When Lara stopped the car, Skye couldn’t exit the contraption fast enough. He hit the door with a powerful shove, swinging it open with a grinding, metallic whine. The first time he sat down in the seat, he remembered thinking the chair was comfortable. As time progressed, and the days of sitting in the confines of the small car piled up, he found it a clever deception.

He had grown to despise enclosed spaces. The cramping in his right hip sent ricochets of pain zinging up and down his leg, and rocks felt like they now resided in his shoulders and neck.

He gulped in the cooler air, uncaring that it smelled wrong. Unable to straighten his legs for much of the day, Skye was uncertain whether they would lock into place. His legs teetered for an alarming moment before straightening with a wrench. He moaned in bliss as he straightened to his full height, soaking in the slight breeze and bright sunlight. His hip quit threatening to seize on him. To get his blood flowing, he bounced on the balls of his feet, feeling his strength come back with each jump.

“God, I’m tired,” Lara moaned in the middle of a yawn. “Thank goodness Becky is driving from here on out.”

He wasn’t the only one in need of a long rest. But Skye knew if tonight went according to plan, he would soon be walking on his own precious soil.

He had to leave this planet. Rest wasn’t an option. The noise from the road brought his attention back to his surroundings. He cursed himself. While enclosed in the car, he’d grown lax in his surveillance. They were not safe, not yet. Skye kept a wary eye on the multitude of colors passing on the road. Lara walked around the car in time to hear his stomach howl for several long seconds, and despite his attempt not to react, his cheeks warmed at the knowing gaze she sent his way.

Lara grinned, pointed at the painted building, and said, “We both need real food. We’ve been living off finger food. That’s why I told my friend to meet us here.”

Skye remembered her calling it a burger joint. Skye eyed the square, brick building they were hidden behind. He had no desire to enter yet another strange building with candlelight that required no fire or oil. The light was brighter than any he’d ever conceived, and he imagined it eclipsed the sun’s brilliance.

Each time he entered a building to pay for gas, Skye had struggled to understand the strange phrases. The words made no sense. Every new sight and experience lowered his body’s physical and mental capacity to steer through this world. Every new word and phrase stabbed him in his stomach, hammering in its foreignness.

A few strides away from the door, Skye felt his face solidify into a wall of impassivity. With difficulty, he reined in his misgivings and followed the woman into the building. When every eye turned to stare at him, his body almost exploded with tension. In the span of half a breath, he turned motionless, watching for any movement that might signal an attack. When Lara came to stand in front of him, he spared her a glance, taking in her far too sober eyes.

In a low murmur, she said, “Skye, go back outside. I can do this without you.” When he didn’t move, she whispered, “Please, go.”

He gave her an abrupt nod, turned, and went back out into the sunlight. His relief expanded with every step he took. Skye shook his head and frowned. He was becoming irrational, assuming an assailant was present when none existed. On his planet, people were also curious when someone entered an establishment. This place was no different. He knew this. Exhaling slowly, he centered his mind, calming himself with a mental technique every warrior learned as a child.

A short time later, he heard the distant crunch of gravel and angled his head to watch Lara approach. In her hands, she precariously balanced sacks of food and three green glasses.

Laying out their meal on top of the car, she explained, “You can’t leave my planet without first trying some of the food.” She waved her hand toward the car. “What we’ve been eating doesn’t represent American food.”

She ripped open a sack with enthusiasm and pulled out a silver bundle, unveiling the food within. He leaned over, peered closely at it, and gave it an experimental sniff. When she pulled out a cup with yellow slices in it, Skye stood back, giving her more space.

She named each with an index finger, “This is a burger. These are called fries. Since you liked the hot chocolate, I got you a chocolate milkshake. I also bought you a regular drink.” She handed him the chocolate drink after removing a clear, thin top. She grinned in anticipation before cajoling him, “Try it. Use the spoon. I think you’ll love it.”

He had to use a spoon for a drink?

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

He glanced at the food again, intrigued. Unable to ignore her coaxing, he took a small bite and froze. At once, the cold sent tremors through his mouth, reminding him of the deep snows in the ancient mountain passes. But then his taste buds hummed with delight. The woman was correct. Like the hot chocolate, it was sweet going down the back of his throat. All too soon, the bite vanished. He spooned up another, greedy for more. Skye couldn’t recall the last time he had had a dish as sweet as this.

Lara watched him try each dish before she took a large bite of her own. Copying how she ate, they soon settled in to eat in comfortable silence.

A short time later, a bright red car pulled up beside them. The tinted front window lowered, and Becky rushed them into her car with insistent gestures. With growing apprehension, Skye helped Lara with their wrapped belongings, transferring them to the other car.

When Lara moved to sit in front, Becky made an angry sound, rounded on her, and said, “You have to hide.”

Becky grimly looked at both of them, and Skye noticed the other woman now had crescent-shaped bags under her eyes. Equal amounts of worry and exhaustion showed on her face. Collecting herself, Becky told Lara, “Your friend can sit in front since no one will recognize him. You, on the other hand, are the hottest thing since the terrorist attacks. Lie down in the back sit. If I thought you’d fit, I’d have you get on the floor.”

After they got back onto the road, Skye regarded the woman in silence, taking in her jerky movements. He stated with sudden insight, “Some incident has occurred since you last spoke to Lara.”

Her hands whitened where they rested on the wheel. Lara gasped in comprehension from the back, though she didn’t move from her hiding place.

“Becky, what happened? What’s changed?”

Although Becky turned her head to flash him a glance, he knew she spoke to Laura with false joviality, “Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”

In irritation, Lara snapped, “I don’t give a damn. Tell us what happened. You’re absolutely terrified.”

“The good news is you’re no longer wanted for questioning. The bad news is the police think you are dead.”

“Why would these police believe Lara is dead?” asked Skye, the insertion of his deep voice into the confines of the car overriding Lara’s strident squawk.

Becky brushed her loose hair away from her eyes. “You’ve read about the murders that are happening around campus. The police have finally added everything up and realized that the third man in our rooms, this so-called Malirran, is the same one indiscriminately eating everything that moves. Most of the students are avoiding the campus like the plague. My classes have been canceled more than once this week. The entire city is in an uproar. The police have brought in every expert they have to catch the serial killer because the murders are inconsistent to other serial killers.”

“He hasn’t been killed by your city warriors?”

Becky gave him a confused look before he saw understanding dawn. She shook her head.

Lara said in a voice full of shock, “They think they’re looking for my body?”

“Or what is left of it,” Becky said under her breath.

Lara’s arm shot through the break between the seats, latching onto his thick shirt. “Skye, my parents. If the police are saying I’m dead, my parents probably believe it, too.”

The depth of her despair made him want to console her. At a loss, he moved his right hand and covered hers. He understood. His own parents were forced to remove him from their thoughts and expunge his name from the Silverhand house. Being thrice named outcast was much like dying. Families still grieved, no matter the cause.

Becky advised, “Lara, I think you should come forward. This has gone way too far.”

Staying quiet, Skye waited for Lara to agree with her friend. He wouldn’t fault her for changing her mind. After all, this world was hers; it was where she truly belonged. Perhaps he could use the coil to return to Aradun without her, leaving her here to assuage her parents from their mistaken grief.

He was no less shocked than the woman beside him when Lara said in a determined voice, “No. Skye and I must return to the other planet. If it wasn’t for that monster, no one would be in this mess. That Malirran is the cause, not me, and definitely not Skye.”

His eyebrows lifted at her declaration. She was right. Lara and he would not have run if the Malirran had refrained from killing the boy.

Skye had chosen the wrong method of attack while on Kureto lands. If he’d sliced through the Malirran’s neck instead, no one here would have suffered the Malirran’s brutality. If he’d killed the man, no one would have ever known about the Malirran’s existence. He was uncertain why the assassin ate human flesh; however, the man’s birthplace was a land across the eastern seas. Gharra’s merchants traveled to kingdoms in the north, not the east. Nonetheless, it made no difference. The assassin must die by his hand. Only then could Skye fix the wrong his action had wrought.

Lara’s soft, “I agree,” made him realize he’d spoken the words aloud.

So, he’d hunt the Malirran, and his quarry would not survive the night. As his last act, he could depart from this world with his honor intact.

They both ignored Becky’s dissuading arguments until she gave up with a suppressed scream. “Fine, Lara. You win. You just didn’t see your parents on the news. Even after I assured them on Monday you were fine, they refused to believe me, thinking I was giving them empty platitudes.”

Whether the spirited woman’s words made an impact, Skye didn’t know, didn’t care. No one spoke another word until they reached the place Skye first visited.

When the wall behind them came down, Lara sat up and stuck her head through the two chairs. “Are you sure we’re safe here? What if Jonathan comes home early?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. I wouldn’t put the two of you in that kind of position. Besides, can you imagine the amount of trouble I could get in if word got out that you’re alive and I knew all along?” She opened the door and waved her hand in the direction of the door. “Jonathan won’t get home until after midnight. He’s working tonight. I don’t know what you have left to plan, but you can do it inside the house. Just be careful what you put down.”