I don’t think I like this Jamil guy much, Kit thought bitterly as they trudged along behind the man who had more or less abducted them. The two of them had been tramping through the woods for what felt like hours now with no signs of reaching a destination anytime soon, and Kit’s uniform shoes weren’t meant for this kind of walking. Their feet aching, they were on the verge of another meltdown when Jamil pushed aside a low-hanging branch and excitedly exclaimed:

“Finally!” Squinting in the suddenly brighter light, Kit followed him out of the trees and onto a ridge overlooking the strange land of Ava Mara.

“Oh, wow.” They breathed, eyes widening as they took it all in. Cerulean hills rolled gently toward a castle, an actual castle, with tall towers and high stone walls surrounding its grounds. Cutting through the hillsides were roads that gleamed like brushed metal, traversed by two-wheeled vehicles that resembled motorcycles with cabs as well as carts drawn by shaggy cow-like beasts with lavender spotted fur and twisting antlers. In the distance Kit could see a town that looked very similar to a lot of towns on Earth, some tall buildings and some small, except there were signs trimmed with glowing lights hovering everywhere. Even further in the distance was a massive stand of trees, a forest. They couldn’t see past it.

Above them, the sky was even more incredible than the land that lay beneath it. Not the blue that Kit was used to but deep maroon, it held wispy clouds like liquid silver that drifted lazily around not one but three moons arranged in a pyramid. It was the most incredible sky Kit had ever seen.

“Wow…” They whispered again, craning their neck to look up as far as they could. “That makes the Aurora Borealis look like nothing…”

“What’s the Aurora Borealis?” Jamil asked from beside them, making them jump. They had forgotten he was there!

“Um, it’s hard to explain. It’s this…light phenomenon back on Earth. It’s like, well…it’s kinda like magic.” Kit shrugged and stepped back from the edge.

“I thought Earth didn’t have magic.” Jamil seemed to move reflexively and put a hand out in case Kit lost their footing. Finding it just the tiniest bit charming, they held his arm for a second to steady themself before letting go.

“It doesn’t. I mean, not in the way you’d think. It’s complicated.” Glancing at the ground, Kit found the path and trotted down a ways, looking all around to absorb everything.

“Hey, wait up!” From behind them came the sound of Jamil’s boots crunching through the leaf litter, and when he caught up he looked rather annoyed. “Don’t just go wandering off like that, you’ll get lost! Or mauled by a rootbear!” He sounded both exasperated and concerned, the reluctant older brother tasked with looking after a troublesome younger sibling.

“What’s a rootbear?” Kit asked, inching closer to a tall, fuzzy tree with oddly reflective leaves; their own face looked back at them from twenty different angles. Were they seeing things or did their skin seem pinker than usual? Maybe it was just the leaves that made their complexion look like bubblegum. Jamil groaned, and Kit stifled a laugh.

“A rootbear is an animal that may look like any old bush but it’s extremely territorial and could tear you apart if you got too close! Now come on, Kis—I mean, Kit, let’s go! It’s already going to be nighttime before we get to the castle!”

“It’s not already nighttime now? The sky is so dark!” Looking up again, Kit saw stars twinkling against their velvety backdrop. It certainly looked like nighttime, did Jamil have magical jet lag or something?

“The sky is always like that, dummy.”

“Hey, rude! Don’t call me dummy!” Kit frowned and punched Jamil hard in the shoulder, but it felt like punching wood and he hardly seemed to notice. Instead, he pointed at the sky.

“Look up there. The position of the moons tells us what time of day it is. See how they’re different colors?” Kit followed his pointed finger and saw, sure enough, the three moons were in fact different colors: one pink, one yellow, and one white. They glowed softly, pink toward the top of the triangle, yellow to the left and white to the right.

“Hey, yeah! That’s really cool!”

“The pink one near the top is called Nocta. When Nocta is high like that, it’s almost night. They rotate.” Jamil explained plainly and used his hands to illustrate the rotation of the moons, which Kit appreciated.

“So…how do you know when it’s morning?”

“Astra, the yellow one, will be high.”

“And the white one?”

“Mana. Midday.”

“Wow…this really is a different world…Earth only has the sun during the day and the moon at night. It’s dark like this at night but in the daytime the sky is blue.” Now it was Jamil’s turn to look surprised.

“Your sky is blue?”

“Yeah, most of the time. It’s dark at night, almost black, and sometimes it can be orange or purple or even grey! It just depends on the time of day and the weather and stuff.” Seeing that Jamil knew as little about their world as they did about his made Kit feel a lot less alone and out of place. Even his little whistle of amazement as they described all the colors Earth’s sky could be put them at ease. Kit felt they might be beginning to understand one another a bit better.

By now they had reached the main road, the woods far behind them. Jamil pointed toward the castle, still visible above the treeline, and together they embarked on the final leg of their journey.

**********

The castle Mutehall, Jamil explained as they drew closer, was not actually home to a king. There was a King of Ava Mara, the much-beloved King Sayer, but he lived in a different castle called Ebonwatch in another part of the country. Mutehall was the domain of Master Jesper, the King’s Mage, as well as the training base for the King’s Army. The King would visit often to hold meetings with the other leaders and to check in on his cadets’ training, but for the most part, Master Jesper was the lord there.

“Mutehall is actually where the original King lived many generations ago, but they moved the capital when King Sayer’s family came into the crown. Master Jesper stayed here. He’s been the King’s Mage since King Sayer’s grandfather’s grandfather.” There was a definite note of pride in his voice as Jamil gave his little history lesson. Kit listened intently, greatly interested by the story.

“What made him stay behind?” They asked.

“There’s a very important magical relic in the depths of this castle that cannot be moved. It is part of Master Jesper’s duties as King’s Mage to guard this relic.” Jamil explained solemnly, and Kit had to stifle another laugh at his intense seriousness.

“So…if this Master Jesper is your master, does that mean you’re a mage, too?” They asked as they reached the massive metal gates of the castle. There were no guards outside but the gates silently slid open as they approached. The guard who had opened the gate shot them dirty looks, and Kit gave him the finger as they passed. When he didn’t react, it hit them that Ava Marans wouldn’t be offended by rude Earth gestures.

“No, I’m not a mage. Master Jesper is…my guardian.” Jamil just ignored the looks, marching forward like a man on a mission. Which he was, Kit thought with a smile.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Unlike the filthy medieval castles Kit knew of from Earth, Mutehall was very clean and well kept. There was no debris or garbage on the ground, no rivers of filth. Were it not for the stables and rows of barracks, Kit would have thought this was the courtyard of a fancy hotel. There was even an elegant stone fountain. Past the stables lay an enclosed field where several people in light armor were training with swords and dummies. Kit paused to watch them for a moment, but Jamil hustled them along with a hand on their elbow.

“Cadets.” He explained, and Kit nodded.

“Cool.” They’d barely gone three steps before they were stopped again, this time by the biggest woman Kit had ever seen. She towered over Kit and Jamil both, beefy arms folded over her leather armored chest. She was incredibly pretty, Kit thought, marveling at the woman’s shining blue hair and sharp golden eyes. They saw she had pointed ears, too, like Jamil’s; glancing around, Kit realized everyone had pointed ears here. Jamil’s grip on their arm tightened slightly, and it was then they saw the look on the tall woman’s face was far from friendly. In fact, she looked disgusted.

“Not like you to bring a friend, freak.” She said, and the sudden fury that flashed across Jamil’s face made Kit’s skin prickle.

“I’m going to see Master Jesper, Captain. Get out of my way.” He spoke softly, his tone testy and cold. For a moment, he reminded Kit of that monster from their dream. The Captain scoffed but stepped aside, and Jamil quickly towed Kit past.

“Who was that?” They asked as Jamil pulled them past the stables and down a narrow dirt path toward one of the towers. He stopped short, glaring at the ground, his jaw tight and his fists clenched. His ears and cheeks were deep red.

“That was Captain Morriarty.”

“Why was she so rude to you? Why’d she call you a freak?” Kit tried to see Jamil’s expression but he turned his back, his fists clenching and unclenching and clenching.

“Everyone is like that. Everyone calls me that.” He spoke softly, through his teeth. It was very clear he was upset, but Kit just couldn’t stop their questions.

“Why, though? Everyone treats you like that? Why doesn’t Master Jesper make them stop?” They touched Jamil’s shoulder and he jerked away, whirling to face them. His whole face was tight with anger and his eyes flashed for a moment before he slammed his fist into the side of the stable. Kit jumped.

“Don’t worry about it!” He snapped and quickly walked away down the path. Shaken, Kit eyed the dent he’d left in the metal building for a second before they jogged to catch up.

Master Jesper was waiting to greet them at the tower door, and Kit had never felt so wrong when envisioning someone. In their mind they had pictured a wizened old man in blue robes and a pointed hat, hunched over a crystal ball and contemplatively stroking his long white beard. The man who met them was, in fact, wearing blue robes, but the similarities ended there. Master Jesper appeared quite young, barely older than Kit or Jamil, his many-layered robes beautifully patterned in blues and reds and pinks. Pencil-thin dreadlocks adorned with dozens upon dozens of narrow gold bands and tiny chips of gemstones fell nearly to the floor, framing a clever, elfin face; Kit found themself wondering if he dyed it to be the same shade of burgundy as the sky. He had a much paler complexion than Jamil, his skin almost bluish, and his ears were longer and angled more towards the sides than upward.

“Welcome, young ones, welcome to Mutehall! Come in, do come in!” Arms open wide, Master Jesper ushered his guests up the narrow steps into the tower. A second flight of stairs met them inside, leading even higher up.

“We would have been here sooner, Master, but we landed in the woods just south of here.” Jamil said in a completely different tone than he’d used with Kit, reminding them of the day librarian at work: short-tempered and annoyed when someone bothered them, but personable and chatty with the people they liked. In response to Jamil, Master Jesper waved his slender hands in dismissal, his long colorful sleeves fluttering. His delicately shaped nails gleamed gold.

“Nonsense, my boy! You’re right on time.” The many bangles on the mage’s wrists jingled and jangled as he moved, showing them up the stairs. Up, up, up they went, the stairs spiraling dizzyingly. Kit had a white-knuckle death grip on the wrought iron railing, their head spinning along with the staircase. Just how high up were they going?!

Just as Kit was about to start complaining about all the walking, the procession stopped and Master Jesper walked them through an arched wooden door and into a room straight out of a fairy tale. It reminded Kit of a birdhouse with its round windows, though they had never seen a birdhouse with stained glass. A semi-circle of overstuffed chairs created a sitting area in the center of the room, while the walls were lined with bookcases and dark wooden tables holding crystals that sparkled without light and models that seemed to move on their own. Soft traces of a spicy fragrance drifted through the air.

“Please have a seat, both of you. Tea?” Kit hadn’t seen a teapot anywhere, but Master Jesper suddenly had one in his hands.

“None for me, Master.” Jamil said as he sat, motioning for Kit to do the same. He folded into the chair with the familiar ease of someone in their favorite spot, tucking one leg under him. Kit sat in the chair closest to them, looking around the room in awe. There was so much to see, it was like an I Spy book!

“Tea, dear?” Master Jesper was looking at Kit expectantly, and they realized they hadn’t responded.

“Um…! S-sure, thanks!” A delicate little cup materialized in the air right before Kit’s eyes, the warm light of the room glowing through its translucent pink sides. As the cup floated there, rotating slowly, Master Jesper poured tea into it from his magically conjured teapot; the full cup then gently lowered itself into Kit’s waiting hands.

“This is real magic…” Kit whispered in amazement, looking up at Master Jesper with shining eyes. The mage chuckled gently and nodded, while Jamil scoffed and rolled his eyes. Kit scowled at him.

“Yes, dear child, the magic is real. The lifeblood of this land is magic.” Ignoring Jamil’s snorts of derision, Master Jesper addressed Kit directly. “I do believe I owe you an explanation, don’t I? Now that my charming ward has brought you here at last.” Kit detected the hint of sarcasm in Master Jesper’s voice and hid a giggle behind their hand. Jamil shot them an annoyed look but they ignored it.

“Now then, let’s see…” With a wave of one manicured hand, the mage conjured a series of glowing symbols that began arranging themselves into neat rows, forming a chart of sorts. Some symbols glowed in different colors, while others collected themselves to one side like a shopping list. Unable to decipher the symbols, Kit began to feel a bit overwhelmed and was starting to sweat. Master Jesper must have noticed because he gave them a gentle smile and nodded his head toward their teacup.

“Drink your tea, dear, and don’t fret!” His voice was sing-songy and pleasant and put Kit at ease. They drank their tea, finding it floral and soothing. As the magical chart finished assembling itself, Master Jesper pulled a long wooden pointer out of thin air and poised himself beside his handiwork like a teacher.

“Alright, that should do it! Now, to begin. What I have made here for you is a list of the Nine Divines of Ava Mara, our pantheon. These are our gods and goddesses, the forces that made and govern this land. The oldest and most powerful of the Nine is Nona, Goddess of Life. She is the Mother Goddess, the only Divine to have only one title, you see,” Master Jesper tapped his chart with his pointer and a section of characters lit up brighter.

“These are the Eight below Nona: Quark, Deity of Space and Science; Lèbë, Goddess of Nature and Harvest; Kamea, Goddess of Love and Family; Echo, God of Night and Day; Gèns, Goddess of Light and Shadows; Ega, God of Air and Flight; Kin, Goddess of Poetry and Art; Mur, God of Water and Weather; and lastly, there is Vendic, not a true Divine but the poisonous Embodiment of Violence and Chaos.” As he spoke, Master Jesper pointed at each group of characters in his chart, the words lighting up to coincide with what was said. Kit did their best to follow but they were already forgetting which Divine did what. Jamil made an impatient sound and folded his arms.

“Master, is this really necessary? This’ll take all night!” He sounded more annoyed than ever, and Kit suddenly felt very small and very stupid. They shrank down in their chair, face reddening. Master Jesper tutted sharply, shooting Jamil a withering look; now it was Jamil’s turn to shrink and redden.

“Jamil, I am quite surprised at your attitude! Where did your sense of duty go? We’ve been preparing for this for years! You would really have their first impression be of you being an absolute ass?” The childish insult caught Kit off guard and they couldn’t help but laugh. Jamil’s face went even redder and he turned away to try and hide it while sheepishly muttering “Sorry, Master”.

“You’ll have to forgive the lad’s lack of patience, dear. We’ve been working on it.” Master Jesper said to Kit, then he cleared his throat and it was back to the chart. “Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Kismet, the reason—“

“Kit.”

“I’m sorry?” Both Master Jesper and Kit looked at Jamil in surprise; Kit had just opened their mouth to correct the name, but Jamil had beaten them to it.

“They, uh…said their name is Kit, not Kismet.” He spoke to the floor, and Master Jesper looked curiously at Kit, who gave a tiny nod. Their heart was racing, afraid there would be some problem with their name, but the mage just gave an airy chuckle.

“Oh, yes! Of course, of course. You’ve been on Earth all this time, it makes perfect sense that you would have an Earth name. I don’t know why I hadn’t considered that! My apologies, er…what was it again, dear?” He looked at Kit with the same kind expression he had greeted them with, and they relaxed.

“It’s Kit.” They pointed at the name badge still pinned to their uniform shirt.

“Kit! Lovely, that’s an easy one! I have a terrible memory for names, you see, so do forgive me if I slip up.” Master Jesper waved a finger and a section of his chart began to change, the characters shifting and rearranging themselves into what Kit assumed was their name.

“There we go! Now, then!” Clapping his hands together, Master Jesper’s expression suddenly became grave and serious. Kit felt anxious right away. Even Jamil sat upright in his chair, waiting.

“This is the part I have not been looking forward to, I'm afraid. The reason why Jamil has brought you here.” He paused and looked from Kit to Jamil, then continued:

“This world is in grave peril, Kit. Vendic has been a problem since his inception, a force of chaos like his title says who only desires destruction. Many years ago, he very nearly destroyed all of Ava Mara until Nona and the other Divines sealed him away. Somehow he’s found a way to break the seals and escape, little by little. Signs of his corruption have begun to appear, poisoning the land and its people. Once he is fully free, nothing will be able to stop him, not even Nona.” Kit sat frozen in their chair, listening intently to Master Jesper, their heart pounding. From the corner of their eye they could see Jamil, but his expression was unreadable.

“What…does that have to do with me…?” They asked softly, meeting the mage’s gaze and hoping they didn’t look as afraid as they felt.

“Everything, I'm afraid. Kit, you were created by Nona to be her successor and ascend as a Divine. A pure, all-powerful soul with limitless potential capable of destroying Vendic once and for all.” His words echoed like gunshots in Kit’s ears, their hands clutched so tightly together their fingertips were bright red. The room suddenly felt very hot.

“I-I’m sorry…what?” They managed to squeak out, their voice shaking.

“You are a god-child of Ava Mara, Kit, sent away for safe-keeping until the time comes that we need you. Nona could not risk Vendic finding you.” The mage spoke gently but Kit felt like they might throw up.

“You…you mean…I’m…”

“Kismet, child of Nona, future Divine.” Jamil answered, and when Kit met his gaze for just a moment, he looked like the beast from their dreams. Kit’s vision blurred, Master Jesper said something they couldn’t hear, then everything went black and they fainted.

~