The air before me tore into two, and shadow exploded out from the slit. A being made of the same shadow stepped through and caught the dart in a sphere of dark energy. The thing watched it with curiosity.

  “What manner of mischief is this?” asked the shadow being.

  “Th-th-that’s a talking shadow,” I blubbered.

  The shadow turned toward me. “Well, how perceptive of you.” The edges of his body flickered and flowed away revealing a man with obsidian-black skin just like Darius. He grinned at me with perfectly white teeth. “Is this better?” His voice changed from an oily slimy thing to something from Africa. Zimbabwean perhaps? I couldn’t be sure.

  “Uh, yeah,” I said. “Thanks.”

  “I am called D’rorthar,” he said, introducing himself.

  “My name is Jack, or Lone Eagle .”

  “I see,” said D’rorthar. “By which name would you prefer to be called?”

  “Jack works. At least until you give me a reason to distrust you.”

  D’rorthar grinned. “Jack it is. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He nodded once to me and turned toward Abalonious. “You keep interesting friends, Sword Bearer.” He looked down at the object in his hand. “I assume this is something quite unpleasant?”

  Abalonious nodded. “Quite. I was hoping I wouldn’t see another one anytime soon, but unfortunately, I’ve seen more than I care to think about these last few days.”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “We don’t fully know,” said Abalonious. “Best we can guess is that those darts are how a race called the Bulgris reproduce. They zap you with one of those, and you turn into them.”

  D’rorthar arched an eyebrow. “And they are?”

  Abalonious sighed. “A menace. From ancient Dwarven history. Don’t let that thing touch you.”

  “This troubles you greatly,” said D’rorthar. “Do they represent such a great threat?” He made a gesture, and a blast of shadow ripped open a wedge in the ground. He tossed in the sparkling green dart and buried it with his foot.

  I quietly watched Abalonious as he thought about the question. His eyebrows creased. His frown depended.

  “D’rorthar,” he began. He looked up and made eye contact with him. “They scare the living shit out of me. Even more so than the Firstborn ever could.”

  D’rorthar’s mouth dropped open. He closed it a few times and tried to speak. But the words never came. But the look of desperation in his eyes said it all. These are terrifyingly strong people, and they’re both afraid. Oh. Crap.

  “What can we do?” I asked.

  “My team and I will take care of the Bulgris here in De León.” He turned back to D’rorthar. “Can you take Jack to Ashley? I think she could use his help.”

  “Hey now,” I said. “I’ve been fighting these Bulgris things for weeks now. Just because I’m new around here doesn’t mean I’m entirely useless.”

  Abalonious held out a hand. “I’m not dismissing you or your experience. I’m putting you to use where you can do the most good.”

  “I see…”

  “Plus, D’rorthar told me that Ashley is heading toward Sai as we speak. That puts both of your missions in sync with each other.”

  “Two birds, one stone,” I said.

  Abalonious nodded. “Exactly.

  “All right.” I turned to D’rorthar. “I will go with you when we return to the city. I need to say goodbye to a few people and let Count Broan know what happened here.”

  D’rorthar nodded. “As you wish.”

  “Did you say Count Broan?” asked a blood-covered woman. She had been one of the villagers throwing spells around. “I’m Elena.”

  “That’s great!” I grinned. “He sent me to check on you when your trade shipment didn’t arrive.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “He sent you?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “He was pretty worried, actually.”

  “That warms my heart.” She smiled. “I need to go help with the wounded. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.”

  “You’re welcome,” I said. I turned to Darius. “Thank you as well. You saved my ass back there.”

  “Think nothing of it,” said Darius. “I feel that you would have done the same had our roles been reversed.”

  I nodded. “True.” I looked at D’rorthar who was watching Darius with a keen interest.

  The boy also noticed. “D’rorthar?” asked Darius. “Is something troubling you?”

  “No, my apologies,” he said. “It is just I have not been in peaceful proximity of your lineage for many years.”

  “I feel your energy as well,” said Darius. “Despite our differences, I believe we may share a common ancestry.”

  D’rorthar nodded. “Indeed. The First Prime was the forefather to the Firstborn. He was there at the beginning.”

  “That is correct,” said someone with a deep voice. It seemed to come from Abalonious’s gauntlet.

  I arched an eyebrow at him.

  “Long story short, there’s a spirit in the armor,” said Abalonious. “It happens to be a fragment of the First Prime.”

  I gasped. “Incredible…”

  Abalonious laughed. “Not the strangest thing you’ve seen lately, I’d wager.”

  I joined in his laughter. “Definitely not.”

  “Darius returns!” yelled one of the guards patrolling the top of the walls to De León. “Send for the prince!”

  Abalonious laughed. “Darius, you’re famous!”

  Darius blushed. “Apparently. Though I am undeserving of such praise.”

  “I dunno,” I said. “From the stories Burt told me, it seems you and the prince of De León ran around and got yourselves into some trouble. Saved the kingdom.”

  “True,” said Darius. “But I do not believe that is deserving of such fanfare.”

  “The guards think otherwise.” Elena giggled. “As do the rest of us.”

  Darius blushed even deeper.

  “All right,” said Abalonious, sparing his friend from further discomfort. “Let’s get the wounded cared for.”

  “Are those the citizens from Claremont?” asked the guard captain.

  “Yeah,” said Abalonious. “We have wounded that need care.”

  “Understood.” He turned to one of his men and barked several orders. The man ran off toward a door in the stone wall. A moment later, ten people ran out and toward us. Healers. They swarmed the wounded and took them away.

  “I shall help the healers,” said Elena. “Please let my brother know I am safe.”

  “I will,” I said. “Take care.”

  “You as well.” She smiled. “And thank you again.”

  I nodded to her as she followed the medics back toward what I assumed was an infantry barracks. “Meet at Burt’s shop in thirty minutes?”

  “Sounds good,” said Abalonious. “We can get some food. I’m starving.”

  “Food is on me,” I said. He tried to argue but I raised my hand. “I insist. It’s the least I can do for the two of you saving me back there.”

  Abalonious sighed in resignation and nodded.

  “Great!” I waved and ran toward Count Broan’s home.

  The door opened. Count Broan looked surprised to see me. “Jack? You look like you have been digested and excreted by a dragon!”

  I chuckled. “I feel much worse.”

  He nodded. “And my sister?”

  “She’s safe,” I said. “We were able to rescue about two-thirds of the village.”

  “We?” he asked.

  “Abalonious and Darius,” I said. “They showed up just as I was overwhelmed.”

  He nodded again. “I see.” He reached into his colorful robes and retrieved a satchel. “Please take this. It is the least I can do in thanks.”

  I took the satchel and bowed slightly. “Thank you. I will be heading out of town in a little while. Apparently, I’m needed elsewhere.”

  “Will you return?” he asked.

  “I’m…” I thought about that for a moment. “I’m not really sure. I’d like to, but I don’t know if that’s in the cards.”

  “I understand.” He reached out his hand, and I shook it. “Thank you for your help. Hopefully, Caretaker willing, we shall see each other again someday.”

  I grinned. “Somehow, I think we will.”

  “Fare thee well, Jack.”

  “And you.” I bowed once more, then turned, and left.

  I found Abalonious, Darius, and D’rorthar at the hut with the chili.

  “Everything okay?” asked Abalonious.

  “Great,” I said. Count Broan was happy, and I said my goodbyes.”

  He nodded. “Realizing it’s gonna be hard to go back?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “I hadn’t realized there would be people I met here that I’d end up caring about. But, at the same time, there are a lot of people back where I’m from who need me.”

  He put his hand on my shoulder. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m sure you’ll have a permanent invite to come back.” He winked.

  I was reading between the lines, but I’m positive he meant to Tempest, not to De León.

  “Thanks,” I said. “And I hope so. I could happily retire here once my duties back home are done.”

  “I’m sure Noslen will find a way,” he said.

  I laughed. “Yeah, I’m sure he will.”

  “I have a gift for you,” said Mrs. Lennard. “It’s a battle wand.” She handed me a short burlap-wrapped package. I felt the power in the wand instantly call out to me, begging to be used.

  I gasped. “Thank you. I don’t know what to say.” I reached for the string tying the burlap closed. Abalonious took a hesitant step back. As did Burt, Darius, and D’rorthar.

  Mrs. Lennard reached up and stopped me. “Do you remember how Count Broan’s staff reacted when he touched it the first time?”

  “Yeah?” I asked.

  She grinned. “Promise me you will not open it until after you leave here. I’d prefer not to have to pay to clean up the market district.”

  Burt laughed. “It’d be like the other night all over again.”

  I blushed. “Yeah, let’s not do that again anytime soon.”

  “I’ll want to hear this story later,” said Abalonious.”

  “Deal,” said Burt. He chuckled. “It’s a good one.”

  I shook my head, stashed the wand in my inventory, and ordered food for us all. I told them about my adventures so far in De León. Abalonious and Darius shared their own adventures in the Dwarven and Elven lands.

  “Wow,” I said. “The hours seemed to fly by like seconds.”

  “Indeed,” said Darius.

  I frowned. “I guess it’s that time.”

  “We’ll see each other again soon,” said Abalonious. “I’m sure of it.”

  “Looking forward to it.” I stood and said my goodbyes to everyone.

  I turned to D’rorthar. “I’m ready.”

  “Then we shall take our leave.” D’rorthar bowed slightly to Abalonious. “Good luck. I will check on you after the next phase is complete.”

  “Thanks,” said Abalonious. “And good luck to both of you as well.”

  D’rorthar and I turned away from the building to grab my bag.

  “Oh, and Jack?” called Abalonious.

  “Yeah?”

  “Take care of yourself.” He frowned. “I really don’t suggest dying. At least not until Taenaran and Ashley finish their mission.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I saw Nelson in his bed. He looked like shit. I would rather not get my brain microwaved.”

  “But he’s alive,” said Abalonious. “That’s a huge deal. We had feared the worst.”

  “What is microwave?” asked D’rorthar.

  Abalonious chuckled. “Ancient human technology. I can explain some other time.”

  “Understood.” D’rorthar turned to me. “Are you ready?”

  I nodded. “Let’s go.”

  “This will feel mildly uncomfortable.” He grinned. “I hope that your endurance matches your fighting ability.”

  “I’ll be fine—”

  Shadow spread from his feet and engulfed us. A deathly cold chill spread across my body, and my nerve endings lit up as if I’d stuck my finger in a light socket. When I blinked, we stood in a dark forest. The sound of the wind rustling through the leaves was muted.

  “Are you well?”

  My stomach cramped up, but I nodded. “Fine.” My voice echoed around us. It sounded tinny and far away. “What is this place?”

  “It would suffice to simply call it the shadow realm, but it is more than that.” He gestured ahead. “Come. We should make haste. It would not be the wisest of choices to dally in this place.”

  I followed him to the edge of the forest. I looked to the sides and noticed the landscape abruptly transitioned from thick trees to open desert. And to make matters more strange, in the far distance, I could see the ocean, again with no transition from one type of landscape to the next. It’s as if the rules of nature don’t apply precisely as I would expect.

  “What is on your mind?” asked D’rorthar.

  “Is it that obvious?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “You seem deep in thought as you observe the area around us. One could call it paranoia; however, it seems like more than that.”

  I nodded. “The normal rules don’t seem to apply here.”

  “Indeed not.”

  “So…does my magic work here? I can feel—I don’t know—a drain? It’s taking a noticeable effort to keep my energy from just flowing out of me.”

  “That is an apt description.” We trudged along for several more steps. Hardened sand crunched beneath our feet as we walked. “I would leave the fighting to me if we are attacked here. While your magic may work, the moment you attempt to expel the energy, a greater amount of energy will be drawn from you.”

  “Almost like this whole place is one huge magic thief.”

  D’rorthar chuckled. “A crude description, but yes. This world feeds on magic. And when that runs out, life energy. So, it would be best if you simply concentrated on keeping your magic in you.”

  “I see.” I looked out across the open desert. “Do you think we’ll be attacked?”

  He shrugged. “It is my hope that we will not be; however, it is quite likely. I have made many enemies as of late.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

  He turned to me and grinned. “I am starting a civil war to free my people. Those in charge may disagree—violently—with my choices.”

  “Ahh, okay.” I nodded. “That makes sense. I—”

  The strange world spun a bit. D’rorthar caught me as I lost my balance.

  “Your magic is nearly depleted. This does not bode well. We must hurry.”

  I nodded drunkenly. “Lead the way.”

  He wrapped my arm around his neck and helped me walk toward wherever we were heading. At this point I couldn’t care less. I could feel my life force being drained like I was being fed on by another psychic vampire. But I hadn’t seen any of those in Tempest. Had I?

  We trudged on for what seemed like weeks.

  “Here we are,” he said. His voice sounded a million miles away. “Brace yourself.”

  The shadow flowed over my body, and the world vanished. When I blinked, the sun was blazing overhead and stabbed at my eyes.

  “Are we on a boat?” I asked.

  “Yes,” said D’rorthar.

  “Oh. Cool.” My head spun around, and I decided to cuddle the deck. It seemed really lonely.

  42

  Jack

  “I think he’s coming around,” said a woman.

  I opened my eyes. Above me—and quite a bit closer than I’d have liked—was a wood slab. A bunk bed?

  “Good morning, Jack.”

  “Um, good morning.” I looked over at her. She was just a kid. “What happened?”

  “D’rorthar said your energy had been depleted in your last fight. So, it took a toll on you when you came across from the other place.”

  I nodded. “That makes sense.” I slid my legs off the bed and sat up, careful not to bash my head on the upper bunk.

  “I’m Ashley,” she said. “A pleasure to meet you.”

  “Likewise. Oh! Abalonious told me to tell you that the Bulgris are on the move and that you should keep an eye out.”

  She gasped. “He saw them?”

  “Saw them?” I laughed. “I’ve been fighting the crazy bastards for nearly a week. I’d gotten overwhelmed when he and a kid named Darius swooped in and saved me. Then the shadow guy showed up, and Abalonious asked him to bring me to you so I could be of some use.” I frowned. “Pretty sure he also wanted me out of his way.”

  “Don’t think of it that way,” said a man with a big hat. He leaned in the doorway like he owned the place. “He means well, and I’m sure he meant no disrespect. But alas, you are an unknown variable, and he has a fight to win. That does unfortunately make you a liability. At least here we have the small luxury of time to see how you can best be put to use.”

  “That makes sense,” I said. “I didn’t realize I was essentially stepping into an active warzone.”

  He nodded. “A very astute way of phrasing it. And quite accurate to boot.”

  I grinned. “You seem like you’re in charge around here.”

  The man took his hat off, bowed at the waist, and held it behind him in a flourish. “Captain Orin, at your service.” He replaced the hat on his head.

  “Jack Bell,” I said. I stood and offered my hand. He shook it. “A pleasure.”

  “Likewise.” He gestured at the girl. “Ashley here is one of Aba’s best.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” she said. Someone came in with a tray of food and placed it on the bedside next to me.

  “Sorry it isn’t much,” said Captain Orin. “We tend to stock foods that are easy to keep from spoiling. Salted meats, eggs, the such.”

  “Oh, no, not at all.” I grinned. “This looks like exactly what the doctor ordered.”