He leaned against a wall some distance from where he left the Pyranni warrior and the woman. He needed to find a place to rest and heal. He looked down at his shoulder and groaned. The wound still bled, leaving him lightheaded and dizzy. His sight blacked out for just a moment, but it was enough for him to lose his balance. He panted as his head throbbed to the rapid pace of his heartbeat. He was in need of a healer, but the place he found himself in was foreign. The clothing, the buildings, all of it was foreign.

He couldn’t comprehend the power of the magic that brought him to this place. He knew the Pyrannis did not adhere to any magical tenet. They believed the use of magic was the work of evil. He sneered at the fallacy of the Pyranni belief system.

His eyes narrowed as he considered the woman; the magic must belong to the woman, then. He scowled as he thought through the possibilities.

A slight noise brought him out of his dark musings. He twisted his head, feeling unsteady at the movement, but he didn’t show the disorientation he felt. He blinked when he found a young woman standing a few strides from where he stood. She looked at him through solemn brown eyes; her filthy hair and clothes telling him she lived on these streets.

He smirked and let out a rusty snicker, his eyes devouring her. An idea formed in his clouded mind. Perhaps Semnac was providing for him, already knowing his needs. Although he had never been one of the few who received the honor of worshiping Semnac, this new world provided a means for him to prove his worth to the Goddess of Flesh. Thoughts of reaching the inner echelon of his king’s circle had him licking his lips in anticipation. First, though, he must pass the Goddess’s test.

He wouldn’t fail.

Semnac would gift him with the strength to find a healer for his wounds, and this woman was the means.

¤¤¤

Lara glanced over at her passenger as she parked the car in Jonathan’s garage, trying to judge how well he was taking the new surroundings. After being on Aradun for over a month, her world was a shock to her senses, so she could only imagine what Skye was feeling. The garage door closed behind them, and the light was flipped on by her roommate, making Lara jump in surprise. She shifted her eyes past Skye’s immobile face to the side mirror and saw Becky standing at the door to the house waiting for them.

Neither of them moved to open their door, and Lara turned in her seat. She hesitated. “Are you okay?”

She saw him take a deep breath and unwrap his right hand from the door handle. So much had happened in the last thirty minutes, she couldn’t wrap her head around the events. Someone she had taken several classes with died on the threshold of her dorm room, forcing Skye and her to run. She probably would have been questioned and let go, but Skye was another matter entirely.

He was on a foreign planet with no means of protecting himself against the laws and technology in place. Soon, she’d be a suspect in the murder of her friend. Lara closed her eyes as she drew in a slow, deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. She felt stretched, misplaced. Her brain hadn’t yet adjusted to the familiar surroundings. It felt odd driving a car after being gone so long.

Lara rolled her shoulders to relieve the cramped muscles in her back.

They were pressed for time. Her friendship with Becky was well known on her residence hall floor, so they couldn’t afford to stay here any longer than necessary. She’d yet to decide whether she would call the police or have Becky do it. Becky didn’t want any part of her troubles, but Lara didn’t know where else to turn. At least her roommate knew the background story. As she drove here, taking every back road and corner she could find, Lara had made a mental list of things she needed before they left the Dallas area. She thought she could get across the state line before the police began looking for her.

Becky popped up beside Skye’s window, startling them both. When her roommate opened his door, Skye snarled and flew out of the car, his dagger already in his hand. Becky screeched and jumped backward, slamming into the garage wall, making the tools rattle near her head. Skye’s blade was against her throat before Lara could comprehend what happened.

Finally, she choked out, “Don’t.”

When Skye leaned into her roommate, making Becky’s pallor whiten further, Lara scrambled out of the car, getting tangled in the seatbelt for a moment before she slipped and slid around the car. She knew he was listening since Becky was still alive and unhurt. With one hand gripping her bag, Lara put her other hand on his shoulder and said with forced tranquility, “Skye, she’s my friend. She won’t hurt either of us or give us up to the cops.”

Becky didn’t seem to notice her standing beside Skye; her eyes were fastened onto the man’s face towering above her. Her lips quivered even as her entire body trembled with fear.

When he still looked undecided, she tried again, “Skye, she’s my friend.”

At last, he stepped back from Becky and looked at Lara with wild eyes. Skye was holding onto his composure by his fingertips. Lara reached out and tugged Becky toward her. Hoping to calm the man down, she jerked her head toward the open doorway. “Let’s get inside where I can start prepping the stuff we need.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Dragging Becky behind her, she entered the kitchen area and dumped her bag onto the table. She pulled out a chair and pushed her friend into it before turning to regard Skye once more.

Skye was looking at the appliances in wary curiosity, though he didn’t stir from his rigid position in the doorway. Impatient with the both of them and feeling urgency stir from deep within her, Lara sighed. “You can come into the house. It won’t hurt you.”

She pulled out a chair for him and waved at it in invitation. “Here, sit down so you can rest. We have a lot to do before we’re safe tonight.”

Not waiting to see whether the warrior sat down, she turned back to Becky. “Is anyone else here?” She heaved a sigh of relief when her friend shook her head. “Okay, are you willing to help us get out of Texas?”

Her friend lifted a trembling hand while she stared at her in confusion. “Why are you both covered in blood? Why do you have to leave?” Then she turned her head to look over at Skye and asked, “And who the hell is he?”

Feeling guilty, Lara hurried to make introductions. “Becky, this is my friend Skye. He’s from the other world. Somehow, he ended up here with me and another man. Skye, please meet my friend and current roommate, Becky. This house is her boyfriend’s, although he’s not here at the moment.”

Lara was surprised when Skye gave her friend a small bow in greeting. Though his damaged clothes and the blood made the greeting strangely macabre, it was obvious he meant well.

“I thank you for your assistance in this matter. I also apologize for frightening you.” His eyes shifted back and forth from Lara and Becky a few times before he frowned in consternation. “I do not understand. Neither of you look at all alike.”

As Becky laughed in surprise, Lara groaned aloud. “I’ll tell you later when we’re back in the car, but we need to get ready. Becky, would you mind showing Skye the bathroom? He needs to wash off the blood. Neither of us can be seen like this. You’ll have to show him how to work the appliances.”

When Becky left the room with Skye, Lara reached over the table and grabbed an empty envelope and a pen off the table. She jotted down everything she could think of that she needed, hoping her friend could help her with at least some of the items.

Becky marched around the corner like she was on a war path. “Lara, tell me what is going on. I can’t help you unless I know.”

Ignoring the command, Lara held up the list in her fist. “This is everything I need. I honestly don’t want to get you involved in case the police question you, and I know they will. It won’t matter that you didn’t sleep there last night and weren’t there this morning when it happened.” She straightened her arm, holding the list closer to Becky. “Can you help me with the list?”

A small scowl crossed Becky’s face, but her friend took the envelope and scanned it. She chewed on her lip as she thought about some of the items. “I think Jonathan has the majority of what you need already here in the house. Nicholas is about Skye’s size, so maybe some of his clothes will fit him. As for the tent and sleeping bags, I’m not sure. We can check the garage.”

Becky searched her face for a moment, her conflict readily visible. “You’ve lost a lot of weight. Except for your car driving into the garage, I wouldn’t have recognized you.” Becky looked down at the sword on Lara’s hip. “A sword. A real sword,” Becky breathed out, looking ready to faint. When Lara placed her hand on the hilt, Becky lifted her eyes and studied her face. “How long were you there this time?”

Lara silently screamed at the minutes ticking away, but her friend needed to know it was still her. Her face was stricken, as if she wasn’t sure Lara stood in front of her.

Had she changed that much?

Lara sighed. “I think about five weeks this time, but I’m not sure. Time seems to flow faster there.” Her shoulders lifted and dropped. “Skye and I have been training for the last three weeks at the Tal’Ai school.”

She stopped when she saw her roommate’s head jerk back in reaction to something she said. She cocked her head to the side in silent inquiry.

Both her eyebrows rose when her friend giggled like a school girl. Becky leaned over and whispered into her ear, “Why didn’t you tell me about him? He is absolutely gorgeous.”

For some reason, Lara stepped back with a blush. Yes, he was. She enjoyed Skye’s company when he was speaking to her, but their situation didn’t allow her to see Skye in that light. As if she had conjured him, Skye strode back into the kitchen, having cleaned the blood off his face and hands. His nose looked a little swollen, but not broken.

Relieved at the interruption, she said, “I’m next. Becky, can you see if Nicholas has any jeans and shirts that Skye can wear? I’ll pay him back when this is over.”

Becky gave her a strange look. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll go shopping before he gets back in a couple of weeks. He’s still at the construction job. While you get cleaned up, we’ll go find some clothes.”

Lara followed them through the house until they reached the bathroom. Under the sink, she found another washcloth. She looked down at herself, discouraged; she was filthy, the forest dirt and blood covered her. Going through the medicine cabinet, she found the hydrogen peroxide and poured it onto her injuries, hissing in pain as it sizzled in the flesh wounds.

She threw both Skye’s and her washcloths into the trash before putting her head beneath the faucet. Lara shivered as the cold water hit her heated skin. Her mind raced as she scrubbed her hair. Out of the corner of her eye, Lara watched the pinkish water spiral down the drain and squirmed at the sight.

With a last glance in the mirror to ensure all the blood was gone, she towel dried her hair. Seeing Becky’s thick comb on the counter, she picked it up and ran it through her scalp.

She jumped when a hard knock disturbed the quiet of the bathroom. Becky’s voice came through the door, “Lara, I brought you some of my clothes to wear.”

“I can’t wear your clothes. They’re too small.” She had to step deeper into the bathroom to make room for the door swinging inward.

Becky peeked around the door. “I think you’re only a little bigger than me now.”

Lara shook her head, but took the clothes her friend held out to her. They were a pair of black yoga pants and a long-sleeved, green t-shirt. After her friend left, closing the door behind her without another word, Lara grimaced. What was she going to do for clothes? Her friend was tiny compared to her. There was no way her clothes would fit. She shrugged and stripped out of the long workout pants and shirt her Tal’Ai teachers had given her. Anything was better than what she wore.