Katrina’s eyes lingered on the smooth stone streets of Vul De Rah. She and Daniel followed Boros, who walked ahead with several royal guards. She’d had some time to think about her words to Robert and all that was said. She remembered how they first met, in the university café while she complained about some assignment. He was so interesting then. His charms were undeniable. But here? In a world where charms and wit only got you so far. A pang of guilt harassed her; How did her opinion of the man change? When exactly? She remembered the trial of Doxo, and how helpless she was… how helpless ‘he’ was. She tried to shake the thought from her mind.
“Don’t think too much,” Daniel said, walking beside her, his eyes still forward. “There is so much here that we don’t understand, but as far as priorities in figuring this out? I’d say that their magic ranks pretty high. Robert is just scared; he wants to get back home in one piece.”
Katrina glanced at Daniel, slightly irritated but glad that he decided to talk to her. “What, and we don’t want to get home? I am glad you—”
Daniel waved his hand, cutting her off. “But that doesn’t mean that what you said to him in front of these Dae was a good idea. It is important that from now on, we keep any disagreements with each other between us, and only us.”
Katrina was shocked at the sudden dismissal and glared at him. “First of all, Daniel,” she said, emphasizing his name. “I don’t know you very well, and I don’t see how it’s any of your damn business. Second, Boros has made every effort to help us, and I trust him.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Daniel said bluntly. “We’re in a world with creatures and powers completely new to us. We already know that we didn’t come here alone and some humans have already died. One of them was burned at the damn stake.” He let his words linger for a moment as he turned to finally meet her gaze. “We need to stay together as much as possible. This weird little fascination that Boros has with you has helped us a little in gaining their favor, but we need to have a united front. We need every advantage we can get, and right now, uncertainty and ignorance about us will keep us alive.”
Katrina could barely keep from screaming at him, but she knew there was some truth to what he was telling her. The thought of the unfortunate human that woke in this new and strange world only to be savagely killed; this stole most of her anger. So, she clenched her jaw and spoke. Her words didn’t come out as calmly as she’d intended, but Daniel didn’t seem to notice. “Listen, I feel bad about what I said to Robert, ok? And you’re right, but he has not really contributed to improving our situation. You did something at least; you fought for us, and trust me, I’m thankful for that. But I’ll be damned if I am going to sit around helpless while people try and—” She realized before she finished that Boros was slowing down his walk, just enough to eavesdrop. Her mind raced for a moment. How much did he hear?
“And… uh, well, I don’t want to talk about that anymore. Tell me, Daniel, what did you do back at home? I barely know anything about you.” Katrina’s abrupt change in the subject came just as the Dae Kryo was within earshot, and Daniel continued the conversation without breaking stride.
“Well, I guess we should get to know each other a little bit better. I was in the Marine Corps for about eight years, got out about six months ago, and have been going to school trying to find my calling ever since.” Daniel didn’t say anything after the brief retelling of his life. He just walked on as though nothing else was necessary.
“Is that it?” Katrina asked, laughing a bit.
“Oh, sorry, I forgot. What about you?”
Katrina laughed, the sound breaking the earlier tension. The two walked for almost a minute afterward in silence.
“I went to college after high school and got my degree in liberal arts not too long ago. Tried that for as long as I could on my own, but it turned out, that particular degree, is only useful if you happen to run out of toilet paper. My dad ended up hiring me as a consultant for his business, which as I’m sure you can imagine, was boring as hell.” She looked up for a moment in contemplation. “Met Robert in my freshman year at UCSB.” She closed her eyes, lost in a memory. “How did this happen to us?” she murmured. “Anyway, my life was nice and boring before I decided to go to that stupid convention in San Diego. Now, look where I ended up.” She gestured her hands around lazily, having complained about the same thing for as long as she had been in Pelemont; even she was getting tired of her constantly bringing it up. “I still don’t remember much about how we actually came here, just the bright flash. Robert and I held each other, and the next thing I remember is seeing him bleeding in that forest. And you, charging out of the dark.” Katrina sighed, the laughter she just had, a distant memory.
“That convention…” Daniel let out a deep sigh. “Henry, Angelo and I, always used to go to those places.”
Katrina turned to look at him, intrigued. A bit of unexpected excitement welled up in her. Daniel was always so stoic and silent about himself. She couldn’t help but want to know more about him. “They were your friends? ARE! Are your friends?” She winced at the verbal flub.
Daniel chuckled, seemingly unaffected. “Yeah. We’ve known each other since high school… Well, I knew Angelo long before then, since we were kids. You know how it goes. Once you leave high school, your group sort of splits apart slowly. Not us. We always kept in touch. Even after I got deployed the first time and they went off to graduate from university. We still stuck it out. And we always went to conventions together. Just to have a good time. We’d bring our girlfriends, and just have a blast.”
Katrina listened intently to his words. Surprised at how genuine and normal he seemed. The thought of Daniel, laughing and hanging out with his friends seemed almost impossible. But he was a normal guy, underneath all that harshness.
“Anyway…” He continued. “Part of me knows they’re here. We were standing right next to each other when the flash came. It’s mostly a blur… but I swear I saw them reaching out as we got enveloped.”
“I see.” Katrina studied him. “Do you think your girlfriends were brought here too?”
Daniel seemed to straighten, and she could see his defenses rise again. Damnit, she thought. He’s so touchy about this stuff.
“Henry and Angelo’s girlfriends were eating lunch or doing something. I don’t know. They weren’t there though. I was the fifth wheel, so.”
“So, no girlfriend?”
“No. She left while I was finishing up my last deployment.” He waved his hand. “Enough about me.” He nodded toward their royal guide.
Boros had slowed his pace enough to be almost beside them as they walked. He took this opportunity to speak for the first time during their trek through Vul De Rah. “Your arrival here is not the end of days like the Espi-Dae have been saying. The intervention of Gro’ak is proof enough of that. It has been a thousand years since a spirit has taken the time to manifest itself in the throne room, and that was to stop a very large and bloody war. My father will protect you from any who wish to harm you. I will, as well.”
The Dae Kryo looked at them and stopped at a large crossroads. Katrina saw that there were far fewer shops and peddlers on the side of the street. Those that were present were wearing robes of various colors and were selling what looked like religious trinkets. Boros pointed to a very large structure that, as they were now becoming accustomed to, looked as though it had grown out of the ground. Katrina looked up in amazement at what she figured was a Dae temple of some kind. It was surrounded on all sides by pillars that spiraled out of the ground and were as smooth as marble.
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“This is the shrine to the great spirits in Vul De Rah. A holy site, where people from all of the surrounding villages come to pray and pay their respects,” Boros said as he climbed the steps to the large doors.
Before they could reach them, however, the doors slid open smoothly, and several hooded and robed individuals came to greet them. The one in the middle had his hood pulled back and wore a large, rectangular hat on his head. His skin glistened a pale yellow, and his face was longer than the Dae she had seen so far.
“Welcome, my Lord Boros,” he said, without a smile. “It is so nice of you to come here and grace us with your presence.” The robed Dae did not seem threatening but made no attempt to move out of the way. He maintained his polite and cordial manner.
“Espi-Dae, it is an honor to come and pray in this most distinguished and divine place. We only wish to enter and pay our respects.”
The Espi-Dae looked at the Kryo, his bright yellow eyes unmoving. The moments ticked by in silence, and Katrina could feel the unease building between them. “No,” he finally said. “I am sorry, my Lord, but I cannot permit these creatures to enter this holy place. The High Espi-Dae and the King have given their commands on the matter.”
Boros’ Jaw tightened as the polite mask he wore faded away and revealed a will of iron. “That is unfortunate, my friend, because I’m bringing them in any way.” Boros smiled and began to climb the rest of the stairs. The Espi-Dae stuttered and did his best to halt the young Kryo, but he was easily pushed aside. He began to shout in protest, but when Boros turned to him, his words stopped in his throat.
“Listen, you arrogant fool, I was there in the throne room when the spirit Gro’ak came to defend them. He asked my father if we would abide by the will of the spirits, and we agreed. Now, you can either stand aside and help us in our task, or I will skewer you on a spike as a heretic.”
The Dae reeled at the sudden aggression and moved his mouth to speak but found that he couldn’t.
Boros waved his hand dismissively at him and turned to Katrina and Daniel. “Please follow me, my friends.” His friendly smile appeared again.
Katrina followed the Dae inside the massive shrine, and like the glade, there were large balls of flame that floated in the air, lighting everything within. There was also a large dome ceiling that draped over them, with paintings and references to what Katrina could only assume was their religion. It reminded her of something similar to the Sistine Chapel in her world.
“Now,” Boros said, standing before them, “this room is the main hall of the shrines, where all of the followers come to worship together.” His hands spread to either side of him. “And here, in the four corners of the main hall, are the individual shrines to the specific elements. Earth, fire, wind, and water. It is in each of these places that spiritual energy is the most potent.” Each shrine was different in its own way, with large archway entrances carved with complicated designs specific to each element but no doors.
Katrina listened as the Kryo explained where they were and what he wanted them to do, but she found it hard to concentrate. The air was thick, she wasn’t sure if she was hot or cold, and a small pulse began to flutter within her. His words began to go silent in a muffled mass when she felt a slight pull in the core of her body. Not as though something was tugging on her, but a subtle force was directing her towards the shrine on the right. What the hell? she thought in weary confusion. Her sight narrowed, and all else around her became insignificant to the moment she now had. Her legs carried her toward the shrine, and the closer she got, the more a light pulse began to beat in her chest. She stopped before a large bed of sand that surrounded an obsidian stone altar. All else was dark around her, and there was nothing but the altar and her body. She removed her shoes, as she was compelled to do so, and touched her bare feet into the soft sand; it was cold but refreshing. She approached the altar and placed her hands on it, and felt the fine grains between her fingers. The light pulse was now stronger, and she could feel it clearly. Her fingers were tingling, but she couldn’t find the source. She grew frustrated. There was an ebbing of power that called to her, and she felt around the altar in an attempt to find it, but it wasn’t there; it eluded her like an itch that you just can’t find.
“Relax,” she heard from around her, a Lyth and rasping voice. “There is nothing to fear, you’re shaking, my dear girl.”
“Who’s there?” she called into the darkened haze around her.
“Worry not, girl, have a seat in the sand.”
Katrina’s heart beat rapidly in her chest, and her fear grew with every moment, but there was this insatiable need she felt to find the power that tugged just out of her reach. She felt as though her body would not be complete unless she could find it and take it.
She obeyed the voice and sat in the soft, cool sand.
“There, now doesn’t that feel better?” it said.
Katrina noticed a stir in the sand at the base of the altar. A small head emerged from the ground, the head of a serpent with green stone-like eyes. The serpent itself looked as though it was made from sand but still gleamed in a strange way. Katrina’s eyes widened at the sight of the snake, but she remained calm.
“We meet again,” the serpent said, coiling around itself comfortably.
“Again?” Katrina asked curiously.
“Oh yes, you touched me as I traveled in the Dallia plains. Sorry about the violent reaction, but we spirits tend to keep to ourselves, and the Dae are usually smart enough to let us be… usually.”
Katrina recalled the strange stream of sand that shocked her while they traveled to Vul De Rah after meeting with Oros and Boros. “Oh… so, you’re a spirit? I’m sorry for that, I got curious, and…” Katrina did her best to sound sincere.
“Well, I almost killed you, girl. But then I realized that I had no idea what you were. So I watched and followed you. Then I saw Gro’ak confront the Hego, and my, my, what a scene that could have been. He is a very powerful spirit, and tends to keep to his forest.” The Serpent extended itself and inched closer to Katrina’s face, it’s green eyes boring deep into her. “But here we are, and now I can see your power thrumming away like the beating of a new heart, it’s…” The serpent came closer, now inches from her face. “It’s so strong… this is highly unusual for a Dae, but you aren’t one are you? You said you were called a human.” The serpent drew back and rested its head on its coiled body.
“Wait, I have the Dunamis? Or whatever you call it? I have this magic?” Katrina’s eyes lit up as she put the puzzle of the serpent’s strange words together.
“Why yes, I can see it in you. Can you not find it?” The serpent narrowed its green eyes.
Katrina shook her head innocently. “I didn’t feel it until I came here. Now it’s close, but I don’t even know where to look. I thought it might be in the altar or something, but—”
The serpent chuckled. “You are looking in the wrong place, my dear… Close your eyes…”
Katrina did so and began to focus on the pulse within her.
“You see? There it is, your power pulses with your heart, your passion, but it is not a part of you yet, so you can’t use it. Clear your mind and take it… it is yours,” the serpent said, his lithe voice ringing in her ears.
She could feel it now. Like an earthquake priming itself, rumbling behind a mask of normalcy, hidden in plain sight. Then, as she reached deeper into her mind, she touched it. There was a sudden and sharp burst of pain that erupted in her head. Her eyes shot open, and the darkness was gone. Again, she could see the intricate paintings and statues that decorated the interior of the shrine. Beyond that, however, she could feel so much more. She could feel the sand beneath her in a way that was far different from before. She could feel the vast power that flowed through it and into her own body, like a strong and constant current, gentle, but terribly powerful. Her mind felt complete now, and every one of her senses flared like an exposed nerve. Katrina turned now with tears streaming down her face. She saw Boros and several Dae at the edge of the bed of sand near the entrance of the shrine she had entered while in her trance-like state. His face was a mask of worry at first, but upon making eye contact with her, he smiled broadly.
“By the spirits!” Boros said in relief, walking into the bed of sand.
“That is close enough…” the serpent said, erecting its head and body in a defensive and curved stance.
Boros froze where he was. Katrina looked at the spirit but did not flinch in fear. Her mind was still recovering from the shock of the Dunamis. “So, you weren’t just a vision,” she said bluntly.
“Kat,” Boros said urgently, waving her toward him. “Do as it says and get out of there.”
Katrina looked at the serpent again. Its eyes narrowed, but still shone a brilliant green. “Thank you,” she said. “You helped me find myself.” She rubbed tears from her eyes and stood. “My name is Katrina.” She bowed at the waist deeply to the serpent and asked. “What’s your name?”
The spirit’s stone eyes seemed to soften at the gesture, and it bowed its head slightly in return. “You may call me Koh, and we will meet again, my dear. There is much I would like to learn from you.” The serpent’s body sank into the sand and quickly disappeared.
“By the spirits…” the Espi-Dae said with his hand on his forehead. “A manifestation… here! In my shrine! This… is unbelievable.” His eyes glistened with tears, and he smiled.
Boros ignored the man and walked to help Katrina out of the sand. She was still fairly discombobulated from the ordeal but walked out of the shrine into the main hall. As she emerged, there were gasps and murmurs from the observing Dae. Apparently, many had seen her walk away in the middle of Boros’ explanation and watched the spirit emerge.
Then she remembered her company. “Wait, where’s Daniel?”
Boros stopped and looked around, puzzled. “I’m not sure… he was here with us just a minute ago.”
Katrina’s eyes scanned the main hall, and as her sight passed the entrance to another shrine, she saw Daniel stumble out and hold the archway for support. Sweat dripped from his face, and there were tears in his eyes as well. He looked up to meet her gaze, and she realized that he too must have experienced something similar.