⭒⭒⭒

'Lynn, hurry!' Annabelle was pulling my arm.

'Easy, Ann, it's not gonna save us time if I'm out of breath when I meet him.'

'Alright, fair point.' She slowed down a little.

Our destination, a pub with a cozy atmosphere and a nice collection of specialty beer, was a 10 minute walk from our house.

Despite the cold, Annabelle had insisted on wearing a short dress. I had refused to join her, instead opting for jeans and sensible shoes. She complained about it the entire walk.

'How are we ever going to get you a boyfriend if you keep dressing like this on nights out?'

I sighed. 'Not what we're doing tonight.'

I was a little nervous about meeting her new flame. She usually didn't talk much about her conquests, only giving me a heads up when she had dumped the last one or gotten herself a new catch. This time, she had been talking about the guy nonstop for months. About how kind and generous he was, how smart and funny, and most importantly of course, how hot.

Once, I had considered stuffing her mouth just to get some peace of mind. At times I had gotten the feeling she was obsessed with the guy, but I had attributed it to her being in love.

The pub was already pretty crowded when we arrived. Some people I knew from our university were there as well.

Annabelle led me through the crowd, giving the familiar faces an apologetic greeting, until she found her target.

He was leaning against the bar, casually sipping whiskey.

Annabelle had been right about one thing. He was hot.

He had sharp features, medium long blonde hair and light brown eyes that looked at the world with near-arrogant confidence. He was wearing a tight, grey sweater that showed off his strong, lean physique. His pants and shoes looked like they cost more than what I spent on clothes in a year. Around his neck hung a necklace with a miniature sword. It had intricate etchings.

When he noticed us, he smiled and straightened.

Annabelle ran into his arms and gave him a long, passionate kiss. When they finally let go, she turned around and introduced me. 'This is Lynn, my best friend I told you about. Lynn, this is Haelan.'

I felt strangely drawn to him.

'It's nice to finally meet you.'

I stretched out my arm, but instead of shaking my hand, he gently took hold of it and placed a kiss on the back of my hand.

If this had been any other guy, I would have burst out laughing. There was something about him that fascinated me instead, however; he was too graceful, too confident, to not take him seriously. And his lips were so soft on my skin.

'The pleasure is mine.'

He smiled again. I noticed his canines were unusually pointed.

'I'm sure you'll get along great!' Annabelle teased us. 'Now, let's drink!'

I tried to shake off the weird attraction I felt.

We spent the remainder of the evening chatting, taking turns to get drinks. When Haelan went to get drinks the second time, Annabelle turned her attention to me. 'So, what do you think?'

'He's charming, Ann. And certainly more pleasant to talk to than some other past lovers I could mention.'

'Please don't. I'd like to continue enjoying this evening.' She downed the last bit of her drink.

I took a look at the bar. The bartender had just finished filling our drinks. I was about to turn back to Annabelle, who was pulling on my arm as usual when she got tipsy and wanted my attention, when I noticed Haelan making a strange movement with the drinks. It went so fast, however, I was sure I had imagined it.

No one could move that fast.

'He's cute, huh?' Annabelle "whispered" in my ear.

I looked at her.

'What?'

Annabelle was looking at me with a mischievous look in her eyes.

'The bartender.'

'Oh, yeah... I guess.'

Haelan placed the drinks on the table. They looked perfectly fine.

I dropped the thought and joined the lovebirds in another toast.

After a few hours, Annabelle told me she wanted to go home with Haelan and asked me to stay a little longer. I promised her I would give them a head start. I noticed she hadn't finished her drink, so I took it with me as I joined a few friends from university to catch up on their busy lives. Nothing happened while I drank it.

See, just a normal drink.

Since I hadn't brought my phone, I didn't want to stay out too late and after twenty minutes, I started walking back to the house. Surely they'll have made it to the bedroom by now?

I enjoyed the walk in the fresh autumn air, occasionally taking a look at the last colorful leaves on the trees.

When I got home, I noticed light coming from the living room, despite the curtains being closed.

Had they turned on the television?

I put a hand in my coat pocket and felt around for my keys. I was about to put them in the lock, when I heard a scream.

Annabelle.

I hurried inside, slamming both doors open. When I entered the living room, I had to hold back a scream.

Annabelle was lying on the couch, blood slowly trickling from her neck. The lamp that had originally been on the table next to her was now lying in front me, the glass lampshade's pieces spread out on the floor between the hallway and the stairs.

The television, normally standing on the tv cabinet next to the stairs, was lying on the ground, also shattered. The rest of the living room was in a similar state.

Haelan looked up from where he had been hanging over her. His eyes were glowing red and his canines were protruding twice as far as normal. Blood covered his mouth and chin. It had already started to dry.

'Get away from her!' I shouted.

He moved so fast towards me I had no time to react. He grabbed my shoulders and bit down at the base of my neck, hard.

The pain was unbearable, like needles hitting a thousand nerves. I screamed.

I tried to push him off of me, but he wouldn't budge. I pulled on his necklace, but instead of choking him, it easily let go.

I noticed the tiny, dangling sword was pretty sharp. I took a chance and plunged it into his back. The blade easily slid in.

He roared and threw me onto the ground, the ornament coming loose just easily as it had gone in. Unfortunately, he had used so much strength I couldn't catch myself and ended with my hands and face in the glass.

Haelan grabbed Annabelle's body and went through the kitchen doorpost. Inside the doorpost was a strange light, the colors pulsating and swirling.

I got up as fast as I could and ran after him.

Travelling through the portal wasn't exactly a smooth ride. My body felt like it was being pulled in every direction, including inside, and my mind was overwhelmed with the light that now surrounded me. I shot through the portal, lost my balance and again hit the floor.

⭒⭒⭒

Neither the captain nor soldier had said a word during my story. The captain's face had turned more grim with each detail, however.

I continued with how I had been following Haelan's trail when I came across the undead thing in the woods.

I detailed the fight as well as the sword's miraculous transformation, and how I had lost consciousness after the body exploded.

When I finished talking, both men took some time to think. We sat in silence for a few minutes. Then the captain turned to the man behind me.

'Kolya, notify the royals.'

'Not the council?'

'I don't trust those old codgers. One of them might be behind this. And make sure it's done quietly.'

'Understood.'

When Nikolai had left the room, the captain turned to me.

'Don't worry about your friend. I'll gather a team and as soon as Nikolai returns, we'll go look for her.' He had a grave look on his face.

I was glad that they were willing to help, but his seriousness did nothing to relieve my worry.

He turned his attention back to the piece of paper.

'Aoife.'

The nurse from before entered.

'Take her back to her room. Make sure she gets some rest.'

'Yes, sir.'

I got up to follow her, when I decided to take this chance to ask two questions. I turned back around.

'If I may ask... What is your name?'

He didn't look up.

'Alexander. But you can call me captain or sir.'

Alexander, huh. His name fit his stature.

'Captain... I've been wondering for a while now... How come I can understand you?'

This time he straightened and looked at me.

'A spell. A very expensive one, I may add. Sages ask steep prices for Gnosis links.'

'Gnosis... links?'

'There is a spell circle on the base of your head. Through it, a sage can share knowledge with you.'

My hand automatically went to my head, but before I could say something, the captain continued.

'The marking is temporary. It needs to be renewed monthly. If you use the knowledge often enough, however, you will come to retain it. Which is why the links don't come cheap. If everyone were to learn what he knows, the sage would go out of business.'

He bent over his work again.

'Go now. You need rest.'

I was too stunned to say anything else. I followed after Aoife, curious to take a look at the back of my head. Somehow.

Aoife's stride was considerably slower, although her long legs made keeping up still not an easy task.

'I'm sure Sasha will find your friend', Aoife said as we walked back through the long, stone halls.

Had she been listening in on the conversation earlier?

Instead of accusing her of snooping around, I asked about the other thing on my mind.

'Sasha?'

'Alexander's nickname. Don't use it to his face if you want to live long enough to meet your friend again, though. He's very shy.'

Shy?? That rock of confidence was shy? I failed to see what she saw, or even imagine it.

She turned her head again.

'Shall I help you take a look at the Gnosis link? You seemed curious.'

'Yes, I would appreciate that. Thank you.'

She stopped so suddenly I almost bumped into her. When she turned around, her face had a hard look on it. I took a step back.

'Take my advice, human.' Her voice sounded harsh.

'There are too many people in this world that would love to tear you apart, in whatever way they can. What they give you, including their help, they will use against you. So keep your feelings, and your gratitude, to yourself. Don't rely on anyone, because if someone thinks you owe them...', her voice trailed off.

Whatever it was she remembered, it was too painful to speak about.

I swallowed. 'I'll... remember that, but... I have to thank you for your concern. I truly do appreciate it.'

She scoffed. Then she shook her head. Finally, she mumbled something to herself before turning around again.

'May the angels keep you.'

We walked the remainder in silence.

When we got to the bathroom, Aoife was suddenly holding a hand mirror.

Where did she...?

She told me to look at the big mirror in the bathroom, and held up the smaller one behind me.

There was indeed a circle seemingly tattooed just below my hairline. It was smaller than I had imagined it, perhaps the size of a blueberry. Because of how small it was, I couldn't study the details, but it seemed to consist of double rings with tiny symbols between them.

If only I had brought my phone.

The thought made me realize that I had not a single keepsake from my world. It saddened me.

Aoife put her hand on my shoulder and urged me towards the bedroom.

While she helped me back into the bed, she spoke to me:

'For now, please don't leave this room, unless it is to visit the bathroom. Do you enjoy reading?'

I nodded.

'Alright, then I shall get you some books.'

She returned a little later with a small bookcase. When she put it down, I heard a heavy *thud*. I wondered how such a delicate woman managed to carry the hefty cabinet with such ease.

She opened it, took out a few books and placed them on the nightstand.

'These should be suitable to pass the time. In a few hours, I shall bring you dinner. If you need anything, please call for me. As you might have gathered, my name is Aoife.'

She looked at me, and I nodded again. 'I'm Lynn. Nice to officially meet you.'

'Hmm,' she hummed softly in response. 'I shall let you rest, then.' She turned around, and promptly left the room.

I took a look at the books: "Fifty shades of Fey: The epic spring love between a Princess and her Gardener", "A Court of Cars and Airplanes: Can a Nymph survive in the terrifying world of humans?" and "Crazy Rich Atlantians". It was clear what Aoife thought of me. I wasn't about to prove her wrong.

I opened "Crazy Rich Atlantians", thinking it'd be best to try and take my mind off things for now. I didn't put it down for the rest of the afternoon, however. Aoife brought me some color-changing jam-filled cakes to snack on, and I barely managed to pull my head out of the book long enough to eat them.

Around dinner time, Aoife visited me again. This time she brought me a big piece of savory pie and a hot, stewed fruit drink. After I finished my meal, she handed me a small, ceramic bowl.

When I took off the lid, a familiar minty scent greeted me. Inside the bowl, something that looked like a sponge was lying on top of a green paste.

'It's for cleaning your teeth.'

I stared at it for a while, wondering how I was supposed to brush my teeth with a sponge. I went to the bathroom to give it a try. I wetted the sponge and dipped it in the toothpaste. The paste worked similarly to what I was familiar with, although using the sponge took some practice. When I was (finally) done, Aoife helped me change into my pajamas.

Lying in bed, at what must have been no later than seven in the evening, I asked her: 'So, what now?'

She put her hand on my forehead. 'Now, it's time for you to rest.'

As she said it, I felt sleepiness come over me.

'That's not fair.'

In the distance, I heard her chuckle. A nice, sweet sound that carried me into a peaceful sleep.

Well, a girl could wish, right?