Chapter 7: A Portal in the Woods

Stumbling into the forest, Maaike couldn't help the nausea she felt. The stench of the burning bodies was stuck to her clothes, she stopped with her band against a tree, throwing up all the food she had eaten.

She felt disgusted and exhausted, her hands were shaking as she hurriedly continued to move. It wasn't until she could hear no sounds did, she realize that she was in a completely unfamiliar place.

The light of the stars didn't reach there, it was as though that area had been frozen in time.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts and rubbing the still warm metal in her wrists, she carefully searched around her looking for clues as to what was going on.

Ignoring the pain in her ankles, she trudged forward until she bumped her head on a barrier. There was something preventing her from going forward and squinting, she leaned slowly closer until the tip of her nose was touching it.

It felt like reality had warped as the barrier folded around her and opened somewhere else. She fell out of the small doorway opened through the barrier and she fumbled to her feet, wincing slightly.

Her ears were ringing, she was drained from the eventful day. Dragging her feet, she continued forward in search of water, not caring for where she was, she tired and sick.

She soon came across damp soil, and hurried forward, her steps did not make a sound despite her lack of caution.

She soon came across a cascade running down into a creek, it was oddly silent, she could not hear the splashing of water in front of her.

Apprehensive at the thought that it might be a hallucination, she hid behind a tree, crouched onto the ground.

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He stood at the top of the cascade, watching the ever-silent waters for signs of movement. As soon as it caught his eye, he reached into the water, and in a flash pulled out a bass.

Slamming its head against a wet rock hard to kill it, he pulled out a pocketknife, and quickly cleaned the fish. Flipping it on the stone, he quickly made two filets with the skin still attached.

Wrapping the fish in some large magnolia leaves and placing it in a small cloth bag, he got up wiping his wet hands on his clothes.

As he turned to move, he caught sight of a young girl wearing nothing, curled up against a tree and shivering. Frowning slightly, he hesitated before grabbing an old coat from his bag hidden nearby.

Walking to the girl, he tossed it onto her exposed body before walking away.

There was a whimper, as Mya noticed the coat that had fallen upon her. Quickly donning it and buttoning the coat, she got up to follow the man from a distance. He glanced back slightly, noticing her approach, then decided to ignore her.

Picking up his bag, he headed back toward his camp, and sat in front of the small firepit. Unwrapping the filets, he rubbed some spices into them and stuck them onto some metal skewers, then hung them above the fire.

The tantalizing aroma filled the air, causing Mya's stomach to growl, disrupting the unending silence of the dull forest.

Mya's face flushed with embarrassment, and she lowered her head, still standing a distance away from the man's camp. He glanced back at her, waited a while before picking up a skewer of fully cooked fish.

He held it out to her, reluctant to speak, and patiently waited for her to make her way to him. Unable to put the memory of throwing up and the traumatizing event above her stomach, she gratefully took the skewer for him and sat down a few feet away facing him.

She bit into the delicate and steaming meal; she couldn't hold back a smile of bliss. The spicy and aromatic flavours danced on her tongue, washing away the horrors of the day as she chewed.

The man quietly ate his meal alongside her and only glanced up when she got to her feet to head back toward the water. Guessing what she was leaving to find, he tossed his canteen at her.

She fumbled to catch it, letting out a hiss of pain when she succeeded. Looking her over he noticed the metallic sheen that dug into her soot covered skin, then turned away without a word.

She opened the canteen and had a long drink, she walked toward him slowly, to avoid hurting herself and handed him the now close canteen.

"Thank you" she mumbled hoarsely, and after taking a step back she stopped to study him. He had ashy black hair and a delicate looking face, if not for all the facial hair, he was attractive with an impressively built body.

He wasn't huge but his muscles were well defined, and he was tall. He turned to look at her with a questioning gaze, and opening her mouth, she let out a sigh then walked back to the edge of the clearing. She curled up under a tree, hiding her hands in the long sleeves of the coat, she fell into fitful sleep.

Noticing the whimpering and cries of Maaike, Lothar sighed and got up to leave the clearing. Suddenly he stopped at the sound of her weak voice crying out "Mama!", he felt a spark of emotion in him, making him uncomfortable.

Frowning in irritation, he clenched his fists, then let go before going into his tents to grab something. He came out with an armful of herbs and a small cauldron, walking over to his seat, he set it on the fire and began to decoct a potion.

After pouring in some water from his canteen, he pulled apart some leaves and petals and dropped them into the cauldron. Watching carefully as the water began to heat up, he took a bundle of rosemary and used it to stir the liquid.

He added in some yellow tuft roots into the mixture and sealed the cauldron. After it boiled, he took it off the fire and walked over to Mya, cauldron in hand.

He carefully took her hands and poured the hot liquid onto them; Mya shook in her sleep but didn't wake up. He carefully poured some on her ankles, and taking the bundle of rosemary, he dipped it into the liquid and brushed it on her neck.

Gradually, the metal began to corrode and fall apart, separating from her flesh. He took a roll of cloth and tied strips of it on the now exposed flesh. When he finished, he left the clearing, heading back into the woods.

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Mya woke up, rubbing her eyes with her fists, she noticed her bandaged wrists. She glanced around, looking for him, but found an empty clearing.

Glancing down, she noticed the corroded pieces of metal on the ground, stunned she looked at her ankles, and brushed her pingers against her neck.

Finding them bandaged, she rushed to her feet, stunned, and searched for Lothar's trail. She soon got back to the cascade, and crouched beside the creek, playing with the pebbles on the shore.

He glanced down at her, then looked away, to continue sharpening the stick he was holding.

She squinted up at him and smiled, "Thank you!" he froze, and her smile deepened, "I said thank you…My name's Mya by the way, what's yours?"

He glanced down at the stick in his hand, spinning it between his fingers contemplatively. She reached out and gently poked his boot, when he didn't respond, she tugged at the hem of his pants, "Huh? A name for a name, right? Still thank you!" She skipped a stone across the water and stared up at him.

Looking down at her he frowned, she pouted, scoffing he used the sharpened tip of the stick to write out his name in the sand.

"Lo-th-ar? Lothar!" she beamed up at him, and he turned away frazzled by the intensity of her gaze. He couldn't help but notice her eyes, their sharp golden gaze pricked at his conscience.

He had seen eyes like this before, eyes so expressive and focused, his encounter with them8 had ended up a catastrophe.

He tilted his head up and closed his eyes, avoiding her gaze, he took deep breaths to calm himself. Mya quietly got up and moved closer to him, her curiosity getting the better of her.

His eyes flashed open at the Mya's approach, meeting her golden eyes, as she stared into his face. He could feel the shudder in the air, they were extremely close, jerking back he decided.

He grabbed her, and tossed her over his shoulders, ignoring her punches on his back, he walked over to another barrier. She huffed angrily as he put her down, but before she could speak, she was lightly shoved into the barrier and warped away.

In a blink of an eye, she found herself at the edge of a different looking forest, she could hear cars and people talking from where she was standing.