by K Dezendorf
“All right, we're going to take a running leap. Are you ready?”
Rose gaped at him. He couldn't possibly be suggesting... “But... we’ll fall.”
“No we won't. Just run as fast as you can, jump when I say ‘jump’, and don't let go.”
He looked so assured Rose almost believed him. But what he was asking of her was insane. And yet, when he began pulling her along, she found herself trying to match his longer stride. Soon they were running, the edge of the cliff rushing to meet them. Her heart was pounding wildly and she had a moment where she wanted to dig in her heels to stop herself, but then she heard Vincent say, “Get ready... and jump!”
Rose sprang with all her might as the ground gave way and the world opened up beneath them like a giant beast opening its maw. Her breath stilled in her lungs as she felt a momentary tug, like invisible hands grabbing hold of her. There was nothing except the soft whistling of wind around them. She was weightless, but she wasn't falling. They were flying.
Vincent continued to hold her hand as their bodies slanted into a more horizontal position, riding the wind currents on invisible wings over the wide chasm.
“There now, it's rather lovely, isn't it?” Vincent commented.
Rose didn't have the words to respond. The beauty of what she saw, the sense of pure and unfettered freedom that she felt, and her gratitude for both was impossible to put to words. She gripped his hand tightly as the two of them gently sailed in an arc to their destination. When her feet touched ground, she was heavy again, gravity sitting on her shoulders in an unwelcome weight. She wanted to go back.
Chapter 6
The impact Rose expected never came. Instead she saw a flurry of lights, all different shades and colors, coming at her from all directions. She couldn’t make out any shapes, length, or even time. She felt like she was falling, yet there was no gravity as she continued to walk through. There was no wind, pressure, or pull. There was an absence of air, yet she could still breathe. She also noted the complete lack of sound. It was as if all of her senses, save for her vision, just shut down. She felt both disjointed and overwhelmed, unsure how much longer she could handle it.
For a moment, all went blank and she thought her mind might be short-circuiting. Then it was over. She stumbled and fell forward as the world snapped back into focus. Steadily, her body registered that everything was very different. The air was warm on her skin. She heard birds nearby. The air smelled very clean and woodsy, almost sweet.
That was when her brain fully registered what she was seeing. She was no longer inside a building, but outside in a forested area she did not recognize. The dull, dreary, and insufferably chilly autumn day had been replaced by warm and dazzling springtime. The trees, grass, and flowers were all lush and in full bloom. The majority of the trees had to be at least 50 feet tall, their leaves creating a shaded canopy over the area. What bits of sky she could see were bright blue. As she stood, one of the plants caught her eye.
There was a small cluster of green stalks, leaves curling like tentacles, and at the top of each was a round pinkish bulb with small tendrils growing from the bottom, like jellyfish. An insect flitted near one, brushing by one of the tendrils. With the gentleness of a loving friend, the tendril stuck to the insect, wrapping around its body. The insect struggled as the tendril curled down, tucking the insect away under the bulb. Looking closer, Rose could see the shadow of another, larger insect already residing within the transparent bulb. She remembered this flower; the one she’d taken a leap of faith for. There was no doubt.
This was the Umbra.
I’m back. I’m finally back.
“About time,” a voice said from behind her, causing Rose to jump.
Turning around, she saw the small man once more. Her body tensed, ready to run at a moment’s notice. Though where to, she had no idea.
“You all right, child?” The man asked, once again looking her over.
She offered a silent nod in answer. Was she imagining it or was he wearing different clothes? No, that couldn’t be right. She saw him literally seconds ago. Rose took a moment to examine him. He was a very short man, probably only four feet tall at best. He was stoutly built and had brown hair that curled slightly. His close set eyes were a rich green that sat behind half spectacles, and strange pupils. Not circular, not fox-like either, but horizontal lines, like a mongoose. He had a rounded jaw and a kind face, and if Rose had to guess an age, it would be in the range of 30 to 40.
“My name is Billy, and I apologize for the rough treatment,” he said. Both his tone and his expression were gentle, calming. “But considering the circumstances I found it necessary.”
Rose furrowed her brow. She kept tense and on guard. "What did you do to me?"
"Just some magic to keep you from doing something we'd both regret. And I promise I won't do it again, so long as you can promise me you won't go runnin’ away. Trust me, this is not the place you want to be off on your own." As she opened her mouth to speak, Billy gave a startled shout. “WHO ARE YOU!?”
Rose flinched back, staring at him in confusion, before realizing he wasn’t looking at her, but past her. She whipped around, immediately recognizing the entity. It had been a long while since she’d seen him like this, but she remembered him.
Kyan.
Long-limbed, ragged clothes, and a face that was a nightmare unto itself; a wide maw curled into a sneer, eyes that were ablaze with blue fire. He stared down at her, perched atop one of the posts. In a quick leap, he landed in front of her, drawing himself up to his full height, towering over her. He must’ve been at least seven feet tall. Kyan’s mouth was stretched into a wide smile, a low raspy noise uttering from his throat, and Rose could only guess he was laughing.
“Oh, this is going to be fun,” he said gleefully.
“Get back, child!”
Too late. Kyan grabbed hold of Rose, slinging her under one arm and taking off with her into the forest. With his bony form, the position was horribly uncomfortable and Rose found herself roughly jostled with every leap and bound Kyan made.
“Kyan, wait…” The air was nearly knocked out of her when he cleared a large, fallen tree. “Gah! Stop!”
He came to a jerking halt.
“Now put me down,” she said.
Kyan dropped her onto the ground.
“You’re such a jerk,” she grumbled as she got up, brushing dirt and grass off herself.
“Why are we stopping?” Kyan asked. “He may be short, but he’ll catch up with us eventually.”
“Because,” Rose said, looking up at him. “We need to stay with him. Or, at least I do.”
“You do realize he just kidnapped you, right?” Kyan crossed his arms. “Call me crazy, but I thought Stockholm Syndrome took longer to settle in than five seconds.”
“Yes, he ‘kidnapped’ me,” Rose said, using air quotes. “And he brought me here. Which means, he’s probably a Wayfinder. Which means, he’s important, and he probably knows other important people. Sticking with him is our best bet.”
“Aren’t we clever?” Kyan shook his head. “Fine, do what you want. I’m just the one who’s always looking out for you.”
Rose smiled. “And I appreciate it, always.”
“You got something on your shirt,” he commented, pointing at her chest.
She looked down and as soon as she did one of his long fingers flicked up, hitting her nose. He gave a cackle and disappeared in a burst of blue fire.
“Child!”
Her head whipped around and the small man was pushing through some thickets to get to her. His chest was puffing and beads of sweat glittered across his brow.
“Oh, good gracious!” He stopped, bending over and resting his hands on his knees. “Thank the Lore, I thought I’d lost you.”
The guy looked so genuinely worried, Rose started to feel bad. Then she reminded herself he was a stranger who brought her to this other world without her consent. Even if it was ultimately what she wanted, it
wouldn’t be wise to let her guard down just yet.
“You really did come for me,” she commented.
“Aye, you’re my responsibility. If anything had happened to you on my watch...” He straightened up, wiping his brow on his sleeve. “Are you all right?”
Rose gave a slow nod. “Fine.”
He glanced about. “What happened to that… thing?”
“It dropped me and took off.” It wasn’t exactly a lie.
“Weird…” He gave her a thorough look over, as though checking for any signs of maiming. “But lucky for us, I suppose. I’m so sorry, child. You must have been terrified.”
“I’m okay, really,” Rose assured him. She thought it surprising he accepted that so easily. Had he been that worried? Now she was really starting to feel bad.
Billy glanced around, taking stock of their surroundings. “I don’t think we’re too far from the main trail. Stay close, follow me. We’ve got a fair bit of walking ahead of us.” He sighed, as though the very prospect was exhausting.
“Where are we going?” Rose asked as she walked beside him. She had to shorten her steps in order not to overtake him.
“There’s an encampment not too far away from here. You should be safe there while we get things sorted out.”
Sorted out… what did he mean? “So, you’re planning on keeping me here.”
“Aye, for the time being. At least, until there’s a trust established. Once that’s taken care of, you’re free to return to your world. If you still want to.”
Fat chance of that. “The elf I was with, what happened to him?”
"Ah, I take it you’re referrin’ to Edward.” There was a hint of annoyance in his tone. “Like you, he’s been a bit of a handful. Causing all sorts of problems. I suppose I should thank you for taking care of him."
“How do you know about that?”
“He told me. Not in so many words, mind you.”
“So, he’s all right then?”
“Knowing that arshole, he’s getting into who knows what kind of trouble,” Billy grumbled. “But, not to worry. He’ll be just fine.”
“It sounds like you two know each other,” Rose deduced.
“Aye, that we do.” He glanced up at her. “So, I know this is all probably strange and new. If you have any questions, I’ll be happy to answer to the best of my ability.”
Rose was surprised by this. “Really? I would have thought the less I know the better.”
“Considering how you’ve spent a couple days babysittin’ that overgrown child of an elf, the damage is already well and done,” Billy explained as he held aside a low branch for her. “And, I’d rather you have reason to trust me than not. I don’t want you to spend your stay here scared and confused.”
“Thanks,” Rose said. “Now that you mention it...”
************
"So... the Umbra and Earth... they're two different planes of existence?" Rose asked Jenkto as they played a game of poker.
Jenkto nodded as she sorted through her hand. "Yep. Supposedly the two worlds were separate, and then connected. I honestly don’t know the full history but something happened that caused the two of them to start touching. So you have all these portals everywhere. We got here through one of them."
“I don’t suppose you could possibly trivialize it anymore,” Macklass murmured from his spot in the corner.
Jenkto rolled her eyes and shot him a playful look. “Oh, are you a part of this conversation? Because last I checked you were lurking in the shadows.”
“I don’t lurk.”
“You always lurk.”
Rose had to glance away to hide her smile. The siblings always had their fair share of banter, but Jenkto especially seemed to enjoy teasing her brothers.
"You’re welcome to join us,” Rose said invitingly to Macklass.
He gave a small shake of his head. “I politely decline.”
“Don’t worry, Rose. He enjoys lurking.”
“So how did you get through from there to here?” Rose asked, steering the conversation back on topic.
Jenkto shrugged, her smile coy. “Magic.”
Macklass sighed. “A specific type of magic. One that’s generally only practiced by Wayfinders. They’re the only ones who can access the portals.”
“You know, for someone who is all about shadows and secrecy, you certainly know how to kill the intrigue.” Jenkto sighed ruefully. She placed a couple cards down and drew to replace them.
Rose glanced between the two of them. “So, is there magic here too?”
"Magic is fueled by mana,” Macklass answered. “Mana exists in our world, but not much so in yours."
“If any one of us tried to freely use magic here, we would burn ourselves to a crisp,” Jenkto added. “As Jerome would put it, there’s no mana here to fuel the fire, so to speak.”
Rose frowned as she discarded three cards and drew three more. "Why is that?"
"There are different theories," Jenkto said. “I don’t think there’s anyone who knows for sure. But some believe it has something to do with people believing in magic.”
"There are people here who believe in magic," Rose protested. She was one of them. She lay down her hand to reveal four of a kind.
"There are people who believe in the idea of magic," Jenkto corrected. She smiled victoriously as she revealed her hand to show a full house.
“Yeah, and not just anyone can learn it, either.”
Rose, Jenkto, and Macklass all glanced up to see Jerome enter the room, Hadwin right behind.
“We’re back,” Jerome greeted them happily, throwing up his arm in greeting. “And we brought the goods.”
“What took you so long?” Jenkto asked mildly.
“This brat wouldn’t stop pestering me for a specific flavor of cheese puffs.” Hadwin nudged past Jerome and began passing out snacks and drinks.
“That’s because jalapeno cheddar is the best kind,” Jerome said in his defense. He took a seat in one of the chairs at the table. “You guys were talking magic, right?”
“Yes, I was just explaining to Rose that people here believe in the idea of magic, but not magic itself. Two very different things.” She smiles at Rose. “The magic that exists over there, and the creatures that live there are both unknown and well known to your kind.”
Rose couldn’t help but feel belittled by the words ‘your kind’, even though she was certain Jenkto didn’t mean for it to sound that way.
“Even though the worlds are separate, they're connected,” she continued. “Many humans have experienced our world through dreams, helping to inspire myths and folklore, and your books and movies.”
Jerome snickered. “Yeah, your guys’ take on vampyrs and shifters are hilarious.”
“Honestly, I’m more confounded by how many gods they seem to have,” Hadwin said, shaking his head.
“So, do you guys have gods over in your world?” Rose asked.
The room went oddly quiet and she swore she saw Jerome and Hadwin exchanged uncomfortable glances.
"Not quite,” Hadwin said at length. "There used to be gods, according to the texts anyway. The Creator and the Lesser Gods we called them. But they're not around anymore. The closest things we have now are Paragons, those of great power who are loved and respected.”
“Huh…” Rose thought about that for a moment. "So... would someone like me be able to learn magic?"
Jenkto laughed. “Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren’t you?”
Rose flushed, sinking down into her seat. “I was just asking.”
“If you’d like, I could give you a demonstration,” Jerome said with a grin. “I’m pretty talented when it comes to magic.”
“Yeah, talented at setting the furniture on fire,” Hadwin remarked, giving Jerome’s hair a rough, playful tousle.
“That only happened twice!” Jerome groused, shoving his brother’s hand away.
“Four times, actually,” Macklass muttered.
&nb
sp; “I’d love to see what you all can do,” Rose said, trying not to sound too eager. “Do all of you know magic?”
“Not me,” Hadwin said with a dismissive wave. “I don’t mess with that stuff.”
“You should have seen what Andros could do,” Jerome said excitedly. “He’s the reason we were able to cross over to-”
Macklass reached over and gave him a hard smack on the head.
“Ouch! What was that for?” Jerome demanded.
“Don’t speak of him so casually,” Jenkto said, her tone uncharacteristically severe.
“Sorry,” Jerome grumbled, looking shamefaced.
Once more the mood was brought down, even more so than earlier.
The tension was broken, however, when Jenkto gave a small yawn. “Anyway, Rose, isn't it about time for you to head home? I would hate for us to be the reason you got in trouble.”
Rose checked her watch. It was getting late, and she was pretty sure the spirit of conversation had died out by that point. “Yeah, I should probably go.”
Macklass pushed off the wall. “I’ll drive you.”
Rose smiled gratefully at him. “Thank you.”
After saying her farewells to the other siblings, Rose left with Macklass, all the while considering her last question, which hadn’t really gotten an answer.
************
Rose and Billy finally emerged from the trees and onto a well worn dirt road. She could occasionally make out the tracks of horse hooves and wagon wheels, and wondered if they would encounter someone -or possibly something- along the way.
“I have another question,” she said to Billy.
“I’m listening.”
“Would I be able to learn magic?”
"Normally I’d say ‘no’, but…” He gives her a quick one over. “As a matter of fact, I did notice that you're plane-touched. So, it's very possible you could."
"Plane-touched?"
"It's a term, meaning you've been touched or affected by a being from another plane. Most likely from the Umbra, but it's difficult to say. You have power, that much I can tell. It's dormant, but it's there." Billy paused, then asked, "I don't suppose there's ever been a time or two something odd happened to you?"
