Banished: A Katrina Baker Novel 01

by D. L. Harrison

  “Very well, fifteen it is, and that dagger and boot sheath?” I smiled cutely at him. I thought a little steel wouldn’t go amiss, just in case I ran into another shielded mage and there were no swords just lying around.

  At least I’d argued him that far up from his starting offer at nine. I made a little secret compartment in my satchel and slipped the gold in there, I’d be an expert tailor with my telekinesis at this rate. The point was, that I wouldn’t make it easy for any thieves. If I got stolen from I’d be too ashamed to ever go home. I was raised by supervillains for goodness sake.

  Oh, and according to his mind, I did look good in this dress, at least from this society’s point of view. I smiled and waved as I left, and walked over to the tailor.

  The tailor was an old woman with a stern looking face.

  I smiled and asked, “What do mages usually wear?”

  She answered me, but I wasn’t paying attention to the words, but instead the pictures and thoughts in her mind. The answer was for woman mages, and even witches, they wore dresses too except when riding a horse. I hadn’t even considered that aspect of things, a horse? I could fly everywhere, but I’d stick out that way big time, so I bought four dresses and shoes, and two riding outfits that would go with my black leather boots.

  I waited patiently as she made minor alterations rather than make a big deal about just doing it myself. She could do them fast, and already had clothes made close to my size.

  I heard a voice clear behind me and smiled when I felt Gerard’s mind.

  I turned and smiled in welcome.

  It wasn’t even hard, he was kind of cute after all, even if he did need a bath, “Hi Gerard, I was just going to come look for you, after I picked up more suitable attire of course.”

  “I see,” he said dubiously, “Why would that be?”

  “Well. I need to get home, so I’m hoping you can help me. Do you know of a mage, or someone that knows about other worlds?”

  He frowned, “You’re still sticking to that story?”

  I nodded, “It’s true! I just saved a bunch of farmers, you owe me,” I bit my lip, “but not all of them, I saved the wives and kids, I think I was too late for the husbands. I caught them outside of Katherine’s place, she’s the one that gave me this dress.”

  He shook his head, “You saved them? How?”

  “Umm, I’m not a mage, but I’m something like that on my world,” I was getting annoyed, I felt like a little girl that got caught with my hand in the cookie jar under his stern gaze, and I wasn’t. A little girl I mean. Yes, I was young, but I was a woman.

  He nodded slowly, “So, maybe we should go talk to Katherine? If you’re telling the truth I’ll apologize Katrina, but you have to admit your method of arrival and state of dress was rather suspicious.”

  I sighed, he didn’t think of the answer earlier, too skeptical, I tried again, “I suppose it’s not every day a black clad woman falls from a gate between worlds, but tell me, do you have any idea who might be able to send me home?”

  He tilted his head and then nodded, “Yes, one of the high priests in the temple district in the main city might be able to get an augury from a god, I doubt anyone lesser could or would attempt such a thing. The city is about a hundred and fifty miles north. Three or four days on horseback. I doubt a mage would know, and if one did it would be one of the few very powerful ones, who would be foolhardy to approach. If you are telling the truth, I will accompany you, if you can wait two days for my relief to arrive here. I’m heading back to the capitol anyway.”

  I smiled, and again felt I really meant it. The smile was even a bit flirty. Yes, he was the one that chained me up, but he was also an honest and good man, if a little rough around the edges.

  “Thank you Gerard, I’d appreciate the company.”

  He scowled at my smile and flirty tone, “If you’re innocent,” he stressed.

  I just shrugged, I wasn’t worried about that because I knew I was. Innocent of the charges anyway, I was not an evil witch.

  The tailor was done a few minutes later, and after I paid just two silvers for all of it, I packed my new wardrobe in my satchel, and followed Gerard back to Katherine’s farm…

  I teased him, “You know Gerard, if I was a witch, or mage, I’d still be in my cell. How else can you explain my escape?”

  He sighed and didn’t acknowledge me as we knocked on Katherine’s door. I’d shown him where the goblin pyre was as well, and that hadn’t impressed him either.

  Katherine opened the door and asked, “Gerard, what brings you and my recent guest back out here? Come on in.”

  We walked in and she led us back to the kitchen. It really was a cozy little cottage she had here, I knew it was a farm house, but not like one on my Earth, it was smaller, and had a grass roof. Cottage just seemed to describe the place better than farm house.

  Gerard asked, “You know this woman?”

  Katherine scowled, “That woman saved all of our lives, while you were defending the town. You should act more grateful young man.”

  I held in a giggle, and waited for his response. Honestly, I just wished my mother would open another vortex and get me, but chances were that I was completely stuck with this course of action until we got to the city in… five days? Maybe six if we’re leaving two days from now. I hoped the real gods of this world were nothing like the Roman or Greek ones I’d read about in school, or I was totally screwed.

  Gerard bowed to both of us, “I apologize, I had to make sure. You did notice her original state of dress?”

  Katherine nodded, “I did. She claimed being from another world, given her powers I believed her. She did things no mage, witch, or cleric could do.”

  Gerard lifted an eyebrow, but nodded, “Thank you Katherine, we’ll take our leave now.”

  Katherine walked us out and we went back to the city.

  “Two days?”

  Gerard nodded.

  “I’ll be at the Lion inn, I’ll buy a horse and tack that morning,” there was no sense in paying a stable fee for two days. Even if it was just two more copper.

  Gerard grunted, “I’ll be there after breakfast.”

  We split up then, and I watched him go before I went into the lion inn. I don’t know what I was thinking of when I watched him walk away. He was cute, and gruff which I both hated and found was kind of fun to tease at the same time, but I was leaving this world as soon as possible. There was no point in getting attached to a man. Especially since I’d have Anthony back on the other side, at least, that was the plan.

  I knew Anthony liked me, he just hadn’t asked me out yet which admittedly had me confused. One of the hazards of having both empathy and telepathy. People often didn’t act on their true thoughts.

  “Hello, I need a room for two nights?”

  The man grunted, “Six copper, that includes meals, extra if you want ale.”

  I smiled, “That’s fine,” and handed him the six copper. Then I took a seat. I ate just a couple of hours ago, but I could use more food and it was getting late. Supers ate a lot, and I was kind of worried I’d lose weight in this world. This place didn’t have the abundance of high calorie foods like my world did. I shoveled down two plates of food, tipped the waitress a copper, and went up to my room to get some sleep…

  Chapter 5

  When I opened my eyes I panicked a little when I didn’t recognize my bed, or the walls of my room. Then everything that happened yesterday rushed back to me and I shivered. I needed to get home. I rolled up in a ball for a moment, and a few tears fell, but then I pulled it together. I’d go to the big city with Gerard, beg a god for help, and get home where I belonged. It was a crazy plan, but it’s all I had. I’d been in bad situations before, even in my own house when mom’s experiments went a little wrong.

  I got out of bed and stretched, and then pulled on a yellow dress with white designs on it. I looked in the mirror critically. I was so far from a supervillain right now, and it was a good thing my fr
iends couldn’t see me, I’d never live it down. Yet, I did look pretty good, I might as well embrace the craziness of this world while I was here. Besides, after today I’d be wearing riding clothes all the time as we went to the capitol.

  Which consisted of a pair of brown leather pants and a brown leather vest of sorts, with a white blouse under it. I went down and sat for breakfast, and then went out into the town to look around. I’d need some necessities, and I also thought that maybe picking out a horse first thing in the morning was a bad idea. I could stop by and browse, and maybe make the deal and just pick up the horse tomorrow.

  One thing about dresses though, I realized I wouldn’t be flying anywhere today, not if I didn’t want to give everyone below me a show.

  I spent the morning exploring the town and peeking inside minds to learn about this world. I knew I wouldn’t be doing that much longer, waking up tied up on a strange world had been an emergency, and I’d known nothing about this place. I kind of had to, even to simply learn the language.

  Now that I had the basics of this society down, and a plan, I really should just put my full mental shields back up. I hadn’t gone around sucking minds out at home, and I’d get into a bad habit if I did it here. There were no expectations for me here, and I felt the tendency to treat it as if it was not quite real, but that wasn’t true.

  These were real people, and I was on another world. This wasn’t a dream.

  Maybe if I kept telling myself that, it would actually sink in.

  The truth was I didn’t want everyone’s memories, empathy gave me a good enough advantage on day to day activities. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t use my telepathy if I needed to, in an emergency or a fight, but it did mean I needed to stop using it constantly like I had been since I got on this crazy world. It made me feel like too much the voyeur, when I didn’t need to be doing it.

  Life was rougher on this world. No internet, hot running water, or convenience stores. No telephones. I shuddered. No Facebook. They also worked a lot harder, even for the little things in life, yet they seemed happier than the people at home had. No, not seemed, they were happier, my empathy told me that.

  I don’t know if the simpler life was the cause, or just their society, but it was an interesting morning and I learned a lot. Then I closed up the one-way hole in my shields I’d been using to read people, and sighed in relief at the silence of my own thoughts.

  After a quick lunch at the inn, I decided to get on with it, and found a horse trader on the edge of town. There wasn’t a huge selection of horses, just five out in the relatively small corral. One of them stood apart, I thought it was a mare. She was bigger than the others, and she had a dark brown coat that gleamed in the afternoon sun. Beautiful really.

  “Can I help you miss?” asked a scratchy voice.

  I turned my head and took in the old man. One of the things I really hated about this world was people didn’t exactly shower every day. The old man wore leathers, and he was covered with dust, and other things. Still, I’d most likely be joining them soon, since they didn’t have plumbing. Although, I’d be able to cheat with aqua-kinesis if I really needed to.

  “I need to buy a horse. I’m going to the capitol in the morning. Magehaven,” I added at his confused expression. Didn’t he know where the capitol was? I resisted the urge to read his mind.

  He smiled and waved a hand at the group of four horses, “You can have any of those for five silver. For another two silver I’ll throw in the tack and saddle. They’re all in good shape and cared for.”

  I frowned, I wanted the pretty and powerful mare, “What about the other one?”

  He narrowed his eyes at the mare across the corral, “She was the property of a witch that died a few weeks ago, and the mare ended up here. No one can get close to her, much less ride her. I’ve been hoping to breed her with one of my stallions if no one can ride her, but the danged mare won’t even allow that. I’ve been considering just putting her down, although that’d be a real shame.”

  The old man hadn’t seemed at all happy with the idea. I shook my head and opened my mind to the mare. Horse thoughts were rather vague, and I used my empathy too. The mare’s mind felt different from the other horses, it was more than the excellent shape and body of the horse the witch must have messed with. Witches were all about nature, I supposed she’d enhanced her horse in various ways, including making it loyal to her only.

  She seemed to be grieving the loss of her mistress, and was in a foul mood besides. I used another of my abilities related to empathy, just like I could send thoughts with telepathy, though I rarely did so, I had projective empathy. I hardly used that one either, projecting emotions on other people was just a sure way of losing them as friends when they felt used later on.

  I’d learned that the hard way when I was younger. I also learned that didn’t hold true with animals, they were more likely to keep liking me even after I sent them soothing thoughts and emotions.

  I sent soft comforting and calming thoughts and feelings at the mare, and the idea of welcome with my image thrown in telepathically. My ethics about my abilities wasn’t as strict with animals, although I’d never attempted to tame a horse before, just dogs and cats. She snorted and neighed, and then stomped a foot. I slipped between the gap in the wood fence and walked toward the mare.

  The old man said in a cautioning tone, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” but didn’t attempt to stop me.

  The mare rolled her eyes nervously as I approached, and I just kept sending the emotions and thoughts. I couldn’t use it like a hammer, it was subtle, and trying to force it wouldn’t work. I stopped moving forward when I realized the horse had put itself in the position to kick me with its back legs, but I didn’t stop trying to soothe it. She was a young mare, more nervous, confused, and missing her witch than truly untrusting or fractious.

  So I stood there a good ten minutes, until the mare’s growing curiosity reached the tipping point. The mare, stormy was her name, turned slowly and stomped her foot threateningly, and then walked right up to me. I reached up, patted her neck and rubbed it and crooned in a quiet voice, as I continued to soothe her.

  I smiled when she nudged my chest with her head.

  I turned around, “I’ll take this mare.”

  The man had backed up from the corral with a look of fear on his face. At first I had no idea why he was scared, and then it hit me. My other powers, the powers through telekinesis, duplicated part of a mages powers, if only with elements. Apparently, what I’d just done duplicated a part of what a witch could do. Tame nature. That’s not what I did of course, but I supposed it had looked that way to the old man.

  I asked, “Seven silvers for her, tack, and the saddle?”

  He nodded, eyes wide, not even objecting at the much better shape this mare was in compared to the others. So… even witches that weren’t dark were feared? Or was it just all magic using people that were feared by normal people?

  “And I can pick her up in the morning, you’ll have her ready for me?” I added.

  He nodded again, and I felt a surge of guilt. I hadn’t meant to make the man afraid of me. Maybe I’d just give him a gold anyway, the three extra silver should be worth the fright, and Stormy was worth at least that much. There was no point in me trying to explain, I wasn’t going to tell everyone I was from another world. Plus, that would most likely just scare people even more, except for highly confident paladins like Gerard. He didn’t fear all other magic users, just the evil ones.

  I stayed for a few more minutes and got to know my new horse, and I thought she understood that I’d be back when the sun rose the next day and we’d go for a long ride together. I’d sent pictures of the idea, and the mare seemed to agree with it. She was even a little excited about the idea of leaving this place.

  I patted her neck one more time, a small smile pulled at the corners of my mouth, turns out I really liked horses after all, and then I left the corral.

  I did consider the
idea of simply putting on my riding outfit and flying to the capitol. I was sure I could make it a lot faster than riding too, but if I did that I’d have to leave Gerard behind. It wasn’t just because he was cute that I didn’t want to do that, it was because he’d been willing to help me. I didn’t think the high priests of the gods would just see anyone. I needed his help, a paladin’s help, to make this plan work.

  I wasn’t quite ready to go yet. My next stop was the general store, which I supposed was close to a convenience store in my world. I picked up some saddle bags, water skins, soap, a razor, a small towel, and a small tent just in case we didn’t reach the next town and had to sleep on the side of the road.

  I really hoped that wouldn’t happen though. The beds here were bad enough, I didn’t want to add camping to my list of activities.

  I skipped their version of a toothbrush, it was too coarse, so I’d use micro-kinesis to clean my mouth, I’d also use aqua-kinesis to dry off, so I didn’t need more than the small towel to wash up. On a whim I picked up a few travel rations, but I hoped I wouldn’t need those either.

  I took a deep breath and suppressed the urge to cry or throw a tantrum as I went back to the inn. I wanted my own bed, and my nice massaging shower head, and so many other things. I missed my family, friends, and Anthony. I also wondered if my mom had broken out of jail yet. Probably, it’d been four days that I’d been here, if I was truly out for three of them when I’d gotten here.

  This world wasn’t that bad, but I was losing my stoicism now that I was generally relaxed and had too much time to think about it all. Not that bad? Sure, evil creatures, no personal hygiene, and no indoor plumbing. Not to mention no makeup. Outside of that though, it wasn’t a bad place.

  I snorted at myself, and packed my saddle bags.

  I had all the new stuff on one side, and the other side of the saddle bags I just slipped the satchel into it. Then I closed my eyes and tried to teleport home again.

  All afternoon I tried. Suffice it to say, I may have cried once or twice as well. What if I was stuck here forever?