“Here you go.” The barmaid came back balancing a large plate gracefully without seeming to mind the weight. “Large grilled fish with potatoes, carrots, and vegetable stew.”

“Thank you,” Ardwyn said, and looked at the large fish on the plate before him. The aroma of the freshly grilled fish drifted up in the air with savory scents. Steam rose from the roasted potatoes, their golden brown skins cracked to reveal fluffy white interiors. The carrots were artfully arranged around the plate’s edge.

Ardwyn tried to hide his hunger from the barmaid.

“Anything else?” she said.

“That’s all.”

She left and as soon as she was out view he threw himself into the meal like a hungry wild animal. He hadn’t eaten all day, and the warm food immediately made him feel better and restored his energy.

As he was eating, someone seemed to be watching him from across the room. A man, in a dark gray cloak. The man’s hood was pulled low, casting shadows on his face. Every time Ardwyn looked away, he could feel the man’s eyes upon him, studying him with an intensity that made him uncomfortable.

After Ardwyn was done with his meal, he pushed the plate away and took a long gulp of water. The cloaked figure was still there but he was turned away from Ardwyn not seeming to be observing him anymore.

Perhaps the figure was just curious about him. Ardwyn was out of town after all, if you could call it that, more like out of this world. The potion the merchant gave him was supposed to disguise his aura. Maybe the thing hadn’t worked.

The barmaid returned and picked up the plates. The time had come to pay. Ardwyn reached in his pocket pretending to look for his money.

“My coins were around here somewhere,” he said, and shifted through his pockets, his eyes looking away from the barmaid.

“Take your time,” the barmaid said. “I will be right back.”

As soon as the barmaid left, he caught the cloaked figure observing him again. The figure seemed not concerned with being noticed. Ardwyn started to grow uncomfortable at the thoughts of being kicked out of the establishment for not having enough money to pay. The cloaked figure would be there the entire time watching the scene.

Ardwyn leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes out of exhaustion. When he opened them, the cloaked figure suddenly stood right next to his table.

“You are not from here,” the figure stated. It wasn’t a question.

“No,” Ardwyn, admitted, his voice barely audible. He sat up sharply in his seat.

From within the depths of the hood, the two eyes gleamed with an otherworldly light. They fixed upon Ardwyn with an intensity that seemed to probe down to the essence of his being, similar to the mage he had met earlier.

The figure said, “The veil between worlds grows thin during the festival. But to cross over entirely… that takes power. Or perhaps… destiny.”

“I’m sorry — what?” Ardwyn said. How did the man know he had crossed over in a portal?

Before the figure could respond, the barmaid returned back to the table, expecting payment for the meal.

“I will take care of it,” the man said and reached for his purse, taking out a shiny coin and placing it on the table.

“Very well then,” the barmaid said, taking the coin.

The figure sat down at the table. Ardwyn felt like he could hardly protest after the man paid for his meal.

“My name is Thornewood,” the man said and pulled down the cloak covering his head.

Thornewood’s features were sharp and angular. His face bore thin fine lines that hinted at both wisdom and hardship. A jagged scar, ran from his left eye to the corner of his mouth.

“I’m Ardwyn.”

“I know,” Thornewood said. “I have been following you since you came. You would do well to be more watchful of your surroundings.”

Ardwyn looked around. The rest of the inn seemed to be still busy with commotion, the other customers all entertained without anyone looking toward their direction.

“Why did you follow me?” Ardwyn asked.

“I noticed the mage from The Council of Mages take an interest with you,” Thornewood said.

“What does that mean? Why would they be interested in me?”

Thornewood glanced around the tavern, studying his surroundings carefully. “Not here,” he said. “The walls have ears, and some secrets are too dangerous to be overheard.”

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

“Are you from here?” Ardwyn asked.

“No,” Thornewood said. “I’m a rogue mage traveling the realm.”

“The realm?”

“Yes, the realm can be accessed through portals.”

“Interesting,” Ardwyn said. “I actually came here in a portal.”

It was the first time Ardwyn noticed Thornewood perk up, interested in what he was saying. “Where was the portal you came through?” Thornewood asked.

For a moment, Ardwyn considered how much he should reveal to the stranger. After all, the mage had said he could be in danger. He wasn’t sure whether to trust him.

“Outside the town, in the fields,” Ardwyn pointed in the direction.

“I see,” Thornewood said. “Have you traveled through a portal before?”

“No, never,” Ardwyn said, realizing portals were something to be taken for granted in this world.

“I see.”

“Could you help me get back home through the portal?” Ardwyn asked.

Thornewood said, “I can take a look. See what I can do.”

“Great,” Ardwyn said feeling a surge of excitement at the chance of getting back home.

As they slipped out the tavern’s back door into the starlit night, Ardwyn led Thornewood to the gnarled oak first, where he had hid the Ethereal Blossoms. Upon making his way up to the hill under the oak tree, the flowers were still there, safely disguised behind a patch of bushes.

Ardwyn gripped the flower pot carefully under his arm.

Thornewood said at the flowers pulsing with energy, “Are those Ethereal Blossoms?”

“Yep,” Ardwyn said.

“I have never seen such flowers glow under the presence of magical potential.” Thornewood seemed curious. “When did you come through the portal? What is your world like?”

“Today,” Ardwyn said, “I’m from the 21st century. We have cars, airplanes, computers, big skyscrapers.”

“Interesting,” Thornewood said. “I don’t know what those things are.”

Ardwyn wondered how he could begin to explain his world. “Let’s just say my world is very different.”

Thornewood rubbed his chin, considering the statement. “I have heard of people crossing through all sorts of realms but nothing quite like this. Well, let’s move on about, the night is getting late. There are things to be avoided if we can.”

Things? What sort of things, Ardwyn wondered.

“Follow my lead,” Thornewood said. “I know exactly the spot you are talking about.”

The rogue mage moved with purpose, walking toward the village gate. Ardwyn tried to mimic Thornewood’s confident stride.

With a swift motion they climbed up the hills outside of the village toward the spot where Ardwyn had come through the portal. Ardwyn took a deep breath of the cool air, his heart pounding. The stars twinkled above, bright and numerous.

As they left behind the village in the distance, the night air moved around them, carrying with it the faint scent of wildflowers and distant woodsmoke. Thornewood moved with a fluid grace. His feet seemed to barely disturb the dewy grass beneath them. Ardwyn struggled to keep up, his breath coming up in short puffs that formed misty clouds in the cool air.

As they climbed the rolling hills, the landscape transformed. The domesticated village farms gave way to wild meadows, tall grasses swung in the night like waves on an earthen sea.

Thornewood’s voice cut through the night, low and carefully measured. “Tell me more about your world, Ardwyn. These… cars and airplanes. What are they?”

Ardwyn thought for a moment, trying to find words to describe concepts so fundamental to his world that he had taken them for granted. “Cars are like… metal carriages that move on their own, without horses. And airplanes are these huge metal birds that carry people through the sky.”

Thornewood’s eyes widened slightly, a spark of curiosity igniting in their depths. “Fascinating. Your world must be a place of great wonders.”

As they crested another hill, Ardwyn caught sight of something in the shadows of a nearby cluster of trees. The movement reminded him of the creature that chased him earlier. In fear, his heart started to beat faster. Although, here in this world he felt safer with Thornewood at his side.

Thornewood noticed and said, “Not all that walks these hills at night is friendly to travelers.”

The words sent a shiver down Ardwyn’s spine. He quickened his pace, staying closer to Thornewood’s side.

As they approached the spot where Ardwyn had first arrived in this world the air began to feel different, thickening, taking on the electric quality of the previous similar shimmer when Ardwyn had stepped through the portal.

“Here,” Ardwyn said looking down at the spot. “It was right here that the portal opened and I came through.”

Thornewood came to a halt, his gaze fixed on the circular arrangement of the stones ahead. The stones had faint runes carved into their surfaces, glowing with a soft pulsating light.

“I’ve been here before in the past. Many years ago,” Thornewood said. “This is one of the ancient portals.”

“How do we go through?” Ardwyn asked.

Thornewood knelt down on the ground and examined the runes. “These are ancient runes, in a language that has been forgotten. To go through the portal would require…” Thornewood paused, tracing the symbols with his fingers. “It would require knowledge and power far beyond what I possess.”

Ardwyn’s heart sank. “So there is no way back?”

“I don’t know,” Thornewood said. “This is not a regular portal that just connects places within the realm. This portal bridges worlds.”

“What do you mean?” Ardwyn asked.

“Mages can create portals without much of a hassle. In fact, that’s the standard way of how mages travel throughout the realm.”

Thornewood got up from examining the stones.

“For example,” he said, palms facing each other.

The air between Thornewood’s hands began to shimmer. Slowly, a faint glow appeared, growing brighter. Thornewood’s eyes narrowed in concentration. The glow intensified, stretching and expanding until forming a shimmering oval about the size of a door.

“This,” Thornewood said. “is a standard mage portal. It allows travel within our realm, from one place to another.”

The portal’s edges rippled like water, sending waves of energy pulsing through the air. Ardwyn felt a tingling sensation on his skin.

“This is how mages travel great distances quickly. Useful for all sorts of things, and of course responding to threats.”

“Threats?” Ardwyn said.

“Such as dragons for instance.” Thornewood said. “Many years ago a dragon hunted the townspeople of this very village, where we just came from. Some mages, protectors of the realm, opened up a portal, came through here, and defeated the dragon. Ever since then the town holds a yearly festival to commemorate the occasion.”

Ardwyn thought back to the festival, and the respect the mages seemed to command from the market merchants.

Thornewood continued, “But this portal, that you came from,” he said, nodding at the stone circle, “is something else entirely. My guess is that this portal bridges different worlds, that exist alongside ours but are fundamentally separate.”

“Could you at least try to open the portal?” Ardwyn asked.

“No more than I could rearrange the stars in the sky. The power required… is beyond anything I’ve encountered. Others have tried, mages far more powerful than I. The knowledge to properly control this portal must have been lost to time.”

A cool breeze swept over them, carrying with it the scent of the surrounding forests and meadows.

Ardwyn’s gaze dropped to the ground. He considered the possibility of a life forever stranded in this strange world.