A Soldier's Life - 371 - The Otherworlders (added about 3300 words to old 371)

Note: I updated the old chapter 371. I will delete this chapter, so you should post comments on the old 371. So this is a draft to show the trials and tribulations the otherworlds went through before meeting the MC. If you hate the otheworlders, just skip reading this. It will probably get another few edits as I fill in from the later plot. The problem I a having is I dont want there to be a book within a book and I am already at 6400 words. But I still trying to humanize the otherworlders.

Chapter 371: The Otherworlders

The two girls strained to look out the window of the plane as it took off. Both were excited as this was their first time on a plane, even though the flight was going to be less than thirty minutes.

Evie loosened her seatbelt so she could get closer to the window seat that Lexi occupied. Lexi moved as much as she could to give her best friend a view out the window. “Everything looks so small,” Evie whispered.

Lexi finally relaxed in her seat as they now had just water below them. Soon, they would be landing in Dublin and going to a hotel outside the city. The Irish Step competition they were competing in was in the city, but her aunt had found a much cheaper hotel on the outskirts. 

Evie was finally forced back into her seat when an unhappy flight attendant walked by and tightened her seatbelt. The blonde girl smiled brightly and innocently at the flight attendant to avoid getting into trouble. The middle-aged woman’s frown morphed into a smile, “You need to keep it on, dear. It is a short flight, and for your safety.” Evie just beamed at her and nodded, a ball of excitement.

The Dublin airport was not as chaotic as the Liverpool airport, and Ms. O’Neill, their dance teacher and Lexi’s aunt, guided them to the baggage claim. Ms. O’Neill was mumbling to herself about ironing their outfits as they found a taxi to take them to the inn. “The Wandering Druid, outside of the city,” she told the wrinkled old driver. He nodded.

“Be about forty minutes with traffic,” he replied in an Irish accent. After the grey taxi started moving, the driver started talking. “Interesting choice for your stay. The olde Druid is mostly a watering hole for locals. My cousin has been in a few scraps when he drinks there. Why are you visiting our fair land?”

Ms. O’Neill paled a little. “Is it dangerous? The girls are dancing in a show tomorrow in the city.”

“Dangerous? To folk like you? Nah? Sometimes a man just needs to blow off some steam,” the driver replied casually and rubbed his jaw.

When they arrived at the inn, the building looked ancient. Large foundation stones had script scratched into them with people's names and dates. Lexi gasped when she read one, “Amelia Morgan, 1562! Is this building that old!”

“Older,” the taxi driver said, depositing their bags. “Rumor has it that those names are of people who disappeared in the area over the centuries. So be careful,” he said with a wink. Ms. O’Neill frowned at him for scaring the children and paid his fee before ushering the girls inside.

It was still early, and they had dinner in the large tavern on the first floor. The tavern had an odd smell of alcohol and citrus. All the timbers were well-worn, and the décor made it feel like they had traveled back a hundred years. Both Evie and Lexi were too nervous to eat. “Girls, you need your energy,” Ms. O’Neill chided. “Don’t worry, there will only be a few hundred people in the theater, and no matter how you do, they will cheer for you.”

“My dad said the more mistakes we make, the more they will cheer to encourage us,” Lexi said with a smirk.

Ms. O’Neill frowned, “That is true, but please do your best and remember you represent me and yourselves.”

The local patrons began to fill the common room, and Evie couldn’t understand half of what was being said. Others were coming to claim rooms and looked like they regretted their decision to book a room. As it started to grow raucous, they retreated to their rooms, which were on the second floor. “This place certainly has a lot of character,” Ms. O’Neill said as they climbed the squeaky stairs. 

The inn had been crowded, and the common tavern on the first floor had been lively late into the night until Ms. O’Neill finally got frustrated and stormed downstairs and yelled at the locals, “You all can get drunk any other night! I have two ten-year-old girls upstairs who need their rest to dance tomorrow!”

Evie had thought the Irishmen would shout down or berate Ms. O’Neill, but the room fell silent instantly, and a gruff male voice shouted, “Oul fellas! You heard her! Stop acting the maggot! Drink your fill, you langers! But if any of you raise your voice again, you can step outside with me!” After that, only hushed whispers drifted up to their room. After that bit of excitement, Lexi and Evie fell asleep in their beds.

They woke to a yell and goosebumps all over their bodies in the cold air. Their nightclothes were gone, and Evie screamed. Ms. O’Neill yelled back in a panic, “Girls! Where are you?” There was a cacophony of men and women yelling in the dark. Lexi, always level-headed, grabbed her hand and dragged her toward Ms. O’Neill’s voice.

They tripped over someone on the ground and rolled in the dirt. Then someone screamed, a high, shrill, pained cry. Evie covered her ears and crouched as the scream told her there was danger. Frenzied shadows danced around the two on the ground as people panicked.

Ms. O’Neill suddenly knelt beside them. “Girls, are you alright?” She checked their bodies like she could see perfectly well in the dark—no, it was not completely dark. The moon was huge—too huge—and blue tonight.

“What is happening?” Evie squeaked out.

“I think we’ve been kidnapped,” Ms. O’Neill said, glancing around. “Maybe thirty of us. Some ran off, and one…” Suddenly, there was a gust of wind, and Ms. Oneill was yanked back and vanished into the night sky, her scream fading quickly away. Evie began shaking in shock and fright. Another scream sounded and faded away into the night. The two girls huddled together and pushed themselves into the ground, crying into each other’s arms as the night terrors continued.

That was their first night in this world—crying themselves to sleep, hoping they would wake from the nightmare. When morning came, a raven-haired woman found them. “Bloody children, too! I am going to break the bastards that did this to us.” She softened her tone, “Girls, I am Karina. I saw you eating when I checked in. I talked to your aunt briefly. Do you remember me? I was on the third floor.” Evie and Lexi were too terrified to reply.

An older woman came over with a lean build and dark brown hair. “Christ! Kids, too!?”

Lexi got braver, “Where are our clothes?”

The new woman growled, “Don’t know, this seems like some sick game.”

“It’s not a game,” a young woman joined them. “Those things that scooped up people last night were massive bats. Someone managed to kill one over there.” She pointed in the distance.

Karina looked off in that direction, “Stay with the kids. I will go check it out.” Karina stormed off, and Evie could see others standing in small groups—some men, some women—all naked. Most were trying to conceal themselves. Evie thought she recognized a few from the inn.

The young woman smiled down at them, but it was obviously forced, “I am Teresa. I was on my way back to London and missed my flight. The Wandering Druid was a cheap inn outside of Dublin.”

The older woman, lean with muscle, turned to them but remained vigilant. “I am Anika Strauss. I was meeting a client in the boonies and thought I’d see some young buck in the tavern was...” She stopped speaking, realizing she was addressing children. “Damn it. We need some damn clothes. I’ll see if I can find something.” The woman started to jog away.

One of the men from the other group called after her, but she just gave them a finger and kept going. Teresa knelt, “Stay away from those blokes. They are bad news,” She indicated to the group of men. “That other group,” she pointed at eight men and women huddled together, “Are still scared shitless and cannot move. If this is some sick hunt, we’ve got to leave them. You girls are strong, though.” She tried to smile at them, but it was forced. Evie observed Teresa was having trouble hiding he own stress at their situation.

Karina came back. “That was not a bat. It looked more like a gargoyle come to life. I think whoever it grabbed last night forced it to crash. He is dead, and so is the creature.” She suddenly realized something. “Bloody fuck! Where is Anika?”

“She went to look for clothes,” Teresa said warily. Karina didn’t look happy but nodded at the sense of it.

“Which direction?” Karina asked resignedly. After Teresa pointed, Karina started to get their small group moving in that direction. The adults flanked the girls as they walked. The men Teresa told them to avoid were yelling at them, but they ignored them. Evie thought they should stay in a larger group for safety, but Karina was confident and clearly in charge.

“Are we leaving them?” Teresa asked after the shell-shocked group of adults.

“Yes,” Karina said coolly. “Whatever is happening, we need to find food, shelter, and a way to defend ourselves. Taking care of these two will be difficult enough.”

“We can fight!” Lexi said weakly. It sounded more like fear of being left behind than genuine commitment.

Karina rubbed her hair and offered a matronly smile of reassurance. “I know, dear. I will protect you like you were my own.”

They soon spotted Anika near what appeared to be a dirt road. She was studying it closely. She glanced up briefly as they came closer. “Definitely wagon tracks made by shod horses. Most tracks are heading this way.”

That was how they started down the road. There was only knee-high grass on either side, so there was nowhere to hide. Relief flooded Evie when she saw a house, but Anika and Karina pulled them off into the grass. “Girls, we need to make sure it is safe. Anika?”

The athletic woman crouched and moved off in the grass. After she left, Karina spoke to the girls. “She will be alright. Anika was a soldier before she became a lawyer. She was even in the Olympics for the epee after college. That is a type of sword.”

“Did she win?” Evie asked, starting to feel better.

“No, I don’t think so, but she said she still practices,” Karina said while watching the building in the distance. All four of them relaxed out of easy view.

It wasn’t long before Anika returned wearing an oversized shirt and carrying a bundle of off-white and dark clothes. “I think they are all in the distant fields. I took what we needed.” She handed out smaller shirts to Evie and Lexi. Teresa got a dark blue dress and complained about the smell. “I did the best I could. I think it was all dirty laundry to be washed.” Karina got a large shirt and trousers, all very worn. Evie noted that Anika had also procured a large kitchen knife for herself, not a sword.

“We shouldn’t be stealing,” Evie said morosely, holding the sour-smelling shirt.

“It’s not stealing, dear,” Karina said with conviction. “We need it more than they do right now, and we can’t be sure that asking them is a good idea. They might take advantage of us or attack us since we are naked.”

Anika then handed a hard biscuit to everyone. Evie suddenly realized she was famished, but the biscuit was so hard that she had to nibble off small pieces. “I am thirsty,” Lexi complained after eating her biscuit. Evie suddenly realized she was thirsty after the biscuit, too.

“It looks like there’s a river on the other side of the farm. We can circle wide and avoid the fields,” Anika advised. That’s precisely what they did. When they reached the river, they all drank. The adults talked about how some plants didn’t look familiar and the strange moon last night. It all made Evie worry more and more that they were not going home soon.

The following two days were the hardest of Evie’s life. She did learn a little about their protectors. Karina was the mother of twin daughters, Alexandra and Melanie, who were a year younger than Evie. She also had a son, Daniel, who was turning thirteen this year. Karina had been visiting her mother in Dublin when they had an argument, and Karina checked into the inn.

Teresa was a college student in London, while her fiancé worked in Ireland. They planned to marry as soon as she graduated and intended to move to Ireland afterwards. Teresa’s older sister was helping her plan the wedding.

Then there was Anika, who outwardly seemed to handle their predicament the best. Both Lexi and Evie were intimidated by the woman at first. Anika spoke a dozen languages, attended a prestigious college, fenced in the Olympics, joined the army after college, and then pursued law school after her military service. She acknowledged that her shortcoming was being terrible in social settings and that she tended to be more of a follower than a leader.

The long, hard walks and frequent hiding were not the worst part. The hunger was the worst part of their journey through the plains and light forests. They even spotted a small, twisted green man who shadowed them for a while. At first, the adults thought it was a diseased person, but Anika hissed, “It has to be a goblin. We are in some twisted Tolkien world.”

“Is their magic then?” Lexi asked hopefully. “I saw the movies. Gandolf had magic.”

Karina rubbed her head, “I don’t think there is any such thing as magic.”

“But I can do this,” Lexi said proudly. A tiny light formed at the tip of her finger. “I was going to pee last night, and I wanted a light so badly—I can change how bright it is, too.” She looked desperately for approval as the light slowly increased in luminosity.

The adults’ jaws were slack as they looked at each other, waiting for someone to say something as the light pulsed slightly on Lexi’s fingertip. The three older women bombarded Lexi with a thousand questions about how she did it, but no matter how hard they tried, none could replicate the light Lexi radiated from her finger. Evie wished she had her own magic, but she couldn’t replicate the light either.

They finally reached sporadic buildings along the road, which had a strong stream and a mill. The people they saw from a distance looked human, but Karina still wanted them to be cautious after the gargoyles. Anika left the group in the woodlands to approach the humans.

When she returned, she had a weak smile. “They speak something like bastardized German, but I was able to communicate. There is a city not far away. A half-day’s walk along the road. She told me to be wary of giant badgers.” Anika shrugged, amused.

“Should we tell them we are not from here?” Teresa asked. “If they were friendly…”

“No,” Karina snapped. “If this is some medieval society with magic, women will be pawns. We need more information to be sure we will not be taken advantage of.” Anika nodded in agreement, but Teresa looked less certain. Evie didn’t understand anything that was going on. She knew the world had bad people, but not everyone was bad.

They made their way through the thin woodlands along the road to the city. In just a few hours, they discovered why they had been warned about the badger. “That is not a fucking badger! It’s a goddamn bear masquerading as a badger,” Teresa lamented. The badger was already waddling their way.

“Maybe it's friendly?” Evie asked, but her question got a growling snarl from the beast.

They started to back up, but the badger charged, sensing their fear, its fur rippling with each stride. It was fast, and there was no way they would outrun it. Instead of running away, Karina charged at it, yelling, “Get the girls to the safety of the city!” Evie knew Karina was sacrificing her life at that moment. She didn’t want to leave her, but Anika grabbed her wrist and pulled her away—dragging her.

There was a hissing attack from behind and then a loud thud and crack. Evie strained to look back even though she knew she wouldn’t like what she saw. It took her mind a moment to process what she saw, and she planted her feet, ripping her sweaty hand from Anika’s grasp. Anika stopped intending to pick her up, but then saw what Evie had seen. Anika yelled for Teresa, who had been carrying Lexi, to stop running.

Behind them, Karina’s arm was buried in the giant badger's skull. From a distance, she offered a small smile, and yelled, “I have magic, too.”

The group returned and circled Karina as she pulled her hand out. Bloody scraps from the bone bled on her arm, but her fist was unharmed. A discussion among the adults followed, and Karina was able to repeat the feat, shattering a small tree trunk. “I just focus my mind on my hand, thinking, ‘Nothing will stop my fist.’” Karina said, amazed. “I feel a flow of power from my chest into my hand, and my hand just keeps going.”

“Maybe everyone’s magic is different?” Evie offered. “Maybe I can fly!” She closed her eyes, trying to remember how Wendy from Peter Pan did it. She believed with all her might, but nothing happened. She thought she might be able to fly home if this were Neverland. She wanted to fly home, but her magic didn’t cooperate.

The adults decided to skin the badger and attempt to sell the pelt in the city. The blood disgusted Lexi and Teresa, but Evie felt drawn to it, captivated by the creature that had once been alive. Maybe her magic could bring it back to life again. No, she shouldn’t try doing that. It was a dangerous beast.

Karina had wrapped her arm and asked Anika, who had skinned the beast with her knife, “Should we try cooking the meat?” Evie’s stomach echoed the question, and she was not the only one who felt that way.

Anika sighed, “No. We don’t have a fire, but we can wrap some of the better cuts in the hide for when we do.” Already bloody, Anika cut off some of the muscle in a practiced manner. While Lexi found it gross, Evie watched, fascinated.

When they reached the city, it looked more like a large town with wooden walls to Evie. They were on a small hill a distance away, standing between two farms. “Teresa, watch the girls. We will try to sell the badger's meat and pelt in the city.”

As Anika and Karina left them, Teresa turned on the girls and sighed at babysitting duties, “So tell me why you were at the inn?”

Lexi spoke for both of them, “We were going to dance in a pairs competition in Dublin.”

“Ms. O’Neill thought it would be fun to dance in front of a crowd since we practice so much,” Evie added.

“I hope to see you dance then,” Teresa smiled. “I slept in with my fiancé, and I missed my flight, but I think I already told you that.”

“Are we going home?” Evie asked hopefully. The adults had talked a lot in whispers over the last two days, and Evie was getting worried.

“If anyone can get us home, it’s Karina. She is a tough woman and smart. Anika is a great fighter and a survivalist. We all will keep you safe,” Teresa said reassuringly.

It was hours before Anika and Karina returned. They had a bundle of clothes and, more importantly, steaming loaves of bread. Karina smiled, “We had to wait while they cooked the badger for us. There is seasoned meat baked inside the loaf. I managed to exchange the pelt for some used clothes that should fit better, too.”

Evie only cared about the warm bread. She burned her tongue on the greasy sausage inside but it didn’t stop her from eating the entire loaf with the meat, her belly finally feeling full and bloated. She turned back to the conversation the adults were having.

“We got a few handfuls of copper coins and a reward of three silvers for killing the badger. They look like pennies, but I don’t recognize the worn writing or portrait,” Anika told Teresa.

With some hope, Teresa asked, “Are we going to stay in the city tonight?” She had finished her loaf as well.

Karina looked at Anika. Anika shook her head, and Karina sighed. “Anika didn’t like the way some people looked at us. If we follow the road north, we can reach a much larger city called Yuetsen. It will be a hard walk, but from what the baker told us, there are opportunities for outsiders there.”

“My feet hurt,” Evie bemoaned. “How far is it?”

Karina smirked at the girl. “We spent the three silver reward on some clothes and stylish footwear. Try these on.” She handed Evie a simple pair of wooden sandals. Everyone received the same pair of simple sandals, and once the food was gone, they continued walking north on the road, this time more out in the open since they didn’t look like vagabonds in their new used clothes.

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Evie truly longed for magic. Lexi’s finger light proved useful every evening when they had to negotiate with a farmer for a place to stay in his barn. Only Anika could communicate effectively, yet she always managed to secure permission or barter an evening of hard work from their group. With giant angry badgers around, they were unwilling to risk sleeping outside.

While Evie was hauling water to a trough for some sheep, she noticed that the cat had caught a mouse. She scratched the purring cat behind the ears, and the cat deposited its prize at her feet. The mouse was clearly dead; its eyes popped out, and puncture marks on its neck. Evie felt a pull toward the dead creature and touched it. She thought she might be able to make it live again.

She felt lightheaded as her finger touched the tiny thing, and something left her chest like a dam bursting. She thought she had given life back to the creature, but its wounds didn’t heal as it twitched and got to its tiny feet. The cat stopped purring and looked confused that its prey still lived. Evie wasn’t scared and felt a connection to the not-dead mouse. “Run in circles,” she told it. The mouse obeyed her command, and the once curious cat hissed and darted away in fear.

Evie quickly discovered that all she needed to do was think about what she wanted the creature to do, and it would obey. A sandal stomped down on the mouse, and Evie felt the connection break. “Ugh, Evie. That was gross; you shouldn’t play with near-dead creatures,” Lexi said. It was not Lexi’s foot that had killed her creation, but Karina’s. It was clear her friend had gotten Karina when she saw the mouse. Karina wiped the mouse into the grass off the bottom of her sandal.

“Come on, Evie,” Karina said, smiling. “The oat and barley porridge has some milk in it.”

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Two nights later, Evie was lying on her stomach, her face just inches from the tiny, frail skeleton. The tiny skeletal mouse danced for her in the corner of the loft of the barn. She had found the desiccated mouse in the corner. Evie knew she couldn’t show anyone. Karina scolded her when she first did this little trick and smashed the tiny mouse. Lexi, her friend, had been disgusted. But neither of them knew the mouse had been dead, and she was just controlling it with her magic.

“Evie!” Karina bellowed from the stalls below. Evie released her mental grip on the skeleton, the tiny wisps of blue magic holding it together evaporating, and the bones collapsed into a pile. She sighed and scrambled back onto the hay.

“I’m coming,” Evie yelled. Her small frame climbed down from the loft. Karina looked relieved upon seeing her, and Evie smiled at her as she jumped the last three rungs to the floor. “Are we going to reach the city today?” She asked hopefully. Travelling had gotten easier, but walking all day, every day was exhausting.

“I believe so. It is about half a day’s walk, according to the farmer,” Karina said, rubbing Evie’s silky blond mop of hair. Evie leaned in for the affectionate touch. She missed her mother, father, and brother fiercely. Anika, Karina, and Teresa had kept them safe, and she trusted them.

They walked out of the barn towards the small farm where they had stayed the previous night. The farmer was already in the fields with his sons, and his wife greeted them with a smile. The generous farmer had provided them dinner the night before and breakfast to fuel their long day of walking.

Lexi came running up, “I think I saw a Pegasus in the sky! It was really high, but it looked like a horse with wings.” Evie perked up. When she heard this world had Pegasuses—or was it Pegasi—it didn’t matter. She just wanted to see one. She wanted to see something beautiful after seeing so much horror since they were tossed into this world. She fell in beside Lexi as the young girls scanned the skies as they walked down the road, flanked by their three maternal protectors.

The city of Yuetsen was a proper city in size and boasted fantastic sites. While the group had only seen humans so far on their trek, they now beheld real elves, magnificent oxen with four horns, humans with glistening green scales, and most importantly, a pegasus. Not a real one, but a life-sized statue. At the insistence of Lexi, Anika asked a street vendor about the statue.

It was one of the few times Anika smiled when she told them what the vendor said. “There is a herd of Pegasi in the plains far to the west, but occasionally, one or two might fly high over the city. The Prince of Kityeunia, who rules this city, has a pair of black Pegasi that he brings out for parades.”

“When is the next parade?” The girls asked in unison.

“The changing of the season, still months away. We might be here for the parade if we can find work in the city,” Anika said, smiling at their delight.

It took a few days for the older women to find work. Anika got lucky to demonstrate her skills with a blade at the Caravan Guild practice yard. The guild master bought her soft leather armor and a blade. She was going to be given half pay to work them off the equipment while she worked in the city guarding warehouses.

Teresa and everyone were desperately trying to learn the local language with Anika’s help. Teresa got a job serving drinks in the undercity. She hated the work, but until she had some mastery of the local language, the simple job was the best she could do.

Karina spent her days watching Lexi and Karina in the shack they rented in the slums. The girls realized that she was guarding them from unsavory men. The heat was brutal during the day and stifling at night. Lexi and Evie at least got to people-watch from their window.

After two weeks of living in the city slums, Anika got into a shouting match with the local unsavory element. The two men were thickly muscled, but the same height as Karina. They stood outside the shack, and Evie could smell their unwashed bodies. As Karina tried to communicate in angry shouts, Evie was certain they were either trying to buy or rent Evie and Lexi.

When the dark-haired one tried to push his way inside, Karina punched him in the face, breaking his nose. As he cried in pain and gushed blood, the other man with brown hair and a messy beard tried to grab Karina. Karina’s heel came down on his foot; the man screamed as his foot was disfigured. Karina didn’t stop as she punched him in the chest. The solid contact tossed him back five feet.

“Damn it,” Karina spat angrily. “Girls—pack our things. We will leave when Anika and Teresa get back.” That didn’t happen, as shortly after Anika returned, both muscled men returned, this time with a third man much more finely dressed. Anika drew her sword and went into the street to meet the trio, unafraid.

Before Karina moved to support Anika, she told the girls, “If something happens to us, Teresa will meet you at the docks. She will take you away from here. We have enough coin saved for passage to a better place.” Evie and Lexi knew there was no better place. Anika had been gathering as much information as she could about the land, talking to foreign merchants about their home countries, but this world was still wild and unforgiving.

Karina moved to stand behind Anika as an animated conversation proceeded. Thankfully, it was not violent as the well-dressed man wore a slimy smile the entire time. When they left, Anika and Karina returned to their shack. “What happened?” Lexi asked.

Anika and Karina looked at each other before Karina answered. “I have agreed to fight in the pits under the city for gold.”

“Why don’t we just leave?” Evie said anxiously.

“No,” Anika said slowly. “That man controls the criminal element in the city and beyond. We wouldn’t get away fast enough. Karina needs to pay for his men’s healing with fights, and if she wins, it may be the fastest way to leave.”

“They were going to chain us in a whorehouse,” Lexi shouted. “And now you are working for them!” She added angrily.

Karina winced like she had been slapped. “You understood that much, did you?” She sighed as she sat down. “This is what I feared would happen to us. But if I can earn enough gold fighting, we might be able to move to a better part of the city and be free of his influence.”

Things did not go as they had planned. Anika went with Karina to her first fight, and even though she had won, Karina’s eye was swollen shut, and she could barely walk with a broken ankle and bruised ribs. She spat some blood as Evie and Lexi crowded around and asked what they could do to help.

Anika was furious. “She fought one of their top fighters. He was just trying to injure her so she would need healing and be in further debt to him. She refused his healing, but it is going to take her weeks to recover.” She paced furiously. “I will follow him and kill him.”

Then a miracle happened as Lexi was trying to wash away the dried blood on Karina’s face. The swelling rapidly receded, and her bloodshot eye appeared. Then the eye cleared, and Karina blinked in confusion. “Who did that?” Karina rasped, amazed as she looked between the girls. She was thirsty and hungry, but even her ribs and ankle felt restored to health.

“I…I…I…did.” Lexi said. They were not supposed to use magic unless permitted. “I just wanted you to stop suffering so much to protect us. It just sort of happened.”

Karina pulled Lexi close and kissed her forehead, “You did nothing wrong. You are amazing! You are both amazing!” She pulled Evie into a group hug.

Teresa asked with wide eyes, “What are we going to do now? Lexi’s ability could help us make lots of gold.”

“I don’t think that is a good idea,” Anika interrupted. “Children that young should not have magic. I have talked to a lot of people, and the ability to do magic doesn’t manifest until well into puberty. Too many powerful people in the senate would want Lexi as a curiosity, if not for her new healing ability.”

“I agree,” Karina said, releasing her hold on the girls. “Don’t tell anyone. I will continue to fight in the pits and earn us gold so we can go somewhere else. Yuetsen is not going to be our home.”

Evie made the intentional mistake of animating a rat skeleton in her small sleeping alcove in the middle of the night. She admitted to herself that she was slightly jealous of Lexi’s gifts and wanted to show off her own. The small bones glowed with a soft blue light in the darkness. Anika was the first to stir, alarmed. Anika crushed the skeleton, waking everyone.

“What happened?” Karina asked. Teresa had not returned from her shift serving drinks but would be back soon. That was who Evie thought would discover her bone animation.

“Something was attacking Evie,” Anika said on alert. Lexi’s fingerlight lit the room they all shared.

“It was not…” Evie started to explain. All eyes turned to her. “It was me. I can make bones come back together.” She extended her palm proudly as wisps of blue flowed from her hand into the crushed bones. The bones Anika had smashed snapped back together, and the tiny rat skeleton reformed with a slightly brighter glow this time. The skeleton stood upright on its back legs and did a little bow.

Everyone was slackjawed, and Evie beamed, thinking they were impressed. Even Lexi was not disgusted as she had been with the bloody mouse. “I think that is necromancy,” Anika whispered. “A type of death magic. Necromancers are hunted in Kityeunia. There is usually a large reward attached for turning one in.”

“Then we have to leave,” Lexi said in support of her friend. She moved to stand beside her in support.

Karina’s mind was still processing everything before her. “I agree. We cannot stay here much longer. Evie, you can never do this again.” Karina crushed the small skeleton. “Everyone, get back to sleep. I will explain to Teresa when she returns.”

Lexi slept beside Evie and whispered to her, “I am glad you have magic too. That was neat.” Evie fell asleep feeling better about herself.

Two fights, and a week later, they had purchased a continent map and were starting to make plans. “They speak something akin to English in Gesedmuria. But they are an isolationist kingdom. Even merchants are weary of travelling there,” Anika said as they crowded over the map one night.

“The Grand Duchy of Manch is the best place to settle on this continent. They take everyone except criminals, but necromancers are tested and some are…” Karina paused. “But it is 1500 miles away, and we would have to pass through Gesedmuria or take a ship, which will be expensive,” Karina said, tracing her finger on the map.

Teresa tapped Keisinia in the south, “We should go here if we want to find a way home. From what my patrons say, they have the strongest mages of the continent.”

“The mages rule their fiefdoms ruthlessly, from what I hear. The mages are powerful, but envision themselves as gods. They don’t like to be challenged,” Anika said, glancing at Lexi momentarily.

“What about the Shiunyuet Lands? The individual tribes are ruled by a matriarch, whom they call a matron, so we might be well-received. They are slightly barbaric from what outsiders say, but live under a set of laws. They don’t persecute necromancers either.” Evie shuddered involuntarily. “Didn’t you say one of the tribesmen was working for your guild, who knew about otherworlders?” Teresa asked.

Anika sighed, “He says a lot of shit when he is drunk. He seems more boastful than truthful, Karina. But fine. I can set up a meeting, but he will probably expect you to pay for the meal.”

A few days later, a few silver lighter, Karina and the others were excited. The Shiunyuet matrons did know about otherworlders. One of the matrons was an otherworlder herself, Matron Lucette. The guard they questioned was her son, who boasted that his mother had traveled back to Earth. He was able to back up his claim by talking about trains and automobiles. It was the first time the group had hope.

That hope was shattered the next day when Karina ran into one of the men who had arrived on this planet with her.

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