The stars had begun to appear, but the sky wasn’t dark just yet.

Granted, around the Rift Wall, the sky never got really dark.

In fact sometimes it was an annoyance, and made it hard to fall asleep…

“Krift?”

Once again I was reminded about my extra baggage, and I hated myself even more for it.

“What is it now?” I asked.

I refused to look back at her. Her questions, although mostly innocent, were becoming very annoying.

“Doesn’t the poor bear need to eat? Or drink water?” she asked.

And again, her questions made me hate myself.

But not because I found her annoying.

“No. Caravan bears can go days without food or water. We only let them drink when we’re resting ourselves, and only give food to rouse it from slumber. Part of their training, to only indulge their thirst or hunger when resting,” I explained. “If you let them feed or drink lavishly they’ll think they can just lie down and sleep, that the job is all done.”

Although I didn’t look back, I knew what kind of face she was making as she soaked up my words.

After all, her strange innocent interest in what was common knowledge was why I couldn’t actually bring myself to hate her. And why I was hating myself.

She was trying so desperately to not be annoying. One could tell simply by the time spent in silence between her questions. She was afraid to ask too many things, too quickly. In fear of angering me.

And she only asked about certain things. She no longer asked about me, my past, or even other powers. As if she was afraid to openly acknowledge that she was an oddity.

Even though I had already done so.

However… at least her fear of being left behind was gone. At least for now. She had been rather on edge for a good portion of the day earlier. Worried I’d change my mind, likely, about letting her join me. But that worry hadn’t disappeared, it had simply shifted focus.

It had been replaced with the knowledge that we were being hunted. But since so many hours had passed, and no one had appeared, she’s somewhat abandoned that fear too.

“Do they recognize people? Or will they follow blindly anyone who has hold of their leash?” she asked.

“They sometimes prefer one over another. But it’s rare. Occasionally there are also people they don’t like at all, and will either ignore or attack them,” I answered.

I knew from experience that simply answering such questions were the best method.

For now, at least.

She wasn’t the first young lady that I’ve guided. And most likely wouldn’t be the last.

In reality, once I internally accepted that I’d be guiding her through the Rift, I realized it wasn’t so bad.

She wasn’t a danger to me. And I wasn’t a danger to her.

Plus, she was a power. So I didn’t have to worry over ever seeing her again once I got her through the Rift.

I hated taking human females, since most were like Lena. Never leaving me be afterward. Always acting like what I’d done had been something momentous and life changing. As if actually doing the job I had agreed to do was somehow worthy of such praise and acclaim.

And…

Glancing over my shoulder, I studied her for a moment as she stared upward at the sky. Either at the looming Rift Wall, or the stars appearing one by one just out of its reach.

One of the positives of her not being… a real power, was her lack of primness. If she grew up like any of the other human women, at least their poorer members, then she won’t complain when we go weeks without baths during our trip through the Rift.

That alone would make most of the journey through the Rift easier.

She didn’t want to find artifacts, magic stones, or anything else odd. She didn’t want to satiate some weird educational theory or hypothesis. She didn’t want to find honor or fame for her family and house.

She just wanted to get through the Rift… to get to the other side alive and in one piece.

So no real complaints, other than the usual ones about not dying.

No real requirements either. Just get her to the other side, alive.

And I’d never have to see or deal with her again afterward, since powers nearly never wanted to cross back to the Lands of Man. The few who did only did so out of necessity, or were the outrageously eccentric. She didn’t seem to be like them.

What an easy job.

Wait…

I paused for a moment, and the Caravan Bear snorted a little as it too had to come to a stop. I knew it wasn’t because it liked having momentum, or something odd like that, but rather because I made it actually have to pay attention. It couldn’t just mindlessly walk anymore, so I was now an annoyance.

“Krift?” her concerned tone returned, and I knew it was probably because she thought I saw our would-be hunters.

“Lena didn’t mention payment in those letters,” I said, realizing it.

Although the world was growing darker by the moment, I still made out the young power’s eyes clearly. Their green color was… bright. Like polished emeralds. It’d not surprise me if they glowed inside the Rift. Sometimes pure eyes like that did so.

“Excuse me?” she asked, now concerned for another reason.

“Payment. For being your guide, through the Rift,” I said, simply.

“Oh.”

“Oh…?” I didn’t like the way she suddenly looked away, and began fiddling with the bear’s hair.

“I uh…” she went silent as she reached behind her, and tried to grab something that seemed to be near her lower back. “Uh… the pouch is stuck thanks to your rude rope,” she then said.

“Rude rope…?”

“It’s too tight. I think there’s twenty-two gold coins left inside the pouch. All of them are yours, once we get to the Lands of Powers. Or well, however many are left… by the time… we…” she slowly stopped talking, and I knew it was because of how I was looking at her.

“Twenty two,” I said.

She gulped, but nodded all the same. “What’s left of twenty-two,” she furthered.

Looking away from the now rather worried power, I wondered what I was going to do.

Twenty two coins? The way she said the number told me that they were highly unlikely to be square coins. That meant she was speaking of the less valuable circle coins. And only twenty two of them to boot. It was a laughable number to offer.

Lena had to have known. It had to have been why she not only failed to mention it in her letter, but also mentioned several times that I still owed her for three of her scars.

Damn me and my promises. Why’d I have to say one for each scar? I should have known her human-half would have ensured multiple scars would form from her injuries. I had considered her too much like my own kind when that conversation had been occurring. I had expected only a singular scar from such wounds. They hadn’t been that bad.

Who gets scarred a dozen times from one single attack? I swear…

“Krift? I uh… I can work for more, I guess? On the other side, I mean. We could maybe, make a contract or…” the young power tried to offer something, probably worried over my continued silence, but I knew better than to take her offers seriously.

After all, how could she work for the coins of men in the Lands of Power? Such a thing didn’t exist there, after all.

“We’ll worry about all of that after we both survive the trip,” I simply said.

There was now a growing probability she’d not make it, after all.

I tugged on the leash twice, and the Caravan Bear returned to walking with me.

Good thing too, it was about to lay down on its rear. And once Caravan Bears did that… it didn’t take long for them then to lie down on their belly, then to sleep.

“Um…” she obviously wanted to speak, but didn’t seem to know what to say.

“You say that a lot,” I said, changing the topic.

“Um?” she said again.

“It’s not annoying yet, but I can tell it will be if you don’t curtail it soon,” I said.

“Oh…”

“Don’t just change the sound of it,” I groaned.

“Sorry! I just… I’m unsure of what to say. I’m scared. And cold,” she said.

“Cold?” I asked.

Although the night was upon us, it was far from cold. Especially not as cold as last night had been.

And she was a power… so…

Glancing back at her, I noticed the way her shoulders shook. “I might be more scared than cold, but still,” she said honestly.

“I see. Scared of what, exactly?” I asked.

“You.”

I almost slipped on a small pebble, but controlled myself. Neither she nor the bear noticed.

“For what reason?” I asked her, looking away.

“Well… I’m putting my life in your hands. Quite so. And you just realized I couldn’t afford you, so I’m worried you’ll abandon me, for one,” she said.

“And two?” I asked, glad to hear her reason. It was a calming one. Soon I’d be able to look at her again.

“We’re being hunted. For whatever reason. And now that you know I’m not rich, maybe you’ll not protect me as well as you would have before,” she continued.

“They’re hunting our luggage. Not you,” I said.

Though they’d probably happily take her upon seeing her. If they could take her from me, that is.

“Still… and uh… Well,” she paused for a moment, and I glanced at her because of it.

“You said it again. Seriously, stop it. We’ve not been on the road one day and I’m already tired of hearing it,” I said.

“Sorry! And I mean, also I don’t really like the dark… And it’s getting rather dark, rather fast, so,” she then said quickly.

For a small moment I wondered if she was being serious, but I could tell by her voice and her concerned look how honest she was being.

“Scared. Of the dark,” I said.

She nodded.

The Caravan Bear huffed, as if it too found her as ridiculous as I.

“Never spent the night out in the open before?” I asked her.

“No, I have. Doesn’t mean I like it, or am used to it,” she said.

I nodded, and glanced around. Although the night was mostly here, the light from the moon, stars and the Rift Wall especially… didn’t make it that dark.

I could see for quite some distance. Almost as far, and as clearly, as I could during the day.

Yet, I knew this was because I was a power.

Humans weren’t as… attuned, as we were. I was used to them complaining over the dark, especially when I guided them through it.

Being a power was useful in more ways than one… Even more so with me being a riftborn.

Still…

“Are you sure you’re not a half?” I asked her.

“Half human? My mother made it very clear I wasn’t,” she said.

A lie maybe? Too prideful to admit it? She did say that her supposed father was a human, after all.

A power’s pride was like that. Especially our women. Even the humans acknowledged this.

It was why I’ve always had to walk so carefully around them, after all.

“How many limbs does that tree in front of us have?” I asked her.

“Tree? The one that’s curled oddly? Seven, I think,” she answered. Quickly too.

“And how many trees are beyond that one? Until the large rocks.”

“Um….” That damned mumbled word again. “Quite a few. Ten… twelve… maybe fifteen? Sixteen?” she said.

Well her eyesight wasn’t that bad then. Better than a human’s at least. Definitely better than Lena’s, for sure. Even before her injuries.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Most humans would have made out the tree in front of us, but not those beyond it. Some would not have been able to even count its branches, as she had.

So if she were a half, she was more power than not.

Not that I had much to go off about it. I’ve only really known a few halves. And only Lena in any significant manner.

“Was I right?” she asked.

“Yes. Up to what tree could you count the branches?” I asked, just for further information.

“Up to which one?” she went silent for a while, longer than I liked. “Maybe the sixth or seventh. But I know I’ll get the number wrong for them, so maybe the fifth for sure,” she then said.

For a small moment I scanned the trees, and tried to count the branches on the ones she was speaking about.

I could just barely make the fifth one out and the sixth and beyond were visible but too far away to see such finer details in this dark.

Although it was… odd, to not have as good eyesight as her, I took relief in the fact that it was here in the Lands of Man that it was so.

Once we entered the Rift, it’d be a different story entirely.

“You’ve got good eyesight. Your hearing and smell as good?” I asked.

“Yes, you need a bath. And hearing I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it. I can hear the thing behind me, though I can’t tell what it’s saying,” she said.

“It’s not saying anything. You’re hearing the buzzing of magic. It’s a song that no one knows the lyrics to,” I said.

“Oh? So I’m not going insane then?”

“No. Most of us powers can hear that sound quite clearly. Humans can only hear it when they’re directly next to the thing though, almost putting their ear to it,” I said.

“Huh. It’s pretty loud though. Almost as loud as the bear’s heartbeat. Which by the way…”

“Yes. It’s synced up with the buzzing. No I don’t know why animals do that. And no your heart won’t, at least it shouldn’t. If it does, let me know since it means I’ll have to distance you from the stone as quickly as possible,” I said.

“Great. Another thing to fear then. Should I get off the bear? Do I want to be near it?” she asked, a new worried tone entering her voice.

“You’re fine.” For now at least.

We were only a few days from where Momma of the Lake was waiting. She didn’t want it delivered directly to RiftCliff, which wasn’t that surprising.

A few days would be fine. Especially for a power.

The bear on the other hand…

I might have to compensate Lena for it. It might survive, but it may never be the same again after the trip. It might not ever sleep right again, or move as fast.

Which for something already slow, was a big deal.

Slow…

Slow indeed.

The night sky was now fully upon us. Although the moon had yet to reveal itself from behind the Rift Wall, I knew it would soon.

Yet I just now was able to make out the cliffs in the distance. Their flat peaks made it look as if the world had suddenly… started to rise upward, like stairs.

We were behind schedule. Quite so. Nearly two whole days… which meant I’ll be three… maybe four days late, from the date I promised Momma of the Lake.

Not the best of things to do, being late for a date with her.

Hopefully she’ll forgive me with a few honeyed words…

“Wait… what… What are those?” she asked.

Forgot about her. Hopefully Momma of the Lake won’t be too jealous of her presence, too. If she misunderstood…

“Cliffs. It’s where we are going, to the center of them. The Rift Wall runs along one of the largest canyons in them,” I explained.

“Cliffs…? Those aren’t cliffs those are mountains,” she said.

“They are, I suppose,” I agreed.

“Why cliffs then? And not call them mountains? Or canyons?”

“Some do. But you’ll see once we get there. There are many, many layers of them which make them all look like cliffs stacked on top of one another,” I said.

“Something tells me I don’t really want to look down at them, so I’ll just… stay below if that’s all right,” she said.

“You can if you want, but I’ll be heading up them. You will be too, if you want to get through the Rift.”

“Oh. Great.”

I nodded, and noticed something... darker in the sky.

Darker than there should be.

It was visible at just the right angle, that the Rift Wall almost hid it. If it had been in front of the Rift Wall, I’d have seen it thanks to it being illuminated by the colors. If it had been away from it far enough, it might have blended in entirely with the darkness of the night sky.

Instinct told me it was just a common campfire, but the knowledge and memory of the small group hurrying ahead of us from earlier told me the truth.

They had set up camp, in wait. And now I knew where.

A small smile crept onto my face, and for once I allowed it… especially since I knew neither they nor the young power behind me would see it.

Usually I wasn’t lucky enough to know where I’d get ambushed. Normally I found out when a knife was put against my neck, while I slept, or something similar.

Especially lately.

Actually…

The world became a tad bit darker as I ran through my recent memories. Oddly enough, I couldn’t quite place the last time I had been outright ambushed.

Fights? Sure. Even larger battles, with many people involved.

But utter attempts such as this? Where one planned, waited, like so?

“Last time was in the Rift,” I said, upon realizing it.

That one had hurt. And not just physically.

“Last time what?”

For a very tiny moment I held my breath, but quickly relaxed.

Yes. I wasn’t alone.

“Nothing. Just remembering something,” I said, and was glad the shock I just had hadn’t been audible. “I believe that whoever is hunting us, will ambush us soon. Most likely once we enter the canyon we’re heading towards,” I said.

It’s where I’d do the deed, after all.

For a long moment, the only sounds in the world were my footsteps, and the caravan bear’s claws and paws scraping the dried out ground we walked upon.

“I’d forgotten about them,” she then said.

“Figured.” Funny, considering I had almost forgotten about you, too.

“So… you’re sure? How did you come to that conclusion?” she then asked.

“I saw smoke from a campfire. Still see it, when the wind blows right. We should be the only ones out here. No one uses these canyons to travel. There are two very nice rivers, and one well made road not too far south from us. Both well maintained, and guarded by the human lords who rule this region. So, common sense tells me it’s the ones who are hunting us,” I explained.

“Are you sure that they are, uh… hunting us?” she asked.

“Stop that. And yes, I am sure. They had been traveling on foot, but were running at an odd angle, around us. No one would travel this distance on foot, let alone make such an effort to so obviously circle us if we weren’t the reason for it all,” I said.

“Maybe they’re just too embarrassed to be seen walking on foot? Because they can’t afford a nice bear, like this,” she said, hopeful.

“If you’d like to believe that, go ahead,” I said.

Granted she didn’t realize what was behind her. If she did, she’d maybe believe it a little more… seriously.

“I’ve learned that whatever I believe doesn’t much matter to anyone or anything…” she whispered.

“Good, means you’re mature, in a way,” I said.

“Mature. Sure. As I run, crying, at the mercy of everyone, in hopes of finding my family like a lost little child,” she said.

Although I knew she was being self-depreciating, her bringing it up did make me realize how silly it sounded.

Silly enough to believe.

Glancing behind me, even in the dark I could see her glistening eyes as they stared at something off in the distance. Away from the cliffs, as if she was scared to look there.

Was she part of their plan?

Lena wouldn’t do such a thing, but I knew better than to rely on Lena’s personal gut and scrutiny of her fellow humans. Her scars told one all they needed to know about how foolishly she trusted people.

But…

The young girl noticed my staring, and somehow her eyes became that much dryer as she glared back.

“Nothing to say?” she asked, and I knew she had expected me to say something about her earlier words.

“Only that you shouldn’t judge yourself as a human. You’re a power. It’s not fair to the humans,” I said, looking away from her.

She wasn’t part of this supposed ambush.

Something was obviously wrong about her, but this wasn’t it.

If they could employ her, and this was all an act, then they didn’t need the stone. They had enough money and wealth already.

She’d have been quite expensive, if she was this good of an actress.

Especially since powers were so bad at such things. There was a reason our actors were so well regarded in our culture. It took genuine skill, and was rare. Only a few were born a generation capable of pretending of being what they weren’t.

“Are you saying that I am young, so it’s not bad to be childish?” she asked, unsure of herself.

“Something similar, yes.”

“Kind of feels like an insult coming from you,” she mumbled.

“Why’s that?”

“Oh… uhm…”

I shook my head at her. “That! Is a childish trait you need to grow out of. Not soon, but immediately,” I said.

“Ah! Yes. Sorry. And I mean… You’re obviously very…” she stopped talking, and I knew it was because she was trying to find the right word in her head so as to not sound rude. “Self-made? Maybe. You’re known as the best guide there is. Through the most dangerous place in the world. And you do it alone? So you telling me to not care if I am mature or not is somewhat insulting,” she said.

“That’s a lot of words, without your childish tic, well done,” I teased.

“Oh shush, I am trying my best. Plus I was being very… honest,” she said.

“I’ll return your honesty with my own. Do not worry over the upcoming ambush. If it happens, I’ll handle it,” I said.

The caravan bear made a deep rumbling noise as she shifted from her seat. Maybe she pinched some hairs, or something. More like it had probably forgot she was even on it.

“How’d you know I was freaking out over it?” she asked.

“Our conversation. It was stupid. The kind of stupid one comes up with to distract from something serious.”

“Oh.”

I glanced back at her, and she looked away, in shame.

Before I looked away from her, a handful of shooting stars passed over head. Emerging from above the Rift Wall, and heading westward.

An uncommon sight here in the Lands of Man.

“Um…”

“Stop that,” I warned again.

For a moment she mumbled and shifted on the bear, as if she was actually trying to force herself to not mutter those silly little quips.

Hopefully she believed I really was annoyed over them. It was better than her realizing the truth.

I needed something to hate about her after all, and it was as good a reason as any.

“Are you that confident Krift? That we’ll be fine?” She asked.

“Confidence kills. Most of the time,” I said.

“I’d rather you be confident, honestly,” she said.

“As I said, it will be fine. They’re only human, after all,” I said.

For several of the caravan bear’s steps, she seemed to ponder my words.

“So powers really are stronger?” she asked.

“Aren’t you?”

“No? I’ve never been any stronger than anyone else, as far as I am aware,” she said.

“Well… you’re also smaller than normal. Normal height for a human woman, but not a power. Might have something to do with that,” I said.

“Mother believed it was the food. We… went without a lot, while I was young,” she said.

Brief images of the two, stuck in some worn down shack as they quietly ate scraps, entered my head. Without permission.

I buried such thoughts away, since I knew it’d only make it harder to hate her otherwise.

“The war wasn’t kind to many. You weren’t the only ones to suffer,” I said plainly.

“I know. I just… gave the probable reason,” she said just as flatly.

“Well, that being said… yes. We powers are normally pointedly stronger than humans. Even our women can usually overpower a full grown human man. Though, as I’m sure you know, the humans do have an edge on us in other ways,” I said.

“Magic, you mean,” she said.

I nodded, and then remembered she was probably looking elsewhere. She seemed to like studying things off in the distance. “Yes. Magic. But, most magic is… basic. Simple. Like sending a letter far away, or making something glow in the dark,” I said.

“Oh. I did get to see magical letters earlier. Thanks to Lena,” she added.

That information was interesting, since it meant that she had probably witnessed the ones we had been exchanging. Luckily nothing had been in them that would… risk either of us, but it was still odd for Lena to let that happen.

Even for her, that was out of character.

“Yes, well… there’s also their numbers. Humans may be weaker, but if there’s more than a few then such a difference doesn’t matter anymore. After all, one doesn’t have to be too much stronger to push a sharp pointed spear into someone’s stomach, or chest. And when several men are holding you down, or distracting you, that becomes rather easy,” I said.

“Not doing very good on the whole, convincing me, thing,” she grumbled.

“Just being honest. I thought I saw five of them, but they might have been meeting up with others… so there could be more,” I said.

“Great…”

“Should still be fine. If you must know, I’ll die in the Rift. It’s my fate. So dying here isn’t really an option,” I said.

“And what about me? Do you know my fate too?” she asked.

“Uh…”

“Stop that. That’s so childish, and unappealing,” she teased.

I paused, but not long enough to distract the bear.

She laughed, even while I glanced back at her.

“Still… how do you know your fate? Magic? Or is this some kind of power culture thing, that I never learned about?” she asked, intrigued.

“No… Most riftborns die in the Rift. Nine in ten, at the very least. So it’s just me betting on the odds,” I said.

“Oh. Wait… why is that? And how does anyone know such a thing?” she asked, realizing the oddity of it.

I liked the tone in her voice when she found something odd, or unique. It was as if I could hear her smile.

Very uncommon for a power. Especially a woman… and even more so when speaking to me.

I smiled, and wished we had been sitting down at a table somewhere. She was probably rather pleasant to watch when having a conversation with. Like while having a meal.

Flinching at the thought, I mentally kicked myself. I wasn’t supposed to think like that.

“They die upon birth. Stillborn. It’s a morbid joke,” I said, forcibly focusing on the conversation instead.

She said nothing, but I wasn’t in the mood to turn around and look at her. She was either un-amused, or pitying me. I didn’t want to see either of such looks.

I couldn’t afford to see such looks on a power. Let alone a woman.

“I see,” she finally said, albeit softly.

As the cliffs drew closer, I realized the smoke from the campfire was gone. And not because the wind had picked up a tad.

They must have been alerted to us. We shouldn’t be in their range of sight just yet, but they might have…

While I scanned the cliffs, and the surrounding ridges, I realized something important.

“Have you seen death, my young power?” I asked her.

“I have. I watched my family die from the silver-plague. A few others too, accidents mostly. A young girl drowned once, when I was young, as well,” she answered, and a little too honestly. She must be thinking heavily of something else, not our conversation.

“That’s not death,” I said as I watched a shadow move on the third plateau. A shadow that moved a little too… stealthily. It faded much too fast.

Not an animal.

If they were scouting from that high up, then their would-be ambush was going to be deeper into the caverns, and not at the mouth of them.

Surprising, but maybe they believed having the higher ground would grant them better odds against me.

Maybe it would.

“If you mean, have I seen people die from brutality, then yes. Just yesterday. My would be kidnappers,” she then said, a little firmer than usual.

I glanced at her, and was a little impressed by her glare. As if she thought it was my fault I brought up said memory.

“Good. Because I neither have the time nor the patience to put up with a woman who’ll break at the mere sight of carnage,” I said.

“I’ll try not to scream then, but I make no promises on crying,” the oddly human power said.

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I whispered, and decided to try and not kill them too… roughly.

Which was so damn hard sometimes.

But watching her cry would be even harder.

Just… what was I getting myself into?

A power that had no name. No house. Who was human in all but blood.

An impossibility.

Yet I had so readily accepted it. Maybe because of my lifetime spent as a riftborn. Impossibilities were what I specialized in.

The impossible happened every moment in the Rift.

Though just because I believed her story, didn’t mean I had to accept it.

Didn’t mean I had to support it.

Or fix it.

Not that the world ever seemed to care if I supported something or not. Half the reason I spent as much time outside of the Rift as possible, was to live an easier life.

Somehow it seemed to always end up the opposite.

Destined to die in the Rift. Yet nothing but chaos outside it.

I never won. And always felt as if it was my fault that I didn’t.

As if enjoying my perplexing conundrum, the Rift became active. Great bolts of color began to flash along its great wall, though none seemed to reach the ground and open a door.

“Whoa,” both the girl and the caravan bear made noises of awe as the world became a tad bit brighter, neither realizing my internal disputes.

Not that I let anyone ever notice, anyway…

Storm or no, you kept steady.

Always.