“Do you wish to rest here tonight? Before you continue your journey?” Orlaith asked them as they took in the sight of the nearly hundred soldiers in front of them.
“I truly wish we could, but we have to continue to the next world.” Anastasia smiled at her.
“Very well.” She returned the smile and then turned back to the soldiers that stood before her. “You will regard Anastasia as you do me, you will protect her with your lives should such a day come, and you will assist in the victory against Vincent. My prayers are with you all.” She bowed her head and they bowed in return. Anastasia could feel the admiration Orlaith’s people had for her. They didn’t just obey her, they respected her, and that in itself showed her true character.
“Thank you for your assistance,” Anastasia said softly, bowing.
“No need for that.” Orlaith placed her hand on Anastasia’s arm and slowly stood her back up. She then lowered herself and bowed to Anastasia as gasps spread through their audience. “I have seen much, Anastasia. You have a powerful future ahead of you.” She stood and turned to head back into the stone castle, leaving a hundred pairs of amethyst eyes staring at them.
Dakota cleared his throat. “We are grateful to have your assistance.”
No one uttered a word until Anastasia threw her portal to the ground. Then they took a full step backwards and gasped.
“We are going to a world called Terrenia, it is where we will prepare for war,” she said, and stepped through the portal and into the village.
“Nice to see you so soon, Anastasia,” Argento grumbled, and then stared as the Guisnows began coming through the portal. “And with assistance!” he said in a much more excited tone.
“We need to get them set up inside the wall, but alone so we can chill the area. They are used to the snow.”
“Phoenix, we do not require additional amenities. We may prefer the cold, but we can tolerate the heat.” Nix stepped forward. “Simply show us where we need to set up.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, no need to trouble yourself, we will be fine,” he insisted.
“Well, okay then.” She smiled. “Argento, this is Nix. Nix, Argento.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you sir.” Eyes wide, Nix greeted him and Argento laughed.
“I am not a sir, but it is nice to meet you as well, Nix. Come, and I will show you where you and your warriors can set up.”
“I appreciate that,” Nix said, slightly uncomfortable.
“We will be back later tonight.” Anastasia looked up at the sun to estimate the time they had before dark.
“Be careful,” Argento warned again, and she nodded.
“Ready?” she asked Dakota.
“Let’s go.”
Anastasia threw a portal on the ground and stepped into the light. The stark heat whipped against their faces and they immediately began shedding their extra layers.
“Did we portal to the surface of the sun?” Dakota grumbled as he packed his extra clothes away in his pack.
Anastasia eyed him, amused. “All right, Goldilocks. First it’s too cold, now it’s too hot. I wonder if it will ever be just right for you?” she mused as she strapped her pack onto her back.
“You joke now, but it’s hot as hell in this place.”
Anastasia nodded and studied their surroundings. There was nothing but desert as far as she could see, so she closed her eyes and sensed with her magic. She could feel the presence of something nearby; whether it was friendly or not was another question altogether.
“Ana?”
“Something feels off,” she responded, drawing her sword. Dakota did the same and they put their backs together like people who were used to watching each other’s backs.
“There,” Dakota said quietly, and nodded to the distance where large forms were moving towards them quickly.
“Hold steady, they may be friendly.”
“I somehow doubt that,” Dakota muttered, but didn’t make a move towards them.
The creatures stopped about five feet from them, and Anastasia had to bite back a bit of fear. These things were huge. Probably about ten feet tall, their bodies were slender and tan, and had the appearance of hardened sand. Horns curled around their heads and their black eyes were abnormally large. Their mouths had no lips, and the show of teeth was terrifying.
“Why have you come here?” the one closest to them asked, and Anastasia tried to ignore the shiver that went up her spine at the deep sound.
“We have come to warn you of a coming danger,” Anastasia offered, mimicking what she had said to the Guisnows earlier.
It laughed. “What danger?”
“There is a sorcerer coming for all the worlds. He—”
“You mean the puny human man?” It cocked its head to the side and regarded her warily.
Anastasia felt the chill go straight to her bones. He had already been here, the question now was which side had these terrifying monsters taken?
“Yes,” Dakota said cautiously.
“You must be the one they are calling The Phoenix.” The monster laughed again. “You are nothing but an ant!” It lifted its large clawed food and Anastasia stood her ground as it stomped. “We’s could crush you like the bug you are.”
“Ana,” Dakota warned as more began appearing behind them. They showed up as if they had just crawled out of the sand.
“I take it you had a long conversation with him,” she stated simply, still fishing for an answer though she feared she knew what it would be.
“Yes. We’s had nice, long talk with puny human. He is going to give us what we’s want most.”
“Which is?” Dakota asked.
“Blood.” It licked its teeth. “We once shared a beautiful world with trees and water. But we’s were hungry. So we’s started eating those who wandered too far into our forest.” It began pacing her. “But we’s was still hungry, so we’s started going to the village for snacks at night until a terrible witch sent us here to this hell. All because we’s was hungry.”
If the thing could pout, Anastasia imagined it was doing it now.
“I’s hungry now,” one of them said, and followed suit by running its tongue over its teeth.
“Should we eat then? This one looks tasty.” It pointed to Anastasia and she put her hand behind her back to hide the sparking between her fingers.
“So I take it you took his deal and will not be interested in helping us.”
“Well, what will you’s give us?”
“The pride of a job well done?”
“You’s will not feed us?”
“No.”
“Then we’s will have to feed ourselves.” It reached forward with its claw and swiped at them. Anastasia threw up her hand to create a barricade between them and the monsters.
“We need to get the fuck out of here!” Dakota yelled over the sound of the wails coming from the beasts when they couldn’t get through.
Anastasia pushed her hands out and the barrier exploded, knocking the monsters back. One swiped at Dakota, and managed to grab a hold of his feet. Anastasia conjured a ball of flame and threw it at the beast, hitting it in its chest and causing Dakota to fall. She caught him with another barrier and then turned back to the monsters staring at her.
New fear seemed to have taken root in them when they saw her abilities.
“Sorceress!” the tall one yelled.
Anastasia embraced the lie. If it got them away from her, she would pretend to be anyone. “You had better run.”
“We’s will kill you for what you’s did to us,” it growled, and they disappeared.
“Let’s get the hell out of here, shall we?” Dakota asked, and Anastasia conjured a portal. The vials stayed open longer, and she didn’t want to risk being followed.
They stepped through the light and Anastasia closed it behind her. She had portaled them about a mile outside of the village. That way, if they did in fact get followed, it wouldn’t be directly inside the walls.
“You’re bleeding,” she said as she motioned to Dakota’s forehead.
“Yeah. Hit a rock when that thing grabbed me,” he said, and pressed his hand to his head. The blood was coming quickly, as most head wounds did, and Anastasia knew that by the time they got to the village he would look like he had just been through more than one battle.
“Here.” She stopped and faced him and pressed her hand to his head. She urged her magic forward, and smiled as she felt it pouring into Dakota.
Once she knew the wound had healed, she pulled her hand away and wiped the blood from his face with part of her cloak that still hung on her pack.
“All better.” She smiled. Dakota’s eyes were dark, and he pulled her against him. He crushed his mouth to hers and she buried her hands in his hair.
“Have I told you today that I love you?” he asked when he pulled away and rested his head against hers.
“I love you too.”
“Shall we go home before I tear your clothes off right here?”
She laughed. “That probably would be for the best.”