We rode for at least fifteen minutes or so before the first signs of the village loomed at the edge of my sight. And as we approached, my theories were confirmed. I was definitely not in my current time period at all. Houses were cobbled together from stone, and thatch, with everything speaking to a time long since passed before my generation.
Now the real question was, I supposed, where was I? Sure, everything—while outdated— had a real-world counterpart. But some niggling voice at the back of my mind whispered that this world was not my own. That I was someplace entirely different than earth.
Somehow, unexplainably, I had opened a portal to some other realm and jumped in headfirst. Not without being stabbed first, of course.
It was just as we were approaching what I assumed was a stable, when I realized that I still had my bag tangled around one arm. Deftly, I slid the bone dagger from my hand into the messenger bag and vowed to read Abuela’s book from cover to cover once it was dry and I was alone. Although I had no idea exactly what kind of culture I was in, I didn’t want to bank on their trusting a woman who could read. This seemed like exactly the sort of place where that sort of thing could get me killed; approval by the Chief or not.
When we finally did reach the stable, and the large man dismounted, I heaved a sigh of relief before realizing I was very much stuck where I was. Leryk said nothing, but instead helped me down despite my protesting hips and thighs.
“Thanks,” I murmured, leaning against the flank of his steed for support.
“Come,” he said flatly. “If I remember right, the journey takes much from you. You must be starving.”
Now that I thought about it, I definitely was. “Well, I wouldn’t say no to some food.” I took a couple of aching steps before my abused muscles relaxed a little and I was able to walk somewhat normally. I knew I was going to be in a world of hurt tomorrow, but future Mercedes could worry about that. Right now, present Mercedes was concerned with filling her belly.
It took three of my steps to keep up with the hulking men around me, and at best I could kind of equate them to Vikings. They certainly were all towering, bearded and strapping enough, but missing the bull horned hats. Granted, I was fairly sure that real Vikings didn’t wear such helmets, but the imagery was pretty iconic.
Only a few moments later, we stood in front of what had to be the communal great house. It was several houses long, and comprised of whole logs and cobblestones, forged together in pleasing architectural patterns. I found myself gaping again as I was ushered inside and sat at the large table closest to the hearth.
Settling in, I realized uncomfortably that the seat I was in overlooked the entire rest of the hall. Stretching out in front of me were several other tables where others would eat, and beyond that what looked like a story-telling circle where mead overflowed and war stories abounded. It was basically almost an exact replica of the artistic renderings I had seen in several museums in my college days.
Maybe this was earth?
“Mead! And water!” Leryk cried, settling down in the large chair next to me. “Our guest thirsts. And request Maryana to visit the hall tonight, should she wish to grace us with her presence.” One of the girls nearby nodded and scampered off, while the Chief looked to me with kind eyes.
“Tonight’s meal will be ready in an hour or so’s time. Your arrival coincides with our weekly sup together.”
“What’s that?” I asked, my eyes darting around the room as I absorbed each and every little detail I could. “Like some sort of town hall meeting?”
“You use strange words,” Leryk said with a slight smile. “But each week we come together and eat, and fight, and bond.” His beefy, calloused fingers intertwined as he clasped his hands together to illustrate his point. “It keeps us united as one in a world that would love to tear us to pieces.”
“Ah,” I said. Surprisingly, I felt fairly comfortable around this giant of a man. Sure, he could definitely rip me in two. And yeah, I had absolutely no idea if he was actually a good guy or not, but something about him was just inherently trustworthy. Almost like a father figure. “It’s good not to be torn to pieces. Are there a lot of things that go bump in the night that threaten to do just that?”
“Aye, there be monsters. With claws and teeth. Dragons are particularly vicious, but we can handle them. It’s the humans you have to watch out for.”
I nodded as I listened intently. “That seems to be a running theme lately.”
“Between nobles that are so drunk on their quest to have the biggest dick at the table, to lust for money; half the people you meet would gut you for a gold coin, and the other half are desperately fleeing from people trying to gut them for a gold coin. Our world has become a bitter, violent place in these past years. Most likely that’s why you were sent.”
“Um, I don’t know how much I was actually sent, and how much I kinda just…arrived.”
He waved my words away with his large, dirty hand. “I don’t dance with words. You are here, which means great change is coming. Kingdoms have risen and fallen at the arrival of a lightning rider.”
“And does that happen often? Women just dropping from the sky and going around, changing things?”
“Our clan has only known of three. But other clans have their own tales. Perhaps only a handful, perhaps many. They do not leave names, and they do not stay for long.”
“Really? No names?” I countered somewhat incredulously. “So how did they introduce themselves? ‘Worry not citizens, my name is X and I’m here to save you?’”
He didn’t seem amused at my suggestion. “They do not introduce themselves. The lightning riders seek no fame or recognition. It is inevitable that occasionally some realize who walks amongst them, but they do not encourage such tales.”
“Huh. That’s…something, I guess.”
It was difficult to reconcile my mind with these magical, mysterious people who just popped in on lightning. It was even harder for me to digest that I myself had arrived via an electric jolt to the ground. And practically impossible to reconcile the fact that I had just been preparing for the evening busk in a bustling park and now I was talking to the harlequin equivalent of a silver fox.
Thankfully, there were no more world building revelations before the meal started. The food began pouring out of the side doors in waves and I realized just how hungry I was. Although—according to my perception of time—I had just horked down a chili cheese dog less than two hours ago, I was absolutely ravenous and ready to devour a whole horse. Who knows, they might even serve me a whole horse here. I had no idea what was custom.
Eagerly, I started digging in, shoveling food onto my square of wood that I assumed was my plate. There were hand-sized slabs of some sort of spit-turned meat. It was thick and gamey, but not tough as I had expected. It seemed even ancient folk knew about the wonders of slow cooking. Surprisingly, there were mashed potatoes—although they weren’t adorned with all the butter and sour cream that I was used to. There were whole loaves of old-fashioned bread, roasted vegetables, the list went on and on.
And then there was the mead.
Oh boy, the mead.
It was sweet, almost sickeningly so, but not quite enough to be distasteful. It was layered with honey, and some sort of wild flower, but definitely left the taste of carefully roasted nuts thick on my tongue.
I had never been a lightweight, not my any means, but I’d had less than half my tankard when I felt my head grow heavy and the room took on a fuzzy sort of quality to it. I quickly requested water, and was given several strange looks before someone brought me a clay pitcher. I didn’t care about the looks though; I wasn’t about to get smashed my first night in a new world.
If this was a new world. I wasn’t entirely sure that I wasn’t dead and this was some sort of post-mortem hallucination. Looking out over the fur and skin-clad men, the women with long, long hair and frocks of rough fabric, the antlers dotting the walls, and the large fire raging in the center of the communal hall, it was hard not to feel like I was in some sort of high budget blockbuster. Like I could walk out of the door at any moment and go back to my Abuela’s house.
If only getting home would be so easy.
It was long since dark by the time Leryk led me out of the communal hall. I tottered after him, having to walk in double time to keep up with his long strides. The village looked slightly more sinister in the flickering torchlight that dotted the scape. Unfamiliar shapes loomed against the pitch black, entrenching the land as far as I could see. I wasn’t used to nights like this; true light, unilluminated by the modern light bulb or other forms of luminary pollution. And although the stars were sparkling brilliantly up above, it wasn’t enough to make up for the thick, inky blackness coating everything.
It was finally starting to sink in that I was far from home. As far from home as I would ever be. And it was pretty terrifying.
When we walked into Leryk’s, I had sufficiently slipped into a melancholy funk. How was I supposed to live without my cell phone, cars, antibiotics, my vibrator?! Sure, being in a mythical world where strangers rode in on lightning and dragons swooped down from the sky seemed exciting, but the reality was that it was dark and full of illnesses that had long been defeated in my time.
“Greetings,” a sweet, feminine voice drew my attention and I looked up from where I had been staring at my very muddy shoes to see an older woman standing by the hearth.
Her hair was long, just like everyone else around here, but pulled up into a series of interesting grey and brown braids. Her face was round, with reddened cheeks, but entirely welcoming. She was like a pretty grandmother who always was mistaken for a mother. Not too different from my Abuela.
“You didn’t come to the meal,” Leryk said, almost sheepishly.
“Sorry love, I was finishing brewing no-fire paste and I couldn’t leave until it was finished.”
“And be it finished now?”
“Aye. It’s cooling in the back.”
The giant of a man strode forward, picking up the woman in a sweeping hug. “Then I have you all to myself then!”
“Well, my dear, we do seem to have a guest.”
“Ah yes. Of course.” He set her down and the slightest hint of pink colored his cheeks as he turned to me. “Lightning Rider, this is Maryana, my wife.”
“Lightning rider?” the older woman mused, her pleasant face crinkling into a smile. “Two in your lifetime; my mother was right. You are a magnet for trouble.”
“So says the woman who was almost burned at the stake by her village.”
She laughed and gave a dramatic shrug. “You say that as if it was a bad thing. If I recall, some young warrior on a horse rode up to save me and everything turned out just fine.”
“And to think, I almost took the other path that day.”
She laughed, before her grey eyes flicked to me. “We’re ignoring our guest again,” she murmured sweetly.
I couldn’t help but smile. “I don’t mind.”
And I didn’t. It was actually kind of lovely to see two people so ardently in love, who had obviously been in love for quite a while. It made me feel a bit lonely, but in a bittersweet kind of way. I just hoped that one day I would find a love like that.
Minus the whole being burned at the stake thing. I could leave that part out.
“We appreciate your graciousness then. Do you have something you prefer to be called? Lightning Rider does seem a bit…overdramatic to call someone to breakfast.”
“That’s a good point,” I answered with a laugh. “And I like the name Mercedes just fine.”
“Mercedes? That’s a beautiful name.”
“Thanks. I got made fun of a lot for it as a kid. People thought car jokes were just hilarious.”
The kind woman’s brows furrowed a bit. “Cars? I do not understand.”
Oh…right. That wasn’t a thing here. “It’s not important,” I said before a yawn cut me off from saying any other future mumbo-jumbo. “Geeze, pardon me. That was rude.”
Maryana let out a laugh. “Not at all. Here, let me show you to your lodgings. You are welcome to stay with us as long as you desire. We understand that often your kind are whisked away with little warning.”
I nodded and followed her through to the back of the house. Furs adorned almost everything, and I saw plenty of weapons mounted on the wall. I got the feeling that Leryk was a real badass who had earned his spot as chief, as opposed to inheriting it without any challenge. I guess I had lucked out that of all the places I could have landed, it was in the backyard of a warrior who had experience with people who just popped into his plane of existence in strange clothing and accents.
Speaking of which, who were these so-called Lightning Riders? Leryk made it sound like they were a common enough event to have a phenomenon named after them. So, what, were people from earth just throwing themselves into this place through random portals? Or were they all getting stabbed by book-daggers and falling into lakes?
My musings were interrupted as Maryana opened a roughly hewn door, and we stepped into what looked like an expensive suite in a rustic resort. Internally, I was relieved that it wasn’t a hovel in the slightest.
“Wow,” I murmured, looking over the fire-lit accommodations. The bed was fairly large, with what looked like a mountain of thick covers and furs piled atop it. Dresses, tunics and trousers were apparent from an open armoire, and a desk with an inkwell and what looked like a quill. I supposed I would have to learn to use that.
“There is a water pitcher beside your bed,” Maryana murmured. “Should you require more, please do not go out at night. In fact, I would suggest you not go out at night unless absolutely necessary until you learn our world a bit more. The way Leryk describes it to me, it can occasionally be a rough transition for your kind before you find your purpose.”
“My purpose?” I whispered quizzically. But the woman continued as if she hadn’t heard.
“I imagine that you might need help learning how to dress in our clothing, but that is something we can address tomorrow. For now, please, rest. Although you don’t seem to have any wounds, there is blood on you, and a certain sort of weariness about your face.”
“Believe me, that weariness goes well beyond my face.”
She laughed gently and gave a gentle pat on my back. “Get to bed then, I’ll have food ready for ye in the morn.”
“Thanks. I really do appreciate this.”
“No thanks are in order. It is my duty as the Chief’s wife to make sure his guests are accommodated. And it’s my pleasure as a potion maker to meet someone who actually has a bit of magic to them. I’m all just dead plants and pieces. You’re the real thing, in the flesh.”
“I don’t know about all that. I’m not much of anyone where I come from.”
Her hand reached up to stroke my raven hair from my face. “I think you will find, my dear, that it matters very little what you were wherever it is you Riders come from. The only thing of importance is what you are here.”
Despite the fact that I had just met this woman, and that I was a grown woman myself, I still blushed and felt a warm sort of comfort from a matriarch’s approval run through me. “Thanks,” I said, giving her a lopsided grin.
She nodded and walked out of the room, closing it gently behind her. In the flickering light of the fire in the hearth, I changed out of my damp, soiled clothes, and shimmied right into the bed.
The mattress was thick, and much softer than I expected. Probably goose down, if I had to hazard a guess. Funny, something like this would cost thousands in my time. I wondered if it was exorbitant here. Probably. I imagined straw beds were the most common for the poorer folk. I guess Leryk was well to do as well as being an ass-kicking warrior who swept women off their feet and saved others from being burned at the stake.
It seemed impossible that I could fall asleep in such a strange world, but I felt tired down to my very bones. Under the warmth of the covers, and the crackling of the fire, I found myself slipping into a blissful reprieve from the mess I had gotten myself into.
Maybe, if I was lucky, I would wake up back at home and in my own bed.
Somehow, that didn’t seem likely.