“Since when did the human world want to be weak?” My voice circled through my thoughts.

My body felt warm at visions of strong bonds between brothers and sisters. Then tensed at the thought of the bonds being challenged by an entity, unsympathetic to humanity.

“It’s not this world. Daughter of Marsilien. You must make them see before it’s too late. The four Tsazcuth must bend to the will of our Waybearers...”

Daughter of Marsilien. My voice trailed around this name in my mind.

Who was this person? It didn’t seem to fit me, but I felt it was a clue to a meaning I needed to discover. Was this the reason I couldn’t remember my identity? Either way, I felt it would be inappropriate to take on this name.

I opened my eyes when the cart came to an abrupt stop. Its doors whined to an open, allowing daylight to ease our darkness. Along with the sight of a raging fire. Dense smoke filled our space.

“Hurry, get out!” I coughed as I scrambled out of the cart with the others.

“Ugh!” A young boy cried out as he was knocked off the cart.

I caught him in one swoop before his head could crack open on a sharp rock on the ground.

“Th-Thank you, sister.” His feeble voice whimpered as I let him down.

We were soon faced with a burning box-cart and red-black soldiers fending off fire-beast attacks.

The beasts looked like panthers, three times the height of a tall man and two times wide. Their sinew bodies were covered in raging orange flames.

“Shadow River Beast Guards! Henchmen, array formation. Now!” A voice commanded a squad of twelve soldiers who faced the magical beasts.

Our line was yanked away from the danger to a boulder crop, where two red-black soldiers stood guard over us to ensure we didn’t make a break for an escape.

Like we could with the vast fields blazing with a magic fire. At least, I sensed it was. I didn’t know why, but I could sense manipulated chi and the levels of it.

Chi was life energies. The raw sources of power within the world. Beings could tap into chi and convert it to be magic; a focused power that could cause and effect things and beings surrounding the caster, who was termed a magis. Magic outputs generally mirrored the elements: fire, air, terra and water. A magis could manipulate magic in the form of spells, outcomes and curses.

I squinted at dense clouds on blackened skies. The beasts’ magic wasn’t strong. Possibly a level two out of ten as far as strength went. But their combined attacks were setting wild grass fields ablaze with an unquenchable fire.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

“Calmatra Aqua Avoracus!” The henchmen bellowed as they formed one line and cast the spell to trigger rain.

I glanced up to the sky and closed my eyes to the downpour that washed my skin and filth from my tatty dress.

The water spell had managed to quell the blaze, and weaken the beasts. They let out a mighty roar as the henchmen swooped in to land killing blows. Soon the beasts were lifeless on the ground and their flames snuffed out.

My heart raced with worries. If this was a taste of where I was, it was going to be a hell to survive in.

“You’re in a strong magic forest. Try to escape, be dead by the beasts if not by us.” A solider warned us.

No one gave any complaints on the matter. The smoking beast carcasses were convincing enough of this fact.

I was pushed into a line between an older boy whose mud-stained tunic and callous elbows matched my impression of hard living. His sea-green eyes dared a quick glance my way, so I was able to make out most of his features. Unruly red fringe hung over bushy brows, which drew out symmetrical cheekbones and a square jaw line. The flat edge of his nose were already outlining the traces of a man.

His image was dazzling to my eyes. Not for the reason of attraction, but I felt like he was what a decent man should look like. If he ended up being skilled, the bastard would send other men running for their daro.

Daro? I sighed. More random facts that had surfaced to my brain, but I felt this tidbit of muscle memory wasn’t relevant to my current situation.

“Let’s pray we can survive.” Troy’s voice trailed at my back.

I nodded. Right. We were in a dire situation and if we were going to be slaves, our life may be over before we had reached the next level.

We made a gradual procession across a clearing of tall rye, which tickled the back of my calves as we walked.

A refreshing scent of wet soil, nettle and straw wafted around my nostrils to ease the stench of burnt flesh and smoke. The dying fire was making me dry at least. Gradually, the sun waned to bring the cold chill of nightfall against my skin. I was doing my best not to shiver and prayed that our destination wasn’t all outdoors.

I blinked in the sight of the approaching black clad soldiers. They carried torches to reveal their bronze bull helmets. Taking large strides between them was an elderly man sporting a wise beard of silver-white. Torchlight revealed lively gray eyes and laugh-lines etched to the corners of his thin lips. His rich indigo robes majestically swayed about his ankles.

The bull helmet soldiers stopped before us, and took over our line.

“Twelve children. Very good. Anwar will be pleased.” The elderly man nodded.

He turned and retraced his steps. We were yanked into a walk behind his lead.

“Ouch!” I yelped and rubbed my arm.

A bronze helmet lingered in my view before it disappeared at my back. I kept pinching my own skin to stay alert.

Eventually we stopped before a set of glowing boulders twice the height of the soldiers. Carved into the boulders’ center was a figure of a three-headed goddess wearing a crown of thorns. Her left arm held a decorative blade toward the heavens. Three sets of ruby eyes glared at us. Snakes barring fangs fell about her face as locks of hair. Coiled around her legs and waist were two boas whose heads faced each other at her stomach. Moonlight revealed the silver twinkle in their eyes.

Zin. The night goddess. And her watchmen, Jeba and Pabo. The knowledge surfaced to my mind. I frowned. Another world fact I knew, yet I couldn’t fathom my own name.

“Openyannus Imperitus,” the indigo robed man whispered to the image of Zin. At the same time, two bull helmet soldiers pushed the heads of Jeba and Pabo into the goddess’s stomach.

The boulders parted to reveal an inner cavern and the start of rock steps leading downward into darkness. I peered at the way set before me and hoped there was light at the end. I continued the way toward unknown depths.