These women are going to let me die here. My vision blurs for a moment. Seth’s fingers are still holding on to my neck. He says, “Lay down. You’re going to be fine.”

I didn’t realize how deep the cut had been, but the blood continues to flow. Seth has put my head on his knee. I look at him with tears flowing down my cheeks. “I guess you get to kill me off after all,” I say.

He strokes my hair and says, “Having you dead is not getting me what I want and I didn’t cause that cut.”

I glare at him. He might not have cut me, but he sure has some agenda in mind.

“Child, you will not die,” Zyre says as she comes back into view.

Zyre carries Moshiem’s satchel on her back. The same satchel Moshiem had the day he saved me. The sight of it makes me want to see him.

She carries bright orange flowers in the palms of her hands. They have five leaves, all a different shade of orange. She brings them over to me, placing them on the ground side by side in a row. From the satchel, Zyre gets a bowl and a flask. Working, she crushes the flower petals and puts them in the bowl. The yellow liquid from the flask hisses as it makes contact with the crushed petals.

“This will heal you and make you strong again.” She scoops up the remains in the bowl and spreads the paste on my neck.

“Ah,” I say as the paste seeps into the cut. It stings and for a moment, the bleeding gets worse. I search Zyre’s face, trying to read her, to see why she is saving me. Her face is gentle now, with sharp cheekbones and thin lips. Her black hair frames her face. She pushes it aside and says, “Trust me. You trusted Moshiem. You have power over my son, and I won’t let it go to waste.”

I blush and look away. Of course, she is his mom. They’ve got the same cheekbones and black hair. I should have realized it as soon as I looked at her. On the bright side, the bleeding seems to slow now.

I can feel the medicine in my veins, reviving them and strengthening me in return. It warms me with revival. Zyre observes me for a while, waiting.

“You barely know my son, which makes me curious why you would come back here.” Zyre takes a cloth out of the satchel and looks over at Ansari. “Ansari, take this cloth and put some nectar on it, please.”

Ansari has been watching Zyre work in silence. Her features are not as delicate as Zyre’s. Ansari has green eyes, brown hair cut short, and thin legs. Ansari snatches the cloth from Zyre with a disdainful expression across her face. Then, she takes a clear plastic pouch with red liquid inside out of her bag.

“Grinds from the depar flower,” she says as an explanation.

When removed from the pouch, the red liquid turns to powder as the air hits it. Ansari sprinkles the powder onto the cloth and hands it back to Zyre. She walks away with nothing more to say.

“I’ve offended her.” I wince as Zyre places the cloth into my neck and removes the compound underneath.

“More like she offended me by throwing me down on the ground,” Seth says.

Laughing, I say, “You’re just mad a girl knocked you down… again.”

“I had you.” Seth smiles same smile from the parking lot. That one smile can drop any girl to the ground.

“Nope. Nope, you didn’t.”

Instead of answering, Seth turns his attention to my neck. His fingers brush over my skin, examining how the medicine concoction is working.

“Pay Ansari no mind. She thinks you should be here,” Zyre says, moving Seth’s hands out of the way. She takes one last look at my cut.

“Ansari will come around. There now. I told you. You would live, didn’t I?”

Zyre winks at me before stepping away to find Ansari.

She reminds me of my grandma, Jenny. Grandma was selfless and optimistic. I grew up knowing she would always support me. And given the circumstances of my questionable childhood, I respect grandma even more now than I ever have.

My neck no longer stings and when I reach up to touch the cut, it is healed. My checks flush just thinking about the fact that death was close.

“Damn,” says Seth, “The skin is back to normal. How do you feel?”

“I’m fine. Surprisingly so.” The combination of nectar and flowers makes me renewed. The least I can do is thank Zyre for healing the cut, even if she was the one that inflicted it. Plus, she is Moshiem’s mother. I’ve got to know where he is.

“What are we going to do? Do you trust them, Laken?” Seth asks.

“Trust them? No. There is no trust there. But they are useful.”

Seth raises his hands in defeat. “I got no reason to argue that. What I want to know is, who is this Moshiem guy everyone keeps talking about?”

“Excuse me?”

“Is this why you’re here? Because of him?”

My nostrils flare and say, “That’s not your concern.”

Seth busts out laughing, “Appears I’ve hit a sore spot.”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Moving on...”

Seth winks. “Sure, but I will find out before too long. In the meantime, I suppose we go with them?”

I bring my face up to Seth’s ear and whisper, “They are resourceful, and they healed me. They know this world. We have nothing to lose. I bet they will help us find another portal.”

“You’ve got a point. We can’t leave right now, anyway. I see no other choice,” Seth whispers back. His lips brush the side of my ear.

A shiver goes down my spine. His breath smells sweet. I shake my head, trying to clear it. “Good, then it’s agreed.”

We walk together to catch up to Zyre and Ansari. They are gathering various plants, flowers, nuts and berries in a pile. A crystal-clear lake shines under a blue sky. Big weeping willow trees surround the water. A breeze catches their branches, causing them to hit the thousands of the orange flowers growing all around on the ground.

Seth and I make our way toward the women. Zyre smiles and says, “So you’re going to trust us after all?”

“I have no choice.” I say.

“Smart girl. And you Seth? Do you trust us?” Zyre asking catching Seth’s eye.

He hesitates at first and then says, “Yes, I do trust you, but maybe not as much as Laken.”

His remark throws me off. I do not trust them that much. They can help me leave. Plus, I want to see Moshiem again and this seems to be the only way. He is the reason I want to trust them. He has faith in me and so I will have faith in them.

I am glad you are being honest.” Zyre drops her eyes and goes back to the task at hand.

“I’m going to collect some more water for our journey,” Ansari interrupts us.

Zyre nods, “Good. Why don’t you and Seth get to know each other a little better? He can help you.”

I glance at Seth to see his response. He walks up to me and hands me a knife from his pocket. I hide it fast, not wanting anyone to notice. So, he had a weapon of sorts. I place that knowledge in the back of my mind.

His face says it all—just in case we get separated, he wants me to have something to protect myself. I nod and he goes with Ansari, her frowning face all the way to the lake.

“Can you tell me where Moshiem is?”

Zyre moves the satchel and pats the ground as a means for me to sit. “How much did Moshiem tell you when you first came here?” Zyre asks in return.

I sit down next to her, not meeting her eyes. “I’ve heard a little about what’s happening. He said there was an evil man named Bane who is bringing sacrifices from my world to here to fuel his power. Whatever that means, and he told me about the Veranics.”

“He told you more than I thought he would. Bane’s men have captured Moshiem.” Zyre says, with tears filling in her eyes. “I mean to get him out before it’s too late.”

“Captured? Why?” I ask, horrified because I think I already know the answer. He was captured because of me. The horses and the gunfire and the anger in his eyes; the men captured him.

“Well child, my son is a bit of a risk taker and rule breaker. He attempted to free as many people as possible from Bane’s grasps. Once you cross over, the Veranics take the victims to Bane to be made into sacrifices. Blood is spilled to power his magic and to fuel his control.”

Tears fill my own eyes and guilt rises in my heart as I interrupt. “It’s my fault! There were people coming when he was trying to get me to leave.”

Zyre pats my arms. “Don’t blame yourself. He got away in time. He escaped by hiding in the portal. The portals are only useable when the Veranics are there to make them come alive. He came back to me and told me about you. “The power she holds, I can sense it. Trust her,” he told me. The next day, he went out to search for more victims and he didn’t return. All I found was his satchel, blood, and footprints in the sand. I knew then that they have him. They have wanted him for a long time.”

“I don’t understand how this power works. Has Cander always been ruled like this?” I pluck the nearest flower and examine it to calm down. I feel sick and responsible for Moshiem’s capture.

“Not always. Power was overturned fifty years ago by Bane. Cander was once a peaceful place filled with happiness and prosperity-that was when a man named Viktor ruled. Viktor was noble, wise and a gentle spirit, but he made a lot of enemies rising to power. Two brothers named Bane and Derik were jealous of Viktor for what he had accomplished. Some say the three were friends and Viktor knew that inside the hearts of the brothers lied pure evil. It was never the intention of Viktor to let either rule, but one night while Viktor slept, Bane slit his throat, killing him. Derik killed all of Viktor’s children and wife in a fire that destroyed the property. We assume all were dead because we did not find them. So, as expected, they rose to power and overtook the kingdom, but not before Bane cast Derik out into your world so that he and only he could rule alone. Derik could not return because the only way through is by the Veranics.”

I pluck petals off the flower that I’m holding. A knot forms in my throat. “What happens to the ones you can’t save?”

“I can’t be for sure, but I’ve heard rumors they are bled to fuel Bane’s wishes. Not every creature works for Bane and he does not have the power to overturn all living beasts and creatures living here. But he has tried several times. When Viktor ruled, we all worked together to keep the climate and environment stable. Most creatures refuse to help Bane because of the crimes he has committed and so he must fuel the power another way. His choice for blood is children; and in your case-children from your world. Bane has a way to use the antibodies in human blood to create energy, but it’s not foolproof. The climate here is unstable and can change at any moment. It can be desert, then forest, then winter or rain. You’ve got to be prepared for the worst kind of environment. So, you can imagine way Moshiem is valuable to them. They know he’s a nuisance, as he is keeping Bane from more power. They are also aware he has prevented worse things from happening.”

The breeze takes the petals from my hands and blows them away. “You mean that Bane uses children?” The picture of the little boy on the flyer comes to mind. There are so many missing children and cold cases not being solved. Could this be what’s happening to them?

“He prefers children, but he will use anyone,” Zyre answers.

“And you all are just going to let him rule without consequence?” I ask with eyebrows raised. As soon as it slips through my mouth, I know what I said was out of line.

Zyre gets up and walks away from me and before I realize it, she is in my face again. “Don’t you think we have tried? Most creatures have gone into hiding and the ones who haven’t we lose every day to Bane or to the Veranics. We are building an army to overthrow Bane, but it is a slow process and now Moshiem has been taken. We are nothing without Moshiem. I not only need to get Moshiem because he is my son but also because he is our leader.”

Looking into Zyre’s eyes, I see the pain there.

“Sorry, Laken. I am troubled right now,” she says as she backs away.

I don’t know what to say. It’s all so hard to believe. There are too many thoughts flowing through my mind. This just doesn’t happen.

I work out the story in my head. Seth mentioned he worked for Derik. Can that be the same one? And if so, why does he want me? I am appalled that all these children from home and also the creatures here are getting killed because of one man.

“I want to help you get Moshiem back.” I walk up to her and put my hand on her shoulder. She flinches but does not remove my hand. “He saved me the first time and now I feel like I need to save him, but I am not interested in fighting in this war. We save him and I get to go home. That’s the deal. My debt is paid.”

“What about him?” she asks, glancing over at Seth, who is heading back with Ansari to camp.

“I am assuming he will follow us. Based on what you’ve told me, I think he works for Derik.”

“All the more reasons to keep him close by,” says Zyre.

I have to agree.