“Um, what?”

“Join the Order of Light. You’ve wandered a dark and lonely path, but tonight, Aver has revealed another for you. Look at yourself: in these terrible circumstances, when others might’ve fled, you selflessly risked your life to save this girl. You could do an enormous amount of good as a Paladin.”

He was trying to recruit her? Then her response was a success — she supposed. Her reward was just what she’d always wanted: an invitation to a religious cult.

While Valerie tried to think up a response that would leave her options open, the golden knight’s eyes traveled to Amelia, seeming to misunderstand the reason for her hesitation.

“Amelia as well, of course. The Temple in Rhinia will provide her shelter and schooling. Our school, I might add, is held in high regard, and we’re unfortunately unable to accommodate all of the applicants each year. As a Paladin, of course, your dependents wouldn’t have to apply to the school.”

Blatant cronyism. Private schools could do whatever they wanted.

“Um, sure. I’ll consider it.”

Although ….

The people seemed to put a great deal of trust in the golden knight and his subordinates. Not to mention, this group of knights seemed to have a great deal of power and money, considering their equipment, especially the golden knight’s. Not all cults were bad. There was … well, even if Valerie couldn’t name a good cult, it didn’t mean there were none. Surely the Templars or the other religious knight cults had had their good decades. Maybe this “Order of Light” was like that.

Seemingly pleased by her noncommittal response, the golden knight threw her another disarming smile. Was he coming on to her? Was that why he was trying to recruit her? But, whether one considered looks, power, or status, the golden knight was out of her league. The smiles and the kindness had to be politeness.

Or what if the noble demeanor was a front and he was in fact a playboy? He didn’t come across as a slimy character, but that could mean that he was skilled. If he was interested in her, she could use that.

His recruitment speech hadn’t seemed flattering enough to be a pickup attempt, though. His atmosphere was closer to that of a salesman paid on commission.

That was it! She’d known that noble attitude was a facade! He wasn’t interested in her — he was trying to sell her something. Or — wasn’t he a Paladin? People had called him that. He was offering her a job? It had to be a pyramid scheme.

The unexpected familiarity amid the insanity of the last hour unsteadied her. Which itself unsteadied her further. Had she acclimatized so readily to the recent chain of inexplicable events? Had she fallen completely off her rocker? Maybe this was another dream induced by her fruitless job search — the strangest, longest, most lifelike job-hunting dream she’d ever had. Maybe the dream was telling her to give up on being a paralegal and take any job better than a pyramid scheme.

Usually, when confronted by such scammers, Valerie would call them out and shout them down. A dog’s turd those types of scammers were worth, charlatans preying on the elderly and the naive. Greasy, money-grubbing smooth-talkers with penchants for excessive flattery. But in this world, which might have magic, she had to be cautious. Not to mention, these were religious fanatics that she was dealing with. And besides, she was currently completely reliant on the knights for survival. And until this conversation, they hadn’t seemed like the type to scam people.

While Valerie was trying to construct a suitably vague reply, Amelia spoke up.

“She can become a Paladin?”

Having almost let go of Valerie’s hand, the girl drifted toward the golden knight as if he’d offered a lifetime supply of candy. Probably smelling gullibility, the golden knight’s spotlight smile turned on the girl.

How shameless, pulling a kid in. Performing this racket in front of a kid at all.

The golden knight’s estimation in Valerie’s eyes dropped from the lofty peak it had reached after he’d saved them. That peak had had nothing to do with his looks.

“Yes, I am. Do you know about Paladins, Amelia?”

“Of course! You’re the Paladin of Light! I’m going to be a Paladin when I grow up, but Mama says I’m ‘not peaceful enough,’ and Papa says it’s a dead … ”

Her words trailing off, the girl’s grip tightened suddenly on Valerie’s hand. Following an instinct Valerie thought she’d lost, her arms swept down under Amelia’s, wrapping the girl tightly and lifting her up, letting the girl bury her face into Valerie’s shoulder before bursting into tears. Thin arms found their way around Valerie’s neck.

The golden knight looked uncomfortable — he deserved it — in a way that said he’d never had kids and didn’t plan on having any time soon.

“You’ll be a great Paladin one day,” he said in an cautious voice.

Holding Amelia like this meant they had to stop, and when they stopped, so did the nearby rearguard of knights and recent recruits. The other group, especially the recruits, pointedly watched the trio, maybe because there was little else to watch.

Once the sobs that sent shivers through Amelia’s body stopped, Valerie put the girl down. The trio resumed walking, and the golden knight waved at the rest of the rearguard to resume the march.

“Take it!” Amelia shouted as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

Stunned, Valerie struggled to respond without hurting Amelia’s feelings. What the hell had just happened? Whatever the golden knight was playing at was low. “I don’t know — ”

“One lousy Level in lousy Fighter isn’t good for anything!” A face with wet, poorly wiped cheeks looked up at Valerie, and two small hands tugged on her arms. “You can be a Paladin!”

The last thing she needed was to join a religious cult. She didn’t even know where she was! Once they reached this city, she would figure something out. Winning over the kid was a sleazy move. Now she had to figure out how to not hurt both their feeling.

“What do I have to do?” If the process was anything like the one she’d gone through to gain this Fighter thing, nobody could expect her to do that on the run. And, she swore, if he asked her to pay for her starting equipment, she’d —

“Swear our oaths.”

As the procession passed another dirt path, several mounted knights from the front of the procession broke off and thundered down the path.

Trying to stay focused on the conversation, Valerie kept her gaze on the Paladin of Light, waiting for a request for a donation or a brief comment about paying for her employee uniform — armor? — but no further requirements came forth.

“That’s it?” Honestly, she hoped he’d make his ask now. If he didn’t present the catch, it looked like she’d have to accept and then stay on her toes waiting for the other shoe to drop. She glanced down at Amelia, who was riveted by the exchange.

The girl jumped in excitement, taking the glance it as an invitation for her opinion. “Do it! Do it!”

Valerie felt a sigh coming. Why should she care about the kid’s opinion?

“Your oaths must be made in good faith. They must be genuine.”

The catch! Her lips twitched, trying to curl into a smirk, but she held them down.

“So, these oaths are legally binding?”

The Paladin of Light laughed. “Perhaps, once, the God of Light could have bound you tighter than any law, but our oaths are backed by honor and enforced by our consciences. But sometimes honor is greater than law or magic.”

Shit. He was saying these oaths weren’t binding?

“I hope you don’t mind me saying this — correct me if I’m wrong — but you’re not from Rhine, are you?”

Valerie tensed. This line of conversation was dangerous. So, it had been wishful thinking to hope she’d blend in, and he’d figured it out earlier from her clothes, or maybe from all the questions she’d asked. Or had he known it even earlier and refrained from mentioning it out of courtesy?

“You’re convinced you’re running toward a goal, a dream, a beautiful dream that you can reach with a bit of luck and pain and a lot of effort and time. But this dream of yours — it’s impossible. I’ve met people like you. You’re not running toward something, you’re running away from something, perhaps something you did, or from who you are. You’re unsure of who you are now and who you want to be. You’re lost.”

Where the fuck had that bullshit come from? He’d skipped over the part that she’d been worried about and had taken a hard right into vague horoscope hokey. He wasn’t doing himself any favors. This was exactly the kind of horseshit that a scammer would spout.

“Of course, your past is your own. If you join the Order of Light, we won’t pry into it. But in my past, when I was lost, these oaths, though they are just words, guided me like the noonday sun overhead. If you let them, they will guide you.”

What did the golden idiot think he knew? What gave him the right to pry into others’ business and offer help without knowing their situation? Valerie hadn’t asked for an impromptu therapy session from the armored fanatic. Her past and her mistakes were her own, and she didn’t need a con-artist’s facade of concern.

“Do it!” By her side, a small voice shouted as if its source wasn’t within a few feet of its target.

Ah, fuck it.

Fat lot an oath would do. It couldn’t be more binding than marriage vows, and look at how long those had lasted. Besides, it would get the golden knight to shut up and keep him happy. Right now, if her organs remained intact for the next twenty-four hours, she’d consider it a win.

Figuring no harm would come from humoring the Paladin Light, aside from the damage to her mental state from giving in to a scammer, Valerie nodded, and they began a quick call and response. Beside them, Amelia whispered, as if she were also taking the oaths.

“I swear to faithfully serve Aver from this day until my last. The weak I shall protect. The righteous I shall defend. The lost I shall lead to the Kingdom of Light. Where violence reigns, I shall bring peace; where hides in darkness, I shall bring the sun.”

The golden knight’s expression was focused, the smarmy grin from earlier gone.

Well, the oaths didn’t sound half bad. They were vague enough to leave room for interpretation. And a small part of her felt giddy. Imagine if Sophia could hear her now. These were straight from a superhero movie.

As she thought so, her voice, not of her own accord, spoke in her mind. That was really jarring.

Blessing granted: Paladin. Deity served: The God of Light. Skill: Power Strike transformed into Divine Strike.

Flames filled Valerie’s vision. Her fingertips and cheeks heated, and it spread until all her skin was warm as if she were sitting near a campfire, except she was surrounded by fire. She surrounded it. She was the fire.

The moment passed, and Paladin Light was pressing the sheathed sword he’d offered earlier into Valerie’s hand, his face having resumed its previous cheery demeanor.

“You received the Blessing.”

It wasn’t a question.

“That’s it?” Valerie asked. “Weren’t those oaths kind of short?”

Paladin Light laughed and clapped Valerie on the back.

“Welcome to the family, sister. I’ll explain the rest later. You should have received Divine Strike. Do you know how it works?”

Valerie shook her head even as knowledge flowed into her mind.

“For you, it won’t be much different from Power Strike, except it’s stronger against Twisted, undead, the like. Your recharge time will likely be on the order of hours, so reserve it until necessary.”

Amelia tugged on Valerie’s hand.

“Do you want to say something?” Anything that got the girl talking and kept her mind off tonight’s horrors were welcome. “Go ahead.”

The girl looked up at Paladin Light with hope in her eyes. “Can you show us?”

“My Divine Strike won’t look the same, it’s been transformed into — ”

“I want to see it!”

“There should be enough time to recharge … I suppose it would be best to see it once. All right. Just for you, then, a demonstration.” Paladin Light winked at the girl — dear Lord, what a wink — and drew his golden sword, walking a few steps away and turning to the side, confirming that his jawline looked even better in profile than it did head on.

“Divine Strike!”

Paladin Light yelled and brought his sword down in an exaggerated motion. The blade flashed a brilliant white, and the ground shook and dirt sprayed into the air as if a building had collapsed where the Paladin’s sword had struck the ground.

“Woah!” Amelia said with a small jump.

“Fuck!” Valerie exclaimed. “Oh, sorry, Amelia.”

Somehow she was sure she’d be unable to prevent Amelia from picking up colorful words in the near future.

“Paladin Light!”

A knight from the main rearguard crossed the gap between the groups.

Paladin Light sheathed his sword and gestured at Valerie’s. “If Twisted creatures reach the main group, use that. Now go on, catch up to the rest.”

Dazed, Valerie nodded, and the Paladin strode away to the knight calling him. Letting Amelia set the pace, they walked faster, catching up to the second group of civilians.

So this was magic. A Skill, the Paladin had called it. The strange monsters, the healing of her near-fatal wounds, the Skill — this world was undeniably not Earth. It was a fantasy world, with monsters and magic and unknown rules. Conscious or unconscious, she couldn’t dream this up. Could she be hallucinating? Her thoughts felt lucid, the pain real, and her memories clear. The world wasn’t confusing, and the sequence of events that had happened to her wasn’t hazy. They were inexplicable.

A tug on her arm. Amelia was pulling ahead. Dirty shoes, bloody clothes, murdered family, but a determined girl. As much as being lost and hurt frightened Valerie, she wanted, she realized, desperately wanted Amelia to be real. She wanted it so badly she felt guilty. It felt as though she were cheating on her daughter. Was that selfish hope coloring her assessment of her situation?

As they rejoined the mass of civilians, armed with the new Blessing and Skill, Valerie felt . . . no better. Quite the opposite. That flashing sword had cut away all doubt and willful ignorance, a shining reminder that this was not her world.

In the storm of uncertainty, there was one thing that steadied her, one small hand she could hold onto.

Amelia would reach Castia safely, wherever that was, she vowed to herself. It was the right thing to do.

* * *

As they drew further away from the light and smoke of the burning town and as the last vestiges of twilight faded, Valerie got her first clear look at the night sky. The moon looked as she’d expected. It was half full, enough to see by. It appeared normal, how the moon was supposed to look. A huge glowing rock with a faintly mottled surface.

It was the rest of the night sky that cemented her unwanted belief that this was not Earth. Stars in abundance twinkled, more than she had ever seen. Even accounting for the lack of light pollution, it was the sort of night sky that only appeared in enhanced photos from space telescopes. And between the stars, in front of them, were auroras, grander than any photo she’d seen — she’d never seen them in person — on Earth. Sinuous, translucent emerald and royal-blue shapes snaked across the star-studded sky. They extended vertically, like the walls of a celestial kingdom, fading into black. The glowing walls slowly shifted, lazily sweeping across untold distances, dimming and distorting the twinkling pinpoints of light they passed over, crossing and joining and splitting from other auroras in a mesmerizing fashion.

Valerie stumbled over a rock, jerking Amelia forward with her. Damnation. She’d nearly toppled the girl. A mother with several children in the front group had offered to take Amelia, but the girl had refused to separate from Valerie, who hadn’t weighed in either way. Was she endangering the girl by letting her stay in the rear group of civilians? Wasn’t it better to be surrounded by people who could fight? Regardless, they were walking in the second, armed group, near the back.

The village of Perinvale was surrounded by rolling hills. Fortunately, the hills sloped down more than up in the direction they were traveling, and the twisting packed-dirt road did its best to remain flat. Behind them, the burning village, though not its smoke, had long since vanished behind the hills covered in waist-high grass, which waved gently in the breeze. As she watched the grass, a peculiar pattern caught her attention. The occasional patch of grass was wilted, discolored yellow, as if diseased.

She was in another fucking world. It was as if she were a female Harry Potter, except she was thirty-four, and, instead of being told, “You’re a wizard, Val!” and being whisked off in a flying motorcycle to a magical school in the Scottish Highlands, she’d been given no information and then dropped in the middle of Mordor. Okay, perhaps it wasn’t quite that bad. But Valerie didn’t know that many fantasy worlds to compare this to. She wasn’t the powerful Chosen One either. If she were to compare herself to the knights and the townspeople, she was a townsperson. A random nobody. The only similarity between her and Harry was that they both had hated their previous life. She had been trying to fix it, though. Trying and failing.

She reached inside her jacket, which was ripped in several places, and pulled out the photo of her and her family at the beach — half a photo, her holding Sophia. After a moment of frantic searching, she sighed in relief upon finding the other half. It must have been torn by that wolf monster. She was lucky it was in only two pieces. Did they have tape here?

“What’s that?” Amelia asked, craning her neck, trying to see what Valerie was holding in her hand.

“Nothing.”

The two halves were squirreled away deep into the pocket in the most intact section of her jacket.

Occasionally, the procession would pass dirt paths intersecting the main road, apparently leading to small farmsteads. At each intersection, a few knights would break off, returning minutes later doubled up on their horses with a confused, hastily dressed family. At one farmstead, snarls and shouts and the sounds of impacts carried over the hills, sending waves of jitters through the marching villagers. When the knights returned, one was injured, their faces were gloomy, and no recently woken family accompanied them.

In such a manner, what felt like half an hour had passed — Valerie’s phone had died, and she suspected she wouldn’t be charging it any time soon. The knights had stopped checking farmsteads. It seemed that, near the city, the people had been warned and evacuated. Valerie’s healed wounds ached all over her upper body, and the sword sheath chafed against her thigh.

The knights were clearly getting nervous. The pace was set by the group in front — the group of wounded, children, and elderly. Though most of the knights had dismounted and given the horses to those with the greatest difficulty walking, and the youngest children were being carried, the refugees were still slowing down.

“Now you’re a Paladin?”

Valerie looked down at Amelia in surprise. The girl looked up at her with wide eyes. There was no fear there, at least not directed toward her, and Valerie had to stop herself from reaching out and ruffling her hair.

“I guess so,” she said slowly, enunciating, speaking in her talking-to-a-child voice. “Though I’m not sure what it exactly means.”

Amelia seemed to think for a while. They walked hand-in-hand in silence, as they had for most of the trip. Despite the chill in the air, the girl’s hand was covered in sweat, but so far she’d refused to be carried, and she hadn’t complained once. Waiting patiently, Valerie found herself wishing the girl would keep talking to her.

“Paladins kill monsters,” the girl said with confidence. “So if another monster comes, you’ll kill it.”

That’s … The first one had been an accident. The second would’ve killed her, if not for the knights. The first one, too. Should she lie? Sheltering kids didn’t make them safer.

“If it does,” Valerie said, trying to sound confident. “These nice people will keep us safe. We’re nearly at the city. Cal — Castia. Look, you can see it already.” Valerie pointed, and Amelia’s gaze followed.

On the horizon blinked tiny, fiery lights, smaller than the stars. She hoped that it was Castia and not another small town. None of the towns had had so many lights.

Amelia stood on her toes, tilting from side to side, trying to see through the crowd in front. Doing so, she couldn’t walk quickly, so she fell a few steps behind. To compensate, she lowered and then scurried to pass Valerie, then she stood on her toes again.

Chuckling, Valerie grabbed Amelia by the waist and lifted the girl so that her head was above the crowd.

“See the lights?” Valerie’s voice was strained. She’d forgotten how heavy five-year-olds were. “We’ll make it, I promise.”

Amelia nodded, and Valerie put her down. As soon as they resumed walking, the girl tugged on her hand again. Embarrassment colored the girl’s cheeks.

“I . . . I forgot your name,” Amelia said, unable to meet Valerie’s eyes.

“It’s all right. My name is Valerie.”

“Vale . . . Va — ”

“Just call me Val, okay?”

“Val!”

The girl repeated her name a few times. After a brief silence, Valerie felt the girl tug on her hand again. Preparing for another question, Valerie faced Amelia, but the girl wasn’t looking at her; she was leaning back and forth again, neck craned, trying to peek through the crowd at the lights in the distance and accidentally pulling on Valerie’s hand in the process.

Damnation, she was a cute kid.

The first Twisted Stalker gave so little notice of its approach that, when a knight to the rear shouted, “Incoming!” and seconds later the Stalker crashed against a shield, civilians screamed in surprise. It quickly fell to a flurry of stabbing swords, but the knights didn’t return to their positions. They began to discuss, and then argue. Valerie caught the end of the argument, as Paladin Light’s voice rose enough to be comprehensible.

“ . . . stay together. Stay focused, the city is in sight.”

He turned, cutting off the argument. The knights spread out again to guard the sides of the group, the new recruits interspersed among them.

The second and third Stalkers came minutes after the first.

The knights had little trouble defending against lone Stalkers. When one appeared, the closest knight charged at it head on, slamming into the lunging wolf with a raised shield, and then his nearest comrades swarmed the beast, slashing at its legs to render it immobile before killing it. They showed as little nervousness as butchers carving meat.

Rationally, Valerie and the civilians knew that. The knights proved their capabilities, again and again. But the townspeople’s nerves were taut as strung bows, and they jumped at gusts of wind. The Stalkers never gave warning. They could strike at any time, from any direction, displaying no discernable pattern, hidden by the darkness and the low hills and the tall grass, separated by minutes or seconds. At any moment, one might break through. A sudden warning from the knights could herald their deaths.

It was almost a relief when a bone-shaking roar shattered the silence. The sound evoked curses from the soldiers and cries from the civilians. Not many, though; either the refugees were too tired to be afraid, or the combination of the knights’ competence and the growing walls of Castia gave them faith they’d reach the city.

It seemed that Paladin Light didn’t share their faith. The golden knight started barking orders before the roar faded.

“Townspeople, run to Castia! Mirror Squad, with them!”

Immediately, Valerie checked on Amelia. The sudden command seemed to have frightened her.

“Just a little farther. We’ll make it. You’re a real trooper.”

As Valerie ruffled her hair, the girl looked up, the fearful look morphing into determination. Maybe she was too tired to talk.

The horde of refugees was slow to react, their voices rising in a confused din. The seven knights in front, including the giant shiny knight, doubled back until they surrounded the mass of refugees and corralled them like dogs herding sheep. As they sped up, Valerie chanced a glance backward. The rest of the knights had stopped, growing smaller in the distance, and were forming a circle around the golden, shining Paladin Light. Were they planning on delaying the beasts until the refugees reached the city? Could they?

The creature that had produced the roar wasn’t in sight. How large did an animal have to be to make that loud of a sound? A bear? A lion? Were the knights going to fight it, head on? Glowing sword or not, the survivable method for killing large predators involved guns and long distances.

If she met the golden knight again, she swore she’d be more lenient in judging his character.

It was a struggle not to bump into anyone, as they were jogging now, while keeping a firm grasp on Amelia, who was struggling to keep up. Valerie stopped and knelt, causing the refugees behind her to split like water around a rock, and, unlike water, curse at her as they went past.

“Get on!”

Understanding immediately, the girl climbed on her back, gasping breaths loud by Valerie’s ear. Smart girl. Valerie jogged, all too aware of the extra weight of the girl and the sword. Not eating and exercising properly took such a toll on one’s body. Less than a decade prior, when she played intramural soccer in college, she wouldn’t have been fazed by such a short run. What would her teammates say if they saw her now? Weak. Lazy. It’s not even a mile to those walls! If they didn’t comment about her stint in prison, that was.

This time, though, no matter how tired she became, she would not throw away her sword.

“Run!” shouted one of the shepherding knights.

“You’re nearly there!” encouraged another.

And so they ran, thousands of civilians, amid shouts and screams as people tripped and fell and were helped back up, the delineation between the two groups dissolving as the fitter members of the back group began to overtake those in the front, three knights in front, four in back.

Soon, the townspeople, apparently no longer able to resist the promise of safety with the city walls so close, ran pell-mell toward the city, abandoning the winding road, streaming over the hills and through the grass directly toward the city. When the fastest runners reached the gate, the civilians were spread over a quarter-mile front to back. Her legs burning and leaden, Valerie was closer to the back than the front.

Thus she was in a splendid position, as they crested a hill, to glance back and notice the wave of Stalkers rapidly gaining on them. No longer bothering to stalk through the grass, the wolf-like creatures were dark shapes with gleaming yellow eyes racing over the hills.

Paladin Light had failed.

Countless Stalkers swiftly moving forward. Civilian stragglers at the rear. Seven knights and hundreds of refugees spread across the hills. Thousands? Regardless, they may as well have tried to dam a river with their bare hands. The knights couldn’t protect them.

Snarls crescendoed to a climax of screams.

Valerie panted, her throat burning, aware of the screams drawing closer behind her. How far was the city? Half a mile? A mile? They were close, but the city was stationary. The Stalkers weren’t. Would she make it? She had to make it. She could collapse when she got there.

The only distance she’d ever been more acutely aware of than the gradually shrinking distance to the city walls was the distance to the screams behind her, and, increasingly, to the sides.

As the stone walls rose taller and taller, a wave of relief washed over her. She would make it. The walls’ immenseness conveyed a warm promise of safety. The ten-foot-high archway could have been the gateway to heaven, and it seemed that it was as popular as such: a clamorous mob was piling up against and beating upon the portcullis.

The closed portcullis.

By the time she had joined the crowd around the gate, the walls, which moments ago had looked like heralds of safety, had become an anvil.