A loud set of knocks on my front door startles me from my late evening dozing next to Cassandra. She had been resting for a while, having told me that she was finally tired for the first time in a couple of days since she arrived, and I'd off and on rested next to her. Vampiric stamina is truly insane, and I had no idea. I lethargically, and a little carefully, pull myself from Cassandra's side on the bed and murmur for her not to worry, to stay there and continue relaxing. Pressing a kiss to the side of her face, I stand up and pull on some pants before jogging to the front door.

I crack open the door and laugh at the sight on the other side. Aria is standing next to Khalil and having some kind of an argument.

"Hell no, Aria, it ain't up for debate."

"I am not repeating myself again."

I clear my throat, leaning in the doorframe with the door knob still in hand.

"Oh shit, he lives! What's up, dude? Still got some juice in you?"

In response, I use my free hand to raise a middle finger at Khalil. After he gets a good view of it and starts laughing, I rub my eyes a few times.

"What's up, guys?"

Aria's gaze on me is passive, almost unreadable. I denote she's added some hardware to her body tonight; her ears are pierced with fat black plugs of a reflective stone, and two small rings are pierced through her bottom lip. Having seen this a couple of times before, I know it's her style when we travel through a seam to the human side.

"Have you hit your head, Orion? We had a plan to leave."

"What? No, I'm good; I didn't expect to see Khalil with you–no offense, man."

"Dude, nah, you're good; I saw Aria decked out and started harassing her about it."

"Khalil."

"Aria." He repeats in a mockery of her tone.

"You are not coming with us. This is not up for discourse."

"Dude, Ori, tell Aria to chill. I ain't gonna let you go without me."

"Well, it was supposed to be a three-person travel group, Khalil; Aria left to get the third person. That's why she was gone most of this week."

I hear a slight noise behind me as Cassandra drifts up the hallway toward the doorway, which I still hold up. Aria's eyes shift momentarily in Cassandra's direction, appraising the situation before focusing back on me.

"About that, Orion."

"Uh oh, that's never good."

"I was able to locate him, but he will not be joining us."

I feel one of Cassandra's cold, smooth hands running up my bare spine. Goosebumps immediately follow her hand, but I try to ignore it. Instead, I turn in her direction with my head a little.

"So much for resting, huh?"

"I heard you talking about your trip."

I grunt, then glower at Khalil a bit.

"What? Don't give me that look! You know you'd do the same damn thing if our roles were swapped."

Even though I want to side with Aria, Khalil's not wrong.

"I don't know, Aria; if we don't have someone with direct knowledge of the area, maybe we should bring Khalil along. He can talk to animals, and if we need another set of hands or claws, obviously, he'd be an asset."

"Hell yeah, that's what I'm talking about! Oh, uh, hey, Cassandra. So, you two are–"

"–Shut up, Khalil." I cut him off as quickly as I can.

"Damn dude, relax; I was just making conversation."

"Hello again, Khalil." After greeting Khalil, she presses her cold lips to the back of my neck and murmurs. "While you're gone, I'm going to handle some business at Blackham City. Send a reafan for me when you get back."

"Hold on a sec' guys." Without getting their permission, I turn in the doorway and step inside my home, mostly closing the door behind me.

"Cass–"

"–No, Orion, we've already had the discussion, and while I disagree, you've made it clear you're going. I'm not going to stay around here and wait. I have other things that still require my time and energy. This isn't a problem; don't let it weigh on you."

She leans forward and kisses the side of my lips once before drawing back a couple of steps.

"Alright." I smile at her, "I'll send a reafan when I get back."

"We'll talk about future business next we see each other. Be careful, Orion. I mean it."

"I promised, didn't I?"

She smiles once again, just faintly, before turning and heading further into my home. I know she will start gathering her things, so rather than fuss after her, I act as an adult and turn back to open the door and step out onto my front step.

"Okay, mister I don't wear shirts around no more."

"Shut up, Khalil. It's not like we're leaving now; I can get dressed. I've already got a pack sorted out and ready to go."

Khalil grins and laughs at me, but he does quiet down.

"Aria?"

"Yes, Orion?"

"What happened with the guy? Anything I should worry about?"

"He had concerns about a disturbance in Asheville; he does not want to involve himself as they know him there. He stated we would be fine and directed me to a small shop next to where the seam will open. It is owned by the Northwood but maintained by a few merchants who deal with local supernaturals and other fey. I do not know the origins of those merchants."

"Northwood, huh? That'll be different. Never dealt with the merchant tribe before. Anyway, cool, we got a plan."

"As much of a plan as we can have, I suppose."

"So I guess the question is, where do we gotta go to catch a seam?"

"You are familiar with the large town of Alvarado, yes?"

"Sure, I've gone there a couple of times."

"In two nights, they are due a Deore to open a seam for those who show up. The Deore will stay there for one full day and night, so that is when we must be present."

"Well, we can make it without a problem if we leave today."

"That is why I am here."

"Okay, cool. Give me ten or fifteen minutes to get everything together. I'll meet you both at the front gate?"

"Yes."

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

With that, the two of them moved away, and I returned to my home. I quickly take a wash, and though I don't want to get rid of the scent of Cassandra on my skin, I know it might be a while before I catch another bath, so I do it. I carefully clothe myself, dressing in a plain black shirt and dark denim, with boots that I only use if we're going into the human divide.

As I lace up the boots, Cassandra walks behind me and wraps her arms around my waist. I stand up fully and turn to face her. She doesn't say anything, but her seafoam eyes search my face. I lean forward to brush my lips against hers, then tilt my forehead to rest against hers. Her skin radiates cold, but like all the other times before, I don't care about it. She kisses my lips once more and then breaks the contact wordlessly. She doesn't look back. Instead, she heads out through my front door without a second glance. I understand the sentiment of not wanting to say goodbye, so I watch as she disappears behind the closing door.

Once she's gone, I continue sorting out the rest of my clothing. I sling the simple backpack that I only bring out for trips like this over my two shoulders, and as I'm walking out my front door, I pull on a knitted hat and flip its edges down to cover the tops of my ears from casual glances. Since I know how patient Khalil and Aria both can be–as in, not very–I pick up the pace and jog towards the front gates of the village, where I spy Aria and Khalil both already waiting for me. They both have on similar clothing to me, Khalil with a hat to hide his ears, Aria dressed in all black, and both with similar-styled backpacks slung over their shoulders.

"Hey."

"We just saw Cassandra leave, all good Ori?"

"We're good; she had some business to handle in Blackham City."

"Ready to go, Orion?"

"Yep, Aria. Let's get this show on the road."

We start at a casual but quick pace, the three of us seemingly energized by the planned trip ahead of us. We follow the traveler's path, pausing occasionally to drink from fresh brooks and streams and then snacking during brief rest periods. Aria doesn't seem sluggish even though, thus far, it's been daytime.

As the day starts to turn towards evening, I inquire what our plans are for night travel, and Aria says we should all rest at the same time for a few hours and then continue. That will still make us travel during the darkest times of the night, but with Aria present, I'm not too concerned. We all agree on the plan, and as darkness creeps to full and the moon shimmers in the sky, we settle into a small circle on the traveler's path and use our packs to rest our heads against.

The few hours we rest pass in what feels like a blink, and true to her stringent ability to stick to a schedule like a soldier, Aria wakes us up to continue our trek. The second day of our trek is the same as the first, but with no bow or arrows, I have to ignore some easy prey I see skittering about just off the traveler's path. Lucky grabbats.

About two hours after we stop to feed and water ourselves for lunch, we bypass a few fey moving around on a trader's cart and taking a splitting pathway from the traveler's path. After a short set of greetings, we find out they're from the Alvarado's town and that we're only a few hours away. We thank them for the information and wish them good luck on their trading run before continuing. The few hours pass rapidly, and soon, we find ourselves walking up to a well-fortified, expansive, and bustling town with wooden palisades and multiple guarded entrances and exits leading in different directions along the traveler's path.

The sounds of the large town–still not yet the size of a city–are a little disorientating for me at first, as they always are. But we make our way over to two gate guards at the entrance from where we're entering. We greet them, and I share a small pair of flaming hot cheese puff bags with them, which makes them instantly predisposed to friendliness with us. A short conversation with them lets us know that the Deore arrived earlier in the morning and was setting up the area for the seam at that very moment. As soon as we are granted free access to the town, we three make our way inside.

Khalil gives me a dubious glance shortly after we pass into the town.

"What is it now?" I mutter.

"You gave them the best food in the world for free!"

"Oh man, shut up about the flaming hot cheese puffs."

"I didn't even know we still had some left! Bro!"

I sling my pack around to my front, pull out my last two snack-sized bags of cheese puffs, and give them to Khalil.

"Here, quit your bitching."

"Aw, thanks, Ori! You're the bestest ever!"

I roll my eyes before gazing at Aria. She's studying the town carefully, clearly checking out their guard placements and the town's layout. I clear my throat at Aria a little pointedly. She draws her dark eyes down and focuses them on me. She doesn't say anything, and her face is impassive as always, but I can tell because we've spent so much time together that she's giving me a questioning look.

"Maybe don't look like we're canvassing their town, huh?"

She purses her lips but does stop what she's doing. Instead of complaining like Khalil would have, she mutters.

"Let us go find this Deore."

Without complaint from me or Khalil, we meander further into the city, directed occasionally by one of the locals to an area they have set up for seam creation. Walking up to the place in question, we see a small flurry of activity coming from the cleared space around a relatively small and unassuming area. In the center of the cleared-off space is a standing doorway that's more ornate than most door frames. Along its edges are carved fish icons–a closer glance allows an onlooker to see that the fish are salmon, the animal representing the Deore tribe.

Two fey are fussing over the placement of the door, with one of the two the assistant to the other. As we draw closer, the older faerie–an elven-kin, I note–turns to face us. His eyes look over us passively, correctly assuming we mean to use the seam once it's opened. He has wisps of wild white hair as if he just woke up and let the wind and chance determine which way his hair would go that day. He wears simple clothing, as most Deore do, with no color to the garments–only muted brown and grays.

"Greetings, friends; as you can see, we're not quite ready to open a seam yet."

"No problem," I say in polite greeting, "I'm Orion, and this is Khalil and Aria."

"Aria and I have met before, but it is good to see you again and well. Orion and Khalil, I am pleased to meet your acquaintances."

Aria puts her index finger and middle finger together on one hand, then presses it to her forehead. She dips her head in a respectful greeting to the man.

"I am glad to see you again, Fasolt."

"Do you still keep to the Wilder villages?"

"Yes. I appreciate their simplicity."

"Still the same chatterbox as ever." The older man grins amicably at Aria.

That makes Khalil blurt out a laugh.

"Dude, you have no idea. Getting her to say more than a few words at a time is a real challenge."

"I do not speak if there is nothing to say."

"A wise stance to take, Aria!" The man chirps. "In any event, I am glad to meet you. I will finish setting up the crossing for use in a few minutes."

I step forward a little, a slight scratching or niggling at the back of my mind prompting me to broach the topic with this man that's unknown to me.

"Have you had any strange issues with seams lately?"

The man furrows his thick caterpillar-like eyebrows in my direction like he doesn't quite understand the question. After a few moments, he realized I was not making a jest at his expense.

"Why, no. Not at all. How come?"

"He is just going through a seam for the first time. Nervous." Aria interjects.

I turned my head to look at Aria as she told a straight, bald-faced lie to this man she had respectfully greeted not thirty seconds beforehand.

"Er, yeah. Sorry, just a bit nervous, like she said."

The older man laughs and places a hand on my shoulder.

"Orion, friend of Aria, you haven't the slightest thing to worry about. I have been making passages between our Wilds and the human lands for many years. I can assure you it is safe even if a little disorientating the first time."

The man's assistant interrupts, and "Fasolt" politely disengages to continue his work while we shuffle off to the side. We wind up leaning against a nearby, temporarily closed, trader's building while the Deore takes over the small area for the seam. I slowly turn a questioning glance at Aria, and she shakes her head once, silently telling me not to say a word here. I nod in response, keeping my silence.

When I gaze back at the Deore and his assistant, I see him draw out a small water pot with symbols on the rim and base. My eyebrows furrow, remembering the vague description of Ranger's original rider and what he was carrying before disappearing. Ranger said it was a large water jug, though, and the one that "Fasolt" is using is relatively small, only slightly bigger than a dinner bowl. I watch as the ritual to cleanse the area commences, with Fasolt sprinkling some sparkling substance in a large circle–about fifteen feet or so in each direction from the door–before crouching down at various points and using a tiny spoon to scoop out some of the contents and make symbols out of the powdery, sparkling grains.

As the older faerie completes the circle, he gestures at his assistant, and the two murmur some words of power together in a sudden bark of tones. A sudden and unexpected thunderclap sounds directly overhead, shocking and startling Khalil and me. It doesn't start to rain, nor is there any wind, but the sparkling dust and the symbols drawn with it seem to melt into the ground before illuminating and pulsing between shades of blue, purple, green, and aquamarine. The doorframe illuminates next. Each etch of carving glows and slowly alternates between metallic gold and silver.

Aria leans away from the building once the rite seems stable; she's been present at the start of one of these before since she didn't almost jump out of her skin at the loud crack of thunder like Khalil and I did. We shift our backpacks and follow her toward Fasolt and his assistant.

"Well, Aria and friends Orion and Khalil–we now can sort you out where you need to go. Tell me, where do you wish to be taken?"

Aria nods in my direction, letting me speak for our trio.

"A place called Asheville, North Carolina."

I step in the direction of Fasolt as soon as he nods. I tilt my head forward, giving him access to the back of my neck. He murmurs some words I don't recognize and then uses a particular utensil to scoop a small amount of the powder from the container he's holding. He carefully makes a mark on my skin with the powder, and I can feel a slight burning sensation as it marks my skin like a temporary tattoo or a design made by henna.

"This is important, young travelers, so remember: when you are ready to return, make a gentle slice across the mark on the back of your neck. It does not need to be deep; it only needs to break the skin. When you next pass through any threshold, you will immediately be brought back here in this general area with whatever is on you and whatever, or whomever, you are holding directly in your hands."

He next does the same marking for Khalil and then lastly for Aria.

"Safe travels, Aria and new friends Khalil and Orion."

"Thanks, Fasolt."