Chapter 2 THE REALM

On his hands and knees, high-pitched wheezes squeezed from Daniel’s body, and the tiny muscles between his ribs clenched his chest while his dirty lungs worked to catch his breath again.

When the whispers receded into his chest, the crunchy snaps of the dried grass breaking caught his attention, and he noticed the small, bare feet from the corner of his eye. Every step she took left a trail of fresh green grass and cooled the Firestarter’s spirit.

His eyes rose to meet the red-haired woman, and she bent her fingers as her head tilted away. “Come home, Daniel. We’re waiting for you.” The sweet, soft fragrance she left behind in her wake made him close his eyes and rub the space in his chest where it lived now.

The little smoldering pebbles that remained on the forest floor dug into his palms as he lifted himself from the ground. Like a puppet on a string, his wobbly legs stumbled after her. “Wait! Who are you? I know you, don’t I?”

She passed through the dead woods, and everything she touched sprung back to life until it gradually faded into a lush and vibrant forest.

The only world Daniel ever knew was dead, and when the colors of the wild things came to his eyes, it burned them with their intensity. Wiping his watery eyes with his sleeve, he almost lost track of the specter as she gave birth to everything beautiful with her healing hands. Little chirps and buzzes of the long-ago extinct birds and insects crawling around in the trees vibrated his ears, and the soft grass bent beneath his feet. “Is this real?”

The clean air that now fed his body sent a sharp bolt of electricity through his chest that followed the blood pumping into his veins until every cell pulsed with energy. “You’re doing this, aren’t you?”

The smog-filled sky hadn’t allowed the sun to grace the Earth for at least a century, and it now touched his pale face for the first time in his life. It sent a shiver through his entire body, and a sneeze shot from his nose so powerful that it took his vision for a moment. He closed his dark brown eyes to the warmth of the bright orb above, and goosebumps sprung up all over. His messy hair blew in the fresh breeze that swirled around him and tickled his slightly prominent ears.

“What’s your name?” When he opened his eyes, the scorched remains of the woods surrounded him again, and he shook his head as he turned and searched for her. “No! No, don’t leave me behind. Please!”

His heart raced as he brought his hands to his face, and he could still smell the relics of the clean world on his skin. The vibration in his ears gradually gave way to the whispers again, and when the blackness overcame him, he called out the words they murmured to him. “Gabh liom ó thuaidh.”

The words spilled off his tongue, and a glowing portal appeared before Daniel. It warped the space around it and moved like water in a pool as it danced on the air and bent the light. The gateway rippled, and Daniel’s whole body hummed as it reached out to him.

A tingle in his fingers drew his hand closer to the portal as it wiggled its way to him. When the forces collided, it swallowed Daniel whole, and the gateway instantly sealed behind him.

The hateful voices that circled him in their hot arms were a whirlwind of whooshes and screams that crushed him and sucked the air from his lungs until the only thing left was his own heartbeat and darkness.

On the other side of space and time, the ancient gate guardians built up around him piece by piece as the entire world came back into order. His trembling knees gave way as he reached out to the statue to ground him. The cold stone underneath his palm sent a shock through his fingers and a vision through his mind. “I know this place.”

His black boots scuffed across the cobblestone path and the mists of the waterfalls splashed across his face. He lifted his eyes to find the little homes built into the cliffs, and just over the hillside sat the blue sea. The warm setting sun peeked over the water, casting long shadows against the ground until it eventually disappeared over the horizon in a pink and orange spectacle.

It was like a dream he couldn’t place, and Daniel wiggled his fingers and pointed to his right. “This way. You’re this way.” Every step he took felt right and more familiar until he came to the Great Hall.

From the long stone staircase on the other side came a man in green and gold long robes with long black hair and a braided headpiece encircling his forehead. “Welcome, my son. I am Nicholas, Lord of the North Woods. I’m glad that chose us.”

Daniel tipped his head to the ancient sorcerer. “Thank you, Sir, but where exactly am I? I… I know I’ve been here before, but I can’t seem to remember.”

Blue eyes that Daniel recognized from his visions darted around the lands as a warm smile came to the old man’s face. “This is the Realm, child. You are home.”

The fresh smell of crisp Autumn air blew through the open windows while Daniel walked beside Nicholas and his eyes examined the murals and statues that lined the main building’s halls. “Why did you bring me here? How did you know where to find me?”

Nicholas motioned to the distant hall past the library with his hand and an amused smirk curled up on the old warlock’s mouth. “I didn’t bring you here. Even the wisest among us cannot travel through time as you have; you did that all by yourself.”

His eyes scanned each room and hall they came to, and a sinking sensation rose from his gut. “Where’s the woman? The one with red hair. She’s the one who showed me the way here; I think she’s in trouble.”

Before a rounded wooden door, Nicholas stopped sighed through his nose. “She will be along in time.” His skinny finger rose between them, and his pointy black brow arched. “Now, while you’re here, you will train in the old ways. You will learn how to fight as we do, to live as we do. We are a community, Daniel, everyone does their part, and you will serve in the city’s defenses to earn your keep, for now.”

Daniel nodded in regard to the ancient man and dropped his eyes to the floor. “I understand. It would be my honor to learn under you.”

When Nicholas opened the door to his new home, Daniel ducked his head and stepped inside. An uncomfortable huff of a laugh sprang from his chest when he saw the bed with fluffy pillows in the corner near the balcony. “I don’t understand why I’m here. Not that I’m not grateful, but what did I do to deserve this?”

The old wizard’s arms wove together across his chest, and he shrugged a shoulder. “This is your Fate, Daniel. Some things are meant to be.” With a pat of his hand against Daniel’s back, Nicholas nodded to the door.“ Dinner is at sundown, which, by the way, is now. Clean yourself up, and come back to the hall where you entered. You will hear us.”

Nicholas pulled the door shut behind him, and Daniel rolled his eyes as he looked over the faded old murals that lined his new home. “My Fate. Right.”

His hand slid across the soft blanket, and he thought of the smooth curve of her cheek. An ache rushed through his fingertips and made him ball his fist. “Where are you?”