***
“You do realize I can walk alone,” Kyrin said as they walked hand-in-hand toward the mountains.
“I know that. Maybe I wanted to walk with you,” Alric told her.
“You’re just afraid I’m going to shift out of here.”
“So can you just do that?”
“Sort of. I have to have a portal key.”
“Where do you get that?” Alric asked.
Kyrin looked around the area and then pointed to the skeleton of a mouse. “That’s one.”
“That dead mouse?”
“Yes”
“How do you know?”
“I just know. If I pick it up, then a doorway will appear that I can walk through.”
“Let me see,” he said, reaching down for the mouse.
She grinned and watched him pick it up and then turn and look around. The portal was off to his left, but she knew he couldn’t see it.
“You were teasing,” he said, looking over at her.
“No, I wasn’t. The portal is right beside you, but only shifters can see it.”
He shook his head. “I thought you were done lying to me.”
“It’s the truth.”
“Then go through it.”
“I don’t want to. I don’t know where that portal goes, and it can take years to get back.”
“Oh, then don’t go.” Alric tossed the mouse off to the side, and they continued toward the sunset.
It was silent as they walked, each deep in their own thoughts. When they neared the edge of the forest, a dirt road appeared and Alric turned to her. “Will you show me something magic?”
“Like what?” Kyrin asked.
“I don’t know, anything. I was unconscious and didn’t get to see it.”
She looked around. “I don’t see anything to kill.”
“Don’t you have something other than offensive spells?”
“I have a shield, but you won’t be able to see it unless you throw something at me.”
“If you have a magical shield, why do you keep getting injured?”
“It doesn’t work for sharp steel.”
“So what good is it?”
“Well, it’s good for blocking arrows, and I guess if I ever meet another magic user it would help block incoming spells too.”
“Have you ever met another?”
“No”
He reached down and took her hand when they started back. In the four weeks back in Paragoy, she’d grown more comfortable with him, and he was learning to trust her more. She hadn’t overused her abilities. In fact, he was finding it difficult to see any magic at all from her.
“Fine, cast the shield and let me toss something at you,” Alric said finally.
“No”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want you throwing things at me.”
“But your shield will block them.”
She looked over at him curiously. “Why are you so interested to see magic?”
“It’s fascinating.”
“Is it that or does Sithias want to see it?”
“I think he’d be interested.”
“I’ll tell you what. Next time I go sacrifice, you can come with me.”
Alric stopped walking and frowned. “You do that here?”
“Of course.”
“People?”
She smiled. “No.”
“Are you lying to me, or do you really stick with animals?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t sacrifice you next,” she said, laughing.
“That’s not what I’m worried about.” It was starting to get dark and her talking about sacrifices was making him nervous. Since they found the altar with the heart years ago, everyone was afraid there was a necromancer around.
He ran to catch up with her and saw that she was still grinning.
“I love when I scare you,” she said, looking out into the dark.
“You don’t scare me.”
“Fine, I love when my ways scare you.”
“Which is…” A loud crack of electricity shook the ground and they both spun suddenly and came face to face with Daemionis.
Alric let go of Kyrin’s hand and drew his sword, but Daemionis was looking at Kyrin. “The Nosata have one of my priests.”
She gasped. “Which one?”
“One you do not know. Retrieve him for me.”
She nodded. “I’ll leave immediately.”
“Wait!” Alric yelled, and both turned to him. “Is the Nosata one of the Consortiums?”
“Yes, they are the undead,” Kyrin explained.
“And you’re going after them alone?”
“Yes”
Daemionis walked slowly around Alric.
“I’m not okay with that. You said it can be years to get back to a dimension, and you just got here.”
“I know now how to find the portal though. It’ll be faster this time.”
“If you return! You can’t take on a Consortium alone!”
“Yes, she can,” Daemionis said. He then turned to Kyrin. “Return him to me in Paramide.”
“Yes, my Lord,” she said, bowing deeply. He disappeared, and she turned and ran for the castle.
“Stop!” Alric shouted, running after her. “You can’t do this.”
She ignored him and ran up the stairs to the room in the castle, where she began throwing things into the enchanted backpack.
“Kyrin,” Alric said, taking her arm. “Don’t go.”
She looked at him. “Would you turn down such a request from Sithias?”
“Sithias wouldn’t send me alone into the hands of a Consortium.”
“He knows I can do it. I know the Consortiums better than anyone.”
“You’ll be outnumbered… what? 100 to 1?”
“Or 800 to 1 with the Nosata. They’re not very big.”
“Stay here, please. Sithias can protect you.”
“I have to go and get him, Alric. No one else can.”
“Send Creteloc. This sounds like a job for an assassin.”
She ignored that and started for the door, but he stopped her. “I could keep you here.”
“No, you can’t, and you know it.”
“Then take knights with you.”
She sighed. “I don’t need the added stress of watching over your knights on my mission.”
“Not to babysit! They can help you.”
“I’ll be back, okay? Trust me. Daemionis wouldn’t send me if he didn’t think I could do it.”
“Yes, he would. He would send you for sheer entertainment.”
“He trusts me. No one else has been held captive by each of the Consortiums but me. I know their compound layouts. I know their ways and their…”
“Do you not see how dangerous this is? You just admitted to being a prisoner to each of them, and you’re running in to save one of Daemionis’ priests alone?”
“I’ll be back,” she said, and he followed her out of the castle. She began looking around, trying to find a portal key to get out of Paragoy. When she didn’t find one, she started across the orchard, picking an apple to eat on the way. She had a sudden thought and opened her backpack, then filled it full of apples while Alric fumed.
“You said you’d trust me,” Alric said, starting to panic when she began looking for another portal.
“I do, and you need to trust me. I have a god, and I have to follow his will.”
“Not into your death!”
She reached down and grabbed something off of the ground that he didn’t even see.
“What?” he asked, following her gaze into the trees.
“It’s my portal. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she said, and then started through it.
When half of her disappeared, Alric realized she was serious and pulled her back through, then kissed her softly.
“I’ll be back,” she said again, and then disappeared.