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Sam sat staring into the fire without seeing it, her thoughts lost in another world. Her mind drifted back to her old existence where she had a life, family, friends and it had all been taken away by those now seated across from her. It had been her friend’s 30th birthday party and everyone had been a little drunk, so getting out the Ouija board had seemed like a good idea. Everyone had thought it fun until the board started to say things to Sam that only she and Janet knew about and Janet’s fingers were not on the planchette. The next thing Sam remembered was waking up surrounded by most of those who were with her now.
She looked at them all in turn, but none of them were prepared to meet her gaze. Prince Tor, the reason for her being where she now found herself, was talking quietly with Ellen. He glanced in her direction, then quickly looked away, his brown eyes showing concern. He rubbed his beard, continuing his conversation. They were obviously talking about her. Tor’s father, the King of Remeny, had died, leaving the crown up for grabs. His will dictated that whichever son completed a series of tasks first, won the throne. Clues had been left to lead Tor and his brothers to seek out allies to help locate the next clue, with the last one to reach the location no longer being permitted to take part. Needing a ‘guide from another world’, Tor and his party had enlisted the help of Mamma Rose, who cast the spell which brought Sam from her own world to this one. She was told that she was still on her own world and had only been brought forward in time, but she had managed to expose this as a lie. Sam’s ability to understand and speak all of the languages of the world she was now in, including those spoken by animals, was an unexpected by-product of the spell.
Ellen was a hearth witch. She took care of the team; cleaning, cooking, healing. She came across as a kind and gentle person, making her betrayal all the more difficult to stomach. The most recent clue had said the cicerone would need to scream in agony in order to open the door to where the next clue was hidden. Nobody had had the decency to warn her that cicerone meant guide and, therefore, it was she who would have to endure the agony. Sam felt betrayed by everyone. She had come to think of them as friends, but it turned out they were all just using her.
Liselle, an ex-pleasure slave, was cuddled next to Torrick, her husband. Though many years her junior, he had rescued her from her owner, whom he served as a soldier, and had married her. They were very happy together, though no sign of happiness was currently evident on either face. They were talking to Grimmel, a dwarf, and River, a water sprite. The light from the fire illuminated River’s face as she spoke, but not enough to prevent the darkness from hiding the light blue hue of her skin and making her long navy hair appear black. Everyone was talking in hushed voices so Sam was unable to make out what was being said, but she knew they too were talking about her. It was while she was alone with Bellak that she had found out that he had been lying to her and she had not spoken since her return, making them all extremely worried.
Sam’s gaze fell on the last members of the group, who were sitting together to the right of the fire. Patrick and Ban were trying to teach Dal a dice game. Though his features made him seem no more than thirty five, Patrick’s eyes occasionally betrayed his real age. Having been cursed by a witch, he never aged and was now over seven hundred years old. He could be killed, and seemed to manage it on a regular basis, but his body always recovered. Ban was a huge man, standing over two and a half metres tall. He belonged to a race called taymen, who were close cousins to the giants, so he took no offence when he was mistaken for one. Dallan, Dal for short, was an enthusiastic young man, having just turned sixteen. His pleasant appearance accompanied by his blue eyes and curly blonde hair made him almost beautiful. He was the son of Tor’s cousin and had run away to join Tor on his quest in order to avoid taking part in his twin sister’s wedding. Tor was not happy about having him along, but at least he was able to keep an eye on him and keep him out of trouble.
Next to them, Oak sat with Modo, one of the more exotic creatures in the group. Oak, being a tree sprite, was small and slim, with dark brown eyes and hair that looked more like twigs. Modo, short for Modorian del Anvar, was a vexen from the island of Kileen and was covered in scaly, hairless, skin. The strangest things about him though were his eyes. He had one, deep black in colour, in the middle of his forehead, and one at the end of each of the three long fingers on both hands.
Ria had just finished brushing her long blonde hair and was now attending to Samson. Life on the streets had honed her fighting skills and, combined with her acrobatic ability, had turned her into an expert cat burglar, though since joining Tor’s quest she now only employed those skills when absolutely necessary. Samson, a large grey wolf, seemed to be smiling contentedly as the brush stroked the fur down his back.
Seth sat by the fire, stirring a large pot from which wonderful aromas could be detected. He was a red headed young man in his early twenties, though Sam would describe him as ginger. He was taken in by Tor after his parents had died and had worked for him ever since. Though everyone took turns at cooking, Seth tended to do more than his fair share as he seemed able to produce flavours that nobody else had yet managed to match. He was extremely friendly and easy to get along with, willing to help out and share his knowledge, most of which he had learnt from Tor. He was dedicating a large amount of his spare time to training Dal in tracking and hunting and was extremely pleased with the younger man’s progress.
Hawk was not present as he was off hunting. While not part of the group who had assisted Mamma Rose in dragging Sam from her world, his joining them had been the payment required by the witch for her assistance. Initially everyone had been reluctant to allow the vampire to travel with them, but he quickly became a valuable member of the team, as well as the closest thing Sam had to a best friend. Yet even he had not let her know what the clue meant, leaving her feeling empty and isolated.
The only person missing from the original group was Hurst, an old blind man who had the ability to read people’s minds. He had accompanied Sam across the desert to retrieve part of an earlier clue and had opted to remain behind, allowing Brin to leave the desert and join the quest. Sam’s stomach tightened, as it always did whenever she thought about the elf. Everything about him, from his perfectly formed body and the sharp angular features of his face to his dark penetrating eyes made him amazingly attractive. Even his pointed ears and the slight tinge of green in his skin seemed to enhance his appearance. He spoke strangely, adding pauses mid sentence, but Sam found this endearing rather than annoying and could happily spend an evening just listening to him speaking. He alone of her companions was sitting beside her rather than across from her, offering his silent support. He had tried to explain why he had remained silent when he knew she was the cicerone, how he thought he was saving her from stress and sleepless nights, but she had not taken in anything he had said; she was still too numbed by what Bellak had admitted to her.
Bellak. She shivered as she thought about him and Brin, thinking she was cold, removed his cloak and placed it over her shoulders. He left his arm around her, squeezing her arm gently, hoping for some reaction, but she made none. However, she made no effort to push him away so he pulled her closer and held her tight, content for the time being to be allowed that close to her.
Everyone was waiting for Bellak to return. Bellak was a wizard who had taken an instant dislike to Sam. He had been expecting a male and saw her as useless to the quest. His son had been killed by another team while collecting a clue and his wife had left him as a result, completely blaming him for the death of their only child. His only desire now was to get the throne for Tor; nothing and no one else mattered. It had been Bellak who had told her that the place they were now in was her world’s future; that she was from another time not another world. Foolishly she had believed him. When she had found out what her fate was to be, she had walked off, anger burning through her, and Bellak had followed her, asking her to accompany him to the top of the hill as he had something to show her. Having nothing better to do, she had followed him. It took them a few hours to reach the summit and she was exhausted by the time they reached it. Bellak showed her something in the distance and almost managed to convince her she was looking at the remains of the Eiffel tower. Then he had embellished the details too much and made an error, which Sam quickly picked up on. When she accused him of lying to her, he broke down and admitted everything. A short time later, Brin had arrived. Concerned for her safety, he had gone searching for her on horseback. By the time he found her, she was sitting on the ground, hugging her knees and rocking backwards and forwards. She appeared to be almost in a trance and Bellak had refused to explain, so Brin had lifted her onto his horse and brought her back to the camp, leaving the wizard to walk back on his own. She had not said a word to anyone since. Brin had spoken gently to her the entire journey back, but she displayed no sign of having heard him.
Food was being served when Bellak eventually appeared, collapsing by the fire. Hawk had returned and walked up to him, dragging him to his feet by his neck.
“What did you do to her?” he yelled.
“Nothing,” came the whispered reply. Hawk was holding his throat so tightly he could hardly breathe, let alone speak.
“Tell them.” Sam’s voice was quiet, but everyone heard.
“I really think it would be better coming from you,” he whimpered.
Sam raised her head and looked at him, her face completely expressionless. “Tell them.” It was a command not a request. Hawks grasp tightened slightly. Any more pressure and his windpipe would be crushed.
“Alright,” Bellak croaked. Hawk released his hold on him, allowing him to fall to the ground. “I need some water first.” He waited a few moments, but nobody moved; they were all ignoring his request. Eventually he spoke. “Everything I have told you about Sam being from the past is a lie.”
“What!” All faces looking at Bellak showed disbelief.
“What are you talking about?” Tor yelled as Patrick and Ban grabbed Hawk, preventing him from physically attacking the wizard.
“She really is from another world,” Bellak said quietly, flinching when Hawk almost reached him. The men did not notice Ria creeping past Tor so they were not in position to stop her when she raised her fist and hit Bellak, sending him flying backwards, landing in a crumpled heap on the ground.
“You complete bastard,” she said calmly, nursing her hand. His jaw was harder than she had been expecting. “Why? What possible reason could you have for telling us all that crap about how Sam’s world was almost destroyed and how magic came to replace everything she knew?”
Sam looked up sharply. “You didn’t know?” she asked.
It was Tor who responded. “No. Like idiots we believed every word he said. After all, as Ria said, what possible reason would he have to lie?” He sounded extremely bitter.
“I thought she would be more willing to help us if she thought it was her own world she was helping to improve,” Bellak said, rubbing his sore jaw. “I gave her something to hold on to, something she could cling to within the unknown. What is wrong with that?”
Tor just shook his head. He turned to Sam. “There is nothing I can say that will express how sorry I am. It must seem like we have treated you very badly. All I can do is ask you to believe me when I tell you that you have come to mean a great deal to us all and none of us,” he paused and looked at Bellak for a moment before returning his gaze to Sam. “Well, most of us anyway, never had any intention of causing you harm. If there was any way to undo the damage he has done we would gladly do it.”
He looked around him and was pleased to find everyone was nodding, even Samson. Ellen took over where Tor had left off. “We are your friends, honestly.” She turned to Bellak, a thought suddenly occurring to her. “If you lied about Sam being from our past, did you also lie about not being able to return her?” she asked.
Bellak shook his head. “What I said was partly true. People from her world have managed to stumble into ours and then return, but no one knows how. We think that gateways sporadically appear, but we have no way of knowing when or where they will occur. It is not impossible for her to get back to her own world, but it will have to be by pure luck.”
“So what do we do now?” Ria asked, looking questioningly at Tor.
“I have absolutely no idea,” he said, suddenly sounding very tired. “Bellak’s actions have just about ended our chances of completing this quest. There is no way I can ask Sam to do anything further. She has gone through enough already.”
“Why not eat before the food gets cold?” Seth suggested. “Decisions should never be made on an empty stomach.”
It was a very quiet and subdued meal; nobody felt like talking. Hawk flew off, unable to bring himself to remain near Bellak a moment longer than he had to. Even Samson avoided him, opting to sit as far away from him as possible while still remaining within the circle of light the fire created.
“I have a suggestion,” Ellen said, a little timidly, once everything had been cleared away. “If Sam could see the horrors experienced by people in other countries, she would understand our devotion to getting Tor onto his throne.” Nobody said a word, so she continued. “I think I may know a spell that will enable Sam to see our memories, but I will need Bellak’s help to execute it.”
“No.” Brin looked her straight in the eye, but as usual, betrayed no emotion. “I will not let him near her.”
Sam placed a hand on his arm. “Let her finish.”
Ellen went on to explain that, between them, Bellak and herself should be able to cast a temporary spell onto Sam that will enable her to see any memory anyone she touches chooses to allow her access to. She would almost feel like she was viewing things herself. There would be no risk to her at all and she would be unable to see anything someone wanted to keep private. A win-win situation. Except for one slight drawback. Sam would be forcing her way into the volunteer’s mind, causing them great discomfort and they would suffer from severe headaches for the next several days.
Ria was the first to volunteer. “I grew up on the streets of Auxland. That is probably a good place to start.” Nearly everyone had gone through unpleasant experiences that they were willing to share. Of those who had been present when Sam had first arrived in their world, only Dal refused, saying that he had no memories that would be of any value to Sam. Everyone knew he was really worried about revealing things he wished to remain private, but did not make an issue of it. Bellak and Ellen would be unable to participate as they would need to concentrate on maintaining the spell. As had happened in the past when decisions had to be made, Bellak made a bag of coloured balls materialise out of thin air to help decide which five would take part, as the spell could not be maintained over too long a period of time. Ria, Tor, Oak, Torrick and Patrick were soon selected.
Ellen raised a questioning eyebrow at Sam, who nodded.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Brin cautioned.
“No,” Sam replied. “But if they are all prepared to try it, then I think I should give it a go.” Brin nodded. He did not agree with her, but would not do anything to try to dissuade her.
Ellen gave Sam instructions as, once the spell had begun, both she and Bellak would have to keep reciting it until Sam had seen all of the memories she wished to or until one of them collapsed, whichever happened first. When given the nod, all Sam would have to do would be to place her hands on either side of the volunteer’s head and reach out with her mind. The volunteer would simply have to think about the memories they wished Sam to see. It seemed straight forward enough, but everyone was still a little wary. Ellen and Bellak sat together and both started reciting different spells which seemed to harmonise together. When the spells had been completed twice, Ellen placed her hand on Sam’s head and nodded that Sam could begin. Ria took her place opposite Sam and let her mind drift back to her childhood.
Sam let out a gasp as images suddenly appeared in her mind. It was night time and she was looking along a dirty street, a few people dressed in rags stood nearby. A pair of men, dressed like soldiers, left one of the buildings, swaying as they walked. One tripped over an old lady and instead of apologising, drew his sword and stabbed her in the chest while his companion laughed. Their eyes then fell on Sam, or at least the body she felt she was temporarily inhabiting, and leered. She could not make out the words, but their intent was clear enough. She turned around and ran. The images blurred and she found herself in the sun. She was in a different street; it could have been the same city but she had no way of telling. People dressed in nice clothes were riding or walking past beggars as though they did not exist. A young boy, half starved by the look of him, stole a loaf of bread from a stall and ran off. Images came and went. Sam saw a stall holder accusing a young man of not paying the correct amount. When soldiers arrived to sort out the problem, the man slipped some coins to one of the soldiers and was allowed to leave unmolested, while the stall was overturned and the vendor savagely beaten. She saw murder, violence, theft and prostitution until she could take no more and withdrew her hands from Ria’s head.
“How was it?” Torrick asked Ria, taking his place in front of Sam.
“It felt like the memories were being torn out of me instead of freely given,” she replied weakly. Torrick nodded, then took hold of Sam’s hands and placed them on his own head. Horrific images filled Sam’s mind. Rape, torture and brutality. She witnessed a house being burnt while its owners, a young man and his wife with a baby in her arms, stood beside it, crying. The lord who had ordered his soldier to light the fire for non-payment of taxes laughed at them and said they were lucky he had allowed them to get out of the house first. When Sam withdrew her hands she had gone pale. Torrick stood up, allowing Oak to take his place. Oak showed her a family group of tree sprites, sitting together enjoying a meal. A female entered the scene, tears streaming down her face, her hair a mess and her clothes in disarray. She had obviously been running. When she was able to speak, she told her family that she had been in a meadow by a stream, with someone whose name Sam did not recognise, and that they had been seen by a group of humans. The humans had released their dogs, instructing them to kill, and the two tree sprites ran for their lives. The young lady’s companion tripped and he yelled at her to keep running. The dogs were on him in seconds and tore him to pieces. All the while the humans laughed. Sam removed her hands, thankful she only experienced the telling of the tale, not the incident itself. Tears fell down her face and she wiped them away with the back of her hand.
“That was my sister,” Oak told her quietly. “It was her fiancé that was killed.” He stood up and was replaced by Tor.
“I’ve seen enough,” Sam said. She felt like vomiting.
“Then let me show you my homeland and how all countries should be.”
This time the scenes were pleasant and happy. She witnessed crime being justly punished, victims cared for, peasants rushing to line the streets and cheering as the King rode by. She saw hard work being rewarded and people were smiling. It seemed like a different world not just a different country.
“This is how I wish my country to remain,” Tor said. “Unfortunately I am not sure all of my brothers will put the country before themselves and standards may slip, allowing some of the horrors you have seen to become as commonplace for my people as they are now for others.”
Sam nodded, unable to speak. “My turn,” Brin announced unexpectedly.
“No, I don’t need to see any more,” Sam informed him.
“There is something I want you to see. Please, it is important to me.”
“Alright.” She reluctantly outstretched her hands and Brin gently placed them against the sides of his head. The memories he revealed took her by surprise. All were of her. They started with her sleeping, laughing, talking with others. He had evidently been watching her a lot more than she realised. They ended with them dancing together at the wedding they all had attended in Vada and the walk back from rescuing the bear cub. “Why?” she asked him when the images disappeared.
“You need to know that you are not alone. I will stick by you whatever you decide to do. If you choose to leave, I will come with you.”
Sam was too overcome with emotion to speak, so she squeezed his hand tight. “I need to think,” she eventually said before standing up and walking alone into the night. Brin made to follow her, but felt a restraining hand on his arm.
“Let her be alone for a while,” Tor said softly. “We should all get some sleep,” he announced loudly, ignoring the fact that he could see Samson slinking after Sam out of the corner of his eye. “Volunteers for first watch?”
At some point during the night, Brin felt Sam return and settle down beside him. He placed his arm over her and pulled her close, pleased that she had chosen not to sleep in Hawk’s coffin.
The next morning, nobody asked her what she had decided to do, knowing she would let them know when she was ready. Even Bellak did not push her, though Sam suspected this was due to a severe warning from Tor or Hawk rather than any concern or respect for her. She did, however, receive many expectant glances during breakfast until Brin, who was sitting beside her, could not take any more. “What do you want to do?” he asked her.
“Go home,” she replied. “Watch TV, meet friends down the local, catch a train into the city, use a hair drier, wash my clothes in a machine. I want to use a god damn flush toilet for Christ’s sake, but that isn’t likely to happen any time soon is it?” It was a rhetorical question so she received no reply. “Sorry,” she continued in a calmer voice, taking Brin’s hand. “I didn’t mean to snap. I’ve decided to stick with you all. I’ll suffer agony for you.”
Nobody showed any reaction, unsure whether they were pleased that she was still prepared to help them, or worried about what she was going to go through. Tor, Oak, Brin, Torrick and Ria had been especially quiet that morning. Their heads were hurting considerably, a fact they were doing their best to hide. Sam looked at them closely, realising why they looked so pale. “You showed me how much this means to you, despite the cost to yourselves, so I can hardly say no now can I?”
“Yes, you can,” Bellak said, “and after all I have done, it would be perfectly understandable if you did.” A stunned silence surrounded them.
Eventually Sam broke it. “So what happens now?”
Plans were made as to who would enter the cave once the door opened and they took their positions, close to what they thought would be the entrance. All that was needed now was a volunteer to attack Sam.
“I will do it,” Brin announced, shocking everyone. Sam gave him a serious look, then nodded her head. He did not trust anyone else to do it without causing her permanent damage. “An arrow in the shoulder will cause much pain, but is not life threatening.”
Ellen approached and took her hand, as Brin retreated the necessary distance. “I promise I will fully heal you and give you something to dull the pain as soon as I can.” Ellen backed away as Brin pulled back the drawstring on his bow and aimed it at Sam, who stood facing him, eyes closed. As she took a deep breath he let the arrow fly. His aim was perfect, the arrow imbedding itself deep into her flesh, knocking her down.
She emitted no scream. She felt cold spreading down her arm, but no pain. Brin dropped his bow and was instantly by her side, grabbing her hand and gently moving her hair away from her face. She saw him squeeze her hand tightly, but could not feel anything.
“Your body is in shock,” he informed her. “This is not uncommon. You have two choices. We can either wait until the pain starts to take effect, but there is no way of knowing how long that will be, or I can increase the pain.”
Sam looked at the concerned faces surrounding her, some showing the horror they felt at Brin’s suggestion. Then her eyes locked onto the elf’s. For once he was displaying all of his emotions. She knew he would never have given her the alternatives if there had been a choice. “Do it,” she whispered.
Without letting go of her hand, he took hold of the shaft of the arrow and twisted it, pushing it deeper. Agony burned through her and she heard vomiting from somewhere beside her. Someone screamed and she took a while to realise it was herself.