UGH. MY BACK ACHED WHEN I woke and I grunted in pain. Why the heck didn't I just go to my bed? Man this floor feels lumpy. I shifted position. Five more minutes then I'll get up, I thought before dozing off again.Sometime later I went to roll over but jammed up against a large warm shape. Patting blindly down my side I felt Audi lying next to me. Cracking open an eye I peered down at her.'Audi,' I mumbled. 'You're blocking me again.'She gazed up at me and her tail thumped in the dirt, dislodging a couple of yellowed leaves that fluttered into the air.Dirt? Leaves? My scrambled brain registered that I too lay in the dirt.'Whhatt?' I croaked. Hearing something move, I pushed up onto my elbows. The world spun before my eyes. 'Ooooh dizzy.' I slumped back down and held my head with both hands. 'Helloooo?' I called. 'Sian? Kassie? Loi?' The shuffling sound started again.KASSIE HEARD A VOICE CALL her name and woke up. Why do I feel so tired, she thought in bewilderment; her who
'HEY GUYS!' SIAN SOUNDED EXCITED. 'Look around you, I just found a pack and a cloak.' She held up a hooded blue cloak that dwarfed her in length. I climbed to my feet, arms spread for balance at the change in altitude and walked back to where I'd woken.On the ground, a bit crumpled from where I must have rolled on it, (or landed?), lay a deep red cloak. A pack in the same rough fabric lay beside it, along with something long and shiny. I bent to take a closer look.'Wow! I have a sword and two daggers! They kind of look like the ones from my costume,' I trailed off. Actually, they looked far more lethal. Of course, mine had been costume pieces while these appeared the genuine article. I tugged one of the daggers from its scabbard; it slid out with barely a whisper. The curved blade inscribed with flowing lines reminded me of the swords I'd seen in fantasy shops. The copper coloured scabbard and hilt had beautiful engravings of what looked like flames licking across the surface. The
SMILING AT AUDI AND LUCKY'S antics, I returned my attention to my pack and placed the items back inside. Then it hit me.Why would we need these at home?'I have this idea that we aren't on Earth anymore,' I almost croaked the words and cleared my throat while looking at the others, anxiety making the hairs on my arms rise. I shivered, rubbing a hand briskly over either arm.Kassie frowned, 'What makes you say that?''This doesn't look like anything we'd need on Earth, not in our time anyway.'Loi interrupted me. 'Ever seen anything like that on Earth?'We turned and stared at where she pointed.Making its way down one of the numerous vines that enveloped a tree near us, hopped a bird about the size of a pigeonits colouring a deep fire engine red. Appearing to spot something tucked amongst the vines the bird twisted sharply, its head jerking forward, beak jamming again and again into a fissure while it fought to reach something. The sharp jerky motions caused the bird's tail to
ABOUT AN HOUR LATER WE lay on our cloaks, full of food and feeling calmer, almost satisfied. Audi and Lucky seemed happy enough with their meal of beans and dried meat and we knew we had enough food to last a few days which helped soothe some of our anxiety.'What do we do next?' Loi asked.We fell silent all considering then I spoke up. 'Shelter.''Let's explore,' suggested Sian.Kassie sat up. 'We really need to find a town or city; our supplies aren't going to last that long.'We got into an earnest discussion of survival when Audi gave a sudden low growl.Huh?I twisted to look at her then stiffened.The dog crouched, staring out into the forest with a lowered head, body tense and ready. The fur around her shoulders and neck fluffed out mane like, with her tail low and stiff. Audi's tan muzzle wrinkled with a snarl before she gave a short angry warning bark. I stared, feeling my heart start to race then turned, looking for whatever she'd seen.KASSIE CROUCHED, HER HANDS
LOI'S PULSE THROBBED AT HER temple and she willed the migraine away.That's the last thing I need right now, she thought, focusing on the scant track they followed. Please, please let this lead somewhere, somewhere safe! Behind her, Cat gave a sharp shout for Audrey who barked furiously sounding even further back. The crashing noises following them seemed to pause for a moment before starting again. Something furry brushed against Loi's calf and she jerked away with a gasp. Kassie gripped her arm tightly, pulling her in the right direction and relief made her temple pound again when she realized Audrey raced alongside them.'Okay?' Kassie panted.'Okay!'MY BREATH BURNED IN MY chest while I willed my legs to move faster. The narrow track veered all over the place; we ducked under branches and dodged around trees. Woody fingers ripped at my face while I followed as close to Loi as I dared, my mind shouting instructions while I ran.Sword up, Cat, watch where the end is. Bloody
KASSIE GULPED. NO ONE SEEMED to look at them in a bad way, most just looked concerned. A strange sound caught her attention.'Lucky,' she gasped.Loi swore and snatched the pack off the floor, setting it on the bench between them. Kassie wrenched the top of it wide. They peered in. The tortoiseshell cat huddled at the bottom, ears flattened and fur spiked, her eyes wide in fear. She whimpered.'Ooooh Lucky,' whispered Kassie, her heart going out to her tiny, normally feisty cat.Easing the cat onto her lap she wrapped her arms around the shivering animal, ignoring all the strangers staring. Loi draped her cloak round Kassie's shoulders shielding Lucky from everyone's view. The cat relaxed a little before stretching her forelegs out. Kassie winced when the claws dug into her thigh but didn't scold Lucky, just cuddled her until she started purring.Loi leaned over. 'Kass, is she okay?'Kassie nodded while she hummed, soothing the cat. 'She's starting to purr so I think she'll be fi
I LISTENED WITHOUT REALLY HEARING, fascinated with their unusual accents. They had what sounded like a hint of a Scottish burr to the 'r' in words, well developed consonants but with heaviness to their 'w' so it sounded more like 'wh'. Something about the way they spoke triggered an odd sensation in my mind and a weird sense of anxiety; how are we speaking with them?The sudden thought of not understanding them, or being understood made me nauseated and I pushed it away.I'll just be thankful, I thought, squeezing my legs back under the bench seat while blocking out those concerning thoughts. I'll just be thankful.Studying the people and what they wore distracted me while Sian asked Henja for the directions to the castle. The variety of styles and lack of corsets surprised me. I couldn't see any evidence of electricity or modern technology, yet what they wore felt rather modern. A couple of women seated nearer us wore mid length skirts of a dense fabric, belted at the waist. Their
LOI'S EYEBROWS SHOT UP WHEN Henja said "out the back" what did that mean? Henja ushered them out the back of the Inn, past the tables and more staring people. Audi snuck along behind and scooted through the door before it caught her tail.There, in a concealed courtyard stood four iron baths lined with sheets and filled to the brim with hot, sweet smelling water. Tiny coal fires burned underneath to keep them warm. A hot and flustered looking woman stood to the side of the courtyard, hooking a long metal pipe back to the side of the building. She wore heavy looking gloves and steam wafted from the end of the pipe.That's where the hot water came from, Loi thought in fascination, wondering how it all worked.The others appeared to realize this at the same time and all four of them thanked the maid, making the woman glow even redder. Henja waved the maid away as the girls grinned at each other, gesturing the baths again in delight. Loi felt the tension in her shoulders start to evapor