by Jaymin Eve
After trekking for thirty minutes, I paused to mop up some of the sweat. We had taken our coats off but it was still stifling hot. Retrieving a bottle, I took a huge gulp of water, letting small amounts of the cool refreshing liquid run down my chin. I handed the half-full container to Lucy.
“Is this a forest or a sauna?” I looked about in despair.
Lucy peered around me as she stashed the now empty container in her bag. Her hair hung in damp clumps, pale skin slightly pink and flushed.
“Does the undergrowth look like it’s thinning over there?” She pointed to the tree line about fifty feet away. Shifting my pack higher, I changed direction. As we moved closer, I could see the undergrowth tapering off to reveal a small alcove in the forest. My eyes took a few minutes to adjust. The canopy was thinner, the light extra bright. I noticed a strange reflection near the back.
“Tell me you’re seeing that house?” Lucy whispered, practically climbing my back to see over my shoulder.
I squinted again. Finally the scene came into focus. “Holy moth... shut the door,” I managed to splutter out as I stared.
There was a house tucked into the trees, and I had almost missed it. And no, my sight wasn’t failing – the entire house was camouflaged. It looked just like the forest.
I moved into the small clearing. Four steps in and I was standing at the left side of the house. I glanced around furtively before leaning in closer. The material was unusual, smooth with no visible joins. I reached out to examine the texture, but did a double take as my hand reflected back at me.
“It imitates its surroundings, Abbs.” Lucy leaned her face closer, laughing as her blond-haired, blue-eyed image reflected back perfectly.
“That’s pretty damn clever. It allows the building to blend into the forest.” I was impressed. “This is so ‘not in New York’; the gangs would be all over this to hide their lairs or whatever they call them.”
Lucy nodded. “So this is an extremely advanced part of Earth – right?”
Even I could tell she didn’t believe that, but she’d reverted back to denial, the best kind of ignorance.
I shook my head. “You heard what Quarn said. Do you really think we’re still on Earth?”
Grimacing, she stuck her tongue out at me. Before I could retaliate, a bang shattered the silence.
We both jumped.
My heart galloped in my chest, threatening to burst out like a weird alien baby.
“Ahhh – what the hell was that?” Lucy crouched low.
“I think we might be about to see our first inhabitants,” I whispered back.
Lucy gripped my arm and gestured toward some large trees framing the back of the house. They weren’t going to offer much cover, but better than being caught in the open.
Moving quickly, we made it just in time. Through the branches I spotted a man standing in the exact spot we’d just vacated. And – wait for it – he was tall. Notice the pattern: Quarn was tall; Brace even taller. Even I was reasonably tall. I looked down at Lucy; she was going to hate it here.
“Guess I know where your ridiculously unfair height advantage comes from,” she whispered indignantly.
I was determined not to laugh at Lucy’s predictability. She was so touchy about her height.
As we watched, he turned on the spot, surveying the forest from all angles.
To me, he looked to be around thirty with blond, shoulder-length hair tied back against the nape of his neck. He was good-looking, but in that boring guy-next-door way, with lightly tanned skin and a few laugh lines framing his eyes.
My attention was suddenly drawn to a large black baton resting over his shoulder. I shuddered, thinking about being smacked around with that. It looked kind of lethal. I was distracted from this by movement close to his feet. Emerging from near-by ferns, an enormous gray animal padded over to sit beside him.
What is that? I turned questioning wide eyes to Lucy. She was mesmerized, her mouth slightly open. I turned back to the scene.
The only comparison I could think of were pictures of a pack of wolves from my animal textbook. The basics were there: body shape, four legs, pointed ears. But everything else was slightly off, its features more elongated, its eyes extra large and intelligent.
I’d always wanted a pet – what kid doesn’t? – but animals were rare in the city – practically non-existent. And don’t ask me why. Trust me, it’s better you don’t know.
“Bady, I don’t see anyone, but the alarm did sound. Can you take this side of the area and I will patrol the west end.” The man looked down as he talked to the animal.
Lucy nudged me, not that she needed to. I’d heard – same accent again. There was a smooth quality to this man’s, something Quarn’s lacked, although I preferred the throaty quality of Quarn’s. It was more real.
Taking into account how foreign this place was, I wondered again about their ability to speak English. I shook my head. This was yet another question to add to the growing list.
Bady took off at the command. Either he was well trained, or animals were far more intelligent than I’d been led to believe. The man disappeared around the front of the house.
“Got a plan yet, Abbs? That animal thing is heading our way,” Lucy asked worriedly.
I peered back through the bushes. Bady was running in diagonal strips, sniffing the ground as he went.
I spoke quickly. “Either we speak with the man, play dumb and see where we’ve ended up. Or we make a run for it and hope to find a town nearby.”
Lucy looked around nervously. “Not really a fan of the stick he was carrying. Let’s make a run for it.”
I nodded. That was my preference too.
Holding hands, we backed through the trees. Ten feet later, we turned away from the house.
“That way.” I pointed to the less foliaged area.
Freeing my hand, I pushed Lucy to move first. She sprang out of the bushes. I was right behind her. We hurtled through the dense growth. I couldn’t see a thing in front of me and winced as the low branches and vines whipped and stung. Glancing over my shoulder, I was relieved to see no pursuers yet. My gaze snapped forward at Lucy’s yell.
I immediately saw the cause of her alarm: a strange gleam suspended in the air.
We were too close. No way to avoid the impact.
Lucy hit first and flew back past me. Closing my eyes, I threw up my hands.
My action cushioned the collision for a moment, before a loud thump catapulted me backwards. With no time to panic, darkness claimed me.
Chapter 6
A heavy pounding reverberating through my head was the first indication of a return to consciousness. I drifted through the haziness for an unknown period of time before disjointed memories intruded.
Oh, right – dreamland.
Gasping, I sat upright, and forced my heavy eyelids to open. Biting back panic, I looked left and right. I’d either recently gone blind or I was somewhere in complete darkness. Not even a sliver of light broke the endlessness. I fumbled around with my hands. I was tucked into what felt like a soft bed. I clutched at the edge of the fluffy covers, pulling them up to my chest.
I was clearly no longer in the forest.
This place was cool, with none of the damp heat from outside.
I tried to remain calm, but without being able to see Lucy it was difficult to fight back the rising panic.
Reaching to my left, I choked on a scream. Jerking my hand back, I sucked in a few deep breaths. Someone was lying next to me. Reaching out again, I felt a small relief as familiar fluffy hair grazed my fingers.
That hair belonged to Lucy. Not some weirdo in bed next to me. Lucy.
Grasping her shoulder, I shook. “Luce ... Lucy ... wake up. We have to get out of here.” My voice echoed.
But she was still, only her deep and rhythmic breathing indicating life.
I had no idea where we’d ended up – in the camouflaged house – or somewhere else. The man probably had my backpack and the ston
e, which, something told me, was not going to look good as I pleaded our innocence. And besides that, I hadn’t even been its keeper for a day and I’d already lost it. Good job, Abby.
A groan distracted me. Hair brushed my arm as Lucy shifted.
“Luce – get your butt up, sister.” I reached out in the general direction of her shoulder again.
Lights flared in the room.
The brightness forced my eyes closed.
Taking a moment, I re-opened them slower this time. The disorientating black dots disappeared quickly as the room came into focus. I could finally analyze our surroundings. Lucy and I were on a huge bed, covered in a fluffy white throw. A bedroom – furnished simply. A large, wooden dresser stood against the wall and a dark brown, high-backed armchair was squashed in the corner.
The reason for the sudden light show was standing in the doorway: the large blond man with a crowded tray perched precariously on his left hand.
We stared in silence.
He broke the moment by stepping into the room and placing the tray on the foot of the bed. He then sat in the armchair.
I jumped as a hand landed on my arm. I looked down. Lucy was staring up. She was paler than normal and her blue eyes were huge and questioning. I shook my head: stay quiet.
“I suppose neither of you will speak first. So let me begin – why were you attempting to doze through the iso field? You’re lucky you weren’t killed.”
His voice filled the small room and, despite the situation, the accent was still soothing.
I examined his features. They seemed kind, his laugh lines softening his hard planes, but there was no way I would trust him. Despite a few questionable decisions, I wasn’t a complete idiot.
His calm expression was soon replaced by a stern frown. His brow wrinkled, and the very dark nature of his eyes deepened as he again attempted to question us.
“I need to know what you are doing here; this is a restricted area for all except Royal Guardians, which I assume you’re not.” He looked at us pointedly.
With an annoyed sigh, Lucy pulled herself to a sitting position. She’d actually been quiet longer than I’d expected.
“You’re doing an awful lot of assuming, buddy. You know what they say about people who assume.” She drawled her words, like she was speaking to an idiot.
He looked completely blank-faced while he waited for her to continue.
Lucy looked at me, eyebrows raised. “Apparently he doesn’t know.”
He spluttered a little. “Well, I know you did not enter through the screening gates, because you’re without displayed papers. Give me a reason not to throw you straight to the Guardians.” He’d decided to ignore her for now and continue the lecture.
Something about what he said stirred a memory. Right, the papers thing. Brace had mentioned that too.
Glancing down at my hands, I found I was unconsciously twisting them over and over. We were in trouble. Lucy had already spoken, so he knew we weren’t natives and we had nothing with which to defend ourselves.
“Say something, Abbs,” Lucy hissed at me.
“What do you recommend that won’t have us thrown to these Guardian people?” I whispered back hotly.
The man interrupted. “They’re taking these matters very seriously at the moment. The recent attempt from insurgent groups to infiltrate the palace has everyone on high alert.” He sighed.
Since I doubted he was just going to open the door and let us leave, we had no choice but to attempt to talk our way out of the situation. Before I could follow through with that, a loud rumble from my stomach echoed.
Shhh, I mentally berated my tummy. It appeared to be ready to eat my spleen, judging by the battle noises it was emitting.
Lucy snorted with laughter, shaking her head.
I threw a haughty glance in her direction. “The food is a huge distraction and it’s sitting right there.” I pointed to the tray, from which tantalizing aromas wafted in my direction.
“I apologize. My questions can wait a few moments. Please eat; you must be starving. You’ve been unconscious for many hours.” He looked thoughtful. “Perhaps you’ll be more inclined to converse once you’re more comfortable.”
Comfortable. Yeah, okay.
I love food, but not even the smell of warm, freshly baked bread, one of the scents I recognized from the tray, was enticing enough to forget we were being held prisoner.
Lucy had a different opinion as she dived over me toward the tray. “Out of my way, Abigail,” she muttered on her way past.
I shrugged. “Sorry about that. Love of food wins out over manners.”
Lucy stuck out her tongue, but didn’t break stride in her mission to uncover every dish.
“I wouldn’t throw stones, Abigail. Often when I sit next to you at dinner I worry about the safety of my limbs.”
Lucy had a point and that was with the crap they liked to call food on Earth.
She distracted my retaliation by handing me a bowl. It was filled to the brim with a dark, thick stew that sloshed a little over the edges. I picked up the utensil, which Lucy had dumped to the side, and my mouth watered in anticipation. I sank the rough spoon-shaped device into the bowl and lifted the first steaming scoop to my mouth. A variety of colored vegetables and a dark meat filled my mouth. I couldn’t savor that first bite long enough.
“Holy mother ...” I paused, my eyes closed in pure love. “I want to marry this food.”
There was no reply and, looking over, I did a double take. I couldn’t see Lucy’s face; it was half submerged in the huge bowl as she slurped down the stew.
I watched fascinated for a few moments. It was like an animal documentary, where the lions hack into a zebra.
Shaking my head, I went back to my delicious stew, letting the freshness tantalize my tongue. The flavors were strong, full-bodied. I had no idea food could be seasoned with anything other than salt. There were small green pieces floating, which, had we been back in the compound, would have been greatly concerning, but here may actually be –
“Luce, I think these green floaters are herbs.” A sense of reverence coated my words.
Lucy pulled her face from the bowl to examine the contents. She nudged the surface of the bowl.
“I’ve heard of these so called ‘herbs’ from the oldies’ fairy tales. You know the ones that start with ‘Back in the good old days.’” She shrugged. “I think they may have been right, though. This is a whole other level of tastiness.”
I shovelled repeated spoonfuls until my initial hunger subsided; at that stage I had no choice but to slow and catch my breath. Lucy handed me a chunk of roughly textured grain bread, the source of the delicious scent. Using this, I soaked up the last of the liquid. I took the first bite. It was gritty, but delicious.
Chewing, I looked around. I was fascinated to see Bady padding silently into the room. Against the white walls, he appeared even larger and more bizarre than he had outside. Stretching out on the blue woollen rug, he went straight to sleep.
Blondie shifted in the chair.
We locked eyes.
It was time to speak up.
“Sorry, I’m a little disorientated from face-planting into your ... force-field.” Can’t beat the brain-injury excuse. “We’re trying to make it to town ... I’m guessing we didn’t quite reach our destination.”
There had to be a town nearby. How else would he get supplies?
He raised his eyebrows. “No, you didn’t make it to ... Which town were you heading to?”
I shrugged my answer.
He continued anyways. “You’re at the eastern castle outpost. I’m Deralick Langsworth, custodian.” He glanced between us. “Where are you from? I don’t recognize your accent.”
Lucy dropped her now empty bowl back onto the tray. I’d just shoved the last of my soaked bread into my mouth, so she answered for me.
“We live really far in the north, but we aren’t welcome back there. Nothing too crazy: just problems with our pa
rentals.”
I don’t know why we hadn’t practiced a cover story before we found ourselves in this position.
Deralick looked dubious. “You don’t look much like sisters.”
I swallowed my bread. My throat felt irritated from being scraped. “Different fathers,” I rasped out.
He looked confused.
Come on, what planet was so perfect that there was no divorce or death? That was a family staple on Earth.
“I’m sorry to hear of this break in your family unit.” He smiled sadly. “But that doesn’t explain why you’ve ended up here. Since the Emperor’s illness, the three sides of the surrounding forest have guarded fields. It was announced via satellite uplink that anyone guilty of unauthorized trespassing could face the maximum penalty.”
I guessed we didn’t want to know what the maximum penalty was. Thanks, Quarn – straight into the fiery pit. Although, having been on Earth for seventeen years, he probably didn’t know about these new ‘laws’.
I looked at Lucy. She shrugged. She’s always so helpful.
Well, we needed information; time to play dumb.
“Honestly, we had no idea we were even in the royal forest. I don’t know where we went wrong.”
I should have left the dumb-blonde routine to Lucy. She played it perfectly. Hair curling and everything. Although, in its current disarray ...
Sighing, I continued. “We, like, don’t even know where we are right now.”
He raised his eyebrows, expression suspicious. Pushing the feeling of dread away, I wondered how much more trouble we could get into. We were already facing this unknown ‘maximum penalty’.
“You’re in the land of the Emperor and council of world rulers. The Isle of Itowa, part of the Jana province.”
The world rulers ... uh ... what?
He continued, adding to my confusion. “The council’s in session at the moment. Hence the extra patrols. Grandier’s security is top rate.”
“Grandier?” Lucy questioned.
His face was expressionless as he stared at her. “That’s the name of the planet.” He shook his head, muttering quickly, “Field addled their brains.” He smiled without much emotion and spoke. “I’m sure you just use ‘First World’. I know everyone under the age of a hundred and fifty prefers Grandier’s decidedly unoriginal nickname.”