Outside, it was night. In front of them, profiling on the black sky, a pale, almost albino blond plump man in his fifties. The first thing he saw was Vellantina’s gun, pointed at his head.

„You’ve promised not to shoot!” he exclaimed vehemently.

“Am I shooting? Hands up!”

„Mister Sem!” exclaimed both Estella and Ulius.

„How on the stars you are here?” followed Ulius.

„Ulius? Estella?” the man exclaimed. “The surprise is shared, but I’ll tell you my part of the story later, for we should hurry. There is a hostile army nearby. Can I lower my hands, please?”

„Estella?” asked Vellantina.

The princess pondered the subject for a few seconds. Her tremblings were gone, but she spoke in a somber tone.

„He has a minimal presence in the probabilities, almost like a dog, a pet. He must be just a minion of that evil wizard. Spare him for now. I feel the army he’s speaking of, but it is going away. However, it is best not to tarry. I feel we have to move too. ”

„Let’s dispose of the body first,” the Protectress said, holstering the revolver.

The body laid face down three feet farther, where Sem had dragged it. Frey’r and Vella picked it up by its armpits and threw it inside the tunnel, closing the door behind as it was before. All her bullets were in the vitals, heart, neck, and head, in that order, and she felt at the same time proud and indisposed. This one, she had no idea if it was a bad guy or just a guard. She sighed and let it go; she had other priorities.

„Where to, Estella? What do you see?”

„Not much,” she admitted. „I see a lot of fog and very dark storm clouds, with a sliver of the blue sky towards that direction.” she pointed. „It feels like north to me.”

"You almost sound like the weather rubric in the newspapers!" joked her brother.

„Compasses are dead,” announced Frey’r, who had checked two, both extracted from Ulius’ backpack. „Or rather too alive, turning like mad. But that is indeed north. See, the sun is up.”

From dirty yellow-green dawn, a pale and small sun was emerging. They all gasped with horror.

„It’s not our sun! Where are we?” shivered Ulius.

„It is, Ulius!” replied Sem. „We’re just farther, maybe on the eighth planet.”

“Let’s hurry,” asked Estella. “That sliver of blue sky is our only chance to get back home!”

Next to the door was a bicycle, the guard’s one. They put some of the luggage on it, and with Frey’r taking it by the handles, they started walking on a country road that barely deserved that title. Not all of them were in good physical condition, Sem most of all, however, desperation is the right motivation. They pushed on and on. The land was covered in grass, but it was not the nice green grass you see on meadows and pastures, but a long and harsh grass that could cut if not careful. The trees were small, the bushes big and thorny, and there were murders over murders of crows flying everywhere to add to the dread. In the distance, the blue silhouette of mountains, towards the north they sought. In the south, east, and west, only the ugly grass plain and some mounds indicating other underground facilities.

The terrain began to rise slowly, becoming hilly, they were approaching the mountains, but the night was on them before they knew it, fast and dark. There were no moons to light it, and they had to light the pocket torches. Finally, when they felt that the next step was a step too much, they camped on a meadow, near a small forest and a spring. Using some matches, again founded in Ulius’ luggage, they lighted a small fire, trying to hide it as much as possible, and ate some sandwiches.

„Is the water good, I wonder?” pondered Vellantina, hesitating to use it for the tea.

„I have two gallons of water in my backpack,” proudly stated Ulius, feeling well prepared.

„Goodness! No wonder your backpack was killing me!” lamented Frey’r. “But the water must be good. There is a cup near the source like the peasants use to leave behind. And there are hey stacks up there, on the ridge of the hill, if you look carefully you can see them. I wonder, who lives here?”

„The Beauhemians!” said both Sirinn and Sem at the same time.

„How on Realm?” asked Frey’r with astonishment. „The guy Vella shot was almost as big as me.”

„Some beauhemians are as big as humans or elves,” explained Ulius. “We must be on the planet where Fits Patrifoy the Mad took his followers.”

„Exactly,” intervened Sem. “His isolationist philosophy... ”

„Mate, bookie, let’s forget about philosophy for a while,” demanded Frey’r. „We have more pressing matters. We know you’re a spy. We found your magic notebook, scroll, whatever, and we’ve read it...”

“You’ve read it? Amazing!” exclaimed Sem.

“Yes, Sirinn here did a reading spell. And then that blinky red alarm went on, and we were kidnapped by your master, the evil wizard. So, who are you, who’s your master, and what’s your plan? Speak, or I’m sure Vellantina here, would love to cut you a finger or two. Or skin you alive, whatever. Go. Chirp!”

„I’m officially protesting against this violent insult!” bristled Sem. „Me, a spy? On the contrary, you are the spies. You stole my report sheet and probably had unclenched some safety devices. I was sitting on the train this morning – oh, sorry, Ulius, now I realize I’ve forgotten about our meeting; I overslept and had to leave in a hurry...”

“I knocked and yelled a lot!” the kid reproached.

“You came to the store? Didn’t hear a thing. Note to me, do not use ever again the elven calming tobacco. It kicks you out like...”

“Mate, let the tobacco be! Get to the point!” bellowed Frey’r.

“Sorry, sorry... So, I was on the train and suddenly, puff! I’m here, on some wild planet, face down in that sharp grass. I hid, unsure what to do, and just in time, because I saw a group of beauhemians going away from that underground compound, carrying provisions, and joining an army. One stayed behind to smoke; he told them he’ll catch up. Two minutes later, I saw you shooting that guard through the door, and I’ve told myself: the beauhemians are bad, so whoever shoots them is good. Let's try talking to them.”

“Seriously?” frowned Sirinn. Every beauhemian is bad, it’s ok to shoot them? Isn’t it, how to put it, judgmental? Racist, even?”

“I didn’t mean it like that. I agree, not all Beauhamians are bad. Some are bad, some just up to no good.”

„Nevermind the Beauhemians!” puffed Vellantina. „You think you can convince us you are not a spy after we read all those state secrets in your scroll? Better try better; my patience is almost over.”

„Miss Guerrefido, I assure you, I am not a spy. I’m an inspector, a revisor. Out there, there is a thing called the Sentient Realms Association. Some are stars, some are planets, some moons, some... nevermind. Your Realm, Realm fifty-five, asked to join it a good while ago, and he's undergoing evaluation. I’m just one of a long line of inspectors who visit here from time to time. I’m here, well, there, with official business.”

„What’s the nonsense about the Realm being sentient? I mean... it’s just a planet!” asked Frey’r, and it was Ulius who replied.

„Frey’r, the Realm is sentient, that’s a fact. He’s the source of our magic.”

„No, he is not,” retorqued Estella. „Magic is the interaction between the sentient species probabilities’ horizon and the Realm’s energy ley lines. It’s a sort of symbiosis. But that's not the point now. Let’s say we believe you. What about that evil magician I’ve felt spying on us through your scroll, the one that brought us here?”

„I don’t know what to say, your highness. It is not my doing. Maybe someone did find a way to hack it remotely and spied on you? Seeing where we landed, only one name comes to me. Fits Patrifoy the Mad, the Beauhemian King. He is the enemy of your father; maybe he wants to take you as hostages. But we can find out. I can activate the scroll’s firewall, a program...”

“A what?” asked Ulius, interested.

“A technological spell that will cleanse the scroll of any unauthorized access and identify the culprit. And, of course, you’ll see that what I’ve told you is true. There’s a detailed dossier about the Sentient Realms on it, plus a ton of other reports and evidence. It will be crystal clear.”

“Sirinn, give me the scroll!” asked Vellantina. “Here,” she offered it to the pretended inspector. “You have five minutes to show me the evidence. Don’t try to escape away with it, ‘cause I see in darkness and bullets ran faster than you do!”

“Why should I run? You’re my best hope to get back to semi-civilization! Sorry, I was judgmental... Common, piece of scrap, work!” he lashed out at the object, who was non-responsive to his touch. “Err... oh, buggers... Was it on when you find it?”

“It was on the table,” affirmed Frey’r.

“No, I mean... was it working?”

“Meaning it was emitting light? Sure.”

“Ah, I’m such an idiot. Forgot it behind, turned it on... Did it blinked or said something?”

“Said nothing, blinked red, told you already!”

“Didn’t understand. The emotions, you know, being accused of malevolence?”

“Is that evidence coming?” asked Vellantina impatiently.

“It will have to wait until morning, miss. The scroll is... exhausted. It needs power. Sunlight will charge it again. I beg you to have a little more patience.”

“Patience is my middle name,” replied the girl. “Didn’t you noticed how patient I am, not shooting you until now? I’ll stretch it until tomorrow. The scroll stays in the bag for now, and if I see you even thinking something bad, beware. As for us, let’s go to sleep, we need all our forces. I can go first watch. Anyone for the second?”

„I can do the second, and Sirinn the morning one, proposed Frey’r.”

„So be it.”