Jal stretched out on the bed in Eiske’s medical center. “This seems ridiculous,” it complained. “I understand your concern. But I say that Grandma would never give me something dangerous.”

“We know she wouldn’t do it intentionally. But there’s still a chance something might go wrong.” He flipped a switch and a monitor lit up at the head of the bed. Various lights turned on and numbers appeared. “You might want to pee first,” Eiske suggested. “While you do that, I’m going to count the petals that you’ve got.”

Jal got up and came back. “Jal, you’ve got twenty-two here. I think you should just take half of them.”

“But-”

“But nothing, Jal. If this works the first time, you can do it again in a few months.”

“I’m pretty sure that I’m not supposed to let them dry out completely.”

“Half of them, Jal.”

“I’ll put some back in the bag.” It picked up the bag and held it open. Just then, Eiske’s communication device beeped. As he prepared for an emergency victim to come in, Jal chewed and swallowed. “He’ll never know,” Jal thought, as it shoved all of them into its mouth. As it chewed, it folded up the bag and shoved it into a pocket.

As Jal waited for the flowers to take effect, Jal considered what the months ahead would bring. There were tournaments scheduled for once a month for the next several months. It had half a school year left before it was finished. Master Neve was consistent about asking Jal to finish large orders of dishes, and the ones it sold at the General Store in Pencadick Rill sold steadily.

Jal sighed. It needed to find a new herbology instructor. Master Avina had died a few weeks earlier, after a long illness. The other apprentice that had been working with her hadn’t finished her training. She had found another instructor, taken the test in order to be recognized as a master, but hadn’t passed. “Maybe Eiske knows someone,” Jal thought. “Or maybe I should ask at the guild office in Nik.”

An hour passed, and nothing happened. Jal went to the sleeping room where its pack sat in the corner. It took out its electronic tablet and sat down by the fireplace in the sitting room. Jal could hear Eiske talking with whomever had come in for medical treatment. Their voices became quieter, and Jal supposed that Eiske had calmed everyone down and was treating the injury. It wasn’t long before the door opened and closed. Everything was quiet.

Jal was working on an assignment for writing class when Eiske came looking for him. “There you are. What are you doing in here?”

“Nothing happened, Eiske. So, I decided to study.”

“Sounds good. I need to finish decontaminating the treatment room and take a shower. We can decide what we want to do after that.” When he came back, Eiske studied Jal’s face. He checked Jal’s pupils, checked its pulse, and sat down across from it. “Apparently, the flowers have had no effect on you.”

“I guess not,” Jal said disappointedly. “I’ll grow more and take a bigger dose next time. I should probably go home.”

“Is Jan expecting you back today?”

“No. He’s on Shifos this week. I expect I’ll have an order to fill for Master Neve, by the time I get back.” Jal didn’t move. “I’m just so comfortable. Relaxed.” Jal talked about Master Barloch and his inconsistent expectations, its new fighting instructor, and the fact that it was mixing up various potions for magic lessons. “I taut I’d en up gwoin wif Jan zu Shiiifos dis week. Den it tole me dat I wasss workin’ toooo hard. ‘Take a break,’ it said. I wassn’ abouuut to argue.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Jal, can you stand up?”

“Sure I can.” Jal stood. “Where we goin’?”

“Let’s go into the medical rooms.”

“I should gooo hooome.”

“I think you should come with me. I have a really comfortable bed that you could stretch out in for a while.”

“Are you surrre? I don’ want you to haf to decon-” Jal scratched its head. “Decon, decontaminate a spot becaz of me.”

“It’s okay. Come on.” Eiske led the way and Jal slowly followed him. “Lay down here. I’ll help you with your boots.”

Jal sat down. “Eiske, I feel strange. There’s a hum.” Jal began to hum a deep note that matched what it heard.

“Do you feel sick, Jal?” Eiske turned the monitor at the side of the bed on. He put stickers on Jal’s chest and connected the leads to a heart monitor.

“No. I’m jus’ relaxin.’ Think I’ll take a lil’ nap, if dat’s okay.”

“Go to sleep, Jal. I’ll be here watching you.”

***

The tall golden grasses seemed to whisper as a hot wind blew over them. The sky, a vivid neon blue filled with a flock of honey-colored, long-necked birds. “Come on,” one called. “Jump!”

Jal jumped, and to its surprise, it followed the birds. The sky changed from light to dark over and over as they flew. “We’re going north,” Jal thought, “but I don’t know how I know that.” Below, the savannah became lightly forested and hilly. The birds descended to the trees, and Jal followed. It watched as a group of people circled around a herd of hoofed animals, singled one out, and killed it. A rapid sequence of events unfolded as the people hurried around a campsite.

Again in the air, Jal watched as the group moved along a river, going up and down the hills. Hills turned into mountains and the group stopped. Images flashed one after another in a rapid sequence. People seemed to be building. They moved across the water and resumed walking. Again, the sky changed from light to dark repeatedly. Jal saw the people as they swung across the mountains. In a hilly, mountainous area, the group appeared to be surrounded by other, taller people. Jal watched as they lifted their hands to the sky..

Jal could hear the shouts from the group, They sat down by a fire. Eventually, both groups disappeared into the trees and the taller people turned and went back the way they had come.

As the hikers went upstream, Jal could see that the water was flowing fast. Jal heard speaking, “We need to cross the river, but how?” The words were repeated as the water flowed faster and the terrain became rougher.

Two moons hung low in the sky as several individuals went from tree to tree. People lay in ones and twos around a fire. The sky changed color several times. They went into a dome. Dead bodies lay everywhere.

The pictures changed to lots of trees and plants. There was something shiny. Jal couldn't tell what it was.

One person leaned against a tree, near four people, who sat with their hands bound. The guard slumped, and the four people crawled, then ran with their rescuers.

“The speed of the water is getting faster."

. “Lots of waterfalls,” someone remarked.

The hikers gathered in a small circle, pointing into the trees. There was a scream. The landscape vibrated as a figure approached the group. A wolf's head appeared. It was an odd shape. There was a scream, then flashes of white.

Rafts crossed the water, once, then twice more. Another series of white flashes and a huge fire.

The sky changed from dark to light several times as the hikers moved along a fast-moving river.. The people stopped below a tall waterfall. Someone fell to the ground. As Jal’s perspective changed, it saw a second waterfall with shiny balls on one side.

Peoplev went in and out of the caves as the sky changed colors several times. It seemed as if they walked through the waterfall and out the other side. The blue balls looked like people.. Jal could see red lines shoot from the balls. The red lines seemed to bounce off shiny objects.

The red line moved from one shield and became focused on the balls. Pieces of light seemed to rain from the sky.

**"

The steady beep of the heart monitor continued as Jal opened its eyes. Its stomach grumbled. Eiske lay, fully clothed, on a cot next to Jal. Little whistles punctuated the air as he snored.

“Eiske, can you unhook me?”

“Jal? Jal! You’re awake!” Eiske looked at all the readings on the monitors. He looked at Jal’s pupils and listened to Jal’s heart and lungs. “You seemed to have come through that unscathed.”

“Good. Can you unhook me? I need to pee.”

Eiske undid the cords and watched to make sure Jal was steady on its feet. Jal padded across the hall and used the toilet. “Thanks,” Jal said as it returned. “How long have I slept?”

“About two hours. How do you feel?”

“Like nothing happened.”

“Did it work? Did you learn anything?”

“I know where the Protectors are.”