Not like that!" Tom yelled.

Triss stopped drawing, and the glowing symbol in the air began to fade. "What? Why?"

"You were drawing the wrong symbol. The line was too high and the angle was wrong. You were about to hurl a ball of fire at my house." Tom said. He walked over to where Triss was standing, about thirty feet away from the small wooden but that Tom was living in.

"But I drew it just like you showed me." Triss complained.

"You tried. I know. I'm sorry for yelling." Tom smiled. "Magic is complicated."

"Magic is stupid." Triss replied bitterly. "I've been trying to learn this fireworks show for two days."

"Well, I think you were a little closer this time, though not the type of fireworks we were hoping for. Here. Let me show you."

"You've shown me twenty times!" Triss snapped. She took a deep breath. "Sorry. I'm sorry. It's not your fault. I'm just frustrated."

Triss had patiently waited at least a full day after learning that Tom was a wizard before asking him for lessons. He had agreed quickly, and for the last two weeks they had spent every afternoon outside his house practicing. She was starting to understand how the symbols worked, and Tom had said it was time to start actually practicing some simple spells. Unfortunately, learning how the symbols worked wasn't the same as being able to draw them.

"Here. Let's try a slightly different approach." Tom stepped up behind her. "Put your hand out like you're about to form the link."

She stuck out her right hand, and focused a bit of magical energy into her fingers. Tom reached around and took her wrist gently. His hot breath tickled the back of her neck. "Like this."

He started moving her hand in a complicated pattern. Glowing lines appeared, floating in the air. "Now off. Now on." He said. She followed his instructions, turning the flow of power off and then on to start the next line. When the form was finished, she put a small burst of power into it. The glowing symbol shrank down to a tiny red point, then flew up and away into the sky. It burst in a shower of red sparks high overhead.

"It worked!" Triss cried. She threw up her hands in excitement. Tom's hand, still holding on to her wrist was flung back so violently it nearly hit him in the face. "Oops. Sorry." Triss said.

"No, no. It's fine. Excellent job with the forms though."

"Technically you did an excellent job with the forms. I just stood around and used a little magic." Triss said, though she was still nearly vibrating with excitement.

Tom laughed. "Want to try it yourself now?"

Triss was starting the forms before Tom even finished speaking.

After another hour of practice she managed to get the form right completely on her own. She sent sparks flying through the air, over and over. Tom eventually stopped her. "You'll tire yourself out." He warned. "Lets take a break. Maybe some food too?"

As soon as Tom mentioned food, Triss's stomach growled. She was surprised by how much of an appetite she had worked up already. When she asked Tom about it he told her it was normal. "You're using more energy than you realize. There's a reason there aren't many fat wizards."

"So, you're saying as a wizard you can keep skinny and eat whatever you want?"

"I never thought of it that way."

Triss smiled dreamily. "I really need to find this world's equivalent of chocolate cake."

"This world?"

Triss went white. "I mean, this area. Around here. Not another world obviously." She laughed weakly.

"American?" Tom asked.

"No, wait, what?"

Tom laughed. "Did you think you were the only one?"

"Yes? What? You're from earth?"

"I am. Came here when I was eight years old."

Triss sat down heavily on the grass, her head spinning. "That's...what? Percy said..." She stopped herself as soon as she said the wizard's name, clamping a hand over her mouth.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

"Percival. Yes, I know about him. I'd love to know more about how you managed to get here."

"You know about Percival? Wait. Hold on. This is too much."

Tom grimaced. "Sorry. That was probably not the best way to tell you. I figured out a while ago that you were from earth, but I didn't know how to bring it up."

Triss held up a hand to stop him. "Just, just give me a second." Tom nodded, then sat on the grass beside her. "So. You're from Earth. You know about Percival." She looked over at him suspiciously. "Did you come here for him?"

"No, no." Tom said with a chuckle. "As I said, I'm a researcher. It's a happy coincidence. Or maybe fate?"

Triss stayed silent for a few more minutes. "So how did you get here? And how long have you been here?"

"A wizard was experimenting with dimensional portals. One opened into our world, and my mother and I were sucked in." He sighed. "Unfortunately mother was injured in the transfer. That's why I'm searching for a way to use magic to heal. It's the only hope for her. I also need to find a way back to retrieve some things necessary for healing her."

"Is she with you? I didn't see anyone else around."

"No, she isn't. She's safe, until I can find what I need to heal her."

"That's awful. I'm sorry Tom."

Tom smiled sadly. "I appreciate that. So how long have you been here? And how did you get here?"

"Oh, around two months. There was a summoning spell that went wrong and instead of a princess I showed up."

"Do you know why it went wrong?"

"Not a clue." Triss said with a shrug. "One minute I was driving to a job interview, the next I was here."

"interesting. I'd love a chance to look over the spell they used, but I expect Percival would be opposed to something like that."

"I can guarantee you he'd be opposed to it. He's a grumpy old man."

"Maybe you could bring it up to Reginald next time he visits? I think it would be best if you left me out of it, just maybe mention you'd like to know more about the spell that brought you here."

"I can probably do that. He's only been back once since you met him, and it was a brief visit. But if he stops by again I can ask."

Tom smiled broadly. "That would be amazing." He paused in thought. "You know, I did find a bakery in town that sells something that's a little like cake. Well, more of a sweetbread. If you were interested?"

Triss was on her feet in a flash, pulling Tom up with her. "Less talky, more cakey!" She declared as she half-dragged the wizard towards town.

**********

“So he did pass through here?” Portia asked.

“Um. Y-yes? I believe so?” Grostel was smiling nervously at the wizard sitting nonchalantly on the edge of his desk. He had been shocked to discover her there when he had come in this morning, but had done his best to hide it. He was still standing in front of the desk, answering questions.

“You believe so?” Portia raised an eyebrow.

“Um. Well. I was told someone that looked like him hitched a ride on one of the carts.” He shot a harsh glance at Drev who was standing off to the side. “Even though that’s clearly against company policy.”

“How long ago?”

“Oh, maybe a month? Little less?” Grostel looked over at Drev. “About a month?”

“Um. Fink so? I mean, I think so?” Drev replied.

Grostel was wringing his hands now. “S-so about a month. Maybe a little less.”

Portia sighed. “And?”

“And?”

“And where was he going!” She snapped. “By all the ancient gods! Do I need to drag every bit of information out of you with tongs?”

Grostel’s hand raised a little towards his mouth involuntarily, as though he were imagining the wizard using tongs to literally pull out information. His complexion, already pale from days spent inside, turned a shade of white that would make most laundresses jealous. He smiled weakly at the wizard, then collapsed like an empty suit.

Portia stood and walked over to the fallen man and prodded him gently with her foot. When that didn't elicit a response she kicked him. Grostel groaned and rolled over. Portia strode back to the desk, sat in Grostel's chair and put her feet up on the desk. She steepled her hands and waited.

It took nearly ten minutes for Grostel to make it to his feet. When he saw the wizard sitting in his chair he started to swoon again. "Fall again, and you won't ever stand back up." The wizard warned.

Grostel froze, then stood as rigid as a statue. "Now then." She continued. "Where did he go?"

"The man you're looking for?"

Portia took a deep, steadying breath. "Yes. Where did he go?" She hissed through clenched teeth.

"Um. Yes. Well, he went towards Thalonia I believe. That's what my men said. He was hoping to find a cart going to Thalonia but there weren't any."

Portia grinned wickedly. "Excellent. I'll require a map of Thalonia."

Grostel took a step towards the cabinet where the maps were stored, wobbled slightly, and then stopped. “Drev, could you please fetch a map for the wizard?”

Drev lumbered over to the cabinet and pulled out a rolled up map. He brought it over to Portia. “This is a map of Gastonia.” She said after examining it. She flung the map at Drev, and he barely managed to catch it before it hit the floor. “Get the right map, you fool.”

Drev hurried over to the cabinet this time, and shuffled through the various maps in the drawer. He pulled one, looked at the letters written on it, then put it back. He did this several times, with the same map. “You don’t know how to read. Do you.” Portia said angrily. Grostel whimpered and began to sway a little more.

“I does miss, but the letters on these is wrong. They’s all squiggly and runnin’ together.”

Portia took a slow, deep breath, and then let it out in a string of curses that ran for an impressively long time. She took a second breath in the middle of some particularly imaginative anatomical condemnations, and finally ran out of steam after some wonderfully crude remarks on Drev’s parentage and the conditions at his birth. Then she smiled a smile that was as cold and sharp as the headsman’s axe in the middle of winter.

***

Innkeepers and waitresses were ever unreliable, in Portia’s opinion. The one in front of her was proving that, his hands shaking so badly he nearly sloshed the wine out of the mug as he handed it to her. “W-will that be all? M-miss?”

She dismissed him with a negligent wave, and he fled back to the kitchen. The inn looked like every other inn, as far as she was concerned, and there were no customers as usual. At least, there were no customers once she walked in. She had travelled without the yellow sash that marked her as a magical assassin many years ago, obviously. She much preferred to wear it though. It was much quieter that way.

She pulled her small satchel from her belt and removed the map. It had been folded to fit in the smaller space. A small, white envelope fell onto the floor with the map, and she placed it back in the bag. She probably should burn it, she reflected. It was one thing to ignore a letter from the council. You could always claim it never reached you, and that would be the end of it. Unless, of course, they could prove you had received it. It wasn’t wise to hold onto evidence like this.

She decided she would deal with the letter later, and spread the map out on the table in front of her. It showed her all the main paths through the area, and the route she would need to take to the town of Thalonia, a little backwards village on the edge of the Elemental Sea. She hoped that Thomas wouldn’t be seeking passage to the Hordelands there. It was only two days ride to Thalonia now, and she was looking forward to putting the insane wizard in the ground for good.

She muttered a few curses as she examined the map. A large bloodstain had spread right over the town itself, blotting out the rivers and forests around the town. She would have preferred to know all the potential escape routes that Thomas could take.

No matter. She would have him. In two days, she would have him. And the gods help anyone who got between them.