Michellin

Wanderers

Narda grinned. “He seems a man who is hard to dislike,” she said, “but yes, I do like him. He has an—air about him, just draws you in. Partly perhaps some kinship too, living the long lives that we do.” Her mind briefly went to their conversation about loneliness, finding herself looking forward to more long discussions with the elf. “The sea, then. I’ll keep that in mind. Ysaryn and Ruli aren’t wrong about it, but the water is too vast to be only one thing at any given time.” She sank into thoughtful silence for a while. “Other worlds,” she murmured, shaking her head. “It still boggles my mind. It’s like fairytales, isn’t it?”

She stood up, stretching with a yawn. “As much as I hate waiting, I am going to take full advantage and rest as much as I can. When the Wyvernling comes back, who knows what other sorts of trouble she’d have in store for us?” she said with a chuckle.

--

“I understand that,” Ed murmured. “I’d much rather not be in spitting distance of them, either.” He cocked an eyebrow when she turned to him and asked her question rather cheekily. “Though you’d be very justified in doing so, perhaps not at the moment,” he said, watching her square her shoulders, her eyes on the Gemini side of the field.
“But you know,” Myka put in, “someday we’ll retake the Capital. If you want Gemini blood, you can join us when that happens. Right?” she said, glancing at Ed.
Ed was quiet for a while. “Someday, yes.” He didn’t want to admit it, but he wanted their blood, too. A large part of him thought it unwise to involve Ysaryn; it was one thing to ask her and the others to support Kire during their hunt for the world gate, quite another to invite her to join the battle and potentially die in another world. If you were given the opportunity to fight the Gemini in her world, you’d take it, he thought. He pursed his lips; he was still a Wyvern, after all. “Would you? Fight the Gemini with us, when the time comes.”
“Oh, and do you need a replacement for those?” Myka asked, gesturing at her empty scabbards. “We might be able to find you a replacement by the end of the day if you want it. Not that we’re expecting a fight but—you never know with the bastards, eh?”
--

Kire rested her elbow on the table, thinking it over as he talked about what would be required for the wards. “More blood,” she murmured. The idea of shedding her blood for magic while the Gemini were nearby didn’t fill her with glee, as he’d anticipated. She frowned at the idea of him holding her down, though while using his own blood. “If I could help it, nobody’s blood should be shed anywhere near Gemini magic,” she admitted with a huff, resting her chin on her hand, her other gesturing at his injury. “And you’ve already bled enough today. But you know, another sorcerer casting his own magic around the portal’s already an upset to their plans. And if anybody’s going to be using my blood for magic, I’d rather it be you than them.” She looked glanced at him. “You found Ed for me, with my blood. I trust you.”

She stood, glancing out at the people outside the tent. “We have a bit of time before sundown. If you’re ready, you can tell my people what you’d need for the protection ward. They can help you gather the materials.” She looked back at him, glancing briefly at his bandaged arm. As immensely glad as she was to have had the help she’d been given so far, he’d already had to endure a lot to aid her: locked up in a cell at Lithilote, attacked by warped wolves at the forest. Now this. “If this goes on, I’ll owe you a lot more than a drink or two,” she said, meaning it as a jest, though a hint of earnest worry for him was still in her tone. “I’ll go give the soldiers instructions to help you.”

The afternoon waned into dusk, and the first of the search parties she had sent earlier returned, telling them they had not seen Lady Narda or anyone matching Zeke’s description. When the last of the scouts arrived, Kire called for everyone to return to the tent. “The gate will be dealt with tonight,” she said as soon as everybody was settled. The emissaries gave her a small smile and a slight bow.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. Now, we may need the blood of a—”
Kire held up a hand. “I wasn’t finished.” She steepled her fingers as she leaned back on her chair. “We’ll do this my way. You are welcome to observe, just so you could report back to your superiors that the task had been accomplished. But if you insist on using your own magic in the process, I’ll tell you now that we’ll be using different wards for this. Someone else will cast the protection ward while I siphon the energy of the gate with my portal.” She looked apologetically at Ysaryn. “This might mean you’d have to wait till after this is done for me to send you back. At most an overnight stay. I’ll need the energy for it, and I’d rather finish the business with the gate tonight before it damages anything else around here.”
A frown creased one of the emissaries’ features. The Geminis’ eyes scanned the people gathered; their eyes settled on Rulitus for a moment before looking at the Wyvern once more. “We will agree to the use of your wards for as long as we can still lay down our own. Though wards of this nature, whether ours or theirs, it would require blood.”
“Oh I know, but you’re not touching anyone’s. If you have a problem with that, you can run back to Gael.”
The Gemini paused. “I take it, Your Grace, that he is your sorcerer?” he asked, gesturing at Ruli.
Kire glanced at Ruli before turning back to them. “In a manner of speaking, yes. His involvement is non-negotiable.”
The emissaries didn’t look too pleased as they spoke to each other in Taakalon.

Wanderers

“Mm. I suppose, not that different from my people. We have been given long life and age slow, but I imagine our ancestors must have lived thousands of years longer.” She listened to him talk about what he might have in common with her Wyvernling friend, nodding along to his hypothetical scenario when acquiring a similar gift. She huffed a laugh at his question. “Pah. I have seen what being Empress has done to my friend. I became part of the crew to find some purpose in adventuring until I feel like settling down and taking over my father’s fiefdom. Powerful magic or no, ruling does not have much appeal to me. But then again, one never knows what will happen when you acquire such a power. Perhaps I might become a tyrant. Eat my way through the empire.” She scoffed at the thought. “I’d like to think I’d do what Kire is doing. End evil where I can. Right wrongs. But so much good intentions have been spoiled by too much power.”

She paused in thought, leaning back. “A quiet life, though. When no more battles need be fought. Traveling around the world. Or sitting down and smoking a pipe, enjoying company. The times I’ve had that luxury, makes me think it won’t be so bad to have that often. Like the other day, when I was sitting down smoking with Envy.” She grinned at that. “Charming fellow, that.”

--
Ed smiled briefly in apology. “I wasn’t entirely polite when I first came in, but I quickly had to put on that front when I have fifteen other stranded Amrians to watch out for,” he put in. He looked on, an amused smile on his lips as he watched Ysaryn try to mime the animal she was talking about, feeling a little cheeky about not giving her the answer right away, given how he knew the translation. He pondered on her question and nodded, sighing. “Most likely. Warped bodies of Amrians.”
Myka frowned. “What?”
Ed gave a more detailed account of what had happened prior to their coming here. The women looked furious after his story, and Myka’s hands closed into fists. “Bastards,” she muttered under her breath. “You’re lucky then, Ed. At least you came back as yourself.”
The Wyvern captain let out a deep breath. “I know. And the odds of me coming back here, I’m lucky to be alive. I was afraid, when we went back to that mutated wood and saw the Amrian armor lying around, I thought I’d find Ern there.” He swallowed, his brow furrowed before he rubbed his face, willing away the thought. “It’s a terrible thing to wish for, but I would be infinitely relieved to be certain that he’d died in battle, rather than get twisted into one of those things.”
Myka placed a gentle hand on his back. “He was a good kid. A Wyvern through and through, up till the end, I’ve been told.”
Ed nodded, patting her back, then cleared his throat and straightened up again, turning back to Ysaryn. “I trust today will be quite a busy day for everyone, and afterwards I will have to see my family and let them know I’m alive, but nevertheless the invitation is still open for me to show you around sometime. I promise, no crocodiles.”
Myka blinked. “Did you just speak her language? Did you learn a whole new language while you were stranded?” She chuckled, shaking her head. “You really are an overachiever. Stop making the rest of us feel bad, you sly dragon.”
Ed smiled, shrugging a shoulder, then looked in the direction of the healer’s tent. “All things considered, I hadn’t thought Kire would even think twice about their temporary truce. I was ready for her to break the table in half earlier. Not that I blame her if she did.”

--
Kire frowned in thought as she listened to Ruli. “I suspect they would be lying somehow. And yeah, that makes sense. We already know natural anomalies from errant gates have happened before. Whatever they’re playing at, it’s not good. Either they want to rip a bigger hole between worlds or they plan on harnessing all that destruction for something else, having no intention to really stop it.” She didn’t immediately answer when he asked, thinking over their options.

“Alright. Here’s the thing about my own portals. I’ve never used them for anything else other than transporting myself, and whatever or whoever else I have in tow.” She was gesturing as she spoke, thinking out loud. “But if I can siphon that gate with my own portals and redirect it, while I stay put on one side, maybe that could work. There’s only that aforementioned problem that I’ve never not gone through a portal I’ve opened. It’s always,” she snapped her finger, “I open the portal and a second later I disappear through it. And with that much energy pulling at me, that gate might suck me in again. Unless something’s keeping me tethered to the ground here.”

She steepled her fingers again. “So. A ward to secure the area and keep me safe and anchored here, while I open a portal and siphon it away. Maybe far above us, in the sky. I think I can do that, I’ve opened portals in mid-air before, like that one time I dropped that Kartaian hunter in Ziad.”

Wanderers

Nard listened to their exchange with interest. The granddaughter of a god? Now that was something. Even though Wyverns claimed descent from dragons, where the were practically godlike beasts, hearing someone was descended from an honest to goodness deity was still something out of a tale for the giantess. “Thank you for considering our requests, my lady,” Narda commented, nodding to her as she stood. She turned to Zeke and laughed softly at his remark. “Honestly, the same for me. Though yes, this wasn’t half bad. Some vegetable dish I can’t quite name. Still, I suspect I’d be famished soon. I seem to get hungrier faster on these meatless food.”
She huffed, resting her chin on her hand. “The waiting is killing me, to be honest. But having Kay as a friend means you get used to situations where she’ll just vanish on you, on some adventure or other duty. Like she’s trying to be everywhere at once, do everything at once. Woman needs to slow down.”
She yawned, stretching her long arms. “You said Aera was the granddaughter of a god. That makes her part god, herself, doesn’t it?”

--
While Ed excused himself and momentarily spoke with other officers and some of Myka’s crew loitered to either get news or refreshments, the pirate captain stayed behind with Ysaryn, along with a few others, eyeing the Gemini with suspicion. “Eh,” Myka said, shrugging a shoulder, “We share the duty, Narda and I. Rule of thumb is that I’m the Captain while she’s away or incapacitated. The more important thing to note is, Kire is not in charge for so long as she is on board. But you’re right, I am brilliant,” She grinned mischievously at that last, though the women around her groaned.
“You and Nard being leaders only means we’ve decided not to throw you two overboard yet,” the one named Len remarked, grinning. Myka pouted.
“I’m the prettiest of you lot, admit it,” she said, though her expression clearly showed she was joking. The women chuckled before turning somber again, looking around them at how tense everybody was. Myka, too, took to frowning up at the Gemini banners. “If Nard was here, she’d have found some omen in the skies and said ‘this is bad luck’,” she murmured, crossing her arms. “It’s never good news when they’re around.”
“Lying through their teeth,” Len hissed. “Slavers’ friends, they are.”
Myka noticed the empty scabbards. “Lose them on the way here?” she asked. “Are you going back to your world tonight, or are you waiting till the other are found?”

--

“Ha ha. You’re a regular old jester,” Kire said, her tone flat, before sighing deeply. “Can’t say you’re wrong, though. This isn’t even the most ridiculous thing I have ever worn to keep up appearances. You should see me in a dress. Train trailing behind me several miles long. Corset pushing my tits up to my neck. Hair so high the gods can see it.” She wrinkled her nose at the description she had just blurted out. “Yeah, better not see me in a dress.”

She watched the healer do her work, dressing and cleaning his wound. So far, his flesh didn’t look terrible, though her imagination almost ran away with her, imagining it sprouting fur and hearing Ruli growl like the wolves they had just slaughtered. “If you start coughing up furballs, better inform me immediately,” she commented with a brief smirk, before she blinked at his remark about ending up in a pit. “You fell into a pit? Ah—alright, I think I get it,” she said, putting two and two together when she remembered who it was that had come across him.
“I’m giving it until nightfall today, when my scouts have returned. Then, we could bring you and Ysaryn back with or without Zeke, see if we could spot them back at the forest. If Nard and Zeke did get left behind, I feel like they’d have made it back out by now. I’m sure Narda doesn’t want to be around the accursed portal any longer than they need to, once she’s figured out we aren’t coming back that way yet. In the meantime, there’s food and water or stronger drink at the other tent, if you need it.” She fell silent, going over the terms of the temporary truce she had discussed with the Gemini earlier, her face betraying just how much distaste she had for the whole thing. Then, thinking of something, she straightened up and looked at him again.

“Say—do you have any idea at all how to cast those wards Envy uses? Or do you know any protection wards at all? I know there’s wards that can detect magic, and there’s that illusion magic Envy wants to cast on your new city.” Elbows on her knees, Kire steepled her fingers, eyes half-closed as she thought an idea over. “If blood magic worked in your world, and I can detect magic all the same there, regardless of whether it’s Amrian or native, then it’s possible to get those wards to work here, too. The Gemini’s plan is to cast a containment ward around the area where the portal is located, and use that, plus my own portals, to counter and siphon energy away from the gate. Of course, I trust them as much as I can trust Ikegai, but if there’s a way to use other wards instead, the plan could work. That is, if those are the only ‘steps’ behind this plan of theirs.” She paused, frowning, rubbing her face. “When I take you back, I could—hmm,” she stopped, as if considering something that wasn’t entirely a good idea, “I wonder if Gavin has any idea about what such a ritual would require. I’ll only consult with him, not make him do anything,” she clarified.

Wanderers

Narda thanked the elf and proceeded to dig into the food as soon as she was seated. “Hope you don’t mind, that was hungry work back there,” she said. She nodded at Zeke’s summation of their discussion, happy enough with the suggestion he made, then shook her head when asked if she was half Kartaian. “No Kartaians in Amria,” she replied. She wrinkled her nose at the description of the wolf’s burning, but she was nevertheless glad that it burned at all. “Hmm. It’s hard to say. Knowing Kire, she would deduce what would’ve happened to us based on what had happened to Ed and his soldiers when they disappeared.”

She chewed on her food before continuing. “She would perhaps wait until she was sure that we were either there or here. Give or take the rest of the day. She also needs to rest to make sure she has enough power in her for portals. It’s reasonable to hope she would return with them in a day or two at the earliest. If it didn’t take you too long to find Ed and the other Amrians, it hopefully wouldn’t take her long to find the others. Any help you need to help burn that infernal wood down, I would like to help. I’d like to see it razed to the ground with my own eyes. I’m sure Kire wouldn’t return at the exact same spot, if she’s afraid the gate might scatter us again.”

--

“Welcome, sirs,” Kire said, with a voice and expression that definitely did not mean ‘welcome’. “We told your messengers we would be having our meeting in a field not far from here. I trust that won’t be a problem for you?”
“Not at all, milady,” the emissary replied with a curt bow of his head. It may sound like a polite address, but Ed frowned at the omission of the proper honorifics.
The Wyvern delegation led the way, the advance guard heading off road towards the field Kire had mentioned. While an attendant led her horse away, Kire stayed on foot to walk beside Ed and Ysaryn. “It’s possible that the rest are still back in your world,” she said to Ysaryn, “but I’ll just wait a bit longer for the scouts and search parties to come back with any word. If you want, though, I can take you back, just outside the woods. And Ed, I might have one more portal for today after that to send you to Elva.”
“I’m staying with you until you have word of your friends, and while this is going on,” he said, gesturing around them. “I’m not leaving you alone with them.”
Kire looked grateful at that, even as she shook her head. “You shouldn’t be working on your first day back.”
Ed grinned. “I’m lucky to be back, Kay,” he said, glancing at Ysaryn when he mentioned luck, remembering their banter earlier. “Did you think I was planning to retire?”
Kire smiled, though it was brief. If Narda was here, at least she would know her way around. Zeke and Ruli though would have a harder time. And Ruli had an untreated injury.

They reached the field, where a large tent had been erected, the perimeter already guarded by Wyvern soldiers. As Kire’s group approached, a messenger came forward, spoke in hushed tones to one of the knights, who then approached Kire with the message. “Myka’s sent word. The spies had been captured—and they’ve coming back with Ruli,” she said to the other two as they entered the tent. Two well-worn tables were lined up end to end, and some food and drink were laid out on it. As soon as everyone was seated, Kire looked at the emissaries on the opposite end and laced her fingers together on the table.
“Let’s go straight to business. You want help containing and destroying the world gate. The gate your kind had opened to allow a dangerous criminal to escape. The gate that you had also used to help funnel your forces to the Capital and its surrounding cities. The gate that had taken my cousin and my soldiers to another world and left them there for nine months. That gate?”
“Milady—”
“You will speak to her as ‘Your Grace’ while you are under our protection, behind our borders,” Ed said, his tone having just the slightest bite in it.
The emissary cleared his throat. “My apologies—Your Grace.” He had the thinnest smile on for Kire as he spoke. When Kire gestured for him to continue, he nodded and said, “As you know, we officially disavow the actions of the Offworlder criminal Ikegai. As for the gate, what it is now is a result of errant magic. The gate has gone awry, and if we do not do something about it, it might cause more irreparable damage. It had appeared not too long ago and was sensed by our mages, who have been tracking the bursts of errant magic for days now. We are speaking to you also in your capacity as Paladin. For this particular matter, may we set aside our differences and work together to contain the threat?”
Kire, too, had a grim smile on her face. “Quite a large set of ‘differences’ you are asking me to cast aside.”
“Your Grace, we humbly remind you we are in a ceasefire as well.”
“The ceasefire you honored by sending spies across our borders?”
“We sent no spies, Your Grace,” he answered coolly, “just as you had not sent pirates to harass our waters and act as your spies as well.”
Kire leaned back against her seat. “Your people have always been tinkering with forces you don’t understand, and when it goes wrong it becomes my duty to correct your mistakes. You don’t even know who else is still stuck on the other side of that gate, do you?”
This time, the cool mask of the emissary broke a fraction. Ed looked at Kire, wondering what she was playing at. The Gemini boy? Before the emissary could ask what Kire meant, she waved her hand, not giving them the luxury of an answer.
“If I agree, how are we going to go about destroying the gate on this side?”
They had a long discussion, going back and forth about how they would combine the Paladin’s portals and rune circles to contain the world gate and siphon its magic away. Many times Kire’s voice would almost rise in anger, only biting back her temper just enough so the discussion could proceed. “The gate has the tendency to ‘move’, so the net must be wide,” she muttered, steepling her fingers. “I will think it over, and give you an answer within the day.”

She rose and turned her back on them, softly gesturing for Ysaryn and Ed to follow. She hadn’t touched the food and drink, the whole affair making her lose her appetite. “This is not how I imagined I’d introduce my friends to my home,” she commented, smiling briefly at Ysaryn before turning serious again. “You don’t have to be around for this. As soon as they bring Ruli here and have his arm looked at, I can take you back.”
To Ed, she said, “I’m going to weigh my options here by myself for a bit. When Ruli gets here, we could all have a discussion.” She paused. “After the medic takes a look at him.”
--

“A world gate,” Myka muttered under her breath. “Seven hells.” She had asked her fastest scouts to run ahead and send word to expect them. Myka rubbed the bridge of her nose, then looked up sharply when he said who else was in their party. “Did—did you say Ed? As in Edward the Wyvern?” The others who stayed by her side had similar looks of surprise. “By the gods, she really did find him, didn’t she.”
One of the pirates shook her head. “No, we didn’t find anybody else, except the people we were meant to hunt.”

They hurried through the mountain forest as best they could, given the many dips and ridges along their way. “So matron of honour,” Myka said, as they encountered another slope later. From there, though, they could see the beginnings of a wide road at a distance. “You’re saying Kire’s attracted to a sword-happy she-elf? Why doesn’t that surprise me,” she chuckled, a little out of breath. “Is this the elf namd Ysaryn? She does talk fondly of her.” Taking the lead, she half-ran, half-slid down the slope, followed by the others. “It was you who got the sword, though. That at least means she respects you a whole lot.”
“The Empress does kinda like pretty women who can fight,” another put in, eliciting another laugh from Myka. “But for men, though, I dunno, what does she want? She’s horribly fickle with men.”
“Heh, can’t blame her,” Myka commented. “We’re not far from camp, Rulitus,” she said over her shoulder, before pondering on her comrade’s question. “Eh, I think it’s because she has yet to find a guy who challenges her. Just a tip,” she added with a wink at Ruli before they hurried forward.

They followed the road but stayed off it, in the cover of the forest. Far off, they heard an echo of horns. Myka gave instructions, and one of them climbed up a tall tree to scout. “Can’t see much from here, but looks like there’s two forces meeting at the road way ahead and—whoah.”
“What?”
“I see Wyvern banners and Gemini banners.”
“Ah shit,” Myka muttered. “Not too happy with us capturing their friends, maybe?”

Once they had neared the source of the commotion, some Wyvern soldiers spotted and recognized them and told them the Empress was having a parley with the Gemini nearby. “Is this the Empress’s friend?” the soldier asked.
Myka nodded. “They’ve set up a tent for the wedding ceremony,” she whispered to Ruli dramatically. One of the pirates clicked her tongue at her, to which Myka cringed. “I’m just trying to ease the tension, Len,” Myka said. “Come on.”

Ed was the first to greet the party. As soon as Myka and the women saw him, they all but swarmed the Wyvern captain. “Welcome back you handsome devil!” Myka said, embracing him. “It is true, Wyverns are notoriously difficult to kill”
Ed laughed. “Good to see you, Myka. Everyone. How’s the ship? Run her aground yet?”
The women laughed, and Myka patted his arm. “You look really good for a dead man. What have you been eating in the underworld? And”, she looked around, noticing the Empress wasn’t in the tent, “Where’s Kire?”
“Woods nearby. Having a serious think. The Gemini discussed asking for her help to get rid of the gate, now that it’s a potential nuisance for them, too.” He looked over to Ruli. “How’s the arm? Empress’s orders are that you get that looked at first thing. There’s a healer waiting back in another tent,” he said, pointing it out behind him. “Someone should lead you to it. Most understand your tongue here, so you should be fine.”
“Is Nard here?” Myka asked.
Ed shook his head. “We haven’t found her, and another person—Zeke. But let me introduce you girls to somebody first.” He beckoned to them to follow him to Ysaryn nearby. “If I may—Ysaryn, these are Kire’s comrades, the pirates of The Green Wench. This is Myka, their Captain.”
“Well-met, Ysaryn. Kire did mention you to us,” Myka said, smiling. “Your first day here’s quite a ride, isn’t it?”
Ed wrinkled his nose at that. Myka chuckled, then turned somber again.
“We found something back there, by the way. Looks like big trouble.”

Kire, who had been deep in thought not far from the tents, looked up with a slight frown when a knight approached her, telling her that the crew of the Wench had returned with Ruli and important news. Kire rose, silent, and followed the man to the healer’s tent. “Not dead. Good,” she said, sitting opposite him. “Nard and Zeke haven’t been found yet. Either they’re still lost somewhere, or they might have been left behind.” She gestured at his arm. “How’s that feeling?”

Wanderers

Narda wasn’t thrilled to be back at Lithilote, but she knew it was much better than the horror they had just gone through. If they were going to be stranded somewhere, at least it was at the elven court. Given that it was Zeke who had their way in, she let him do the talking, all the while worried about where the others were, and how they were faring. Knowing Kire, she was probably tearing through the seven hells by now trying to find them. As Zeke spoke to their new guide and then, later, narrated to Aera the events leading up to their return visit, Narda kept quiet, wishing hard that she was back at the Wench. Or smoking with Envy.

“We’re mostly unhurt, but the care is appreciated,” she said in response.” Really, she understood how Aera felt at the moment. Her warrior’s façade allowed Narda to ignore the horror around them as they were amongst the twisted forms of the woods, but now that they here, the thought of the woods gave her a shudder. “If you don’t mind, Lady Aera, I’d be up for a conversation once I’ve rested after the baths.” She bent slightly in a bow in thanks.

Narda was glad to clean off the filth from their fight earlier; she scrubbed her skin almost raw. Satisfied, she rose and dried off, and once led to the guest chambers, the giantess crawled onto the bed. That wasn’t a battlefield, but somehow that fight drained her. Was it blood magic, or just the mental exhaustion of fighting the unknown? At least in a war, things were mostly straightforward. No portals, no bloody wolves, no twisting mutated trees. She slept soundly until late afternoon, woken by hunger, after which she left her chambers to prowl and ask for something to fill her belly, resolved to eat first before she’d be up for any kind of conversation.
--
As the elf gripped him tight with all her limbs, Ed could feel just how tense she was while riding. It made riding uncomfortable, but better that than risk her falling off. “Deep breaths, Ysaryn,” he said gently. “I will make a note of it, then. No horses during the tour.” At her remark about not talking, Ed smirked. “Now you’re the one underestimating me,” he chided gently, “though I suppose that’s only fair.” He lapsed back into silence nevertheless, watching the road as their party picked their way through the mounds and rocky earth.

Soon enough, they sighted the flatter, more even main road just beyond their current path. “How much farther?” Ed asked.
“Not long, my lord. A quarter hour at wor—”
They heard the blast of horns from afar, answered by another. Their escorts slowed down, speaking to each other in Taakalon. “Are we expecting company?” Ed asked.
“Yes, my lord, but we were expecting them to come from the other direction.” The knight grunted. “We’d best hurry, my lord.”

“Only a little further,” he whispered to Ysaryn apologetically, before he spurred his horse forward. He was quiet for the last leg of their journey, focusing on keeping their pace. It didn’t look like they were being chased, but there certainly was another group on horseback coming their way. After what would have felt like an eternity for the elf, Ed could see the Wyvern banners flying ahead, a battalion already stationed along the road, Wyvern soldiers lining the way. Their standard—a twisting golden Wyvern on a field of jade—fluttered as if the legendary creature was giving life to the banners.

On the other end of the line, flanked by knights, was Kire on her own steed. Though she still wore her travelling clothes, around her shoulders was a regal cloak, a deep green embroidered with gold thread. There was a shadow of worry on her face, but the moment she saw Ed and Ysaryn, she broke into a smile. “Thank the gods, you brigands,” she said, urging her horse forward to meet theirs. The moment they were close enough, she all but jumped off her horse to embrace Ed. A murmur arose around them; many had heard by now that the long-missing Edward was one of the people they were searching for, and seeing him now, in strange company, and now held in a hug by the Empress herself, was like stepping into a storybook or fairytale.

Ed returned the embrace. “Sorry for worrying you,” he murmured, patting his cousin’s back before letting her go. “Can’t kill us that easily.”
“It’s not just you,” Kire said back. Before answering his silent query, she turned to Ysaryn and hugged her too. “I know you don’t like horserides. Sorry you had to go through that.” She spoke to the knights who had escorted Ed, thanking them for their work, before the worry worked its way back into her expression. “We haven’t found Ruli, Narda, or Zeke yet. And—we have guests.” She didn’t look thrilled at that last detail. “Be ready. They’ve come to parley.”

Some ten minutes after Ed and Ysaryn had arrived, a small armed group appeared on the road from where they had just come. First came the Wyvern escorts, joining their fellows as they lined the road. Behind them, a group that carried two banners: a simple flag of white and blue, indicating that they came in peace; and a black banner, with two pale faces in profile, woven with silver thread, save for the deep ruby red eyes.
“You are coming into the presence of Her Majesty Akire, the one, true Empress of Amria,” the Wyvern herald announced. Then, turning to Kire, “Your Majesty, the emissaries of the Gemini.”

--

Rulitus.
The women shifted. “Myka,” one of them said, but the pirate captain put a finger to her lips. Kire had told the story of her hunt for Ikegai and how she had spent her days in the other world to Myka and Narda, and the others heard another version of the Empress’s tale when they had gotten Kire drunk enough to be much more loose-lipped. It made some sense, then, that this was Kire’s friend. His appearance, the sword being a gift, his ability similar to Kire’s, and his personality. Even those who had voted to have him killed changed their expressions, brows raised in both surprise and anxiety at the possibility of almost killing one of Kire’s allies. Ring or no Ring, the Empress’s anger wasn’t one to be taken lightly.

Myka, however, kept her cool. He was tight-lipped, wary of them as they were of him, even if both parties knew they were allied to the same person. “Well, we would, if we knew where she was. Till then, you’d understand if we still have questions for you. And here we thought you’d be chattier now that you were out of the pit.” She clicked her tongue. “There should be another member of our party that came along with the Empress when she left us last. Have you seen her?” Myka turned to her comrades, spoke softly in Taakalon. The others nodded, and the signal went up. Time to go back..
Someone tapped Rulitus on the shoulder, telling him to stop. The ground began to slope slightly downwards; they were on the other side of the hill from where they had first seen Rulitus and the spies earlier. They made their way down the gentle incline as fast as they could with their captive. Someone held onto the back of Ruli’s shirt as they picked their way down. Once they were on level ground, they continued after hearing the signal from their scouts that the coast was clear. Myka unsheathed the saber and practicing some drills with it, silently wishing Kire would give her another blade this fancy.
“You know what,” Myka said as she played with the saber, her tone flat, “the Empress would only give these blades to two kinds of people: old friends, and the person she thinks is worthy of marriage. She’s picky with her men, you see.” She pressed her finger to her lips again before anyone could question or laugh at her ridiculous inquiry. “Seeing as we haven’t met you before, when’s the wedding?”

More bird calls—but these sounded different from before. “They’ve spotted something,” Myka remarked, and they called for a halt. It didn’t take long for their scouts to come back; they seemed to have hurried full speed. “Gemini, or something else?”
“Something else,” one scout answered. “Looked like one of Kire’s portals from a distance, only bigger.”
Myka’s eyes widened. “Where exactly?”
After the scout answered, pointing to the direction they were heading for, she turned to Ruli, chewing her lip, as if debating something, then with a growl she reached up and pulled off his blindfold. “We’re running back to rejoin the others. You better tell me if you know anything about that portal or not.”

Wanderers

Narda laughed at Zeke’s assessment of Amrians. “You’ll be terribly disappointed if you ever manage to visit. It just so happens that any Amrian who can travel to your world is friends with the Empress, and friends with the Empress means they have to be good enough to give her a run for her money. Narda noticed his discomfort at the question and waited patiently for his response, nodding when he assented. “Elva’s fingers are magic. You’d think it’d be hard to massage the knots out of a big woman like me, but I forgot Wyverns liked a challenge,” she said, chuckling. “I was knocked out afterward.”

She hummed in thought over his question as they picked their way through the path they had hacked out of the trees, still dragging the wolf carcass along. “Either she brings you there, or, if Elva assents to it, visits you here. As for what it’s like, Amria is a vast place. A whole continent for an empire, and allied kingdoms out of that scope. Depending on where you are, we have four seasons. Up North, very cold. That’s where Elva currently is. But so far, not too big of a difference between our worlds, save for the kinds of magic you find I suppose, given that there are no elves there, and no blood magicians here.”

They were finally outside the dark forest. Now that the sun was out and they were looking at it from the outside, it looked smaller, somehow. Diminished. Narda didn’t know if it was because of the sunlight shining fully on it or because the magic portal had dissipated. “Hopefully when we find ourselves at the elves’ borders, we’d have a much better welcome than we did the other day,” she said, running her hand through her curls.
--
“Not horribly undignified. Anyone new to horses always has a difficult time,” Ed reassured, “And I’d like to think it would be hard to make you look undignified anyway.” He said the last with a small smile, before turning to the knights. “One horse for myself; the lady will ride with me. And escorts. Are we close to any Gemini camps?”
“Not presently, my lord,” the leader said, while the rest called back to the gate to bring a fresh steed for the Wyvern. “But we’ve been on high alert after the word on spies.”
“Duly noted.”
Once the horse was brought to them, Ed mounted, then offered his hand to Ysaryn. “It’s been a long while,” he murmured to myself. Then, to the elf, “Arms around my middle. We’ll be going fast, but let me know if you feel like you’re slipping. Don’t want my lucky charm falling off.”

As soon as everyone was ready, they were off. Ed was quiet as they galloped forward, following the dirt road. After a while the path became more uneven, the forest growing closer around them. The group slowed their pace a little. “How are you faring?” he asked. “We’ll be entering the wider road soon. Smoother than the path we’re on right now, at least. Does your head still hurt from Shadow-walking?” If they hadn’t been in a hurry, he would have enjoyed the ride, the green of Amrian forests. Ysaryn’s description earlier of how Amria smelled, he could relate to that. After being away for so long, he could notice the difference between the air in Lithilote and here. “If circumstances were better I’d have shown you around,” he added wistfully.
--
Myka frowned down at the man in the pit. “I don’t like this,Myka,” one of them said. Myka watched him as the women softly debated in Taakalon around her, seeing if anything that even remotely resembled recognition of the language betrayed itself in his expression.
“Sadly, our captive has a point,” Myka said, and she could see in her comrades’ faces that they knew this full well. “I am really curious about him. He’s still here, despite that whole ‘disappearing’ business earlier. There’s something he needs, and that he has a weapon he has yet to draw means he hasn’t made up his mind to spill blood yet. And he’s injured. We either let him out, he makes another run for it and we’re back to the same situation. Or we leave him down here, and maybe do the merry chase again.”
“One more thing,” put in another woman, “if he can do that magic thing, why didn’t he just magic himself to actual safety, rather than go through the effort of running away from us? His ability has limitations.”
“We could kill him now,” another one put in. “Just to be safe. Imagine someone who can transport themselves at will like that, if this man finds himself in Gemini employ, we’ll be in deep trouble.”
Myka sighed; she really didn’t want it to come to that, not when they didn’t know the first thing about their captive, but she could tell a couple of them wholly didn’t trust him.
“Let’s put it to a vote, then.”
Two women voted to dispose of him. Expected. Four votes for leaving him trapped or incapacitated. Another four for letting him out but on specific conditions. “Captain?”
“Hm. Alright.” Myka barked out instructions for the others around them, then more of the whistling signals, alerting those who were watching from a distance. “You down there,” Myka said, “here are our conditions: hand over your sword first, before we let you out. After, you either put on restraints or a blindfold or both. Seeing as you so kindly pointed out that you can escape anyway, these shouldn’t be too big of a problem. Beats being stuck down a hole.” One of the women whistled to the others. Get ready.

The saber looked even better up close. She looked down at their captive, then drew one of her knives. While the other, sheathed knife looked well-worn, the one she held next to the saber had the same level of elaborate detail on the hilt. She tilted both of them, staring at the pommel. The same symbol had been etched into both. “Definitely Guiller’s work,” she murmured.
“Didn’t Kire give that knife to you?”
Myka nodded before sheathing the knife again. “Let him out. Ready the blindfold.”

Once the blindfold was on, one of the women told him to walk forward and obey all other instructions. “So, stranger,” Myka started, admiring the saber before turning her attention to their captive. “Let’s start with your name, how you got here, and why you have the sword.”

Wanderers

“The more I hear about your foster father, the more I am impressed. A remarkable individual, that,” Narda sad, grinning. “He trained you well. And Captain, eh? You and Edward would’ve been two peas,” she said, chuckling. Considering Zeke’s earlier suggestion, she picked one of the dead wolves whose features she hadn’t completely bashed in yet, tied its limbs with some vine she had pulled free, and dragged it along. It would’ve been easy enough to lift the thing over her shoulders, and Narda wasn’t normally squeamish. But she didn’t really like the idea of having the monster’s flesh so close to her own.

Behind him, a few stragglers still stalked them, but Narda picked up a large branch and tossed it at them. They scattered, and fewer came back to trail them, the distance much greater now. They were nearing the edge of the forest, for which Narda was immensely relieved; she could make out the spot they had entered earlier. “That thing you’re doing,” she said, wondering aloud after noticing Zeke’s movements, “your neck hurts? Is that new or old? Kire knows one of the best healers. Ed’s sister. And she’s trained other healers as well. Don’t mean to pry, but if you’re interested in taking up the offer, I’m sure Kire wouldn’t mind letting you see her.”
--

Ed looked at Ysaryn and noticed the unease apparent in her features, in the way she moved, the cautious gaze in her eyes. He wanted to ask if she would like to borrow his weapon, but from what he had seen of her attitude so far, that might be taken as an insult. He nodded when she indicated the limits of her ability. “That should be far enough,” he said, taking her hand. When they emerged at the bottom of the ridge, he hovered over her, letting her get her bearings back while watching for any danger approaching them. “Best not then. Save it for if things go dire.”

No sign of trouble so far. He wondered which direction Kire would take to search for them, if she was anywhere around here. He looked back at her when she made her statement and nodded, knowing full well the implications of it. “Understood. I’m afraid there’s no way of guaranteeing they wouldn’t be wary of you,” Ed said, as he thought through their options. “Staying by my side would be the better bet, and if there is trouble just in case, at least we’re not too far from one another.” He paused, thinking something over. “I know you don’t wish to be addressed as ‘Lady’, but I may give you a title they would understand when I introduce you.”

They approached the farmland, where he noticed that there were only a few people around, the head of households left behind to watch the land and animals. Hm. There might have been recent conflict, with most of the citizens had been asked to hole up behind the walls, and these were the first people allowed back out to tend to their property. None of them stopped the two, so he kept going down the road towards the gates. By then, Ed knew whoever was manning the town’s walls would have spotted them by now, and his suspicions were answered by the blast of a horn. Ed stopped his advance. “Here they come,” he said, watching as the gates of the town opened. Soldiers clad in armor, carrying two banners—one for the ruling family of this province and the other the Wyvern banner—rode towards them. Ed counted fifteen. A tad excessive. Unless they were expecting attacks.

He raised his hands to show them he wasn’t going to fight. The soldiers approached, some carrying spears trained at the two, until their leader called for a halt. “State your business, sir, lady,” he said, eyeing Ed with suspicion. Before Ed could speak, however, something else dawned on the man’s face as he held up a hand while looking at Ed, then at Ysaryn. He called one of his soldiers forward, gesturing at him; the soldier handed him a slip of parchment, which he unrolled and read quickly. “If I may ask,” he said, his tone slightly less harsh than it was a moment ago, “What are your names, and how did you arrive here?”
“Edward. Wyvern House. My companion here is Ysaryn, a friend of the Empress, ambassador of her people. We were transported here by accident, and we got separated from the Empress and our other companions.”
They were sent a message about us. “Lucky,” he whispered to Ysaryn in Elvish, winking at her.
“I see.” The man’s gaze fell from their faces to Ed’s weapon. “One more thing; do you have a token on your person, a pin?”
Ed fished the small brooch Aera had given him and held it up; one of the men approached and showed it to their leader. The other soldiers were looking at him with what seemed to be a mix of awe and fear. The soldier handed Ed back the pin and stepped back, while the leader dismounted to approach him and knelt. “Forgive the questions, my lord. You never know with the Gemini, and there had been reports of spies some time ago. My lady Ysaryn,” he said, turning to Ysaryn as he turned to Ysaryn. Ed gestured for the man to rise. “May we escort the both of you inside? We’ll send a bird back to the camp to let them know you’re here while you wait. Or if you’d prefer, we can give you horses and an escort to bring you to the army.”

--
The calls sounded from their crewmates; the man had been captured. “[]What was that, Myka? How did he do that?[/i]” one asked, as they slowed their pace. They knew the others would have surrounded him by now.
“Mm. Beats me. Maybe Kire knows. I have a couple of questions for him myself.” Myka wasn’t tall, was shorter than Kire by perhaps a few inches. She was much leaner too, but packed with muscle. She had short black hair that would fall to her chin if it wasn’t currently tied back securely. She had a shortsword as well as two knives hanging from her belt. When she reached the pit, most of the women were already gathered around the lip of it, weapons drawn.

At his remark, some of the women growled in annoyance, while the others laughed. “This one’s got lip on him. Can’t place his accent, though,” said one of the women who weren’t amused. “Maybe he’d be better off without that tongue.”
Myka chuckled as she crouched over the pit. “He makes such a convincing case though, eh girls? Too pretty to be a Gemini spy, this one.” Another ripple of laughter.
“You’re going soft, Captain. Can we keep him, then?”
“Or wrap a bow around him and give him to Kire.”
Myka stuck her tongue out at the idea. “Don’t know if he’s her type. Not worth the effort. Hey, you,” she said, finally pointing down at their prisoner. “Firstly, how does someone who says he can’t understand Taakalon wind up right where Gemini spies have slipped through, and being able to use magic, too? And secondly,” here her grin disappeared, “how did you end up with a sword made by a master smith at the Empress’s employ?”

Wanderers

Narda grunted at the thought of having to travel any of those distances. “I too would rather be eating meat after what he had just gone through. But first, we have to get out of this forest.” As they cautiously made their way back through the way they had come earlier, Narda noted how the trees nearest to the portal earlier looked deader than those ahead of them. Under the sunlight though, everything looked lifeless, really. Still sinister, but not as bad as it had been when they first entered. More wolves headed their way, but these were fewer, and Narda was able to dispatch them easily. They scared more easily, too, while a few broke off, disoriented and mad like the one she had killed earlier.

“Do you think the elves would find a way to destroy this place?” she asked, as she hacked her way through some of the more stubborn trees. “Even if the magic has gone from the place, if I were them I would rest easier if this forest was razed to the ground. Let new life grow over it without—all this,” she said, gesturing around them. “Three more behind you, stay sharp.”

She all but pushed one tree aside with one arm; it almost crumbled under her touch, as if real death and decay were finally catching up to the forest. “You fought well today,” she said with a grin. “You’d get along well with our crew. Did Envy train you to fight?”

--
“My apologies,” Ed said, stopping to look at the shadow elf beside him. “Merely a habit to be concerned with any warriors’ wellbeing.” He had a playful smirk on his lips before looking back ahead of them. Her concerns were understandable. “Correct on most counts. I would venture to say, however, that if they recognize who I am, I am more valuable to them as a hostage. And I am confident you are quite hard to kill. Kire chooses her friends well. Mostly,” he added, his thoughts going briefly to Rulitus, whom he hadn’t decided yet how to feel about. “If I do get you killed, you are very welcome to haunt all my days henceforth.”

He glanced her way again, seeing her fidgeting with her hair. While traveling through Shadow-Walking seemed easier than Kire’s portals, this was a reminder to him that anything involving magic had consequences. There was no ‘easy’. He nodded idly when she spoke in Elvish. “Let’s hope your luck holds,” he replied softly. “I don’t intend on dying so soon after coming home.” He paused, looking about, recognizing this portion of the forest as he observed the bend in the stream, the way the mountain peaks looked. He followed the stream until he found, some distance away, the forest thinning out into farmland. He could see pens for animals, though his attention was on the horses. Beyond the farms, he could see the town protected by tall wooden barricades. There were banners flying from the barricades, and Ed grinned, seeing the green and gold fluttering in the wind.

“Looks like our luck did hold.” Ed grinned back at her. “We’re in Wyvern land.” He paused in thought, then turned to her. “[i]Can you Walk us closer? Or I can go forward on my own first while you stay hidden.” While these were allied lands, there was no telling what was going on behind those walls.

--

Myka’s comrades circled Ruli as the rest of the party converged on the two Gemini spies. The women were ready to pounce, even as he spoke in the common tongue and told them he didn’t know Taakalon. Myka glanced up, observing him, her gaze falling to the glinting saber at his hip. That looks familiar. Most understood what he said, but before he could be questioned, he disappeared. “Shit!” Myka yelled, having just caught up with them. “Half of you escort the men back to the Wyvern camp. Strike them down at first sign of danger. The rest of you, spread out! Capture him alive! He doesn’t speak Taakalon, I need to question him.”

How could he disappear like that? Was he like Kire? Myka thought, racing through the trees uphill. Or was this a new Gemini trick? No, something in her gut told her this was different. From the brief observation they made of him, he had an injured arm, and if he didn’t speak the language he was very, very far from home. How could he know the common tongue but not Taakalon? Somebody ahead of her shouted that he was making a run due west. Loud whistles and ‘bird calls’ sounded from her comrades, answered from a distance by other whistles. He may have gotten the lead, but he’d be surrounded soon if he kept going in that direction, and he would encounter a barricade too, even if he slipped past the rest of the Wench crew.

Ahead of Ruli, Myka’s crewmates received the signal. If all went well, their sisters would herd the man to a corner, towards a few traps they had set for the spies. If he went left, he’d stumble into a pit they had hidden. If he continued straight, he’d be trapped against the barricade. To his right, the rest of the Wench would flank him.

Wanderers

If he’s close, I can trace his signature. Same with Ysaryn, Kire thought, as the battalion escorted her back to camp. She had visited this camp a week before she and Narda showed up at the mountain refuge. Though most of the family was in the far North for their safety, particularly on account of the younger cousins and Elva, who needed to be present for her people, Kire herself would move from The Green Wench to the major camps. Already at her orders officers began orienting scouts and any man or woman they could spare for the search. They had found a fresh steed for Kire to use, though when they offered her a tent and refreshment, Kire refused.

The riders and scouts were to be sent out in two opposite directions, scouring the area she had indicated. “What if we get news that your allies had found themselves in enemy territory?” one of the officers asked.
“Then you come straight to me with the information. I will deal with it myself.”
“One more matter, Your Grace, regarding the issue we’ve encountered. Earlier today we’ve finally confirmed reports of enemy spies and which passage through the mountains they had been using, and we’d sent reinforcements to watch this place. In case your allies are on the other side and extracting them would require stealth, we could use this passage. The Lady Myka had also insisted on joining the hunting party for the spies, given that The Wench had tracked their covert mission.”

--

Downhill, their passage obscured by rocks and heavy foliage, two figures emerged, conversing in heated Taakalon. They knew they had been discovered, and the Wyvern soldiers had already captured their other spies and found one of the ways through the mountain they had used to pass through undetected. The mountain afforded them many passages, which allowed them to escape the hunt, but they knew it would only be a matter of time before the mountain was sealed off from them. They needed to rejoin the other Gemini forces soon with the information about the nearest encampment and their movements.

“Hey, thank you for that,” a voice called down to them from her perch. A woman, about the same age as Kire and dressed in deep greens, grinned down at the two spies. “We were wondering where you two went. One of your friends had been pretty loose-lipped, you see.” From various other hiding places, other women had emerged, flanking the two men.
“Myka!” one of them called. “There’s one more we missed. Uphill!.

--

Thank the gods, Ed thought, seeing Ysaryn as she stepped through the shrubbery. He grinned at her first words to him, even if it was a threat of sorts. He sheathed his sword and stepped closer, looking her over. “I didn’t like that, either. Kire had me come along a coupe of times to use the portal she summons with her Ring, and I did not care for the experience either. I don’t know if this was better or worse.” She met his gaze, and Ed could barely stop himself from grinning giddily. “We’re in Amria. I recognize these mountains. I’d see them every day from a distance, at the Capital.” He pointed at one of the mountain ridges. “Over the other side, thereabouts. Somewhere that way was where my soldiers and I had first disappeared.” And where Earnest was killed. Ed turned away, scanning the rest of the forest. “If they were pulled in with us, they couldn’t be too far. Just like me and the people under my command, we’re scattered, but hopefully within a couple of miles of each other.” Which was still a great distance to try and find individuals, especially when half their number did not come from Amria.

Ed started moving east, keeping an eye out for Ysaryn in case she was still wobbly on her feet. “Our other potential problem depends on if this part of the country is still under Kire’s command, or was part of the territories the Gemini and their allies had seized. If we keep moving this way, we should find a small town. We’d know from there which occupying force is keeping the peace. Ideally, we’d hope to run into the rest of them before then. How are you feeling? Are you up for a long walk?”

--

Narda was just about to bring her axe down onto the rune circle when she paused, pondering Zeke’s question. “I don’t actually know. I am not a sorcerer, so all I know would be basic knowledge, whatever else Kire and her cousins would discuss.” Narda frowned at the symbols. “Magic,” she muttered, shaking her head. “A rune circle’s magic is usually broken when the circle is. Of course, that doesn’t mean there won’t be repercussions to destroying it. Tch.” His other questions made her frown deepen, and she gripped her axe, hating how helpless she was at the moment.

“You’re probably right to fear anything that shakes Kire to the point of shrieking,” the giantess assented, sighing. “But her portals are different. The Ring on her finger, it allows her to use portals with precision, like a finely tuned weapon or instrument. She can appear and reappear at a certain place she has pictured or traced almost accurately. This,” she said, gesturing at the runes, “is like trying to stopper a tornado, it seems.” She may not be a sorcerer, but Narda had listened to Kire and Daryll go back and forth about the Ring too many times for her not to retain some knowledge. Narda watched him draw his blade across the first rune and realized she was holding her breath.

Nothing. Narda listened carefully. The twisted forest was quiet, for now, so Narda bent down, similarly etching her blade across the glowing marks. By the fourth rune, Narda straightened up, axe at the ready. The smells around them shifted, the rot more pronounced. She heard the noises of the wolves again, but something else was different about the forest. “It’s a lot less dark now,” she noted, before the first wolf appeared over the slope, snarling and snapping as if plagued by insects swarming around its head. The wolf ran down the slope, then tumbled, skidded, until its twisted body slammed against one of the trees at the bottom. It struggled to its feet, snapping at Narda and Zeke, but clearly it didn’t have the same kind of focused killing intent as it had earlier.

Narda raised her axe and sliced the creature’s head off. “Something has snapped within this place,” she said, noticing how the trees looked much drier and more ashen now. “But we aren’t out of the woods yet. Do you think the elves would take us in? I have confidence Kire will return with our comrades, but there’s no telling how soon that would be.”

Wanderers

Kire stared down at the world gate. It was smaller than she had expected, but she knew it was no less dangerous. Before the brightness could burn into her eyes she looked away, at Ysaryn, to see if she was alright. Narda let her go, shaking her head as the elf vomited. “This one’s feisty. Could give you a run for your money, Wyvernling.”
Kire smiled briefly at that, before turning her attention to Ruli, frowning again as he examined his arm. She squinted at the injury, touched his arm as she observed it. “Fuck.” She clicked her tongue, lips pursed before she looked up at him when he asked his question. “I don’t know. But I’m more worried about other things.” She looked pointedly at him. No doubt more than just a drop of his blood had spilled onto the ground. “Don’t go down there. Any of you. I’ll check on it, see if there’s a way to close it from this side. If anything changes, get out. I mean it,” she said, seeing the objection in the Amrians’ eyes.

She turned her back to them, already halfway down the slope when the portal flashed blue. “Kire, stay back!” Ed yelled behind her, sliding down to go after her. But the portal had already grown bigger, and the swirling blue light grew more violent in its movements.
“Turn back! Now!” Kire yelled, but at that point she had been engulfed by the brightness. It felt like her portals, only this time she could feel her own body being yanked through a large windswept passageway, rather than her whole being dissolving as it squeezed her through a whirlwind tunnel. She screamed, but she couldn’t hear it over the thunder of portal energies sweeping around her. She closed her eyes, hanging onto consciousness, until at last she felt her body thud and skip through soil. She heard her sword clanking onto the ground.

It was mid-day, wherever she was. Kire was panting heavily, one arm shielding her face. After catching her breath, she clambered onto all fours, then stood on shaky legs. What is that sound? She felt the ground shaken by thunder, until her mind finally caught up to what she was hearing. Horses. Kire whirled around, expecting to see her companions but instead came face to face with an army. Her army. Amria, thank the gods. They were surrounded by a mountain range; on the other side of that, and two weeks’ ride south, was the occupied Capital.

The soldiers, upon drawing near, took one look at their empress and halted, orders barked down the line. They were in borderlands, she knew; this was one of the demarcation zones between occupied Gemini lands and the ones the Wyvern empire controlled. Immediately the officers disembarked and knelt. “Your Grace, we didn’t expect you back so soon for your rounds, forgive us,” one of them said. “Do you need a tour of camp? Have our plans to hold the line and patrol changed?”
“I wasn’t here by design. I got called here by Gemini magic,” she said, looking around still for any sign of them, as if expecting Ysaryn or Ruli to shadow-walk the rest of their party to her. She swallowed the panic that threatened to rise inside her I can’t lose Ed again. I can’t lose any of them. Gods forbid any of them ended up behind enemy lines. “I need your help. I’m missing five companions. Two are Amria: Lady Narda the Countess of Wild Meadows, some of you have seen her with me. Giantess, hard to miss. The other you should be familiar with. Lord Edward.”
She knew this would be a surprise to them, but she didn’t have time to explain now. One of the lieutenants offered a place for her on his steed, and Kire took it. “The other three are strangers to Amria, which is why finding them is paramount. Relay the word along to our forces down the valley. My estimate would be that they might have landed anywhere within two miles of here, give or take a few. We need to hurry.” She hoped it was two miles; the world gate was clearly unstable.
“One more thing. If you see a bright blue light, keep your men away!”
--

Ed knew how this had felt before. Once. The winds that seemed to sear and tear at his flesh, the blinding light, and, finally, the sensation of being spat out onto the ground. Only this time, it seemed he had landed on somewhere wet. He found himself in a forest, but this one at least smelled normal. Alive. Decaying forest detritus without the rot of blood magic permeating it. Something else, too, pulled at his senses. As he stood up, checking to make sure he hadn’t broken anything, it began to sink in. He had been to this forest before. He looked up to see the end of a mountain range and he recognized its peaks. “I’m home,” he breathed, his heart thudding in his chest so much he thought it would burst. His eyes grew wet with tears.

He would celebrate later. Right now, he needed to find the others. Things had changed a lot during his nine months away, and he didn’t want to risk getting stranded for too long somewhere that was occupied Gemini territory by accident. He heard a rustling behind him, and he immediately picked up his sword, readying himself for either friend or foe.

--

Narda had been knocked back by a blast of energy from the portal, almost rolling down the slope from where they had just come. “Kay! Ed!” The giantess coughed as she struggled to her feet. Gods, it felt like a blast of fire; she was surprised to find herself whole, without burn marks. Gods-be-damned magic! She looked around wildly and found she was alone, save for Zeke. “No…” She scrambled back up the hill and looked down. She didn’t like what she saw. No Kire, No Ed. No Ruli or Ysaryn either. Even the gate had disappeared, and the area around it looked scorched. Narda growled, then saw something at the epicenter where the gate had been. Amrian runes branded onto the ground, shining faintly blue, forming a rune circle.

She looked back at Zeke. “Are you hurt?” she asked. “I have a feeling I know where they are. The portal must have taken them back to Amria.” Her face looked grim, pointing to the runes. “We’ll have to break that circle, I surmise. Before that portal flairs up again. If they’re in Amria, Kire can find them, but this world gate shouldn’t be opened on this side again.” Around them, the haunted thicket looked deader to her somehow, as if the portal had leeched what twisted life was in them.