START AT THE BEGINNING

  Ash

  20th day of Silvershine, Year 1011 of the Custorian Calendar

  We’d been riding in the Hauler for about two hours now. Jacob had spent the first ten minutes of the drive arguing with the dwarf named Thovin, insisting that their Transvox was called a radio and the Hauler was actually called an RV. The argument went nowhere, but it was satisfying to watch Jacob nearly rip his own hair out.

  Although, in Jacob's defense, this thing really was just a large motorhome—with less emphasis on comfort and more on utility. Along the driver’s side, two short bench seats sat on opposite sides of a small table, and three captain’s chairs were anchored along the wall on the passenger side. Beyond that was a cramped kitchen setup–including a fridge–next to a bathroom and a small room in the back with a bed.

  Baylor has been on the roof since we departed, keeping watch and smelling for enemy scents. Apparently, he comes from a race known as Beast Folk, and the four different tribes of their nation have certain animal-like characteristics. Daria said he’s part wolf, so Jacob’s “dog boy” theory got shot down. He seemed like a good kid, but I was still processing that his ears were on top of his head and he had a fucking tail.

  I mean, the fact that we were now on a planet that had magic, modern technology, Beast Folk, monsters, and an elf that was probably one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen, had me wondering if I'd had a massive stroke back on that street corner.

  Maybe this is just a coma dream.

  Alongside the Hauler, Thena was riding on the beefy motorcycle that they called a “Speeder”. It was ugly as shit, but it still looked a lot more comfortable than Jacob’s Ducati. She kept in contact with Oren and Thovin at the front of our vehicle by using what I assumed to be a headset in her helmet.

  Daria sat across the small table from us, explaining what she could, but I guess Thena wanted to tell us the bulk of the information herself. According to Daria, we’re in the northern territory of Elric, one of five nations on a world called Fullna. Thena’s squadron had been tasked with safely recovering and transporting us to the town of Cirleaf. From there, a military Landstrider, whatever the hell that was, would take Jacob and me to the royal capital. Originally, we were supposed to arrive there and be welcomed by the king, but she said that somehow the Brax interfered with our summoning.

  Honestly, it was probably a good thing that we hadn't arrived there. Without some time to adjust and calm down before we saw the man who gave the order to abduct us, Jacob would have probably knocked the king's teeth out. Personally, I wasn't in any hurry to be executed for crimes against the throne.

  “There are only a few ways through the mountain range that separates the northern territory from the rest of the country. Thena had wanted us to take a mountain pass far to the west of where we found you, but during her communication with General Strauss last night, he ordered her to go this route instead since it's the fastest possible. She told us that she had pleaded her case to avoid us going this way, but he wouldn’t change his mind because this route is quicker.”

  “If this is the faster route, then why didn’t she want to go this way?” I asked

  Daria shrugged. “I wouldn't worry about it. We won’t let anything happen to either of you.” Daria gave me a confident smile, but the concern still showed in her eyes.

  Not inspiring confidence there, Daria.

  Jacob and I nodded, but exchanged a “God damnit” look. He took another long sip of water from the metal cup she had provided him. We hadn’t had anything to drink the entire day until we got into the Hauler, so we were thrilled when she offered it.

  “Hey, so can you explain this mana stuff a bit? You seem like the right person to ask.” Jacob said, setting his cup back onto the table.

  “Certainly!” She lit up the instant the word mana left his mouth. “Mana is the natural life energy within each of us. It’s naturally produced by our bodies and allows for the use of magic and magic-powered items. And this is important, everyone’s mana levels are different. Some are born with a great aptitude for mana production, and others find themselves...lacking. But, even if you’re blessed and can hold a large store of it, you wouldn’t start with a ton of mana ready to use. You just have the potential to eventually get there. You must train it like a muscle, doing spells over and over and increasing your endurance and spell strength.”

  I nodded along. More than enough hours of my life had been devoted to Final Fantasy and Dungeons and Dragons, so this made total sense to me. And the “train it like a muscle” analogy probably worked perfectly for a gym rat like Jacob.

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  “Oookay, I have a lot of follow-up questions, but it feels like we’re slowing down. Are we here? Wherever here is, I mean.” Jacob asked, peering out the window.

  “It seems the Captain and Baylor have decided on our campsite for the night,” Daria sighed, seemingly disappointed that her magic lesson was being cut short.

  When I stepped out of the vehicle, I was hit by a soft breeze. Only the faintest traces of light were still creeping over the horizon, and the first stars were beginning to reveal themselves above, in a nearly cloudless sky. The terrain was starting to change a little, and there was less grass covering the ground than there had been where Jacob and I had first arrived.

  Thena had already dismounted and was walking toward us.

  “Everyone, please set up camp. I’m going to try and reach General Hansley to see if I can convince him, to let us go a different route. I still can’t understand what in the hells is going through Strauss’ mind.”

  As she stepped inside, we watched as her team each took different pieces of camping equipment, and a few standing lamps, from a storage bin built into the side of the Hauler. Baylor began to set up chairs near where Daria was putting together what looked like a large camping stove.

  “If you guys want to sit and relax, I’ll be happy to get your food when Daria says it’s ready. You both had a pretty rough day.” Baylor offered.

  Daria had said he was only seventeen years old—the youngest anyone can be when they enlist in this country’s military. I wasn’t sure what would drive a kid this nice to want to be a soldier.

  “Sounds good. Thanks, B,” Jacob replied. Then he grabbed my shoulder, pulling me closer. “Ashy, be a dear and grab my herbal supplies from your bag. I'm gonna roll us a super tiny baby joint. Just a little something to take our stress down a few dozen notches.”

  "Sho'Nuff," I pounded his fist and started walking.

  "The Shogun of Harlem," Jacob called after me.

  When I got to the Hauler, Thena was standing inside the door talking to Thovin.

  “-ust gotten them to put Hansley on the Transvox when the line went dead. I tried again, but now I can’t reach anyone on the other side of the mou- Ash, did you need something?” she asked, turning towards me.

  “No, I was just grabbing something for Jacob. Is everything okay?”

  “Everything is fine,” Thovin assured me. “The relay towers used for long-distance Transvox communication can often be faulty and shut down for a few hours at a time. It’s not unusual.”

  Thena straightened up and fixed her posture. “It matters not. We will deliver you safely to your destination. You have my word.” She placed a fist over her heart.

  Staring into her emerald green eyes, I saw nothing but absolute confidence in the declaration she had just made. And I believed her. Not because she sounded sure of her team's capabilities, but because a few hours ago, I discovered that this woman is a monster-slaying badass. So if she said she was going to keep us safe, then I didn't doubt it. Excusing myself, I went inside as Thovin climbed the ladder to the roof, and Thena left to join the others.

  A few minutes later, Jacob and I sat in our chairs, patiently waiting for dinner. He was sitting to my left rolling a joint, Oren was beside him trying to strike up a conversation, and Baylor was across from me reading a book. At least he was trying to. His eyes kept wandering up to look at Jacob and me.

  I leaned my head back and stared at the stars and moons, trying to finally let myself relax a little. That lasted all of ten seconds because, only a few feet away, Daria was cooking what smelled like an incredible meat stew. The aroma that reached my nose demanded every bit of my attention. My mouth watered uncontrollably as my eyes bored holes into the meal in progress. For a second I was worried I might float over there, like this was a damn Looney Tunes cartoon.

  Daria had given us some snacks in the Hauler earlier, but the last real meal I'd eaten was a couple of street tacos yesterday for lunch. I’m pretty sure Jacob was in the same situation because I could hear his stomach rumbling. Luckily, that man could roll a joint with his eyes closed, because he also couldn't tear his eyes off the pot Daria was stirring.

  Thena walked over to the empty chair on my right and turned it to face Jacob and me, before sitting. Her mouth opened as she began to say something, but she stopped when she noticed the depressingly skinny joint Jacob had just finished rolling.

  He saw her staring at it and said, “Look it’s been a shitty day, and we need to take the edge off.”

  Thena looked at me, and I shrugged. She rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. I guess even on another world people knew what getting ripped looked like.

  “Plus,” I added, “you’re about to explain a bunch of stuff to us, and Jacob processes complex things better when he’s lit.”

  A skeptical eyebrow rose.

  “I’m not kidding. He was one of the top students in every class he took at our college, and he was high the entire time.” Jacob gave her a thumbs-up as he lit his joint.

  Thena shook her head as Baylor laughed behind his book.

  “I think it may be best that you're sober for this.”

  “Pretty sure you guys don't get to say what's best for us," Jacob said firmly through a plume of smoke. "Especially after your people ripped us from our home.”

  I motioned for him to ease back a little.

  “Let’s not shoot the messenger. Okay? She wasn't the one who did this to us.”

  He sighed and nodded his head.

  “Thena, look, I’m not pissed at you. You’re awesome. I’m pissed about this whole situation. So don’t take it personally. I really do appreciate what you guys have done for us so far, but that doesn’t change what your people did. Or the fact that our father was hurt in the process.”

  She nodded regretfully, and Baylor walked over, handing us each a bowl of meat stew.

  Jacob passed me the joint, and I took a long, slow drag. Every muscle in my body relaxed the instant the warm smoke filled my lungs. I leaned my head back and released a cloud of smoke toward the sky.

  As much as I wanted to burn through the whole thing with Jacob, I'd prefer my head to be clear enough to process everything she was about to tell us, and my brother was the only one between us who could function normally when completely toasted. This would be my only hit.

  Jacob took the joint back from me as I smiled at Thena, and said, “Just start at the beginning."