Max stumbles forward and opens his eyes. The bright light is jarring and makes him squint. Where am I? Am I dead? Max is confused; the last thing he remembers was William Sinclair’s sword descending towards his head.

  Blinking a few times to try and adjust to the light, Max makes out the forms of several people walking all around him. Dumbfounded, Max stands there looking around. How can this be? It makes no sense.

  A man bumps into Max and offers an apology without even looking at him. Then Max sees her in the distance. Max begins to run through the people toward the woman. When he approaches, he throws himself forward, wrapping his arms around her. “Mom!”

  “Max! Where have you been! You gave us quite the fright. You know better than to wander off like that! You were taught better. We have been looking all over for you. We were about to call the police.”

  “I’m sorry, mom! I heard a voice asking for help, and then I went looking for it and…” And what? Max thinks. I ended up in some forest being attacked by plant creatures, only to rescue some royal girls and almost get killed by one of their kidnappers.

  “And what? You should know better; you should have just told me or your grandmother not gone gallivanting off after some voice. What if someone had kidnapped you?”

  Only now does Max remember the condition he was just in. He pulls away from his mom and looks down at his left arm. At first, he notices nothing out of the ordinary, and his mouth starts to drop a little.

  A blinding pain suddenly erupts from Max's head. Max grabs his head with his right arm, crying out in pain, still looking at his left when his vision blurs for a moment. His eyes widen in shock as he looks at his arm again.

  "What is it, Max? Are you okay?" His mother asks, looking down at him, staring at his arm, and holding his head.

  "My arm…" Max continues looking at his arm, turning it this way and that.

  His mother reaches out, taking his wrist, turning his arm, looking closely at it. "What, there's nothing wrong with it, there isn't even a mark?"

  Max looks up at her in disbelief before looking back at his arm. It is surrounded by an almost ghostly overlay of his arm, torn by needleleaf's teeth. Flexing his forearm a couple of times, Max's arm feels completely normal. "Mom, I have to use the bathroom." Max crosses his legs dramatically, looking up at his mom impatiently.

  "Why are you acting so weird all of a sudden? Did something happen?"

  "No, mom, my head has been hurting, and then I thought I felt a pain in my arm. But that doesn't matter. I really gotta pee, please let's go to the bathroom."

  Max's mother sighs and takes him by the hand. She leads him through the crowded mall toward where the bathrooms are located. Max obediently walks alongside her.

  He glances down when he almost trips over something, and when he sees his right knee, he almost lets out another yelp of pain. He limps for two steps before noticing the pain in his leg was just in his head. His knee has the ghostly image of itself, swollen black and blue, covered in scrapes.

  They finally arrive at the bathroom, and Max darts inside before his mom can even say anything. He looks around to see if there is anyone else in the bathroom. Finding himself alone, Max pulls off his shirt and looks in the mirror. The pain wracks his brain again, and when it clears, Max sucks his breath in.

  His entire body is covered in the wounds he received from his adventure, but in a ghostly overlay. Their pain courses through him for but a second before fading back to memory. Max looks at the burn, the bite, the scrapes, and the claw marks.

  He turns and looks over his shoulder at his back, and a sharp pain fills his head and right shoulder blade. A small, very bruised, torn cut marks the back of his shoulder blade.

  Hearing someone open the bathroom door, Max quickly pulls his shirt back on and moves up to the sink, washing his hands. My wounds! They are all there just like when I got them. He brings his hand up, rubbing the ghostly punctures on his left arm.

  I can see them, but I can't feel them, not with the arm they are on or with my head. My mom didn't seem to notice, so only I can see them. What is going on? Suddenly, Max stops in his tracks, his mind races as he remembers his final moments in the other world.

  Did I…? He looks up into the mirror, leaning onto the sink as much as he can to get his face closer. His eyes dart around his face, checking every little detail; he even moves his hair with his hands to see if it is somehow hiding the slash mark.

  It isn't there! Did he miss? Did his sword even hit me? Tentatively, while watching his face in the mirror, Max touches where the blow should have landed. He half expects there to be that sudden piercing pain again, but it never comes.

  I must have returned just before it hit me. Max breathes a sigh of relief and looks at himself in the mirror. I will keep my promise, William Sinclair. Max promises himself before wiping the serious look off his face and returning to his awaiting mother.

  ? ? ?

  William Sinclair's dark form emerges from the shadowed hallway carrying a torch. He quickly moves through the entry hall and into the corridor where he and the other brigands slept and stored their bounty. Walking past all the other rooms, Sinclair opens his door and enters the small room.

  He hangs the torch on the wall near the door and moves to the desk. Inside one of the drawers is a small locked box, which he retrieves, placing it gingerly on the top of the desk. Taking out a small key hidden somewhere on his person, he unlocks and opens the box.

  An indigo sphere rests on a velvet setting inside of the lock box. William Sinclair picks the orb up and returns to the door of his room. Placing his back against the door, he tosses the fragile-looking orb at the ground next to the far wall from him.

  The orb strikes the ground soundlessly and doesn't roll, staying exactly where it landed. Soon, an indigo mist rises out of the orb, forming the shape of a cloaked and hooded person. An impossibly deep voice comes from the indigo figure. "Sinclair, what is the report?"

  Sinclair takes a knee, bowing his head. "The package has escaped. The men you hired were all murdered by a small child. Kieran was the only survivor, and he fell at the hands of the Briargate guards trying to retrieve one of the packages. The boy who helped them escape vanished from under my blade; his whereabouts are unknown."

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  "Can you retrieve the package?"

  "Negative, after their escape, the Ridge will be on high alert and will pay extra attention to the situation."

  "Confirmed. Where will you go?"

  "Ghariqa Solitary"

  The indigo figure begins to turn back into mist that is reabsorbed into the orb. Once the figure is completely gone, William Sinclair stands. He carefully picks the orb up, returning it to its case. He locks it before moving over and picking up a pack. He places the locked box at the bottom of the pack and quickly gathers his belongings.

  Once everything is packed, Sinclair dons the pack, takes the torch from the wall, and leaves his room behind the waterfall for the last time.

  ? ? ?

  Max returns home with his mother and grandmother. While they seem to notice him being a bit more silent than normal, the incident seems to be put behind them. Max, on the other hand, can't stop thinking about it.

  How did I end up hearing Rosalee from the mall? Even when I got into the other world, I seemed to be nowhere near her. I had to wander around for like three days before I heard her again. I guess I get hearing her here through whatever brought me over, but even over in the other world, I heard her from far away, where her voice couldn't have come from.

  And why did I return then? Is it because I was almost killed? Hell, any number of those needleleafs, or what did Sinclair call it, the Corpse Lurker could have and almost did kill me. So, what is so special about Sinclair's attack? Or was it completely separate from the danger? Was I just lucky?

  Max sits in his room, his brow furrowed, holding his head with both hands. It doesn't make sense to him how any of it works. His mother comes into his room and sees the way he is sitting there with his head in his hand. She walks up to him and kneels down, startling him.

  "Hey, what's wrong? You look like you got the weight of the world on your shoulders." She says with a caring smile upon her face.

  Max looks up and can't help but smile seeing his mom's face. He hadn't really realized how much he missed her and his home. "I'm fine, mom, I'm just thinking."

  "We'll go on, share. What are you thinking about?"

  Max hesitates, unsure of what to say or where to begin. Seeing the expectant look on his mom's face, he finally sighs. "Just some silly story Marky told me yesterday."

  "So, tell me about it. What is it about this story that has you lost in such deep thought?"

  "Well, it is kind of weird. It is about a boy who somehow ends up in another world. He gets lost in some wilderness and ends up fighting monsters. Eventually, he meets some girls who are in trouble and rescues them.”

  “He gets pretty hurt, but right as he is about to get them someplace safe, the bad guys show up. He is too hurt to fight back, but when they are about to kill him, he returns home. It's silly, I told you."

  "I don't think it is silly at all, I think it's kind of interesting."

  "The part that I keep thinking about is how he ended up going to the other world and getting back."

  "Well, that is simple, you silly goose!" His mother rubs his head while standing up. "It is magic, of course." She turns and leaves the room before saying over her shoulder. "Get ready for bed, you have school tomorrow."

  She doesn't see, but Max's brow furrows even further, hearing her answer. When he hears there is school tomorrow, he pauses. "Mom, what day of the week is it?"

  "It's Sunday, hun, why?"

  "No reason, mom." Sunday!? How is that possible? I spent at least four days over there running from and fighting things! Come to think of it, why were my mom and grandma still at the mall? I didn't think of it then, but I should have. I'm so stupid.

  If it is still Sunday, then it has to be the same Sunday as when I left! I wasn't gone long enough to reach the next. No wonder they weren't more worried or upset. I couldn't have been gone for very long.

  Max sits there for a long time with a look halfway between dumbfounded and frustrated until he hears his mom's voice again.

  "Max dear, did you get ready for bed?"

  Max gets up and heads into the bathroom to brush his teeth and change into his pajamas, along with his other nightly chores. After a while, he returns to his bedroom and lies on his mat on the floor staring at the ceiling. His mind slowly plays his entire adventure over again from the start to the finish.

  His hand clenches when he thinks of the vow he made to Sinclair. I don’t know how I ended up getting over there, but if I ever get the chance to go back, I will definitely keep my promise. He turns over before one last thought crosses his mind, before he falls soundly asleep. I wonder if Rosalee and Liz are okay.

  ? ? ?

  Lady Elizabeth's eyes slowly open. A groan escapes her mouth as the pain courses through her. It takes a moment for her to remember what happened. How the man had thrown something at her and then started to kick her for no reason. She shudders remembering it, causing her even more pain, making her groan again. She turns her head to the side to look around, trying to find out where she is.

  She is in a small room, nothing as grand as her own but far better than the cage in the entry hall that the heathens had kept her in. The room isn’t overly simple, nor is it grandiose. Eventually, her eyes fall upon a young brunette girl in a chair next to a desk, asleep with her head on the desk.

  Many emotions cross Lady Elizabeth’s mind at the sight of Lady Rosalee. At first, she is happy to see her friend, then she remembers the way Lady Rosalee and Max had treated her on the trip and grows angry and cold. It is only then that she suddenly realizes that they must have escaped their captors. Why else would she be in this room, or Lady Rosalee freely sitting at a desk, sleeping?

  Her eyes widen as she notices the simple green dress Lady Rosalee is in, not the torn scraps they had been in during the end of their escape. Lifting the simple blanket, she finds herself in a plain slip. Her eyes fill with tears of relief, and she sobs silently, clutching herself under the blanket.

  Lady Rosalee stirs at the sound of someone crying softly. She opens her eyes and sees Lady Elizabeth curled slightly up on her side under the blanket, crying. Clearing her throat to alert Lady Elizabeth of her presence, she moves the chair she was sitting in over to the side of the bed. “Lady Elizabeth, you are finally awake.”

  “W-where are we?” Lady Elizabeth hoarsely asks.

  “This is one of the rooms in the mayor's house. After Max was shot by the arrow, I managed to alert the Briargate guards. They went and found you. They killed the man who tried to take you again.” Lady Rosalee stands and brings a glass of water from somewhere Lady Elizabeth cannot see over to her.

  “Good.” Lady Elizabeth takes the glass of water and sips lightly, putting it on a small table next to the bed she is in. She then looks back at Lady Rosalee as she returns to her chair. “What about that barbarian Max? Where is he? Off destroying something?”

  Lady Rosalee tenses at the mention of Max’s name and grabs her left forearm. She looks at the floor before replying. “They couldn’t find him.”

  Lady Elizabeth opens her mouth about to say something, but sees the way Lady Rosalee is and pauses. “Uhm, how long have we been here?”

  “About a day or so, I think. They have sent word to our teacher and our families. They have just recently received a response that both of our families are sending troops and that we are to remain here with guards until they arrive.”

  “Good, that is very good.” Lady Elizabeth smiles at this good news. “I cannot wait to go home and put this all behind us.”

  “Sadly, I will not be joining you.” Lady Rosalee somberly says, her hands twisting each other in her lap.

  “What do you mean? Ow.” Lady Elizabeth suddenly sits up, then grabs her stomach, tears filling her eyes at the sudden pain.

  “My family has decided that I am to return to Ashbury and continue my education there. I will not be returning to The Terrace with you or receiving lessons from Miss Rees any longer.” Lady Rosalee looks at her feet, not meeting Lady Elizabeth’s gaze.

  “Why would they suddenly decide to do that? Is it because of what happened? They cannot possibly think Ashbury is safer than The Terrace, can they?” Anxious Lady Elizabeth leans forward and reaches out, taking Lady Rosalee’s hand.

  “I do not know their reasons, only that I am simply to return with my family's men.” Finally, looking up, Lady Rosalee meets Lady Elizabeth’s eyes and squeezes her hand lightly.

  The girls chat for a little while before Lady Rosalee finds an excuse and excuses herself from Lady Elizabeth’s room. Standing outside the room, her back to the door, Lady Rosalee closes her eyes. I truly do not know why my family wishes me to return home. Even if they had not requested it, I would have myself.

  Lady Elizabeth, I will always consider you a friend, but our time together is at an end. Thinking back on how Lady Elizabeth had acted and held herself during their escape crosses Lady Rosalee’s mind. She shakes her head, then turns and walks down the hall to the room that she has been given.