Oron

Chaelene
by
(C) Elena A. Van Horn

I watched as the bus disappeared. It would probably be another hour till I got home in this mist. Usually it would only take me half an hour to get to my house from the bus stop. But with this mist I would have to be extra careful.
I sighed and slowly made my way down the road. Listening. I had always hated not being able to see where I was going, but I had gotten used to it now because ever since I had moved in with my older sister down here in this small town in the middle of Wales. . . which was dark and damp enough to feel like you were in the middle of a whale. The mists had appeared every other day.
So I adjusted. My ears were my sole navigator now. That and my uncanny luck, to get in danger and just as easily get out. I had been having that kind of feeling all day . . . and dreading it. I could feel it in my core . . . Today was going to be one of those days.
There was no stopping it now that I was here. The bus was gone so there was no way I could just get a ride back to the nearest gas station. So I stepped forward raising my arms and fingers swirling the gray mist. Ready to catch myself in case that I tripped. The mist only got thicker. It was like stepping through a gray soup except the soup kept you warm and the mist just made me feel wet. I started shivering as the damp air pressed all around me.
Would I ever get there! Would I be trapped wandering around forever! Or at least until I fell off a cliff where my sister would find me the next day!! I started running, breathing quicker and coughing as the watery air turned to liquid in my lungs. The land started sloping down and before I could stop myself I slipped and started sliding down the hill. I tried to grab a passing branch as I slid down the hill faster and faster! I only succeeded in getting a long cut down the middle of my hand. I don’t know how long I rolled down feeling every bump and branch on the way until finally I slowly slid to a stop at what I hoped was the bottom. I just laid there on the cold damp grass and shivered.
Very slowly I opened my eyes . . . and there far into the distance was a small light. Barely noticeable in the thick mist, but there nonetheless. It was like a small star of hope, and was all I needed. I stood up and slipped on the wet grass sliding farther down and farther from the light. I felt around in the dark and it was as if someone shoved a big branch in my hand. I grasped it as firmly as I could with my uninjured hand and stood up again. This time I stayed. I was unbalanced but I was okay.
Treading slowly and never taking my eyes off the light in the distance I got closer. Little by little it got brighter. That's how I stayed for I don't know how long in the dark. Moving from tree branch to tree branch to steady my self. Several more times I slipped, but always caught myself. I moved along slowly until I reached the edge of the trees. Now I could see the light and more importantly, the house, clearly.
The strange thing about the house was that it wasn't mine. My house was the only house around here. The closest house was ten miles away from our house and it wasn't even near the forest. I looked around me cautiously. I was still in the forest. As I stepped away from the trees I got a better view of the house it was very old and looked more like the seven dwarfs' cottage before Snow White took up house keeping. It was made entirely of wood and the light I had seen shone from a lantern outside the front door hanging from a nail.
I knew sometimes people stayed out in the forest to be by themselves sometimes to become, "one" with nature, but this was just plain ridiculous! Still the person who lived there might help me find a way out of the forest. I took a few more steps forward, reaching border and finally going past the edge of the mist where it thinned out and disappeared.
I blinked at what I saw too surprised to make a sound and fell down again. I was doing a lot of that today. I closed my eyes and opened them again, several times. The woods had disappeared. They had vanished, gone poof! I sat there for a minute gaping. Then gathering my senses I tried running back the way I had come but the woods didn't reappear. That's when I noticed it, ALL the mist was gone. There wasn't even a sign that it had ever been there. The sky was pale blue and there wasn't a cloud in sight. The instant I had stepped over the border the temperature had changed, it now was hot. I shivered. "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Toto." I murmured to myself, looking around again. This time trying to find anything familiar. I had gone out into the forest many times, but I had always been able to find my way back to the house. Somehow I had the idea that this time was going to be different, "Duh" I told myself. "Shez is going to kill you when you get back so late." Finally I started towards the shack again, this time a lot more cautious, wary of another landscape change. Nothing happened. I stopped waited a moment and then dashed towards the shack.
Once I reached it, the door opened smoothly. The house was empty. Nothing moved and even the light seemed to stand still. The silence scared me. There was a deathly attribute to it, “Come on.” I told myself as I leaned against the door frame. “It's just a house.” I stood there gathering my courage for a few moments. Then I entered.
At that moment I heard it. . .someone was yelling close by. I left the house again and race outside in time to see the trees reappear. A figure cloaked in green raced across the clearing towards me. There were eight riders chasing him. The riders each held a sword an were slashing at the man viciously. The man put on some speed and got ahead , he raced past me towards the other side of the clearing. He glanced at me when he passed, I felt as if his very look had pierced me to the core. Then he raced past me and I could only see his back. The riders were far behind him. Then he tripped, he looked behind himself and for a moment our eyes met. His eyes were pleading into mine. I had no idea what he wanted. Then he got up and continued running. He vanished into the forest with the riders now very close behind him. Then they too disappeared.
With the reappearance of the forest my own joy had reappeared. I felt like yelling and ran for the forest as fast as I could. I held a great fear that as soon as I reached the edge it would disappear. When I reached the forest I barely held back a whimper. It was a forest. . . but it wasn't my forest. The trees looked like pines and changed colors. They started purple and the faded into bright pink and then brightened into red. It went on and on. I sat down by one of the trees, I just barely held back the tears. I wanted to be home again.
Then I felt it. I was sitting on something. I stood up and picked up the object. It looked like a pocket watch, the kind you would expect to see English men wearing in movies. I opened it up and looked in it. On the inside it didn't look like a watch at all. Inside there was a picture. It looked like outer space and it shimmered beautifully. There were distant stars but I could see one planet up close. It was unlike any pictures of any planet I had ever seen. It was completely golden except for it was riddled with green spots and blue spot across it's surface. . . it was like earth except there was no ocean. I had never heard of anything like this in my home. . . In my home! My goodness where am I? This is like one of those science fiction movies. Where some poor soul happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and gets sent halfway across the universe. I tried to make myself laugh at my own lame joke. I closed the watch and slowed my gasping breaths. Okay thinking outside of the box. . . what could have happened to me and where am I? Think rationally. I could have stumbled on some pretty weird people who liked to live and dress old fashioned. Yea, right. All I had to do to kill that idea was look at the flashing trees. It was pretty obvious that where ever I was I wasn't in any place that anyone had heard of before.
I rested there for a long time. The device rested on the grass beside me untouched. It was as if somewhere someone wanted to make sure that I was totally freaked. As the stars appeared in the sky I grew more scared than I ever could had ever imagined.
I stared at the stars for a long time before it all computed. The stars above me weren't earth's stars. I couldn't identify any constellations. I stumbled backwards and nearly tripped. I only had been joking when I had said that I wasn't on earth. I grasped that flashing tree and stared at the stars, frozen. Slowly I slid to the ground and tried to calm myself. It was a long time before I could force myself to move. Finally my frozen body stretched and moved and moved I couldn't stop moving!
I stood up and started to pace. This was ridiculous! Even if it were possible that it was possible, which it wasn't, how could it have happened? I closed my eyes, but it had happened, I wasn't on earth. I would know, ever since my parents death I had buried my self into my studies. The stars had been part of what I had used to bury myself. There was no doubt. My sister hadn't helped much either. I hadn't even known I had a sister until my parents death. She wouldn't talk about them and letting me live in her house was as far as she went into the sisterly kindness thing. In a matter of months I had learned more than I had in my whole school life. My mind grew frantic for other answers. Was I still asleep in the mist? Had my slip on the hill been more harmful than I had thought?
I pinched myself hard. I clenched my teeth and felt all the pain. Blood started welling up where I had pinched myself. I was awake and this was real, so very real. I picked up the watch again and opened it. This time I inspected the bottom of the device. It looked like pure crystal. It was so shiny that I could see myself in it. A girl with brown hair pulled back into a pony tail, and relatively pale skin peered up at me. I closed the watch and examined the outside. The watch was silver-gray and etched into it was a text. It wasn't anything like any writing I'd ever seen. It spiraled around the watch and ended at the very center. At the very center there was a symbol. A diamond shape with an empty circle at it's very center. I turned over the watch and examined the other side. It had more text but it said something different. It spiraled the very same way and at it's center was another symbol. A black sun. I turned the watch over again and examined the other side closer. I traced over the text going round and round until I touched the symbol.
There was a burst of light and I felt something sear through my shoulder. I gasped with pain and clutched my shoulder. I dropped the watch and stumbled away from it. After a few minutes the pain subsided. I raised the sleeve of my shirt and examined my shoulder. The diamond symbol was there, shining silvery on my shoulder. It shimmered for a moment and then the light disappeared. I rubbed where it had been. I could still feel it on my shoulder. Other than that it was all but invisible unless I set my arm at a certain angle into the light. Even then it only showed as small silvery lines. I pulled the sleeve down again covering the symbol. I was shaking hard. "How did this get here?" then I remembered the hooded man and the riders chasing him. The man had tripped and . . .The riders must have been after this when they were chasing that man. He must have seen me and decided giving it to a complete stranger was better than letting them have it. His trip was just an act to hide the device. When he gave me that look he was trying to tell me where it was. "What could be so important about this that he'd rather give it to a complete stranger than let them have it?" I stared at the device as if looking at it would unveil it's secrets. I touched my shoulder "What did it do to me?"
"So many questions little one. But will you be brave enough to go looking for them? ehhh. . ." I whirled around and faced the old shack I had almost entered. There on the top step leading to the shack was an old woman. She cackled a cackle that made my skin crawl. She was a short old woman and that wasn't improved by the fact that she hunched over. She only had straggles and strands of white hair left on her head. She leaned on a twisted cane, but out of all this the most striking thing about her was that she was blind. Her eyes were pure white and she stared into the distance blankly. She cackled again and then spoke, "To find what you want you must. . .follow the yellow brick road!" no, no that's not what she said though right about then I certainly felt like Dorothy. What she really said was, "To find what you want you must first give others what you need. . .and maybe give up some of your own treasures." the woman grinned a gaping smile and then cackled one last time before shimmering and then disappearing. Then everything else around me did the same.
The landscape around me blurred and ran like a painting that had had too much paint used on it. I closed my eyes tasting bile in my throat. When I opened my eyes again I stood in the middle of a dirt road. I looked around and saw nothing on the road for miles. I stumbled over to a patch of grass and emptied my stomach on it. On the ground I closed my eyes and rocked back and forth, my arms wrapped around my legs. I rested my head on my knees. "I just. . . want. . . to go home. . ." I moaned.
"Well your not going to go anywhere by just sitting there and moaning." said a voice. For the second time that day I jumped and whirled around. There was a man behind me. He held a bow in his hand and strapped to his belt was a dagger. He eyed me warily. "Well go on. You're not getting anywhere just sitting there." I sat there and stared at him. He glared at me, "GET OFF MY LAND, WOMAN!" He bellowed. I was up and running as fast as I could. I heard him continue bellowing behind me, "AND DON'T YOU DARE COME BACK!" Long after he was out of sight I ran. I ran and ran until I started trotting and then I trotted until I walked, and I walked until I dragged my feet along and then I stopped. Many hours had passed and I still hadn't seen any sign of civilization. I sat down by the side of the road. I rested my aching limbs for a few minutes.
Then they appeared. Out of nowhere a group of men appeared. I was surrounded by at least twelve men. I stood up and backed away. . .and ran into a tree. My heart was beating like a drum, my stomach was a twisted knot and I had froze. The men wore ragged clothing and all held weapons. "What's in the bag?" one of them asked. I realized they meant my school bag. The one that I had put the device in. For some reason I didn't think it was a good idea to give up that device. I ran. I went farther up the road running for my life. Then I tripped. One of them was about to pounce on top of me when a stone planted itself in his forehead, his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed. The others stared at something behind me then charged. I ducked down and covered my head but they all ran past me. I looked then, there was a man behind me. He had black hair down to about his ears, he was tall and well muscled and held a very long thick sword in one of his hands. Right now he was fighting the other men, the ones who had been about to rob me. Swords clanged together as he beat them down. I spotted a man in a tree above him just about to drop a very large rock on my rescuers head. I ran at top speed and barreled into the tree. The man high above lost his balance and fell. He went unconscious the moment he hit the ground. I knelt beside him to check his injuries when he grabbed me and forced one of my arms behind my back. He held a knife to my throat. The other man had finished his battle with the others and angrily glared at the man holding me. He whirled around and took the man down.
There were only three left after a few minutes. They took one look around them and ran. The man walked over to me. He touched my arm "Are you okay?" he said his features softening from the battled raged look he had possessed a few minutes ago. "Yeah I'm okay. . ." my surrounding swirled and for a moment I thought that I was going through another landscape change again. Then I realized that it was just my body telling me it was time to rest. Gratefully, I let darkness take me.

Slowly I returned consciousness. I opened my eyes slowly and sat up. I was in a small tent like room. The cloth was made of something thick because it blocked out all of the sun-light except for a small hole at the top that let in a stream of light. I was on the ground, I was laying on a pile of the same fur like cloth that made the tent. On top of me was a thin woven blanket.
I felt my stomach lurch and I emptied the rest of the contents of my stomach onto the floor.
A woman entered the room. She had dark skin and long black hair that had been put up in a pony-tail and her arms were muscled. She glanced at the mess. Then she looked at the tray in her hands. "I don't suppose you're hungry." She put her hand to my forehead. "How's your stomach?"
I closed my eyes and said "It's settled, but I have a killer head-ache."
She eyed me giving me a strange look, and said, "Good enough for breakfast?" I nodded. She handed me the tray and sat down beside me. She smiled and spoke as I ate. "I'm Bellatrix. You can call me Trixy. What's your name?"
I froze. It seemed like an eternity since school had ended and I had seen my sister but I still remembered what my sister had said, how for some reason she didn't want anyone to know what my real name was. No one at school, no one in the town. The strange and a bit scary part was that I couldn't remember what the name I had given was anymore. It couldn't have been more than a day at the most but still there was a blank where that name was. I thought for a moment and remembered my mom and dad. My mom had always been there for me 100%. I always had something of her with me and I hoped where ever she was in the land of the those who had passed over she wouldn't mind me borrowing her name. Then I took the most precious part of her I had left, her name. "My name is Chaelene, you can call me Chae."
She froze for a moment the smile wiped off her face. I blinked and it was gone. The same motherly concern was on her face again but she seemed shaken. "Well Chae you're lucky you know. . . You could have been killed if Amnon hadn't found you. There are some really dangerous men out there."
I stopped and shivered. Slowly I finished chewing and swallowed "I know. I was so scared. I could hardly think."
She looked at me with a frown on her face an eyebrow raised "Why didn't you fight them? You just stood there like a stick."
I frowned and said slowly, "Don't know how to fight."
Her eyes went wide and her eyebrows arched down "What?!" she gasped and spoke again “Nothing? Not even how to punch?”
I shook my head slowly “No, nothing.”
She stood. "I. . .I think you should talk to Amnon. He can help you." She motioned for me to follow her. I stood up, leaving my empty tray on the floor an followed. Inside me I could feel a insane sense of foreboding. Obviously around here knowing how to fight was a BIG deal. Trixy opened the flap of the tent and for a moment I was blinded by the sunlight. Then my eyes were opened.
* * * *
Ugra sat calmly watching the secretary with his eagle eyes. The secretary shifted her eyes from wall to wall and then down to the floor and then she shifted in her chair. Then she lifted her hands and adjusted her papers making them all straight like she had only a minute ago. Ugra's name meant "All-powerful" and he certainly was. He had a confident air about him, one that said that if you crossed this man you wouldn't live long. He was an inspector and not just any inspector. He was the interdimensional inspector. The only power that was greater than his was the chairman and his council, the chairman who controlled anything and everything that went on in all the dimension known existing. He controlled every level of existence and every world that had living inhabitents on it. Right now Ugra was being made wait. . . The chairman knew his game Ugra was powerful and that was exactly why the chairman was ignoring him. There was nothing he could do about it.
Ugra didn't like that at all. In fact he was furious. The secretary knew this. I had been called from an important case involving a dangerous escaped slave from Altsoba. That world was the world of War. It's name literally meant war, and for a good reason. The slave had escaped and had fled to a different dimension. He was a maniac and a killer. Ugra had been on the brink of finding the slave when he had been called. Now they forced him to wait. They had said it was a case of inter dimensional emergency. As Ugra was nearing the limit of his patience he heard a beep and the secretary jumped. All the papers she had been straightening flew into the air and for a few moments she fumbled with them looking for the speaker button. Finally she found it and shakily pressed the button, very aware of Ugra's smoldering glare. In the calmest voice she could manage she answered the summon.
"Yes."
The voice coming from the speaker was deep and loud, it only said four words. "Let him in now." The next moment she pressed a few more buttons underneath her desk, waited for the confirmation from the security guard on the other side and then the doors slide open.
As Ugra entered he flinched with surprise. It only lasted a moment. His face was schooled back into the indifferent look he always carried in less a second. The slave he had been hunting only hours before was there unconscious and chained to a chair. One of the chairman's council members, "Coatl," was stretched out behind a enormous desk. His elbows rested on his desk and the tips of his fingers touched lightly. He motioned to the prisoner "I took the liberty of having one of my men fetch your work." he smiled "We don't want you to be . . .distracted while you worked on this new case." Ugra was furious. He had rushed here at all haste, had been made to wait and now he was having his own job rubbed into his face. Still his face remained impassive. Coatl leaned back and motioned for the security guards to take out the unconscious man.
There were only three pieces of furniture in the spacious room. Coatl's chair, the desk, and a small chair in front of the desk. Coatl motioned for Ugra to sit, a wicked look in his eye. Ugra eyed the chair and declined. This only seemed to be amuse Coatl. He snickered under his breath and leaned back. Ugra was reminded just how powerful this man was, and yet he acted like an unruly schoolboy. Ugra filled the silence "Listen Coatl, I've a lot to do. What is this emergency about? I don't appreciate your men butting into my work and I don't like. . . being disturbed."
Coatl sneered and snapped his fingers and one of the walls lit up. On it there was an image of a silver watch. Coatl spoke "This Dimensional Portal Creator was stolen from us a few weeks ago by a very talented thief." He showed an image of a man wrapped in green and black cloth.
"We caught him but a few hours ago but by then he no longer had the device. While our men were chasing him we think he passed it on to an accomplice. We know that somehow he passed the DPC to his accomplice somewhere on Oron. That's the only world in which we had no way of tracking it." Coatl leaned back again and examined his perfect nails then snapped them again. This time the wall showed a map. An area was circled in red. He continued "This area is the area that the DPC could have been taken since it arrived. We have blockaded the area." He leaned forward over his desk and spoke again "We need you to locate it."
Ugra studied the map for a few moments but he knew his decision had already been made for him the moment he had entered the room. Then he spoke "Why is it so important that we get this DPC?"
Coatl's eyes went dark and his tone turned icy "That isn't of importance right now." Coatl leaned back to his original pose "What is important right now is that you find it soon."
* * * *
Trixy and I had reached the edge of the "City" if that's what you would call it. It looked more like a war camp but from what I could tell about how the people acted this was perfectly normal. There were guards everywhere and I don't mean slacking off having a fun time nothings wrong guards. I mean death is imminent it you aren't completely aware from the beginning of your watch to the end kind of guards. The kind you only see in war movies. Yet there were three year olds playing with straw dolls only a few feet away. I couldn't figure any of this out and that's what scared me.
Then we reached the edge of the city and I got my first real glimpse of my rescuer. He had black hair, in fact his hair was so black that it looked blue. Exactly like a raven's feathers would look. He was a dark tan, but not as tan as the others and his eyes were a stony blue-gray. He was about average height and size for a man. He was taller than me but he obviously wasn't even near to being the tallest man in the town. I could tell from the moment I saw him that he was a strong man. He hefted a large shovel filled with a huge mound of dirt, while two other teenage girls wielded two smaller shovels. Nearby a small tree in a clay pot waited to be planted. They finished digging the hole as we arrived. Amnon glanced at us and then grasped the tree and slowly pulled the tree from its large pot. Carefully with his large hands he set the tree roots down into the dirt hole. He straightened and spoke to the girls “I'm sorry girls but I've got some company. You'll have to finish up yourselves.” he smiled as one started trying to talk and patted her on the back “Don't worry Silvia I'm sure that you and Dantel can finish by yourselves. There isn't much left to do.” He walked towards us as both girls pouted miserably.
I felt like bursting out into laughter as I watched them. It was so funny to watch them. I myself never could get girls who acted like that. I couldn't remember even having a crush at all! I had always been too busy duping the Jocks to have crushes on them. With the high and mighty way they acted it was too tempting not to. I stopped walking. That is, until I had moved in with Shez.
Amnon, Trixy and I met. Trixy introduced us. “Chae this is Amnon. Amnon this is Chaelene.” Trixy watched Amnon for a moment after she had said my “name”. Nothing changed on his face it stayed friendly inquisitive. He didn't even blink.
All he did was smiled and say “It's nice to meet you Chae.”
Trixy spoke again very quiet “Amnon she doesn't know how to fight.”
He frowned “Nothing at all? Not even . . .”
Trixy cut in “Nothing.”
This was frustrating and it was getting me angry “What in the world is wrong with not knowing how to fight?” I said raising my hands to the sky.
Amnon eyed me and spoke slowly “Chae not in all of the 8 dimensions that are known have I ever heard of someone who didn't know how to fight. Frankly I don't know how you survived to live this long without knowing how to fight.”
My eyes bugged out and my voice went high pitched “8 DIMENSIONS!?” I stepped back and eyed them both. “How about we make a deal? You tell me where the wack I am and I tell you how I got here.”
Amnon touched my shoulder “First you need to calm down. Obviously somehow you stepped into here from another dimension.” he eyed me from top to bottom “and obviously it's some place that hasn't discovered dimensional travel yet.” he grimaced “Or has been visited by someone else who has.” he glance around and was relieved to see that there was no one within listening distance. “But this might not be taken well with some of the people here. There are men and women here who will do anything for favor with the Archons.”
He waved me forwards farther away from the city. Many questions troubled me as I followed his lead. Who were the Archons? How had I been brought here in the first place? Why would it be dangerous for anyone to know that I wasn't from here? But the one that troubled me was the sense that somehow the device I had found had a great part of it. I hadn't told Amnon about it for a reason. I didn't trust him. As we had spoken I had nervously felt the pressure of it pressing against the side of my leg the whole time. The way he had acted with those girls, the conspiratorial way he acted with Trixy made me have a bad feeling about him. But that wasn't enough to have made me not tell him. After all he could be just being careful.
It was the way he had acted with me that made me wary of him. His friendly I'm your friend way reminded me of a time I had seen a jock from an opposing team act the very same way with a cheerleader from our team a few hours before the game. We had lost that game badly. I remember that after I had left the game I had seen that very same jock completely ignoring the cheerleader as he had flirted with another girl from his own team. Later I had read in the school newspaper that the game had been counted a foul because the cheerleader had given away our manuvers and tacticts when the jock had been flirting with her.
I didn't know if Amnon was from an “Opposing team” but I certainly didn't trust him. The same was for Trixy. She had acted so sisterly and helpful until she had heard my name and the fact that I couldn't fight. She had figured out that I was from “Another dimension” the very moment I had confirmed the fact.
That's when it hit me. If they really weren't trustworthy and they knew I couldn't even beat up a stuffed toy, then following them into the dark forest away from any witnesses wasn't exactly the smartest idea was it? Unfortunately I figured this out a moment too late.
I sprinted back for the city but it was too late. Strong hands forced my arms behind my back and a large hand went over my mouth. All I managed was a squeak. Oh shoot, was all I could think as they dragged me farther into the forest. I squirmed and tried to elbow the person who was behind me. I was rewarded with a satisfying thump. There was a curse behind me and the person who held my arm twisted it. My scream was muffled and hardly reached my ears. Finally we reached our destination. He dragged me the last few feet and shoved me into a pit.
I tumbled at least twelve feet and landed on my face. After a few second of recovering from the impact I rolled over onto my back. From where I lay I had a great view of Trixy's and Amnon's sneers. Painfully I sat up. Determinedly I raced up the slope and then slid back down just as quickly. Amnon spoke to me from above. “Unfortunately Chae, we are some of those people who would do anything for favor from the Archons.” I listened to their footsteps fade away as I lay there, with my face into the dirt. I thought hasn't today just been a dandy day? First I wander into a different dimension that's obsessed with war. Then I almost get robbed and to top it off my rescuers kidnap me and throw me in a pit. Is that all? No I forgot about meeting the crazy old lady and getting scarred by a watch that wasn't even a watch. Why do I have the feeling this is just the beginning? I finally sat up and looked around me. That's when I noticed another figure beside me. Curious I moved closer. . . and nearly jumped the out of the pit.
It was Bellatrix.
* * * *
Ugra's eyes bore into the mans face and he trembled in his grasp. He had only been working for a few hours and he already had many leads. He had met a man who had seen the accomplice, a woman. She had been resting at the road and he had seen her holding the device. It was the DPC that had scared the man. It had reminded him of the Archons. The man told him he had “driven off” the strange woman. Later on that same road he had found a group of men badly beaten. They had confirmed that she had passed that way and that she had help.
They had told him she had bright red hair and wore very strange clothing. That in itself wasn't that strange. It could be just that she liked wearing different clothing but the strange thing was that she hadn't fought back.
He couldn't think of a reason why she wouldn't fight back. After all she must be a really good fighter to be an accomplice to a thief who had got into a top security building. Then stolen something from the top security vault and then had gotten out alive and eluded capture for several days.
The band of men that had been taken out by her friend were being reluctant at telling him what he needed. They thought he was the sort of inspector who would pay bribes. They were wrong and this man was about to learn that the hard way.
Ugra held the man over the edge of a cliff and let him hang for a moment. He looked back at the other men. “Well? Where did she go? Even if you don't care about this man know this. You'll be next.” The man trembled and held desperately to his arm.
“Please.” he sobbed “I'll . . . tell you anything you anything you need to know. . . just don't drop me.”
He directed his gaze towards the sobbing man. “Well?” he growled.
“I don't know anything. . . I was knocked out. The ones you need to talk to is Gerry and Bronx. They were the only ones who were conscious when the woman and the other man left.” Ugra growled and the man started sobbing again. Then slowly he brought the man around and set him on the ground.
Ugra directed his gaze towards his men. “Take these men to the lockup. If he were lying we can start again were we left off. . .” he cracked his knuckles and the man whimpered. “But if he was telling the truth then they'll only get time for road-side robbery.” all the men turned ghostly pale.
“No please. Well do anything you want just don't give us time!”
Ugra growled to his men “Take them away.” the men moaned and cried as they were dragged away. Ugra's only thought was. Finally those self-serving thieves will get what they deserve.
Ugra hated crimes of every sort. They gave him trouble and were annoying to take care of, but of all crimes he hated the one he hated the most was thievery. There were so many thieves and there would always be a thief out there, they thrived. If he had his way he would spend all his time getting rid of them, flushing them out and giving them what they deserved.
Ugra clenched his fists and smiled a grim smile. He would enjoy catching this thief's wench and sending her to her fate with the other thief who had dared steal from the Archons.
* * * *
It was definitely Trixy. Her black hair was crusted with half dried blood and there was still a trickle of red flowing sluggishly down her face. There was a puff of purple circling her eye and a drip of red matching the color of her lips. Her cloths were torn, but not in a way that suggested that she had been here long. Her black pants and blue shirt were only slightly dirty.
Slowly I crawled to her side and checked her pulse. She was alive but unconscious and her hands were tied behind her back.
I was about to shake her when I remembered from first aid that if she was seriously hurt that could make a lot worse. Instead I flicked her across her face. “Trixy, wake up! Trixy! You have to wake up!”
Painfully slowly she progressed until she was fully awake. A few minutes later she seemed to be fully aware too. She looked at me “You're that girl that Amnon brought to me to take care of.” She laughed “I'm supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way.”
I grasped at my boot. When I had been twelve years old I had seen a spy movie were they had, had a hollowed boot with a knife in it and I had been so fascinated with it I had made my own boot hollow and had put my small pocket knife in it. Years had passed and I had forgotten about it until now. I took off my boot and examined it for a few moments. Trixy watched me curiously. I couldn't find it! I clenched my teeth and threw down the boot. It must have been a different boot. I closed my eyes, but I was so sure that it was this pair. I remember thinking that they would be perfect because there was a line up along the boot high enough that I could cut there and make it still look normal and it would still be thick enough to put the knife there. . .
I bopped my head. Of course! I picked up the boot and examined the boot line. I could hardly see the cut but it was there. Slowly I pried it apart. I had put eight medium sized but very strong magnets into the boot to keep them together. I pulled hard and slowly they eased apart. I grasped the pocket knife and opened it.
I started speaking to Trixy but she shook her head. She raised her eyes the the edge of the pit and then looked at me again. I understood. The other Trixy or Amnon could be listening. I opened the pocket knife and pointed to it and to her hands. She nodded and turned around, raising her hands. It was a cheap knife, the kind you would buy at a dollar store so it was a long time before it was able to bite through all the ropes.
She rubbed her wrists, bringing the blood flow back into them. Then she leaned towards me. She put her face close to my ear and started whispering. “What's your name?”
I whispered back to her “Chaelene.”
Like the other time, with the other Trixy she seemed surprised, but this one was more calm about it. She raised and eyebrow and nodded.
Then she spoke again “Chae do you know how to fight?”
DEJA VU.
I shook my head. She grimaced and gave me a short nod. “Well you're going to have to learn to quickly then. The only way we're going to get out of here alive is to fight our way out.”
I only had more questions now, but one look at her face silenced me. Now was not the time. I nodded. She whispered to me “Show me your fist.” I pulled my hands into a fist. She shook her head “You'll break your fist that way. You never put your thumb underneath your fingers. Don't put it on the side either. Put it on top of the middle of your other fingers and curl it up tight.” I copied her fist. “Now when you punch you bend you wrist down and to the left just a bit. You need to only hit things with just your first two knuckles. They are the strongest.”
* * * *
Ugra had found one of the men. He had acted like the others at first, but Ugra had quickly corrected his behavior. He had taught him a lesson of a sorts. Now that man was totally terrified of him. He would jump to his feet in fear if Ugra so much as glanced his way.
The man was leading him to the town to which he had followed the man and girl. A few hours later they arrived. As soon as the villagers saw him and his men approaching they drew back. One of the men stood forward “What do you want with us? Why have you come here?” Ugra peered at t
he crowd. Not a lock of red hair anywhere. Just brown or black. The men all gripped their swords tensely as the mothers ushered their children away.
“Has you or anyone in your village seen a redheaded woman cross through here?”
There was complete silence and the man spoke again “None of us have seen the woman you describe.”
It was a obvious lie. Ugra motioned for his men. His men had been surrounding the village from the moment they had arrived. Now they tightened the noose that villagers had woven for themselves by defying him.
In a matter of minutes all of them were surrounded. Ugra didn't even bother to talk to the rest of the villagers after that. He spoke to his lead security man. “Spread out. I don't want a single inch to be left unsearched.”
A few minutes later Ugra was very frustrated. In a matter of minutes his men had been able to take apart the small village. He had some of his men out searching the forest but it would be a long time till they could get back to him.
Ugra was not a patient man. He was the kind who got everything done, right then. Now his wrath was turned towards the villagers. They knew something of it. He was sure of that, but from what he had already seen they were the types who would rather die than betray someone who had entrusted them with their secret.
That's when he saw her. There was a women at the edge of the forest. She had black hair and dark skin. She waved frantically for him to come to her. Cautiously he neared her. Her eyes had turned a golden color and she looked smug “I know where the one you seek is.”
* * * *
Trixy had spent most of the day secretly teaching me how to fight. We had a plan but there was one draw back. The pit was around twelve feet high and had a grate with a lock on it. I knew how to pick the lock because when I had been pulling pranks in high school I had needed. . . well there were a lot of closed doors that needed opening. To pick the lock I needed to see whether the other Trixy and Amnon were gone. Trixy was around five and a half feet tall, I was five, and the pit was a little over twelve feet. We were a foot and a half too short. I would have to grab the grate and lift myself up the last foot and a half. That could get the other Trixy's attention if I made too much noise. We had one chance at this. If I failed I would fall and they would know that something was up. Trixy wasn't strong enough to fight and I wasn't close to being good enough to fight even one of them. When Trixy had said this depended on fighting, she meant guerrilla style type of fighting. Hit and run if they caught up to us. If we could get far enough away Trixy could take us to a safe haven.
Right now all we could hope for was a break. If even for a few moments they left us unguarded, that would be enough.
We waited in silence, listening to the movement above. There were more footsteps, then we could hear low voices “I've found someone who came looking for her. He's gone to get his men. He wanted me to come here and bring you back immediately. Then we'll get our reward.”
Amnon replied “Did you tell him that she's completely helpless?”
“No. The harder the catch is the bigger the reward remember?” Their voices went softer and we could hear no more. Still we didn't even move until we heard them leave.
We moved quickly. Trixy stood up, shaking a little. Her eyes were grave. “We've got to move quickly Chae.” I nodded and she cupped her hands for me to climb on top of her. I lost my balance and tipped over. Fast as lightning Trixy steadied me. I raised my arms to the grate and spent a few moment getting a firm grip. Then I pulled myself up. By the time I manage to fit my head and one arm through the grate my arms were on fire. Months ago I had put this paper clip in my pocket. By some miracle it hadn't ever fallen out during a wash, though it was very rusted by now. Carefully I bent it straight, afraid it would break. It didn't, then I inserted it into the lock and started my work. This lock was the hardest so far that I had tried to open, I spent at least five minutes playing with it, Trixy watched silently below me. Finally it opened, I grabbed the lock and threw it down to Trixy.
Here came the hard part. I pulled my head down out of the grate and hung there for a moment. Then I swung myself to the next bar. One after another, then I reached the edge. I left go of the bar I held in my left hand and reached up to grab a bush that was growing beside the pit. Then I let go of the bar my right hand gripped. I heard the plant creak as all my weight was put onto it. One thing was definite. It wouldn't hold long. I raised my leg and set them against the grate and pushed. It screeched loudly as it moved but I didn't stop. After a few seconds it was big enough for me to fit through.
“Hey! They're escaping! Hurry up!”
I lost my grip. Down I plunged, and Trixy jumped out of the way. I landed on the ground, right on top of my right arm. I heard a crack as the bone broke, then I screamed.
Gritting my teeth I crawled to the edge of the pit and knelt down. “Get on top of me and get out of here Trixy!”
“But. . .”
“Now!” she nodded and climbed on top of my shoulders. I rose and she scrambled her way to the top. I had thought about asking her to come back with help but after all she'd done for me I didn't want her to risk herself anymore for my sake. By the time The other Trixy and Amnon reached the pit my Trixy was out of sight. They peered down at me, another man standing beside them. He gazed down at me and our eyes met, I glared. His face was strangely emotionless, like a robot's.
Trixy spoke “This is the girl I told you about. Unfortunately it looks like the traitor already escaped.”
He nodded to the other them. “All that you asked for has been supplied back at the village.” They grinned, hugged each other and disappeared from the edge of the pit.
He eyed me with cool gray-black eyes. “I suppose you know what I've come here for.”
I scowled and then winced as a spasm of pain ran up my arm, “Not exactly, stone face. It's just been one mystery after another today.”
He ignored my comment on his face and frowned “You mean you don't know why you were being kept here?”
I was about to spout back that I had no clue when it hit me. Could this be something to do with the fact that I wasn't from here? “I have no clue why these maniacs threw me in here!”
His frown deepened but he seemed partly convinced “Do you have a round silver device?”
I froze. Obviously whatever that thing was, it was valuable. It was obvious to anyones eyes that this man was a government man. From what government I had no clue but that meant that this device had to be pretty high tech, which meant it had to have something do with the fact that they could travel to different dimensions. Which meant I had to keep it. It might be the only thing that could help me get home. As I stared into those cold eyes I wondered just how much was I willing to bet on that might. My resolve to keep the device hardened, a lot. I replied slowly “I did have something like that. I found it lying around, but those two took it when they put me down here.”
His stone face flinched “Why those little. . .” then he stopped. He peered down at me. “Or you could be lying.” he motioned to some men that I hadn't seen before and they jumped down into the pit. They landed on their feet with uncanny grace and searched me. I let them, inwardly I was smiling. While I had been waiting for a chance to escape with Trixy I had gotten bored and had decided to make another secret compartment in the boot. Now I couldn't put the knife there anymore because I had made it too big, but I had made it perfect for the device. They finished and motioned to the man at the top of the pit.
“Nothing. There was a small knife but nothing else.”
He nodded “Bring her up with you.” then he turned away.
I was muddled “How will we get back . . .” One grasped me around my waist swung me over his shoulder then they all started climbing, I repeat, they climbed. I tried to keep the tears from running down my face as my arm bouced against the backside of the man that was carying me. I watched a single tear fall getting farther and farther away, then dissapear into the darkness. Then I was back on my feet.
He spoke to me one last time “Since you were telling the truth we will allow you to return home, but. . . if we find you involved in something like this again there will be consequences.” His eyes flashed.
He started to leave but I stopped him. I had a feeling I would see him again and I didn't want to keep calling him the man. “I'm sorry but, what's your name?”
He glance back, surprised “Ugra.” Then he was gone.

Ugra's captain waited at the edge of the clearing, out of sight. As Ugra passed him Ugra said only two words. "Follow her."

For a moment the other men and I kind of stared at each other. I decided that it was time to leave. Then as the other five men were watching I felt the magnets in my boot give way to too much weight. Plunk! The device landed on the ground in full view.
“Oh Shoot.” I snatched it up and ran, screaming as my arm tumbled limply to my side. They were in front of me in the blink of an eye. I was completely surrounded.
One started towards me. An arrow sprouted from his shoulder and he fell to the ground. Immediately we all turned our heads. One of the men took advantage of my distraction. He tried to leap and grab me but another arrow went through his arm and I jumped out of the way, barely holding back another spout of tears. I ran as fast as I could.
A man jumped out from behind a bush, grabbed me and we disappeared again. I whimpered beneath the hand he had placed on my mouth. In the distance I could hear the other men fighting. The man motioned for me to follow him farther into the forest, I did. It probably wasn't even my choice, he was just being nice. After a while the sound of the battle faded into the distance.
We arrived in a clearing and I got the shock of my life. There was Trixy, my Trixy and Amnon? Trixy saw my face and raced up to me. She gave me a tight hug, I squeaked as she touched my arm.
“Sorry. Chae I know you're puzzled but I'll have to explain this to you later. We still aren't safe from Ugra's men here.” basically she knows I don't like this but I'll have to put up with it until there is a good time to explain. Oh joy. Skeptically I nodded.
A few hours later we had arrived at the haven that Trixy had spoken of before. Trixy. Amnon and I met in one of the rooms. Amnon hadn't spoken a word the whole entire time and he didn't start now. He was acting so unlike the way he had before that it spooked me. It was Trixy who finally broke the silence and brought me into the light. “Chae the people who kidnapped you were my twin Triana and her boy friend. This is my best friend Amnon.”
I though more like evil twin. I sat with my arms folded glaring at “Amnon”. He didn't look to much happier about me. I didn't even know why, I just didn't like him. It was weird it wasn't like I didn't like him as an enemy. It was the way that he acted that irked me. He acted like he was the “strong silent” type, like he was some sort of superior “Batman.”
“Well am I missing something or is it possible that there are two Amnon's that look exactly the same?”
Trixy blushed “Well Triana is kind of restless. . .”
Amnon cut in “Basically Triana takes a new fiancée almost every few months. She goes out finds some guy who has something she wants and pledges her heart to him. She went to a different dimension and got a shape shifter to be her. . .”
“Amnon!”
“Well Trixy Triana has gone too far this time. She told the Archon that you were helping us and tried to get you taken. SHE IMPERSONATED YOU AND TRIED TO KILL YOU!”
Right about now I was thinking oh my goodness she really does have an evil twin. I was about to but in and try to stop the argument when Amnon took it too far.
“AND THEN YOU RISK YOUR LIFE PASSING AN ARCHON CHECK POINT FOR A STRANGER!”
Right about then if I had been someone prone to bad language I probably would have gone off like a rocket but since I wasn't I had to settle with taking my anger out on him. Without even thinking I leaped up and gave him a good one in the stomach with my only good one. He doubled over and wheezed out.
I wasn't a violent person but I can tell you that, that felt justifying. “That was not a nice thing to say.” I looked at my fist “And that was not a nice thing to do so I'd better go.” I left the room and started heading for the edge of the encampment. I had blown it big time. My only friend and within the first hour that I meet her best friend I sock him in the gut. I couldn't believe that I had done it. I was usually very calm but he. . he made me feel sooo angry!
A hand was placed on my shoulder. I whirled around my fists up. Amnon leaned back, away from me. “Listen Chae I was out of line there. Please come back.”
One eyebrow went up and another went down and my eyes bugged out. “Wasn't it me who punched you in the gut or did I miss something?”
He sighed “Look I know you were angry and rightfully so. . .” He caught a look of my face an gave up. “The truth is we could use someone who can fight as well as you.”
My face grew more stretched and strained in three different directions “Fight? I can't fight.”
He laughed “My gut says different. I haven't met someone who's knocked me off my feet this much for a long time!”
I grimace “Look I'm sorry about that. I usually don't get that angry.”
“I deserved it.”
I smiled a little and shrugged “Well, yeah you did.”
He laughed “If you worried Trixy agrees with you completely.” And that's how my day ended. Amnon was very courteous after that and he seemed to like me a bit more. What is it with this world and fighting?
* * * *
The next day Trixy helped me get some “normal clothes”. I was outfitted with a pair of green pants that went down to my calves and a white shirt and brown tunic. She also gave me a small leather pouch that was just big enough for me to slip the device into it. It clipped onto my belt securely. The cast and sling they had given had been put on so tight that I had no trouble putting on the cloths and then the tunic. When I tried to look in the mirror to see how I looked Trixy stopped me. "No way are you going out there without putting up your hair." I started to put my hair back into a ponytail but Trixy stopped me again "No , no, no, with hair like that you need something special." She took a step back "Hmm?" Then she smiled. "I know just the thing." A few minutes later my hair was curled into a practical but elegant bun. Trixy lifted the mirror. I screamed. Trixy babbled “What? What's wrong? Do you hate it that much?”
“I'm not me!?” I stared at my face. I had had mouse brown straight hair before, I had been pale. The face that looked back at me had bright red hair that curled round her tan face, her eyes were so blue they looked purple. I had had my hair up and I had been so preoccupied with the things that had happened the day before that I had changed without even noticing. Tearing at my hair I thought back frantically. When was the last time I had seen me as me?
Then I remembered I had seen my reflection in the crystal of the watch. That had been right before I had touched the symbol . . . and it. . . oh my goodness it must have changed me far more than I had realized.
Amnon crashed through the door his sword drawn. “What's wrong?”
I tore at my hair and then looked at him “This isn't how I looked a few days ago.”
He frowned “You mean your appearance changed?” I nodded.

As weird as this was we were force to carry on as usual and Amnon took me to the training group. This was were they trained the children. I was in roughly level two, so I was with the seven and eight year olds. I could see right then and there that I was going to fit perfectly in my new class.
As we headed for the class I confided in Amnon my worries “Amnon, I think it's obvious that I'm not from anywhere you know about. . . ”
He cut me off “I know, but I don't think it will matter with anyone here.” he motioned around.
“Well I think I know what changed me.” This brought his immediate attention. I brought out the device “Somehow this thing changed me.”
He recoiled “That has the same symbols that the Archons use!”
“A man was being chased by the Archon. He gave it to me. I was looking at it when I touched this symbol.” I pointed at it. “Then there was a flash of light and it gave me this scar.” I rolled up my sleeve and motioned to it. He had to peer at it for a few moment before he could make it out. “I thought that was all that had changed before now.”
He grinned “You mean you didn't notice it till now?”
I scowled “I didn't have any mirrors or anything until now and I thought the tan was due to the sun.”
His grin only widened “Of course.”
I ignored him “The thing is I think that this thing might be able to help me get home, and. . . I would really like to look like myself again.” I rushed on “I was wondering if you could try to see if anyone knows anything about this device.”
He nodded slowly “I'll see if there is anything I can do.” then he smiled “Though I think you look beautiful the way you are.”
Then we arrived at the place that the training group was gathering and suddenly I felt like a giant. Everyone else was seven or younger. Amnon approached the teacher. He was an old but very lean man. He had sandy gray hair and a very serious attitude. He also wore fake teeth. The moment I saw those teeth I got a wicked idea.
“Moran this is Chae. Under very strange circumstances she never learned to fight. Trixy taught her a bit but she needs to learn a lot more. Will you accept her into your class?”
He inspected me then asked me “Show me a front stance.” I entered the pose. He nodded “Correct. Now punch!” I started jabbing forward but Amnon cut in, “I can tell you from experience that she has no problem with that.” I turned red and he grinned. Moran nodded and let me into the group.
* * * *
Ugra simmered angrily beneath his skin. She had tricked him so well, acted all innocent. He should have known by now with all his years of experience that you never trust a thief, and he had to admit it. She was a pretty good one. She was also a tricky one. Though he hadn't noticed it at the time, she had stolen his map of the area and had replaced it with a taunting note.
Better Be luckier next time stOne face.
ORacle's light guiDEs me. I'll wRite you later.
Midnight is when the hound will start to chase
the fox, the beginning of the Autumn month is when
she intends to play and Lysaria is where she goes,
but the real question is, wheN wiLl and How is the hunt end?
It was clear what the message was. If you ignored the normal sentence capitalizations is was clear enough. The other capitals spelled out BORDER. What she meant by MIDNIGHT and Autumn were obvious. The first month of Autumn started next month. That's when she would strike. It even told where she was going. Lysaria a large town that was a few miles from the blockade. Whoever she was, she was very confident about what she planned to do. The only thing that puzzled him was the last initials. NLH. Before, he had to be forced to do this job. Now he needed no incentives. She brought up too many questions, too many challenges. Like, where did she came from? She obviously didn't come from any of the 15 known dimensions. It's wasn't just her cloths, it was her whole demeanor, everyone cowered in fear at his name. She hadn't even known who he was. There hadn't been a trace of fear in her eyes, just defiance. He shook his head, for now there was no way to find out. He turned his mind to the last but most puzzling question. What was NLH? It bothered him. It was so simple, just three initials. Three uninterpretable initials. He closed his eyes and went back to his mental list. What did she want with the DPC? Did she know what was so special about it? He stopped and smiled. In any case she was issuing a challenge. . . A challenge he planned to accept.
* * * *
The next day Amnon introduced me to Poya. It was the evening and it had grown dark. I had been killing time practicing the moves I had learned that day when Amnon entered my tent, with him he had a boy. The boy looked to be about ten or so, only eight years younger than me. He was tan and had extremely curly hair that bunched up around the top of his head, like almost everyones hair his was black, he had black eyes and he had the look of someone who had grown up having to steal regularly to live. His eyes assessed and judged the worth of everything in the room in seconds, but his body was unnaturally relaxed for someone who planned to steal something. My guess was that Amnon had put an end to his thieving days once he had met him.
“Chae this is Poya. He has agreed to help us looking for information on the device you have.”
“But he's just a kid?!”
Poya cut in “Miss I may be a kid but I know my way around when I'm looking for anything. Especially information.”
Amnon spoke,“Chae from where we come from we don't name children until they are old enough for us to see a defining quality about them. Poya means searcher.”
Poya held out a hand “I'd like to see the device. It'll help me find something about it.” I reached into the the pouch that the device hung in and retrieved it.
Poya's well trained eyes scanned over it “It look just a bit similar to a DPC.” he answered my question before I could ask it “A Dimensional Portal Creator. Only the Archons have these. I've heard that some people have been able to steal one or two every once in a while but I'm pretty sure that I've heard of none that look like this.” he opened it and examined the inside. “This is definitely like nothing I've ever seen.” he handed the DPC back to me and said “I'll try to find as much as I can.”
My days were pretty much the same after that. Each day I start with a quick breakfast and then do at the very least an hour of stretches to get my body in shape. I would also do some excercises with my arm to help it be strong when it finally healed. I would then spend most of the rest of the day learning fighting skills. Meran was a very thorough teacher and made sure I had every bit of knowledge he taught me completely down and I was never allowed to forget anything. Surprisingly I progressed extremely quickly, in fact it was incredible how quickly I learned the moves. By the time a month had passed I was more or less at the same level as Trixy and Amnon. It was a speculation that many of us thought about a lot. It seemed Amnon's prediction was true. It was as though I had been born to fight.
I can tell you though, that month was certainly not all work and no play. I always enjoyed my afternoon break thoroughly.
* * * *
A month to the day after I had arrived at the encampment I was showing Trixy and Amnon what I had learned. . . while fervently watching the horizon. They had caught me literally while I was on the run. Behind me Trixy and Amnon conversed quietly.
Trixy Watched Chae and said “She's a very quick learner. I can't believe she's learned as much as she has in so little time.”
Amnon nodded “She isn't just a quick learner she. . .” Chae saw something over her shoulder behind them and took off at full speed. “. . .is a born fighter," he finished. There was a yell behind them. They whirled around and saw Meron. He huffed and puffed and said “She's also a born troublemaker and a thief.” Trixy watched him with barely held mirth. This had become a sort of a routine for them. One which she enjoyed a lot. “What did she do this time?”
“She stole my teeth AGAIN! She's stolen my teeth every day since Poya taught her how to pickpocket!”
“Trixy asked, “If she steals it from you every day how do you get it back?”
Meron calmed down a bit “She always returns them exactly where she took them every day right before dinner.”
Trixy burst out laughing “Well at least you'll always know where your teeth are every day.” Trixy's laughter was infectious and Meron started laughing as well.
He stopped laughing for a moment to say “She's like no one I've ever met.” Then he stopped laughing completely and said “I think she could be a really good influence for this camp. We all could use a little laughter.”
He sighed “I might as well get back to work. It's still a long while till dinner time.”
He left and as Trixy continued to laugh Amnon frowned Trixy looked at him “What's the matter?”
“She's so happy. What worries me is that people who are born fighters almost never get any breaks.”
* * * *
Later in the day as the sun set Amnon found Chae sitting at the edge of the encampment. He sat beside her and for a moment they sat there together in silence. Then Amnon spoke “You've had a lot of fun stealing Meron's teeth every day haven't you?” Chae nodded but her eyes were distant. He chuckled “Well you must have been a real terror where you came from.”
She smiled “Yea. I loved pulling practical jokes. . .or at least I used to.”
“What happened?”
“I lost my parents. After they were gone, playing tricks just didn't seem fun anymore, without them to be there to scold me in front of my teachers. Then laugh with me afterwards.”
He placed his hand on mine “How did it happen?”
“I had been at school that day. They were having a school dance. Since it was a special occasion I had set up a special joke for one of the lead jocks. I had set up a bucket of green slime above the outside door that would tip over if anyone opened the door. I knew that he was planning to go outside so it was all perfect. It worked perfectly, unfortunately I did this so often that everyone knew exactly who had done it. He chased me around the parking lot, throwing the green slime at me. He had just scored one hit when I almost ran into someone, a policeman. He knew who I was because we were required to wear name tags during the dance. The look on his face told me everything even before he had said a word.
Do you know what guns are?”
Amnon nodded “The Archons and people who deal in the black market are the only ones who have them though.”
“Where I lived there were a lot of them. A gang war had been going on in my area. My parents accidentally got gunned down as they were walking home, in a drive-by shooting.”
He was silent for a moment. Then “I'm sorry.”
“Yea, well it's already happened. There is nothing any of us can do about it now.” In a desperate attempt to change the subject I asked a question “Amnon, That first day, was it you who saved me?”
He nodded “You looked so innocent and helpless the first time I saw you. Against my natural instincts for safety I went to help you.” He chuckled “I learned later that you weren't so helpless after all.”
I scowled “You wont forget about that will you?”
He smiled “That day when Trixy got back I had been so worried about her that I couldn't think of anything else. She told me later that you had cared for even though you didn't have to, it made her want to help you in return. You seem to do that to a lot of people.”
I frowned and sighed. Amnon noticed it “What's wrong?”
“I wish I were back at home. Back then I never had to worry about running for my life. I hope Poya will be able to find something.”
Speak of the devil and he shall appear. At that very moment Poya came into view. When he saw us he started forward at a run.
“Chae! Amnon! I've been looking for you guys everywhere!” He trotted up to us. “I've found something.”
* * * *
Trixy, Poya, Amnon and I crept past the men who were guarding the edge of the camp. Ever since the incident with Ugra this area had been surrounded by a blockade. Though many men had been sent out to find us we had been able to keep hidden. The men who ran the camp, one of which was Meron were afraid that if anyone left the camp the Archons could be able to track them back. They had forbidden anyone to leave until the search was given up. Poya had been able to sneak in and out of the camp unseen to find information which had been easy to do alone. Now that there were three of us were trying to cross together it would be ten times harder.
Poya had found out that a woman called The Oracle had extensive illegal knowledge on all things Archon. He had met her in Lysaria and she had agreed to meet us outside the city. Where she would look at the DPC and tell them what she knew. Poya said “We should be on guard though. She was strangely eager to help.”
We had spent the rest of the evening trying to think of a way to get past the blockade and had finally come up with a plan. It had started with an idea from Poya. Amnon had told him about my strange change in appearance. He said that if I could do that by just touching it then maybe I could will my features to change. When Poya suggested this Amnon snorted “That will never work. It could hurt her or worse. That's some kind of DPC. She could accidentally send herself to a different dimension.” I touched his arm and he quieted down. “Amnon we don't have any better ideas and we need to get across the blockade and this is the best idea we have.” Amnon grumbled but finally we proceeded. I held the device in my hands touching the symbol. Even as I touched it I could felt an electric sensation running up my arms. I imagined a woman with dark brown wavy hair wearing a purple shawl and a faded green dress. Nothing happened. Trixy cheered me on “Come on Chae. I know you can do it. Just concentrate.”
I took three long, slow, deep breaths and closed my eyes. I held the image in my head and did my best to block out any other thoughts. Slowly and one by one I blocked out the sounds of the camp. First the sound of the practice taking place outside my tent, then the sound of the fires crackling only a few feet away. Eventually I was surrounded in silence. All I saw was the girl and then I felt the electric feeling growing, spreading from my arms to my face and then down my neck. Down the torso of my body and then down my legs and into my toes. For a moment I could feel the electricity flowing through the whole of my body, then it disappeared. I opened and looked out through my new eyes. Amnon's eye were widened and he seemed to be frozen. Poya's face held a triumphant smile. Trixy was reaching to embrace me and saying something, but I couldn't her her. All I could here was a voice that seemed to take up my whole head. It was a voice I recognized as the old hag's voice. The only difference was that it was the voice of a young woman, but at the same time it seemed ageless. It only spoke a few and very puzzling words “AND SO THE HOLDER OF THE TRAVU DISCOVERS THE FIRST POWER WITHOUT MY HELP. IT SEEMS YOU ARE MORE THAN EVEN I EXPECTED.
The voice had a laughing tone to it and it rang in my ears several minutes afterwards. I could see that I was worrying everyone. Their silent words and faces drifted away as my head started to bloat out my vision. I held a hand up and put the other to my head. After a few minutes my vision cleared and I could hear again. I smiled to assure them and spoke “Whatever this is it certainly wasn't made by the Archons.”
Amnon spoke “I knew this was a bad idea look at her she's as white as the inside of a tree!” I held up a hand.
“No Amnon it wasn't the device or the fact I was able to do the change. It was the person who applauded it.”
“What?”
“There is someone out there who know so much about this thing that they were able to communicate through it. They had this loud and strange voice that filled my head.”
Trixy tilted her head a bit and said “How do you know it's a person?”
I held my hands to my head “There were too many special effects.”
“Special effects?”
“Putting on a grand act like they are some great being.”

And so I changed my appearance. I had finished exactly two hours before midnight. We were careful as we passed the guards at the edge of the encampment, it took us nearly half an hour to get far enough away for it to be safe enough to travel on the roads, then nearly and hour and a half passed before we reached the blockade. They were letting people through but I could see everyone was tense. Only a trickle of people were passing through the gate. Each was being inspected thoroughly. They had to stand still as each person was searched, then they had to take off their boots and gloves if they had any. After that their cargo was inspected thoroughly also. This made so that it took at least ten minutes for each group of people. The four of us each held only a pack with provisions and maybe one or two personal belongings with a bed roll strapped on top. I had hidden the watch in the best place I could think of, plain sight. I had made it into a broach that connected the shawl. Of coarse it didn't look a thing like the original watch now. I had painted it golden and had used ink to decorate it and to disguise and bring attention away from any mistakes I might have made.
My pulse quickened as we neared the check out point. Then it grew a lot worse. It was a minute before midnight, at that very moment Ugra appeared. He walked up and stood by watching his men check every person. His sharp eyes inspected each of them in turn and he stood up straight, at complete attention.
Then we arrived at the gate. It was too late to turn back now, if we tried we would draw unwanted attention to ourselves. Amnon went first. He was stiff as he searched and his face was stony, almost as stony as stone face who inspected him thoroughly and then waved him on. Trixy was next, he paid closer attention to her because she was a woman and a woman was what he was searching for. She too passed without incident. Poya passed in almost no time at all. Now I was all that was left. All eyes of our party rested on me and the men who searched me. None of them even so much as glanced at my broach, but Ugra was not that lazy. He spent a full minute inspecting the broach. All of which my heart was beating at full speed. Finally his eyes passed it and they waved me on. I walked on and at that very moment I heard a clock started to stroke. One, two, three, four, five, six, I felt a shiver run up my spine. Seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve. The moment It struck twelve I felt electricity start to dissolve going from my legs and up. I ran, I didn't need to see myself to know what was happening. We all ran but it was hopeless. They got only about five feet away and were surrounded by thirteen men. I got ten feet and then I was tackled to the ground and pinned there. I heard slow footsteps nearing me but I couldn't see who it was because my face was being shoved into the dirt. Ugra's cold voice cut through the air.
“I guess the fox just wasn't good enough to avoid the hound. What a pity.”

* * * *
Meron was outside where rightfully he should be enjoying the afternoon sun, but he wasn't. He was doing what he hated and was most appalled by. . . paperwork. The Archon had introduced it to his world about three years ago and to avoid suspicion that he was one of the leaders of the encampments that roved around trying to undo their work, he had to do it. That was one thing that the other people in the camp were lucky to be free of.
It crossed his mind that Chae hadn't shown up in class today. It worried him a bit but not that much, kids skipped class all the time and yet Chae hadn't skipped a single day ever. Meron shrugged his shoulders and went back to his work.
An hour later he had finished lunch. He cleaned his teeth and set them aside and now he was looking through his papers again. He looked at the sun. The break would be over in a few minutes. Then just out of pure habit, not expecting at all for them to be there he absentmindedly checked for his teeth.
The very instant he felt the fake teeth beneath his bony hands Meron knew something was terribly wrong.
* * * *
I woke up groggily in a dark room. No stream of light could be seen anywhere and I slowly began to feel my way around. Only about a foot from me in every direction there was a row of metal bars. I reached up and felt cool metal beneath my fingertips. There was a metal top, I was in some kind of metal cage. I felt around looking for some kind of way to open it. I felt a hinge at the top. Apparently it was meant to open from the top. I felt around on the other side and touched a lock. My hands explored further and found something resting on top of the cage. There was no way I would be able to lift that even if I was able to pick the lock, but I had to try to get out of here.
Once Poya had heard that I could pick a lock he had taught me more about the art of lock picking. I could now open a more difficult lock than I could before. He had also presented me with a set of picks for my work. I had hidden this in a purposely emptied space in the buckle of my belt and later I had replaced the buckle of the pouch that Trixy had given to me with another one that would fit more of my picks. But since these thing could be taken away I had gotten even more creative in hiding my picks. There was one hidden in the very center of my ponytail wrapped up in my hair. My belt and pouch were gone but I still had the one pick in my hair to use.
I pulled down my hair and picked through my hair. I heard a clink as the pick hit the ground. Slowly not even daring to move, because I was afraid I would sit on it I searched fro it. Ten minutes had passed and I still had found nothing, still I searched.
What seemed like hours passed before my hand rested on the pick. My heart slowed down as I lifted my hands to the lock. I placed it in the lock and started picking it. After a few minutes I heard a click as the lock popped open.
Then I set my other plan in motion. I took off my tunic and started to rip it up into strips of cloth. The I reached up and placed them underneath the object that was on top of the cage. Slowly, very slowly I eased it off the top of the cage. As soon as all the weight was on my hands they plummeted. My hands were crushed beneath the weight of it but it made no sound. For a moment I was unable to ease my fingers out, then they were out. I barely held back curses as I massaged my swollen fingers.
Then, very carefully I eased open the cage. My legs were cramped and they nearly folded as I stood up. I lifted my legs over the edge of the cage and set them on the ground.
It only took a few minutes to explore the room. It was empty of anything other than my cage. There was a rough wooden door at the end, I picked its lock easily. The hall outside had a torch every few feet, but other than that there was nothing there.
It spooked me. I started walking down the hall, No matter how hard I tried to keep my footsteps silent they echoed ominously.
“You must hurry.”
I whirled around and caught view of a woman. She wore a flowing dress and had silver hair. Every feature of her was perfect, except one. This one feature made me recognize her for what she was. Her eyes were pure white, a white that swirled with clouds. They were blind eyes. Her eyes may have been blind, but they looked on in pain. Her voice was strangled as she spoke again “Your friends are fighting for you traveler but they wont last long without you and the Travu. So much is happening. . . it swirls all in my head.” She seemed to drift of and then she came back, her eyes were clear and her voice strong like it had been when she had spoken to me after the transformation. “YOU MUST FIND THE TRAVU IT IS IMPERITIVE THAT THE BIHEMIAN NOT DISCOVER IT'S POWERS!” Then she drove her hand forward and fast as lightning she led me all the way down many dark corridors and stopped at a door. She had showed me where to go. Then I was back with her again. She started to fade again, this time I could see that she wasn't coming back.
“Wait! Who is the Bihemian? How can I get home? Listen to me!”
She continued to fade. She laughed feverishly and said “The Bihemian, the hound are one and the same, and though the fox and hound be two . . . their blood intertwines.”
“What does that mean?” She laughed hysterically and faded completely.

I found myself on the floor in the dungeon. The door whose lock I had just picked lay slightly opened. I stood up and stared at the door. I knew what I had to do. Obviously “the hound” was Ugra. He had the Travu, which meant I would have to find him and take it from him. Now I hadn't seen him fight. He had just ordered him men around, that left two conclusions. Either he was smart and had gotten into a position where he didn't need to fight, or it could mean that he was so good that he would only fight when there was someone around who was a real challenge. I gulped, I hoped it was the first of the two. That left one other question. “The fox and the hound have blood that intertwines?” I had no idea what that meant, whatever it meant it certainly couldn't be good, but I would have to think of it later Remembering the dream, I thought it's not likely they'll leave the door unguarded like that. They probably have guards at the door. I need to be more careful.
I rested my hands on the door lightly and peeked outside. Outside there was another large room. It held several other doors, across from me there was an open door leading to stairs. Beside the door was a torch on the wall. Between the door and me there were five men. They were assembled around a table playing cards. One yawned and set down another card. Obviously these men had been here for quite some time. They were probably nearing the end of their shift. Which meant very soon refreshed, alert men would be coming. They would probably check my cage before they started their shift. Which meant I had little time.
The light didn't reach as far as I was, so I had a little advantage. That advantage was evened out by the fact that the men surrounded all the table. Which meant no matter which way I approached them someone would see me. Unless. . .
* * * *
Goliath watched the fortune he had just amassed from working for the Archons disappear into another player's pockets. He would have to clean the kitchen and cook again for his room. His night was just getting worse and worse. He yawned and stared dully at his cards. He set them down, and stretched saying all the while “I don't have no more money to bet so I'll. . .” He never finished the sentence.
At that very moment all his four other comrades disappeared underneath the table.
* * * *
I had been able to slide along the floor, careful not to touch any of them and had settled underneath the table. It had been a pure miracle that no one had seen me but the fact the only source of light was on the other side of the room combined with them so caught up in there game and I must admit a bit of luck had gotten me there. Before this I had found my belt, my knife and the small pouch I had used to carry the Travu hanging on a rack beside the door of my cell. Apparently they hadn't been worth taking to any of my jailers and had been discarded. Lucky me.
I had used a similar trick on some people on my class a few years ago but had decided not to do it again because it was so hard to do. I had used a rope, but right now my long belt would have to do. Poya truly had been a thief before he had joined the encampment. He had shown me how he had hidden a rope in his the belt. He could pull it out any time he wanted and all he needed to do to return it to it's hiding spot was pull the belt taut. He had used this to escape many times. He had commented “There will always be a use for a rope when you're in a scrape.” He had then ceremoniously installed the same thing into my belt.
I had wrapped the rope around one of each of the legs of four of the men. The fifth I had left alone. I had seen his cards, he would soon be handing them in. Once he provided the proper distraction I would pull the rope taut and pull the other men down. I was careful to only wrap one leg. With two I wouldn't be able to pull all of them down at once, and with only one leg they would lose balance and fall faster.
The four of them fell and one of them hit his head and was out instantly. The three others landed on their backs and started trying to draw their swords to attack, I was quicker. I use my palm to hit two them in the face before they even had a chance. By this time the third had his sword out and was charging towards me. I remembered the rope in my hand. Then I pulled, he lost his balance for a moment. A moment was all I needed. I shoved my fist into his stomach and while he was bent over I nailed him over the head.
The moment he hit the ground it struck me. Where was the fifth in all this?
Suddenly I was lifted of the ground and the air was squeezed out of me. My vision was dotted with black spots as I gasped for breath. I kicked weakly, while gripping my small knife that was pinned to my sides with the Goliath man's arms. I leaned forward and bit him in the arm as hard as I could. I drew blood and he screamed. For a moment he loosened his grip. I wrenched my knife up and then drove it hilt down onto his head. He dropped me and I fell to the floor coughing and gasping for breath. I heard a thud as he hit the floor.
I waited there only long enough for my vision to clear before I stood up. I walked over to the other four men. I untied the rope and pulled the rope back into the belt. Then I looped it around my waist. I slipped the dagger into its sheath and then clipped the sheath onto the belt. Right after that I clipped the pouch on also. Then I headed for the stairs. I already knew the way so the rest of the journey was silent as I ran through the dark. As I reached the corner of the corridor that led to Ugra's room I stopped. Ugra didn't strike me as the kind of man who slept unprotected in the night.
I peered cautiously around the corner. Three men stood at attention at his door. There were two torches on either side of door. At a glance they could see all the way down each of the corridors. I picked four lose stones from the wall and threw one to the other side of the corridor. The men's heads immediately swiveled to where the sound had come from. One jerked his head towards the place where they had heard it and the other two proceeded down the hall, The third man's eyes bore into the back of the others. I weighed the other two stones and waited for them to turn the corner and get far enough down the next hall so that the third wouldn't see them. Then I threw the other two stones. The men crumpled soundlessly. The third rock was the biggest and I waited to throw it carefully. I could see the last man was about to call for help, I needed to do something now. I shouted, trying to be not to soft and not too loud “Guard, please help me!” I didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to fall for that but at least it would postpone him from calling back-up. He stopped and to my amazement sheathed his sword. I guess anything could work, all you had to do was try it. I Backed farther into my hallway and waited. He came around the corner cautiously. Still he wasn't quick enough. I nailed him with the stone and like the others he fell silently to the ground.
Now came the hard part. I would have to sneak into Ugra's room and steal back the Travu, without waking him up. I opened the door only a crack and slipped in, silently closing the door behind me. Ugra slept in a fairly simple room, with only three pieces of furniture his bed, a chair with the clothes lying on top, and a chest at the end of his bed. There was only one other thing, A balcony door covered in a curtain was at the end of the room.
“I wonder where it will be?” I mused and sidled to the chest. “Unless he sleeps with it.” I examined the chests lock, it was middle sized lock. Which meant it would be harder to pick. The bigger ones tended to be simpler and therefore easier to open. The smaller ones could just be broken with a cutting tool.
I opened the hollow in my belt buckle and reached for one of my picks. I would need my best one for this. I placed it inside the lock and started to work. Now I wont bore you with all the details of what I did, but I can tell you this. It seemed like whole days were passing as I worked.
I opened the chest and peered inside. There were a few folded cloths but what caught my eye was the small box on top it all. I opened it quickly and it gave out a loud squeak. I crouched there for a moment motionless. Nothing happened, and I decided I was safe. There on a velvet cloth was the Travu. I stood up and placed it in my pouch.
That's when I noticed it. I couldn't hear Ugra's breathing anymore. I ducked and there was a whoosh above my head as a staff swung through empty air. I then dropped completely and rolled, turning to face Ugra.
He wore a lose black shirt and pants and held a five foot staff. He looked like he knew how to use it. “Where are my guards?”
I grinned and said “They decided to take a little nap.” Then I ducked back towards the door. He started to jab at me with his staff and I hopped backwards. My foot caught on something and I tipped backwards. Desperately I grabbed for the door frame. My hand hit the torch on the wall outside instead. Luckily I hit the handle. I gained my balance and pulled out the torch. I swung it at him and he jumped back, I continued advancing. I was planning to get him onto the balcony and lock him out there. As we passed through the balcony doors the torch brushed the curtains and they caught on fire.
Ugra's eye widened as he looked behind me. I realized that I had lit more than the curtains on fire, the whole room was in flames.
Ugra dropped his staff and tackled me and the torch went flying. . . and landed on the bed. It went up like a torch. Ugra grabbed me by the back of my shirt and dragged me up. We were trapped. The door leading to the hall was in flames and the balcony was too high to jump from. “Look what you've done.” Ugra hissed, all I could do was try to cough up the smoke I was breathing in.
I managed to clear my throat long enough to cough out “The floor. . .we have to get on the floor. . .less smoke.” Still holding the back of my shirt he dragged us onto the floor. He was crouched with his back to the balcony door. He started to say something but his eyes rolled back and he collapsed. Behind him I saw Amnon. His face was wrapped in a wet cloth and he held another dripping wet blanket and in his other hand was Ugra's staff. He gave me the wet blanket and I placed it over my head an back. Amnon started heading towards the balcony but it stopped him. He shook his head “We wont be able to get out in time with him.” I started dragging him towards the balcony anyway. “I won't leave him.” Amnon tried to grab my arm but I pulled away, “I am NOT leaving him here to die, Amnon.” I glared at him. He growled as if he was considering dragging me away himself, for a moment we were both tense but then he started to help me drag Ugra onto the balcony.
When we reached the edge I peered down. Meron, Trixy, and some of the men from the encampment were down at the bottom peering up. A rope dangled down beside them. I looked towards Amnon “How will we get him down?” Amnon ignored me and yelled down “We need the net!” The people on the ground started to scramble for something that lay in the dirt. Then they raised the net. Amnon jerked his head “Jump down. He'll be next and I'll be after him.” I sat on the edge of the balcony rail and let myself fall. I watched the balcony grow smaller and more distant, then I landed. I immediately rolled off the net. I watched as Amnon heaved Ugra over the side of the rail. Then he climbed over the edge of the balcony and started to climb down the rope. He left a moment too late, the fire had reached the edge of the balcony and was now starting to eat at the rope! If he jumped down to the net he would crush Ugra. He was climbing down at as fast as he could. . . but not fast enough. Trixy, Meron and the other men started rolling Ugra off, but they weren't doing it quick enough.
I could do nothing but watch in terror as I watched the last of the rope disappear from the balcony. My heart clutched up as I thought I've killed him. Then he fell. Trixy screamed “NO! AMNON!”
Suddenly Amnon was engulfed in a purple aura, he drifted down slowly and settled onto the dirt. All of us turned to stare at the person that the aura had come from. A young woman with dark brown hair stood at the edge of the woods. She wore a purple skirt with a white top. A blue cloth was tied to her waist and she wore a purple bandanna in her hair. Standing beside her was Poya, he was staring at her too. She surveyed us calmly and said “I'm Oracle. I understand you needed my help to identify something?”
I snapped out of it when Ugra groaned. I looked at Meron and said “We can leave Ugra here he's a safe distance from the fire and he's waking up.”
Meron shook his head “Don't be naive Chae, he'll come after us and we'll get no end of trouble, besides we need him.”
If I had ever been surprised by Meron it was now “What?!”
“We started a war getting in here to help you guys. The only way this isn't going to end with us having our heads lopped off is if we have leverage.”
My eyes bulged as I stared at him in horror “You're going to what?!”
Meron shook his head “You're being too dramatic Chae. We wouldn't dream of hurting him. We're just going to keep him around until the Archon and us come to an agreement that wont end in these men's deaths.” he motioned to the men around him.
I clenched my teeth but I said no more. Meron had a point. Meron motioned to one of the men. “Tie him up and take him with us.” I moved away from Meron and went to Oracle. No one else would go within several feet of her. “We're going to go to a safer place and then I'll show you the device.” I hadn't questioned her powers and no one else had because we all knew that some secrets were best kept secrets. I had a feeling this was one of them. I didn't ask and she didn't supply me with and answer though I'm sure she knew everyone was tensing to know the answer.
I turned to Poya and said “How did you guys get here?”
He grinned smugly. “Since I was a kid they thought I was helpless. They didn't put me to sleep like the rest of you, they didn't check me for any hidden stuff, they didn't even put any guards on me. They just stuck me in a rickety old cage and sent me off to some “Childcare institution” where they brainwashed you to work for the Archons. He stopped for a moment and said, “I think they called it a boarding school.”
I started to laugh. I let all my worries and my pain from the last day wash away with the laughter. When the laughter ended I felt refreshed. Poya stared at me patiently, looking very irritated.
“Go on.”
He continued excitedly “ I was able to get out of that cage in a jiffy. I followed the carts that held you guys and once they got to here I went back and found Meron and the others. They had been searching for us. Then I led them back here. After that I went to get Oracle because I found out it wasn't safe for her there any more.”
“What do you mean.”
He frowned a rare frown and said “Someone tipped them off that we were coming through there that month, that day, and that very hour. They even told them where we were going.”
“How?”
“I don't know I just heard him,” he jerked his arm over in Ugra's direction and continued “talking about it.”
I was worried, this could mean there was a traitor among us. Meron signaled to all the men to get moving. One of them picked up Ugra and we started moving. I moved towards Meron “Where are we going?”
He kept his eyes on the road and said “There is a cabin out farther into the forest. We'll stop there for Oracle to tell you what you need to know. Then were going to move far and fast. It would be best to get away from this place as quickly as we can.” We traveled in silence for the rest of the journey.
Putting all of my jokes aside, Meron was like a father to me. I had a feeling that something big was about to change. It scared me, I didn't want to lose a second father. I said nothing. That silence was a silence that I would come to regret for the rest of my life. I had little time left to be in this world. We reached the cabin after I don't know how long. It was there that they had hidden their horses, that shack had been abandoned for a while. It reminded me of the the shack that had started this in the first place. While wandering through the mist I had seen its light shining in the distance I had gone to it . . .and had gotten lost in a whole different world.
Inside Ugra was placed at one end and Amnon, Trixy, Poya, and Meron at the other. When Meron had stated that he would be joining us no one challenged him. He deserved to know about it as much as any of us who had risked our lives. The other men waited outside, they knew something very strange was going to be happening, they had sensed it the moment they had seen the device and then Oracle. They had wisely decided that they didn't want to be involved in it. The rest of us weren't as smart as them. We seated ourselves on the floor in a small circle and I brought out the Travu. Then I handed it to Oracle.
The whole time that I had seen Oracle she had had a very calm demeanor. The moment she laid her eyes on the Travu they bulged, and she handled the device as if it were some priceless antique. Oracle held her breath as if she were relishing the moment. Then she spoke “This is the ultimate DPC. It was the original one, they based all the others off this one creation.” she glanced up from staring at it. “A man from the world where the Archons come from spent years testing it out, working on it and finally was able to come up with this. They say that he never would have been able to do it without some weird creature's help. They say that it was one from an advanced world one that had grown so powerful that they could give you superhuman powers. One of them wandered from where ever they had come from and he helped it get back to its home. It bestowed his creation with the powers he longed for it to have and gave him the complete understanding of it. He went to his government and when he told them about it they imprisoned him and ceased his creation.” she shrugged her shoulders “I don't believe it but this device was certainly more powerful than any other of the copies. That's what the others are, just copies, when the government ceased his work though they tried their hardest with all their smart scientists they could never truly recreate it or even understand it.”
“That explains why they wanted it back so badly. So does this device do what they say it does?”
She looked at me oddly as if I should already know this but she didn't say anything about it. “ Yes. They are capable of helping someone travel through the dimensions. Only the Archons have them as far as I know, except a few that some people are able to steal. . .”
“YOU WITCH! YOU CURSED ANIMAL! WHERE HAVE YOU TAKEN ME TO YOU SPINELESS THEIF!” Apparently Ugra had waken up. We all turned our heads towards him. He struggled with the ropes that held him and there was true hate in his eyes as he cursed me.
Amnon's voice cut through like a sword slicing Ugra's words in two the moment Ugra took a breath “Don't you dare insult her honor you Archon scum. Do you know what she did for you in that fire? I would have left you to burn but she didn't, she risked her life to save your sorry hide. She even argued to have you set free. I don't expect you to understand the amount of bravery and honor she has shown to you but I expect you to be quiet or so help me I will gag you and find the deepest hole I can find, dig farther and stick you there.” Ugra's face had remained as emotionless as always after his outburst, but as Amnon spoke I swear I thought I saw him flinch.
I don't think anyone had ever spoken to him that way before. I let Amnon speak but I didn't say anything. In my own mind I didn't believe myself to have shown any honor, maybe some terrified half concocted decisions but to say the least I had accidentally started that fire myself. It would have been greatly against all my standards to let him die in that fire. I had been terrified but the thought had been the foremost in my mind was that if he died it would be my fault. I don't know what I would have done if he had been unconscious by his own fault. I mean I wouldn't have left him there to die because I wanted to be rid of him, but if I had panicked and had been only thinking of myself I don't know what I would have done. While Amnon was still puffing with anger and Ugra was too surprised to speak I took advantage of the silence.
I spoke softly to Oracle because I didn't want Ugra to hear. “Do you know how to work one of these devices Oracle?” She nodded and to my surprise brought out a small golden disk. It was about the size of a milk bottle cap. One side was completely plain and the other held a picture that I recognized from my first day. It was the same one that I had seen in the Travu the day I had arrived here. Exactly a month ago. She pointed to the tiny picture and said “This is where we are.” She drew her finger across the surface of the picture and then it changed. Now it showed several planets and stars. “This is the galaxy we are in. Now It can grow a lot bigger than this there are many worlds and galaxies in just this universe.” she moved her finger across the screen again and now it showed complete black, but in the middle there was a circle of glowing lights. There were forty-nine of them and each was a different color, some were bigger and some were smaller but all were surrounded by misty light that was off all colors. Some colors were even ones that I had never seen. I can't describe them but when I saw them I was truly flabbergasted. Oracle continued “These are all the dimensions. They have been programmed into this device and they show all of them except the Archon's home world. Only the Chairman and his councilmen have devices that can go there. It's really simple how you work these. All you do is select one and then stretch your arm out and call the world's name.” I opened the Travu and started doing the same as her. Except there was one dilemma. Once I scrolled past the universe of this world it all went black. Oracle didn't even bother looking at the screen she just said “Call out the name of the world.”
I stood up shakily, all eyes on me. Ugra obviously had recovered by now but she stayed strangely quiet and watched too. I stretched forward my arm.
“Earth, Wales, Home!” Nothing happened.
Oracle spoke “Try just the world.”
I tried again, “Earth!” Nothing. Oracle watched and sighed “I was afraid that that was true.”
“What?”
“There were rumors that with the original the user has to program each world to show it on the screen. In other words they have to have already gone there with the device.”
I sagged “I guess that means I'll never get home.” I felt like crying.
Oracle shook her head and held my shoulders “Some say that the Travu original had a mind of its own. At least an artificial type of mind.” I looked at her suspiciously; how could she know about artificial intelligence while being from here? She looked at me and said “I've been able to travel to many worlds. I'm not ignorant.” then she continued “I think you need ask it to take you there.”
“So it can take me home?”
She grew still and said with a sure voice “It will take you where you need to go. I'm sure of it.”
I stretched forward my arm again hoping that it would be the last time “Please. . . please take me back home. . . to the place where I need to be.” Nothing happened. I sagged, clenching my hands into fists viciously. Then all hell broke loose.
One of the men crashed through the door. “We need to go, NOW! They're coming!” At the same moment the portal appeared. It swirled blue and red and all the colors imaginable. It formed a doorway. Then it waited for someone to enter.
The man who had entered grabbed the cursing Ugra and dragged him out. Meron stopped to speak to the rest of us. “The four of you wont be safe with us any longer. You are wanted and they know your names. Go with Chae and. . .”
“No.” Trixy spoke with a fervor. “I'm coming with you. I can't just leave you to be chased down by them!” His response was to push her forward. She almost got her balance back for a moment but then she fell into the swirling vortex of color. The last I saw of her were her eyes. Total surprise played out on them . . . and fear. He turned to us.
“Get out of here or I'll push you all in myself !” Poya needed no more urging, without a moment's hesitation flung himself into the doorway. For a moment Ammon seemed to be deciding whether or not to try anyway but one look from Meron stopped him. He entered the portal. A sound of thunder filled the room, Meron gave me one last glance and left. I stared at the entry way. I was on the brink of going home . . . and yet I knew after all Meron had done to me I couldn't abandon him, I just couldn't. I guess I just wasn't meant to go home. I was about to exit the room, but I had been so wrapped up in my decision that I had forgotten on thing. Or one person in this case. Oracle had read my face, had seen my thoughts and had other ideas. Before I had any chance of fighting back she tackled me and I was thrown into the portal along with her.
It felt as if I had fallen into a stream, as if I was flowing through water. I could breath but I could feel the cool touch of water all around me. It felt. . . alive, after a few minutes I opened my eyes. I was going down a long tunnel. Light shimmered at the edges and the rest was clear. I looked around for Oracle but she was no where in sight. My attention was drawn away from that mystery when I glimpsed light off in the distance. It was golden and shimmered like the sun. As I neared the end of the tunnel one warm thought caressed my mind. I was going home, at last.


Back on Oron somewhere near a large city name Lyseria, in the middle of a forest, inside of a small wooden cabin, the portal closed with a resounding and final whirl. Or was it so final?