Jyri, Faye, Ran, Corvin, Lavina, and Kirsten were surprised to find themselves in a birch tree forest. They were nowhere near the original portal’s location.
“What in the demons?” Corvin said as the group looked around. “Why aren’t we in a cave?”
“I don’t know.” Jyri stroked his chin, frowning. The portal they went through was located deep inside a cave. But there wasn't a single cave opening in sight. Were they in the right universe? Jyri swallowed. “Do you recognize this place? I don’t.”
The group all shook their heads. Not a single person knew where they were.
Lavina pointed towards a small building off in the distance. "There's a house over there."
“You sure that’s not a shack?” Corvin asked.
“We should check it out!"
“That’s a dumb idea.” Kirsten scrunched her nose. “What if a murderer lives in there?”
Faye agreed. “It’s just dumb enough of an idea for Shawn and Oliver to do. I bet they went there.”
“I bet you’re right,” Jyri said. Though he really didn’t want to go to some strange house. But there was the possibility Jessica got roped into Shawn and Oliver’s mess. “A couple of us should at least go look to make sure someone’s not keeping them trapped in there.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to leave them?” Faye asked.
“That’s mean,” Ran said.
“So you volunteer to go?” Kirsten asked Ran.
“No!”
“Well I’m not going,” Kirsten said.
“Neither am I.” Corvin folded his arms across his chest. “I don’t even know these people.”
“I could go,” Lavina offered.
“That’s a worse idea than doing this at all,” Corvin said. “I don’t trust you going.”
Lavina crossed her arms and raised her chin. “Rude.”
It looked like Jyri was going to have to do it. “Guess I’ll go.”
“If you go, I’ll go,” Faye said. “You might need magic.”
“Alright.” Jyri looked to the group. “You all stay here. If we don’t come back in a few minutes, help.”
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Jyri and Faye walked up to the house. It was a small cabin, with a door in the front and a door in the back. Each of the four walls had a window. There would be no way of knowing if anyone was inside without peeking through them. Faye was too short to reach the windows, so it would be up to Jyri.
He peeked in to see one large room. A quick glance. He didn’t see Shawn, Oliver, or Jessica. But he did see a man sitting at the table, staring down at something. Something about the man’s short blond hair and thin body reminded him of Jasper. Jyri ducked down, whispering a swear.
“Are they there?” Faye asked.
“I didn’t see them,” Jyri whispered. “But there’s a man sitting at the table.”
Faye’s eyes widened. “We should go then, before he sees us.”
Jyri nodded, and they hurried back to the group.
“Well?” Corvin asked, as Jyri and Faye approached.
“I looked in the window,” Jyri said. “I didn’t see any of them. But there was a man sitting at the table.”
“We know they’re not there then,” Corvin said.
Kirsten let out a sigh of relief. “Good. We don’t have to enter some murderer’s house.”
“Except now, we have to try and figure out where they went,” Faye said. “Any ideas?”
“Would they be stupid enough to wander around in the woods?” Kirsten asked. “The edge of the forest is right there.”
“I can see them doing that,” Faye said.
Jyri could too. “Would they really do that first though? If they came here, wouldn’t they want to explore what’s out there?”
“They might come back here when they’re tired of it,” Faye said. “Then get lost trying to find where the portal went because they don’t know where it actually is.”
“Do we even know where we are?” Jyri asked.
“Probably not far from the actual portal,” Corvin said. “I don’t recognize that house or this area, but this forest is similar to the one around Wizard’s Point on the Dorendi side of the border.”
“And it makes sense that we’d be dropped somewhere near the actual portal.” Jyri didn't voice his fears that they might be in a completely different universe. “We just need to figure out where the caves are.”
“I’d know how to get to them if I knew where exactly we are,” Corvin said. “Let’s go to the nearest town, to see what the nearest town is. Maybe the two went there. And if not, I’ll at least know how to get to the cave from there.”
The nearest town would also confirm if they were in the right universe. “Some of us should stay here, in case Shawn and Oliver come back."
“Is that even safe?” Kirsten asked. “We don’t know what that man in the house is up to. What if he sees us?”
“I could stay here, as a lynx,” Ran said. “I’d blend in.”
“Kirsten and I could search the woods,” Lavina said.
“What if you get lost?” Jyri could see himself finding Shawn and Oliver, only to come back and have to search for Lavina and Kirsten next.
Kirsten pulled a pocket knife out from somewhere. “We’ll mark our path.”
“Okay. We’ll all meet back here later.”
They reached the nearest town by evening. It wasn’t much different than the towns from Jyri's universe. Merchants sold their wares at stalls, and there were a few buildings. Jyri and Faye didn’t recognize this specific town, but Corvin did. Thank Odis. They were in the right universe.
“I know this place,” Corvin said. “I don’t come here often, but I know it enough to figure out where those caves are.”
“Good.” Now they just needed to find Oliver, Shawn, and possibly Jessica.
There were plenty of people to ask around, but they’d probably have the best luck asking merchants. Being there all day every day, they were more likely to have seen them.
One of the first merchants Jyri saw, was someone selling fruit. There wasn’t a line, so Jyri strode right up to her.
“You wouldn’t have happened to see two, strange men around here lately?” Jyri asked. “They might have had a woman with them.”
“I have actually. The woman was asking where Wizard’s Point is. As if they couldn’t see the giant mountain in front of them.” The woman shook her head. “And one of the men wore the strangest clothes.
Jyri frowned. How did they all know about Wizard’s Point? Clearly they didn’t actually know where it was, but how did they know it existed? And that that was where they needed to be?
“Do you know where they went?” Corvin asked.
“Why? Do you know them?” The woman squinted her eyes at him.
“Not really."
“They owe us money,” Faye jumped in. “That’s all.”
The woman chewed her bottom lip. “Well, they didn’t tell me where they were going. But if I had to guess, I’d say Wizard’s Point.”
The three thanked the woman, and walked away.
“I guess we’re off to Wizard’s Point then,” Corvin said, as he led the way.
“At least we know for sure now that Jessica’s with them." The fact disappointed Jyri. He had expected better from her.
“How do they even know about Wizard’s Point?” Faye asked. “Did you mention it to them?”
“No, I thought you might have,” Corvin said.
“Strange. They’re on the right track and everything.” Perhaps Jessica figured something out. Oliver and Shawn would owe a lot to her.
“Shouldn’t we make sure the group left town first, before going back?” Faye asked. “What if they tried asking other people for more information? What if they’re still here somewhere?”
“Good point.” Though it sounded like a hassle, and all Jyri wanted to do was go back home. Wherever home was.
“Well I’m starving.” Corvin rubbed his stomach. “And I know a pub here that serves some good lamb.”
“We don’t have any money that works here,” Jyri said. Not only that, but the more they delayed, the farther the group could have traveled.
“I’ll pay.” Corvin smiled. “Come on.”
“Free food.” Faye grinned at Jyri. “It’ll only be for a bit. And we’ll have better luck figuring out what to do next if we’re not distracted by rumbling bellies.”
“Fine. But only something small that we won’t have to wait long for.”
The group walked towards the door of the nearest pub. There was a wanted sign in the window. Below the words “Wanted,” were two drawings of faces. One looked a lot like Shawn, the other looked a bit like Oliver.
“Oh dear.” Faye had her eyes on the poster.
“That’s them, isn’t it?” Corvin asked.
What could those two have possibly done to be wanted in a town? The sign didn’t say. It only had a reward of 1,000 loti. Jyri pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is just, great.”
“At least we know they’re not here anymore,” Corvin said. “Maybe they’re headed back home. Maybe Ran or the girls have already found them. We should eat.”
A horrible thought struck Jyri. Before he could voice it, Faye did for him.
“Why isn’t Jessica on the poster? Could they have gotten split up?”
“Who knows.” Corvin shrugged his shoulders, clearly unbothered by the possibility. “Let’s talk about it after we’ve had some food in us.”13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXIfkoCtU6
and then Add to home screen.