The hands push the crack open wider as the grunts grow louder. The three watch, safely behind the barrier. The crack widens as someone tries to squeeze through the small space. Lahar sees a woman with short red hair and fair skin make her way through the crack.

With one last grunt, she falls face first onto the sand. She is wearing khaki-colored jeans, running shoes, a plain T-shirt, and what looks like a leather jacket with a cloth hood. She lifts her face from the sand with a relieved expression.

The look lasts for a second, and then panic rushes through as she scrambles to the crack. As it slowly closes, she puts her hand deep into it. The strong wind blows, and she can barely keep her eyes open with the sand cloud hitting her face.

Lahar notices the woman's free hand is on the sand. Grains of sand float around her hand to take the shape of a bottle. The sand bursts into flames for just a second. After the flames burn out, what's in its place is a glass bottle with a cork. She quickly undoes the cork with her mouth. The crack is inches from closing on her hand. At the last second, she pulls out of her clenched fist. She places something into the bottle and slams the cork on.

She lies on the sand and watches the crack seal itself. She turns on her back and starts to laugh to herself loudly. "I am going to kill him!" she yells, frustrated, to the sky. Lahar takes this moment to better examine her. She seems younger than Lahar. By probably three years. She is slim but seems toned, as if she takes care of her body. The woman turns her head to see the three watching her. Her eyes are bright yet eerily familiar.

The woman's eyes widen at the sight of them. The red of her hair contrasts with the blue of her eyes. She brushes the sand off her body as she gets up.

"That's probably a sight to see. A crack in the air craps out a person," she says in a soft voice. She places the bottle in a jacket pocket. "Well, by the fact that your face is literally fire, I feel it's safe to say you all have seen some strange things." She points at King.

When she takes a step forward, the three of them take a step back. She takes another step, and they take another back. Her eyes jump around; she sees King's arms, Doc's slingshot, Lahar's hand on a knife handle, and a water gun pointed at her.

"Let's try to calm down for a minute. I'm not here to cause any trouble," she says, holding her hands up.

"Who are you?" Lahar asks in a commanding tone.

"First, not a big fan of the attitude. Second, my name is Aubrey. You three are..."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"My name is Lahar," she says, still pointing the barrel at her. Aubrey takes a step closer. "Stop!" Lahar yells, and Aubrey stops a few feet away from the barrier. "I know this seems like too much, but trust me when I say that when things appear on this beach, it's never good."

Aubrey slowly lowers her hands. "I didn't come here to cause you any trouble. If anything, I should be worried. I have two sand Oompa-Loompas on fire, looking like they are ready to fight. Then I have you with a knife in one hand and...is that a water gun?"

"Yes," Lahar says, trying to sound intimidating.

"Does it shoot acid?"

"No, it shoots water."

"So your plan is to get my clothes wet?"

"It's not like that. If the water hits you, it hurts."

"It hurts?"

"Yeah, and I mean, like, a lot," Lahar says, no longer feeling intimidated. She starts to think back on all the situations when she must have looked silly.

"I don't know why I'm worried," Aubrey says, now walking toward them. King watches her feet, waiting for her to slam into the barrier. She stops inches from it. Lahar looks at Aubrey's face as light shines on it, blinding her in one eye.

"Where is that coming from? Is this another one of your toys?" Aubrey asks, annoyed. Lahar looks down and sees the bangle on her wrist bouncing sunlight into her eyes.

"Can you please stop? Like I said, I am not here for you three. I just need to find..." She stops talking.

Aubrey's eyes focus on the bangle. "That's a nice piece of jewelry," she says. "If it isn't too much trouble, why don't you tell me where you got that bangle?" Lahar sees that her smiling expression is the same, but the look in her eyes has changed.

Lahar glances at Doc, who seems more relaxed. Yet King is tenser. His arms fidget slightly, and he never looks away from her. "A friend of mine gave it to me. Why does it matter?"

"That's the thing. The one I am looking for owns a bangle like that. I know for sure he wouldn't just give it away to anyone. The only way he would give it up is if someone took it." Lahar feels a strange sensation. She closes her eyes to see a large amount of the Source gathering in Aubrey's left hand.

"I went through a lot to get here, so I am not in a playful mood. So please tell me, where is Arena?"

All three are caught off guard. Lahar stares at her, wondering how she knows his name. She obviously knows magic. Maybe an old student, or worse. She may be after him for the same reason Void is. "Just wait here, and we will get him for you," Lahar says, walking backward with her aim still on her.

"I don't want to wait. I'll go with you," Aubrey says in a commanding tone.

"Someone sounds bossy."

"Someone is getting on my last nerve," Aubrey says.

King feels the Source flowing around her arm. None of the three make a move. As long as they stay behind the barrier, they are safe.

Aubrey takes a step closer. Her foot crosses the barrier line. A stone wall should have appeared to prevent her from crossing the barrier. Instead she crosses the line with ease.

Lahar stares in stunned silence. King bursts into action with a right hook aimed at her side. At the last second, Aubrey avoids his fist. The flames surrounding King's arm are sapped from their cracks and float around Aubrey's hand.

With a smile on her face and gold flushing into her eyes, Aubrey says, "Good. I need to relieve some stress."