Malvina looked white as chalk; ok, maybe it was the blood loss, but still... frighten didn't even begin to describe her. Horrified was a more apt description.

“Nobody is killing anyone,” I said, looking at Malvina, trying to reassure her.

"Your right, you don't know this world. Some laws are there for a very good reason." Steel spoke, and I couldn't help feeling a little contempt towards him.

What could I even say to convince people to disregard their life experiences? Hell, they might even be right.

Alira broke the silence that descended as we all loocked at each other. “This desert belongs to no kingdom. That would make any laws here void.”

Silence descended again but it maybe now something else was on their mind except murder. Sure, that was a technicality, but I didn’t see them as cold-blooded killers. Maybe they needed some plausible deniability.

I exhaled the breath I’d been holding when they visibly relaxed and lowered their weapons.

“Why are we to be killed on sight? What sort of barbarians are you?” Malvina spoke surprinsingly; her panic was turning to anger.

“While I would agree with you,” Thalia said in a very calming tone, “there are things you may not know.”

“What sort of things?” She snapped.

“A few generations ago, your kind almost conquered this continent,” she wanted to say more, but I couldn’t help but interrupt.

“That’s it? Don’t get me wrong, that is super bad, but genocide? That’s the proportional answer?”

“It’s not about the conquering. There have always been wars, some even more bloodthirsty than the necromancer one. It was how they did it.” Alira paused to gather her thoughts.

She turned towards Malvina. “Do you still all have the power to control the movements of others like the leader did to Steel?”

“Yes, but it’s kind of useless. If you try that, the other person would use it as well, and it cancels out in most cases, or has a small effect. It’s not really worth it,” she answered back.

“Well, the rest are not so fortunate. We cannot resist it. It’s one thing to kill a family; it’s another to force the father to kill his own family,” Steel said, very adamant.

Turning to me, Alira continued, “Most saw this as a form of mind control, so that’s why the harsh punishment.” Damn, they had bloodbending or something similar.

“But it didn’t work.” Malvina looked a little in thought. “I guess it explains why she was so puzzled. I saw the hand movements; she was trying to control Spark, but he didn’t even notice.”

“Wait, when was that?” My confusion was showing.

“When you were dodging the projectile the others threw. Did you think the leader was just watching?” She was almost smiling.

“Maybe?” I said, flushing.

“You have to forgive him,” Alira said, patting my back. “He still thinks this is one big bedtime story.” Damn, that was harsh. Was I really that naive from their point of view?

Alira continued, “The idea is, while he might be resistant somehow, we are not. Did you never wonder why you were living in the middle of the desert?”

“No. For me, being a necromancer is all I ever knew. The desert is where I grew up it's normal to me but it’s good to know never to go north or I’ll be killed on sight,” she started gathering her things, not that she had that many.

“Thank you for saving me, Thalia. As for the rest of you,” looking at Viper and Steel, “I hope you never meet people that try to kill you because of a skill you have.”

A silence descended after that, so we all packed, and Malvina led us through the maze-like rock formations. By nightfall, we were clear of them.

As we ate in the chilly evening, it seemed only Alira and I stood next to Malvina; the rest were a little farther than usual.While she saved her life, it seemed the Church of the Light had some clear dogmatic laws, and necromancers were a big no-no so Thalia was with the others.

“So, how is life in the desert?” Alira asked.

“Usually pretty calm. The last week, though, something was happening,” she responded.

“Well, don’t keep us in suspense,” I added.

“Remember, it’s all rumor, but we rely on a few seers for protection,” she responded.

Before she could continue, I asked, “Seers? Like they can tell the future?”

Alira's eyes went wide. “You have seers?”

“Obviously. How do you think we managed to stay hidden for so long?” Malvina responded very casually.

“Anyway, our seers all of a sudden couldn’t see anything related to the troll region.” After she took another bite, she continued, “That’s very bad because they like to raid our territory.”

A creeping suspicion was beginning to rear its ugly head. Turning to Alira, I said, “Me visiting some troll villages is a very big coincidence.”

“How could you possibly influence future sight?” Alira sounded skeptical.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

“Well… we have a thing called the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, which basically means if you try to measure or even observe something you change it so it's impossible to predict anything in the future, and it’s an inherent law of any matter from my universe,” I explained.

“Matter?” Alira asked.

“Matter is everything you see, from air to grass and our bodies,” I explained.

“So your mere presence could disrupt future-sight?” Malvina was definitely not believing it.

Smiling, I said, “Funny you should say that because the high priest used those exact words.” I paused, trying to remember them. “'Your mere presence will be a boon to our cities.'”

“It would also explain why the crazy lady in red couldn’t control me like it did Steel,” I added after a little bit of thought.

Alira was deep in thought, and again, suspicion arose, so I asked her, “I take it your kingdom also has seers. Did they notice any change?”

She looked ready to dodge the question, but she slumped her shoulders and responded in a very quiet voice, “Usually, seers are very rare and and a big state secret.”

Shifting her seat, she continued, “Remember how kings couldn’t use empaths? Well, seers are the next best thing; they ensure they have no big surprises in the future.”

“So, yes there was a change” she managed to say after big pause. “All of a sudden, the forest at the border where you arrived was just a blank spot to every seer in the kingdom, so I was tasked with staying there to investigate. Most thought the Celestrians had something to do with it as it was near the border.

“So why not send a bigger force?” That seemed a more logical answer.

“Seers see possible futures; a person makes thousands of decisions a day, so too many to predict anything. But the more men work as a unit, the choices become fewer and so more easy to predict. Their seers would see our force and think it an act of war,” she said.

“That doesn’t make any sense; more people would mean more choices,” clearly I wasn’t an expert in future-sight.

“On the surface, yes. But say you have five people; they can take a dozen different roads, stop at a dozen inns, attack you from dozen of places But send 100 men and you can only take one or two roads, you have to make camp somewhere near water; the choices become fewer and fewer,” she was very well informed in the intricacies of it.

“That would explain why your conflicts are so bloody; you either send an overwhelming force to make seers useless or stay at home and build that massive force.” Such a simple change would have repercussions on how wars are fought.

“Yes, it is a blessing and a curse. Wars are fewer since seers were put to use, but when they do happen, they are incredibly destructive,” she added with a regretful tone.

“Is that why you were in that forest when we met?” I knew it was more than a simple coincidence.

“I was there for a better part of a month, waiting for anything to happen. I didn’t even have any idea what I was looking for.”

“But me arriving was a pretty big sign,” I got to admit I felt a little hurt.

“My orders were to stay until something, anything happened. After a month, I thanked the gods I had an excuse to leave.”I couldn't really blame her it did sound like a boring month.

Malvina interrupted us, “So, if you’re really immune, can I try to control your movements?”

“Sure,” I mean, confirmation wouldn’t hurt.

She moved her hands in weird patterns and squinted often, and every once in a while she looked at me in the eyes, but after about a minute she slumped in her seat, apparently giving up., “It’s like you're not there! Even against someone very powerful like Tara, they felt like an immovable object, but you… incredible.”

"It's good to be sure, I guess."

“We should get some sleep; we hit the desert again tomorrow,” Alira remarked.

It took us the better part of a week to get to the coastal city.

During that time, I had hoped for small sparks of closeness between us, but none came. If anything, we grew even more distant despite the conversations within our small group. Perhaps I could have pushed things along, but my mind was occupied with how best to move forward. My presence could easily destabilize the region, though that would likely happen wherever I went. As I entered the city, however, it seemed that divine guidance had finally found me.

You have discovered a port city. Adventure awaits.

New quest unlocked. Discover another continent. Reward: A new spell will be unlocked.

Just as I stopped, shocked at the revelation, Alira pulled me to the side. “I’ve been thinking, if just walking around disrupts seers, you should stay clear of the capital. Kings are very used to seers keeping them calm. Without them, there would be paranoia; a war could erupt at the slightest provocation,” she looked as if she’d been giving this much thought.

Laughing, I said, “I agree.”

“You do?” It looked like she had expected to do more convincing work.

“I just got a quest to go to another continent not even a minute ago,” I said.

“What’s a quest?” she looked at me suspiciously.

“In the fantasy stories of my world, there would always be a quest to give the protagonist some direction and purpose.”

“There is no such thing here.” She responded.

It did seem way too coincidental. “I agree; clearly, someone brought me here, and that someone now wants to control me or maybe steer me in some direction." Guess it was not a huge leap of logic.

“It's fortunate then because I wanted to propose we go with Malvina anyway,” she said, unsure if it made it worse or better.

“Well, I get a reward if I complete that quest, so might as well do what we were already planning. Why fight fate, right?” I mused.

“You get a reward just for going on a little boat ride? What reward?” she sounded pissed.

“A new spell,” I tried to look all innocent.

“Incredible, I had to practice dash for six months and you get one for free,” she was approaching disbelief.

As we continued to walk, Malvina came near us. “This is a delicate question to ask, and I have been so anxious, but we’re gonna be separated soon, so sorry to bring it up so late…” she was beginning to ramble. “And it’s not fair to ask; we don’t know each other for that long…” Alira was clearly letting her torture herself.

“Malvina? The question?” I said, maybe helping her focus a little.

“I have, like, no money for the boat ride,” Malvina finally said.

“Yeah, that’s actually a very good question about boat ride prices.” Turning to Alira, I asked, “So, how’s the money situation? Three tickets can’t be cheap.”

“Well, there’s a bounty hunter guild hall here as well, so you can go take your reward,” she turned to Malvina. “As for you, don’t worry; we have decided to accompany you to Enroth,” looking back at me. “That’s the name of the continent to the south.” She then continued, “As for me, I have to report as well.”

Panic swelled in me. “If they find out what I can do, my head will be the biggest bounty in two continents.”

“Don’t worry; such important matters can only be revealed face to face, or every enemy will know it, especially from this free city where there are spies everywhere.” I guess it was comforting. “See you at the docks in a few hours.” And she was off into the city.

We met with the others at the bounty hunter’s guild where I got my reward after a few debriefings.

“It was good working with you, Spark,” Viper said while counting his money.

"Guess we should find a boat now to take us to Shadowmere" Steel added.

“Likewise Viper. There’s been a slight change in plan; me and Alira have decided to escort Malvina to Enroth.”

He looked at me with a little suspicion but didn’t push it. “Guess this is goodbye, then. Maybe we’ll see each other again,” Steel went for a solid handshake as did Viper.

After a hug from Thalia, we separated and set off in search of the dock. It was a bit bittersweet to be losing the few friends I had made, but I concentrated on the fact that Alira was still with me.

I was actually looking forward to the new continent; having a purpose was freeing in a way, even if I felt like a puppet with strings still attached.

Then I remembered I have terrible motion sickness and there are no pills here for that.

This was going to suck more than the horse ride.