by Winter, Eden
Across from her, Veri could see another large group of people moving in many different directions. What separated the group of people nearest her and the ones that were across the way was a black river. It was unmoving and as solid as the grey ground that she was walking on, but on the black river there were strange things that moved. They were big with an unusual shape, and they were different colors. Most of them were yellow. Each had two white eyes at the front, and they purred like animals. Veri quickly discovered it was these creatures that were causing the smell of smoke that was beginning to make her feel ill. There were so many of them, and inside of them were people.
These must have been horses. Veri stood completely perplexed. Where had Adam led her? She couldn’t even be sure that this was where he was. She had closed her eyes while she was tumbling through the dark passageway. It was quite possible that he had gotten out at a different location.
“You wanna get moving, lady?” A very angry man dressed in three layers of clothing spoke. He had a black rope around his neck to match his shortened black robe and pants. There was a white shirt underneath the shortened robe and he was tapping his foot at her. There were just so many people around. This world was a strange one. Humans were roaming free of their own accord, and there were no vampires, wolves, or any other creatures that Veri could sense.
She smelled the air. The only smell she recognized was the smoke coming from the unusual horses and something else mixed in with the smoke that burnt her lungs, but that was all that she could smell. There was no scent of human blood coursing through the veins of the people who were now all around her. She had been so overcome by curiosity and fear that she had not noticed that she had lost some of her senses.
Her eyesight had certainly been dimmed, and she wasn’t able to truly sense anyone around her. If not for being able to see or feel the people, she was would be completely lost.
The angry man who had spoken to her grumbled something under his breath and decided it would just be easier to walk around her. Veri grabbed hold of his sleeve as he walked away.
“Are you crazy? Get off my suit!” the man yelped.
“What is this place?” Veri asked. Her voice was low and commanding. Even without her ability to smell his fear, she could see it in the man’s eyes. Her eyes widened and she tilted her head. She was menacing.
“What are you talking about? Get off me or I’m calling the police,” the man said. His voice shook a bit as Veri’s grip on him tightened.
“Where is this place?” Veri asked the question again as slowly as she was able to. She said it in a way that she knew meant that she would not need to ask him again.
“You’re on Staten Island. I’m running late for work. Think you can let go of me?”
Veri did, even though she knew that there were far more questions that she needed answered. All she now knew was that she was on a strange island where the towers, castles, and homes were as abundant here as the trees in the world that she knew. Everything was grey. The only difference in color was the black river, the difference in attire of the people swarming around her, and the brightness of the sky.
Veri looked upward and almost screamed when she did. Where were the suns? There was only one bright ball in the sky. This sun was so bright that she couldn’t make out its shape, but it was also so much smaller than the closest of the three suns in her world. This was certainly not the same realm as the one she had just come from. Did these people know about her world at all? Could this be what her realm would become in the future, or were these worlds living together as parallels? Adam could have been a time jumper as well as a portal creator. Veri needed to find him as soon as she could. He was the only person who was truly able to provide answers to all of the questions she had.
She stepped forward. There was no one of any real help on this side of the river. She may not have had her powers, but she was still very intuitive. She was going to have to cross the river. Someone on the other side would be her salvation, she hoped. She walked forward, taking a tentative step, tapping the black river with her foot to ensure that it was just as solid as it appeared to be. It was. Veri closed her eyes and walked forward. She was going to trust in whatever was in store for her. There was a reason she no longer had her senses, and there was a reason why she was here. She was not sure what those reasons were yet, but inside her, she knew that these reasons would lead her back to Kainen.
Even with all of her fear and worry, she was still going to leave everything in the hands of whomever or whatever it was that had brought her here in the first place. She stepped out onto the river with her eyes still closed, and she heard loud horn-like sounds from all directions. They were more than likely coming from the strange horses that she had seen with the people riding inside of them.
Veri decided to open her eyes. When she did, she turned her head in the direction of the sound of one of the loud horns, and she stood frozen. Coming right for her was one of the yellow horses, and there were no signs that it had any plans of stopping.
*****
Veri had closed her eyes again. She was waiting for the pain from the impact, but no pain came. She was nearly deafened by the sound of the multiple horns. The large horses were shouting at her. She had covered her ears with her hands, and someone had emerged from the bright yellow horse that had nearly struck her. There was someone in the front yelling strange words to her that she had never heard before, but the person who had come from the back seemed much kinder.
“Are you ok?” the man asked. His skin was a dark brown, and he wasn’t much taller than Veri. His expression was that of concern, but Veri took a step back anyway. The man had no hair on his head, and in front of his eyes were two round circles with the same transparent mirrors that were on all of the towers around them and even on each side of their strange horses.
“Would you like to come out of the middle of the road?” he asked.
“Road,” Veri said. Her eyes widened while her eyebrows came closer toward each other in her confusion. She looked down and raised her feet as if she would find parts of the road on the bottom of her shoes.
“That’s right. Man, I thought color drained from your face because you nearly got hit by a taxi, but no you’re really that pale.”
“That horse is called a taxi?” Veri asked as she pointed to the strange yellow horse. The man inside had stopped shouting, but he still looked extremely upset. Other horses had gathered behind him. They sounded their horns and turned to ride on either side of the yellow horse.
“Get the hell out of the way!” several people yelled. There were more shouts and taunts, but that only made Veri more confused and more upset.
“Hey, come with me. I was heading back home. You can maybe use my telephone when we get there. I’m Jesse.”
The man’s voice was more urgent now. He was looking around at the people who were riding around him and shouting. He looked embarrassed now, but there was still definitely concern in his eyes.
Jesse reached out his hand and beckoned for her to follow him into the taxi. Veri stared deeply into his eyes. She couldn’t smell his blood or sense anything around her, but looking into his eyes, she could see a kindness there. He was the first person who didn’t look at her as if she was some sort of creature. With some reluctance, Veri took hold of Jesse’s hand and got inside the taxi.
“There are chairs inside this taxi,” Veri said.
“You mean the leather seats? What were you thinking walking out onto the road like that?” Jesse asked. He wasn’t scolding her. The person in the front of the taxi was separated by a small cage, and he was still cursing Veri under his breath.
“You know this lady?” the taxi man said.
“No, I don’t. Just wanted to be a good Samaritan,” Jesse replied.
“Jesse the Samaritan,” Veri said. She had managed to squish herself in the corner of the taxi. Both of her feet were up on the chair, and she kept her eyes on both men at the same time. If there was any sudden movement, she w
anted to be prepared to fight or to flee.
“Is that your clan? Samaritan?” Veri asked.
“I’m gonna charge you extra for picking up this wackadoo,” the taxi man said.
“She’s right here. She can hear you. What’s your name?” Jesse’s voice was soft when he was speaking directly to her. Veri guessed that he must not have known the taxi man at all. He was simply taking him to where he needed to go.
“I am Veri,” she said. She did not speak for the rest of the journey in the taxi. Jesse didn’t force her to. After not receiving a reply to a few of his questions, he decided that she was just not in the mood to talk. She probably hit her head or something. A warm meal and a nap would help with that. She would make a phone call, and then he’d help her get to where she needed to get to. That was all he could think to do.
Once they arrived at his house, he had to keep hold of Veri to direct her. She stopped walking every few steps to take a look around. It took almost five minutes to convince her to go into the elevator. Like the yellow horse taxi, she was convinced that the elevator was a creature that was going to devour her and take her to an entirely different world. Jesse had to keep telling her that it only went up and down. She finally stepped inside and clung to Jesse. If it was going to teleport her somewhere else, she would have him along with her and force him to bring her back. But just as Jesse said, the elevator only went up and down. It slowly went up to the fourth floor, and Jesse led Veri to the door of his home.
Veri waited for him to walk inside before joining him. She grabbed onto his arm once he closed the door. She looked around like an attentive black bird, scanning the layout of his home. There was half a wall that separated her from a room that had many white and silver boxes. On the half-wall was a silver bowl with a long silver snout that curved up and over into the bowl. The only thing she recognized was a small basket of fruit in the middle of the half wall.
“What is that?” she pointed at the silver bowl.
“You really don’t remember anything?” Jesse asked.
“Remember? I have never seen these things,” Veri said. She sounded defensive, but she soon apologized.
Jesse led her around the room (rather, he walked around the space and Veri refused to let go of his arm as he moved) and pointed at different things.
“This is a sink,” he said when he pointed at the silver bowl. He turned a nozzle next to the long spout and water came out. Veri gasped and put her finger under the stream of water to make sure that it was real.
“You can drink some, but I can warm it up if you’d like some tea or hot cocoa.”
Veri finally recognized a word. She knew people in her realm who drank tea.
“I can’t. I only drink…” She was about to say blood, but something inside her made her stop herself. This was not a world of blood drinkers, she could tell.
“I will not have any tea,” Veri said. Jesse led her around the entirety of his home. The walls were brick, and there were portraits of plants and people and animals, though they were not painted. There was a portrait of Jesse himself. He was smiling, and on top of his head was a strange hat. It was in black and white. Veri walked toward it and pressed a finger against it. It was behind the transparent mirror.
“That’s a self-portrait. I took that a few years ago,” Jesse said. He had made himself a cup of cocoa. He was blowing into his mug and taking the occasional sip. With her limited sense of smell, Veri still liked the aroma. It was an inviting smell. She ignored the urge to ask to try some. She didn’t know what the cocoa could do to her body.
“A portrait? But I see no paint marks,” Veri said.
“No,” Jesse chuckled mid-blow. The steam from the cocoa disappeared as he laughed into it. “I mean that’s a picture. I took that with my camera.”
“Camera?” Veri became alert immediately. “Show me.”
Jesse frowned when he saw how serious Veri looked. She was no longer a scared and curious doe. She became a woman on a mission. Just how much did she know or not know? He kept an eye on her while he walked from his living room and into his bedroom. He brought out a small black box that Veri recognized immediately.
“The camera,” Veri said.
“No, this is my camera. I bought this one a couple of years back. I’m a photographer.”
“Do you know Adam?”
“I know a couple,” Jesse said. “You wanna tell me what this is all about?”
“I am looking for a human named Adam. His hair is blonde, his eyes are blue, and I have seen him with a camera such as this one,” said Veri. She could feel her insides becoming hot with rage.
“Wow, you really have some beef with this Adam guy, huh?” Jesse said.
Veri didn’t know what he meant by that, but she had no time to chitchat with a human, no matter how friendly he seemed.
“Do you mean Adam Logan?” Jesse disappeared into his room again and came out with a pile of papers. When he returned, he flipped through the papers and showed Veri one of them. They were pictures stacked on top of each other. They were all different sizes. Some were black and white and some were in color.
“No.”
“Well, do you know Adam’s last name?”
“No.”
These were more things that she did not know or understand. The only name she knew was her title, her name Veri, and the name of her clan. Were there other names to keep track of? How could the people in this place stand it?
“Well, I know a few Adams. Maybe you’ll recognize one of them,” said Jesse. He perused the stack of photos, muttering to himself that one Adam had died, one was black, and another didn’t have blonde hair or blue eyes.
“Maybe it’s Adam Mansell. I did a show with him a few years back. Pretty okay dude, albeit pretentious.”
“Show me,” was all Veri said. She had been pacing around the open space with her hands folded over her chest. Jesse found a photograph and showed it to Veri. The rage inside her turned from fiery hot to an ice cold.
“That’s him. That’s Adam. Where can I find him?”
Veri was already making her way toward the door.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down,” Jesse said. He had to put his mug down on a coffee table in order to catch up with Veri.
“I don’t know where he is now, but I know he has a show tomorrow night. Some people I know are going and they invited me,” Jesse said.
Veri eyed him. This was particularly convenient.
“So… you know Adam?”
“Not really. He’s an acquaintance.”
“Did he send you to find me?” Veri hissed. She puffed her chest forward and squinted her eyes. It would have been more intimidating if she was still able to bare her fangs, but she couldn’t. This world made sure of that.
“Look lady, I felt terrible because I almost watched you get run over by a car. I brought you back here so that I could help…”
“Because you are a Samaritan?”
“Something like that,” Jesse said with a long sigh, “Look, I wasn’t going to ask because it’s none of my business, but now I’m curious. Where are you from, and why don’t you seem to remember anything?” He was slowly walking back into his living space, and Veri followed. She was still eyeing him suspiciously and was now looking about the room to see if there was anything that she could grab quickly enough to subdue him if the situation called for it.
Veri raised her head but did not respond. She was not sure she wanted to tell him. This could have all been a trap of some kind.
“If you don’t want to tell me anything, that’s fine, I get it. We all have secrets. There are a lot of things in our lives we wish we could run away from,” Jesse said as he picked up his mug with one hand and scratched the top of his bald head with the other.
“My phone is over there if you’d like to call anyone. Some people might be missing you.”
Veri frowned and immediately thought of the people and creatures she had in her life. The creatures by the sea and some of the w
erewolves were simply allies. There was no one in her kingdom she could trust aside from her younger sister Upír, and then…
Kainen. Could it be that he was missing her at all? She doubted it. It was possible that now Kainen was awake and thinking of Adam.
Veri shook her head. Jesse looked her up and down, his impatience and curiosity changing ever so slightly into pity. Who was this lost young woman he had happened upon?
“Tomorrow evening. Will you take me to Adam?” Veri said. She inhaled deeply and shook any sadness she was feeling away. She was once again a pragmatic ruler on a mission.
“I wasn’t planning on going but…”
“Please. This is so important, Jesse of the Samaritans. If you can guide me and be by my side, it will mean more than all the worlds and moons to me,” Veri said. She did not beg often. In fact, she couldn’t recall a time in her life when she ever pleaded with anyone, not even when Kainen left her for Adam. But being reduced to human meant she was now also reduced to human emotions and human antics.
“Fine, Veri of the wherever-you’re-from. I can take you tomorrow. But you’re gonna need some new clothes. My ex-girlfriend left a few things here, but she’s a little bigger than you are. I’m sure we can figure something out,” Jesse said, finishing up his cocoa.
“Yes. I’m sure we will.”
Chapter Five
The Knight, The Rook, and the Queen’s Sister
“What do you mean?” Dende couldn’t believe her ears.
“Pyll’s blood had a key ingredient for the potion you seek. She is the rarest creature in this land. Well… she was,” Maaya said.
“Is there any other creature that we can make a new potion from?” Siluman asked. Maaya opened her mouth to speak, but Aje stopped her.
“No, there isn’t. Now, you have wasted our time, and you have killed one of our protectors. We will have to find a new way of keeping the peace in our forest,” Aje said. She moved so that she could get between Dende and the council. Queen Ragana growled.