Silence reigned for several long moments. Myra started to see shapes in the dark. The outline of movie advertisements, the edge of the concession stand, an exit sign. She didn't see any people, friendly or otherwise.

"Alright, let's go," Toran said softly.

The two crept out into the main hall. Myra desperately hoped she wouldn't have to do anything to save them.

"What do you have to do to get out of here?" Myra asked.

Toran turned and gave her a sharp look. "Just get rid of the hobs. Now quiet unless you want them sneaking up on us in this big, open area."

Myra flushed. Or as much as one could while scared to death.

Each step felt ridiculously slow, but what other option did she have than to stick with Toran? Not like she could get out of here by herself. Any attempt she made to create a gate would leave her vulnerable should a hob or even another fae come upon her.

A dark shape came into view further down the hall. It was a hob and the girl fae they'd seen at the beginning. Both of them lay dead, their faces still locked in aggressive determination.

"Keep a lookout," Toran demanded.

Toran knelt down by the bodies and systematically checked them for any valuables. He took the bow and a few arrows from the hob's body and a crystal from the fae's. He gave Myra the crystal.

"I don't have any use for this, but you might. It was her gate into her demesne. That won't get you back to the human world, but you may be able to hide out there if you need to."

The crystal was bright blue and streaked with deep purple. It didn't look any different from normal crystallized rocks she'd seen, but it had a soft, almost audible hum.

"Thanks," Myra said as she pocketed it. Luckily it was small and could fit. Oh god, she was still in pajamas. How ridiculous she must have looked.

Toran merely nodded solemnly. "Let's go. It seems like this is winding down. Once all the hobs are dead a Lord will gate us out of here and rate our performance. They should be able to help you get back where you need to be."

"Ok," Myra said.

They crept on only a moment before a hob came streaking out from a theatre. It shrieked an almost impossibly high note, the sound piercingly loud. A dagger pointed down towards Myra as the hob leapt up. It angled the blade for her chest.

Myra barely squeaked out a small scream.

Toran shot a blast of green energy at it, knocking it out of the air. The hob let out a yelp of pain and tried to rise. Toran had hit it diagonally at the hip and upwards across its chest. Its legs gave out, but it still tried to crawl towards them. Toran darted forward, grabbed the fallen dagger, and drew it across the hob's throat, his expression almost contemptuous.

Myra looked on, horrified. She squeezed her eyes shut, but that was worse. Her stomach turned at the sight of the pooling blood.

Toran gently took her hand. "Let's keep moving. All that noise will attract any hobs that remain."

Her legs were weak, but Myra kept on. They didn't see anyone else in the dimly lit building.

Suddenly a figure appeared down the hall. Myra couldn't see much, but from the height of the person, they likely weren't a hob. Unless this was some sort of boss fight and it was a giant version of one of the creators. Myra stifled a hysterical giggle. Toran shot her a weird look.

The fae lord walked over. He was quite tall for a sidhe with slightly softer features than Myra was used to seeing on the humanoid looking fae. He wore gray robes and had his long, brown hair in a simple braid reaching all the way down his back.

The others came out to join them at the same time. Myra watched the lord track their movements. The two fae she'd seen at the beginning came limping out from opposite directions, the girl sporting a ferocious smile. Three more walked up. Three guys and three girls total. All of the others had at least small wounds except one of the girls. The one whose back had been clawed either hadn't gotten hurt as badly as Myra thought or he'd been able to heal himself somehow. Maybe the fae did have a healing magic.

"Congratulations," the lord began. "You all did exceptionally well and I'm sure-" He stopped in his tracks as he caught sight of Myra.

Toran took a half step forward. "This girl was here by mistake, Lord Linor. I protected her through the trial and hoped that you would be able to help her find her way."

Myra tried to smile, but she was sure that no happy emotion showed through.

"I would greatly appreciate your help if you can, sir, uh, Lord," Myra glanced at Toran who mouthed his name for her. "Lord Linor." Dimly, Myra realized how awkward that must have sounded.

Lord Linor inclined his head. "Naturally. I am pleased that all of you did so well, especially you, Toran. Your performance will be reviewed and you will be notified of the results shortly. In the meantime," the lord opened a gate even as he spoke, "we can return to the school."

They entered into a large hall set with practice dummies, weapons along the wall, and mats lining the opposite side. Floor to ceiling windows on one side showed a grassy field as far as Myra could see and a bright, blue sky. Looking out, she never would have known that she was on another world.

"You may rest here for now. A meal is being prepared for you and I will send for a healer to tend to your injuries."

At the mention of food, Myra's stomach growled and immediately heaved. She squeezed her eyes shut against the memory of the dying hobs and instantly opened them.

In a soft voice, she asked Toran. "How are they going to know what you did in there?" She needed something, anything to distract her from what had happened, if only the magic they used to see it.

Toran gave her a look of sympathy and gently guided Myra to one of the windows. Sunlight bathed her face, harsh even against her closed eyes, but it was such a contrast to the dim theatre that the images didn't come to her again.

"They had some of the elders scrying and viewing the theatre. Probably with water. The elders can hold onto the images for a time and let the others see them. It wasn't a very big place, so it shouldn't be an issue for them to witness each fight we went through."

"Scrying?" Myra asked.

"A magical means of seeing the past, present, or future. You can use any element, but water is the easiest to retain what you see if need be. Fire is too nebulous, air too quick to dissipate, and earth cannot be shared."

Myra looked up at him. "I'll pretend I understood that." She said with a small smile.

"Maybe I can show you later."

"Maybe so, yeah. But they can see everything that happened?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"So, they'll know what I did, too."

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"Yeah, I might get some points off for you defending me, but I defended you, too, so we'll see."

Just then one of the female fae walked over. "So, just who are you?" She asked, a slight edge to her voice until she saw Myra's face. "You didn't mean to be there?"

"No, I didn't. I got trapped here and was trying to find my way home." Myra said.

"Good- I'm sorry. I thought at first maybe another Lady or Lord dropped you in at the last second and you were there to take kills from us. That was awful for you, wasn't it?"

Myra gave a little chuckle. "I look that bad, huh?"

The girl winced. "I'm so sorry." She held out her hand. "I'm Moraline."

Myra put out her hand to shake the other girl's, but she grasped her forearm instead.

"I do hope we can get you back where you belong." Moraline said. "Not every fae is cut out to be a fighter like us."

"Thanks," Myra said.

Another fae entered the room. "Your food is ready," she said and immediately left.

The others trooped after her into a dining hall. A long table was filled with cuts of meat, cheese, bread, fruits, vegetables, soup in bread bowls, empty glasses, and pitchers filled with water, tea, and other liquids Myra couldn't identify. The fae set to it with abandon, piling their plates high. They seemed heedless to their injuries. Myra took a bit, hoping some cheese and bread would settle her stomach. Toran poured them glasses of water and set a teapot next to Myra.

"It's peppermint tea. It might help."

She selected a teacup nearest her and poured a cup. The minty aroma instantly brought back memories of her mother's garden.

"So, when do I get out of here?"

"The lord will be back soon. The others will expect him to confer with them, but it never takes very long."

Myra nodded, her stomach still tight. She looked around at the fae. During their battles it had been hard to take in too many details, but now she realized that they weren't all sidhe. Two of them had great butterfly-like wings that had somehow been hidden or simply too hard to see in the dark. The girl's were a sparkly green and almost translucent. Myra could make out veins and tendons arching through them. The guy's were a soft burnt orange with the same veins and tendons peeking through. Even from this far away, Myra could tell that their wings were also razor sharp. Exactly how they would use them as a weapon, she couldn't fathom, but they must have. They both wore close fit shirts, leggings, and high boots all made of a soft looking leather and a number of weapon handles protruded from sheaths along their legs.

Instead of being harsh and cruel, their expressions were uncertain, hopeful. They talked with the other fae, but Myra couldn't make out the words.

Toran was obviously sidhe, along with one of the girls. The last two had subtle differences that she couldn't pinpoint, but she was certain they were a different species of fae. They wore the same kind of leathers as the winged fae and also had headbands and ties keeping their long hair back. The guy had a bow and arrows strapped to his back, while the girl had a sword and they both had sheaths with some manner of weapon along their legs.

She must have given away her thoughts with her expression. Toran spoke softly. "They are elves, close in relation to sidhe. Their ears are pointed, but they have them covered with their headbands, and they are a bit taller than sidhe are and they have some internal differences. I'm not a healer, so I'm not entirely sure, but I know they require special healers.

"I'm sidhe, of course, as is she," Toran said with a slight nod of his head toward the other fae who also sported a bow and arrow. They both wore actual armor somehow stained green and brown, though it looked light and thin. Each of them had on bracers and a full chest piece that ended in open pleats like a mix between a gladiator and Tinkerbell. They looked no less fierce or capable because of it. "The other two are pixies. We represent the major fae clans, aside from goblins anyway, but the Erlking has his own kingdom and he does defer to the Queen when times necessitate it."

Myra nodded. Perfect sense, yes.

"I'm sorry, this is all a lot of you, huh?"

"Yeah, but also kinda of not. I know a fae back home who has told me some stuff about how Faery works. He was helping me figure out who I am."

"Then why are you trapped here? Certainly he could come get you."

"If he knew where I was, I guess so. But..." Myra paused. "Some girl kidnapped me, tried to buy me. I escaped and ended up here."

"She what?" Toran exclaimed softly. "You can't buy and sell fae.... She must have thought you were human or planned to convince others that you are. Humans tricked into Faery don't have rights of their own since they aren't part of the compact the four clans signed. She must have known she'd get caught. The lord will sort everything out."

"I do have a trial set for three days from now or I guess now two days. Think I'll still have to wait until then?"

"Probably, but that's only two days. You should be ok."

"That's what my friends said and I got kidnapped. You don't know this Amoria."

"No, I don't, but you have the protection of a lord now. I don't know your friends, but they probably aren't lords."

"Yeah..." Myra said softly. She resisted the urge to pull her legs up in the chair and press them to her chest. Instead, she took a sip of tea. It was cool enough to drink, but still warm. She gulped the rest down and poured another cup.

Toran laid a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be ok. We'll make sure of it."

Myra managed a weak nod.

The door opened and everyone looked up. It was the same lord as before, Linor. "You all did very well," he said. "We are still deciding the ranking and duties you will have. You will each join the armies shortly."

The fae around Myra sat up a little straighter. She could see small smiles on their faces.

Lord Linor looked up at Myra. "Lady, if you would please come with me."

Toran glanced at Myra sharply. She was thinking it, too. Lady? What?

Myra stood, glanced back at Toran, and followed the lord out. He led her down the hall, further into the building it seemed. The doorways were further spread out here. Torches lined the walls. The hallway opened up into a huge room on the right. A podium stood at one end and benches lined the other. It had no decor at all.

The lord sat at the edge of a bench and gestured for Myra to join him.

"I am not fully aware of your situation. However, I am aware of who you are. You must also be aware that I am not fully able to divulge everything to you. You are a halfling, this you probably know. The daughter of a high lord, you are a high sidhe. Depending on your studies and capabilities, you may very well join my ranks one day. I witnessed your shield and invocations during the trial. For one in transition, you are a powerful fae. I imagine if you put your mind to it, you would be quite strong indeed. Do you still wish to return to the human realm?"

Myra knew much of this before, but to have it confirmed again set anxiety to fill tilt. Of course, she had to go home. Her mom, friends, school.

"Yes, I do need to go home. But..."

"The reason you're stranded here?" The lord prompted.

"Yes, I-"

"We overheard you tell Toran. Part of the process is to learn how the hopefuls act when they believe that they are not being watched. I apologize for the intrusion."

"Ok, that's creepy," Myra said without thinking. "Sorry," she added as a blush rose to her cheeks.

The lord ignored the comment. "Do you wish to train in order to prevent another incident that brought you here?"

"Yes... I think. I do have my mom at home, though, and I don't know if my friends are ok. We were all attacked."

"Your friends? Are they halflings?"

"No, they are full fae. They were supposed to be protecting me."

Understanding seemed to dawn on the lord's face. "I see. I will have a team attempt to find them and render aid if needed. What are their names?"

"Summer, Illa, and Nathan, but those aren't their fae names. Lucilia, her full name is Lucilia."

"Where do you reside in the human realm?"

"At a boarding school, Horizon Academy in Colorado. That's-"

"Very well." The lord cut her off. "You can stay with the others for now and I will send the team."

“Here? I mean...”

“I cannot very well send you away out of my influence until I am satisfied this situation is resolved or you are under the protection of another. I would be... remiss of my duties were harm to come to you.”

Myra just stared. What? What did he mean by that?

“There are other lords and ladies here who protect the school. We have wards, enchantments, and many other things keeping away would be attackers. While I have my duties to attend to, you will be safe here. We have sleeping quarters for the trainees and new initiates. You will be roomed with those you fought with, though they may be sent on assignment before your situation is resolved. I hope not.”

“OK, thank you.” Myra said simply.

She suddenly had a crazy thought. How would she explain this long absence to her mom, to the school? She’d be here another two days at least and had already been gone one. She and her friends would miss half a week of school with no one knowing where they were at. Surely, the school would have called her mom by now who was certainly freaking out.

Getting a grip on her emotions, Myra nodded. “Where are these quarters?”