Robert raised a canteen of water to his lips; the cool and refreshing liquid brought insurmountable relief to him as he drank it. Oros and his warriors watched silently as he and his companions indulged themselves. The smell of roasting meat filled the air as well. A strange creature that resembled an armadillo, only much larger, was on the fire, held up by a large stone device, seemingly grown from the ground itself. In addition to the multitude of anomalies experienced in this strange world was the flame, seemingly burning with no fuel or wood beneath it. It just floated and raged as if encouraged by some invisible force.
“Tell us, friends, where do you come from?” Boros asked, sitting down with a filled canteen. The warrior pulled the cap and smelled the contents, closing his eyes and admiring it.
Robert guessed it was likely alcohol from the intense and pungent aroma.
“Well…” Robert said, gathering himself for what was sure to be an interesting conversation. “Honestly, I don’t know how we got here or where we are. You see, there was a bright light where we were, and…” Robert struggled to find the words to describe their situation. He looked to Daniel for reinforcement, relayed the question, and he took over.
Daniel took a deep breath before speaking. “It looks like we’re from a different world.” “We have been transported here somehow. I woke up alone in that forest and found them.” He gestured to Robert and Katrina. “We met a strange creature there; it spoke to us and led us out by moving the trees.” Daniel grimaced and looked intently into the fire. “It doesn’t seem real.”
Robert quickly relayed this message to Boros. The creature looked puzzled, glancing at Oros, who sat lazily to his left against his gear. There were a few seconds of silence while his words were processed.
“Well, we have never come across creatures that look as you do, so perhaps that would explain it,” Oros said, leaning forward to slice the meat on the fire for consumption.
“You say the forest led you out? None can enter that sacred place who do not possess impressive power,” Boros said. “The Spirits do not allow anyone they deem unworthy to enter there. It is their haven. None have been allowed inside for hundreds of years.”
Robert shrugged. “Well, we didn’t have much of a choice. Like I said, we just woke up there.”
“Why do your companions not possess the ability to speak proper words?” Boros asked, looking directly at Daniel. Daniel glared at him.
“What is wrong with him?” Boros asked, looking at Robert, then at his older brother.
“This one has seen battle,” Oros said in a low and weary voice. “Be careful, Boros. We don’t know what these creatures are or what they might be capable of.”
“Are you sure?” the young creature asked, looking closer at the human. Robert also couldn’t help but look at his companion.
“I can see it in his eyes,” Oros said, standing with a large slice of meat in a bowl. The creature walked over to Daniel and handed it to him. “Tell him we are not enemies here and would break bread.”
Robert relayed the message, and Daniel took the bowl with a nod. “Ask Oros why we’re not enemies and why he’s being so friendly to strange creatures in his land.”
Robert turned to Oros and translated.
The creature grinned and pointed out into the darkness. “You came from the Spirits’ Forest, unharmed, and with their blessing. I can only assume that you are not a threat to them, or you would have been killed. They are not angry with you either, just curious, as we are. Trust me when I say that they are very good judges of character. When we reach Vul de Rah and bring you before my father and his Espi-Dae, we will tell him as such. Still, until then, I can only go with what I know, and that is you are unarmed and have emerged with the Spirits’ blessing.”
Robert relayed the message to his companions, then turned back to Oros. “What’s Vul de Rah?”
“It is our city,” Boros said, handing Katrina and Robert bowls of cooked meat.
“Ask him how he knew where we were.” Daniel looked at Robert, who did what he asked.
Oros looked at them. “We have Espi-Dae who monitor the spiritual energy around this area very closely. Once the Spirit-Forest began to react strangely yesterday, I opted to investigate. We just followed the trail.”
Robert again relayed the message, and Daniel looked confused. “Well, none of what he said made any damn sense.”
The two brothers sat back in their positions with bowls of food of their own and began to eat. Robert looked down at his food. Steam rose from the meal, filling his nostrils with the sweet smell of nourishment. Like their hosts, he began to tear into it with his teeth, grabbing the meat like a savage. It was tender and delicious, much like what he was used to tasting back home.
After taking time to fill their bellies with several helpings, several warriors approached from another fire not too far away. Two were creatures Robert had already seen and been introduced to, Eslan and Vikko.
“So?” Eslan said. “What are they? Have they told you?”
Oros leaned back and rested his hands behind his head. “We didn’t want to be rude; it’s easier to talk with a full stomach. Why don’t you take a seat and ask them yourself?”
The creature did so, finding a place next to Oros and sitting on a dismounted saddle.
“So,” Eslan said, folding his hands on his lap. “What are you exactly?”
Robert cleared his throat and drank water from a water skin. “Well, we’re human beings. From a place called Earth.”
Eslan looked from Oros to his brother and back to Robert. “So, where is Earth? And how did you get here?”
“They don’t know,” Boros said.
“Earth is our planet… or dimension… where all of us live. What about you?” Robert asked, leaning forward to sit up straight. “Where are we? And what are you?”
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“We are Dae. And you are in Pelemont, our world. Specifically, you are in Lokkadonia, our clan territory within a Kingdom called Eleutheros.” Oros said, gesturing into the darkness.
While Robert translated, Katrina hung her head.
“What troubles that one?” Boros asked. “That is a female, correct? She looks much like our own.”
Robert reached over and put his arm around her shoulders. “This has been extremely traumatic for us, as I’m sure you can understand. Yes, this is a human female and, as I mentioned before, her name is Katrina.”
“Ask her if there is anything we can do to help,” Boros said, looking more closely at her.
“Robert, why is everyone looking at me now?” Katrina asked, nudging him with her elbow.
“They were just asking if you were a female, also if there is something they can do to help you, that’s all.”
Katrina forced a smile but declined any assistance.
“What of him?” Eslan said, gesturing toward Daniel. “What of the warrior? Are we safe to keep him unbound? He seems rather coarse.”
Robert translated and waited for Daniel to reply.
Daniel stood, dusting off his peacoat. “You are safe with me. There is nothing to worry about.” Daniel smiled, gesturing down at his now-empty bowl of food. “You saved us from wandering an alien world without food or water. We’re indebted to you for that.”
Oros smiled as well after Robert relayed the message. He raised his canteen as if gesturing for a toast to drink in agreement. Daniel mirrored the Dae’s gesture and took a long drink.
~
Considering the circumstances, the night was surprisingly comfortable. Katrina stirred, feeling a soothing warmth on her cheek. She opened her eyes to see a beautiful blue sky, deep and filled with white pillowed clouds. She stretched her limbs, began to sit up, and scanned her surroundings. Like the previous night, it took her a few moments to come to terms with her new and strange reality. All around her, she could see the Dae packing up their campsites, rolling up bedrolls, dusting off gear, and mounting it on the beasts they rode. She sat for several moments, just observing and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She then spent the next few minutes helping the Dae warriors around her pack the blankets they had let her borrow for the night.
She spotted Robert and Daniel talking to Oros. Robert was relaying the messages between them, but it looked as though they were in good spirits all the same. It was then that she saw, out of the corner of her eye, a long stream of what looked like dust floating through the air, several feet off the ground, like a serpent—almost as odd as the gargoyle creature that stalked them in the Spirit Forest.
Katrina approached the extraordinary spectacle, excited yet apprehensive. The floating stream was about a foot in diameter and at least two hundred feet long. It moved slowly but in a steady, undulating pattern. She turned to look at the camp behind her—no one even noticed it. She looked back at the stream; it seemed so alive. What the hell is this? she thought. Cautiously, she reached out, pushing her fingers into the flowing dust. It was cold, pulsing with a low electric current. The sensation startled her, and she snatched her hand away. Katrina whirled round at the sound of Boros shouting. The sight of the alien running toward her and waving his arms startled her, and she backed into the strange stream. A sudden shock coursed through her body, transforming her world into bright white and then darkness.
~
There were muffled sounds of men yelling around her and dull movement as she was jerked around. Am I being carried? Her left shoulder burned with pain, and her fingers tingled with electric pulses that flowed numbly up and down her arm. She blinked her eyes open and began to take in blurred sights. Finally, focus came, and she saw a young red face looking down at her. It was Boros. Her gaze scanned his features. He had a strong and proportionate face. His hair was fine, like strands of silk that hung about his burning features, complementing the red with a pearl-white color. She met his eyes—yellow and brilliant. They suddenly widened, and he smiled. Then Robert’s face entered her vision, concern written on his face. He was saying something, but it was muffled; she could barely hear anything.
The near silence was calming, so she closed her eyes again, basking in it. Then suddenly, her senses flared. Her eyes opened wide, and she shot up, almost smacking Boros in the face with her head. Her hearing was amplified, her eyes were extremely sensitive, and every inch of her skin was irritated by everything it came in contact with.
“Katrina!” Robert yelled, grabbing her shoulder. She winced in pain from the sudden pressure. “Are you alright? Can you hear me?”
Katrina raised her hand and nodded in assurance. “What happened?” Her voice was raspy and weak. She heard Boros start to speak, and Robert translated.
“You approached a plains spirit. They are very dangerous and rarely seen. You scared it, and it attacked you.” Robert put his hand on Boros’ shoulder. “Boros ran over and calmed it. He saved your life.”
Katrina looked at Boros and gave him a weak smile. “Tell him that I said thanks.”
Boros’ eyes widened, and he began to speak excitedly to Robert.
“He says he understood you!” Robert said, looking at the young Dae, confused. “Say something again.”
Katrina paused. “Uh… I have a massive headache?”
Boros laughed and stood from his kneeling position, confirming to Robert that he could, in fact, understand what she was saying.
Robert rubbed his brow and contemplated. Then Daniel walked up, giving her a nod.
“Maybe it will develop the same way it did for Robert,” Daniel said, hands in his coat pockets. “They can understand you now, and in time you will be able to understand them.”
Robert stood as well, placing his hands on his hips. “But she was attacked by a spirit; I wasn’t.”
Daniel looked to his feet. “You were as good as dead when I found you, Robert. You had a bad head injury, cerebral fluid leaking from your ears and nose, and unresponsive pupils. If we were back home, you would have died without any treatment, and even with it, you probably would’ve been a vegetable. Then all of a sudden, there was a gust of wind and voices. Then you woke up as if nothing had happened.” Daniel looked at Katrina on the ground. “You remember this, right?” She nodded slowly, reliving the moment in her head. “Maybe you were saved by a spirit. I mean, we were in the ‘Spirit Forest’ after all. What if contact with these things somehow augments us, and the result is us understanding them and vice versa.”
There was a pause as she pondered Daniel’s words. Katrina rubbed her head again, standing up with Robert’s help. “Robert, relay what Daniel just said to Boros, and see what he thinks about it.”
Robert did so, and the Dae seemed just as puzzled.
Boros muttered something in his language and motioned for the three of them to follow him. Katrina began to walk, refusing Robert’s help. The rest of the Dae warriors were mounted on their steeds, everything was packed, and they were ready to move. Eslan made a few laughing comments as she passed him atop his mount. Robert placed his hand on her shoulder and asked her to stop. “He wants you to ride on one of the Cro’kan.” He said, facing her to one of the riders. He had pale blue skin and dismounted the Cro’kan, gesturing to the creature.
“No, thank you,” she said casually, dismissing the offer. Eslan’s eyes widened with surprise. He began to stutter something as Boros explained Daniel’s theory involving the spirits and them now being able to understand her. Eslan then barked something to the warrior who had dismounted, then looked to Katrina and gestured again. She just shook her head and smiled. Eslan frowned and looked at Robert, saying something else in his language.
“Uh, Katrina?” Robert said, his voice trembling a little. “Maybe you should get on the giant lizard. He’s being pretty insistent.”
“I’m fine, Robert. I don’t need to ride that thing. Besides, it creeps me out.” Katrina turned to walk again but stopped as she heard Daniel grunt something. “What was that?” She looked at him. His face was stern, and his eyes focused on her.
“Get on the creature,” he said in a low voice. He stepped forward and walked past her. “Let’s not argue with them.”
Katrina’s eyes flared with anger. I wasn’t being rude. Who the hell does he think he is? It was then that she heard loud thumps behind her and felt the hot breath of a large and smelly animal. Her spine stiffened as she spun to see the Cro’kan right behind her and its rider walking beside it, handing her the reigns.
Katrina swallowed hard and resigned herself to riding the animal. She took the reins from the Dae, who helped her mount it. She gave a nod in thanks and let out a deep breath. Maybe this won’t be so bad.