“That’s quite a story,” Jasper admitted as Barbartu finished. “But it doesn’t quite add up. I mean, if you fled the compound, how did you end up in the Brotherhood?”

Barbartu shrugged. “It’s really not that mysterious. After I escaped from Ishka’s compound, I wandered around the empire for a time. I joined the Imperial Guard and fought in the war against the Zalancthians for a few decades. The conflict offered, if nothing else, a steady diet of blood and helped me regain some of the strength I’d lost when I was dragged to this accursed realm.”

“But it always bothered me that I didn't know what had happened after I fled that night. Eventually, curiosity got the best of me and I went back to the commune. A few of the Seraphs still lingered in the jungles nearby and once I learned that the cultists had survived, I decided to take a little revenge.”

"Thanks to my illusion magic, slipping past Dūr-S̆innu was a piece of cake - when it comes to illusion magic, this realm is shockingly unsophisticated," she added with a grin. "And of course, once I found the Seraphs, none of them recognized the fanged, dog-eared woman they'd tried to sacrifice in the buff, muscular Djinn that showed up at the temple of Nahrēmah. I scouted them out for a while, working my way into their organization as I plotted their demise. I was just about ready to strike when the last thing imaginable happened - their bloody ‘goddess’ actually showed up.”

Barbartu shook her head, the disbelief still evident in her expression. “I have no idea how or why Yas̆gah decided to turn up in a relatively small cult in the Hareī Miqlat, but it threw my plans for vengeance into disarray. She was much too strong for me to defeat on my own, and I had pretty much decided to pull the plug on the whole project and head back to the Imperial Guard when you showed up.”

“You see, after Ishka’s death, the surviving cultists had been spooked. Though the Seraph elders allowed them to return, it was not exactly with open arms. The elders kept a harsh eye on the 'heretics' for years, so for a long time the cultists really did stop their summoning rituals. When they had the chance, they'd kidnap a few 'undesirables' here and there, but were forced to be pretty circumspect."

"As the years went by, the elders eased up and then something else unexpected happened - the Mwyranni launched their new ‘game’ in our realm. Of course, the game's true purpose was to single out prospective warriors who could be used to help the Empire against the Zalancthians, but it provided the perfect cover for the cult. Knowing that if anyone escaped, it would just be assumed the Mwryanni were to blame, the brethren started summoning again en masse.”

“You were one of the first they summoned. Frankly, I have no doubt you would have died by their hands if your goddess hadn’t intervened, and I would have likely remained stuck here. Fortunately, that didn’t happen,” she added with a grin.

“You see,” she explained, “For so many years, I’d wanted to go home, but the paths to other worlds are few and well-hidden.”

“You know there’s one somewhere in this province?" Jasper interrupted her. "The portal of Eṭēru, or something like that. It's the one my mother used.”

“Really?” Barbartu raised her brow. “I had no idea. But I suppose that sort of knowledge is one of the perks of being ‘royalty.’ Like I said, the gates are well-hidden, well-guarded, and very expensive to use. But one doesn’t need an established portal to travel between worlds; one only needs to know the right rituals and have sufficient power.”

“Unfortunately for me, my power here is considerably weaker than it is on earth. I had no way to get back home until you showed up. At first, I was just curious, but after our encounter in the temple, I realized that you might be able to use the torque to Yas̆gah and, through that, I’d have a ticket back home. So that’s my story,” she concluded.

“Uh, no. No, it isn’t,” Jasper leaned forward. “I have so many questions. Why did you need me to use the torque? And what do you mean you have your ticket back home? Are you saying you can go back to Earth now?”

“Aren't you tired of hearing me talk,” Barbartu asked with feigned annoyance.

Jasper glanced over to the bed where his two friends still slept, then shook his head. “I’ve got nothing better to do.”

“Fine,” she said with a sigh. “What do you know about the torque?”

Jasper shrugged. “Very little. Kas̆dael told me it was a relic left over from some war between the people of Adammu and Arallû, but other than that…”

“As̆ratu and Arallû,” she corrected him. “Adammu, or the world you think of as Earth, was simply caught in the middle between those two. But the torque is a bit more complicated than that. It was specifically designed to be used by the races of Arallû. If you do not bear their blood, the relic will not activate.”

“As far as I knew, there were only two races in this realm that could theoretically use the torque - the Sidhe and the Children of St. Martin - and neither was a realistic option. The Children of St. Martin seldom leave their hidden realm, and the Sidhe, well,” she clucked her tongue, “Most of the Sidhe in this world are different than in ours. Damaged. Psychotic. You don’t want to ally with them unless you have no other option. So imagine my surprise when I met you and felt the call.”

“The call?” Jasper asked with a furrowed brow.

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“We have a saying amongst my people - ‘blood calls to blood.’ Perhaps due to our innate connection to blood, we can recognize any descendent of Arallû. And while you may look like a Djinn, I’d guess you’re only a half-blood at best. Am I right?” She asked with a knowing smile.

Jasper nodded. “My mother was a Djinn, but I never knew my father. Are you saying he was one of you? A lamas̆tu?”

“Not necessarily…” Barbartu hesitated. “There are many races in Arallû and there’s an odd quality to your blood that I can’t quite identify. Perhaps he was mixed, or simply something rare I'm unfamiliar with. In any case, I doubt your father was a pure-blooded Lamas̆tu but whatever he was, he’s certainly from Arallû. The fact that you were able to use the torque proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

Jasper mulled her words over quietly. The information wasn’t entirely new; Kas̆dael had already hinted that his father might not be a simple human, but it was still hard to digest. And as he pondered her words, something occurred to him. “You said that you needed to be a descendant of Arallû to use the torque, but aren’t lamas̆tū one of the races of Arallû? Why did you need me?”

“Unfortunately, I can’t use it,” she replied flatly.

He eyed her suspiciously. “Can’t or won’t? Did you just not care to risk your life?”

“I faced down a dead god simply to spare your friends. I could have fled any time I wanted to,” she responded curtly. “Do you really think I was too cowardly to use the torque?”

“Maybe not,” he admitted, his ears burning with embarrassment. “I suppose that was unfair of me.”

“It was,” she agreed. “And as for your question, while lamas̆tu are descendants of Arallû, I am a bit of a special case. I was born in As̆ratu; I cannot use the torque."

Curiosity bubbled inside him, and Jasper opened his mouth to ask more questions, but she cut him off. “No, you don’t need to know more about that. Besides,” her tone lightened, “have you already forgotten your second question?”

Second question. A second later it hit him. “The golden ticket. You said you had a way back home?”

Barbartu grinned. “It took you long enough. I, uh, might have altered the torque I gave you a little.”

“You mean you stole my power?” He replied, though his words lacked any real heat. The torque was hers, after all, and without it, he’d likely have died, so it was hard for him to get too angry with her over whatever power she might have taken.

“I wouldn’t use that word but, yes, I made sure that I inherited most of what the torque succeeded in siphoning from Yas̆gah. And it worked. I have enough strength now to return home.” She paused. “And if you want, you’re welcome to come with me. I’ll have to take you to Arallû first - there’s no way we can let you wander around Earth looking like that - but then,” she shrugged, “you could do what you want. See your family. Enjoy modern comforts. Whatever, really. I’ll even help you look for your father, if you want.”

Jasper stared at her in shock. “I can go back home?” He asked, hardly able to believe it.

She smiled back at him. “Yep.”

An intense feeling of homesickness swept over him. Coffee, TV, computers, cozy beds, and best of all, no monsters that wanted to suck your soul. Well, maybe not that last part, he realized. Apparently magic and monsters did exist in his realm even if he’d never encountered them. But still, it was an appealing offer.

And yet…Jasper’s eye drifted over to the bed. Ihra’s blonde hair spilled across the pillow like a pool of liquid sunshine. His hands twitched subconsciously as the essence stirred within him. There are things about this world I’ll miss too.

As the wave of homesickness ebbed away, he began to remember the other parts of life on Earth - the not-so-great times. Growing up poor. Jenny’s death. Being trapped in a job he didn’t like and in a relationship that had been just going through the motions.

Barbartu’s smile slipped. “You don’t want to go,” she stated.

“I...I don’t know,” Jasper admitted slowly. “I thought I would, but…I just don’t know. I feel like there’s more to see here. And the people,” he said, thinking of Ihra.

“Believe me, after a century you’ll be sick of the place, but,” she flashed a grin, “you don’t have to decide right now.”

“You’re not leaving yet?” He asked with a touch of relief.

“Oh, I intend to leave as soon as possible, but there’s nothing that says I can’t come back for you.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small box. “I kind of expected you to say that, so I came prepared. It’s not exactly ruby slippers, but I think you’ll like it. Here, open it up.”

Jasper pulled the lid off and stared at the contents. A plain silver ring sat in the bottom, utterly unadorned. “You’re proposing?” He asked with a smirk. “It’s all so sudden - I don’t even know what to say.”

The woman rolled her eyes. “It’s a way to get in touch with me, dumbass.” Lifting her right hand up, she wriggled her fingers in front of him and Jasper realized she wore a matching ring. “If you want to reach me, simply smear a bit of your blood on the ring, infuse it with a bit of your essence, and think of my name. My ring will react, and I will open a portal to you.”

“That’s,” Jasper broke off, overcome with emotion. “That’s amazing. Thank you.”

Barbartu shrugged, seemingly uncomfortable with his gratitude. “Eh, I feel like I owe you that much. Besides, after being trapped here for so long, I wouldn’t feel right abandoning you. Fair warning, though,” she added sternly, “This is a one-time offer. I’m not going to ferry you back and forth like an Uber driver. Understand?”

“Got it,” Jasper agreed.

“Good.” She rose in one swift motion and arched her back like a cat stretching a beam of sunlight. “Then unless you have any other questions, I’m going to go prepare the ritual.”

“You really don’t know who my father is?” Jasper asked.

“No, I’m sorry. Whatever he is, judging from the spells you've unlocked here, he likely has some connection to the dead or the netherworld, but I have no idea who he is. I’d never heard of you or your mother until I encountered you here, in this realm.”

Jasper was disappointed, but not surprised. “Alright. Thanks again,” he said as he slipped the ring on his finger. She turned and, walking over to the door, flung it open.

“You aren’t even going to say goodbye?” He asked.

A playful smile danced on the edge of her lips. “Why? This isn’t goodbye. I know you’re going to use that ring - it’s just a matter of time. See you around, Jasper.” She slipped into the hall, and the door shut softly behind her, leaving Jasper alone with his thoughts.