"Of Two Worlds"
CHAPTER 2
By: Willow Mae

She had a vague knowledge she could still breathe. This did nothing for the pain she felt everywhere else. She couldn’t be dead; nothing could hurt this much in the afterlife. She felt herself being lifted by a strong pair of arms. She tried to struggle, but was too weak to move. ~ I can’t be caught now! It can’t end like this, I won’t let it…~ She heard a quiet murmuring above her, but she couldn’t make out the words. She tried again to free herself from her captors grip, but it was useless. Slowly, darkness took over again.

***

The smooth ascent into consciousness was slow and pleasant. It felt as though she was floating to the surface of awareness, no pain, no thoughts, just a warmth that surrounded her and cured all her ails. At last she decided to leave the sanctuary of her mind and open her eyes. She awoke in dark, warm cottage on a bed covered in animal pelts. She blinked a few times in confusion. This did not look like the guard quarters she was used to. In fact, it didn’t look like guard quarters at all. Where was she? The very air felt strange and unfamiliar to her. It felt…used. Across the dirt floor a merry fire cackled, the sweet scent of pinewood tickling her nose. A copper kettle whistled above the fireplace, an indication that what was in there was ready to be consumed. On a chair next to the fire her tattered dress was hung, still dripping from the pool. She noticed that she was wearing a loose white nightshirt, stiff with dried blood. She tried to stand up and explore her surroundings further, but she collapsed onto the bed, exhausted from the effort.

It was then she realized the reason she felt unstable in this new environment. The emptiness in her heart was accompanied by the released weight of her shoulders and back. She hurriedly reached behind her to feel empty air. A choking sob lodged in her throat as she crumpled back into the bed. She remembered the pain of losing her wings once, and thinking about it renewed her aching heart once more. It was worse than losing a limb to her. She turned on her side to face the wooden walls and stuffed her hand in her mouth to muffle the sounds of her sobbing. It didn’t matter what happened now; she felt more than dead already. Her entire body ached with the throbbing scratches and cuts she had received during her escape. Her hands clasped around the amulet necklace and she rolled onto her side. The coolness of the amulet soothed her mind, and the pain eased back to a bearable degree.

The door opened, letting a cool breeze into the small room. The fire flickered slightly, and the figure that had entered closed the door behind him. He removed his long hooded cape and hung it on a wooden peg next to the door, then turned and smiled at her. He went over to the fireplace and took the kettle down, pouring her a cup of the steaming liquid. A few strange sounds came from his mouth, and she recognized it as the mumbling she had heard when she was recaptured. The language was unfamiliar to her; perhaps she had gone far enough away from the city to be save for the time being. She hopped this was so, as she didn’t want to face any danger right away. Soon, she found a cup pushed under her nose, and a smile on his face.

She took the cup from his hand and drank, her eyes never once leaving his face. His green eyes sparkled in the firelight, and his long blue hair was dark enough to be black, and it was tied in a thin braid that reached down to his mid-back. He had sharp cheekbones and thin, friendly lips that were edged by a small goatee. If she stood, she presumed that he would be only a few inches taller than she herself would. His lean, strong build made him appear much taller than he really was. He was in fact, quite good-looking in her opinion. She finished drinking and handed the cup back to him. He smiled and took it, then sat on the edge of the bed and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. She felt her cheeks grow warm slightly at his kindness.

He made some similar noises as he did before, and although she couldn’t understand him, his tone was gentle and full of warmth. She was about to reply when she felt a strange tingling in the back of her throat. It rapidly grew into an urgent buzz, echoing throughout her body and shaking her bones. As quickly as it had begun, it stopped. The man smiled again. "It’s okay, we can talk now."

She blinked a few times and tentatively touched her throat. "That…was that magic?" Her voice cracked and she coughed.

"Take it easy, it will take a while to get used to the adjustments I made. My name is Bergan, and yes, that was magic. I am a sorcerer." He held out his hand. When she just looked at it and back at him, he dropped it and sighed. "Well, what is your name?"

She ignored his question and looked at him inquisitively.

"How can you work magic with all the wards up?" She leaned in closely, propping herself up on her arms to peer into his face. "You don’t look that powerful enough to work around them. What’s your secret?" Bergan backed away slightly on the bed.

"I thank you for your summary of my magical abilities," He responded dryly. "And I’m not sure what you’re talking about. There are no wards to worry about." She sat back heavily on the bed and crossed her legs, looking around the room curiously.

"Then what sort of prison is this?" Bergan looked at her serious expression for a few moments, then began to laugh.

"Prison? My child, this is no prison. This is my home, where you are safe for the time being. You are our guest for the time, and as such would you grant us a name?"

She tilted her head and slowly blinked her purple eyes at him. "Us? Are you royalty? Nobility?" Bergan coughed uncomfortably.

"No, ‘us’ being my sister and I. She’s in the town getting some more ointment for your shoulders." She twisted her head around to look at her injuries again. "Are you going to keep avoiding giving me a name, or do you want me to answer more questions first?" His lips turned into a half-grin.

"Name? Yes," she formed her mouth in the familiar shapes, but no sound came from her throat. Her brow creased. "What’s wrong? Why can’t I say my name?" Bergan scratched his temple thoughtfully.

"The translation spell I cast might not have an equivalent in this language, so it would be impossible for you to speak your name exactly how it would be in your native language. Why don’t you try sounding out what you can, and what comes though is what we’ll call you."

She nodded and began to form the familiar phrases again, this time straining to turn them into sounds. "Ka…ell…ah….en….duh…rah…." She coughed again, and closed her eyelids tightly against the moisture in her eyes. "That’s all I could get, I’m sorry."

Bergan shrugged. "That’s fine. We’ll call you Calandra, does it suit you?" She rolled her mouth over the sounds again and slowly nodded.

"Yes, it’s nice. Different, but nice."

"Good. Now, turn around and lift up your shirt so I can tend to those wounds." Calandra stared at him for a moment, and then deliberately folded her arms across her chest. "Come now, don’t be modest. They’ll never heal if you won’t let me tend to them."
"Modest or not, I don’t find it proper. I’ll heal just as well on my own, thank you," she said.

"Oh, let me take care of it," A cheerful voice said from the doorway.

Bergan’s face broke into a bright smile and his green eyes twinkled as he turned to the young woman who had spoken. She had light brown hair that was cut short and tied with a thin piece of leather into a bobbed ponytail at the nape of her neck. Her deep brown eyes danced with merriment, and her thin lips were drawn into a broad smile. She had high cheekbones like Bergan, and stood at his shoulder at 5 foot 4.

"Jemmy, you’re back earlier than I thought."

"Yes, Tyrian was busy so I didn’t stay to talk. I see our guest is awake. How do you feel?" She directed the last comment to Calandra.

"Better, thank you," she replied.

"This is my younger sister, Jemmy. Jemmy, this is our inquisitive guest, Calandra." Jemmy grinned, then flopped onto the bed.

"Nice to meet you Calandra. Now, would you please remove your nightshirt so I can take care of those wounds?" Calandra shook her head.

"I’d rather not, if it’s all the same to you." Jemmy eyed her for a moment, and then turned to Bergan.

"Began, go outside and do…something." She said decisively. Bergan looked at his sister’s commanding face, then at the startled Calandra and sighed.

"Right. I apologize if I make you uncomfortable. I’ll go do some research in the library. Good day ladies." He swooped from the room in long strides, grabbing his cloak from the hook and was out the door. Jemmy and Calandra looked after him for a moment.

"Well, Calandra. Now that Bergan’s gone, let me see those wounds. We’re both women here, don’t be shy. Come now, you’ll never heal if you aren’t treated properly." Jemmy used all the persuasive talents she possessed until at last she let out a breath of satisfaction as Calandra reluctantly removed the nightshirt and handed it to her host. Jemmy motioned for her to turn around, and when Calandra complied she smoothed the cold ointment on the deep red slashes on her back. Calandra sucked in her breath at the unaccustomed temperature.

"That’s cold!" she exclaimed, then her face changed into a started expression and she wriggled her shoulders. "Ah! It’s hot!"

Jemmy held her shoulders until she stopped moving and began to apply the ointment again. "Good. It’s supposed to feel that way. That means it’s working." She stopped her administrations and frowned at the angry wounds on her back before moving to tend the smaller, though equally painful cuts along her arms and legs. "Forgive me if I’m out of place in asking, but how did you develop these wounds?"

"I’d rather not say at the moment." Calandra replied hesitantly. Jemmy eyed her for a moment, and then nodded.

"I see. Well, whenever you feel like talking about it, I would enjoy hearing the tale. It must have been quite the adventure." Calandra gave a dry laugh.

"Yes, an adventure…thank you." She said as Jemmy handed her a clean nightshirt and took the stained one to a washbasin in the opposite corner of the room.

"Well, since you shouldn’t move around much for a while, you’ll be sleeping in here. It’s usually my bed, because it’s closest to the door and all and Bergan doesn’t really like to socialize so I handle most visitors, but I’ll just sleep in the guestroom. It’s right through there, if you ever need me in the middle of the night." She pointed through the door next to her, and Calandra could make out the dark shapes of furniture within the room. Jemmy continued to chatter pleasantly. "Bergan’s room is right in there," this time the motion was through the doorway at the foot of the bed Calandra sat on. "He’ll be in there, that is, if he ever comes back from the library. He likes to stay in there and study to all hours of the night, which I’m sure is unhealthy but there’s not much I can do to change that." She shrugged and crossed back toward the bed, stopping at the table in the centre of the room and sitting down to look at her guest.

"Ah, yes." Calandra replied hesitantly, not sure of what to say in return to the string of words pouring from Jemmy’s mouth. Apparently not much else needed to be said, because Jemmy smiled and continued to talk.

"So Calli, do you mind if I call you Calli? It’s a nice nickname, and much easier to say than Calandra. All right then, Calli, Bergan said you were inquisitive. Any questions you want to ask, or can I start our portion of the question asking? I have so much I want to know, basic information, no worries there. Its not as though I’ll be asking you to reveal your life history and all of your deepest secrets!" Jemmy laughed. Calandra didn’t have time to register everything that had been said by this point.

"It’s very kind of you and your brother to take me in without knowing much about me… " She said hesitantly. The door flew open and Bergan came in, his eyes wide with excitement.

"You!" He cried, pointing at Calandra in amazement. "I know what you are!" Calandra’s ivory face paled to a pallid color.

"What do you mean?" her voice shook.

"Bergan, calm down. Can’t you see you’re frightening her?" Jemmy scolded, rising to guide her brother into a nearby chair.

"No, Jemmy, you don’t understand." He rose again and Jemmy threw up her hands in frustration. "I know what she is, Jemmy! It’s…unbelievable! Extraordinary!"

"What are you going on about?" Jemmy demanded, placing her hands firmly on her hips. Calandra curled up into a tight ball in the corner of the bed with her back pressed firmly against the adjacent walls.

"Are you going to turn me in?" She asked in a small voice.

"Pardon?" Bergan asked.

"I’m sure the guards must have a handsome price for turning me in…" Calandra went on meekly. Bergan looked from her to Jemmy and back, and began to chuckle.

"Amazing…" he sat down on the bed, and Calandra curled up tighter to get away from his touch. "You have no idea, do you? You’re not in your world anymore, child. You need have no fear. Whatever you’re frightened of won’t be able to come here. In fact, it’s quite a miracle that you are here."

"I don’t understand…" Calandra stammered.

"Neither of us do." Jemmy affirmed, crossing her arms and looking at her brother intently. "But I’m sure he’ll explain himself in a few moments. He gets like this sometimes, and he can’t resist to explain all the technicalities of anything and everything he learns."

Calandra looked at the siblings for a moment, judging their expressions carefully before unwrapping herself and sitting forward. Bergan had produced a book and was flipping through the pages quickly, his green eyes narrowed in concentration. His expression changed only when he would pause to look in wonder at the frightened girl on the bed before returning back to his book. Jemmy’s round face held a look of concern, both for her for brother’s outbursts and for her guest. There was a silence in the small cottage room. Time was suspended momentarily, until Bergan’s book closed with a crisp snap. He turned once more to Calandra. His face held a look of wonder, like a child watching the rain fall, or the stars emerge into the night sky.

"Am I right to address you as Small One?" he breathed. Slowly, she nodded.

"It’s not a term I particularly like. It holds bad memories." She replied.

"I knew it! This is wonderful, I didn’t think it was possible, but you proved me wrong Small One! Excuse me, Calandra. If you can travel between worlds, then there must be a way to stabilize the dimensional fields in such a way to create some rift between the different planes. If I can figure out the schematics of the temporary planes where we found you, perhaps I can find the--"

"Excuse me, did you say between worlds?" Jemmy interrupted.

"Yes, I did." There was a note of impatience in his voice. "It’s all in this book here—‘History of Thyrn and the Other Worlds’—it’s quite fascinating in itself, really. Even without all the information it provides, there is a great story behind everything the way it is today. The psychological aspects are fascinating really, and I would presume--"

"Try to stay focused." Jemmy said firmly.

"I think that with the help of this book, and our dear friend Calandra here" he gave her a bright smile. "I believe that some major scientific and magickal advancements can be made. Isn’t the idea just marvelous?"

"How much does that book tell you, sorcerer?" Calandra ventured.

"What are you wanting to find out?" he replied to her question with one of his own.

"Just tell me what you know."

"Well, I know you’re half-bred…" Calandra’s eyes flashed but she stayed silent. "I’m not sure about much more than that. Mostly I know about the world from when the four worlds were connected. Speaking of such, did you have any idea that there were more worlds on alternate planes? I find the idea thrilling. It’s hard to imagine our ancestors being such an advanced culture to deal with trans-dimensional travel, and the time issues would be hard to cope with. One might say that we actually devolved, because I can’t imagine anyone today having the abilities to withstand the sphere walking."

"Bergan." Jemmy ordered. "Focus."

Calandra was lost in thought. This book the sorcerer had was quite informative, and could be useful if it contained the information she sought.

"Could that book tell me how I got here? And how I can get back?" Calandra asked suddenly. Her voice had grown much firmer and commanding.

"Unfortunately, the book doesn’t say much, only basic statistics. The time measurements, varieties of races that were rumored to live there, the laws, etc etc…" he twirled his hand absently. "If you told us more about your world, then we could help you adapt to this one better…and possibly find a way to get you home." Calandra was silent for a moment as she thought about the destruction that was taking control back home. She took a deep breath.

"Yes." She stated. "I want to go home, I want to save my people. I will trust you and answer your questions, if it will take me home." Her long, spidery fingers wrapped delicately around the golden amulet still hanging from her neck.

"Thank you child. It makes things much easier," Bergan said. Calandra shot him a look of distain.

"I would prefer if you called me by name instead of ‘child’ or ‘Small One’. I am neither."

"But you look so young!" Jemmy exclaimed.

"I am 218 spans old. That hardly constitutes as a child." Calandra stated. Bergan flipped through the book until he reached a table.

"218 spans is about…19 years old. Only a year older than you Jemmy."

"Calli, will you tell us a little more about your world? It has a different time system as we just confirmed, but the book is very out of date."

Calandra nodded.

"It’s called Isina. My planet, I mean. It used to be a lovely place, until the Shade Striders appeared. No one knew where they came from, or what they wanted, until they started to take over the land. They cut down all the groves, and named themselves gods." The unspoken terror and pain of the experience was made evident in the flashing of her violet eyes as she spun the tale of how her parents were killed trying to save their grove. She told how her brother was captured and she went after him, only to loose him to the Shade Striders and watch him become a daemon. She explained why her half-bred elven and faerie blood made her susceptible to danger, because she could harness the magick of the world around her and use it. The story of how she was to ‘wed’ Yeben, one of the more powerful Shade Striders as a means of increasing its power was brought into reality again in her mind. After telling the siblings how her flesh was to be used as a vessel for the entity of Yeben, she told of her escape into Fogbottom Woods, one of the last remaining groves. Her flight from the daemon that may have once been her brother was skimmed over, for the memory brought tears to her eyes. At last, she told them of her dive into the garnet pool and the loss of her wings, finishing her tale with her waking in their cottage. After she finished speaking, there was a long, thoughtful silence.

Bergan glanced out of the window at the setting sun. The air had grown colder and the evening dew lined the ground. The golden colors of the sunset sparked in the wet grasses.

"It’s late. We should go to bed, we can talk more in the morning." He said solemnly. There were tired nods of agreement from everyone at the table, and Calandra lay back down in the warm furs on the bed.

"Call if you need anything." Jemmy told her as she walked into the guestroom. Calandra nodded and Bergan blew out the candles before retiring into his own room. Calandra was asleep within moments.