"Rud! Rud!" The boy shouted at the soldiers, then turned to the man called Jara. The words that tumbled out of the kid's mouth were accompanied by a lot of pointing and gesturing, all of which Leyla ignored as she worked out a plan. If the men attacked, there was only one way off this plateau; they would have to steal one of those birds. But how the hell they would ride them...the ferocious looking beasts shook their bright green heads as if they felt her intention.

"HAT RA!" Jara called. The soldiers all lowered their swords and took a step back. Leyla released a slow breath, pointing her own weapon to the ground, but not sheathing it.

Jara walked forward until he was standing inside the semi-circle of his men, just out of reach of her sword. Then he removed his helmet, and waves of soft auburn hair fell around piercing grey eyes. Leyla couldn't remember ever seeing such colour hair. "Sin iz mik?"

Michael stepped beside her and nudged her gently with his elbow. "He's asking who we are."

"Tell him, he is welcome and to let us pass." Leyla replied calmly.

Michael hesitated, but then did as he was told. Jara's brows rose as he listened to the response, then he laughed: "Din kurtar shim kar im ben. Le soy sun yor ist ne."

"He says you saved his sister and to tell him what you want." Michael translated, bewildered. They both watched as the young one they had thought of as a 'boy' grinned and took off her hat. Long strawberry coloured tresses flowed down her brother's cape reaching all the way down her back.

"Tell him we want nothing, except for him to get out of the way." Leyla grimaced. She didn't trust these strangers, not one bit.

Michael stepped in front of her, a frown on his face. "Please reconsider, Warrior. How will we get out of this place? I assume you have a way to get back to Gaia, but the portal is gone. And those people before, you don't know the Owner, he won't let this go."

Leyla glanced at the soldiers around her, keeping them in her line of vision as she spoke to Michael. "Don't fret, the portal will reappear in half a moon cycle's time. I have plenty of food tablets and will hide you till then. As for that Boss of yours, he lost a lot of guards today and will expect us to have left with these bird-men."

Michael nodded slowly, but the worry didn't leave his face. Leyla caught sight of the jagged wounds on his arms and put a hand on his shoulder, "I know you've endured much these past few days, but no one will hurt you anymore, that is a Warrior's vow."

"Thank you, Warrior. I - wait. Did you say a few days?" His deep blue eyes bore into hers. "What do you mean days?"

Leyla was confused by his sudden anxiety. "Didn't you fall through the portal ten days ago?"

"Wait, wait, wait. No, this can't be!" Michael held up his hands and began to pace. Jara's men stiffened as they watched the boy pull at his hair before coming to stand in front of her once more. "My parents, how old did they say I was? How did they describe me to you?"

Leyla reached into her breast pocket for the miniature and held it out to Michael with an ominous feeling prickling her nape. "They gave me this and said you were nine years old. But you're not nine, are you?"

Michael's hand shook as he looked down at his picture. "I'm not nine. I fell into the portal four years and fifteen days ago. I'm thirteen now."

Bloody Diya. "That's impossible!" Leyla shook her head, knowing even as she said the words that it was a ridiculous sentiment. She had travelled through a portal to a foreign world and was surrounded by men who rode bird beasts. And how could Michael have learned the native language if he hadn't been here for a long time...Impossible was nothing.

"Time must work differently here on Asch. Of course, how could it not!" Michael was pacing again, setting the bird-soldiers on edge once more. "If 10 days on Gaia is 4 years here, and the portal will return after half a moon's cycle on Gaia...then that means...that means..." He turned helpless eyes Leyla's way. "Six years. We can't go home for six more years."

It felt like an iron fist had punched her in the gut. Six years? Tia. Would she be alright? She had to be. Lady Isabelle would keep her word, she was a good woman. And Alec...she turned her thoughts away from the strange pain his name evoked. I am a Warrior and this is my mission. Nothing will stand in my way but death. She levelled a steady look on Jara's bemused face. "Tell him I want a place for the two of us to stay for a few days. I can do labour as payment." She just needed a few days to gather information, then she would figure it out from there.

Michael translated quickly, then listened to Jara's reply with surprise: "He says he will provide us with a room, food, whatever we need. We are his guests for life."

Guests for life? She was not leaving this bloody plateau only to be under someone's thumb. "That will not do. A few days is enough, I will find a way to earn our stay."

Jara stepped forward once Michael had finished translating, his lips drawn taught. "Na ba ven gu sun mi yor?"

"I think he is insulted, because you are suggesting he can't provide for us," Michael said warily.

Leyla shoved her sword in its scabbard and took a step forward, now almost within reach of Jara. "Do you think we will live off of your charity?"

Michael translated hesitantly.

Jara took a threatening step forward. His men put their hands on their hilts of their swords, one of them holding back the little girl when she tried to approach her brother.

Leyla didn't budge. Nor did her eyes waver when Jara took another step closer. He smirked, his anger dissipating in an instant, then he reached a hand out to her face. Before his fingers could touch skin, Leyla had grabbed his arm, twisted and used her shoulder to knock him off balance. The bird-soldiers rushed forward, then froze at their leader's command: "HAT RA!"

Jara stared up at Leyla from the ground, his hands coming away from where she had his throat pinned with a single hand. She wasn't squeezing, was merely applying enough pressure on his spine-points to render his lower body useless. Something shifted in the depths of his grey eyes, then he spoke slowly.

"He says he will hire you," Michael rushed to translate, his eyes darting between the angry looking soldiers surrounding them and Leyla. "He wants you to be his sister's personal guard. In return, we will be given a place to stay, food and anything else we need."

Leyla relaxed her hold, and stepped back. "Tell him, I accept."

Michael translated with a sigh as Jara stood up. His sister broke free of the guards, rushing forward past her brother to throw her arms around Leyla with glee.

What in Gaia? Leyla stepped back instinctively, but the girl just held on tighter.

Michael reached out, pulling the girl back with an annoyed look on his face. He spoke low words that Leyla could not understand, and shook his head no. That seemed to stop her from jumping at Leyla again, but it did not keep her from reaching for Leyla's clothes. Clinging to her coat, the girl looked up Leyla with adoration and grinned.

It occurred to Leyla that protecting this girl was going to be a challenge. Not only had the little one somehow ended up in that gambling den dressed as a boy, she seemed to act without any forethought. It was a way of being that Leyla could not quite understand. Bloody Diya.

"Haha ha," The deep laughter drew Leyla's gaze back to the man who was now on his feet, brushing red dust off of his uniform. Catching her look, Jara gave her a crooked smiled that transformed his angular face, making him seem...softer. How old was he? Somewhere in his mid-twenties? From what she had seen so far, he was a man of power and confidence. A man who was not confident in his abilities would not have been able to handle being dropped to the ground in front of his men. "Min is ne?"

"He is asking for your name," Michael said beside her. "What is your name, Warrior?"

"Lieutenant Leyla of the House of -" Leyla stopped short, realising that most of those words meant nothing in this world. Her muscles ached from the fight and her mind was straining to keep up with the reality of this strange place she had crossed to. Taking a slow breath, she pushed that all away and faced Jara with her shoulders back. "Leyla. You can call me, Leyla."