《The Other Earth》 Chapter 1 Part 1 Blaise of the Phoenix Clan I did it! I entered a world without magic. The sun¡¯s relentless rays beat the smile off my face. So bright! Burning my eyes. If I wasn¡¯t a phoenix I would surely burst into flames. How did these beings¡ªhumans¡ªstand it? My eyes slowly adjusted. I saw a field of groomed green grass with well-groomed trees. A path wormed around, lined with benches and odd black¡ªbuckets? A garden perhaps? Did I exit onto aristocratic property? But the people didn¡¯t dress extravagantly. As I watched them, a realization bloomed¡ªthey were starting at me as if I were an exotic animal. I wasn¡¯t even in my phoenix form! I looked down at myself. The flame red dress, an official color of the Phoenix Clan, billowed even in the faint breeze because of the light-weight fabric. Compared to the humans, I was the one dressed exotically! I need to blend in. I rushed down a path hoping to run into an exit out of the garden without encountering any guards with pesky questions. Thankfully I found the exit without even seeing the mansion. A plaque by the exit read ¡°Central Park¡±. I made a mental note to avoid it in the future. The park opened up into a bustling street. Bustling may be an understatement. The street swarmed with people? Thronged? By the Holy¡ªnothing felt appropriate for the madness of noise and people I walked into. Oomph. A shoulder knocked into my arm. ¡°Excuse me,¡± I said receiving only a grunt in return. After being bumped into two more times with barely an apology I realized in this metropolis I was the one impeding progress. Pick a direction. I started moving forward. I got to the edge of the sidewalk with a stampede of humans as vehicles zoomed on the street at incredible speeds. So this was a world without magic. Surely all these lights and vessels and incredible metal structures were a kind of magic. A signal must have happened because the vehicles came to a sudden stop and the humans crossed in front of them without harm. The new street I crossed over to had what appeared to be shops with fake girls displaying clothes and displays of jewelry and sweets. Ooh, they have chocolate here. My mouth watered at the display. Still the odd stares persisted so I opted for finding a clothing store instead. A few shops later I spotted a gorgeous emerald gown with a diamond neckline. Perfect. ¡°Can I help you find anything?¡± A smiling brunette shopgirl approached me. After eyeing the gown in my hands she asked, ¡°What¡¯s the special occasion?¡± Special occasion? I eyed the gown in my hands suspiciously, ¡°Does one need a special occasion to wear this?¡± The girl opened her mouth to respond, seemed to think better of it, then opened her mouth again only to close it. ¡°You don¡¯t need a special occasion,¡± she finally replied. I didn¡¯t fail to notice the strong emphasis on ¡°need¡±. I cleared my throat and placed the gown back, before giving the saleslady a wide smile, ¡°What do you recommend?¡± The girl looked me up and down, her face visibly twitched at my outfit, then returning my wide smile she motioned her hand, ¡°Right this way.¡± She brought me to a tiny room with a tiny seat and a curtain to close it off, ¡°I will bring you several outfits to try.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I answered genuinely. Several minutes later the girl brought a pair of restrictive pants which I automatically rejected, a blouse of some thick material and a picture of a unicorn¡ªalso rejected. I¡¯m a phoenix; I wouldn¡¯t be caught dead in a unicorn shirt.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Soon followed a flowing skirt with slits on either side for free movement, the same unfortunate bland blue color as the pants but the skirt had pockets! Followed by a subdued salmon pink shirt made of something akin to silk. ¡°I guessed your size,¡± the girl said handing me the clothes. The clothes fit perfectly. I twirled in front of the mirror, even the salmon shirt didn¡¯t clash with my wild, fire-red hair. The girl came back, ¡°How did it fit?¡± ¡°Perfect, thank you,¡± I twirled out of the tiny room, ¡°Can I wear it out?¡± ¡°Um, yes but you need to pay for it first.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± I pulled out a ruby and handed it to her. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this?¡± The girl¡¯s polite expression curled into disgust. ¡°A ruby?¡± Oh no, did they not have gemstones here? Or are they worthless? My smile froze on my face. ¡°So you have no money,¡± the girl sighed, ¡°Take the clothes off.¡± ¡°But¡­but¡­the ruby¡ª¡° ¡°I can¡¯t ring up a ruby! Cash, check, credit cards¡ªthat I can work with¡ªare you from Mars?¡± Did she figure out I¡¯m not human? I leaned close, ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone, please.¡± The girl gave me the most exasperated expression I have ever seen in my life. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re crazy or you really don¡¯t know but rubies can¡¯t be used like cash.¡± Suddenly the girl¡¯s face lit up, ¡°The only people who deal in gems here are jewelers, maybe if you take it there they can exchange it¡ªyeah.¡± She nodded to herself, ¡°I will even hold the clothes for you, okay?¡± ¡°Wonderful, thank you.¡± Jewelers, of course. I changed back into my attire and went back the way I came. I knew I passed several on my way to the shop. Maricella Darling I watched the beautiful, crazy woman walk out of the store and sighed in relief. That was exhausting. I looked at the clothes in my hands¡ªshe probably won¡¯t come back, right? Still, better put the clothes behind the register. If the crazy did come back, the less time I had to spend with her the better. ¡°Ha, ha, that looked painful, Mari,¡± Jeanette laughed. She was working the register and the woman she was checking out laughed with her. Unable to say anything in front of the customer, I settled for glaring at Jeanette in annoyance. I glanced at the clock, thirty more minutes till freedom. Exactly twenty-nine minutes later, the crazy woman with the fiery red hair and the overly bright, flowing gown burst through the doors, smiling triumphantly, cash in hand. No! My leg paused in midair, literally about to disappear into the back room but I felt those bright, unnatural gold eyes lock on my back. ¡°I got the money!¡± The voice like its owner was loud enough to carry across the store. I saw my manager motioning with her head. Ugh. Of course no one else wanted to deal with her either. Fine, but I¡¯m not smiling. ¡°Come to the register, I¡¯ll ring you up then you can use the fitting room to change if you still want to wear it out.¡± ¡°Thank you, you¡¯ve been such a great help.¡± The genuine excitement in the woman¡¯s voice didn¡¯t make this better or easier. ¡°Fifty-nine eighty-nine,¡± I said like a robot. The woman stared at the money in her hands, hundreds of dollars. Jesus, what kind of ruby did she have? The woman suddenly leaned in and whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t know what I have.¡± I could feel a nervous twitch develop in my left eye, ¡°You can¡¯t read numbers?¡± The woman pouted. Pouted! ¡°They look different than where I¡¯m from.¡± Numbers are the same everywhere, I almost yelled. Instead I reached over, pulled out a hundred dollar bill and rang her out. ¡°Out of a hundred. Your change is forty, eleven,¡± I handed her the bagged clothes, ¡°Follow me to a fitting room.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± the woman followed. I held the curtain for her, wished her a wonderful day and walked away. My goodbye was answered with, ¡°May your fire always burn bright.¡± I paused, murmured, ¡°Thank you,¡± and ran to the time clock before anyone could ask anything more of me. I exited out of the employee only backdoor a few minutes later. Freedom! Today had been unusually torturous but college required money; living on my own required money. I walked around the building to the main street, wishing I had worn a short-sleeved shirt, it was early May and already hot. As I started to walk to the subway I felt someone following me. I tightened my grip on my purse, too afraid to turn around and sped up my footsteps. By the subway entrance, they were still behind me. I mustered my courage and glanced back. Chapter 1 Part 2 What the fuck? I whirled on my stalker, ¡°Are you following me?¡± The crazy woman from the store stopped, looking abashed, ¡°It¡¯s a coincidence, honest.¡± ¡°How is this a coincidence?¡± I yelled, my heart still racing. ¡°Weeelll¡ªI saw you leaving and I had no idea where to go¡­sooo¡­¡± ¡°So you followed me?¡± The innocent act enraged me further. ¡°Weeelll¡ªyou were so understanding in the store, I thought¡ª¡° ¡°Understanding? I wasn¡¯t understanding, I was doing my job,¡± I snapped. ¡°Oh,¡± the woman backed off, ¡°So you didn¡¯t believe me that I¡¯m not from here?¡± Her voice grew small. The anger seeped away leaving annoyance, ¡°What does it matter if you¡¯re not from here? What does that have to do with me?¡± ¡°You just seemed nice, I thought I could pay you to give me a tour¡ªI¡¯m only staying for a short time.¡± ¡°A tour?¡± I stared at her, incredulous, ¡°Where are you from that you think to follow someone you don¡¯t know, offer them money you can¡¯t count to show you around a dangerous city.¡± ¡°Now I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll believe me,¡± she bit her lip like a scolded child. ¡°I already think you¡¯re crazy so what does it matter?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true,¡± the woman looked thoughtful, ¡°well, all right, I am Blaise and I am from another world.¡± I stared at her. I expected an elaborate story, not something so straightforward. ¡°That¡¯s it? No story of being a magical princess on the run, hiding out in our world because we have no magic so they can¡¯t use magic to track you down.¡± Somehow I was being stared at like I was the crazy one. ¡°That¡¯s elaborate,¡± Blaise said. It irritated me that we thought to use the same word. ¡°That should have been my line.¡± Blaise laughed, ¡°I knew you were a good person but you also have a great sense of humor.¡± Her craziness didn¡¯t bother me as much now¡ªhow worrisome. ¡°How much are you going to pay me if I give you a tour?¡± The woman laughed again, ¡°I have no idea,¡± suddenly the overexcited energy left her expression, ¡°to be honest this money is useless to me¡ªa souvenir, no, more like proof that I was here.¡± She passed me a wad of cash. Her demeanor changed, no longer goofy instead somehow more serious, mature. It made her story somehow believable. I took the money, my eyes bulged, there was over $900. It would take me more than two weeks to make that. ¡°Are you sure you want to pay me this?¡± Wait, when did I agree to be a tour guide? Blaise¡¯s face lit up, ¡°I knew you were a good person.¡± I opened my mouth to retort, no let¡¯s just get it over with. ¡°Well if you need proof then why not take pictures?¡± ¡°Pictures? Drawings?¡± Blais furrowed her brow. ¡°No,¡± I pulled out my phone, ¡°there is something called a camera and you click here,¡± I snapped a photo of Blaise and showed her the result.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°By the Flame!¡± She exclaimed staring at herself. She turned the phone in her hands, ¡°Then I take this device home and show¡ª¡° ¡°No, no, no¡± I took my phone back, ¡°Noooo. We can print the pictures onto paper for you to take home.¡± Blaise Finally I convinced the brunette girl to help me see her world. On the outside I channeled my Mage, keeping a calm and sincere appearance. On the inside I did a happy dance. The girl listed off things I assumed were names of places for me to see when I realized, ¡°I don¡¯t know your name.¡± The girl paused, stared at me, seemed to think about it, ¡°Maricella Darling, but you can call me Mari.¡± A pause, ¡°Have you been in the subway?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Okay, lets take the subway,¡± Mari led the way. ¡°Why are there so many shops here?¡± I asked as we passed one after another. How much clothing could humans possibly need? ¡°This is Fifth Avenue. Tourist destination number one.¡± Mari paused again, ¡°You do know that¡¯s what you are, right? A tourist.¡± We came to a staircase going under the street. Signs posted above would tell humans what was happening but I couldn¡¯t read a word. Mari ran down the stairs, ¡°Come on. I don¡¯t want to miss the train.¡± The stairs were well lit and I could see lights on the bottom but anxiety gripped my chest. A phoenix buried underground? I took a step, breath left my lungs, another step, my chest tightened, another and my breathing grew shallow. ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± Mari stormed back. ¡°Phoenixes are not meant to be underground,¡± I gasped. ¡°Phoenix? Is that a bird that¡¯s made of fire¡ªwait no, it burns up or is reborn,¡± Mari seemed to be confusing herself but I was shocked. ¡°You¡¯ve heard of phoenixes?¡± ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re a mythical bird something or other.¡± I must have kept staring at her pretty hard because she finally said, ¡°What?¡± ¡°No-nothing.¡± I kept staring at her since it seemed that kept me from looking into the hole in the ground, ¡°Anyway it appears that I¡¯m scared of going underground, is there another way?¡± Mari rolled her eyes, ¡°Well then we¡¯re kinda limited to what we can see¡ªwait I have the perfect idea.¡± I followed as Mari took off down a street. We arrived at a place with a giant, silver hand coming out of the wall. ¡°What is this?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s called Madame Tussaud¡¯s and they have wax statues of celebrities and important political figures in our world.¡± Mari walked up to a window with a lady behind the glass. ¡°How many?¡± the lady¡¯s voice gurgled through the window. ¡°Two,¡± Mari replied. The two exchanged money for tickets and we were inside. The place smelled frowsty, like damp clothes sitting in a bucket for a week. Once I got past the smell I could appreciate the representations of this world around me. Each statue sat in its own environment, allowing Mari to explain the various sports and jobs that existed in this world also a little of how the government functioned. The statues wore real clothes and looked so realistic I had to feel the waxy surface to believe they were fake. ¡°Don¡¯t touch,¡± Mari smacked my hand. We took pictures with various ¡°famous people¡± whose names I would never remember. Afterwards we took pictures of the metal towers Mari called ¡°skyscrapers¡±. I supposed they were as much scraping the sky as any of the phoenix towers back in my world. We visited a place called Times Square full of what Mari referred to as TV screens that showed realistic moving pictures. I wondered if there was a way to make that in my world. As the sun lowered the temperature dropped considerably and Mari bought me a jacket. She said there was one more place she would take me. We came to another high building she called the Empire State Building¡ªthough she didn¡¯t seem to know why it was called that. Again she paid money (everything cost money in this world, how greedy) and we were allowed to rise on a machine she referred to as an elevator. ¡°You¡¯re not afraid of enclosed spaces, are you?¡± Mari glared at me, blocking the doors. I laughed, embarrassed at my earlier display at the subway, ¡°No, no, I¡¯m fine.¡± The elevator was truly a tiny room with mirrored walls and rather peculiar music¡ªsoft like a lullaby. We were squashed inside with a dozen other people, all awkwardly silent. ¡°What¡¯s with¡ª?¡± Mari shrugged, ¡°That¡¯s elevator music, maybe they think it calms people down.¡± Periodically the elevator dinged as we passed floors until we reached the top. Everyone filed out and onto the balcony. Wind blew harshly up here, my skin heated up to fight against it. I mentally unfurled my feathers to stay calm so I wouldn¡¯t burst into flames. ¡°Are you okay? I know it¡¯s cold up here,¡± Mari touched my arm and snatched her hand back, ¡°Ouch, you¡¯re really hot!¡± ¡°Part of being a phoenix,¡± I said, ¡°sorry.¡± ¡°Ahh,¡± Mari¡¯s mouth opened wide in fake understanding, ¡°Phoenix, right.¡± The view was amazing, almost like flying. To think humans, with no magic achieved this. ¡°Pretty amazing. I live here and this is my first time coming here.¡± Mari stood a good two feet away from the railing though. I looked over the edge wondering how it would feel to dive from here. The sun set in beautiful hues of orange and red; so sunsets were like this everywhere¡ªit made me feel closer to home. With the weakening sun the winds picked up. My body responded by heating up. ¡°Blaise?¡± Mari was staring at me, ¡°You¡ªyou¡¯re glowing.¡±
Chapter 2 Part 1 Mari I didn¡¯t believe I was standing next to an alien. No, sorry, a phoenix¡ªhow stupid of me. Until, that is, the sun set and the temperature went from chill to cold. Until I turned to suggest we head inside only to find Blaise¡¯s skin radiating a light¡ªglow? Her eyes, when she turned to me, were completely gold, no whites at all. ¡°Blaise?¡± I swallowed hard, ¡°You¡ªyou¡¯re glowing.¡± ¡°We need to leave,¡± all traces of the innocent idiot following me around were gone. The person in front of me seemed¡­dangerous; like maybe I should have been more cautious before spending hours with her. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s head downstairs,¡± I hurried to the elevator. The elevator operator looked at Blaise wide-eyed but thankfully he remained silent. As soon as we stepped out of the building, Blaise¡¯s glow died down to an odd tan. I breathed a sign of relief, ¡°So¡­what was that?¡± Don¡¯t be intimidated. ¡°Phoenixes are meant to be in the tropics where we absorb heat, not exude it,¡± Blaise said like it made perfect sense. ¡°So have you seen enough? Are you going back?¡± I asked¡ªmore like snapped. My stomach chose that moment to grumble. ¡°I am hungry too,¡± Blaise said matter-of-factly. ¡°Okay, food then print the pictures then get you home,¡± I checked my phone, almost nine. Lights out at my dorm was eleven. Luckily we were on a busy street so most places closed late. We walked into a sandwich place¡ªthe smell of bread and meat and herbs made my mouth water. ¡°What is that smell?¡± Blaise asked a little too loudly. Oh God, she was gonna get our food spat on.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°You mean that wonderful aroma? That¡¯s the miracle of sandwiches,¡± I smiled at the clerk behind the counter. Probably best if I ordered for both of us. ¡°Just sit, I¡¯ll bring the food over.¡± Two roast beef sandwiches, two fountain sodas and two bags of chips¡ªman, I need to stop spending this money! Blaise looked at the sandwich, inspected it from every angle, taking a bite her face lit up, her mouth widening into a smile. ¡°Thish ish goude,¡± her words slurred around the food. I tried my best not to look annoyed. The longer I stared at this beautiful idiot the more convinced I became that there was no way she could have masterminded a trip to another world. There¡¯s no way¡­ ¡°How did you get here? To this world? Was it an accident?¡± Blaise shook her head, ¡°I¡ªwait you believe me now?¡± This time I couldn¡¯t help rolling my eyes, ¡°You glowed¡ªof course I believe you¡¯re¡­different.¡± Blaise¡¯s smile blazed, brightening her whole face, ¡°That¡¯s wonderful.¡± ¡°Ugh,¡± I almost banged my head against the table, ¡°Soooo?¡± Blaise looked at her hands, ¡°It wasn¡¯t an accident,¡± she gave a deep sigh, ¡°It¡¯s rather complicated but let¡¯s just say before now the idea of a world without magic was only a myth and I just proved it¡¯s not,¡± a smug smile danced on her lips. I latched onto the one thing I understood, ¡°Aha! It is a place with magic!¡± Blaise shrugged, ¡°What do you call those machines you drive or that thing that lifted us to the top of the building or all those moving pictures or even that ¡®phone¡¯ you took ¡®pictures¡¯ with.¡± ¡°Technology,¡± I said flatly. Blaise shrugged again, ¡°Exactly, something that helps manipulate your world for your comfort. Just like our magic.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not magic¡ªmagic is creating portals to other worlds!¡± I snapped, ¡°There is a solid science based on the laws of physics behind our devices what is your magic based on?¡± ¡°The laws of aether,¡± Blaise answered without hesitation. My jaw dropped, ¡°What the hell is that?¡± ¡°What are the laws of physics?¡± Blaise answered calm as can be. It was driving me insane. ¡°Um¡ªmatter can neither be created nor destroyed.¡± I stated triumphantly. ¡°Hmm¡ªno wonder there¡¯s no magic here if this universe makes such a rule, we have no such law in my world.¡± I stared, slack jawed again. ¡°I mean how else can a dragon condense into this form¡ªor a Kraken for that matter,¡± Blaise continued with nonsense. ¡°Ugh,¡± I threw up my hands in frustration, ¡°If you¡¯re done eating, let¡¯s go.¡± We walked outside, I immediately tightened my jacket against the cold, ¡°Okay where to? I mean you¡¯re heading back now, right?¡± Blaise looked at the sky, ¡°Actually I can¡¯t leave until morning, something about a rising dawn.¡± Chapter 2 Part 2 ¡°Something about?¡± I raised an eyebrow, ¡°Yeah sounds like a real science.¡± ¡°Can I spend the night with you?¡± Blaise asked, that cheerful smile making me want to vomit. ¡°Um, no, I can take you to a cheap hotel,¡± no way was I sneaking a giant into my dorm. Blaise pulled a piece of paper out of the bag with her clothes, ¡°Do you know how to get money out of this piece of paper?¡± My eyes almost jumped out of my head¡ªa cashier¡¯s check for $20,000. ¡°Where did you get this?¡± I snatched it from her. ¡°The ruby,¡± again that nonchalant shrug. ¡°How?¡± ¡°You can have it¡­if you let me stay with you and get me to a place called Central Park by dawn.¡± Now the stupid bird woman had a smug smirk on her face. Twenty thousand dollars though! How can I pass that up? ¡°Fine,¡± I snarled, ¡°Come with me, we¡¯ll take a cab since you can¡¯t do subways.¡± Blaise seemed hesitant to step inside the cab but once it got going she was surprisingly excited. ¡°Not too fast for you?¡± I mean if all she was used to was a horse or carriage this should have been unbelievable. ¡°Fast?¡± Blaise laughed, ¡°I¡¯m a phoenix, we fly faster than an eye can see¡ªstill though, humans are amazing. Without magic and with so few advantages anyone would think your species would have been extinct ages ago. Instead not only do you thrive but you strive to unlock the secrets of your universe and create machines as good as any magic.¡± ¡°Um, I guess,¡± I didn¡¯t get this woman, was she a genius who acted like an idiot? I had the cab pull over by a Walgreens I had electronically sent the pictures to to be printed. ¡°How did they know what to make for us?¡± Blaise asked when the clerk handed me an envelope. I contemplated how long it would take to explain, from scratch, about phone apps and the internet. Shaking my head, I said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s technology.¡± I watched Blaise fawn over the pictures, ¡°so lifelike¡±, ¡°so real¡±, ¡°amazing¡±. I rolled my eyes. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough, let¡¯s go,¡± I said pushing Blaise out the door. The dorm was only a block away. I swiped my ID card at the door and we walked into the pristine lobby. No one sat behind the front desk. I sighed in relief and dragged Blaise into the elevator. Her face showed childlike excitement at the slow rise of the elevator and the bright buttons. ¡°You were just in an elevator at the Empire State Building.¡± I had to slap her hands twice to keep her from pressing all the buttons. ¡°But there were so many people, I didn¡¯t get to enjoy it.¡± Another swipe of my ID to get into the room. My roommates were already there. A worm of nervousness crept into my throat, wiggling it¡¯s body until I had to clear my throat twice before I could say, ¡°Hey guys, this is Blaise, she¡¯s gonna spend the night.¡± I said in one breath and pushed Blaise to my bed. The tiny bedroom fit three twin size beds with a tiny desk for each and just enough floor space to get where one needed to go. Neither my roommates nor I made a habit of hanging out in the room so within an hour both girls found somewhere to be. With them gone it got easier to breathe. ¡°That was awkward,¡± Blaise rocked on the bed, making yet another stupid face. Blaise Mari was giving me yet another annoyed expression. This girl really had a singular mind. ¡°Well, how about we go to the roof, high places always have the best view.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°The roof?¡± Mari gave me an incredulous stare, ¡°I don¡¯t even know if we¡¯re allowed up there.¡± I laughed, ¡°Do you only ever do what you¡¯re allowed to do?¡± Mari frowned and turned red, ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± I got up and pulled her out of the door. The door to the roof was indeed locked. I stared at my hand. While if was true that there was no magic in this world, I had magic from my world; I needed it to get back but opening a lock would only take¡ªI snapped my fingers, sparks flew and the lock came undone. ¡°You have magic?¡± Mari whispered excited for the first time since I met her. The door gave way with a pop. Wind blew us back, I stepped out onto a flat, gray roof. ¡°Yeah, how else am I gonna get home?¡± Only to find my voice drowned out by cars and horns and my eyes blinded by lights. ¡°What is this? Does no one sleep here?¡± It made me nostalgic for the quiet peace of nighttime at home. True, even at home, going out onto the balcony the darkness was dissipated by lightbulbs flashing in every window but it wasn¡¯t like this. ¡°Well, New York is known as the city that never sleeps¡ªso I guess¡­no?¡± Mari said proudly. A railing wrapped around the roof¡ªapparently fear of falling off afflicted all humans. I walked to the edge and leaned over. How different a world looked from above. I saw Mari kept herself far enough back not to see over the railing. ¡°Are you afraid?¡± ¡°Well, maybe if you fall down you¡¯d turn into a bird and fly away, but if I fall, I will go splat on the pavement with my guts splayed out for a mile,¡± Mari snapped. I laughed at her. What would it be like to don my phoenix skin here in this world? ¡°I can¡¯t turn into a bird, not without my other skin. I fall here, I¡¯m as human as you.¡± Mari smirked, ¡°That¡¯s the most normal thing you¡¯ve said all day and I don¡¯t believe you.¡± I smiled at her self-assurance. Knowing nothing about me or my world, she is still so cocky in her knowledge. ¡°You know there is a legend¡ªmyth¡ªwhichever¡ªin my world that says there used to be humans there.¡± ¡°What happened to them?¡± No actual interest permeated Mari¡¯s voice. ¡°Don¡¯t know, disappeared,¡± I replied, ¡°but legend says that humans were the ones to teach us animals to shape-shift. Before we could take this form none of the animals could understand each other and there was constant war. Imagine dragons at war with krakens and phoenixes fighting unicorns¡ªdestruction everywhere.¡± To me the idea send shivers down my spine but confusion and boredom came over Mari. I laughed, ¡°Your face is so easy to read. Anyway¡ªhumans had very little magic and what they had they used to protect their clan¡ªapparently it was very small unlike yours.¡± I swept my arm at the scene below me. ¡°It¡¯s said that a little human girl befriended a fox, a prince of the fox clan. And though they couldn¡¯t communicate they came to understand each other. ¡°That¡¯s how the human mage found them playing one day. It struck him that if the animals had a common tongue the wars might end. So he searched but could not find a way to teach them while still in their animal skins. After years of searching he found a way to take off their animal skins and don human flesh instead; allowing everyone to look and sound the same.¡± ¡°Sounds stupid,¡± Mari interrupted, ¡°Let¡¯s make everyone the same¡ªlacks understanding and appreciation for each other¡¯s differences.¡± I laughed, ¡°Quite the opposite, we couldn¡¯t appreciate our differences without first understanding how we were similar.¡± I waited for understanding to light up Mari¡¯s face, receiving skepticism instead so continued my story, ¡°The mage decided to try the magic with the fox prince¡ª¡° ¡°Child abuse!¡± Mari yelled, ¡°Forcing a child to undergo magic against his will.¡± ¡°Um¡ªno¡ªit was a slow process and took many days but he didn¡¯t hold the fox captive. The boy stayed of his own accord and after a week he was able to step out of his fox skin as a human.¡± ¡°But just because he looked human doesn¡¯t mean he could talk,¡± Mari interjected again. For the first time I could feel my own irritation rising, ¡°No he could not, it took many more months for him to learn the basics yet it still proved that it could be done. The boy and the girl were very happy.¡±I could see Mari getting ready to speak again, ¡°Anyway they presented their new magic to each clan one by one¡ªconvinced them to learn the shape-shift magic and the human tongue and once everyone could understand each other they lived happily ever after.¡± ¡°So the human tongue was English, was it?¡± Mari raised a sardonic eyebrow. ¡°I don¡¯t know what English is,¡± I replied. ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re speaking,¡± Mari snapped. ¡°Oh, language, no that¡¯s just a spell¡ªI came up with it myself,¡± I smiled. I was quite proud of myself for that. But Mari only returned my smile with a cruel grin. I sighed, there was a saying about first impressions being irreversible. I leaned over the rail watching the moving lights of the cars below. The silence stretched. ¡°So once you leave, you won¡¯t come back?¡± Mari asked. She still wouldn¡¯t step closer to the rail, opting for leaning against the wall of the building. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I would¡ªunless they want proof,¡± I whispered the last part; she didn¡¯t need to know that. ¡°Hmm, just visiting a whole other world for a day,¡± Mari sounded wistful and snide at the same time, ¡°must be nice.¡± I took a deep breath, unable to stop myself any longer, ¡°Why are you so miserable?¡± I looked back at her to watch her jaw drop. ¡°I¡¯m not miserable!¡± She exclaimed bursting off the wall. Dozens of emotions fleeted across her face; surprisingly settling on defeat. ¡°Maybe I am¡ªI don¡¯t even know how I feel most of the time.¡± The idea hit me like a lightning bolt¡ªenergizing every molecule in my body, ¡°Then come with me, visit another world for a day.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± the moment of humility passed in a flash replaced by annoyed surprise. I laughed, ¡°You truly are incredible¡ªjust think leave at dawn and be back in the afternoon the following day, no one will even know you went anywhere.¡± Mari seemed frozen mid-argument, ¡°¡ªI don¡¯t have work tomorrow¡­and I can skip a day of classes¡­ maybe I can take a trip¡­it¡¯s only for one day,¡± suddenly Mari glared at me, ¡°You swear it will only be one day, right?¡± ¡°I swear on whatever god you believe in,¡± I promised. This is even better than telling people I saw humans¡ªI will bring one back with me! Chapter 3 Part 1 Mari What do you pack for a trip to another world? Blaise said the climate was very warm so no jacket. I should shave my legs in case I have to wear shorts or skirts. I remembered the crazy outfit Blaise came into the store in. I will stand out like a sore thumb. A nervous panic started in my chest. I should just tell her I changed my mind. I heard footsteps and the feeling of someone towering over me. I felt my face grow hot, I snapped, ¡°Are all phoenixes as huge as you? Am I going to be like a midget?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just above average so no, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll feel small, plus many clans congregate in the capitol and many are far shorter than humans.¡± The honest and open response made me ashamed of my outburst. I turned to see Blaise plop on the bed, ¡°What if I changed my mind?¡± Blaise watched me with that unhindered openness, so unnerving. ¡°Up to you but I think you¡¯ll miss a chance of a lifetime.¡± We looked at one another¡ªit started to feel awkward. ¡°You don¡¯t need all that,¡± Blaise nodded her head at my overnight bag, ¡°I can provide anything you need there.¡± I raised my eyebrow, ¡°That¡¯s pretty cocky,¡± and went back to packing my bag. After showering I packed my bathroom essentials. ¡°That shampoo was really nice, do you have an extra bottle I would like to keep some,¡± Blaise ran her fingers through her wet hair. ¡°That¡¯s conditioner and yeah, I have a full one I¡¯ll give you,¡± I didn¡¯t recognize my own voice. I didn¡¯t sound annoyed. Maybe defeated? Resigned? Oh well, twenty grand, keep my eyes on the prize. At some point in the middle of the night I got up to pee. I looked at the toilet paper in my hand¡ªa whole new world¡ª I took a fresh roll and stuffed it in the overnight bag; better safe than sorry. What is that noise? My eyes firmly shut, it took my brain long, excruciating minutes to realize the blaring came from my alarm. ¡°That means it¡¯s time to go, right?¡± I opened my eyes to see a pair of gold pupils inches from my face. ¡°Ah,¡± I screamed and scrambled away. ¡°You awake?¡± Blaise laughed. ¡°Shut up, we¡¯re sleeping,¡± one of my roommates snapped, jarring my brain fully awake. I pushed past Blaise throwing clothes on as quick as I could. The alarm clock read 4:30 a.m. Blaise wore the same extravagant outfit I met her in; I felt underdressed as I threw on a pair of jeans and a gray, fitted t-shirt. An hour later we found ourselves shivering as the sun rose in the middle of Central Park. The horizon lit up in vibrant orange and gold. ¡°It¡¯s good to know sunrises are beautiful everywhere,¡± Blaise commented before starting to chant strange unintelligible words. I couldn¡¯t watch the rising sun anymore¡ªBlaise¡¯s hands glowed!Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The glow slowly spread from her hands to the rest of her body; her hair turning from red to fiery, rising like flames into the air. As the glow reached her back, it flamed behind her forming into what looked like wings. A panic rose in my chest. This was real¡ªall real¡ªshe wasn¡¯t human and we were about to leave¡­Earth! I fell to my knees, I couldn¡¯t catch my breath. ¡°I can¡¯t just leave my world!¡± I stuttered but Blaise didn¡¯t respond¡ªshe probably couldn¡¯t¡ªdidn¡¯t so many books and movies say one couldn¡¯t stop in the middle of a spell? Hahahahaha. My point of reference were fantasy movies. What the hell am I doing? Once the glow encompassed Blaise, it moved outward from her palms, gathering in the air in front of her, growing larger and larger. Finally after what felt like an eternity, the glow was as tall as Blaise. She lowered her hands and the glow around her vanished. She turned and smiled at me, completely oblivious to my turmoil, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± One look at me and the smile vanished, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t go to another world!¡± I cried. ¡°Why not?¡± Blaise looked puzzled. I opened my mouth but no reasons came out. I¡¯m scared. But that didn¡¯t feel like something I could say. Blaise grabbed my arm, ¡°I¡¯ll have you back here in no time.¡± With inhuman strength she pulled me up, grabbed my bag and stepped through the portal. I screamed, shutting my eyes. But Blaise pulling me ended as suddenly as it started. Nothing changed. I could still breathe; nothing hurt. I cracked open one eye. Too bright. I squeezed it shut again. ¡°Come on already,¡± Blaise pushed me. My eyes popped open, ¡°Why is it so bright?¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Blaise asked, I still couldn¡¯t see her properly with the sun in my eyes. ¡°You know, I thought the same thing when I first got into your world. Maybe our suns are different.¡± Once my eyes adjusted I realized we were on a balcony, as high up as the top of the Empire State Building. I screamed again and shut my eyes, in hopes my stomach would stop doing flips. ¡°You really can¡¯t take heights, huh?¡± I felt Blaise¡¯s hands on my shoulders turning me around and pushing/guiding me forward. ¡°You can open your eyes now.¡± I opened my eyes. We were inside a dimly lit hallway. ¡°Come on, you won¡¯t know you¡¯re in a new world until you see it from on high. We can walk out slowly; you don¡¯t even have to walk past the doorway.¡± I glared at Blaise but didn¡¯t protest when she slowly walked me back to the balcony. I refuse to be a wimp. What I thought was a balcony turned out to be a long ledge without railings. I got just past the doorway and planted my feet. Yup, that¡¯s far enough. ¡°What is this?¡± I asked. ¡°Hmm, a landing strip? I don¡¯t know if that translates correctly. We can take off and land here.¡± I gaped at her before a blue streak crossed the sky above my head. The sky itself was the same bright blue as home with the same puffy white clouds. Maybe not everything was different. ¡°That blue streak is Aodh¡ªwhat a showoff.¡± Blaise shook her head smiling. I finally looked out into the world in front of me. The breath whooshed out of my lungs. Wow. Buildings as tall as any skyscrapers filled my line of sight, many taller than the height of where we stood. But not metal and glass like I was used to¡ªthese towers were as colorful as a peacock, kind of curved at the top without a roof to speak of reminding me more of tall, thin mounds? Or mountains? They looked soft, not made of metal or cement, more earthen? I watched a man stepped on a ledge similar to the one I stood on and in a blink of an eye he changed¡ªsuddenly a bright orange bird larger and prettier than any bird should be stood in his place. He flew off. I gasped. ¡°Yeah, I know how you feel,¡± Blaise had her hands on her hips staring proudly at the flying bird-man. She whirled to face me, her eyes on fire, literally. I screamed and scooted back. She didn¡¯t look human, ¡°I¡¯m going flying, come with me.¡± I could only shake my head and watch as Blaise ran to the edge of the ledge and jumped off. I screamed again¡ªI think¡ªand rushed to the ledge edge not thinking. I watched Blaise¡¯s body contort and end as a fiery red bird. Her wings and tail blazed a trail of fire, I blinked and she moved so fast she turned into a red streak across the sky. Blaise The air rushed through me as I fell, the velocity of the fall increasing my speed. I couldn¡¯t help but smile. My body shifted as natural as the flow of water and wings slowed my fall into flight. I laughed. My body¡¯s heat flashed fire along my feathers, finally having a release. I flapped my wings once and the world blurred, moving too fast to see. For a moment I forgot the human girl I left behind, or why I brought her in the first place. Pure joy flowed out of my stomach, forming a knot in my chest so hard I couldn¡¯t stop smiling. Before I knew it I was staring at the ocean. Scent of saltwater assaulted my nose, the sound of seagulls burst through the bubble of my speed. Time to head back. Another flap of my wings and the world blurred again. I reached the ledge where I left Mari but she was nowhere to be seen. Shit.
Chapter 3 Part 2 I folded my wings and dove into the hallway. The phoenix towers were designed for both forms; wide and high-ceilinged enough for me to fly down. I didn¡¯t have to go far. On the second landing Mari sat on the ground while Kenna and one of her stooges towered over the human girl. ¡°Who are you? What are you? How do you not speak the common tongue?¡± Kenna yelled. Kenna was one of my rivals, a golden phoenix, her blonde hair lay in perfect waves with golden strands sparkling throughout. Taller than me by half a head she stood with regal composure except for the angry sneer on her pretty features. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying,¡± Mari plastered herself against the wall, barely keeping the fear off her face. Too much pride; showing a little fear would have put Kenna at ease. ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± I said in Phoenix before transforming back to human form, ¡°She¡¯s my guest.¡± ¡°Blaise, thank God,¡± Mari half ran, half scooted to my side. ¡°What is she?¡± Kenna didn¡¯t back down. ¡°A human,¡± I replied keeping my expression blank. Kenna¡¯s face twisted in a snarl, ¡°I see she¡¯s in human form, I asked what she was.¡± I let my own rank settle on my shoulders like a mantle, ¡°She is, as I said a human and my guest. The rest will be explained to the Council, now buzz off.¡± Kenna did snarl this time before walking away and taking her stooge with her. I waited until they were out of earshot before turning to Mari, ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°How could you leave me like that? What is wrong with you?¡± She yelled in my face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was happy to be home and didn¡¯t think¡ª¡° ¡°No shit you didn¡¯t think, do you ever?¡± I sighed, if I waited for her to stop being angry I would probably be here all day, ¡°Let¡¯s go to my room.¡± Mari Still seething with anger I followed Blaise down steep, winding stairs until my head was spinning. ¡°How many floors are there?¡± ¡°Two hundred give or take,¡± Blaise replied nonchalantly. I almost fell down, ¡°Two hun-hundred?¡± Blaise stopped, tilting her head, ¡°I guess nothing in your world is that high¡ªthat makes sense since you can¡¯t fly.¡± ¡°Elevators?¡± I stammered. ¡°For phoenixes?¡± Blaise chuckled, ¡°That would be silly and all the official business is on the first five floors so other clans don¡¯t need it.¡± I stared at the bird-woman in disbelief, ¡°What about me?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Blaise grinned sheepishly, ¡°My room is only a few more floors down so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Huh? Not a problem? Did that mean my whole stay would be in this tower? But Blaise had already walked on, oblivious to me as usual. When we reached the intended floor Blaise said thoughtfully, ¡°It¡¯s much easier to fly down.¡± I stared, wondering how someone so stupid found a way to cross worlds. Also if I got some magic powers and could make her head explode by staring hard enough. Blaise¡¯s head remained intact as she opened the door. ¡°Welcome, make yourself comfortable.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Wow,¡± compared to my room, this was a luxury suite. The ceiling so high, Blaise could easily fit in her phoenix form. The living area had ginormous pillows and a bird swing hung low to the ground. Past the living area were a set of French doors leading to a balcony without a railing¡ªso more of a launch pad? ¡°My room is on this side,¡± Blaise pointed to the right, ¡°The other is supposed to be servant¡¯s quarters but I don¡¯t have any so it¡¯s all yours tonight.¡± So generous, but I kept my sarcasm to myself. ¡°Come, let¡¯s take a bath before heading to see the Council.¡± I had just opened the door to the servant¡¯s room but didn¡¯t register anything I saw. Bath? See the Council? I turned around, ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°We should bathe,¡± Blaise¡¯s voice was coming from the room beside her bedroom, ¡°I don¡¯t want to meet the Council with the stink of the road on us.¡± I heard water gushing now. ¡°First, a bath is all nice and good but I prefer¡ª¡° the rest of the sentence died in my throat as I walked into the largest bath I have ever seen. ¡°What is this?¡± It looked more like a pool. ¡°Bath,¡± Blaise was in the process of taking off her dress, I quickly turned away. Blaise laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t be shy, we won¡¯t see much of each other anyway once we¡¯re in the water.¡± I heard the splash as Blaise entered the water. I turned back to see that she was right, with the heavy steam I could barely see in front of me. ¡°The water feels great, come in.¡± Blaise¡¯s voice came from somewhere in the fog. The steamy air was making my clothes cling to my skin; the idea of getting in didn¡¯t seem so bad now. There are plenty of places where people take public baths, I told myself, this isn¡¯t so bad. I took off my clothes and tiptoed to the edge of the pool. Are there supped to be stairs? How deep was it? I put a toe in the water¡ªthe blissful warmth made me shiver. I sat on the edge letting my legs dangle in before carefully dunking the rest of the way. The water reached my shoulders but I could still walk. ¡°Come a bit closer, there¡¯s a place to sit and soap and washcloth,¡± Blaise¡¯s voice sounded far away. I found the soap mostly by feel. As I finished washing the door to the bathroom opened with a bang. ¡°The Council wants to see you both,¡± I recognized the voice of the woman yelling at me earlier. Water splashed in the direction of where Blaise was, ¡°Calm down, we¡¯re coming.¡± Then to me she said, ¡°I¡¯ll get out first, I¡¯ll put fresh clothes out for you though they may be a bit big, come out when you¡¯re ready.¡± As soon as the door closed behind them I sprang out of the water. A towel sat where I left my clothes, I dried off and peeked out of the room. The two women were nowhere to be seen. Neither were the promised clothes. I ran to the room meant for me. Again, instead of a bed there was a bird perch and pillows, in hues of orange, bronze and dark pinks, though here the pillows were big enough to be a mattress. On one lay a black dress, the same silky material that Blaise wore, in the same billowy style. Just as Blaise said, the dress hung on me like a tent but hooks on the inside allowed the garment to be wrapped around the body. After a moment I was able to adjust the neckline and wrap it in a semi-flattering manner. Not sure who the dress was meant for but it wasn¡¯t nearly long enough to be Blaise¡¯s, reaching just past my knees. By the time I finished dressing and left ¡°my room¡±, Blaise was back, in an emerald gown this time, lying on a giant pillow. ¡°Alright, the fastest way for us to get down is to fly down outside, I can carry you.¡± My gaze went to the launching pad outside, my mind shuddering with fear. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± Blaise seemed to read my mind, ¡°t he second option is magic, I found a spell I can adjust to simulate escalators in your world but it will take time. I already told Kenna to tell the Council we are on our way.¡± I sighed in relief but as Blaise sat cross-legged, seemingly doing nothing I started to wonder why things turned out so differently for me than for Blaise. Why couldn¡¯t I stay here unanimously for a day and go back without meeting the local government? Blaise finally opened her eyes, they blazed gold. From her eyes her whole body emanated a soft golden glow. She reached out her hand, where she touched my hand the glow transferred to me. Once my body was engulfed too, the whole thing flashed once and disappeared. Blaise smiled, ¡°Time to go.¡± We stepped on the stairway. ¡°Stop on the first step,¡± Blaise instructed. The staircase shifted under our feet, almost dumping us on the step below it but we didn¡¯t fall, in fact it felt like we were lightly bouncing on our tiptoes. Once I got used to the off feeling I could focus back on my thoughts from earlier. ¡°Why do I have to meet this Council anyway? You didn¡¯t have to register with anyone when you came to my world.¡± ¡°Your world is so populated, and there is no magic for anyone to notice an anomaly.¡± ¡°But who told your Council that I was here anyway? I mean you mentioned them even before you knew if that Kenna woman was going to tell them.¡± ¡°They would know without anyone telling them, they know everything that happens in this country, sorry Mari but this is required, I probably should have told you sooner,¡± Blaise smiled but it failed to reassure me. My trust in Blaise plummeted; she did this on purpose. ¡°So what happens now?¡± ¡°Oh nothing,¡± Blaise reassured me, ¡°The Council sees you and gives their consent to you being here for a day.¡± ¡°And if they don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Ha, ha, you¡¯re too cynical.¡± I wasn¡¯t. Blaise was definitely nervous. The stairway finally dropped us off on the ground floor. Blaise led us through a hallway that was beautifully decorated with mosaics and statues but seemed small compared to the overlarge ceilings from the rest of the building. We walked into a large, round room, with windows that rose from the floor to peak at the ceiling in a semi-dome. The ceiling was painted like a sunrise sky adding to the brightness of the room. A bird perch circled the room far above our heads. How did I know it was a bird perch? Because seven giant Phoenixes perched on it, in a wild array of colors but the same menacing glares. Chapter 4 Part 1 Blaise I hoped I covered how nervous I felt. The annoyance on Mari¡¯s face never changed so I had no idea what she was thinking. As we entered the Council room my heart sank, any hope I had of keeping this civil shattered seeing the Council all in phoenix skin. ¡°Blaise, what is the meaning of this? We hear reports of a human without Skin, who speaks a tongue we¡¯ve never heard before, and that you brought her here,¡± Inga, Councilor of Magic and my patron, flicked her feathers and stared down her beak at me. I cleared my throat¡ªone would think after two lifetimes on the same perch I wouldn¡¯t be so intimidated by it. ¡°Did you create a portal to another world?¡± The Council and Clan leader, Eth, stared down his majestic golden beak at me. ¡°Yes, Council leaders.¡± Deadly silence greeted my words. ¡°And you brought a human with you,¡± Eth continued. I swallowed, my triumph tasting bitter now, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You aim for a Council seat and this is how you show it?¡± Inga screeched, her wings expanding their full breadth, almost knocking the Councilmen on either side of her on their heads. I cleared my throat again, hoping to keep my voice steady, ¡°I aim to be the voice of all magic in the nation and I performed the greatest feat of magic for it.¡± Yes, that sounded strong, I mentally patted myself on the back. ¡°I for one think it is a monumental discovery,¡± Councilor of National Affairs, representing the interests of the nation, Agoun, said. All beaks turned towards him. ¡°What was your plan exactly?¡± Solaire, the Judge, spoke into the silence. A plan. Yes, surely I had one. I frowned¡ªI must have had one. ¡°I planned¡­I¡­¡± to show you how awesome I am at magic! But even I knew that was the wrong answer. ¡°So you were showing off with no thought to consequences,¡± Inga screeched again. ¡°Either way, now we have a guest and need to decide what to do with her,¡± Eth said with a soothing coo. ¡°The girl herself did nothing wrong, the best we can do is detain her until she can be sent home,¡± Solaire spoke again, his dark blue and gold plumage impeccably groomed to match the stoic sound of his voice.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Exposure should be kept at a minimum, while we have no intentions to act on this knowledge, the same cannot be said for the other clans,¡± Voron, Councilor of International Relations added. ¡°The girl should be allowed to see some of the beauty she came to see,¡± Agoun, again came unexpectedly to Mari¡¯s rescue. ¡°No one has to know she is Skinless,¡± I added quickly. The last thing I wanted was for Mari to be treated like a prisoner. ¡°Blaise, however, can be charged with several misdemeanors.¡± Solaire stared down his beak at her. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be the worst idea to leave a good impression with a possible new market,¡± the Councilor of Trade, Lumina, positively blazed in her red, yellow and orange feathers like the savior she was. ¡°Well we certainly can¡¯t leave Blaise in charge of her,¡± Inga said quickly, ¡°I say we leave Kenna to show her our city.¡± Ugh, Kenna? Blaise hoped someone would intervene. Kenna couldn¡¯t leave a good impression on a puppy. No one said anything, Blaise said, ¡°Um, Mari doesn¡¯t know anyone else here and Kenna¡­didn¡¯t leave the best impression¡ªyou know¡ªattacking her.¡± ¡°Fine, Blaise and Kenna will share responsibility of the Skinless.¡± Eth declared. ¡°And you will receive your punishment once the girl has gone back home safely,¡± Inga added. Great! But I kept my mouth shut and ushered Mari out of the room. Mari I understood nothing that happened in that room. Faced with birds screeching at one another and only hearing Blaise¡¯s side of the conversation, which was uninformative, we finally came out to a waiting Kenna. ¡°What happened in there?¡± I yelled at Blaise. ¡°We got permission to go sightseeing we just have to take Kenna with us,¡± Blaise smiled wide like everything went according to plan. ¡°That¡¯s not everything¡ª" I started to be rudely interrupted. ¡°Mari, all you have to worry about is having fun on your one day here. Let me worry about the rest,¡± Blaise¡¯s smile never wavered, ¡°Now let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Kenna blocked our way, ¡°We should show her important monuments like the Memorial at the Gate, the Museum of Clan History¡ª" she was also rudely interrupted. ¡°Kenna, you¡¯re so grounded.¡± Grounded? I must have made a face because Blaise turned to me and explained, ¡°It means boring,¡± before turning back to Kenna, ¡°she¡¯s here to have fun not for a history lesson, we should go to Skinship.¡± ¡°If her opinion matters so much to you, why don¡¯t you ask her what she wants to see,¡± Kenna took a menacing step forward. Ask me? But I have no idea what they ha¡ªa thought struck me, ¡°I want to see magic. Real magic.¡± ¡°Magic is used for everything from medicine to construction, what exactly do you want to see?¡± Kenna snapped. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea,¡± Blaise said at the same time, ¡°Let¡¯s head to the shopping district.¡± Kenna made to argue, but Blaise interrupted again, ¡°Her world has no magic, any version of magic is singularly unique to our world and thus a perfect way to exemplify what makes our world different and special.¡± How did this idiot sometimes say something so perfect? The expression on Kenna¡¯s face reflected my own; at least we will have something in common. Turning a corner in the hallway we entered a sprawling lobby. Our footsteps resonated until all I could hear was the out-of-sync sound. A fountain in the shape of a rising phoenix stood in the middle of the room, water jetted out of the tips of its golden wings. The doors to the outside were nine-foot, carved double doors in silver. Blaise pushed one side open and once again the brightness of the sun took away my sight for a moment. Chapter 4 Part 2 Mari The noise hit me first. At first seemingly that of a busy street but underneath that was a cacophony of animal sounds. In front of me appeared a very warped version of a New York street. There was a sidewalk and a road but on it walked and crawled and flew not only people but rabbits and birds and¡­a snake slithered right by my foot. I yelped. A monkey rode in a horseless carriage. I forgot to breathe for a moment. ¡°Come, let¡¯s get moving.¡± I gasped air into my lungs and even that tasted sweeter and felt thicker. ¡°Why does the air feel like that?¡± We started walking. Kenna just gave me a raised eyebrow. But Blaise seemed to think, ¡°It does feel different from your world, I wonder if that¡¯s the aether you feel.¡± ¡°I thought aether was your version of physics,¡± talking kept me from focusing on the fact that we just passed a tiger just strolling along meowing at a person who responded by meowing back. I sidled closer to Blaise. ¡°The two are equivalent but that doesn¡¯t matter, aether is a substance that dictates the rules our world survives by. For instance, the core of our planet is a dense ball of aether, it creates the gravitational pull we have on our planet and the magnetic field surrounding it.¡± I stared at Blaise, something tickled my memory, somehow it all sounded familiar. Getting past the unconventional people walking down the streets I noticed that not all the buildings were the tall phoenix skyscrapers. There were quite a few normal buildings of ten stories or less. ¡°What are all these places?¡± Kenna jumped to answer in the same serious, formal tone she had used so far (except when she seemed angry or annoyed with Blaise, which seemed a lot of the time; another thing we had in common). ¡°The capitol city of Gebyrd is home to all the clans inhabiting the nation of Volant. So many businesses and a lot of the housing keep the number of floors to a minimum as not to ostracize the aerially challenged.¡± Aerially challenged? Condescending much? I glanced at Blaise who shook her head seemingly reading my mind. ¡°Where are we going?¡± I switched topics. ¡°A magic shop, while as Kenna said, magic is used in most professions to a degree, there are still professional mages whose job it is to create spells to make everyday lives for our citizens a little easier. In your world you have technology that moves those cars we drove, in my world we power our vehicles with magic,¡± Blaise paused staring at a passing carriage. They looked like carriages to me, mostly open top, with large wooden wheels but there were no visible drivers, it moved on its own, ¡°Though seeing the cars of your world makes me believe we can make our vehicles much faster. Oh and those screens that showed images, what did you call them, televisions!¡± Blaise glowed with excitement. ¡°That¡¯s enough, haven¡¯t you gotten in enough trouble,¡± Kenna admonished while trying to hide her interest. ¡°What is up with you two anyway? You fight more than cats and dogs,¡± I asked. ¡°Professional rivals, would be the easiest explanation¡ª" Kenna started. ¡°We are both aiming for the same seat on the Council¡ªexcept I¡¯ve already done it for two lifetimes so of course it¡¯s not much of a competition,¡± Blaise seemed to have forgotten that she was just admonished by that very council less than an hour ago. ¡°That¡¯s right, the Councilor of Magic, it is given to one that exhibits progress and discovery for our world through magical innovation,¡± Kenna seemed to stand up straighter, pride curving her lips into the smallest smile. ¡°And what is greater than discovering a whole new world?¡± Blaise complained. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be for the benefit of our nation, how is finding a new world exactly helpful?¡± Kenna snapped back. ¡°But it could lead to innovation, like realistic pictures created with a snap of the finger.¡± Blaise smiled wistfully. I couldn¡¯t blame her, I thought of my phone sitting useless in Blaise¡¯s rooms.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Blaise Despite all the reprimand I couldn¡¯t be sorry for going to the magic-less earth, it opened my eyes to just how big the universe was, to how much there is still left to see and do. By the Flame, if the Council insisted on punishing me I could just escape there for a few years until they got over it. We rounded a corner into the shopping district. The street opened up into a large square, a fountain stood in the middle with a statue of Ains, the red phoenix who formed the first Council. He bordered off Volant and sued for truce with the other major clans. Kenna was explaining the history to Mari in way more elaborate wording. ¡°He was my ancestor,¡± I interjected to keep her from boring Mari to tears. ¡°He was not,¡± Kenna¡¯s annoyed expression would rival Mari if it were a competition. ¡°He had red feathers,¡± I said. ¡°Not every red feathered phoenix is related to you,¡± Kenna growled, ¡°That¡¯s like saying I¡¯m related to Eth.¡± The thought made me shudder, ¡°Yeah, maybe you¡¯re right.¡± The beauty of the shopping district was no building was taller than two stories, I hoped it would put Mari more at ease. We crossed the square to a large shop with a phoenix inside a potion vial for a logo; the sign read Beil¡¯s. While the shop was large it was also cramped. A display of healing stones in various sizes stood right by the entrance immediately catching Mari¡¯s eye. I left Kenna to explain the fine details and entered the store. Inside was sectioned into aisles with little labels marking what each section stocked. But that wasn¡¯t my goal either. A line formed by the register, the little rabbit girl Beil hired as an apprentice manned it. Tsk. Where was that black feathered bastard? I didn¡¯t need Kenna noticing I¡¯d slipped away. Then I heard it. That slick little laugh. Standing at the curtain that sectioned the store from the backroom stood a tall, deceptively thin man with long, black hair, his handsome face in what most would assume was a genuine smile. He spotted me out of the corner of his eye, smoothly pulled away from his current conversation partner and hooked his arm in mine. ¡°Blaise, long time, come,¡± and he pulled me behind the curtain. ¡°Let go if you want to keep that arm,¡± I brushed him off. My coldness didn¡¯t faze him, the excitement in his green eyes would have rivaled a child¡¯s, ¡°Did it work?¡¯ I grinned back. ¡°Yes, the Skinless world is real and amazing! I brought one with me.¡± His eyes bulged, ¡°Here, with you? Now?¡± he peeked out of the curtain. ¡°I need more ingredients, I need to send her back in the morning.¡± ¡°What did the Council say?¡± ¡°They weren¡¯t happy.¡± Beil laughed but at least he gathered what I needed at the same time. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who thought they would welcome a world changer like that with open arms.¡± ¡°They¡¯re supposed to appreciate a great feat of magic, at least Inga¡­nevermind,¡± I gathered the supplies, left a letter of IOU that he could use at the bank to collect his funds and went to rejoin my group before they noticed I was gone. Mari had her arms full of knickknacks, ¡°Can I get this?¡± I rifled through it, healing stones, refilling water bottle, and a sleeping study aid? ¡°Sure.¡± I handed her golden coins. As we stood in line to pay I saw Beil, his gaze never leaving Mari. In hindsight, I shouldn¡¯t have told him she was Skinless. ¡°I¡¯m hungry,¡± Mari said as we were leaving the store. ¡°What did you buy?¡± Kenna eyed my bag suspiciously. ¡°Do you know a good place around here?¡± I blew her off. Kenna took us to a restaurant just outside the shopping district; the sign outside read Gluttonous with a picture of a phoenix sitting on its butt, patting a stuffed belly. ¡°Really?¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t judge, their food is delicious,¡± Kenna snapped but it lacked the vehemence of her previous statements. Aw, was she warming up to me at last? The volume rose dramatically when we entered the restaurant. It smelled of heat and chicken but like most eateries there was not much to give away how good or bad the place was by the smell. Kenna found us a small table in the corner of the room and waived a waiter over. While Kenna explained the menu to Mari, I excused myself to use to restroom. Mari I was curious what the bathrooms looked like when Blaise said she needed to go but definitely not curious enough to investigate the possibility of finding a room full of animal feces. The menu was pretty simple. The only meat they seemed to make was chicken, when I asked Kenna she looked horrified, ¡°Of course, we can¡¯t eat rabbit, or bird, or fish, even if they are the unintelligent cousins of the Clans, it would be disrespectful.¡± There were intelligent fish? The conversation trailed off into an awkward silence. I fished for something to say, but I am not a social person and small talk never came easy for me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I scared you,¡± Kenna¡¯s voice came out gruff like the words were having trouble making it past her lips, ¡°I am in charge of the tower¡¯s security and¡­¡± ¡°That makes sense,¡± I said quickly no need to prolong a needless and awkward apology, ¡°I did appear like an intruder.¡± That had to be in the top ten statements I never thought I¡¯d say. Blaise came back and thankfully we could focus on the food. The chicken turned out to taste exactly like chicken at home. The vegetables though, I ordered something called The Stockpile, were delectable. Something that looked and tasted like potato, popped in my mouth in an explosion of buttery, salty goodness. Carrots, at least I think they were, snapped with a crunch and felt like satin on my tongue. There were at least three other vegetables I couldn¡¯t identify but all were equally amazing in my mouth. ¡°So what¡¯s next,¡± I asked as Blaise paid. The currency still weirded me out, they were gold coins like in all the medieval fantasy movies but they were so thin that they weighted about as much as paper money. ¡°We¡¯re going to a concert,¡± Blaise grinned like a devil. Chapter 5 Part 1 Mari ¡°You know we have concerts in our world,¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Your fox boyfriend¡¯s band?¡± Kenna drawled at the same time. Boyfriend? Fox? At first I thought she meant fox like hot then I realized she meant fox literally. ¡°You¡¯re dating a fox? Isn¡¯t that¡­problematic?¡± As in wouldn¡¯t he be dead long before you? ¡°Oh it¡¯s not monogamous. Phoenixes don¡¯t mate for life,¡± Blaise waved her hand dismissing the topic. ¡°Didn¡¯t have to choose a possible spy.¡± ¡°Spy?¡± I asked. Kenna turned to me, ¡°Foxes are not native to Volant, so we send someone to keep an eye on them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how we met,¡± Blaise smiled. ¡°You started dating someone you were surveilling?¡± No, on second thought that didn¡¯t surprise me in regards to Blaise. ¡°He¡¯s not a spy.¡± ¡°How can you be sure when you can¡¯t do your job properly, and you want to be a Councilor,¡± Kenna snorted. We reached a street corner with a purple stand, Blaise walked up and placed her hand on top of it. I forgot all about our conversation when a purple glow lit up around her hand, ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°She¡¯s hailing a taxi. Do you not have taxis in your world?¡± Kenna looked at me like I was the idiot. ¡°We don¡¯t have glowing purple thingies to call them over, we just raise our arm and wave it around,¡± maybe I am an idiot. ¡°And that works?¡± Kenna looked skeptical. ¡°Sometimes,¡± I mumbled. ¡°But I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re working so hard to get on the Council, Blaise,¡± I said to get the focus back where it needed to be, away from me. Blaise looked at me confused, ¡°That is the seat for the greatest magician in Volant, and I¡¯ve sat on it both my previous lifetimes.¡± ¡°But you hate following the rules, being in an authoritative position where you have to make others follow rules seems like an oxymoron for you.¡± Blaise cocked her head, but before she could respond the taxi arrived. A brown carriage, words probably reading taxi written on its side, rolled up beside us. While the vehicles I¡¯ve seen on the road had the front and back seats facing each other, the taxi driver¡¯s seat faced forward while the seat next to him faced the inside. The driver was a short, skinny man with salt and pepper hair. His eyes bulged seeing us¡ªwere phoenixes celebrities here? Or were they like cruel overlords?Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Again something must have slipped on my face because Blaise said, ¡°He¡¯s just not used to seeing phoenixes taking a taxi, but someone refuses to fly.¡± Was that a hint of annoyance in her voice? I really need to control my expressions better. The carriage didn¡¯t jostle like I expected instead moving smoothly through the streets. We didn¡¯t go faster than 25 miles per hour but it still felt fast in the narrow, two lane roads. Despite it being the capital city, we left it behind within twenty minutes. The end of the city was marked by an abrupt change from building to trees, with a couple of random phoenix towers peeking through. The trees, the bushes, the clouds, the road¡­it all looked familiar yet grander, larger than back home. Maybe it was the thick, sweet air playing tricks with my mind. We arrived at a booth on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere. Inside the booth stood a muscular giant of a man with black and red striped hair. ¡°Ticket?¡± He growled not nearly as impressed as the driver by the sight of two phoenixes. ¡°I¡¯m on the list. Blaise,¡± Blaise grinned, ¡°Plus two.¡± The man stared at a sheet on the counter for several excruciating minutes before growling in the same tone, ¡°Go in.¡± ¡°Grumpy cat,¡± Blaise muttered as she led us into the woods. Despite looking like a wild forest, there was a clear path through the trees for us to walk through. I hadn¡¯t realized how much time we had spent in the sun until the coolness of the shade draped over me; like walking into an air conditioned room after being in the humid June heat. As we walked I heard what sounded like an electric guitar trailing off. The path ended in a field filled with¡­animals. Birds covered the branches; monkeys screeched, tigers growled, rabbits huddled in a corner, and phoenixes loomed over them all. Except a few, judging by their size, phoenixes in human skin hanging at the rear. The stage looked like any other stage I¡¯ve ever seen. And the band¡­what the hey! Was nothing original in any universe? I screamed inside my head. A singer, two guitar players and a drummer stood on the stage. Sure the guitars glowed and were more oval than hourglass but distinctly still guitars. And the drum set, complete with several cymbals, looked like any drum set that existed in my world. The lead singer didn¡¯t have a microphone but wore a choker that glowed. Considering I was in a fantasy world full of magic, I assumed that magnified his voice. ¡°Hello! And welcome! We are the Nomads,¡± the lead singer shouted but by how his voice carried he could have whispered and everyone would have heard, ¡°and that¡¯s all you need to know.¡± He nodded his head and the drummer started a riff. The audience reacted; even some phoenixes sent up screeches, one breathed fire. Holy smokes! I almost giggled but swallowed it down. Then the guitar thrummed signaling the start of a song. The drums changed to match, reverberating inside me and before I knew it a new yet somehow familiar rock song filled the field. The beat boomed, reflecting and uplifting my heartbeat, until it filled every nook and cranny of my mind. Nothing existed outside that beat. That short lead singer¡¯s voice turned gravely, almost sultry as he began a song about running away and making it on his own. My feet moved on their own, my head bobbing. I looked to see Blaise dancing like a drunk girl and the animals¡­were¡­dancing? Bunny tails shook; tigers stood on hind paws, heads bopping; well the snakes slithered, nothing new there. The next song was slower, a love song? Each song seemed to melt into the next, flowing up into a frenzy and then down into a lulling heart song; and all our energy flowed right with them. The last song ended, I found myself yelling as loudly as the rest of the audience. ¡°See, you had fun,¡± Blaise clapped my shoulder, ¡°Come, let me introduce you.¡± We almost forgot Kenna before her giant hands clamped down on both our shoulders. ¡°She doesn¡¯t need to meet your spy boyfriend,¡± she glared at both of us. ¡°But look¡ªshe¡¯s having fun¡ªthis is the biggest smile I¡¯ve seen on her face since I¡¯ve met her,¡± Blaise also had a giant smile on her face. For the first time I realized I was happy. It felt like the music worked all my frustration out of my body leaving my body feeling boneless and relaxed. Heck, if my only job today was to have fun then let¡¯s have fun. ¡°Let¡¯s meet the band!¡± I yelled. Chapter 5 Part 2 Blaise The day couldn¡¯t have gone any better. Mari enjoyed herself, making the day a success and as a bonus, Kenna wasn¡¯t treating me like a plague on phoenixes. To top it off, I was going to see Cai for the first time in months. I wondered if the girls could entertain themselves for twenty minutes so Cai and I could ¡°catch up¡±. Twenty minutes? Maybe thirty. The rest of the audience went back the way we had come. But I maneuvered us around the crowd towards the stage. As we got closer we could see the stage hands dismantling the stage and lights. The monkey clan controlled nearly all of the entertainment industry with nearly a dozen types of monkeys in the clan. We could see spider and squirrel monkeys climbing the lighting poles and dismantling things from the top down. One large man walked around with a clipboard, checking things off periodically. Several others made sure to usher any eager fans away from the stage. I tried to maneuver around these too but several voices rose in protest. They sounded like a bunch of baboons even in human skin. The man with the clipboard didn¡¯t even look up as he yelled, ¡°That¡¯s Cai¡¯s girlfriend, let her through.¡± Kenna rolled her eyes. Thankfully Mari had lost most of the annoyance that plagued her expressions for the last two days. Behind the stage the path continued for a short distance until it stopped at a magenta tent the size of twenty tents put together. Two more baboons in human skin stood at the front entrance but these guys recognized me right away. I could hear laughter coming from inside. The aroma of smoking grass hit me as soon as I lifted the flap, obscuring my view with the smoke. I frowned. I knew two of the other members had a habit of smoking to relax before a show but now all of them smoked? ¡°Blaise!¡± Cai jumped up from the couch he was sitting on. A head shorter than me, he appeared thin but I knew that his body was covered in sinewy muscle. Red hair as bright as mine sat on top his head in an organized chaos only he could manage. Damn, he was adorable. Even more so when he ran up to me, hugged me trying to lift me up. I laughed. My feet never left the ground. I leaned down, finding his lips with mine, feeling his tongue slip past. Damn. Surely they won¡¯t care if we slipped away for twenty minutes. Kenna cleared her throat. We broke apart. Party pooper. I introduced the members to Mari and Kenna. All the members of Nomad were outcasts. Capeka, tall, thin, white haired stork woman from Elbio, ruled by dragons; small, dark haired turtle-girl, Ridley, from Atoll, ruled by Kraken; and big Armel, the sloth bear from Bellecouth, ruled by unicorns. ¡°This is Mari, she¡¯s Skinless, the other world exists and I brought her here,¡± I exclaimed. My excitement dying as quick as it came with Kenna¡¯s glare.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°They¡¯re not spies.¡± I waved her off. It was just the seven of us. Armel popped open bottles of wine while Ridley rolled up more grass. Enchanted instruments played soft music in the background. I told the story of everything I saw in the other world. After a few drinks Mari and Kenna seemed to relax a bit and Cai and I were able to sneak off for a private moment. Drunken laughter greeted me when we came back. ¡°I think it¡¯s time for us to go,¡± Kenna stood but for once her posture wasn¡¯t rigid, in fact standing seemed to be a conscious choice. She pointed at Mari who seemed passed out on one of the couches. ¡°Oh good, we can fly back,¡± I said. Mari I¡¯m not sure what was in that drink but I didn¡¯t remember the ride home. I found myself in Blaise¡¯s room, trying to keep my eyes open as Kenna was leaving. ¡°I don¡¯t think she realized she was flying,¡± one voice said. ¡°Ha, and she will never know,¡± the other voice laughed. ¡°Bye Kenna,¡± I waved. The blonde giant smiled back. ¡°I¡¯ll report to the Council, make sure you get her home.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, just a few more hours and she will be gone.¡± The door slamming made me open my eyes. ¡°What happened? How did we get back?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Blaise grinned, ¡°Are you hungry? I¡¯ll ring the kitchen to bring something up.¡± ¡°Kitchen? You even have someone cook for you? Man, you live a charmed life.¡± ¡°We all have our roles to play,¡± I heard the response but I could feel my consciousness slipping again. Someone shook my shoulder, ¡°Mari, eat then go to bed.¡± I sat up, feeling far less groggy than when we first got back. I looked at Blaise; she was sitting on the bird perch, still in human form, what looked like a hamburger in her hand. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Blaise seemed to shake herself, her eyes focusing on me. Was it me or did she seem tired? Or was it worried? Blaise worried? ¡°It¡¯s a bean patty, tons of protein, you should eat it.¡± Even her voice seemed less energetic than before. My sandwich sat on a little table beside the pillow I lay on. I debated whether to ask her what was wrong. I was leaving in the morning, no reason to meddle in someone¡¯s affairs in a whole other universe. The bread felt much the same here as at home. I bit into the bean patty; juicy meat taste filled my mouth. What the hell! How do you make beans taste like beef? By the time I finished eating I came to the conclusion that I should ask Blaise what was wrong. Despite my best efforts, I think we became friends. Her over the top attitude was actually endearing and fun once I got used to it. ¡°So¡­¡± I turned only to find Blaise was nowhere to be seen. My nervousness burst like a bubble. Somehow now I wanted to know what was bothering her, I wanted that moment of closeness before leaving. After all, once I left I wouldn¡¯t see her again and unlike Blaise I wouldn¡¯t even have pictures to remember my trip by. I got the healing stones from my bag. They were cool to the touch, making a satisfying clinking sound in my pocket. A small souvenir. Now I really didn¡¯t want to go to sleep so I walked out on the landing strip, stopping just outside the doors. I sat with my back against the wall so I could focus above me and ignore that I was a million floors off the ground. Even the moon looked brighter here. I took a deep breath. The air cooled considerably when the sun went down. Just a few more hours¡­suddenly the idea of going home made me sad. What did I have waiting for me there? Work, school, more work? I didn¡¯t really have friends, and my family? They won¡¯t miss me. A shadow passed over the moon. Cloud? I squinted, like that would help me see better in the dark. Then I saw it. Falling towards me like a silent rock. When I¡¯ve seen them in movies they roared or breathed fire. Somehow watching that giant beast falling towards me like a falcon with its prey caught in its sights¡ªexcept fifty times, no, hundred times larger¡­ It finally registered in my brain that a dragon¡ªa fucking dragon¡ªwas falling towards me.