Chapter Two
The Otherworld was so not what Colton expected. He thought he would end up outside some medieval castle like in that movie with hobbits and shit. Maybe see a sexy elf with long hair and crystal blue eyes. Long flowing clothing with pale skin. He expected green forests and crystal blue waters. Instead, he ended up in a bedroom.
The bedroom had an obnoxiously large bed against one wall and a shit-ton of swords on the other. Someone made the bed with a navy-blue blanket covering it all nice and inviting with thick pillows that had Colton thinking about naps. The bed frame was dark wood with thick posts and an old beat up chest at the foot. The chest looked like it belonged to a pirate and held gold coins.
Colton would bet the bed belonged to a male. What kind of being, Colton had no clue. The bed was normal sized, so that told him a giant didn’t sleep there. He wasn’t Jack at the top of a beanstalk, thank the gods.
He was in the room of a sword-lover, though. Directly across the room from the bed was a wall full of them. Some had a covering over the blade and others didn’t. All gave a level of danger he would rather not contemplate.
Colton shuddered. It would suck to wake up next to the nutjob who used those things. And God, talk about always being prepared. Colton would bet money the swords' owner slept with one of them. Maybe the person even alternated between them, so the others didn't get jealous.
He turned back to the bed, not wanting to explore the shrine of deadly weapons any more than he already had.
He walked over to the side table and picked up the knife that lay there. It was maybe five inches long from point end to the top of the handle, which happened to be in the shape of a gray metal wolf. The wolf's mouth was open as if simulating a snarl. Either that or the thing needed to sneeze.
He snorted out a laugh and put the knife down, opening the draw to the table. There was a bottle of some liquid, and that was it. Colton would bet money the liquid in it was lube.
He picked it up and unscrewed the cap, sniffing. "Yep. Lube."
Colton put the cap back on and looked from side to side expecting someone to come in and catch him. Of course, he was still alone in the room. He grinned and stuck the lube in the front pocket of his jeans. "Otherworld lube. Cool."
Was stealing a punishable offense in the Otherworld?
Colton shrugged. Worth it.
He figured he had maybe forty-five minutes before he was stuck there for six months. He'd put the lube back if that happened.
Colton shut the drawer.
Other than the bed and the swords, the room was sparce with minimal decor. Not even a painting hung on the walls. But then, maybe art wasn’t a thing in the Otherworld. Hell, maybe the Otherworld didn't believe in decoration, and everything was completely utilitarian.
He needed to stop snooping and find Dasan and Awan, not that he knew what they looked like.
He could practically hear the sand in his hourglass run out.
He looked at one of two doors in the room and swallowed the fear lodged in his throat. Both doors were at either ends of the room.
Just the thought of leaving made him pee himself a little. To hear Talli tell it, the Otherworld people would slash first and ask questions later. And even though anyone who slept in a room with so many swords was fucking crazy, he still found comfort in the space simply because it was empty.
His heart pounded against his ribs as his hand enclosed around a doorknob. Taking a deep breath, he turned the knob enough to get a glimpse outside and discovered the door he thought led to the outside was, in fact, a closet.
He let out the breath he was holding.
The only other door in the room was near the swords. He crossed the room and opened it slowly, peering out through the crack he made. The first thing he saw was a portrait of some hot dude in a long green coat. He had pointed ear, but that was the only difference between him and a human. His hair was long and dark. He didn't smile with his mouth, but there was humor sparkling in his eyes. That humor told a story Colton very much wanted to hear.
Colton stepped out, shutting the door behind him and looked around at the stone walls and wooden floor. The bedroom hadn’t had the castle feel to it the way the hallway did. There was a darkness that wasn’t in the bedroom, even though the hall had more lighting. Every few feet flickering flames encased in metal and glass hung on the walls.
He tried to get his feet to move, but they glued themselves to the floor. The eyes of the portrait looked at him, laughing at his fear as he stood there willing himself to walk past the other doors along the hall.
His heart hammered a steady rhythm. His legs felt heavy when he finally managed to take a step.
Every door he passed felt like an enemy was just on the other side. Every gut instinct he had told him to go back home.
He turned the corner and nearly ran into a lady with ears almost as big as Talli's. She had caramel colored skin a shade darker than Kele's, and she carried a load of laundry in her arms. She had long dark hair that curled around her face and a hat on that made her look like a Christmas elf only she wore blue and not red or green.
They stared at each other, probably with the same exact expression. Her mouth hung open for a full ten seconds before the laundry fell from her arms. Colton didn't know what to do so he just smiled at her, hoping he didn't look like a demented fool to the lady who clearly had never seen a human before.
It took her a full minute to scream at the top of her lungs.
"Shit." He backed up, not knowing what to do. He wanted to slap a hand over her mouth. Touching her would probably be a bad idea, so he refrained. "I won't hurt you. I swear."
Feet pounded up a flight of stairs, but he couldn't see the stairs or the people behind the stomping. Five very tall, very dangerous looking elves with swords came around a corner a few yards ahead. They all had long hair and regular sized pointy ears. They dressed like a toned-down version of the guy in the portrait.
Colton backed up until he pressed himself against the wall. The sharp end of five swords were inches away from his chest, so he held up his hands as if they were the police.
"Um. So yeah, before you guys use those things on me, maybe you can hear me out."
One blond guy touched him with the point of the sword. "State your name, intruder."
"Uh...Colton."
He turned to a redhead behind him. "Inform the second of the intrusion."
The redhead sheathed the sword to his side and gave a half bow. "Yes, commander."
The commander turned to two other men on his opposite side. "Take him to the dungeon."
Shit. "Woah. Just hold on. Talli sent me. I'm here to find either Dasan or Awan."
An elf gripped his arm and the sword lowered. "Find the portal and stand guard. No other human shall come through."
"Yes, sire."
Colton tried to pull away, which just made the guy tighten his grip. "Wait. Please. You don't know what you're doing. Kele got hurt. He needs a healer."
The commander bent down, his face inches from Colton’s. "I cannot allow you to run amok around the castle."
"I'll go right back home. I swear to God. I just have to get a message to Awan or Dasan first."
"What is the message, human?" The way the commander said the word human made it sound disgusting as if all things nasty covered Colton and all other humans.
As a gay man, homophobes had discriminated against him. His parents disowned him, and the small town he lived in wasn’t exactly accepting of his sexual orientation. At least not everyone. He was used to the dirty looks and the comments. The reason for the discrimination might be different, but it invoked the same feeling. His chest ached, and he longed for home.
"My name is Colton."
"Speak the answer. Now."
"Okay. Calm down, man. Damn." Colton tried to get to his pocket, but his captor didn't allow it. "Talli gave me a medallion thing. Something to do with Dagda. He said to give it to Awan."
The commander nodded to the guy holding him, and his arm was set free enough for Colton reached into his pocket. Unfortunately the glass bottle of lube fell to the floor.
Colton froze and stiffened. He probably looked like a deer caught in headlights.
The commander bent and picked up the vial. "This belongs to you, human?"
"Um, yeah, well see, the portal thingy landed me in a bedroom." Colton tilted his head back, nodding behind him. It probably looked like he was having a seizure, but he didn't want to make the situation worse by gesturing with his hands. The guards seemed to like his hands under their control.
"You came through to steal." The commander didn't pose it as a question. It was a statement of fact.
"No." He did steal, though. He couldn't deny that. “I…uh…I thought it was cool.”
"The meaning of your words escapes me." The commander took the medallion and gestured to the guards. "Take him to the dungeon."
"Shit." Colton was out of fast ideas. When the guard pulled him along he began to struggle, but all that did was piss them off. Fingers dug into the flesh of his arm until he was sure he'd have bruises. "Okay, man. Okay, you win. I stole the lube, but I swear I'm telling the truth about Talli and Kele. They need help."
"Put him in the pit. Oberon would not tolerate such behavior. The pit will deter any more from coming through and making the same mistake."
Colton’s lungs seized, and he fought harder. “Let me go! I’ll go back home!”