the tunnel sloped downwards ever so slightly, and turned left as it wound through the earth. She quickly lost track of how far they had gone, or how many laps around the spiral they had completed. But as they walked the air became heavier; dank and blighted it stuck in her nose like yesterdays cooking left in a warm room. That she might be walking into a trap did pass her mind, but she didn¡¯t worry. She could probably break out if that was the case. And if she couldn¡¯t, well¡­ she¡¯d cross that bridge if it came to it.


    As she was pondering her chances of digging herself out of this hole, she almost stepped on the squirrel when it came to a sudden stop. Stumbling over her feet she managed to avoid the little critter by plunging her secondhand-sword into the ground. Something that was not recommended with non-magical blades. ¡°Why¡¯d you stop?¡± she huffed and pulled the blade out of the ground, its tip hadn¡¯t been sharp to begin with, but now it looked more like a hammer than blade.


    The squirrel chirped and adopted a pose reminiscent of one pretending to be scary, with its paws raised and mouth set into a snarl. It held the pose for a moment, then it jumped, suddenly looking scared itself, and scurried back to Emily, hiding behind her leg. Emily¡ªonly a little worried at the squirrel¡¯s display¡ªuntethered her divine light and let it float further into the room, pushing more magic into it to increase its strength. It didn¡¯t take long before she could see what had strange rodent so riled up.


    The tunnel had ended and let them out into a chamber. It might once have been grand, but now it was derelict and forgotten. Cracking stones covered in moss and cobwebs formed dark corners filled with bones and tattered clothing. But it was not the room that drew Emily¡¯s eyes, rather, it was the three dog sized spiders on the far wall that caught her attention. At least three feet wide and two feet tall they were a disgusting sight, with their many shining eyes, dripping fangs, and hairy legs.


    Emily fell into a stance when she saw them, her eyes darting as she checked for more. But there were only the three, and there were only two doorways into the chamber; the one she had come through, and the one between the spiders. ¡°I suppose we have to go through them?¡±


    The squirrel chirped what Emily interpreted as an affirmative.


    ¡°Right. It¡¯s never easy, is it?¡±


    She didn¡¯t wait for an answer. The spiders had yet to move, and she intended to beat them to it. Rushing forward she covered half the distance to the wall before the spiders moved. Two going off to the side whilst one came straight for her, eight long segmented legs clicking against the floor, it¡¯s many beady eyes shimmering in the light from Emily¡¯s magic, and poison dripping from chattering pincers.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Right before they would have met Emily hurtled to the left in a quick pirouette, avoiding the spider¡¯s pincers. Her sword sang as it sliced through the air and a sudden shriek echoed through the chamber as it cut through three of the spider¡¯s legs. The spider crashed to the ground as Emily came to a halt behind it, and with a quick downwards strike, she sliced the spider¡¯s abdomen almost in two; for even with her strength the swords edge had been two blunt for a clean strike. The spider convulsed as its life fled with the blood pouring through the gaping wound, before dying, and curling up into a ball.


    The two remaining spiders had skittered around the chamber and were now close to where Emily had started, and she watched them as she placed her foot against the dead spider and yanked her sword free. They almost seemed confused as to why she was no longer there; or perhaps it was because she wasn¡¯t running in fear. Emily smiled to herself and stepped around corpse. The squirrel had vanished from sight, but she was sure it was still around.


    ¡°Are you just going to stand there?¡± she asked the spiders. They didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Too bad.¡±


    Rushing forward the spiders moved, again one towards her and the other to the side. Ignoring the one going around Emily waited until the spider was close then she leapt, and sailed over the spider, her head bare inches from the ceiling. The spider tried catching her as she went over its head but was to slow. When she landed, she immediately spun and stabbed forward, intending to impale the spider¡¯s abdomen. But she had forgotten what blade she was wielding, and the sword¡¯s blunted tip slid of the spider¡¯s carapace. Swearing she leapt backwards, narrowly dodging the spider¡¯s legs as it turned to face her.


    ¡°So much for being fancy,¡± she muttered, and took another step backwards as the spider advanced, suddenly finding itself with the advantage. But it didn¡¯t last long, another step and Emily slashed across its face. The spider shrieked as searing pain shot through its eyes and thrashed in an attempt to catch Emily, but she had retreated another few feet. She stood casually, waiting for an opening, and when she saw it, she leapt forward, this time striking from above. The spider died quickly; its head bashed in.


    But as Emily had been focused on the second spider, the third had slipped her mind. She had no to react as the spider leapt over its dead kin and crashed over her. She fell to the ground with the spider above her, sword falling to the side as she grabbed its pincers before they could close around her. The spider¡¯s legs tapped in an unholy symphony as it tried to break free, but she held the pincers, grimacing as poison dribbled down her gloves. Then she strained, and with a great crack, she snapped the spider¡¯s right pincer straight off, and¡ªholding the spider steady with her left¡ªdrove the pincer through its head. The spider bound backwards, throwing its head about as the position dribbled into its brain, and before long, it lay dead on the floor.


    With a groan Emily let her head fall to the ground and stared up at the divine light floating by the ceiling. She hadn¡¯t realized how weak she was, but she supposed she never did get to rest up after fighting all the gods. For she couldn¡¯t have been out for long after being thrown through the rift. A chirp made her raise her head, and she found the squirrel standing on its hind legs, its beady eyes looking at her worryingly.


    ¡°There you are,¡± she said, smiling to put it at ease. ¡°Did you hide?¡±


    The squirrel nodded.


    ¡°Guess you wouldn¡¯t have been able to do much, huh?¡± She got up and collected her sword. ¡°Well that¡¯s enough lazing. Let¡¯s continue.¡±


    Emily once again tethered the light above her head, decreasing its strength as she could already feel her source running dry of magic.


    I¡¯ll have to conserve my magic until I can find Alex, she thought. For only when they were together could they truly recover. Such were their blessing, and their curse. The squirrel set off through the chamber, towards the door opposite the one they had arrived through. Emily never looked back; never saw the pale blue light emanating from the corpses she left behind.

 Chapter 6 - A New World VI

    Emily followed the squirrel deeper into the dungeon, through turning and twisting pathways that often seemed to double back on themselves. If not for the rodent, she would have been horribly lost. Though, she did notice the tunnels were no longer slanting downwards, rather it seemed they stayed on the same level the whole way. Perhaps this was the bottom floor, or perhaps, they were just walking in circles.


    Twice more they came across giant spiders, and twice more Emily dispatched them without much worry. They were not challenging opponents, and they only became easier to defeat when she figured out that their blind spot was right down the middle of their wide heads, where there was a gap in their many stationary eyes.


    She stretched and yawned as she stepped around the corpse of the last spider, her chain mail rustling as it was pulled over her belt. She hadn¡¯t gotten enough sleep since before the campaign had reached the mountain of the gods a good two months past. And the short catnap she had taken after being whisked through a rift had not been enough after her battles with half of the old gods.


    ¡°How far are we from your master?¡± she asked the squirrel.


    It stood on its hind legs and held its front paws less than an inch apart.


    ¡°Not far?¡±


    The squirrel nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry then, before I run dry of magic.¡±


    The squirrel chirped in agreement, and hurried down the tunnel, ignoring the many others that branched off. Emily couldn¡¯t help but peer into the darkness whenever another tunnel crossed their path. She couldn¡¯t see very far, for she had lowered the strength of her light until it barely lit the ground before her.


    How big is this place? She mused and slowed down for a moment as a breath of stale air blew out of a passing tunnel. It seems to go on forever. There were other thoughts stringing through her mind, like who built it, and why? But she pushed them aside. They could wait until a more suitable time. Besides, Alex had always been the researcher of the two. But perhaps he had rubbed off on her? Not impossible, with how much time they had spent together. She smiled to herself as she remembered warm summer nights spent in his room at the top of the mages tower, before their world had turned on its head. Lost in thought she almost missed the first step of a staircase, and only the sudden chirp of the squirrel stopped her from falling down headfirst.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said and looked down the stairs. The darkness below was thick, like a pool of ink; not even her light seemed able to penetrate its surface. ¡°Do we need to go down here?¡±


    The squirrel nodded, but seemed hesitant to take the first step down. Its fur stood on edge and its tall pointy ears stood straight as it looked around, sniffing the air. Then it looked up at Emily with a concerned look clothing its features.


    ¡°Should I go first?¡±


    The squirrel nodded again. Emily wondered if the squirrel ever got tired of nodding. Then she shook herself loose and took the first step down. She stopped on the step for a moment; waiting; listening, but nothing happened. No traps activated, no sudden sounds or breaths of air indicated she had attracted any more spiders. Shrugging, she continued down the stairs, the squirrel tight on her heel for once.


    The darkness seemed reluctant to give way to her light, but divine magic is nothing if not persistent, and not even the thickest of shadows could hold on forever in its presence. At the bottom, Emily found herself at the end of a short corridor, not more than thirty feet long, with a large and open arched doorway at the other end. She studied the walls for a moment, but they were as solid as ever, if a little filthier than those above. The air was stagnant; filled with a repugnant smell of scat and rotting meat. Whatever lived down there had not done its spring cleaning.


    Emily made her way to the doorway with hasty steps, she did not want to stay longer than absolutely necessary. Pressing herself against the wall outside, she gathered her light into her hands and threw it into the darkness beyond. She peeked in as it lit the space, revealing a chamber much larger than the previous ones. Its layout was much the same, but for a multitude of alcoves along the walls, and a large one brimming with darkness at the other end. She thought she heard hushed whispers in the semi-dark but couldn¡¯t be sure. Then without warning, the squirrel¡ªsuddenly seeming fearless¡ªscampered past, and made its way to one of the alcoves along the wall, where it slipped between the bars that marked it a cell.


    ¡°Roco!¡± a girl exclaimed from within the alcove, before being hushed. In softer tones, she continued, ¡°You¡¯re back. Did you find help? Is that who made the light? It¡¯s so pretty¡ªI¡¯ve never seen anything like it.¡±


    Emily shook her head as she stepped into the chamber, she didn¡¯t need to hear more to understand why these people needed help.


    ¡°Wait, stop!¡± another voice cried, ¡°Don¡¯t come in here!¡±


    It came to late, for Emily had already stepped through the large doorway, not that she had any intention of following such orders either way. ¡°Why not?¡± she asked the people in the cell. But they did not need to answer, for the next moment a heavy metal grate smalled down behind her, locking her inside the chamber. Emily looked over her shoulder and let her eyes wander the grate and door frame; they seemed solid enough. ¡°Ah,¡± she said, it seemed she had finally walked into a trap. ¡°That¡¯s why.¡± Then she shrugged and continued further into the chamber, walking casually towards the alcove. She let her light float higher, and gave it a little boost of strength, as much as she dared.


    ¡°Over here,¡± yet another voice said from the alcove. ¡°Come quickly if you want to live!¡±


    Emily could now make out four people withing the alcove, three behind bars and one holding open a heavy door. Their faces were pale in the light from her divine magic, but they all seemed human enough at first glance. The boys were quite ordinary, the kind you could find in any town or village across M¨®nvell. Dressed in tunics and armor of leather and metal, all seeming quite bare-bones, and perhaps a little cheap. The brown haired one held the door with his left, and in the other a spear, not the weapon Emily would have brought into a dungeon of tight corners and low ceilings, but each to their own, she supposed. The other, a shorter blond boy, had two daggers at his waist, a much more sensible option, seeing the circumstances.


    But where the boys left little to be exited about, the two girls were a completely different story. They captured Emily¡¯s attention in a way not many could, for adorning their heads were two pairs of cat ears, covered in black fur that matched their hair. She had never seen anything like it. Where they real, or some kind of an illusion? In her slightly groggy state that question seemed to burrow into her mind like a mole through dirt, attaching itself to her consciousness. And as if to make matters worse, below the cat ears were two pairs of slitted yellow eyes, glowing faintly as they caught her light, just like those of a cat. Neither did it help that the girls seemed to be twins, or that they had decided to dress identically.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Two short braids reaching their chins framed round faces dominated by the yellow eyes, whatever hair had not gone to the braids hung free behind their heads in long tresses. They were both dressed in dark-green tunics, both with a soft brown leather chest-piece strapped around their chests, and armguards of the same material, leaving their midriff and much of their upper arms undefended. Below their tunics, short leather shorts left much of their upper thighs and knees bare, as their boots only reached halfway up their shins.


    They were utterly identical but for their weapons. For one held a composite short bow with a cut string, and the other had a staff on her back, and the squirrel¡ªEmily realized¡ªon her shoulder. That¡¯s the master then, she thought, doesn¡¯t cats hunt squirrels?


    Then a roar came from deeper into the chamber, where her light did not reach. A roar that shook the ceiling and caused the boy holding the door to glance towards it. It also broke Emily out of her trance, and she blinked as she tried to make out something¡ªanything, in the semi-darkness


    ¡°Hurry!¡± the boy shouted, the panic in his voice palpable. ¡°If the Guardian gets you you¡¯re as good as dead.¡±


    Emily did not heed his call, instead she focused on the enormous shape moving within the darkness. ¡°Is this Guardian the reason you need help?¡± she asked calmly.


    ¡°What? Of course it is, what else could it be?¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Emily said, decreasing the strength of her light. ¡°I just arrived. Haven¡¯t had time to read up on things yet.¡±


    There was another roar and the boy slammed the cell door shut. ¡°Just come in here, you can¡¯t defeat it on your own!¡±


    Emily looked towards the boy, and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not much for cells, you know.¡±


    Then the Guardian stepped out into the light. Emily tilted her head as she tried to make sense of the creature. It looked like a scorpion¡­ more or less. It had six segmented legs on either side of a long flat body covered in glistening carapace. But it¡¯s pincers were much too long and thin, and it had not one stinger extending from its back, but two, moving back and fourth in time with its steps. And it was huge, at least six feet tall at its back, and its pincers hung a good twenty feet in the air.


    The boy slammed the cell-door shut, and Emily heard it lock from the inside. ¡°It¡¯s your funeral.¡±


    Emily gave them another smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she said in a voice that did not betray a bit of fear. ¡°I¡¯ll get you out of here alive.¡±


    The Guardian rushed forward, its eight legs clacking in unison with its massive pincers, and its two stingers raised and ready to fall. Emily bent her knees as she waited for the Guardian to reach her, closing her ears to the screams of terror from the cell. She wanted to the test the creature, and frankly, she was too tired to be running around. At the last moment she leapt backwards, avoiding a swipe from the creature¡¯s giant pincers, then to the side to avoid the stinger that crashed to the ground where she had stood. Spinning into a pirouette she brought the sword against the stinger, aiming to sever it from the tail. But as the sword made contact with the Guardian¡¯s carapace, she felt the already weakened metal give way, it was too late to stop the swing, and the sword shattered in her hands.


    She leapt away with an oath that would have made a sailor proud, and her father furious. ¡°A weapon, quick!¡± she shouted to the party in the cell.


    ¡°None of us have a sword!¡± One of the boys shouted back.


    ¡°Did I ask for a sword? Throw me a weapon or we are all dead.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª,¡± one of the boys said, then he growled to himself, and lifted his spear¡ªa partisan with a short sword as spearhead, taking up a good quarter of the spear¡¯s length¡ªand pulled his arm back. With a shout that sounded more like an injured mouse than a warrior¡¯s roar, he threw the spear towards Emily.


    He¡¯s not very good at throwing, Emily mused as she tracked the weapon¡¯s trajectory, it was much too high and quite a bit askew. Rushing forward and taking the Guardian by surprise, she leapt up on one of its pincers and then further onto its back, the carapace was slick under her feet as and she almost slipped; her reactions were slower than usual. But before the Guardian could react to the human on its back, she leapt again, arching her back as she sailed through the air¡ªaway from the Guardian, catching the spear before completing a backwards somersault, still facing the Guardian as she landed before it.


    The spear was light¡ªconsidering its size, and that lack of weight betrayed its lack of quality. From the feel in her hand she guessed the shaft was made of pine¡ªor at least a wood similar to pine¡ªeither way, it was too soft for a proper spear. She dared not guess at the metal contents of the spearhead, or she might have given up there and then. She was sure it was not strong enough to cut through the Guardian¡¯s carapace as it was, which meant she had no choice¡ªshe had to use magic.


    Leaping backwards to give herself some distance from the momentarily disoriented beast, she pulled her gloves off whilst juggling the spear. She¡¯d need skin to weapon contact, or her armor would suck up some of the magic. Normally, that wouldn¡¯t have been a problem, but with how little magic she had left, she needed every little bit to go into the spear. Then she threw the spear into the air and deftly pulled the chain mail over her head. Throwing it to the floor and catching the spear she leapt to the side, avoiding an attack from the Guardian that struck the chain mail, pinning it to the floor and shattering many of the links. She spared it a momentary thought, for it had saved her from many a charge, but metal attracted magic, and the chain mail¡ªunsurprisingly¡ªhad a lot of it. Spinning to avoid another attack she rushed behind the sluggish beast.


    Within the moment of calm as the Guardian struggled to spin to follow her, she gripped the spear¡¯s shaft with both her hands and dove into her source. She almost gasped when she found that the ordinarily raging sea of magic had become little more than a calm pond. She frankly did not know what would happen when she ran out, she just hoped it wasn¡¯t anything serious. Then she dove in, and let the magic flow.


    Her eyes shone an emerald green as she used the last of her magic to strengthen herself and her weapon, the energies burning like fire as it flowed through her veins. The spear¡ªstrained to the point of breaking¡ªvibrated in her hand as magic flowed through it, and the spearhead glowed green, matching her eyes and leaving a glowing trail in the air as it moved. The Guardian, having finally turned to face her, seemed to take a greater interest in her when the magic started flowing, and with a chittering roar it attacked.


    She spun the spear and moved. Flowing like water she avoided the Guardians strikes with deadly precision, a single misstep would mean death, but she did not make mistakes. The Guardian¡¯s right stinger crashed to the ground beside her and she spun faster than the eye could see, the green trail betrayed her movements, but it did not help the Guardian, for the stinger had already been severed.


    It seemed to take a moment for the pain to register. Then with a roar that shook the ceiling and caused gravel to rain down it attacked with its remaining stinger. Again, Emily flowed around the attack like water around a rock, avoiding the stinger as it stabbed the ground around her, cracking the stone floor. The Guardian swung a massive claw towards her, and she jumped, using the spears shaft as a pole to hive herself more height. In the air she swung the spear around, and as she came down, she drove it into one of the creature¡¯s large beady eyes. Emily felt the spear crack as it penetrated through the hard flesh behind the eye, and into the creature¡¯s brain. With a last push of effort she drove the spear the last bit in, and let it go, before falling back to the ground and landing upon her feet.


    As her magic vanished from the spear, the weakened wood shattered spectacularly, throwing shards of wood several feet away. Emily stood before the guardian, between its pincers, unarmed and out of magic. It would have been harrowing, had she not been certain of her abilities. And she was right to be, for the Guardian was already dead. The magically enhanced spearhead had fried its brain from within, and the creature crashed to the ground as its body stopped to function, throwing a cloud of dust into the air.


    Emily dusted of her hands. ¡°You weren¡¯t so dangerous after all,¡± she said to the corpse. Then her light sputtered and went out, plunging them into darkness. One of the twins shrieked.

 Chapter 7 - A New World VII

    Emily blinked as she suddenly found herself draped in darkness. ¡°Guess I¡¯m out of magic,¡± she said calmly. ¡°Does anyone have a torch?¡±


    But no one had time to answer before the room lit in a pale blue light. Looking up in surprise Emily found the light to be emanating from Guardian¡¯s back. She heard the cell-door click open, but her focus was this new light. It was magical in nature, she could that much, but she¡¯d need to get a better look. Sighing softly she walked up to the Guardian¡¯s body and clambered up on its back, to tired to be leaping the distance like she had before. The polished carapace offered little purchase, but eventually she found a groove between the plates where she could fit her fingertips. Hauling herself up was an exercise in arm strength, and she felt her numb biceps cry after their exertion with the spear, and the extra strain magic put on her muscles.


    Standing on the Guardian¡¯s back she stretched her arms, first before her, then behind her, bending at the hip as she pushed her hands towards the ceiling, sighing again as her muscles relaxed. Then she looked around for the source of the light, and found it to be a crystal laying in a small recess in the carapace.


    ¡°The hell,¡± she muttered and walked over to the crystal. Squatting, she studied it for a moment. It was about the size of her closed fist and looked like a rough gemstone; unpolished and covered with spikes. Yet it was beautiful, and its inner shine was strong enough to throw the large room into a pleasant semi-darkness. With a start she realized the crystal was full of magic. She hadn¡¯t noticed at first, because of the fog that seemed to hang over her fatigued mind, but the crystal radiated great amounts of magic. It wasn¡¯t anything compared to what she could do when Alex was close by, but then, not much was. Marveling at the amount of magic contained in the crystal she reached out to pick it up.


    ¡°No!¡± The twins screamed in unison. ¡°Don¡¯t touch it!¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Emily asked and stood up, the crystal in her hand. She felt it buzz as the magic tried to escape through her skin, but she pushed back, confining it within the stone. The party stood frozen outside the Guardian¡¯s pincers, staring at her with open mouths. Lit in pale blue by the crystal in Emily¡¯s hand they looked almost ethereal.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± the boy with the blond hair spluttered.


    ¡°What is?¡± Emily asked and walked back to the Guardian¡¯s head, before sliding back down to the ground. She hadn¡¯t been able to see before, but this new light made it clear the party must have had a hard time before she got there. They were all covered in scratches and bruises, and their clothes were almost as torn as her own.


    ¡°You¡¯re holding the Guardian crystal!¡± the twin with a broken bow exclaimed.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°And you are not dead,¡± the twin with the squirrel on her shoulder said, she sounded almost impressed, and her yellowish eyes seemed to glow in the light.


    Emily looked down upon herself, she was still a mess, both from the earlier fights with the gods¡ªwhich felt like a lifetime ago¡ªand the fight with the Guardian. But she was still alive. ¡°I¡¯m not, no,¡± she confirmed. ¡°Should I be?¡±


    All four people¡ªand the squirrel¡ªnodded.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯m sorry to disappoint.¡± The crystal buzzed in her hand. It was tempting to use the crystal to refill her own magic. But she resisted. There were too many unknowns about the thing. ¡°Does anyone have a pouch I could borrow?¡±


    The twin with a bow took a hesitant step towards Emily, untying a pouch from her belt, her eyes darting between the crystal in Emily¡¯s hand and her face. ¡°Here,¡± she said and held it out, shying away as Emily accepted it.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Emily said and gave the girl a thankful smile. ¡°Does anyone have another light?¡± The brown-haired boy held up a lantern clothed in thin leather, it emitted a blue glow similar to the crystal, albeit weaker. Emily gave him a thumbs up and dropped the crystal into the pouch. ¡°What¡¯s so dangerous about the crystal anyway?¡± she asked as she tied the pouch to her belt. She could still feel the magic radiating through the leather, but it was mostly contained.


    ¡°It contains too much magic for anyone to handle,¡± the blond boy said. ¡°Your arms should have burned up.¡±


    Emily looked up and blinked, surprised with herself. ¡°Of course,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯d forgotten about that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d forgotten about that?¡± the brown-haired boy asked. ¡°How do you forget something like that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve spent time around normal people. And I¡¯m quite¡ª¡± She cut herself off with a great yawn. ¡°¡ªquite tired,¡± she finished, stretching her arms over her head and rolling her neck, savoring the feeling of bones popping.


    ¡°Normal people,¡± the blond boy snapped. ¡°Is that supposed to be some kind of insult?¡±


    ¡°Only if you feel it¡¯s true.¡±


    He didn¡¯t have an answer. Turning away from the boys, Emily found the twins standing so close their shoulders were touching and looking at her with cautious curiosity. Their cat-ears¡­ ears were pointed straight up and a little forward, and their tails¡ªEmily¡¯s brows shot up for a moment, she hadn¡¯t even noticed the tails before, but both had a fluffy black tail wrapped around the other twin, as if holding each other.


    ¡°You¡ªsquirrel girl,¡± Emily said and motioned for the girl in question, causing her to jump a little, and her ears to flatten. ¡°Can you get that squirrel to show us the way out. If I¡¯m going to die I¡¯d like to feel the sun on my face one last time.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Yes.¡± She reached up to her shoulder to let the squirrel down, but it was already ahead of her, clambering down tunic and jumping when it reached the end of her shorts. On the ground it stood on its hind-legs for a moment, then it scampered off towards the doorway.


    ¡°Wait,¡± the brown-haired boy said and held up his hand. ¡°We aren¡¯t finished speaking here.¡±


    ¡°We can speak on the way up,¡± Emily said, already walking past them, following the squirrel. ¡°Roco,¡± she said. ¡°I think that was your name. Could you show us out?¡±


    The squirrel chirped.


    ¡°Hold on!¡± the brown-haired boy continued, holding out an arm to block Emily¡¯s path. ¡°I¡¯m the leader of this party, and I haven¡¯t said it¡¯s time to leave!¡±


    ¡°Lay off, Rory,¡± the twin with the bow said. ¡°The only thing you¡¯ve led us into is this mess. Be happy we can come out alive.¡±


    ¡°So you are taking her side now? And since when does she give orders?¡±


    ¡°Since she killed a monster the Guild would have sent twenty people to handle; on her own, with your shitty spear.¡±


    Emily couldn¡¯t help but snort with laughter. ¡°Listen to the girl,¡± she said and snatched the lantern from Rory¡¯s hand, ignoring his strangled protest. ¡°She seems to have enough sense for both of you.¡±


    She walked off with the lantern and she heard pattering footsteps as the other four quickly followed. When she approached the closed gate, she felt the crystal at her hip react, and the gate glowed blue for a moment before sliding back up into the ceiling. ¡°Well that¡¯s awfully convenient,¡± she muttered and joined Roco outside the chamber.


    The squirrel chirped; it had slid through the bars before the gate had gone up. She motioned for it to show the way, and it set off down the short corridor, towards the stairs. She followed it, and the others followed her, for she held the lantern. The boys and one of the twins continued to bicker, but Emily was only listening with half an ear. Her mind clouded and foggy; she felt as if she could fall asleep standing. Putting one foot before the other was all she could do to keep moving.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Suddenly the squirrel girl appeared beside her, cat ears standing straight up. She was of quite average height, Emily realized, perhaps six inches shorter than her own five foot six, but the ears gave her another five inches when they stood up. ¡°Ehm,¡± she said, drawing Emily¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Emily asked, letting an eyebrow say the rest.


    The girl¡¯s ears flattened, as if caught by apprehension. She glanced back at her sister who was still bickering with the boys, then she took a breath. ¡°I realized we haven¡¯t thanked you properly¡ªfor saving us, that is. And, ehm¡­ we don¡¯t have a lot of money, but maybe we can¡­ pay you later?¡± She looked up at Emily with what she could only describe as puppy eyes, though they fell quickly as she gazed into Emily¡¯s eyes; they were as hard as the emeralds they resembled.


    Emily held the girl with her gaze for a moment; she has fangs to, she realized. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± she said and gave the girl a calming smile. ¡°Saving people is sort of what I do. I wouldn¡¯t ask for payment for something so simple.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Emily nodded. ¡°Really.¡±


    The girl lit up as a smile spread across her face. ¡°Then, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Emily Blackwood.¡±


    ¡°Emily¡­¡± she mumbled, as of tasting the name. Then she lit up even brighter than before. ¡°I¡¯m Annelle, but you can call me Ann, and that¡¯s my squirrel, Roco,¡± she said, and the squirrel chirped. ¡°The other lejion is my sister, Yulann, but you can call her Yu, we are both from the Ionaka tribe. The boys are Rory¡ªthat¡¯s the one whose spear you used¡ªand Louie.¡±


    Emily did her best to keep the names in her head, but the fog made them slip, she¡¯d caught Ann and Yu, that would have to do for now. ¡°Right,¡± she said. ¡°What were you even doing here?¡±


    ¡°Hunting for crystals,¡± Ann said, as if that explained everything.


    ¡°And what does ¡®hunting for crystals¡¯ entail?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Emily sighed. ¡°I fell from the sky a few hours ago, I have no idea what is going on.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    Ann looked up at her with eyes that seemed unnaturally large, her dark pupils dilating until they consumed her iris. ¡°Are you an alien?¡±


    Silence fell, even the bickering behind them quieted, nothing could be heard but for the echoing of their footfalls on the cobbled floor. Emily let the moment stretch, drawing it out as she held Ann¡¯s gaze. Just as it seemed someone would break the silence, Emily spoke in a soft sigh.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ann gasped theatrically, then devolved into giggles. ¡°No, but really,¡± she said after having calmed down and wiped her eyes. ¡°Who are you? I didn¡¯t know the guild in Vigilfell had anyone strong enough to slay a Guardian on their own.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t,¡± Rory said from behind them.


    ¡°I told you,¡± Emily sighed, a headache had begun to form behind her temple. ¡°I¡¯m Emily Blackwood, and I fell out of the sky a few hours ago.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Ann said, though she clearly didn¡¯t believe her. Then she gasped. ¡°Are you a paladin from Eztrenya? I heard they have awesome adventurers over there.¡±


    ¡°A paladin?¡± Emily scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t compare me to those zealots. I¡¯m a knight, nothing more.¡±


    ¡°But your magic,¡± Louie said, ¡°It was holy magic, wasn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t think any other element can produce such a pure light.¡±


    Emily shrugged, not bothering to look back. ¡°Magic is magic. I don¡¯t care what kind it is as long as it gets the job done.¡±


    ¡°But that¡­ that¡¯s ridiculous,¡± Yu said, suddenly appearing on Emily¡¯s other side. ¡°Everyone has one or two elements of magic they can control; that¡¯s what grandma always said. Right, Ann?¡±


    Ann nodded wildly, her braids and bangs flying as she agreed with her sister.


    Emily yawned. ¡°I would prove you wrong. But I used all my magic on saving your lives, so it will have to wait.¡±


    A pale blue light greeted them as they entered the first chamber Emily had reached. They must have taken another path then the one she had taken in, for they hadn¡¯t passed any of the other spiders she had killed. Emily walked in and crouched before the corpse of the one she had almost cut in two. On the ground beneath its split abdomen lay a crystal, not unlike the one hung at her hip, though much smaller.


    ¡°Did you kill this one with your hands?¡± Ann asked.


    Emily looked up to see the girl standing before the spider with its own pincer pierced through its skull.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± she whistled. Then she turned to squirrel, and asked, ¡°Did she really?¡±


    The squirrel nodded, and set about reenacting the fight.


    Emily picked the crystal off the floor, to a strangled protest from Yu, who were standing beside her. ¡°Are these the crystals you are hunting?¡±


    Yu nodded. Emily weighed the crystal in her hand. It buzzed with magic, just like the larger one, though with several magnitudes less force.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°We collect them and sell them to the guild in Vigilfell,¡± Yu explained. ¡°It¡¯s a good way to making money, and get practical experience with fighting.¡± She hesitated, then asked, ¡°You really don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve never heard of something like this,¡± Emily said and rolled the crystal between her fingers. ¡°How much are they worth?¡±


    Yu seemed like she wanted to ask a question of her own, but she held it. ¡°It depends,¡± she said. ¡°The small ones range from a few copper to several silver, depending on their size and quantity of magic.¡±


    ¡°And the Guardian crystals?¡±


    ¡°They can go for tens, and sometimes even hundreds of gold,¡± Yu said, then she added, ¡°Though, usually the reward is split over a dozen or more people.¡±


    That made sense, Emily supposed, nothing she had seen so far indicated any greater fighting ability in these people than those of M¨®nvell. Emily was going to ask another question, when a cry of pain made her leap to her feet; a mistake she was quickly punished for as her vision blackened. When it cleared she saw Yu crouched before her sister, her hands upon Ann¡¯s shoulders as Ann clutched her hand to her chest, a crystal at her feet.


    ¡°Did you leave your wits at mother¡¯s teat?¡± Yu asked angrily. ¡°Why would you pick it up bare-handed?¡±


    Ann¡¯s eyes were closed and her face scrunched up, and when she answered it was in a barely audible murmur. ¡°Emily could just pick them up. So I thought, maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t compare yourself to a stranger we just met!¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Listen to your sister,¡± Emily interrupted. ¡°You don¡¯t want to compare yourself to me, for more reasons than might at first be obvious.¡±


    Ann looked down, avoiding Yu¡¯s accusing glare, and Emily¡¯s leveled look. ¡°Sorry,¡± she mumbled, then she winced as her hand brushed against her chest.


    Instantly Yu¡¯s expression changed into one of worry. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± she asked softly.


    Ann nodded meekly.


    Emily sighed. ¡°Let me have a look.¡± She squatted before Ann and held out her hand. With some trepidation and a suspicious look from Yu, Ann reached out and laid her hand upon Emily¡¯s. The girl¡¯s skin was warm and smooth, and Emily couldn¡¯t help but notice that her nails were sharpened, like the claws of a cat. The tips of two of her fingers¡ªher thumb and index¡ªwere blackened; burned by the magic that had escaped the crystal.


    ¡°Magical burns,¡± Emily muttered as she inspected Ann¡¯s fingers, she made it sound like an oath. ¡°Looks like you dropped it before the magic could do any permanent damage to your nerves, so I doubt there¡¯s more to this than burnt skin. But just in case.¡±


    She kept Ann¡¯s hand in her right, and picked up the crystal from between Ann¡¯s feet with her left. Ann tried to pull her hand away when she did, but Emily gripped it. ¡°Hold still,¡± she said, a little more harshly than she had intended. Ann froze in place, ears flat against her skull and her pupils dilated until their blackness was all that could be see, and if they had been standing, Emily was sure her tail would have been between her legs. But as they were not, it was instead twirled around Yu¡¯s leg. She looked terrified, but apologies could wait, at least she kept still. Yu held her face neutral, but strained, and worry shone through her eyes as she kept a protective white-knuckle grip on Ann¡¯s shoulders, and her tail twirled alongside Ann¡¯s.


    Emily drained the crystal of its magic, like a bucket of water poured out in a desert it formed a tiny pool at the bottom of her source. The crystal in her hand stopped glowing, then crumbled into dust. Emily let it fall to the floor and put her hand over Ann''s burns. Closing her eyes she dove into the small pool of magic and muttered, "Heal the flesh, soothe the burn." Her palm lit in a white light that quickly spread to Ann¡¯s fingers, flowing like water across the burned tips.


    ¡°It¡¯s cold,¡± Ann mumbled.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be over soon.¡±


    True to Emily¡¯s words, the magic only swirled for another moment, before receding; vanishing from sight. Where there had been blackened tips, it left behind pinkish skin of a slightly paler shade than the twins sun-kissed complexion. Emily leaned back onto the balls of her feet and let go off Ann¡¯s hand. As soon as it was free she pulled it back with a cat¡¯s swiftness, and inspected her fingers.


    ¡°They¡¯re healed,¡± Yu said from above Ann¡¯s head, as Ann seemed too shocked to speak. Both looked at Emily, their faces displaying varying levels of admiration and surprise, ears standing straight up.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Emily yawned. ¡°That¡¯s usually what healing magic does.¡± Then she shook her head, and stood up; slower this time. The boys seemed as shocked as the twins, though they hid it a little better, but the way they glanced to each other, and then to Emily, betrayed them.


    ¡°Come now,¡± Emily said. ¡°I would rather not sleep down here. But I will if we don¡¯t get out soon.¡± And without waiting for an answer she marched on towards the exit.

 Chapter 8 - The Call of Fate I

    The sun gleamed from a cloudless sky, dressing the day in a dry summer heat.


    Alex shadowed his eyes as he looked across the fields, sitting astride his moa at the crest of the hill. The forest had been thinning for the past day of travel, and after a short lunch beneath the branches, they had emerged from beneath the trees cool embrace. The fields that stretched out before them across the rolling hills were in full bloom. Filled with golden wheat swaying in the wind, and the flat green of potato leaves. Trees¡ªboth solitary oaks and willows, and bundles of aspen and maple¡ªdotted the landscape. Through this picturesque view the road stretched like a snake slithering through a tranquil sea, smaller branches jutting out now and then; narrower roads turned avenues by the flanking trees, leading to tiny villages of a dozen or so houses¡ªand the occasional windmill spinning lazily in the fresh breeze¡ªclustered atop hills across the horizon.


    The moa chirped, not unlike how a horse would neigh, and Alex reached out to pat its long neck. Riding the bird had been strangely familiar. And despite the strange way it boobed up and down¡ªso different from a horse¡ªhe had fallen into a comfortable and familiar rhythm after just a few minutes in the saddle. It helped that the bird responded in much the same way as a horse would to his usage of he bridle and stirrups, and that it had clearly been trained for battle, giving it a calm and easy temper.


    Charles came up beside him, reining in his moa with a pull on the bridle. They had barely been able to speak since after the attack two days earlier. Charles had been quite occupied with his duties after the sudden loss of both soldiers and confidence, and Alex had been much too tired to do much other than sleep. It had been his first time getting a proper night¡¯s sleep since before his battle with the gods, after all, and the only thing he had missed, was Emily. During the day he had ridden at the back of the column, as was proper for a stranger, though he had heard some mumbled of displeasure among the soldiers at that, and had been given an extra helping of food, and good accommodations for the night; a sign of their appreciation for his acts, no doubts.


    Behind them the soldier¡¯s were finishing up preparations to ride across the open fields, by raising banners and redying trumpets to herald the prince¡¯s passing. They may have been in a hurry, but there were limits to how unassuming they could be.


    ¡°You seem lost in thought, stranger,¡± Charles said, using the nickname Alex had been given by the prince.


    ¡°Just reminiscing,¡± Alex mused. ¡°It¡¯s been too long since I¡¯ve seen farmland untouched by war or plague. Or hills green with grass and golden hay, and not sot and blackened dirt.¡±


    Charles expression was unreadable, but there was a hint of curiosity in his voice as he spoke. ¡°You come from a pale world, I gather.¡±


    ¡°You could say that,¡± Alex said, his eyes seeing things long past. ¡°It was dying, for most of my life. I just hope I did enough before I left.¡± He shook his head, and smiled to Charles. ¡°Sorry, this is not the time nor place for such darkness.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right.¡± Charles gazed out across the fields and the rolling hills, admiring the same views as Alex, but perhaps for a different reason. They sat in silence for a moment, before Charles spoke again. ¡°We¡¯ll reach Blackstead by evening, from there roads lead to all corners of the kingdom. If you wish to part ways, this will the best opportunity to do so, since beyond Blackstead the road south only leads to Spellhedge, and he ancient forest Alveria.¡±


    Alex hummed, and turned to face Charles. ¡°This town, Spellhedge, why is the princess there?¡±


    ¡°It houses an ancient academy of magic and science, the oldest in the kingdom, perhaps in the world,¡± Charles explained, and shifted upon his moa. ¡°Every princess has received their education there, it¡¯s tradition.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Alex said. An academy of magic did sound interesting, however, the great forest of Alveria, there was a tug at the name¡ªa suggestion. He recognized it for what it was; a thread of fate. ¡°The great forest of Alveria?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s an even more ancient place of magic,¡± Charles said. ¡°It¡¯s why Spellhedge is on our southern border, as close to the forest as it could get.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what sort of magic place it is? Elemental magic? Holy?¡±


    Charles looked a little lost, then shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not much is known about the forest. And it¡¯s said no one that¡¯s entered has ever left.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Alex sighed, magical places were usually protected. But he still felt the tug of fate, the thread that would guide him; that had guided him throughout his life. ¡°I¡¯ll come with you to Spellhedge,¡± he said. ¡°A town of magic sounds just up my alley.¡±


    Charles smiled. ¡°I thought so. It¡¯ll be another week of travel beyond Blackstead, and if you wish to stay, then that is your prerogative. Though, I¡¯d always welcome a man like you to the royal guard.¡±


    Alex couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°That may be, but I¡¯m afraid I can already decline your offer. I¡¯ve fought in enough armies in my life.¡±


    ¡°Still, the offer stands,¡± Charles said with a shrug, he wanted to say something more, but was interrupted as the prince rode up behind them on his purple moa, flanked by two soldiers on black moas.


    "Stranger," Elliot said haughtily, with none of the respect Charles had used the nickname with. "You may be riding with us, but you are not a part of the royal guard, as such you''ll have to find your own lodging when we reach Blackstead. For we will be lodging at duke Alistair¡¯s estate.¡±


    Alex bowed his head, and said simply, ¡°Your highness.¡± It had become quite clear during the short time Alex had spent with the entourage that the prince did not want to be there. A feeling that must have increased considerably after the unexpected attack. Still, Alex could not entirely blame him for not wanting to be there. Especially not if his mother had recently passed away. He should be home mourning, not riding across the nation to collect his younger sister.


    Charles tracked the prince as he left, with a strange look in his eyes. Then he turned back to Alex. ¡°I must see to the preparations. We¡¯ll ride as soon as they are complete.¡±


    Alex nodded as Charles brought his moa about and rode back to where the soldier¡¯s had made temporary camp. Something was afoul, he¡¯d had the feeling for a while. On the surface everything seemed fine, but as soon as he peeked underneath, there seemed to be a mire of conflict, he just couldn¡¯t seem to grasp its source. Perhaps he just didn¡¯t know enough of the kingdom and its political situation to decrypt the subtle hints, but if he was to spend the night in a town, he might get the opportunity to fill in some of his missing blanks.


    He turned back to gaze across the fields, when a realization suddenly struck him; he still did not know the princess¡¯ name, for she had only been referred to as ¡®the princess.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t be sure if there was a deeper meaning behind the omission, or if it was a simple mistake. But it sure seemed strange.


    He shook his head, and took a deep breath of the fresh air. He shouldn¡¯t get to embroiled in politics, he¡¯d already spent one lifetime fighting in court, he did not want to spend a second doing the same. Besides, he thought, it was probably just a careless mistake. And did his best to ignore the part of his mind saying: as if.


    ***


    The sun hung above the western horizon when Blackstead spread out before them, its origin and purpose clear to see as the smoke rising from its many cooking-fires. For the town was arranged around four roads, one from each cardinal direction, all terminating in a large circle, within which lay a field, filled with carts and stalls and people, so many people. People from all of southern Nydawin, if Charles were to be believed. Blackstead had always been a trading hub at the center of the country¡¯s southern heartland, and had over the centuries grown from a small collection of houses and tents, to a full fledged town, and the seat of the fief¡¯s duke, and in another century or two, the field might even have been cobbled. But they were still a little early for that, and the field was nothing but packed dirt. Alex was glad it hadn¡¯t rained since his arrival to this new world, or the field would probably have been as muddy as a pigsty, and even less clean.


    They rode into Blackstead along the northern road¡ªthe king¡¯s road that crossed the country from north to south¡ªdrawing eyes and whispers alike. Charles had told Alex news of the queen¡¯s death would have preceded them, and it seemed he had been right. For people lined the street as they rode into the town, clearing the way to the circular road and beyond, flocking to the banners displaying both the royal sign and the princes personal one, held by riders at the front and back of the column announced their passage. Some bowed or otherwise showed their respect, others¡ªstrangely enough¡ªstood with frigid expressions, watching with eyes that held suspicion and distrust.


    The royal procession would not be stopping within the town, but at the estate to the east. So when they reached the field the column made a sharp turn left. It was at this point Alex held his moa. Charles had given him the name of a reputable inn close to the town¡¯s center where he could stay the night, before catching the procession as it passed through the town the next morning.


    He watched them ride around the field, along the circular road, the last soldier turning left again to leave the town before Alex dismounted. With a fast grip on the moa¡¯s bridle he lead it through the quickly thickening crowd around the field, but to the east, not the west. He looked over the field with curious eyes as he passed, but found most of it be nothing more than a farmers market¡ªmuch like any in M¨®nvell¡ªwhere farmers came to sell things they produced, be it potatoes, wheat, meat, or wool; and purchase things they did not, like pans, pots, hoes, and clothes. Had he not been weary from almost two days in the saddle he might have perused the market for a bit, if only to see if he could find other ways it differed from those he knew.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    He stepped to the side as a dalama passed, pulling a large cart. The creature looked much like sheep, if the sheep had been the size of a cow with a neck twice as long, and from their heads sprouted wide, flat antlers, like those upon a moose. Their fur had been cut short for the summer, but Alex could see the hints of wool on some of the animals, and it wouldn¡¯t surprise him if they grew a lot fluffier during the colder months. They had passed many on the way into town, and Alex had grown more or less sure the creature was the only large barnyard animal in the world, or at least the only one in the country. Which was a pity, for they smelled horrendously and had a nasty habit of spitting at everyone and everything.


    He found the inn at the crossroad of the circle and the western road. The prancing moa, it was called, and it stood three stories tall upon a foundation much older than the rest of the building, made of large, square cut stones of a strange bluish color that Alex couldn¡¯t identify. The first floor was brick, and above it the second and third floor jutted out a good three feet, throwing the street below into shade. The upper stories were made from wood, and the roof from red tile. It was one of the few buildings that did not have a thatched roof, and the tiles glittered in the light from the falling sun. Smoke rose in light strands from some of the inns many tall chimneys, and a scent of cooking wafted out through the open shutters on the bottom floor.


    Alex made his way to the end of the inn along the western road, where a wide alleyway led to the back. There he found a stable boy to take care of his moa. Since he didn¡¯t know the local prices he gave the boy two copper, which might have been to much, since boy lit up when the coins dropped into his palm. He led away the animal with a spring in his step, and Alex, not caring much if he had overpaid, found his way back to the inn¡¯s entrance.


    The inside was surprisingly spacious, and clean enough, considering the circumstances. It seemed the somewhat upscale nature of the inn kept the riffraff at bay, and the customers enjoying their meals and beers around the many tables were either regulars, or more successful merchants, many in visible good humor. Alex made his way to the bar, and leaned upon the thick slab of oak.


    ¡°What will it be?¡± asked the girl behind the counter. She was pretty, with large almond eyes and ruffled brown hair that reminded him of Emily.


    ¡°Dinner and beer for the evening, and a room for the night,¡± he said, and after a moment¡¯s thought, he added, ¡°And a bath, if it is offered.¡±


    ¡°That would be three copper,¡± she said, and began filling a tankard from under he bar. ¡°That includes breakfast.¡±


    The only copper coins Alex had were the ones he had brought with him from M¨®nvell, and he didn¡¯t feel like spending them. Instead, he pulled a silver coin from the pouch Charles had given him, and put it on the bar. The girl vanished the coin with deft fingers, and replaced it with eight copper coins. Alex gathered them up and put them back in his pouch, making a mental note of the conversion rate.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said as he accepted the tankard, and made his way to an empty table by the far wall, from which he could see door and the entire client¨¨le. The din of conversation hadn¡¯t even hitched when he¡¯d walked through the door, and he supposed strangers were quite common in a town like this. He took a sip of the beer, it was lukewarm, but tasted well enough. It was no Gordian Ale, fermented in the deep caverns of the hidden city Amagani, nor Frillin Mead, brought by the first traders to cross the frozen seas with the coming of spring. But it would do.


    Alex took another sip, and from his position at the wall he cast his eyes around the common room. There were a good score of customers beside himself, all engrossed with their own food and conversation, and lit by flickering candlelight, and what little sunlight still found its way through the open shutters. Some playing games of cards that seemed mighty similar to ones played throughout inns and taverns of M¨®nvell. As he sat, sipping at his bear, he picked up snippets conversation, but nothing that piqued his interest.


    There were talk of the latest harvest, of the crops that would go up in price after a lower than average yield, and those that would go down for the opposite reason. Of the lack of farmhands and the overabundance of youth traveling south to try their luck at adventuring on the great plain; this did catch Alex¡¯s attention, but the stocky merchant quickly moved on to speak of windmills and their inherent inefficiencies compared to the old-fashioned hand-operated mills, and Alex tuned him out.


    Then he heard a mention of the late queen, and his ears perked as he subtly turned his head towards a group of three men a couple tables away. They were a motley group, two dressed in understated garments of brown and gray, and the third in a flamboyant cape of patched colors that seemed to dance in the candlelight. Alex had a sneaking suspicion the man might be a troubadour, one that was all but confirmed when he spotted the hard-leather case at the man¡¯s feet.


    ¡°It¡¯s terrible, what happened to the queen,¡± the troubadour said. ¡°Rumor says she was poisoned, poor woman.¡±


    ¡°Probably by her husband,¡± one of the plain-clothed men mumbled into his tankard.


    The third¡ªa clean-shaven man¡ªslapped him on the back, beer wetting his beard. ¡°Watch your mouth,¡± he grunted. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see the prince pass through with the royal guard?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± the bearded man said and dried his beard on his sleeve. ¡°They are on their way to collect the young princess, no doubt. But they left for the count¡¯s estate. There won¡¯t be any soldiers in the inns tonight.¡±


    ¡°Still, you never know where the Queen¡¯s Shadows might be hiding.¡±


    ¡°Looking for dissent against the king-regent? They serve the queen, and now the princess, not the acting king.¡±


    ¡°Humph. You should still watch your mouth, the ale loosens your tongue more than it has any right to.¡±


    ¡°Comrades, comrades,¡± the troubadour said and took a sip of his ale. ¡°I have another rumor to recount. ¡±


    ¡°Pray, do tell,¡± the bearded man drawled and took another gulp of ale.


    The troubadour cleared his throat. ¡°I heard this at the court of duke Elmond of Norlyn, where I performed at the celebration for his son¡¯s thirteenth birthday. Between the songs I caught Elmond and the old sir Boulet, whispering over their Sunday roast. They were careful, but after they¡¯d had a few glasses of Hazelbar¡¯s best wine, I caught a word or two. And let me tell you, it was not pretty. They spoke of war, my dear comrades; of war with Eztrenya, and with the Avanian Empire.¡±


    The clean-shaven man snorted. ¡°The council would never allow it. They are too split between their endless squabbles; and only a queen has the power to start a war without a council majority.¡±


    ¡°You are right, of course,¡± the troubadour conceded. ¡°But they had cleverly devised a plan around that little obstruction.¡± He paused for dramatic effect, though it was completely wasted on his audience. ¡°The princess!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a princess, not a queen,¡± the bearded man said. ¡°And she won¡¯t be a queen for another five years.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s where you are wrong,¡± the troubadour said with a glint in his eye. ¡°Because she will be a queen, and quite soon at that, just not a queen of her own. They¡¯ll have her marry the king, you see, and have her hand her sovereignty over to him.¡±


    ¡°Marry her own father,¡± the bearded man grunted. ¡°You must be joking.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not so far fetched,¡± the shaven man said and took a sip of ale. ¡°Remember the rumor that used to circle around the princess?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you believe that old rumor,¡± the bearded man sighed. ¡°The princess is not a bastard, there is no way.¡±


    ¡°And why not? You¡¯ve seen all of them, I know you have, because I was there with you. The princess looks nothing like the king; she doesn¡¯t have his face, his hair, his eyes¡ª¡±


    ¡°But she looks like the queen,¡± the bearded man interrupted. ¡°There is no way she isn¡¯t her daughter.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying the queen isn¡¯t her mother; I¡¯m saying the king is not her father!¡±


    ¡°Comrades,¡± the troubadour cut in. ¡°It matters little whose daughter she is or is not. She is of royal blood, and she is still young. She¡¯ll be used by the older nobles, one way or another.¡±


    The bearded man grunted in agreement. ¡°I feel for the poor girl, but either way, I¡¯ll be glad to leave this country, that¡¯s a storm brewing, and a big one at that.¡±


    ¡°Aye,¡± the troubadour said and swung out with his arm, almost hitting the barmaid as she walked past, balancing a plate of food and two tankards. ¡°Ah! Sorry my dear. But worry not for my health, for I have heard the king of Aelia seeks a new court bard.¡±


    ¡°We were never worried,¡± the shaven man said and emptied his tankard.


    Alex sat straight as the barmaid arrived at his table, placing the plate of food and a full tankard of beer before him. He thanked her, and watched her make her way back to the bar whilst he organized his thoughts. He¡¯d pretended to be sunken in thought, slowly sipping on his beer whilst he listened in on their conversation, but now as they moved onto other less interesting tracks of conversation, Alex found his mind jumbled.


    The food before him looked lovely, and its smell was just as delightful, he dug in, and found the taste to be as fantastic, at least compared to what he¡¯d been eating the last few years. He didn¡¯t have any trouble with appetite for when you lived in an army camp, minutes from battle at any time, appetite was something you learned to manage.


    He ate slowly, outwardly disinterested in his surroundings and engrossed in his food, and inwardly he worked on putting what he had heard into context with what little he knew. The queen died unexpectedly and an escort was quickly assembled to collect the princess from a distant academy; that much made complete sense. But why would the prince be sent with the escort? And why did the commander of the royal guard seemingly despise one of his charges? Alex sighed to himself, he supposed what he had heard were just rumors; hearsay at best, but he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that it had contained a grain of truth. Perhaps more than grain.


    He finished his food and leaned back in the chair. There was still too much he didn¡¯t know; too many missing pieces to the puzzle. Then a thought struck him; I could just ignore it. It was a strange thought, but it was right. He had no investment in this nation¡¯s politics, no reason to care about these people or their nobles. For the first time in his life, he could walk the other way. He could live on the money he had already been given for quite a while, given the exchange rate, and finding work with his skill set would never be difficult. He could travel the world, go wherever struck his fancy, hopefully he would even find Emily along the way, whenever fate could be deigned to bring them together. He could live a life devoid of conflict, a peaceful and quiet life, of calm and probably some opulence.


    He didn¡¯t need the sudden tug of fate upon his heart to know that he wouldn¡¯t; that he couldn¡¯t. He had dedicated his life to helping those who needed his help. He had helped Reginald create an empire where the sun had never set; one where he had been free to create programs and social reforms to help everyone. And when it had become clear the only way to save their world was to rid it of the malicious gods, he had dedicated his life to doing just that. But now that he had succeeded in saving one, could he really stop? Was one world really enough, when there were so many more? So many more people that needed help, so many children that¡ªjust like him¡ªhad no one to turn to; nowhere to call home?


    He rose from the table, collecting a key from the barmaid before heading upstairs to his rented room. He needed a bath and a good night¡¯s sleep. He¡¯d find out the truth, and he¡¯d make sure it came to justice. He just hoped it could be done without much violence; he didn¡¯t need a second lifetime filled with blood.

 Chapter 9 - A New World VIII

    Emily emerged onto darkness.


    Night had fallen whilst they had been in the dungeon, and the plain now laid covered in the blanket of night. Quiet and calm, like any night; any night before the storm that had taken her so long ago. She was surprised to realize that she couldn¡¯t remember a night so calm; so quiet. Without the sleepless buzz of a city, or the constant clamor of an army camp. And as she looked out across the plains, lit by the pale light of a gray moon, and then at the stars, counting the constellations she did not recognize, she realized¡ªfor the first time¡ªthat she was free.


    More or less.


    The threads of fate still pulled on her, but with a hand that meant to guide, rather than lead. For the first time, it felt like she had a choice in where her future lay, and she was not sure what to do with it. But¡ªif she was quite honest with herself¡ªshe didn¡¯t really care either way. Fate had never led her astray before, and she doubted it would suddenly start now, she just hoped it could hurry up and bring her and Alex together.


    Shaking herself lose, she took in her surroundings a second time. The illusion that had previously surrounded the entrance to the dungeon had vanished, leaving no trace it had ever been there in the first place. Emily didn¡¯t need to be an expert to notice the magic that had suffused the structure had also vanished. The plain was the same as it had been before she had gone under the earth; mostly flat and covered in grass. Though, now the grass was a bit darker, and the air wasn¡¯t quite as warm. Then she looked into the sky again, and if she hadn¡¯t been sure of this being another star before, she certainly was now. For in the dark heavens hung a second moon; small and strangely blue it hung beside its larger brother like a pebble in the sky.


    The party came up behind her and spread out on the cobbled ground; a circle of stone with the dungeon entrance at its center. Long strands of grass hung over the stone, but did not intrude upon the circle, as if the edge was regularly maintained to keep the border between nature and the construct clear. Emily stepped over the border and her boots sunk into the grass. She took another few steps away from the dungeon before stopping. ¡°Are there any dangers on this plain?¡± she asked the air.


    Yu answered from behind her. ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°The monsters never leave the dungeons, and nothing else lives out here.¡±


    ¡°Nothing but grass,¡± Ann added.


    ¡°Good,¡± Emily said, and laid down on the ground, her tired limbs delighting in not having to keep her standing. ¡°Then I¡¯ll sleep right here.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Ann said.


    ¡°What? Do you have a camp nearby? Or perhaps an inn?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Yu said. ¡°But our supplies are a little ways away.¡±


    ¡°If you have any water or wine I¡¯ll gladly drink some, but I¡¯m really quite tired.¡± She closed her eyes and felt the crystal at her hip buzz in a very threatening manner. ¡°Oh, right,¡± she mumbled, and awkwardly untied the pouch holding the guardian crystal from her hip. Then she lobbed away the pouch and the crystal into the night.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Yu and Ann exclaimed in a chorus.


    ¡°What¡¯d you do that for?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to sleep with an unstable magical crystal at my hip.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°You seem to be handling it fine.¡±


    ¡°Sure, whilst I¡¯m awake; whilst I can consciously push back against the magic. Can¡¯t do that when I¡¯m sleeping.¡± Emily gathered up some grass as a makeshift pillow. ¡°And I would rather not melt in my sleep.¡±


    She heard one of the boys mutter something to the other, then Rory spoke up, ¡°We¡¯ll set up camp further north.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be there in a moment,¡± Yu shouted after them.


    ¡°Are you really going to sleep here?¡± Ann asked.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Emily yawned. ¡°Is the grass softer over there or something?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Then yes, I¡¯m going to sleep here.¡±


    There was a moment of silence, then Yu said, ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll get our supplies and be right back.¡±


    ¡°Do as you wish,¡± Emily mumbled. She could already feel sleep coming on, and the shuffling as the twins walked through the grass barely registered to her numb mind.


    Quite frankly, the grass were one of the best beds she had slept on in a long time¡ªmore comfortable than army issued blankets on burned and rocky ground at any rate¡ªand it didn¡¯t take long for unconsciousness came creeping. She accepted it wholeheartedly, and when the twins returned, Emily was fast asleep.


    ***


    Emily woke to a weight upon her chest. Her first instinct was to wonder if the squirrel needed her help again. But the thought quickly fled her mind, why would it? Besides, it was much to heavy to be a squirrel, though not heavy enough to restrict her breathing. She wondered if she could just go back to sleep for a few more hours, she still didn¡¯t feel entirely rested. But the sunlight glaring through her closed eyelids told her that wouldn¡¯t happen, and she did need to start finding her way towards civilization. Hopefully the party knew where they were.


    The weight upon her chest stirred, and Emily surrendered to the morning. Opening her eyes she lifted her head of the ground, and froze. For upon her chest lay a ruffled bundle of black hair, and beneath it, a head. One of the twin¡¯s heads, to be exact. The girl had snuggled up against Emily¡¯s left side, her arms across Emily¡¯s stomach and her legs over Emily¡¯s, entwined with a second pair. A quick glance to her right told Emily more than she wanted to know, for on her right, snuggled tightly into her side, lay the other twin.


    For a moment, Emily was too stunned to move, then the girl upon her chest stirred again, her fur covered ears flicking against soft breeze. Which one was it? Emily wondered; she guessed Ann was the one on her chest, and Yu the one at her side. Somehow that seemed the most reasonable guess. Then a flicker of movement caught her eye, and carefully turning her head she saw the squirrel¡ªRoco¡ªsleeping within the arms of the girl on her right. Her eyebrows raised in surprise, that must mean the one on her chest was Yu. That felt wrong, but she could not put her finger on why. Either way, she¡¯d need to wake them, and get them off¡­ or did she?


    Crap, she thought, what would she even say to them? Should she scold them? Was what they were doing wrong? It certainly didn¡¯t feel wrong. Physical intimacy was something she had struggled with when she was younger, but that was a long time ago, and now she welcomed it, especially if it was from Alex. But she would have preferred if they asked first.


    She raised her left, meaning to wake the girl on her chest first, but then she froze again. A soft rumble emitted from Yu as she snuggled closer. Is she purring? Emily thought, her hand in the air, inches above the girl¡¯s head, ready to fall. Instead of waking her, Emily let her own head fall back to the ground with a soft thump and a sigh. It was too damn adorable, she couldn¡¯t wake the girl when she did something like that.


    She looked up at the sky; at the endless blue dotted with fluffy white clouds. The sun still hung low over the horizon, and Emily guessed it couldn¡¯t have been up for more than a couple of hours. Still, that would make it quite early in the morning, depending on how far north they were. Which was all to say; she could stay on the ground for a little longer.


    Closing her eyes again she basked in the warmth of the sun upon her face; the breeze softly rustling her hair; the soft mattress of grass beneath her; the warmth of the twins at her sides and upon her chest. How had she ended up in such a position? Less than a full day earlier she had been locked in battle against Balthazar, and before that she had met her mother for the first time in her life, only to be forced to cut her down. No, she thought, and rubbed her eyes. No. Compartmentalize, prioritize, focus. All of that was behind her, and now was not the time to go over it. She needed to find a safer location, she needed to figure out where she had ended up, she needed a damn bath.


    The head upon her chest stirred again. Emily looked up and watched as Yu came awake.


    ¡°Morning,¡± Emily said.


    ¡°Morning,¡± Yu mumbled and tried to blink the sleep from her eyes, her pupils narrowing in the bright sunlight.


    ¡°Slept well?¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± Yu purred.


    ¡°Good.¡± Emily resisted the urge of turning to her noble upbringing and putting the fear of the seven hells into the girl. Instead she kept her voice leveled, and her eyes soft. ¡°Then would you care to explain why you are sleeping on top of me?¡±


    The words snapped Yu out of her morning daze, and her eyes suddenly found focus as she realized where she had been sleeping. She scrambled to get off Emily¡¯s chest, on Emily¡¯s other side Ann stirred in her sleep, but did not wake. For a moment Emily regretted the loss of warmth as Yu left, then she wondered what had gotten into her and sat up, or at least, she tried to sit up. As soon as she did Ann dropped Roco¡ªto the squirrels dismay it had to scamper away or get crushed¡ªand grabbed Emily¡¯s arm, snuggling it as she had the squirrel.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Emily sighed. ¡°Could you wake your sister?¡±


    Yu quickly crawled around Emily and grabbed her sister by her shoulder, shaking her. ¡°Wake up, Ann,¡± she mumbled. ¡°Wake up.¡±


    Ann stirred again, snuggling even closer to Emily¡¯s side, and she could feel the girls warm breath in the nape of her neck, she suppressed a shudder. ¡°Just a few more minutes,¡± the sleeping girl mumbled.


    ¡°No,¡± Yu said and shook her sister with a vigor. ¡°Get up! This was your stupid idea and you promised me we would wake up first.¡±


    Ann groaned and blinked as she finally woke, Emily turned her head to face the girl, put putting on a face of infinity patience¡­ and just a smidge of annoyance.


    ¡°Morning,¡± Emily said.


    ¡°Morning,¡± Ann mumbled, giving Emily a short bout of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    ¡°Slept well?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°Good. Could you let go of me then?¡±


    Ann¡¯s eyes went wide as she to snapped out of her morning daze, and she dropped Emily¡¯s arm as if burned. Freed from the twins, Emily pushed herself up onto her elbows, as Ann scrambled to her knees beside Yu, both looking at the ground, avoiding Emily¡¯s gaze. She sighed and sat up, crossing her legs. They looked the part of remorseful kittens, but Emily didn¡¯t let herself be fooled by their appearance. An appearance, Emily realized as she studied them, that were not as identical as she had thought. For Ann had a small scar beneath her right eye, and¡ªperhaps as a way to aid their traveling companions¡ªthey had tied their two braids to different lengths. Ann¡¯s right braid was a couple inches longer than her left, and the opposite was true for Yu. Emily made sure to memorize the details, before speaking.


    ¡°Now then,¡± Emily said. ¡°Would you care to explain why you slept with me?¡± Internally she cringed at the wording, but it seemed to have gotten the point across. The twins looked away, four cheeks coloring with embarrassment as they began mumbling excuses.


    ¡°The plains get cold at night¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t want you to freeze.¡±


    Emily raised an eyebrow. The sisters looked at each other, communicating silently as only twins could. Then they looked at the ground again, their ears dropping.


    ¡°It was cold,¡± Ann mumbled.


    ¡°We get nightmares,¡± Yu added quietly. ¡°We aren¡¯t used to sleeping alone.¡±


    ¡°And sleeping with me helped?¡±


    The twins nodded in unison. Emily sighed, and rubbed her eyes with her thumb and her index-finger.


    ¡°Are you angry?¡±


    ¡°No. But you should have asked first.¡±


    ¡°But you were already asleep.¡±


    Emily ignored the comment. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you used to sleeping alone?¡± she asked. She¡¯d been doing that since she was a baby, until she¡¯d met Alex, that is. But before that she¡¯d never slept in the same bed as anyone else, much less close enough to touch. Her father had not exactly been the cuddling type, and the staff at their estate had been forbidden from showing her much in the way of affection. Though, Alex had helped her realize how somber her childhood had been, so maybe she didn¡¯t have the best frame of reference.


    The twins tilted their heads.


    ¡°We are leijons?¡±


    Emily waited for Yu to elaborate, but she didn¡¯t. ¡°I¡¯m not from around here, remember,¡± Emily said, pointing at herself. ¡°You¡¯ll have to be a little more specific.¡±


    The twins avoided her gaze again, both fiddling with the hem of their tunics.


    ¡°You still don¡¯t believe me?¡±


    The twins looked away, but didn¡¯t answer; they didn¡¯t need to, Emily could see the answer written on their faces.


    Emily sighed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Just pretend I¡¯m clueless about anything related to leijons, and help me understand why I woke up to both of you snuggling like kittens.¡±


    The twins faces heated again.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t kittens,¡± Ann mumbled dejectedly. ¡°We are adults.¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t know?¡±


    Emily shook her head. ¡°I have no clue.¡±


    Yu looked at her sister, biting her lip, then she said, ¡°We leijons live in tribes. We are from the Ionaka tribe¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s one of the largest,¡± Ann proudly interrupted, receiving a glare from Yu.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s one of the largest,¡± Yu continued. ¡°And everyone in the tribe is family. We do everything together, eat, hunt, play. It¡¯s all done together with the tribe.¡±


    ¡°And everyone in the tribe sleeps together.¡±


    ¡°Everyone?¡±


    ¡°The more the merrier.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Emily said. ¡°I suppose I can understand then.¡± She was quiet for a moment, then she asked, ¡°How have you been sleeping before tonight? It must have been a while since you left your tribe.¡±


    ¡°Together, but not very well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we have been having nightmares.¡±


    ¡°Right. What about those boys?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s obviously what they want.¡±


    ¡°We are young, not stupid.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Emily said and closed her eyes for a moment. The breeze rustled through her hair as she shifted upon her seat of soft grass, and the sun¡¯s warmth pelted her back. It still hung low on the horizon, but soon it would rise, and he cloudless sky promised another hot, sweaty day. She sighed and opened her eyes, saying, ¡°Like I said; I¡¯m not angry with you, and your intentions were not bad, but I would have liked if you asked first.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± Ann asked hesitantly. ¡°We can sleep together again?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll cross that bridge when we come to it.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ tonight?¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Emily sighed. She would need the time to think, if nothing else. ¡°But we better get moving. I¡¯m guessing we have a bit of a trek ahead of us?¡±


    Yu nodded. ¡°Vigilfell is quite far to the north.¡±


    ¡°At least a day and a half,¡± Ann added. ¡°Maybe more.¡±


    Emily ran a hand through her hair, then tightened her improvised hairband. ¡°Right, I¡¯ll get the crystal, you go wake the boys if they aren¡¯t already up.¡±


    The twins did a mock salute, and giggled as they stood and picked up two leather packs Emily hadn¡¯t seen earlier, before heading north, towards the boys¡¯ camp.


    Emily looked after them, shaking her head. Was this what it was like having children? She had never the opportunity to really consider what it would be like. But now, the war was over, the gods defeated; and even if they weren¡¯t, well it didn¡¯t matter to her anymore. She had all the free time in the world, and¡ªshe realized¡ªthere were a lot of things she had never considered before. She shook her head again, this time at herself. If she had all the time in the world, such things could wait just a little longer.


    Emily stood and walked in the direction she had thrown the crystal. If she knew herself¡ªand she did¡ªshe would find it twenty-three paces from where she had thrown it. A moment later she found the pouch; twenty-two paces from where she had thrown it. She attributed the difference to lying down, and being extraordinarily tired. She tied the pouch onto her belt, and turned to follow the sounds of argument that had burst out in the quiet morning.


    She walked past the dungeon entrance, which now looked and felt like nothing more than an old ruin. None of the magic she had noticed the the day before remained, and she wondered if it had been tied to the crystal at her hip. It certainly held enough magic for that to be the case. She shrugged, and continued on, over a hill that blocked her sight. When she crested it she was greeted by the same view as before; grass moving like waves upon an ocean beneath an endless sky, but also two humans, two cats, and one squirrel staring daggers at each other.


    She descended the other side of the hill at a light run, her boots finding ready purchase in the rich dirt beneath the grass. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± she asked as she stopped before the party. ¡°I heard shouting.¡±


    The boy whose spear she had used¡ªRory¡ªturned away with a scoff, and began packing his gear into a leather pack. Louie quickly followed suit, and in only moments they had stuffed away their bedrolls and few possessions they had strewn about them. They then set of north, without ever saying a word to Emily or the twins.


    Emily joined the twins, catching the squirrel as it suddenly leapt from Ann¡¯s shoulder, from which it given the girl¡¯s an advantage in any argument. ¡°What did I miss?¡± she asked as the squirrel clambered up her arm to her shoulder. She let him, but he better stay away from her hair.


    ¡°They don¡¯t trust you,¡± Yu said, her arms crossed and tail moving quickly from side to side. ¡°You saved our lives and they still don¡¯t trust you. They think you are some demon or a professional adventurer from Eztrenya that¡¯s come to steal all our treasure, or something.¡±


    ¡°They are jealous,¡± Ann interjected. ¡°Because you got what they didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°And what would that be?¡±


    ¡°Ann, no.¡±


    ¡°You got to sleep with us!¡± Ann cheered and threw her arms into the air, her tail and ears standing up.


    Emily suppressed a smile. ¡°Watch your mouth, or it won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    Ann dropped her arms and tail. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Yu hid her giggles behind her hand. ¡°We should hurry,¡± she said as they subsided. ¡°Rory has the compass that shows the way back to Vigilfell.¡±


    ¡°We better not lose them then,¡± Emily said, and began walking after the boys. Footfalls pattered the ground behind her as the twins hurried to flank her.


    ¡°Here,¡± Ann said and held out a waterskin. ¡°You haven¡¯t had anything to drink since yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry for my sake,¡± Emily said as she accepted the skin and took a gulp of water. It was warm but tasted surprisingly fresh. Then she handed it back. ¡°You¡¯ll need it more than me on this trek, I believe.¡±


    Ann took back the skin and weighed it in her hand. ¡°You barely drank any,¡± she said in an accusatory tone.


    ¡°I only needed to wet my throat,¡± Emily said with a smile, keeping her eyes forward. She didn¡¯t want to lose their only guide to civilization. But she needn¡¯t worry, the boys¡¯ dark clothes shone like beacons upon the vividly green plains, and she did not doubt they could be seen from miles away.


    ¡°How large is this plain anyway?¡± Emily asked.


    ¡°Massive,¡± Ann said.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost as large as the Lahn Federation,¡± Yu added.


    ¡°The Lahn Federation?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s where we come from.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the land south of here. It looks almost the same as the plain; though warmer.¡±


    ¡°And more yellow.¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s water.¡±


    ¡°And animals.¡±


    Emily hummed and looked up, and like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky it struck her, what had felt so wrong about the plain; there was not a single bird in the sky. She had once, long ago, traveled to the Shaarah¡ªthe great desert on the southern border of the empire¡ªwith her father. It had been a month long hunting trip and she had learned much from the strange people that had lived there for longer than any could remember. She hadn¡¯t put much stock in their ancient traditions or beliefs, but their techniques and secrets for hunting in the desert she had easily taken to. They had told her that to find water in the desert, you looked for the birds, for they could find the sacred liquid from their vantage point in the sky.


    But as she looked out across the plains, despite it seeming as if it should be teeming with life, be it plants or animals, there were none. No trees, no animals, and most importantly, no birds. She unconsciously hurried her step, she did not want to get stuck on the plains, for even she would eventually need something to drink and eat, and the plains offered neither.

 Chapter 10 - A New World IX

    Flanked by the twins, Emily trotted along beneath the endless sky.


    They had caught up to the boys after not more than an hour, though they kept the distance to a couple hundred feet, as to give them the space they apparently wanted. They walked like that for mile after mile; the boys at the front with the compass¡ªa magical tool, Yu explained, one that contained a small magical crystal and always pointed towards a larger one in Vigilfell¡ªand the twins with Emily a few paces behind. Beside the twins, the wind was her constant companion, waving he grass, rustling her hair, and howling in her ears. It was the only thing that moved on the plain, and yet it was as constant as the empty horizon and the endlessly rolling hills.


    As constant as the sun upon their backs; a sun that showed no intention of letting up, and as the day marched on, the temperature rose. From a manageable warmth in the morning, to an unbearable heat in the afternoon. It was worst for Emily, as the morning before she had dressed for the freezing heights of the holy mountain in early spring, not an open plain in the heights of summer. Her tunic was made of layers of fine wool, meant to be worn under chain mail and protect her from both the cold, heavy strikes, and chaffing metal, none of which she needed at that moment. Below it, pants of heavy linen served much the same purpose, but there wasn¡¯t much she could do about them, nor her shin-high boots. She actually found herself envious of the twins¡¯ shorts, for despite their impractical nature in battle, they sure looked quite comfortable outside of it.


    Emily managed a few more hours, before surrendering to the heat right before noon, and pulling off her tunic, shocking the twins into a shriek, for the bandeau Emily had tied around her chest did not leave much to the imagination. Louie looked back at the sudden sound, but quickly turned away, his neck turning a brighter shade of red than only sunburn could explain. After a glance back from Rory, which Emily answered with a questioning raise of an eyebrow, both boys kept their heads strictly forward.


    She knew a sunburn of her own was inevitable, but tied the tunic around her waist either way, enjoying the temporary reprieve of the refreshing breeze upon her sweaty skin. For a moment Ann tried to be a copycat by stripping herself of her tunic, but Yu stopped her by holding her leather chest-piece in place. Not that the twins needed to; they both seemed to handle the heat much better than Emily, probably because they¡¯d grown up in an even warmer environment, or maybe it had something to do with being part cat, Emily could only guess.


    Though part cat or not, they were quite human as they spent the next hour or so fawning over Emily¡¯s physique. Decades of war; of fighting and practicing with every weapon imaginable had given her a toned body, with muscles defined by hard lines along her stomach, arms, and back. She¡¯d tolerated the twins prodding at her, ohing and ahing for a while, before swatting them away. Though she could see newfound awe shining in their eyes afterwards, and they continued to sneak glances at her until she put the tunic back on when the sun began to set.


    They stopped around noon for a quick lunch. The boys kept their distance, but were close enough for all of them to be considered a party, though they kept their gazes firmly pointed away from the twins and Emily. Ann and Yu dropped their packs and their weapons on the ground, before kneeling down on the grass. Emily sat down before them, her legs crossed.


    ¡°I hope you like dried meat,¡± Yu said as she dug around on her pack. ¡°Because that¡¯s all we¡¯ve got.¡±


    ¡°That and flatbread,¡± Ann added, digging around her own pack. ¡°And some seeds, but those are for Roco. Here you go little buddy.¡±


    ¡°Dried meat and flatbread is fine,¡± Emily said, and accepted the offered food. ¡°I¡¯ve been living on mostly army rations for a couple of years already. A few more such meals won¡¯t make a difference.¡± She took a bite of the bread. It was dry, as flatbread tended to be, but tasted fine, heightened by the sweet flavor of honey. The meat tasted mostly of salt and leather, but again, it was fine. It was certainly better than some of the food she had been forced to eat after the harvests turned up naught but diseased plants in the mad gods¡¯ wake.


    Yu offered her a waterskin to wash down the dry food. Emily accepted it, but found it to be running empty. ¡°What do you do when the water runs out?¡± she asked as she took a conservative gulp.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Yu said and pulled out a strange contraption from her bag. It looked like a vial¡ªabout the size of her closed fist¡ªmade of metal. She handed it over to Emily, saying, ¡°We just use this to make more whenever the skins run dry.¡±


    Emily accepted the vial, and raised an eyebrow as she sensed it resonate with a faint magic. It felt a little like the crystal on her hip, but much weaker. She ran her fingers across its skin and found its underside to be inscribed, turning it over, she found what looked like a magical rune; a two circles within each other, the space between them filled with letters and the inner circle containing smaller circles and waves in a strange pattern.


    ¡°Reisha thj¨®rn,¡± Emily mumbled. She felt an inkling of magic react within her, but she had far from enough for the spell to activate. But neither did the vial activate, remaining as inert as a block of steel. Perhaps the spell engraved upon it wasn¡¯t how it was activated. ¡°How do you use it?¡± she asked, looking up to the twins. Only to find them looking at her with a strange expression. ¡°I suppose you didn¡¯t know? What is said under the vial, that is.¡±


    The twins shook their heads.


    ¡°The woman in the shop told us no one can read it,¡± Yu said. ¡°That it¡¯s just copied from ancient texts.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what it means?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s mostly true,¡± Emily said, addressing Yu first. ¡°I¡¯m a bit of an odd one. Even on M¨®nvell, there were only two people that could read and speak ancient Dwarvish; me and my husband, Alex. And it roughly translates to ¡®Collect Water,¡¯ a pretty simple spell.¡±


    ¡°Hold it right there!¡± the twins shouted in a chorus, before falling out of sync in a frenzy of questions.


    ¡°What do you mean husband?¡±


    ¡°Are you married?¡±


    ¡°We slept with you¡­¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s your wedding band?¡±


    ¡°Is he going to be mad?¡±


    ¡°Is he cute?¡±


    With every question the twins came closer, until the were practically on top of Emily, she held up her hands to silence them. ¡°No,¡± she said to Yu. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Then she turned to Ann. ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s beside the point.¡±


    Yu sighed, looking relieved as Ann squealed.


    ¡°Where is he now?¡±


    ¡°Somewhere on this world¡ªI think¡ªbut I don¡¯t actually know.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°We got separated,¡± Emily said, a harsh beat of her heart let her know exactly how she felt about that. ¡°It happens sometimes,¡± she finished softly, closing her eyes for a moment to stop them burning. When she opened them, there was not a trace of her sudden loss of composure. She brought up the vial, and said in a chipper tone, ¡°Now, back to his vial, how does it work?¡±


    "But¡ª¡±


    ¡°No more questions about Alex,¡± Emily interrupted in a tone that brooked no argument. ¡°He¡¯d be more than happy to answer them himself¡­ eventually.¡±


    The twins shared a look Emily couldn¡¯t decipher, then Yu reached out and accepted the vial from Emily. ¡°It¡¯s pretty easy to use,¡± she said. ¡°It runs on magical crystals; the ones from the small spiders.¡± She twisted the bottom until it came off, revealing a small, empty compartment. Ann then produced a thick leather pouch from the bottom of her pack, and a glove from the same material, which she put on. Then, whilst being as careful as a cat at the top of a tree, she opened the pouch and, using her gloved hand, she took out a crystal, placing it within the upturned vial Yu held out to her. Yu then screwed the bottom back on and Ann put the pouch and glove back in her pack.


    ¡°Now that it¡¯s powered,¡± Yu said as Ann picked up a waterskin. ¡°You just place your hand against the bottom.¡± She did as she explained, and after a moment water began flowing out of the vial into the waterskin Ann held underneath. ¡°And let the water flow.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± Emily said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen magical tools before, but nothing quite like this. How expensive are they?¡±


    ¡°We got this one cheap,¡± Yu said. Four silver, I think.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°Usually they go for seven, or more.¡±


    ¡°I think the woman in the shop liked us.¡±


    ¡°And we only needed one for two. Most people get their own.¡±


    Emily nodded. ¡°And the crystals, how long do they last?¡± From how much magic the crystal she had used to heal Ann had contained, she¡¯d guess about nine waterskins. Though, that¡¯s assuming and average humidity comparable to the what they had in Gra¡¯Tinit, the old capital.


    ¡°Eight waterskins,¡± Yu said. ¡°Sometimes nine. But that¡¯s rare.¡±


    Emily nodded again. ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s quite convenient to have, and important, I imagine. How long have you been out here, killing monsters for crystals?¡±


    ¡°A week and one day,¡± Ann said. ¡°And this is our third time out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been almost a month since we came to Vigilfell, and a month and a half since the midsummer festival, Naxim.¡±


    ¡°Midsummer festival?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the celebration of life, when everyone grows one year older.¡±


    ¡°This midsummer we became adults,¡± Ann said and puffed out her chest. ¡°That¡¯s why we are here; to see the world now that we are no longer children.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Emily mumbled, unconvinced. ¡°Does everyone grow older on midsummer?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said.¡±


    ¡°Even those who weren¡¯t born around midsummer?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°But everyone is born around midsummer.¡±


    ¡°How can everyone be born around midsummer?¡±


    ¡°Because mates are chosen at the Escoll festival at the beginning of autumn.¡±


    Emily ran a hand through her hair, there was so much she didn¡¯t know. ¡°Alright,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll have to take a crash course in local cultures, I think. But that¡¯ll have to wait¡ªRory and Louie are moving again.¡±


    They quickly packed up, and the twins pulled the packs over their shoulders with soft groans.


    ¡°Are the packs heavy?¡± Emily asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ann said, and grimaced as Roco clambered up her bare leg.


    ¡°Not as heavy as when we set out, though,¡± Yu added.


    Emily reached out a hand to Yu. ¡°I¡¯ll carry your pack for a bit, then you can swap with Ann. Don¡¯t argue, I want to help out.¡±


    The pack was made of soft leather, and sat nicely upon Emily¡¯s shoulders and back. It was heavy, ladened as it was with equipment and supplies, but not heavier than the armor she had already dropped, and far from heavy enough to impede her movements. With everything ready they set off again, following the boys across the sea of grass.


    ***


    It was in the late afternoon, when the sun had begun to fall towards the horizon, that Emily spotted another group of adventures traveling out towards the plain, riding what Yu and Ann quickly ensured her were not any sort of monster, but one of this world¡¯s beasts of burden. Giant flightless birds¡ªmoas¡ªtheir long legs devouring the miles in giant leaps, their bodies and the riders thereupon bouncing up and down with smooth movements. They were a party of six people, each riding their own moa in a column of two by four, for they had two extra moas at the back, ladled with saddle bags. They were heading southwest, Yu explained, towards an area far out on the plain were more dangerous¡ªand more rewarding¡ªdungeons could be found.


    When the distance between the groups were at its shortest, perhaps half a mile, one of he adventurers riding at the back of the column sat up straighter and waved, Emily thought she could see cat ears standing on their head. Ann and Yu waved back.


    ¡°That was Nilia, our sister,¡± Ann said when the riders vanished into a dale. ¡°She¡¯s our sister.¡±


    ¡°Older sister, three years older.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the one that recommended we come to Vigilfell and sign up with he adventurers guild. She even gave us a few gifts and some advice to get us started.¡±


    Emily looked at the spot where the party had vanished for view for a moment, then turned back to follow boys. ¡°Did she introduce you to those two?¡± she asked and nodded forward.


    Ann walked up on Emily¡¯s left and shook her head. ¡°No, they found us through the guild.¡±


    ¡°The guild recommends at least four people for a party¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªand won¡¯t give locations to parties with less than three¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªso we put up and advert looking for more people,¡± Yu finished.


    ¡°And they answered,¡± Emily finished, casting her eyes forward. ¡°Do you know how experienced they actually are? They don¡¯t seem much older than you two.¡±


    The twins shook their heads.


    ¡°We think Rory is eighteen, and Louie seventeen.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s just guessing, they won¡¯t tell us if we are right.¡±


    ¡°And their fighting prowess?¡±


    ¡°Not better than us.¡±


    ¡°And terrible at tracking.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how we ended up at the Guardian.¡±


    ¡°We were following Louie the day before yesterday, and he led us straight into a trap.¡±


    ¡°We were lucky the alcoves were open, so we could hide.¡±


    Emily hummed. ¡°What would you have done if I hadn¡¯t arrived? You didn¡¯t have your packs with you, so you would have gone without food.¡±


    ¡°We had a little food with us,¡± Ann mumbled.


    ¡°We would have had to wait for the guild to send someone,¡± Yu explained. ¡°They keep track of all known dungeons, and distribute their locations to parties of adventurers If a party doesn¡¯t come back within a certain amount of time, a rescue party is sent out.¡±


    ¡°And then you have to pay them,¡± Ann added. ¡°That¡¯s what Nilia told us: make sure you don¡¯t need to be rescued, or you¡¯ll be in debt with the guild forever.


    Emily chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s why you were asking me about debt? Either way, it sounds like you were both quite lucky and unlucky this time. But let me give you a piece of advice, not as Emily the rescuer, or Emily the imperial knight, but as Emily the hired swordswoman: If you need to put your life in someone¡¯s hands, make sure they are strong enough to hold your weight. It¡¯s no good to be standing back to back with a warrior you thought could hold their own, only for them to fall to the first opponent they meet.¡±


    The twins gave each other a look, and said, ¡°We¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Emily said and rolled her shoulders to adjust the pack on her back. ¡°Come now, I¡¯m sure we can make a few more miles before dark.¡±


    ***


    They could, in fact, do a few more miles before dark, and even after dark, as it turned out. When they finally stopped, the sun had long since given way to the two moons and the plains were shrouded in darkness. Rory and Louie had stopped on the top of a hill, from where they could be seen for miles around. Emily had decided that was a bad idea, and instead placed herself and the twins in a valley, from which they could see the boys, but couldn¡¯t be seen from more than a couple hundred paces. She had quickly put the pouch with the crystal a fair bit away from them, glad to be rid of the buzzing stone for a few hours. The magic wasn¡¯t dangerous to her, but it was irritating, and the constant buzzing had started to rake on her nerves.


    In their small temporary camp, the mood had been quite somber at first, as they could not start a fire, for there was nothing to burn but grass. The air did quickly lose its warmth, and the evening turned cool, a welcome change to for Emily¡¯s overheated self. But the cool air soon turned cold as any warmth escaped through the cloudless sky, canvased in in stars and the thick streak of the galaxy.


    The cold had a strong effect on the twins, and Emily soon surrendered to their enormously round eyes, which glowed softly in the night as they leveled them at her better than any puppy she had ever seen. They snuggled up on either side of her as she sat cross-legged on the ground, and Ann covered all of them in a blanket she¡¯d pulled out of her seemingly bottomless pack. Yu then¡ªto Emily¡¯s surprise¡ªpulled a flute out of hers, and soon a soft melody drifted through the night.


    The flute was a simple affair, not much more than a hollowed stick with some holes; nothing like the perfectly crafted instruments of ivory and gold she had learned to play on more than half a century prior. Yet its shining surface and delightful carvings showed how much it was treasured, and it produced a wonderful sound as Yu navigated its small and peculiarities.


    ¡°Yu¡¯s the best flute player in the tribe,¡± Ann whispered proudly in Emily¡¯s ear halfway through the second melody. ¡°She surpassed our grandmother when she was only twelve.¡±


    Emily hummed. ¡°She is quite splendid.¡±


    Yu¡¯s cheeks colored in at the praise, but she didn¡¯t miss a beat, and her ears were pricked forward, rotating a little now and then to catch her own melody. Ann leaned her head on Emily¡¯s shoulder, which Emily allowed, at least for the moment. The girl¡¯s eyes grew heavy and her breathing calm, and as Yu dove into a new melody, a slow and peaceful harmony, her breathing grew calm, and soon she fell asleep, resting on Emily¡¯s shoulder.


    When the melody was at an end, Yu dropped the flute to her lap. ¡°Is she asleep?¡± she mumbled.


    Emily hummed softly and laid an arm around Ann, who snuggled closer at the touch. ¡°She is. You played a lullaby you knew would put her to sleep, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Yu looked away at the accusation, but didn¡¯t deny it, instead she packed away her flute. ¡°She¡¯s had it harder than me,¡± she said after the flute had been put in a protective case of hardened leather. ¡°Sleeping, that is. She never slept alone, not even when we learned to hunt.¡±


    Emily smiled as Ann began to purr into her side. ¡°Are you the older twin?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Yu giggled. ¡°Was it that obvious?¡±


    ¡°It was. Not that I would know what it¡¯s like, I was an only child, after all.¡±


    ¡°Was it lonely? Not having any siblings?¡±


    ¡°A bit,¡± Emily said and lowered herself and Ann to the ground, letting the girl use her arms as a pillow. ¡°But that¡¯s far in the past now, and something I would rather not talk about. Come, we should sleep, I suspect we still have a bit of a trek tomorrow.¡±


    Yu hesitated, her eyes glowing in the dark. ¡°Is it really okay? Your husband won¡¯t be mad?¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t,¡± Emily smiled. ¡°I promise.¡±


    Yu gave another glance, then she shrugged and lay down beside Emily, soon snuggling into her side, just like her sister. ¡°Goodnight,¡± she mumbled.


    ¡°Goodnight,¡± Emily answered. It didn¡¯t take long before Yu was fast asleep, and moments later she had entwined herself with Emily, legs and arms crossing each other like gnarled roots. Emily couldn¡¯t help but smile, as she lay there, flanked by the kittens. Their tails and ears flitted in their sleep, and now and then they would purr for a moment or two. It was peaceful, comfortable; serene in a most pleasant way, and before she fell asleep, she wished Alex could have been there to share it with her.

 Chapter 11 - The Call of Fate II

    Trees loomed over the column, dark and foreboding.


    Alex kept a steady hand on the bridle of his moa, in an attempt to keep the animal calm. They were riding along the edge of the ancient forest of Alveria, upon a road that seemed to have been carved out from under the forest¡¯s grasp upon the southern bank of the river Spell, whose churning waters and rushing rapids kept it free of boats. The sun hung low on the horizon behind them, hiding the depths of the forest within deep shadows and a gray dusk. Supposedly, Nydawin¡¯s southern border was actually located a few miles inside the forest, far beyond the line of trees, but to Alex it felt like they were already in someone else''s lands, and they were not invited guests, but trespassers. Though, it wasn¡¯t fear that made him cautiously eye the heavy branches, but the tug of fate upon his heart.


    For the soldiers ahead of him, however, it was most certainly fear that had jumping at the smallest sound, and kept their gazes darting through the shadows. Fear of dark forces hidden among the trees, or perhaps, the simple the fear of the unknown. Alex didn¡¯t care either way, he doubted there was anything especially dangerous within the forest, and he didn¡¯t put any stock in the rumors and legends the soldiers had told around the campfire the night before. Tales of shadowy creatures stalking the night, and of beautiful women luring men into the forest¡¯s dark depths to steal their souls¡ªand their manhoods.


    The moa chattered and Alex put a hand on its neck. He might not fear the dark, but his mount did, and it would not do to have it freak. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said softly as he patted the bird. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to fear.¡± The words themselves did not matter, but the tone of his voice helped calm the moa. "I do wonder though,¡± he mused to himself, for there was magic in the air. It wasn¡¯t dark or fearful, but a jovial magic, curious, and perhaps just a smidge mischievous. It hung over them like a fog, permeating the forest and anyone who passed through. Not a heavy fog that obscured ones vision, but a wispy light one that danced between branches and people alike. Alex couldn¡¯t help but note the stark contrast between the feel of the magic, and the atmosphere the forest created without it. He also knew that few¡ªeven among those who would call themselves mages¡ªwould be able to tell. The conclusion was clear; someone wants to be left alone, Alex thought.


    He looked forward along the column of soldiers, towards the front where Charles and Elliott rode upon their black and purple moas. They¡¯d left Blackstead two days prior, but as they had spent most of those two days on in the saddle, with Alex at one end and Charles at the other, they hadn¡¯t had much opportunity to speak. Not that Alex was sure he wanted to speak with the commander. The conversation he had overheard in the inn was still fresh in his mind. He had woken up early the day after, to get some shopping done before the royal troop passed through Blackstead. He¡¯d found new robes and tunics of a lighter material, and several supplies he had missed: like his own bedroll and a proper rucksack. He¡¯d also tried to sniff out more information on the political situation of the nation, and he¡¯d purchased a quite handy map for a ridiculous six silver. He would have haggled it down at least a few copper, if the royal troop hadn¡¯t entered the town just as he¡¯d found the merchant.


    He hadn¡¯t learned much from the merchants and early risers of Blackstead. Most were farmers and peasants, too far removed from any sort of politics¡ªbeyond the occasional gossip regarding the local lord¡ªto care about the bigger picture. Which meant he was no closer to knowing what to do when they reached Spellhedge. Not that he knew what he could do, especially without magic. He was good with the sword, but was he good enough to beat thirty-some professional soldiers? He doubted it.


    Alex sighed. He didn¡¯t want to condemn someone based on hearsay, but neither did he want a child¡ªprincess or no¡ªto be forced into a position of political marriage, against both her will and the nation¡¯s traditions. For there was one thing he had learned, if in a roundabout way. The nation of Nydawin was a matrilineal one, and had been for a long time¡ªlonger than anyone could remember.


    ¡°There¡¯s always been a queen,¡± a confused merchant had said, after Alex had asked why the queen held the power. ¡°She¡¯s the one who rules. The kingdom to the south has a king, but we have a queen.¡±


    Alex had thanked him and bought a shaving-kit, something he sorely needed since his dried up source meant he couldn¡¯t shave with magic. He wondered if he still knew how to use a shaving knife. It had been over half a century since he¡¯d last used one, after all. He rubbed his chin, it was strange, feeling a stubble after staying clean-shaven for so long, but he supposed it wasn¡¯t entirely bad. He might even try a full beard, he knew he could grow one, for he had grown one, back in his youth. But that was before he had truly met Emily, and she had made one thing very clear: either both of them shaved, or neither of them did. His choice had been quite a simple one.


    The call of a trumpet from the front of the column, sounding over the rushing water and the whistling trees, brought him out of his thoughts. They had reached a green, where the trees had been cleared away to make room for travelers along the road. It signaled to stop for the day, and the soldiers before him immediately set about setting up camp, despite their apparent unease at their surroundings; another testament to their discipline. Alex dismounted his moa and lead it through the clamor to a corner where a few soldiers were taking care of the animals. Inspecting their legs and feet, and feeding them. Alex handed the stirrups to one of the soldiers, and the moa chirping softly at the handover. Alex gave it a short pat on the side before it was led away. Though he knew it was only a temporary accord, he¡¯d grown quite attached to the bird, and he¡¯d be sad to leave it when his travels with the troop ended.


    Then he made his way to the center of the camp, where cooking fires were already flaring, and from which the scent of food wafted over the green. Since there were no villages along the road to Spellhedge, they had stocked up on food before crossing the river Spell that morning where the river was calm enough for a barge to bring them across. It had taken three rounds to get the entire company across the wide but calm river. Alex had crossed with the last group, as was his role as a title-less civilian, a role he was still adapting to. It was harder than he had first thought, going from being the second most powerful man in the world on paper, and the most powerful man in practice, to being a nobody. Still, he didn¡¯t mind the lack of people asking him for his opinion on the tiniest details, or the fact that he hadn¡¯t had to administrate troop movements or supply lines since climbing the holy mountain.


    He accepted a bowl of soup from the soldier on canteen duty with a nod, and walked a few paces away. The prince didn¡¯t like when he sat to close to the fires, or when he accepted food from the soldiers, but he didn¡¯t seem to have enough influence in the troop to stop them. But Alex didn¡¯t want to intentionally make life more difficult for himself or anyone else, so he sat a little further away.


    The soup tasted well enough for something made on the road in a communal cauldron, with large bits of meat, potatoes, and a variety of vegetables floating in a thick broth. After he¡¯d eaten and washed the bowl in the river, there was not much else to do, for him or most of the soldiers, and he quickly retired to his bedroll. Finding a good spot took a moment, but he found one without rocks or roots, and laid down. The muted conversations, occasional soft chirping, and rushing waters created a soothing atmosphere, and it didn¡¯t take long for Alex to doze off.


    ***


    Alex sat up with a start, his dream fading quickly now that he was awake. He tried to hold onto the last fleeting image. A memory, not just an illusion; a memory of his wife, of Emily, from before the war had started, before they had known what they truly were, what they had to do. They had been in his room at the top of the magicians'' tower in the old capital of Gra¡¯Tinit, many years before the city was leveled by the All-Father.


    He could still remember her face, her eyes, the smell of her hair and the feel of her body pressed against his. They had spent countless nights together in his room¡ªpenthouse really¡ªafter he had become the archmage of the empire. It had been a happy time¡ªthe happiest time, in fact. He felt a tear slowly sliding down his cheek, and he dried it with the back of his hand. He hadn''t realized how much he missed her, how much he wanted to drop everything and go find her. But he couldn''t. He knew the rules, knew they couldn''t be together till fate deemed it so.


    He sighed and rolled over. In his bout of melancholy he hadn¡¯t realized why he¡¯d awoken, but as he lay on his bedroll trying to not forget the sound of Emily¡¯s voice, he felt it again. A tug on his heart, and a great one at that, greater than fate could do on its own. Meaning someone or something important was close, and whatever it was, it was calling him. He made his choice, if he even had one to make, and stashed away his wistfulness in the deepest corners of his mind.


    Then he got up off his bedroll, and looked around. The fires still crackled behind him, throwing the forest into undulating shadows. In the dark sky, upon a canvas of stars, only the small, second moon had risen, and its meager light barely lit the ground, yet he kept a low profile as he crept towards the edge of the green. Past the many snoring soldiers, aiming for a part of the forest far away from the moas, for he wasn¡¯t sure how sensitive the animals were to strangers in the dark. At the edge of the forest, where thick undergrowth formed a barrier between the green and the forest proper, he stopped.


    ¡°Ho, stranger,¡± a voice called out from the dark, afore a soldier appeared out of the shadows, his armor darkened, as to not be revealed by glinting metal. He¡¯d been sitting with his back to the fires to preserve his night vision as he kept guard upon the trees. ¡°Where might you be heading in the darkest hours of the night?¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Alex made a snap decision, telling the full truth at a time like this was pointless, and would only slow him down. ¡°I felt like taking a midnight stroll,¡± he said in a lighthearted tone. ¡°Thought I¡¯d take a look at all those monsters that lurk beneath the trees.¡±


    The soldier looked at him curios gaze. ¡°You are a peculiar man, stranger, and a powerful one, so I will not attempt to stop you. But heed my warning: There are foul creatures lurking within the shadows of those trees, and not all are made up to scare children into bed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll gladly accept your warning, but there¡¯s no need for you to worry for my sake. I¡¯ll be back by morning, riding at the back of the column as before.¡±


    The soldier nodded. ¡°I¡¯d recommend you come back early. We won¡¯t stay beside the forest longer than necessary, and we won¡¯t wait for stragglers.¡± He turned, as to return to his post, but stopped. ¡°One more thing,¡± he said, and unbuckled his belt, removing his sheath and sword. ¡°Here, take this. No, don¡¯t argue. We have extra swords, and it¡¯s a damn shame one hasn¡¯t been given to you earlier, after what you did for us. Take it, and heed my warning.¡±


    With that, the soldier returned back to his post, leaving Alex to buckle the sheath around his own waist. He wouldn¡¯t complain about having the weapon, though he feared more for the soldier¡¯s wellbeing when he was found without his, than his own in the forest. With one last glance around, Alex took the last step off the green, and into the forest. At first he had to force his way through the undergrowth. Thickly growing bushes covered in thorns and tall nestles barred his way. But soon they gave way to softer ferns, and eventually nothing but moss and flowers. He didn¡¯t know where he needed to go, only that his destination was beneath the branches and further into the forest. So he picked a direction, which happened to be roughly south-southwest, and began walking.


    ***


    The forest was tranquil. The night suffused by a calm and quiet that let Alex empty his mind and focus on nothing. The forest floor had quickly turned open and free of undergrowth, managed by the many animals he kept noticing on the edge of his awareness, stalking his movements, but not fearing his presence. The only animals to break the silence were the occasional small nocturnal hunter. He didn¡¯t fear those hunters; the cats, foxes, badgers, and owls, nor did he fear the dark, or the secrets that it held. It was a fear he had never had, for he had been born in the dark, and lived there for most of his childhood. As he walked through the forest his thoughts turned to his mother. He had found a few years earlier, that he could no longer remember her face, and as time had slipped by, he had forgotten the sound of her voice, and the feel of her embrace.


    It bothered him more than he cared to admit, and it scared him. Not the part about forgetting his mother, no, she had only been a part of his life for a few short years before the inevitable had happened to her¡ªjust as it eventually did all whores in Gra¡¯Tinit¡ªshe had been killed. If by a drunkard, whoremonger, thief, or zealot, he would never know. But he would never forget the moment he found her. The blood stained bed, the heavy scent of perfume mixing with the smell of iron and excrement. Her body, blue and stained by bruises.


    None of it bothered him, not anymore, it had been too long. No, what bothered him was that one day he might forget others, others that were more important to him than his mother had ever been. People like Reginald, and Joseph, his roommate at the academy. Like Odette, the secretary that held the empire together like a linchpin during the war, or Yvette, the old innkeeper who had taken him in when he was nothing but a starving street-boy, expecting nothing in return for her kindness; whose funeral¡ªdespite her social standing¡ªhad been a thing of beauty, and whose inn had been the most popular in the city, he had seen to that. Like Emily, his one and only love.


    He shuddered at the thought of forgetting her; forgetting her face, her voice, or the feel of her embrace. That would be a life worse than death: to know that he could not remember what was most precious to him. Climbing over a fallen tree he shook the thoughts from his mind. Such dark notions were better left unconsidered, and either way, it had taken him more than half a century to forget his mother, meaning Emily would be safe for at least another few decades.


    A sudden forceful pull on his heart made him stop and take in his surroundings. It was closer know, much closer, and his skin tingled as the air practically buzzed with magic. He had stopped in a small glade, but couldn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary, at least not on the normal plane of existence. Dark trees barely illuminated by beams of silvery light from the large second moon, which had risen during his walk. The forest floor was covered in green leaves and flowers, some of which glittered like tiny stars in the moonlight. Seven stones stood erect around the outskirts of the glade. Like sentries of the past, each taller than a man, if barely wider. Though weathered by ages of wind and rain strange runes were still visible, engraved into the rock.


    Alex had a feeling that the planes beyond the visible were teeming with activity, but with his source drained, he couldn¡¯t see the beyond. Instead he sat down, careful to not crush any glittering flowers he crossed his legs, and closed his eyes. For a moment, serenity ruled, then he felt the magic in the air peak and the world turned inside out.


    Instantly he opened his eyes, and witness night turn to day as countless balls of light exploded into the glade, each one glowing in its own unique color, all circling him in a wild dance, lighting the glade like fireflies in a jar. Chittering and chattering like tiny birds, singing a song only they could understand, filling the air with an otherworldly melody, yet one that reminded him home. A heavy scent of nature followed the lights, of damp moss, gooseberries, and daisies.


    Alex rose slowly, and stood as a pillar within the turmoil. He knew the lights and the voices that sang a song long forgotten. Of the boundless energy and the cheery but mischievous magic. Fey, the immortal spirits of the wild: the guardians of nature and eternal pullers¡¯ of pranks. He held out his hand and after a moment, a single light broke off from the swirl. It approached him, hesitantly at first, but then a beat surged through the swirl, and the light turned daring. Shining a golden pink it hovered above his palm for a moment, and Alex¡¯ skin tingled from its magic. Then it exploded in a cascade of glittering lights, and a pixie appeared from within the shower.


    It was tiny, perhaps four and a half inch in total, barely taller than Alex¡¯ thumb. Its delicate features were feminine. Long hair, shining the same golden pink as the light had, hung free down her shoulders, and her soft-green skin was covered by a misty white dress. Two pairs of dragonfly wings extended from her back, swirling into haze as they worked to keep her afloat. Alex smiled, it had been long since he¡¯d seen one of they fay. The pixie, slowed its wings, and dainty feet soon touched his palm as she landed. He wouldn¡¯t have felt her standing there¡ªshe was so light¡ªif not for a tingle of magic.


    As on cue, the swirl of lights stopped and exploded in cascading lights. No longer was he surrounded by lights, but by curios pixies, many more than he could count. The air around him buzzed, and not just with magic, but with the beat of hundreds of wings. They approached him as the first had, swirling closer, growing braver as they saw no malice within him. They swarmed about him like insects, landing wherever there was space and pulling at anything that would move. Soon his head, shoulders, and arms were covered by the small creatures, sitting or standing on top of him, one even tried to land on his nose, but found it too steep for her liking. All whilst chattering away in their high-pitched tones, filling the air with a strange cacophony of noise.


    The pixies cheerful behavior and jovial magic soon infected Alex, and he found himself grinning like a child at the Midwinter festival; one who¡¯d spied a stall of caramel apples with a distracted attendant. But unlike a child at the festival of the winter equinox, he could not let himself be distracted by sweets and presents, he still had something important to do; someone important to meet. Luckily, he didn¡¯t need to wait for long.


    A sudden breeze blew through the glade, carrying a scent of roses, and a strange voice. It sang a song in a language forgotten by the living, a song that echoed through the forest, taking on a life of its own. The pixies settled, their wings slowing as they landed wherever there was space, be it on Alex, on branches, or on the ground, and their chattering quieted. The song grew in volume, its words unmistakably dwarven, yet Alex could not understand what it said. A light erupted before him, just outside the glade. Purple and gold, it shone through the trees, casting strange shadows along the ground. The flowers that had glittered in the moonlight shone like stars as the ethereal light broke upon them, and their leaves vibrated in tune with the song. Magic, ancient and powerful came with the light, pushing at Alex, probing him. He let it, did not try to fight it, for as powerful as it was, he felt no ill intent behind the force.


    The light entered the glade, and the song reached onto a crescendo as a shape materialized within the scintillating colors. With a cascade that dwarfed the ones of the pixies, a fairy appeared from within the light. She could have been a human, if not for the large gold and purple butterfly wings extending from her back, beating slowly as magic kept her afloat, and her glowing skin. Despite the alien feature, she was beautiful, if such a label could be attached to something as inhuman as a fairy. She had a thin face of delicate features, framed by flowing locks of glittering white hair. It fell over bare shoulders, and ended well below her waist. A misty dress, reminiscent of the ones worn by the pixies, clothed a lithe figure, leaving her arms and most of her legs bare.


    She landed soundlessly, naked feet barely disturbing the flowers as her wings came to a rest. With light steps she approached, studying Alex with eyes bluer and sharper than glacier ice. He bowed his head slightly, careful to not jostle the pixies, but he needn¡¯t worry, for they grabbed his hair to stay put, and they were not careful about it. He suppressed a grimace, and waited in silence for the fairy to speak.


    She had stopped a scant pace from Alex, looking at him with her sharp eyes narrowed, looking through him, seeing everything he was. She smelled faintly of pine, was all he could think, and she was shorter than she had first appeared, thanks to the wings that extended a good foot and a half above her head. Without them, she barely came up to his chest. Yet her height seemed the proper one, and he felt it was he that was too tall.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± The fairy asked suddenly. Though she spoke in the common tongue, her voice seemed to fill the glade, and when it quieted, the world was lesser for it. ¡°You are a stranger to this land; to this star. Within you flows curios magic seemingly without end, and a star within you, that¡ªthough dim¡ªis more powerful than those in the heavens. You are mortal, yet you have memories that extend far beyond the reach of your kind. And though your hands are stained by immortal blood, your soul remains pure, blistering with light... Who are you?¡±


    Alex bowed his head again. ¡°I am Alexander Blackwood,¡± he said. ¡°A warrior of fate.¡±

 Chapter 12 - The Call of Fate III

    The Queen of Fay sat on the ground, sunken in thought.


    The moon lit her in its misty glow, setting her hair and skin alight as if burning with a holy fire. Alex sat before her, his legs crossed. He had spent the last hour and a half explaining the events that had led him to her forest, and that was despite making most of his long life into a footnote. The pixies, though still around, had mostly fallen asleep as the excitement of a visitor had died down. Not on him though, as the queen had sternly told them off; all but the first one, the one whose hair shone with purple and gold. She was one of the few still awake, sitting on Alex¡¯s shoulder, her wings occasionally touching his ear. Though from what little he could see of her, out of the corner of his eye, she seemed quite close to dozing of as well; her head bobbing up and down, and her eyelids heavy.


    The Queen of Fay raised her head, her eyes glimmering as she looked at Alex. Glowing white locks fell across her face and she pushed them away. ¡°The tale you tell is a hard one to believe,¡± she said. ¡°Yet I can¡¯t find any fault within your mind. I might not believe half of it, but you believe it all to be true.¡±


    ¡°I know it to be true,¡± Alex said, and bowed his head slightly. ¡°I lived through it, and though there is much I would rather forget¡­ I can¡¯t, for the sake of those I¡¯ve lost, I must remember.¡±


    She sighed and pulled at her hair in a very human display of fatigue. ¡°Of course,¡± she said. ¡°I understand. We may be immortal on the surface, but there is an end for us, just as everything else. I remember fairies that left us before your ancestors left their trees, and pixies that spent eternity playing in the glades, only to vanish quietly into the night. Yet I can¡¯t lend myself to trusting your story, or your memories.¡±


    ¡°May I ask why not?¡±


    She snorted. ¡°You mortals are unreliable, your memories short and easily manipulated. But for you: your age and magic give credence to what you say, and the star that shines within you even more so. Still, I am not convinced.¡±


    ¡°And if I say fate led me here?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that I have been sending out a call for someone that might be able to help, nor that fate plays a greater role than even I can understand. Yet, your appearance here is¡ªas mortals are to say¡ªtoo good to be true. You are too mighty, and your arrival too convenient.¡±


    Silence fell over the glade as the fairy quieted. A silence Alex did not intend to break, for he did not know what to say. He couldn¡¯t entirely disagree with the fairy, nor could he offer more proof than he already had. Bifrost would have been enough, he thought, but the staff still slumbered within him, as it had since it broke atop the mountain; as it would until fate led him back to Emily. He sighed to himself, at least the pixie on his shoulder seemed to be without worries. For she had finally fallen asleep, leaned softly against the crook of his neck. In the silence he could hear her soft breathing and feel as she moved in her dreams. He was close to following her into sleep¡¯s soft embrace. Be it the pixies or the fay¡¯s magic, he felt more at peace then he had in a long time, and he had troubles keeping his eyelids open.


    Then the Queen of Fay broke the silence with a dwarven oath; one so coarse and harsh it shocked Alex awake. ¡°Time grows short,¡± she muttered, her face drawn into a tight mask of determination. ¡°Though I am loathed to admit it, I need your help and have no choice but to trust you. Listen keenly, for what I¡¯m to divulge is not for just any mortal to hear. As you well know, are your memories to be believed, darkness can take many forms, be it creatures that lurk in the dank places of the world, or the darkness that lives in mortal hearts.¡±


    Alex nodded. He was quite aware of ¡®mortal darkness¡¯ as she put it. Greed, lust, pride, he¡¯d seen them all, and he wouldn¡¯t pretend he wasn¡¯t above a little gluttony at times.


    ¡°None of that would matter to us,¡± the fairy continued. ¡°If not for our bond with the mortals. Or should I say: our bond with one specific mortal. The princess of the mortal kingdom of Nydawin.¡±


    ¡°The one the prince is traveling to collect?¡±


    ¡°The very same.


    ¡°News sure get around quick.¡±


    The fairy smiled. ¡°Birds are the greatest gossipers; can¡¯t keep anything to themselves. Anyway, her name¡ªas you didn¡¯t know¡ªis Chloe Lemoine, and she is the bridge between worlds. Between the mortals and the fay, like her mother before her, and her mother before her, going back countless generations. They keep the balance amongst the kingdoms, and through mortal means they protect our forest, and in turn, we protect them.¡±


    ¡°But something went wrong,¡± Alex concluded.


    ¡°Well aren¡¯t you a clever one,¡± the fairy muttered, her hair was no longer glittering, and her wings had darkened. ¡°But no, not quite. Everything, went wrong you see. The magic that enforced the bond weakened over time, as the original queen¡¯s bloodline was diluted. Something the first Queen of Fay apparently didn¡¯t take into account when formulating her spell. A careless mistake by fairy who did not understand mortal reproduction, nevertheless, it was a mistake that has caused us no end of trouble.


    ¡°As a stopgap, the next Queen of Fay asked the first new queen of her time to bring their firstborn daughter to Alveria, so the spell may be strengthened for the child. She did, and so did her daughter, when she had a firstborn to present. It became a tradition, and for every new queen, their daughter¡¯s bond would be renewed within the forest. The young princess would then be educated at the town of Spellhedge, on our border, so she might meet the fay she was to protect.


    ¡°It worked well¡­ until it didn¡¯t. The previous queen again, Chloe¡¯s great-grandmother, never brought her daughter to the forest, nor let her live in Spellhedge. I never figured out why, but the chain was broken, and the magic whithered. Until Chloe, that is.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s different?¡±


    ¡°Very. She wasn¡¯t brought to the forest as an infant, but she was allowed to attend the college of Spellhedge, the first princess to do so in four generations. But that is not all: She has her own magic, and a lot of it.¡±


    ¡°I take this is unusual?¡±


    ¡°Again, very. No other queen¡ªthat I know of¡ªever had much in the way of magic. I don¡¯t know where Chloe got hers, but she has a lot of potential. That is, however, beside the point. What is important, is that she is brought back into control of her kingdom, nothing else matters more. There is too much at stake for some other mortal to sit on that throne. This forest contains too many ancient and terrible secrets. Secrets that are better left forgotten and unmentioned, and the fay are not the strong guardians we once were.¡±


    ¡°That sounds quite self-serving. Only caring for the life of mortal as long as they can provide something for you.¡±


    ¡°I am self-serving,¡± she said flatly. ¡°I am not a queen like your mortal rulers. My duty is to protect the forest, and to be a bridge to the mortals¡ªif need be. But keeping the forest safe is always my first duty, and the one a Queen of Fay must prioritize above all others. And you mortals are like weeds in my glades: There¡¯s always more of you and nothing you do is for the betterment of anything but your own expansion.¡±


    ¡°Harsh words,¡± Alex smiled. ¡°But true, perhaps. At least from the perspective of an immortal. Still, I wouldn¡¯t be so quick to condemn of all my kind.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps not. But let us return to the more important topic: The princess. I can¡¯t navigate the mortal world, nor leave the forest, but you can. So can we ask you to keep her safe, and to aid her in recovering her birthright?¡±


    Alex didn¡¯t answer immediately. The pixie on his shoulder moved in her sleep, and he mindlessly moved her to his lap, where she rolled up contently in a fold of his tunic, crumpling her wings. ¡°I can¡¯t say no when you ask for help, or I would be betraying everything I¡¯ve spent my life fighting for. However, I¡¯m not sure if I can navigate this mortal world much better than you. There is so much I do not know about the situation in Nydawin, be it political or economical, nor in its neighbors. I¡¯m not sure how much I can be of assistance to Chlo, if I don¡¯t understand why she is in the situation she is in.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to understand anything to keep her from being assassinated in the night,¡± the fairy snapped. ¡°She is still a child, and even if she is brought back safely, and her birthright recovered, she won¡¯t be rising to the throne for another half-decade, at the least. I just need someone to ensure she can rise to the throne when the time comes, nothing more.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Alex mumbled. ¡°Still, I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°What is fate telling you?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, at the moment,¡± he sighed. ¡°Though I suspect it would protest if I were to refuse, and that is the crux, isn¡¯t it. I don¡¯t really have a choice.¡± He sighed again and rubbed his eyes. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say no, not when there are people¡ªchildren, even, that need my help. But I worry for how I might affect this world when I intervene. How will the future be changed by my being here. Will it turn to the better or the worse?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to trust fate,¡± the fairy mumbled, more to herself than to Alex. She didn¡¯t need to say it, Alex knew she had the same concerns. ¡°Trust that the path it guides us down is the best for all of us.¡±


    ¡°I have never been very good at blind faith,¡± Alex said. ¡°But I guess I¡¯ll make an exception this time. I¡¯ll keep Chloe safe until further notice, I suppose.¡± Then another thought struck him as he rolled his shoulders to rid them of the stiffness of sitting for hours. ¡°How will I convince her I¡¯m not ¡®another assassin in the dark,¡¯ as you so eloquently put it.¡±


    ¡°Sof ungr vidr ¨®k draumr um njol.¡±


    ¡°Sof ungr¡­¡± Alex muttered. ¡°Sleep little sapling and¡­ dream of tomorrow?¡±


    The fairy nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the beginning of an ancient nursery rhyme. The rest has been lost to time, but the first sentence was used in the renewal spell to put the young princess¡¯s to sleep. Even if the current princess was never here, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s heard it from her mother or grandmother.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Alex said and rubbed his eyes, the hour was growing very late. ¡°I can see some problems with that theory, but I guess it¡¯s the best I¡¯ve got.¡±


    The fairy hummed. ¡°You¡¯ll have that pixie to, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be able to help you convince the princess.¡±


    Alex lowered his hands and blinked. ¡°The pixie?¡±


    ¡°The one sleeping in your lap. She¡¯s taken to you, and would not appreciate being left behind. Whether you like it or not, she will follow you for at least a decade, perhaps more.¡±


    Alex looked down on the pixie sleeping in his lap. She seemed entirely content with her accommodations in his tunic. Her soft-green skin, misty white dress, and shining gold and purple hair seemed quite ethereal in the semi-darkness. ¡°Why?¡± was the only question he could formulate.


    ¡°How much do you know of fay?¡±


    Alex looked up, thinking for a moment before answering ¡°Not much, I¡¯m afraid. There were only a handful left on M¨®nvell before the war, and as far as I know, all laid down their lives in defense of their homes.¡±


    The fairy¡¯s eyes flared, but with what, Alex could not tell. ¡°I¡¯m glad you enacted an appropriate revenge upon the immortals responsible,¡± she said, her voice tense. ¡°And may the fay live forever in the glades of the mists.¡± Then she took a deep breath and blinked, turning her eyes back to normal. ¡°But to make a long story short: All fay start their lives as pixies. Most even remain pixies forever, but not all. Some turn to nixies and live in the lakes of the forest, and others turn to sprites for whatever element catches their fancy. But only a few select ever become fairies, the greatest of fay. For to become a fairy, a pixie needs to bind themselves to a mortal, and travel outside the forest. Its the journey of an eternity for a kind that never leaves their home, and only the boldest and most adventurous pixies will ever make that journey.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Alex looked down on the pixie again. Then he looked up as thought struck him. ¡°Then you bound yourself to a mortal at some point, no?¡±


    The fairy nodded. Alex hummed, but didn¡¯t follow up the question, if she had wanted to speak of it, she would have. Instead he motioned for the pixies, and asked, ¡°Does she have a name?¡±


    ¡°No. Fay do not have names. Though if you were to give her one, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d be delighted.¡±


    Alex hummed. ¡°Do you have a name?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Will you tell me what it is?¡±


    ¡°Not a chance, that¡¯s between me and the dead.¡±


    Alex chuckled. ¡°I have a few of those to, guess its an aspect of a long life.¡± He quieted, and considered the point of naming the pixie, by letting his mind wander. He¡¯d met a lot of people during his long life, and he had a lot of names bound to different faces. Yet none seemed quite right. Then suddenly, a rosy cheeked girl popped up before his inner eye, a memory so old he hadn¡¯t even remembered he had it. ¡°Sylvie,¡± he said, looking down. ¡°I¡¯ll call her Sylvie.¡±


    The fairy nodded, and mumbled something: A spell to quiet to hear, but Alex felt the magic. The pixie in his lap stirred, but didn¡¯t wake. ¡°A good name,¡± the fairy said as the moment passed. ¡°If a little uncreative.¡±


    Alex chuckled again. ¡°I blame the lack of sleep. It must be getting quite late, and¡ª¡± He interrupted himself with a yawn. ¡°¡ªand it¡¯s bloody hard to tell the time in this forest.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± the fairy said, and fluttered her wings to bring herself standing. ¡°The night grows long and the shadows dark. You may sleep here in this glade tonight, surrounded by us so we may give you some of our magic. I¡¯m afraid that is all we can do to aid you in your task.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be glad for any help you might give me. Especially any of the magical kind.¡±


    ¡°I suspected as much,¡± the fairy said and approached Alex. ¡°No, don¡¯t stand. Lie down, that¡¯s good. Leave Sylvie where she lies, she¡¯ll sleep better if the bond is strong, and contact is the best way.¡±


    He put his hands under his head, marveling at the softness of the leaves and flowers upon which he lay and looked up at the stars twinkling far beyond the rustling leaves and branches. He knew it wouldn¡¯t be long before he fell asleep, he could already feel it approaching, like a soft cloud, enveloping his mind. Not even the sudden warmth as the fairy lay down beside him, snuggling close could keep him from sleep¡¯s warm embrace.


    ¡°Sof ungr vidr,¡± she mumbled, her wings laying still. Sylvie moved where she lay upon his stomach. ¡°Sof ungr vidr ¨®k draumr um njol.¡±


    ***


    The sound of churning water brought Alex out of his sleep. He lay still for a moment upon a carpet of grass, listening to the water and basking in warm light of the sun. Then he fought of the last mists of sleep, and opened his eyes. Looking around, he knew the Queen of Fay had done more than just give him some magic, for not far from where he lay flowed the river Spell, and on his other side ran the road towards Spellhedge. Looking up, he found the sun to be close to noon, and he hoped the fairy had dropped him ahead of the escort, or he would have to walk the rest of the way. Not an enticing prospect.


    He was about to get up from his comfortable position when a pixie popped into his view. Sylvie buzzed above him for a moment, before landing upon his chest, her eyes wide as she looked across the river, towards the unknown there beyond.


    ¡°Morning,¡± Alex said, and held his hands below the pixie as he sat up. She beat her wings in a short burst, moving to his hands. ¡°Did you sleep well?¡±


    Sylvie looked up at him with large golden-brown eyes, and for a moment, Alex wondered if she didn¡¯t understand the common tongue. But then she nodded, and said something in her quick, chattering language, whilst speaking animatedly with her hands.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said, when she had finished. ¡°But I don¡¯t speak pixie.¡±


    Her face fell and she looked at him with eyes shining with disappointment, then she motioned for him to follow, and flew off towards the river. He did, and found her standing upon a rock that lay a couple paces into the water, its top wet and slippery from the waters washing over it. Sylvie¡¯s wings beat slowly to help her stay standing as droplets of white froth coated her dress. The river wasn¡¯t very deep where she stood, a foot at best, but for a four inch pixie, a foot of water can be a lot.


    Alex stopped upon the rocky beach. ¡°Be careful out there,¡± he called to the pixie. ¡°The waters can be dangerous, and the stones slippery.¡±


    The pixie made no move to show she had heard him, she only stared across, watched the trees on the opposite bank move in the wind, and branches¡ªheavy with leaves and flowers¡ªdrag in the water.


    ¡°Is this your first time at the river?¡± Alex asked.


    This time the pixie did look back, her face stained with foam as she nodded. She was about to say something, when a sudden wave washed over the rock upon which she stood, dragging her into the dark waters downstream.


    Alex didn¡¯t didn¡¯t waste a moment, as if acting on instinct he lept into the river, his boots filling with water as he splashed downstream. Eyes sweeping the frothing waters, filled with debris of the forest and sharp rocks. Suddenly he saw a spot of gold, and dove forward, never considering what might lurk beneath the surface. He landed hard in the shallow waters, his knees hitting the rocky bottom as his head dropped beneath the surface. For a moment the sounds of the forest were replaced with a deep churning, as his ears filled with water, and his eyes were closed as his hand closed around something soft and fluttery, he hoped to heaven it was the pixie and pushed himself to the surface.


    He held his open hand before him as he quickly blinked the water out of his eyes, and found¡ªto his relief¡ªthat it had been the pixie, and that she was now sitting in his hand, hugging his thumb and coughing meekly. Drenched and rattled, but alive. He breathed a sigh of relief, and ran his other hand through his dripping hair, pulling it back. He had perhaps needed a bath, but this wasn¡¯t how he had wanted to take it. At least the water¡ªfresh from a mountain lake¡ªwas not freezing, but lukewarm, thanks to the warm climate. It was soothing, as flowed around him where he sat, on his knees in the middle of the river.


    Sylvie coughed again, and he turned his attention to his hands. She was a pitiful sight where she sat, clinging onto his thumb; her dress and hair clinging to her body, and her wings drooping from the droplets of water hanging off their edges.


    Alex smiled kindly. ¡°What did we learn from that little tumble?¡±


    Sylvie looked down, her face hidden behind clinging strands of hair. Then she said something in her native tongue, and hiccuped Alex didn¡¯t understand the words, but the tone was unmistakable.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he said. ¡°You are okay, and that¡¯s what¡¯s important. We all make mistakes, especially when we do something new, that¡¯s why we travel together, so we can make up for each others mistakes. And you are quite exited about leaving the forest, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The pixie looked up, hair hanging across a face that were not only drenched by water from the river, and shone with surprise.


    Alex smiled again, and used his fingers to carefully push the hair from her face. ¡°Being adventurous and taking risks is exciting, even quite valuable at times. But you have to be able to manage the risks, and know where your limits are. Okay?¡±


    The pixie nodded, but stayed sitting in his palm.


    ¡°Good. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll end up in more situations like this whilst we travel, and every time we¡¯ll grow a little stronger and a little wiser.¡± He stood up, cringing at the feel of water in his boots. ¡°And now we¡¯ve learned that small pixies and churning rivers do not make a good match.¡±


    Sylvie smiled a small smile, and eased her grip upon his thumb, and as he walked out of the river¡ªhis feet squelching within his boots¡ªshe again looked at the far shore, but stayed sitting in his palm.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have time to see what¡¯s on the other side,¡± Alex said, and stepped out of the river. ¡°But for right now, we should dry off and figure out how we are supposed to get to the princess.¡±


    The pixie gave the shore one last wishful look before turning away. With a quick buzz of her wings she rid them of water, and the stream of air began drying her hair and dress. Alex¡ªwho didn¡¯t have any wings¡ªhad to make do with the sun, which thankfully shone bright from a cloudless sky. He found a patch of grass between the road and the river, where he pulled of his boots, and most of his clothes, leaving only his underpants on. Then he lay down on the grass beside his clothes, and put his hands under his head as he basked in the heat.


    After a moment, Sylvie landed lightly on his chest. He barely noticed she had, until he felt a slight trickle of magic flowing out of him. He looked inwards and realized that his source wasn¡¯t dried up anymore. Though not nearly close to full, there was a not insignificant amount of magic within it, and Sylvie was taking some of it for her own use. She needed it to live, he supposed, just like all immortals, and like him and Emily, to a lesser degree.


    But the fays¡¯ magic felt strange within his source. Jovial and carefree it bounced around within him like a child on a trampoline, not unlike the fey themselves, he supposed. But eventually it would settle, would become his own magic. Cold, calculating. Methodical. It would probably be best if he didn¡¯t cast any spells until then. But he wanted to be sure, and tested the magic either way. It went about as expected. He felt the error before the spell even fired, but couldn¡¯t stop it in time, and the rock¡ªwhich he had intended to hover a few inches above his palm¡ªrocketed away across the road, and buried itself two palms deep in an ancient oak.


    ¡°That has not quite gone the way it was supposed to,¡± he said as he peered into the newly formed rock-shaped hole. ¡°Good thing it didn¡¯t hit anyone.¡± He leaned away from the tree and found Sylvie hovering nearby, watching him intently. Alex pointed at her, and said, ¡°I partly blame you for this. Your pixie magic is complete chaos.¡±


    The fay only shrugged, and landed on his shoulder, she and her dress had dried in the sun, and only her hair still held a hint of water. Alex checked his clothes and found most of them to have dried.


    He put them on, but left his boots off as he sat on the grass and wiggled his toes. The wind blew through the forest, along the road and the river, carrying scents from further south, from the mountains and the plains beyond. It carried birdsong and the sound of insects, bees and dragonflies buzzing amongst the flowers that grew beside the river where the sun could reach the forest floor.


    How long had it been since he had been able to relax like that, without any world-changing worries? Five? Ten? It might even be more. Though he supposed it wouldn¡¯t last forever, for now he had new worries, and though they might be lesser in scope, they were equally important for those involved. He sighed, how would he protect the princess? He had some magic now, which would help, but there were still thirty some trained soldiers between him and Chloe, and he didn¡¯t know how loyal the magicians in Spellhedge were to the crown, nor how powerful they were. If a few of them went against him, would he be strong enough to counter? He didn¡¯t know, and not for the first time, he wished Emily was there with him. Not even for the magic or her companionship, but for her skill with the sword.


    A sudden shout snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked around. Relief washed over him when he saw where it had come from: the prince and his escort had arrived. The Queen of Fay had indeed dropped him off further ahead down the road, and he sent her a silent thank you before getting up. He felt Sylvie hide on his shoulder as he waited for the approaching moas to slow down from their canter. He sensed a beat of magic emanate from the pixie, and felt her presence fade, until he could barely feel her at all. When Charles reigned in his moa before him, Alex could just barely tell the pixie was still there, and the other mortals clearly didn¡¯t see her.


    ¡°Stranger,¡± Charles said, failing to hold back a smile. ¡°I heard you vanished during the night, and feared we had lost you to the forest. But I can see now you only used the monsters to gain a head start upon our journey. But worry not, you can re-join us now that you¡¯ve taken care of the beasts. Your moa is at the back, and is loaded with your gear.¡±


    Alex bowed his head. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said. ¡°And I must apologize for he trouble I¡¯ve caused.¡±


    ¡°There is no need,¡± Charles smiled. ¡°It¡¯s the least we could do.¡±


    The prince, who had ridden up beside Charles from his position at the center of the escort, did not look like he agreed with his commander. He dared not speak up, but Alex could see the discontent bubbling in his eyes. Lingering¡ªAlex decided¡ªwas not a good idea. He bowed his head again, and hurried to the end of the column. As he passed, the soldier who had given him his sword nodded with a smile, his hand on the pommel of a new sword. Alex nodded back with a strained smile, his hand on the pommel of the soldier¡¯s old sword. He really hoped he wouldn¡¯t have to use it on it¡¯s previous owner.


    At the back, but before the moas carrying luggage, were his moa, saddled and with his pack and bedroll tied on.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Alex mumbled as the moa bowed its head to great him. ¡°Sorry I wasn¡¯t there this morning, I had something to do.¡±


    The bird chirped happily, as if forgiving him when he mounted. The escort had already been stopped for too long, and started again before Alex had properly seated himself. But after a moment of fumbling with the reins and the stirrups, he was seated as comfortable as anyone, which let him focus on the pixie.


    Sylvie had abandoned his shoulder, which she had sat on since the escort had arrived, hidden from sight for anyone but himself, and instead seated herself atop the moa¡¯s head. The bird seemed aware of its tiny passenger, but didn¡¯t seem to care much either way.


    ¡°Can you choose who sees you?¡± Alex asked quietly as he leaned forward to pet the moa¡¯s neck.


    The fairy nodded and gathered up a few more feathers to make herself comfortable.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite handy,¡± Alex mumbled and leaned back in the saddle. ¡°But I¡¯ll throw an extra disguise on you before we get to Spellhedge. I don¡¯t know how sensitive the magicians of this world are, though I doubt they are any better than the average on M¨®nvell.¡±


    He realized then the pixie had fallen asleep, her tiny chest rising and falling as where she lay atop the moa¡¯s head on bed of yellow feathers. Alex smiled as he shook his head. Too much excitement already, he thought, and resorted to mumbling a short spell that would ensure she didn¡¯t fall off. The magic, forced into a modicum of control by his spoken spell, did as he wished, and with the pixie secured, he settled in the for a long day¡¯s ride. One that he wished would be longer, if only to give him more time to think, more time to decide: How many lives would he sacrifice for the greater good? He only hoped that this time, it would not be so many that he lost count.

 Chapter 13 - The Great Adventurer I

    Emily crested the last hill of the plains and gazed towards civilization.


    The town of Vigilfell spread out before her, hugging the banks of the river Ford and the lake Silverfell, from which the town had got its name, both filled with a myriad of ships and barges. The sun stood high and shimmered off the lake¡¯s surface, cascading in rainbows of light, giving the lake its name. At its far shore, great mountains with snow covered peaks rose above a dark forests.


    From her vantage point atop the ridge, at least ten miles away from the town, it looked much like a colony of ants, with workers running around aimlessly on the narrow cobbled streets. Beyond the borders of the town lay fields and small villages, all running up against the edge of the plain, an invisible line beyond which nothing but the tall grass grew.


    Ann and Yu came up beside her, both panting like dogs. ¡°Finally,¡± Ann managed to say, and leaned on her knees, panting like a dog, her skin covered in layers of sweat and her hair glued to her skull. The last few miles had been hard going, as the edge of the plains was a constant series of great, rolling hills, through which they had climbed more than walked.


    Yu doubled over at Emily¡¯s side. ¡°I hate the edge,¡± she breathed. She was in much the same state as her sister, though perhaps a little better, as Emily had carried her pack for the last few hills.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t so bad,¡± Emily said. She was just as sweaty as the twins, a feat, considering how much heavier her clothing was. Though she still felt fine, two nights of good sleep had been good for her, and she was almost back to fighting shape.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be a human,¡± Ann said, and looked up through a cascade of bangs. ¡°It¡¯s not possible.¡±


    Emily gave her a conspiratory smile, and a wink. ¡°I¡¯m just in better shape than you, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Yu sniffed. ¡°Next you¡¯ll tell us that you are actually a grandmother in disguise.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Emily smiled. ¡°Though it¡¯s closer to great-grandmother, I suspect.¡± The twins looked up with some degree of disbelief, but a glint in their eyes showed they weren¡¯t sure if she was joking or not. ¡°Come on,¡± Emily said and took the first step down the hill. ¡°We are less than ten miles from a bath and a proper meal.¡± She set off down the hill, following the boys who had already descended and come upon a road that lead to the town. She walked carefully, making sure she wouldn¡¯t slip on the long grass getting underfoot, she had already made that mistake once. The twins groaned, and Yu mumbled something about strange women not needing a moment to rest. But they followed, and soon caught up with Emily, who had set a comfortable pace down the hill.


    The road was nothing more than packed dirt, running between the fields and a couple of small villages, but compared to the endless grass, it was truly heaven: for it had not only a beginning, middle, and end, but also a landscape that changed as they traveled towards Vigilfell. Fields of golden wheat and green pastures of short grass and heather, with the occasional willow lined the road, and modest groves of hazel and elm dotted the landscape. And there were people, oh so many people. Men worked the fields or led carts drawn by strange beasts of antlers and fur, women worked in the villages or their yards, and children played wherever their fancy drove them. The land around Vigilfell was alive and well, and Emily couldn¡¯t help but smile at the sight. She hoped the world she had left could be like this, not that the old gods were gone.


    As they passed a small village close to the plains, Emily did level a critical gaze upon it, but only to sate her own curiosity. She found them to be quite similar to the ones on M¨®nvell. Cramped windowless buildings of wood and clay, topped with thatched roofs, but for the rare larger building of square stones and wood with a red-tiled roof. There seemed to be one in each village, and Emily assumed it was the home of the mayor, or a village elder, or maybe they were inns. She shrugged to herself as they passed the first village, it didn¡¯t really matter.


    It took them another two hours to reach Vigilfell from the edge of the plains, and their pace hadn¡¯t been helped by the scores of children that seemed to lie in wait like tigers, silent and deadly as they waited for their pray. A pray, that happened to be any passing adventurers, whom the children followed well past their homes, constantly pestering them for demonstrations of skill and tales of adventure.


    Emily couldn¡¯t help but smile as a group of five young girls¡ªranging from one preteen to the toddler whose hand she held¡ªasked her if girls really could be adventurers.


    ¡°Can we really?¡± a younger girl asked, holding the hems of her homespun dress as she walked with Emily and the twins. ¡°Because dad says we can¡¯t. That we are too frail and should stay home and stitch and take care of the animals. But I don¡¯t want to stitch, it¡¯s boring, and the animals stink.¡±


    ¡°Of course you can,¡± Emily said and stopped. ¡°You can be anything, but you probably shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    Emily crouched before her. ¡°Because farm work is important. It might not seem it when you live and work on a farm, among the animals or in the fields. But it is important. Much more important than adventuring. Because if not for your work, what would we adventurers eat? Or what would we wear if not for the wool you sheer?¡±


    The girl bit her lip, and one of the younger ones clung to her dress. ¡°But you don¡¯t work on a farm.¡±


    Emily chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t, no. But I would like to. One day, I would like to settle down in a small house with a garden and a few animals. That¡¯s the dream of most adventurers, I bet. To earn enough where they can have the life you already have. But don¡¯t worry, maybe next time I come by I can tell you a few stories, and teach you how to hold a sword. How does that sound?¡±


    The girls nodded enthusiastically. Emily smiled to as she sent them back.


    ¡°Why did you tell them off?¡± Yu asked when they were out of earshot.


    ¡°I doubt an adventurers life is a very stable one,¡± Emily said as she watched the girls return to their home. ¡°A mercenary¡¯s never is. Besides, you can¡¯t have an economy based around mercenary work, there¡¯s a lot of things that needs done that a mercenary won¡¯t be able to do, and you can¡¯t have town, cities, or kingdoms without an economy. As boring as it might sound, if not for those farmers, you would not be able to adventure on the plain.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t told us off,¡± Ann said.


    ¡°You are already doing it,¡± Emily said. ¡°And if you are old enough to be considered adults, then you are old enough to make your own decisions.¡± She turned away from the farms and the returning girls, and once again started down the road, towards the town. Changing the topic, she asked, ¡°Is there anything we have to do in Vigilfell?¡±


    The twins came up beside her. ¡°There is,¡± Yu said. ¡°We need to go to the guild and check in, so they know we have come back. We also need to tell them the Guardian of the dungeon has been defeated, so they can change its status.¡±


    ¡°And we need to trade in our crystals,¡± Ann added. ¡°What are you going to do with the Guardian crystal?¡±


    ¡°Trade it in, I suppose. I don¡¯t think I would have much use for it, and it was worth quite a bit, no?¡±


    The twins nodded in unison.


    ¡°It is,¡± Ann said.


    ¡°Hundreds of gold,¡± Yu said.


    ¡°As long as it¡¯s enough to live on for a while, I¡¯ll be satisfied. But let us head to the guild then, lead the way.¡±


    ***


    The guild¡¯s headquarter was easy enough to find. The building itself was unassuming from the outside, not much different from the other buildings of gray stone and wood that surrounded the market square. Yet it had a certain feeling to it, one of importance. Though that might have been because the road that lead straight through the square¡ªand had been kept clear of stalls¡ªterminated before the guild. Emily again found herself looking around as they passed through the market. It didn¡¯t look much different from the ones back on M¨®nvell, not that she had ever spent much time in open-air markets. She hadn¡¯t been allowed to leave the estates as a child, and when she finally was, it hadn¡¯t been fitting for a young noblewomen to peruse at the peasants¡¯ market. Still, she¡¯d passed through one or two during her long life, and as she looked around she found the similarities comforting.


    There were stalls selling everything a resident and an adventurer might need. Be it food, clothes, or weapons. Though from what Emily could see, an adventurer would be better off going into battle with a stick and a few stones, rather than the weapons sold in any of the stalls. There were brittle knifes, heavy swords, and bows made from fir and pine. Nothing she would ever waste money on. Though from the crowd and the lively discussions she overheard, it seemed most could not tell they were being scammed, and she even had to pull Yu away from a stall selling terrible bows.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do this later,¡± she said. ¡°Later.¡±


    The inside of the guild put Emily in mind of an inn, with tables strewn across the floor and a couple of counters along the far wall. A grand fireplace took up most of one of the walls, but it stood empty, though its bricks, blackened with soot, told her it had been used liberally. Light streamed through the open shutters that lined the front front wall, letting in a soft breeze and the sound and smells of the marketplace. A motley collection made up the client¨¨le, dressed in leather and heavy cloth, despite the heat, they all played the part of the rugged mercenary¡ªor adventurer. But Emily could see most of them did it for show. Be it the lack of scars or the way they held themselves, she could clearly see only a handful were capable with whatever weapon they held.


    ¡°What a sorry lot,¡± she mumbled to herself before passing through to the counter. She got quite a few strange looks, and a whistle, which she ignored after having memorized the mans face. The client¨¨le, she noted, was heavily favored towards men. That did not surprise her, what did surprise her¡ªnow that she thought about it¡ªwas that she had managed to meet not one, but two female adventurers on her first try. Maybe fate had a stronger grip on her than she realized, or maybe it was just pure chance. She pushed the thoughts aside as she reached the counter.


    It was unstaffed as Emily and the twins reached it, and she leaned on the dark wood as she waited for someone to appear. She didn¡¯t have to wait long, for mere moments later, a leijon entered through the door that lead deeper into the building. Her skin was sun-kissed, just like the twins, but there the similarities stopped. Her head was covered in long curly locks of reddish hair, and her ears were long and pointy, where the twins were short and squat, and her tail was slimmer and not as fluffy. But she was dressed¡ªlike the twins¡ªin clothes that showed a little more skin than was strictly necessary, a soft-green summer dress, in her case.


    ¡°Good afternoon,¡± the leijon said and bowed her head. ¡°How can I be of service?¡±


    Emily straightened from the counter. ¡°We are here to report on a dungeon and trade in some crystals.¡±


    ¡°Certainly,¡± she said and pulled a large book from under the counter. ¡°If I could just get your names?¡±


    ¡°Yulann and Annelle Ionaka,¡± Yu said, then hesitated for a moment. ¡°This is Emily, she helped us in the dungeon but isn¡¯t registered with the guild,¡± she said finally, and sent Emily a questioning gaze.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Emily said, and gave Yu a reassuring smile. ¡°I ran across them and couldn¡¯t just leave them there.¡±


    The receptionist gave them a curios look before thumbing through a few pages. Emily scanned the pages and found it to be a record of parties and names of what she could only assume was dungeons. Names such as: ¡®The Spider infested hellhole¡¯ and ¡®Dark and muddy, with little treasure¡¯. Then the leijon hummed and looked up. ¡°Your other party members, Louie and Rory, have already reported your dungeon cleared. But they refused to tell us what happened with the Guardian crystal, or how a three star dungeon was cleared by a one star party. Ms. Leyla is still speaking with them, but if you could tell us what happened, that would be quite helpful.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Ann said. ¡°You see¡ª¡±


    Emily held up a hand to interrupt the girl. ¡°I killed the Guardian,¡± she then said simply and pulled the pouch from her belt then placed it on the counter. ¡°Here¡¯s the crystal. I¡¯ll be glad to be rid of it, the magic can be quite irritating at times.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the Guardian crystal?¡± the leijon asked, disbelief written across her face. But true to her duties, she reached under the counter and pulled out a small metallic tool with a crystal set into its top. As she held it over the pouch, careful to not touch the soft leather, the crystal began to glow a bright white. ¡°Oh great huntress,¡± she breathed. ¡°It is.¡±


    There was a rush of sound as chairs were pushed back and people got to their feet. ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± a rough voice said from behind. ¡°No one can kill a Guardian on their own, or carry their crystal in a normal pouch.¡±


    Emily looked over her shoulder and found that the room had turned frosty. The man that had spoken was the same that had whistled when she had walked in, and now stood blocking the exit. He was tall, perhaps two inches over her own five foot ten, and much wider over the shoulders, as was natural for men. His head was shaved, but a bushy black beard covered the lower half of his face, except for where a large scar stretched from his chin to his forehead. His clothes were simple, but not cheap, and his tunic stopped just below his shoulders, revealing muscular arms he had crossed over his chest.


    ¡°The crystal is right here,¡± Emily said, and nodded towards the pouch. ¡°You are free to try and prove its not from a Guardian.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± the man said as a couple more gathered behind him. ¡°Even if it is, you probably stole it from another group.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    She leaned heavily on the counter as she felt the prospects of a peaceful solution slipping through her fingers. Then she stood and turned to face the man. ¡°I did, as a matter of fact, not steal it, but I suppose you wont listen to reason.¡±


    The man grunted and stepped forward, straightening his back as much as he could. Emily couldn¡¯t help but smile; it wasn¡¯t the first time a man had been intimidated by her height. He seemed to take the smile as a threat and stepped closer, balling his fists.


    ¡°Sir,¡± the leijon said from behind the counter. ¡°There is no need to get violent, if anything uncouth has occurred, guild officials will get to the bottom of it.¡±


    ¡°Listen to the girl,¡± Emily said with a short bout of deja vu. ¡°She knows what she is talking about.¡±


    The man snorted, as if what she said had been a hilarious joke, and then he stepped ever closer. ¡°In Vigilfell,¡± he grunted, his breath smelling of beer and garlic. ¡°Thieves dangle at the end of ropes.¡±


    Emily sighed. ¡°Are we really doing this?¡±


    The man didn¡¯t answer, instead he stepped up and wound his arm back to strike. Emily curled up on the spot, dodging the mans fist as it flew overhead, she rolled on the balls of her feet and pushed upwards. Drawing strength from her legs as she planted her right fist in the man¡¯s stomach, right below the ribs. She felt something crack as it struck a couple of inches into his relaxed muscles and unprotected organs, compressing his lungs as the punch lifted him a few inches off the ground. When he fell back he did so without regaining his footing, and continued down until his ass and finally head hit the floor with a thud. He didn¡¯t move immediately, and for a moment Emily feared the floor had killed him, but then a drew a long ragged breath, and groaned.


    Emily¡ªever gracious in her victories¡ªturned away from the scene whilst straightening her makeshift hair band, and¡ªignoring Ann and Yu¡¯s expressions, which were a mix of shock and awe¡ªfocused on the new woman who had appeared behind the counter. She held herself with an air of authority, and Emily could only assume this was Ms. Leyla.


    Her hair was a luxurious dark¡ªalmost black¡ªbrown and framed her sharp features as it fell in soft curls down her shoulders. Her eyes were slanted and their copper like color shone with a metallic gleam in the dim light. Elegantly swept eyebrows and full lashes gave her a noble appearance. The silky white blouse she wore contrasted against her almond skin and accentuated her beauty with its tailored curves and princess seams. A large amulet of gold and silver held the blouse¡¯s frilly collar, and identical but smaller ones held the folded up cuffs. A wide belt of dark leather slashed with cream ran around her waist, hiding the transition from her blouse to her fitted black pants.


    ¡°I was going to call the guard,¡± she said as Emily again leaned on the counter. ¡°But it seems you have it under control.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Emily smiled. ¡°I led an army for two decades, rowdy men are nothing new.¡±


    Leyla raised one of her eyebrows. ¡°Still, I would prefer if any and all fighting is kept outside of the guild¡¯s premises. Do you hear that, Larfsson? Any more of your vigilante justice and I¡¯ll be removing you from the guild¡¯s registry.¡±


    Larfsson rose from the floor, slowly and aided by two others. ¡°But¡ª¡± he began in a shaky drawl.


    ¡°No buts,¡± Leyla interrupted crossly. ¡°Even if the crystal was stolen, which I doubt since we have no planned operations of that scale for another three months minimum. That would be a guild matter, and would be dealt with internally and in cooperation with the count¡¯s forces. Not by angry adventures taking on the role of judge, jury, and executioner. Now leave, you are banned from the guild for a month, pray I don¡¯t lengthen it.¡±


    Emily didn¡¯t bother looking back, but there was a hesitation before three pairs of boots echoed across the floor. When the door closed behind them, the atmosphere inside the guild relaxed.


    Leyla kept her eyes on the door for a moment longer, before turning to Emily. ¡°Now then,¡± she said. ¡°Are you this stranger two of my adventurers, Rory and Louie, are speaking of?¡±


    ¡°That would be me.¡±


    Leyla looked her over, and then looked to Ann and Yu. They nodded, and said in unison, ¡°She is.¡±


    Emily let the distrust slide.


    ¡°Did she really kill a Guardian on her own?¡±


    ¡°She did.¡±


    ¡°She definitely did.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the crystal proof enough?¡± Emily sighed and brushed a strand of hair from her face. People talking around her was something she hadn¡¯t experienced in a long time, not since her father had died, and she didn¡¯t like it one bit.


    ¡°It is, I suppose,¡± Leyla said and gave Emily another appraising look. ¡°But it never hurts to be prudent in these matters. A Guardian crystal, as I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard, is a valuable commodity, and one prone to being targeted by thieves and bandits.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it is. But you¡¯ll be glad to hear that I am neither.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you, exactly? For not even in Avania or Sojia is there a person capable of killing a two star Guardian on their own, much less a three star.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a knight,¡± Emily said simply.


    ¡°A knight? Not a magician, I know of a few of those who could at least kill a one star, though only with extensive preparation.¡±


    ¡°My husband is a magician,¡± Emily said dismissively. ¡°I may dabble in the arts, but I leave any complicated spell-casting to him. I am a fighter, and a knight, not a magician.¡±


    ¡°And the boys¡¯ story of you falling from the sky? Is there any truth to that?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t literally fall from the sky, if that¡¯s what you are asking. I did come through a magical rift though, and from a different star at that.¡±


    Leyla hummed, her eyes lingering on Emily¡¯s, searching within them for the truth. Emily stared back with an even gaze, and eventually Leyla continued. ¡°I¡¯d like to hear more details on that story one day, but perhaps not today. No, I think I¡¯ll have to believe you, since I have no evidence to the contrary. So, what do you want to do with the crystal?¡±


    ¡°Trade it in. I didn¡¯t exactly fall through with a lot of money, and I reckon I¡¯ll need some.¡±


    Leyla hummed again. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we don¡¯t have the currency on hand to pay out a full reward. Seeing as killing a Guardian is usually something that''s planned for months in advance, we usually have enough time to send for the extra gold needed from our main branches in Avania and Sojia."


    ¡°How much¡¯s the difference?¡±


    ¡°Normally,¡± Leyla said and motioned for the leijon that had shrunk into the wall behind her, and took the tool she had held clutched in her hand. ¡°This crystal would go for two-hundred and thirty-four gold. That would of course be split over six to ten people, depending on the party, as that is usually how many are needed to guarantee a kill without a substantial loss of life. We do, however, only have one-hundred and sixty-two gold on hand to be traded out, and that is only because we very recently received our second quarterly delivery.¡± She looked at Emily. ¡°Can you see where I¡¯m going with this?¡±


    ¡°I have no intentions of collapsing your business,¡± Emily said and shifted her weight onto her other leg. ¡°And I don¡¯t need all of it at once, just enough to cover my needs. You can take your time contacting your superiors and obtaining the funds.¡±


    Leyla looked at her for a moment, then she relaxed, and smiled. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t doubt that you did vanquish the Guardian on your own. You have an air about you, and aura, if you will. But I have to be careful, running a guild of mercenaries is a dangerous business, after all.¡±


    Emily smiled back. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it.¡± Then she stood up and let go of the counter. ¡°Now, I do need some funds immediately, preferably enough for a few weeks lodging and food, as well as new clothes and a weapon, and I have no idea how much that might cost.¡±


    Leyla hummed. ¡°Velice, put a special fund under the name¡­?¡±


    ¡°Emily Blackwood.¡±


    ¡°Under Emily Blackwood, for the full worth of the Guardian crystal, and draw twenty gold from it. That should be more than enough for a few months at the town¡¯s best inn, and anything else you might fancy.¡±


    The leijon nodded in understanding and vanished into the back. When she was gone Leyla turned to Emily again.


    ¡°What would you say about signing up as an adventurer and joining the guild? With your talents I¡¯m sure you could become a very rich woman.¡±


    At the question Emily felt a faint tug on her heart, a suggestion she was compelled to follow. She chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have to refuse,¡± she said, as much to fate as to Leyla. ¡°I finally have a chance for a nice, quiet life, and I¡¯m not about to let is slip through my fingers. Besides, I¡¯ve already been a mercenary once, and I didn¡¯t much care for it.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Leyla smiled. ¡°But I won¡¯t deny I¡¯m sad to hear it. Here¡¯s your money in a mix of gold, silver, and copper. The conversion rate is simple enough, twenty copper on a silver and twelve silver on a gold.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Emily said and accepted the pouch from Velice. ¡°I guess that¡¯s all then. Unless you need something more from me I¡¯ll be going. You two can do whatever it is you need without me, no?¡±


    ¡°We can,¡± Ann said.


    ¡°Where can we find you after?¡± Yu asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Emily said. ¡°Outside somewhere, I saw a few stalls I¡¯d like to check out, and then I¡¯ll find a bathhouse. This town has one, right?¡±


    ¡°The big building to the east,¡± Leyla smiled. ¡°You can¡¯t miss it.¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Emily said and made for the door, waving back and saying to the twins ¡°I¡¯ll see you later.¡±


    They echoed a goodbye as Emily approached the door, but as she did she could feel the pull of fate growing ever stronger, a force tugging at the very core of her being, pulling her backwards towards the counter and the form. For every step she took it became more difficult, but she was not about to give up. I¡¯ve fought your war, she told fate through clenched teeth, I¡¯ve given you everything but my life. Is that not enough? Can I not be allowed to live in peace? Apparently not, for as she stood on the threshold the grasp of fate took over her being, and she found her legs did no longer obey her. As frozen as a statue, all she could do was stand there. Really, she thought, you really want me to become a mercenary again, a sell-sword fighting for nothing but gold and glory? I know my ideals aren''t as firm as Alex'', but come on. But the pleading didn¡¯t help, she hadn¡¯t expected it to, it never had before. Fine, but you better bring me back to Alex, and quick at that.


    She turned on her heel and stalked back in, ignoring everyone¡¯s stares as she resigned herself to fate. ¡°It seems I am going to become an adventurer after all,¡± she said as she pressed her palms against the counter, interrupting Velice who had begun counting and measuring the crystals the twins had brought back.


    ¡°What made you change your mind,¡± Leyla said with a raised eyebrow, ¡°if I may ask?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m bound by fate,¡± Emily said harshly, ¡°and fate has its own plans for me so lets get this over with. What do I have to do?¡±


    ¡°Velice, get her a form and a pen.¡±


    A piece of parchment and a black feather pen soon lay before Emily, and she picked it up as she looked through the form. It was easy enough to fill out, she thought. Her name¡ªEmily Blackwood¡ªher titles¡ªshe left that field empty¡ªher age and her profession. The last gave her a moments pause before she settled for knight.


    ¡°Are you sure you wrote your age correctly?¡± Leyla asked after having read through the form.


    ¡°Unless I spent three months or more in the rift that brought me here, then I would be a year older.¡±


    Leyla gave her a suspicious look, but placed the parchment back on the counter and nodded to Velice. The leijon pulled of the gloves she had been using to count the twins¡¯ crystals, and pulled another magical tool from under the counter, placing it on the form. The crystal embedded within the metal shone for a moment, blinking between green and yellow, before growing dull. Leyla looked over the girl¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°There seems to be a problem,¡± she said. ¡°Did you provide the right name and titles? We need your given name and any titles you may have officially earned.¡±


    Emily bowed her head in exasperation. ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so,¡± Leyla said and placed a new form before Emily. ¡°It¡¯s to protect against stolen identities and the like.¡±


    Emily sighed. They wanted her given name did they? She¡¯d rather have forgotten she¡¯d ever worn it, but if they insisted. ¡°Well then,¡± she said and lifted her head, her eyes burning. ¡°My ¡®true¡¯ name and titles¡ªif they are so important¡ªare Lady Charlie Elizabeth Louise Vertone the third, first knight commander and second lady of The Empire of the Seven Stars, wielder of Excalibur, slayer of gods, and warrior of fate. Wife of Alexander Blackwood, Archmage of The Empire of the Seven Stars and keeper of the forgotten halls of The Hidden City, wielder of Bifrost, slayer of gods, and warrior of fate.¡±


    As she spoke the crystal began to glow, its inner shine increasing in strength for every name and title she rattled off. When she finally reached the end it had grown to be brighter than the sun shining through the open shutters and lay like a green star upon the counter. Everyone but Emily shaded their eyes as the magic reacted with the shards of Excalibur within her, throwing wide the gates for a burst of magic stronger even than the guardian crystal she had carried across two days worth of plain. The magic connected her with the crystal and the contract, searing her name onto the parchment in bold letters glowing with the same magical light. Then the crystal faded, but her name kept shining matching Emily¡¯s eyes with its emerald glow.


    ¡°That¡¯s new,¡± Leyla muttered as she peeked through her fingers. ¡°You really are quite special, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I thought that was clear from the start.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it was.¡± Leyla took up the pen and spun the form to face her. ¡°What name did you want to be called?¡±


    Emily placed her hands on the counter and leaned in. ¡°Emily. Blackwood.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Leyla mumbled and scribbled the name in the next field. The black ink looked strange underneath the still faintly glowing letters of Emily¡¯s full name and titles. ¡°Is this going to stop glowing, or is it going to always light up my office?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Emily said truthfully.


    Leyla hummed, and stashed away the form after filling in Emily¡¯s age and stamping with her signet, which held the same mark as her amulets: a fox wrapped around the trunk of a cherry tree. ¡°Guess we¡¯ll just have to wait and see,¡± she mumbled, then she straightened and smoothed out her blouse. Clearing her throat, she said, ¡°Now that you have filled out the form, I¡¯d like to officially welcome you, Emily Blackwood, to the adventurers guild. I hope our cooperation will be long and profitable. For the both of us.¡±


    Emily bowed her head. She didn¡¯t voice her wish that it would not be long nor profitable. ¡°Indeed,¡± she said instead, and turned to the twins. ¡°I might as well stick around till you are done now, since we are in the same boat. Ah, Leyla, could you bring out the other two, the boys you were speaking with? I need to have a word with one of them.¡±


    Layla nodded and vanished into the back, and Velice returned to counting the twins¡¯ crystals. Emily waited patiently, consciously ignoring the stares from the adventurers in the room, and the twins.


    ¡°What¡­¡± Yu began, her voice so soft it could barely be heard over the din of the market square outside. ¡°What does slayer of gods mean?¡±


    Emily smiled when she was Velice¡¯s ears angle towards her, though the leijon didn¡¯t give any other hints of listening. ¡°Exactly what it sounds like. But let¡¯s save it for later. Later,¡± she repeated when Ann began asking another question, ¡°we¡¯ll have time to speak. Save your questions until then.¡±


    Then there was no more time for speaking as three people emerged from the back of the guild, with Leyla at the front. ¡°Everything has been cleared up,¡± she said to the two boys following her. ¡°You can hand in your crystals like normal and be on your way.¡±


    Leyla stopped behind the counter, and motioned for the boys to pass. They did, pointedly keeping their eyes turned away from Emily.


    ¡°Rory,¡± Emily said with a smile, forcing the boy to look up and meet her eyes. ¡°I never thanked you for lending me your weapon, or compensated you for breaking it. How much did you pay for it?¡±


    Rory looked taken aback for a moment, before collecting himself. ¡°Four silver,¡± he muttered, his face growing a soft shade of red. ¡°It was all I could afford.¡±


    Emily nodded in understanding. ¡°Here,¡± she then said, and held out a gold coin she had taken from her pouch. It was heavy, despite its small size, and cold as it lay in her palm. ¡°Use this and buy a better weapon, and not a spear, for your own sake. Not when its to be used in an place like that dungeon.¡±


    ¡°T-thank you,¡± he stammered, his eyes bugging as they flicked between her and the coin in his hand.


    ¡°No need to thank me,¡± she said with a broad smile. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have made it out without your help. But be careful out there, you won¡¯t have me saving you the next time you fall into a trap, and I would hate to hear of your demise.¡± She said it with a wink and turned back to the counter as the two boys turned to Leyla to trade in their crystals.


    ¡°Are you two almost finished?¡±


    ¡°We are, look!¡± Ann said and hoisted her pouch into the air, causing the coins inside to clink softly.


    ¡°Six silver and fourteen copper,¡± Yu said happily. ¡°Our biggest haul yet!¡±


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Emily said, first then realizing that she might be quite rich, again. ¡°Shall we leave then? There¡¯s still a lot I would like to do today.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s!¡± the twins said in unison, and followed Emily out the door to a still bewildered audience.

 Chapter 14 - The Great Adventurer II

    Emily peered against the midday sun.


    The square outside the guild looked much like it had earlier in the day; filled with people and every stall busy with customers. Smells she hadn¡¯t notice before now made their presence known as people stopped to eat lunch at one of the many stalls that served everything from meat pies, to a newfangled invention of fried fish and potatoes. Emily couldn¡¯t say she cared much for either, but from the looks on the twins¡¯ faces, they sure did.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Famished,¡± they said as one.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get something to eat first, then find a bath. Have you been to the bathhouse?¡±


    ¡°We have,¡± Ann confirmed.


    ¡°Only the smallest one, though,¡± Yu added. ¡°Of the three.¡±


    ¡°Its usually cramped. But it¡¯s the cheapest.¡±


    Emily weighed her new pouch of gold in her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s not go there then,¡± she said. ¡°I would prefer some calm with my bath, and something to drink. Come, let¡¯s get some food, then clean of all this dust.¡±


    ***


    Three pies, a few skewers, a watered down bottle of mulled wine, and a quick detour into a clothing shop later, Emily and the twins found themselves outside Vigilfell¡¯s finest bathhouse. They¡¯d arrived at another square filled with stalls and people, though sparser than before the guild. For they found themselves in the older part of the town, where houses were tall, built from stone, and covered in plaster in every color of the rainbow. Where plants were chosen for their beauty as they hung over narrow alleys and burst forward from window planters, and where trees stood along the edges, their mighty crowns swaying slowly in the faint breeze. Where fearless doves picked for crumbs between the cobblestones, and crows, ravens, and seagulls lined the roofs, filling their air with their shrieks and laughter.


    Emily wanted nothing more than to go back out to the plain; to the silence and the calm, and couldn¡¯t help but scowl as they passed another stall and another overenthusiastic merchant. When the heavy door of the bathhouse closed behind Yu, Emily could finally relax. For beyond them another world greeted her, one of multicolored sandstone and polished marble. One where sunlight streamed through windows of colored glass, painting the lobby in clutter of colors.


    She swiftly ordered a bath for three at the counter occupying the far wall, paying for Ann and Yu whilst repeatedly telling them it was fine, and that they would not be in debt to her for the rest of their lives. They were then showed into the atrium, and then to the undressing room, where they were left to their own devices. Emily untied her makeshift hairband and let the tousles of auburn hair down with a shake of her head. Then she undressed, handing her old clothes to a girl dressed in a simple dress of gray linen, for washing, and put the ones she had bought new into one of many small alcoves that lined the wall. The twins fell a little behind, and she went in to the baths proper before them, telling them to take their time.


    The hall beyond was as grand as the lobby, lined with polished marble and granite and lit by large windows in the tall vaulted ceiling. The left wall opened up to a secluded garden of vividly green grass, white gravel, and mottled flowerbeds. A great willow stood in its center, its long branches creating a dome, a second seclusion within the garden. The bath itself, though not as colorful as the flowers, was still a sight to behold, and the softly scented water called to her as, despite the warm weather, a translucent cloud of steam rose from the pool, vanishing into the tall ceiling.


    Emily lowered herself into the water and let the heat wash over her tired body, sweeping away her worries with its soothing embrace. When she finally sat down on the tiles that lined the bath she let her head fall back against the edge and closed her eyes. Breathing deeply, as if meditating, she let her thoughts float away with the steam that rose from the bath, silencing her mind. The complete silence lasted for not more than a few minutes, but she already felt quite refreshed when the twins entered the baths. She heard them patter across the smooth floor on naked feet, before mumbling something too soft to hear, and entering the water. Emily allowed herself to look up when they did, if only to sate her curiosity.


    The twins had untied their braids, and their black hair hung free across their shoulders, but there was another thing Emily wondered about, and she only needed a quick peek to confirm. The twins had only one pair of nipples each, like a human. Satisfied her companions were more human than cat, she leaned her head back again, and closed her eyes. For a few more minutes nothing but the occasional satisfied moan from across the pool disturbed the silence. Then at least one of the twins grew bored, and moved across.


    Emily felt the water shift as they approached, stirring up tiny currents and whirls in the pool¡¯s still water. They stayed a bit away, perhaps not daring to come too close. There they stayed as stillness again fell over the pool. Though Emily could feel their hesitation and their eagerness. Like kittens wanting to play with their mother¡¯s tail they were watching, waiting for the right opportunity to strike.


    ¡°Was there a something you wanted to ask?¡± Emily said, forestalling their questions by breaking the silence on her own. She looked up as the twins dodged away from her gaze, their eyes falling to the water. ¡°Well? Out with it, no good will come from letting such things fester.¡±


    They looked at each other, speaking quietly as only twins could. Then Yu spoke up, ¡°Who are you, really?¡±


    Emily smiled as she leaned her head back on the tiles, her eyes tracking the intricate designs laid into the vaulted ceiling. ¡°I¡¯m Emily Blackwood,¡± she said. ¡°I am¡­ no, I was a knight of the Empire of the Seven Stars, the finest knight, even. And before that I was Elizabeth of the ancient family Vertone, daughter of the chancellor of Gra¡¯Tinit. But that¡¯s not really what you are asking, is it?¡±


    They shook their heads.


    Emily chuckled. ¡°No, thought not. I¡¯m the daughter of a goddess and a man. Don¡¯t give me that look when I¡¯m telling you the truth. Look, my mother¡ªif you can call her that¡ªgifted me to my father like a hastily thrown together present. Why she did it¡­ well, I still don¡¯t know for sure, she never bothered telling me. But I believe she knew what fate had in store, and that what she and the other old gods had been doing would bring ruin if they did not stop. Alex is much the same, though his birth was different from mine¡ªmore natural, if you will. His father had a penchant for mortal women, though I doubt he ever expected to sire a child¡­¡± She trailed off, noticing the look on the twins faces.


    ¡°You¡¯re a demigoddess?¡± Ann blurted, the disbelief on her voice palpable.


    ¡°You saw my magic didn¡¯t you,¡± Emily said with a slight smirk, ¡°in the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°The white magic?¡±


    ¡°It was holy magic, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Emily shook her head. ¡°That wasn¡¯t holy, but divine magic. Holy can¡¯t heal wounds, or be used for something as utilitarian as a light. Its only use is for smiting unbelievers.¡±


    The twins looked at her with their massive eyes, their pupils growing from slits as the sun hid behind a cloud, throwing the hall into shadow.


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me,¡± Emily smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I understand. But for the sake of brevity, pretend I¡¯m telling the truth, and if you can¡¯t stomach that much,¡± she said with a wry smile. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m both the most powerful magician and the strongest knight you¡¯ll ever meet.¡±


    Yu looked at her sister for a moment, then back at Emily. ¡°If you really are a demigoddess¡­ then what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the big question, isn¡¯t it?¡± Emily sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve said it a few times, you might not have believed me then either, but I really am bound by fate. The path I walk is not one I get to choose myself, but one that is chosen for me. I don¡¯t know why I am here, why this world is where I ended up, but I¡¯m sure there is a reason, and that that reason will show itself eventually.¡± Then she raised her head and fixated the twins with an emerald glare. ¡°Though it seems to have something to do with the two of you.¡±


    They squirmed under her intense gaze.


    ¡°Why us?¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t special.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourselves short, everyone is special, and you are no exception. But no, I don¡¯t know why its you, I don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s actually you, or if it just seems like it. All I know is fate forced me to become an adventurer, but for what purpose is still a mystery.¡± She rolled her neck, relishing in the soft pops. ¡°Either way, I¡¯m not sure who is stuck with who, but I¡¯ll be traveling with the two of you for a bit, and see where it leads.¡±


    ¡°You mean you¡¯ll be adventuring with us?¡± Ann asked, leaning forward a little.


    ¡°Mm,¡± Emily said. ¡°I think that¡¯s my best bet of figuring out what fate wants of me. And eventually finding my way back to Alex.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just go find him now?¡±


    ¡°Were you not listening? I¡¯m bound by fate, if it does not will it, I can¡¯t do it.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± Emily said, cutting off Ann. ¡°Do you not think I want to go looking for him? We¡¯ve been married for half a century; he¡¯s the light of my life, the star that always guides me home. What I want to do, is drop everything and scour this star till I find him, just so I can hug him and hear him say my name.¡± Emily took a shaky breath and shifted where she sat, as the twins held their breaths. ¡°But I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ If I went out looking for him now I would probably not even make it out of the town, and even if I did, we could be standing two feet apart and not recognize each other, because it¡¯s not our time to meet, because fate dictates our lives, our futures.¡±


    The silence that followed was only broken by the soft trill of a greenfinch, singing an ode to summer in the flowering garden. Then Emily took a shaky breath and forced a smile. ¡°Crap,¡± she sniffled and ran her fingers beneath her eyes, replacing the few tears with perfumed water from the bath. ¡°It¡¯s barely been half a week and I already miss him.¡± The twins said nothing in the pause that followed, then Emily took another deep breath and said,. ¡°Sorry, that wasn¡¯t very kind of me. You shouldn¡¯t have to worry about my existential problems.¡±


    The twins glanced at each other, then they looked down and their ears flattened against the skulls, beneath the water their tails intertwined. ¡°We get it,¡± Yu said, wringing her hands. ¡°We do, sort of. One time, Ann got lost during a hunt, we can¡¯t have been more than five¡ª¡±


    ¡°Six.¡±


    ¡°¡ªor six. But I was so scared I¡¯d never see her again. I couldn¡¯t sleep at all for those two nights and I¡¯m pretty sure I cried enough to water a flock of moas. In the end I fell asleep of exhaustion right before she came home.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d just gotten lost,¡± Ann explained, ¡°and they found me hiding under a bush after a day or so. But I hadn¡¯t gotten a lick of sleep, cowering under that bush, and fell asleep as they carried me home.¡±


    ¡°We woke up together, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever been so happy.¡±


    ¡°Ma says we wouldn¡¯t stop holding hands for a week after.¡±


    They looked at each other and smiled at the memory. Then they looked back at Emily and they smiles faltered. ¡°What we are trying to say,¡± Yu began, but Emily held up a hand and smiled.


    ¡°I understand,¡± she said. ¡°I was an only child so have never known what a sibling¡¯s love is like, but I suppose it can be very alike that of a soul mate, especially for twins.¡± Then she took a deep breath, and without warning, dunked her head beneath the surface. Water filled her ears with a hollow echoing, dulling the wordless shouts of the twins. She stayed beneath till till her lungs screamed for air, and with a bursts of boubbles she rose again, throwing her head back and running both her hands through her hair.


    ¡°That¡¯s gotten the gloom out of me, I think,¡± she said and wiped the water from her eyes, finding the twins looking at her; half horrified and half surprised. ¡°It¡¯s time to stop worrying so much about the past and start planning for the future. Fate has a task for me, and there is no reason to dawdle on getting it started. Quite the opposite, the quicker I get to it, the sooner I¡¯ll get my fated reunion.¡± She pushed herself up on the edge of the bath, water dripping from her hair and pooling beneath her.


    The twins blinked in unison, surprised by her sudden change in tone.


    ¡°Are we leaving already?¡± Yu asked, her ears drooping.


    ¡°But we just got here!¡± Ann exclaimed.


    Emily looked at them for a moment; at their disheveled hair, dull fur, and large pleading eyes; and she felt the warmth in the air, and the water still around her calves and feet. ¡°No, you¡¯re right,¡± she said, ¡°it can wait a little longer. But now that I¡¯m already up here¡­¡± She laid down, shivering as the cold tiles pressed against her skin, reaching one of many small baskets of soaps and perfumes that had been placed around the bath. Then she sat up and patted the edge of the bath. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll wash your hair.¡±


    ***


    They left the bathhouse with shining hair and fur, smelling faintly of chamomile and with content smiles playing on their lips. The bath had not just washed the dirt of their skin and the grease from their hairs, but also the worries on their minds. They found their way back through the town, towards the guild, as it sat right on the edge of the artisans¡¯ quarters, and the square before sold the many things they would need.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be paying for our needs moving forwards,¡± Emily said as they strolled down the street, dodging the crowds of civilians and adventurers alike. ¡°Since I already have more money than I know what to do with.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s too nice,¡± Yu stammered and stepped around a ragged dog sleeping in a gutter.


    ¡°We can¡¯t accept that,¡± Ann added.


    ¡°That¡¯s too bad,¡± Emily said and spun on her heel to walk backwards. ¡°Because I¡¯ll be your patron demigoddess.¡± She added a theatrical wink for good measure, eliciting a soft groan from the twins.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you over eighty?¡±


    ¡°I act the age I look,¡± Emily said and spun again to face forward, her hands locked behind her back. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m still young at heart. But enough about me, we need to find new weapons for the two of you¡­ and a sword for me, I guess. What sort of weapons do you prefer?¡±


    ¡°I prefer the bow,¡± Yu said.


    ¡°And I like spears,¡± Ann added.


    ¡°But we can both use either.¡±


    ¡°And daggers too.¡±


    Emily hummed and glanced through an open door as she passed it by. Darkness and a faint smell of herbs greeted her. ¡°I¡¯m going to rule out spears for the moment,¡± she said, ignoring the sounds of betrayal from Ann. ¡°Did you learn to use a spear whilst hunting with your tribe?¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°An educated guess,¡± Emily said with a dismissive wave of her hand. ¡°But like I told Rory, spears aren¡¯t good for what we¡¯ll be doing. Spears are great in groups larger than perhaps ten, and if you equip an army with spears they¡¯ll conquer half a world. But for us, three people in tight corridors, spears are not the weapons to use.¡± She looked back, catching the twins¡¯ eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll be teaching you how to fight with a sword before we leave on another tour to the plain, and I don¡¯t want to hear any complaining about it¡ª¡±


    Emily turned a corner and spun into a pirouette, catching the girl that had stumbled into her before she touched the ground. But she couldn¡¯t save the basket of vegetables the girl had been carrying, and it fell to the ground, scattering its contents across the cobblestones.


    ¡°Whoa there,¡± Emily breathed and helped the girl regain her footing, arms wrapped around her waist. ¡°You all right?¡±


    The girl wondered at her, a doe-eyed expression clothing her round, freckled face. Then she remembered herself, and as a reddish hue spread across her ears and cheeks she took a swift step out of Emily¡¯s arms, tripping over her simple, yet practical gray dress. ¡°I-I¡¯m very sorry, ma¡¯am¡ªmiss,¡± she stammered and bowed, deeply and hastily, almost hitting Emily with her head. The bun¡ªinto which she had tied her straw colored hair¡ªbounced and threatened to come lose. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t looking where I was going, I¡¯m very very sorry, I don¡¯t know how I can compensate you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Emily said and placed a hand on the girl¡¯s shoulder, gently guiding her out of her bow. ¡°It was an accident, these things happen.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    Emily shook her head. ¡°No, there¡¯s no need. Besides,¡± she said, and motioned for the fruit, ¡°I do believe it¡¯s on me to compensate you.¡±


    The girl followed her hands and gasped. ¡°Oh no,¡± she moaned, ¡°Master will be furious with me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure your master will give you some lenience in the matter,¡± Emily said and opened her pouch. ¡°How much to replace the fruit?¡±


    The girl wondered at her again for a moment, then she realized what Emily was asking. ¡°Oh no,¡± she said, shaking her head as she took another step back. ¡°I can¡¯t accept any gold.¡±


    ¡°Why not,¡± Emily asked and gave the girl a second once over, then she glanced around, and put the pieces together. ¡°I see,¡± she said before the girl had time to answer. ¡°Could you deliver compensation to your master? As an apology for my clumsiness.¡±


    The girl looked at her, her mouth hanging open, then she shut it with a click of teeth, and said, ¡°I-I guess, if it¡¯s okay with you, miss.¡±


    Emily pressed a few coins into the girls palm. ¡°Of course,¡± she smiled. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be right to put you on the spot. Hurry now, before you¡¯re late.¡±


    The girl bowed again. ¡°Thank you, miss,¡± she said, and accepted the basket¡ªfilled with what could be saved from the street¡ªfrom Ann, before hurrying off. Emily tracked her until she was engulfed by the crowds and vanished from sight.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to compensate her,¡± Yu said to Emily¡¯s back.


    ¡°I know,¡± Emily said. ¡°But I¡¯d rather not be in debt the same day I arrive. Especially not to one owning slaves.¡± Then she turned away and continued down the street towards the guild, the twins pattering after. ¡°Is it common around these parts?¡± she asked after a moment.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Ann said. ¡°But only in Aelia, and they got it from the continent.¡±


    ¡°Most are sold into it,¡± Yu added. ¡°To pay off debts. Though some are criminals.¡±


    Emily nodded slowly. ¡°A rather standard affair then,¡± she said to herself before speaking up, ¡°Anyway. Like I was saying before all that: I¡¯m going to be teaching you how to fight with a sword, and I¡¯ll want to know how well you do with other weapons. But first we need to get some new ones, I believe. Did you break all your weapons in that dungeon?¡± The twins avoided her gaze as she looked at them in turn, their ears flattening against their skulls.


    ¡°We did,¡± Yu mumbled eventually. ¡°We ran out of arrows for the bows and lost the daggers among the corpses.¡±


    ¡°I liked that bow,¡± Ann murmured dejectedly. ¡°And now its spider food.¡±


    Emily chuckled and reached out to ruffle their hair. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± she said as they twins yelped and dodged away from her hands. ¡°Weapons break and vanish all the time. They are tools meant to be used, after all.¡± Then she hummed and looked to the sky. ¡°But it does mean we need to buy quite a few things. Three bows, swords, and daggers. As well as training swords and arrows.¡±


    ¡°We can buy weapons ourselves,¡± Yu said through a pout, her arms crossed under her breasts. ¡°You don¡¯t have to pay for us.¡±


    Emily smiled. ¡°Save your hard earned money,¡± she said. ¡°There are better things in life to spend it on than training equipment and lousy swords.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯ll be in debt to you if we let you buy everything,¡± Ann said. ¡°Maybe we don¡¯t want that either.¡±


    ¡°Where I come from, people usually don¡¯t demand payment for gifts. But perhaps things are different here.¡±


    ¡°Humph,¡± the twins said in tune and looked away, but neither stressed the point.


    Emily chuckled as she turned round and started down the street. ¡°If you truly can¡¯t stand being in debt to me,¡± she said as she heard the patter of footsteps catching up, ¡°then pay me back in effort. Show me what you are worth; prove that you are worthy of fighting by my side.¡± She looked first at Yu on her left, then at Ann on her right. ¡°Deal?¡±


    The twins looked at her then past her, their eyes locking for but a moment, then they nodded to each other and their faces set in lines determination.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do it,¡± Ann said.


    Yu nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll prove we¡¯re the best adventurers you could have ever met!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit,¡± Emily smiled and placed her hands on the twins¡¯ shoulders, squeezing as she pulled them together. ¡°If you can keep your conviction I¡¯ll make sure you become the best adventurers to ever walk onto the plain. But first; let us find some weapons. Preferably something that won¡¯t break in its first fight, if such a thing is possible around here. Then, tomorrow we¡¯ll find somewhere to practice.¡±


    ¡°The guild has a training field reserved for adventurers,¡± Yu said. ¡°It¡¯s to the east, a little ways outside town.¡±


    ¡°Really? We¡¯ll go there tomorrow then, after I¡¯ve had time to dream up a training regime. But for today, I believe we¡¯ve earned ourselves a little rest. Let¡¯s find some weapons, and then we can see what this town has to offer. Come now, there¡¯s still daylight to be spent!¡±