Rolling to her left, Maela wrapped herself in the blanket to avoid the bright sun shining into her eyes. She didn’t want to wake up—it was the most comfortable bed she had ever slept on, and the bedding was luxurious. Soft and thin and shiny. It was like being embraced by water. This has to be a dream, she thought, although the idea of dreaming about sleeping seemed absurd. She let out a small laugh still not quite believing what was happening.
“Ah, you have woken,” a kind voice from somewhere behind her said.
Her Thief instincts taking over, Maela tossed the bedding aside to land on her feet on the opposite side from the voice. But the bedding was too slippery, and she did little more than roll away in a tangle.
“You do not have to fear me. You and your friend were weak from lack of water. I’m a healer and my charge is to heal you.” Maela opened her eyes to see an older woman wearing a white robe sitting in a chair next to the bed. Her hands were folded in her lap, and she was smiling. “My name is Lin.”
Maela looked around. She was in a single room with a wooden door opposite the bed, which was closed. A large window without glass or wooden shutters stood open behind her. It took up almost the entire wall and looked out on a piercing blue sky with a mountain in the distance. It looked a lot like the view from near the top of the Thief Tower.
“Where am I?” Maela turned back to the woman.
“You are in Ness. We found you in the mines. You collapsed after exiting the Forbidden Tunnel.”
Sitting up straight, Maela tried to peer out the window but could see nothing more than sky. “Ness? What guild tower is this?” Healers where part of the Protector Guild of the Knights, and the woman wore white. Perhaps this was some remote Knight outpost connected with the Rangers Guild. That made sense to her—she and Darla had traveled far past the walls of Ness and exited near a distant Knight outpost that she had never heard of.
“Guilds? There are no guilds here. This is Ness. We are the trading center between Draque and Myren.” Her eyes went wide. “Wait. I remember—the Wizards once had a guild, but we haven’t called it the Magic Guild for centuries.”
“You jest at my expense,” Maela said, frowning. She looked for her dagger, but her clothes were nowhere to be found in the room. She had a soft white tunic and nothing else.
“I do not!” the woman exclaimed. “Why would you think it so?”
“Perhaps you are so far from the city that you no longer even understand,” Maela said, as she scratched her head. Turning to the woman, she added, “Ness is the city-state where your guild is based, although you clearly have lost contact with it. It is further along the mountains, perhaps many miles away. It is run by guilds—the Merchant, Harvest, Craft, and Knight guilds.” Frowning once again, Maela continued, “But you didn’t need to tease me by mentioning wizards.”
The woman nodded her head. “I see.” Standing up, she added, “You will need to speak with Traville. We assumed you were lost in the Forbidden Tunnel, but now I see it is something we had never expected to happen—you came from the other side.” She said the words “other side” with an almost breathless awe.
She walked to the door, turning and pausing before she exited. “There is water on the table. Drink much. You are still weak.” She exited, and a sharp click came from the lock. Maela stood up and had to steady herself. How long had she been in the room? Hours? Days?
After a quick drink of water, Maela made her way to the door. As she expected, it was locked.
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The window in her room was a window to a whole new world. A large city, nearly as large as Ness, surrounded the tower she was in. And what a tower it was! It looked to be as tall as the Thief Tower, providing Maela with a view of the mountains in the distance and the whole city, which appeared very like Ness in terms of building style. There were wood and stone buildings, roads, and towers of various sizes.
The most amazing part, however, was the green in the distance. Maela had to lean far out the window to see, but there appeared to be a massive forest of trees that filled the entire horizon, running from the mountain to the edge of her vision, where the end of her window blocked her view.
After an hour of marveling over the city where she was captive, there was a click and a man in dark brown woven pants and a red shirt stood in the door. His dress appeared formal, but he entered with a calm assurance and a warm smile.
Red?
Maela didn’t know if she should flee. It was common knowledge that red dye was poisonous, even dry, and that touching it, let alone wearing it, was certain death. “May I come in?” the man asked.
Asking to enter? He is not acting like a captor. “Yes.” Maela stood, the bed between her and the man.
“You appear frightened. I am not a threat, I assure you.” The man stood near the door.
“It is the red dye. It is poison.”
The man looked down at his shirt, a confused look on his face. “You are mistaken. Red dye is as safe as any other, I assure you.” Maela didn’t move. “Please, have a seat. I will sit in that chair.” He pointed to a chair on the other side of her nightstand. She nodded.
The man sat down, and with a refined movement crossed his legs and placed his hands in his lap. “I am Traville.” He stared at Maela saying nothing else.
“I am Maela,” she replied, as she slowly walked around the bed to sit on the edge, facing Traville yet still far from him.
He nodded and continued. “You are from Ness.” Maela wasn’t quite sure what the man was getting at. Of course, she was from Ness.
“Yes. I am from Ness, but certainly you know that.” She glanced toward the door. “Where is Darla? I’m not answering any more questions until I know she is safe.”
“She is safe, but you will answer one more question before I can let you confirm that for yourself.”
“Fine, but first you must answer a question for me.”
“As you wish.”
“Where are we? The healer said I was in Ness, but this isn’t Ness. Am I in some foreign land? Is this an Outlander city? And why do you wear red? I see that it is not poisoning you, yet red is still an odd color to wear. Is this a Knight tower in some city related to Ness that I don’t know about?”
Traville smiled. “That is more than one question, and I dare say that by asking your questions you have answered mine, but I will ask it none-the-less. But first let me answer yours. Your final question is close to the truth. You are in Ness, but not the city of that name across the Dragon’s Teeth. We are its sister city, if you will. This is not a Knight Tower. This is the Tower of the Wizards, and while we have long ago shed the name guild, you would know us better as the Magic Guild.”
“But wizards and magic don’t exist. Are you entertainers?” There were entertainers in Ness, although not many of them. They were mostly story-tellers, but there were some who would do fanciful tricks. Maela assumed that this city had a guild of tricksters. It was the only thing that made sense.
The wizard stared at Maela for a long time, finally answering. “Our shattered past has unfortunately buried our history it seems.” Sighing, he continued, “So. My question. Has Dragon Pass been re-opened?”
“I don’t know what Dragon Pass is.”
“You came via a road. How did you come upon it?”
“We climbed down a treacherous path through a natural opening, if that’s what you’re asking. We were lost and followed the road.” Maela had a sudden idea as to what happened, and it was so overwhelming she had to pause to take a deep breath.
“I see.” Traville stood up. “It appears, young Maela, that you have stumbled upon a road long hidden and a history long buried. Cora will want to see you, and she will take you to your friend. There is too much to discuss and perhaps even danger for us if we let you leave right away. So you will unfortunately have to be without your freedom for a bit.”
It didn’t surprise Maela at all, so she didn’t even bother to object. Traville was about to close the door behind him when he paused and re-entered the room, stopping just inside. “You said there is no such thing as magic.” Shaking his head, he continued, “What a loss it has been for our friends who rejected us.” And with a wave of his hand, a red rose appeared between his fingers. “The flower of our city. There was one in your belongings, dried up and crumbling. I considered it a good omen that you carried it.” He lowered his hand, and the rose remained suspended in air. With a nod of Traville’s head, the flower floated through the air and set itself down on the table next to Maela’s bed. “A good omen, indeed.”