When Sarien and Tomford just stood there, dumbfounded, the commander raised his sword and cried, “Human spies! Kill them!”

“What do we do?” Sarien asked, looking up at Tomford, who, much to Sarien’s surprise, was grinning.

“Leave this to me,” Tomford said. “My fists might not work well against giant, man-eating monsters, but these ones I can fight.”

Tomford cracked his knuckles and ran forward to meet the four men. The commander’s sword arced expertly from left to right to catch Tomford’s right arm. Sarien watched in horror as the blow connected, but it barely broke Tomford’s skin.

Tomford didn’t falter as he took another step forward and brought down his left fist to deliver a crushing blow to the jaw. It struck with a crunch that made Sarien flinch, and the commander crumpled to the grass.

The soldiers paused in surprise at their foe’s apparent durability, but recovered quickly enough to strike at him with their spears as he danced forward. Tomford twisted to the side to almost slide between the spearheads. One of the spears stuck into Tomford’s side, digging into his ribs. Sarien’s friend grunted but kicked forward, stunning the soldier who’d struck him and throwing him on his ass. The spear pulled free from Tomford’s side. Before the soldier hit the ground, Tomford had healed his wound and spun to plant a fist in the next soldier’s neck. There was a snap and the soldier fell, clutching his throat, choking and trying, and failing, to breathe.

The final soldier turned to flee, but Tomford’s foot kicked the back of his knee. He wobbled and fell, and Tomford followed, landing on his back with a thud. A quick jab to the back of his head knocked the man unconscious.

Sarien couldn’t help but laugh. Tomford dismantled four soldiers with such ease that it looked like a dance. His friend wasn’t even breathing hard.

“Well done!” Sarien yelled, the thrill of combat racing through him despite only being a spectator. “Let’s get out of here!”

Tomford walked over to the soldier, who clawed at his neck, struggling for breath.

“One moment.” He bent down and touched the man’s throat. The soldier drew a deep, gasping breath.

“Thank you,” the man said, coughing. His voice was thick and gravelly.

Tomford struck him hard in the head and the man collapsed. “You’re welcome.”

“You saved him,” Sarien said. “After they tried to kill us?”

“I don’t like killing men,” Tomford said. “These strangers look near enough to be called that, I think. Don’t think they’re monsters.”

Sarien shook his head. “No, I think this is just what they’re like here, wherever we are. The one in front,” Sarien pointed, “The commander, called us humans. I assume they call themselves something different.”

“We’re rhinn,” a voice said from behind a tree. “You’re really humans? Never seen one up close before.”

“We’re hu—“ Sarien began, but the young man interrupted him.

He waved for them to follow. “Never mind that now. You have to come with me. There will be more of them coming. Many more.”

Sarien looked to Tomford. “Guess we better follow?”

The larger man shrugged.

The young rhinn scurried into the forest and Sarien hurried after. “Hold on, what’s your name?”

“Falfarel!”

“Strange name,” Tomford muttered as he followed close behind Sarien.

The three of them ran deeper into the forest and Sarien was out of breath before Falfarel decided to stop. “We should be fine now. What’s your names then?” Falfarel asked, before his brow wrinkled in thought. “Humans have names, right?”

“Sarien.”

“Tom.”

Falfarel narrowed his eyes and took a step toward Sarien. “That’s a rhinn name. You kind of look like one of us too. You’re not as hideous as your friend. And the traveling. Never heard of a human traveler. But then again, I’m no expert.”

Sarien cleared his throat. “Thanks, I think.” He looked around. The forest looked a lot like the one they’d just come from, Primie Woods. A dense canopy of trees and thick underbrush, but here there were birds singing and insects buzzing about. “Where are we? What’s going on? What is traveling? How do you know of humans?”

“So many questions,” Falfarel said, “Hold on, we should move a little farther into the forest first.” He continued to move among the trees.

“Did the trickster beast come from here?” Tomford demanded.

“What’s a trickster beast?”

“Looks like a large human, kind of. Except it has hooves and fur, and it’s difficult to injure.”

“It can look like other people,” Sarien added.

Falfarel stopped dead in his tracks. “You saw one? And you’re alive?”

“You know of them,” Tomford said.

Falfarel whipped his head back and forth to look through the woods. “Is it here? No, that would be impossible. Right? Please tell me it isn’t here.”

“It isn’t here,” Sarien said. “It was where we came from. The gate.”

“Ah,” Falfarel said, breathing a sigh of relief. “You escaped it with your traveling. That makes sense.”

“Not exactly.”

Tomford stepped in and grabbed Falfarel’s tunic, pulling the young man close. “Our friends are still there with it. Tell us what you know. Now!”

Falfarel cringed away from Tomford, as if expecting a blow. “T-they aren’t native to Rhinerien. They came from beyond when our world was young. A-ancient beings. Only three have ever been discovered. If one of them is in your world, then I’m afraid your friends are already dead. They were once seen as evil gods. Now, they’re used to scare children! No one has seen one in over two hundred years!”

“What are they called?” Tomford asked, shaking Falfarel.

“Kozimuz! They’re the kozimuz!”

Tomford looked to Sarien. “We have to go back now. We can’t leave Goslin and the others there by themselves! Your weapons could hurt it, I saw!”

“What weapons?” Falfarel asked, staring at Sarien.

“I’ll try!” Sarien said, his heart pounding. Voices drifted from between the trees, coming from the direction of the camp.

“They’ve found us!” Falfarel whimpered, pushing himself free of Tomford’s grip. “You have to come with me. If they catch you, they’ll come after me everyone I care about. Please hurry!” He ran off without waiting for a reply.

“Ocea’s soggy socks!” Tomford swore.

Sarien set off after Falfarel. “Come on, Tom. We have no choice! We’ll return to Eldsprak as soon as we can.”

The thought of Goslin and the others struggling against the creature, this kozimuz, made his skin crawl, but there was no helping it. His friends had the spear and the sword. Hopefully, it would be enough to defeat the beast.

The young man leaping over fallen logs and ducking under branches with them knew of the kind of magic Sarien used. How was it possible?

So many questions spun around in his mind that he had a hard time thinking straight. For the moment, all he could do was run, but soon he would need answers.

Falfarel stopped abruptly, cocking one ear. Sarien couldn’t hear the pursuers.

Falfarel spoke between snatched gasps of breath. “There’s an outpost over there.” He pointed to his right, but Sarien couldn’t see anything but trees. The sound of running water babbled nearby.

“So?” Tomford asked.

“It’s built over a river. There’s no other safe crossing for miles. We have to pass over the bridge and through the army’s fortification.”

“Won’t they spot us?” Sarien asked.

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Falfarel chuckled, obviously thinking of Tomford’s unusual features in this world. “Do not to worry, we have a cache here.” He looked around and then strode to a bush and yanked on it. He came away with a handful of leaves.

Falfarel frowned. “Hold on.” He walked over to a second bush and grabbed it with the same result. “Dammit. It’s here somewhere. I don’t usually go scouting, you understand.”

“I take it you’re not with those soldiers?”

Falfarel shook his head but didn’t say more as he searched another bush. The young man finally found the bush he was looking for, and it came away when he pulled on it, taking a bunch of moss with it. Underneath was a canvas bag.

“Here it is!” He pulled it out and opened the pieces of string that tied it closed. “And no, I’m not with them. I’m not a soldier.” From the look of it, the whole bag was filled with clothes.

“Disguises,” Falfarel explained, handing Sarien a bundle “You saw their armor, right? We keep these here for when we need to blend in.”

“Right,” Tomford said, holding up a chest piece made out of the same dark gray, almost black, leather the soldiers wore. “What about our hair?”

Sarien remembered that the commander’s and soldiers’ hair were shaved close to the skin. Unless Falfarel had a pair of shears hidden in the bag, Sarien was sure they would be noticed for this one obvious discrepancy to their disguise. Falfarel grinned nervously. “It’s a rank thing. In the military, I mean. Don’t worry, we’ve got these.” He threw more clothes at Sarien and Tomford.

“Cloaks.” Tomford said, wrapping it around his broad shoulders and pulling the hood over his head. It was too small on his tall frame, but there was no helping it.

Sarien pulled his on and quite liked how it felt to hide under a hood. He felt safe for the first time since entering this new world.

Once they’d dressed in the armor and cloaks, Sarien and Tomford followed behind Falfarel. None of them carried weapons, but the young rhinn said that wouldn’t be an issue.

“What animal is this from?” Sarien asked, running one hand down the leather armor he wore. The texture was similar to hardened brown leather but was silkier to the touch. “Dark cows?”

Falfarel looked back over his shoulder. “What was that?”

“Never mind. I see the road!”

“Just follow me and don’t say anything. Keep your hood up. They’ll spot your ugly faces in a second.”

Large groups of travelers moved along the road in either direction. A few glanced in their direction when they emerged from the forest, but no one said a word. Sarien realized that most of those around them wore clothes similar to those of farmers or merchants from his world. Even when parsing Falfarel’s speech, Sarien quickly recognized that it was like their own language, only heavily accented.

It was strange to travel to a new world only to discover that much was the same. Then again, he hadn’t seen much outside of the Karm estate. He was bound to observe more glaring differences between the two worlds with time.

He didn’t even know if Rhinerien, as Falfarel called this place, was the name of a kingdom or a continent. So much to explore and discover. Sarien shook his head with wonder. He’d always wanted an adventure, and now he’d received even more than he thought possible.

The exhilaration he felt turned to shame as he caught Tomford’s worried face underneath his hood. He must have Goslin and the others on his mind. Their friends were in danger, fighting the kozimuz. By now, the fight would have ended, one way or the other. Sarien and Tomford hadn’t been there to help.

Sarien forced himself to relax, but he felt himself tense as they drew closer to the bridge. A long line of soldiers was questioning those who wished to pass through the gate on the other side of the bridge.

Falfarel picked up is pace, forcing Sarien to take long strides to keep up.

Tomford walked up beside him and muttered, “What is that maniac doing?”

“Do you think it’s a trap?” Sarien whispered back.

“Hope not. We can’t beat this many soldiers.”

Falfarel strode past the line and exchanged a few words with the man by the gate. He waved for Sarien and Tomford to follow. They did, making sure to keep their faces to the ground so no one would catch on to the fact that they were not from this world.

From the corner of his eye, Sarien saw that the outpost was built with stone, with high walls where archers patrolled. High towers sat at each corner. It was a true fortification.

Once through the gate, Sarien almost stopped to gape in surprise. Among a group of rhinn was a human in flowing red robes. A pyromancer stood among tents in one corner of the courtyard. There were plenty of rhinn milling about between them, but there was no mistaking that color and those symbols.

“What is a pyromancer doing here?” Tomford whispered urgently.

“I have no clue. Something is very wrong here. We’ll have to ask Falfarel.”

Sarien kept his gaze lowered and his face hidden in the shadow of the hood of his cloak and before long, their small group made it to the other side of the outpost. A few soldiers had spotted Sarien, but the dark leather armor was sufficient enough to convince them he wasn’t anyone they needed to investigate.

Once on the other side of the outpost, they continued along the road for a few minutes before Falfarel stopped to ensure they weren’t followed. Satisfied, he gestured for Sarien and Tomford to follow before darting back into the forest.

Falfarel lowered his hood and exhaled a sigh of relief. “That was tense.”

“What was that pyromancer doing there?” Sarien asked, lowering his own hood. The forest on this side of the river reminded him of home with the wet marsh ground and low trees. He swatted at a mosquito that flew too closely to his face.

“The envoy?” Falfarel asked. “Horrific power that. Fire.” He shuddered. “What about him?”

They continued deeper into the forest. “What is he doing here? How is he here?” Tomford asked.

“What do you mean? Just hold on a moment, we’re almost there. Mica will answer your questions better than I can. He knows a lot more than me.”

“Who’s Mica?”

“The leader of my party. He’s usually the one out scouting, but he was injured a few days ago. We’re holed up in a hunter’s cabin nearby.”

“What are you talking about?” Sarien asked.

Falfarel looked back and grinned. “The resistance, of course.”

They soon came upon a tiny hunter’s cabin, barely large enough to fit more than a few people at a time. The structure was overgrown with moss, making it almost invisible in the underbrush. Sarien heard a sharp whistle when someone spotted them among the trees, but the lookout did not approach after Falfarel made a gesture with his right hand.

“We have to get back to our friends. This is taking too long,” Tomford said as he pushed past Falfarel.

“We need to learn more about what’s going on here,” Sarien said “I don’t like that a pyromancer is here in this world.”

“Couldn’t you have asked him? Don’t they consider you one of them?”

Sarien snorted. Not after what he had done at the tower. He was certain that Madge’s body was discovered by now. Tomford stared down at him, frowning. He didn’t want to argue with his friend. “Look, Tom. If you want, I can try to send you back now. I’ll come once I get some answers to what’s happening here.”

Tomford thought for a moment, then shook his head. “Goslin would kill me if I left you here by yourself. I’ll stay. Let’s just hurry.”

“Excuse me,” Falfarel said, squeezing past Tomford to get to the door. He knocked in a series of short and heavy thumps.

The door cracked open, and a rhinn woman peered out at them with narrowed eyes. “What do you want?”

The woman’s eyes were just as large as Falfarel’s, but hers were set a little further apart, giving her an almost bug-like appearance. She saw Sarien and Tomford, squeaked, and tried to slam the door shut.

Falfarel pushed against it. “It’s fine. They’re with me, Recca!”

“Let me,” Tomford said. He put a hand on the door and pushed. It swung open to reveal a tiny room inside with a hatch in the floor. It stood open and light streamed from below.

Recca was already on the ladder, climbing down frantically. “Humans!”

Falfarel gestured to the hole in the ground. “Don’t worry, she’ll get used to you in time. You go first. I’ll close the hatch when I follow.”

Tomford grabbed Sarien’s shoulder, spinning him around until they met eye to eye. “We’re not staying in this world. A quick chat, then we’re going back.”

“We need information,” Sarien said, shrugging his hand off. “We’ll return as soon as we learn what in the fire pit is going on here.”

Sarien climbed down and entered a tunnel dug deep and tall enough that he could walk straight without hitting his head. Small lanterns hung on wooden posts, casting a warm glow against the bare dirt walls.

Tomford walked right behind Sarien with a stoop so he wouldn’t bang his head against the wooden braces above.

They emerged in a surprisingly large room. The hatch clanged shut behind them. A round wooden table was placed in the center of the room with five chairs around it, three of which were occupied by rhinn. Recca sat on a bed in the leftmost corner from where Sarien entered. He could make out a shape of someone huddled underneath the covers. The dirt floor was covered by thick rugs and other bits of fabric, and someone had taken the time to hang a few paintings along the walls. It looked to Sarien to be a permanent outpost and almost homey.

Recca pointed at them. “Humans!”

“Yes, Recca. We have eyes,” said one of the rhinn sitting at the table. He was a short and wide fellow with a receding hairline and a jovial-looking smile on his face, though it was hard to tell with that large mouth of his. He waved at Sarien. “Greetings, travelers. I am Pontus. Who are you and what are you doing here in our fair land?”

“We were thrown in here by a trickster beast,” Tomford said impatiently.

Falfarel almost jumped with excitement. “They fought a kozimuz and survived!”

“Of course they did,” the woman next to Pontus said. “And I’ve learned how to fly.”

“Enough, Feyie.” The muffled voice came from the bed. “Let me speak to our guests. Everyone, please go scout the area. If Falfarel brought humans, soldiers are sure to follow.”

“Not on this side of the river,” Falfarel said, full of confidence.

The male rhinn sat with some difficulty. His upper body was bare except for bandages wrapped around his chest. It was soaked through with blood.

“Don’t be so sure, youngling.” He winced. “I’m Mica, pleased to meet you.”

Tomford took one look at Mica and then strode up without waiting for permission. He placed a hand on the man, ignoring the alarmed yells from those around the table.

Mica shuddered and slumped back against the wall for a moment, then opened his eyes wide. He held up a hand toward his companions, who approached with their weapons drawn. “Wait.”

Tomford took a step back and then fell into an empty chair. “That was quite the wound. You better answer our questions now.”

Mica grabbed the knife Ricca held pointed at Tomford and used it to cut off his bandages. A mass of pink scars covered his chest.

“You—” Mica began, then stopped, bewildered. “What did you do?”

“Healed you,” Tomford grunted. “You’re welcome.”

Everyone in the room except for Sarien stared in disbelief. “You healed me,” Mica said, each word coming out slowly, like he couldn’t believe it. “How? Can all humans do this?”

Sarien shook his head. “No, Tom here is special.”

“There are some, but it’s not common. You don’t have healers in this world?”

Mica shook his head slowly.

“First the terrible fire bastards, then this. Your world truly is magical,” Falfarel said, awestruck.

“Leave us for now, please,” Mica said to the others. “Make sure no one disturbs us.”

Sarien didn’t speak until he heard the hatch click shut. “Who are you people?”

Mica frowned, his finger tracing the scars on his chest. “We’re the rhinn. If you’re here, shouldn’t you know about us?”

Sarien grabbed an empty chair and moved it to the head of the bed. “We’ve only just arrived, by mistake, no less. Falfarel is the only rhinn we’ve met until now.”

“You’re not with those pyromancers, then? I was hoping you could tell us more about them. What they’re doing here.”

“You don’t know?” Tomford asked.

Mica shook his head. “Sorry, but no.” His hand rubbed his chest. “Can’t believe this. I was getting worse. Didn’t think I’d make it. Truly a miracle, one that would make the priests of Wynd green with envy.” Then he sighed, “If they could take a moment from hounding everyone about the return of Wyndemir.”

“Wyndemir?” Sarien asked.

“Look,” Mica said. “Are you hungry? It seems like we have a lot to talk about. I’ll tell you everything you want to know, to the best of my knowledge. It’s the least I can do after you saved my life. I have questions of my own as well.”

Tomford looked at Sarien and shook his head, but this was an opportunity Sarien couldn’t pass up.

“We’re starved.”