Groaning, I sat up and stretched out my back. The points of pain were testament to the rocks in the dirt I had slept on. How had I not noticed them? The ground all around me was full of them.

  Last night’s drinking brought down its own throbbing misery, bringing my suffering to an entirely new level. And there was no recourse available to me. Not only had I forgotten my bedroll, but I hadn’t grabbed my supply of herbs to make hangover tea. It was by far one of the worst hangovers I had ever had. If only I had grabbed my saddlebags where I had stashed the herb packet.

  Harper and Jerseil walked ahead of me, oblivious to my irritation or discomfort. I refused to even ask if either of them had the necessary herbs for the hangover tea. I couldn’t blame them or bring myself to broach their romantic bliss for my self-caused torment. It was a shitty spot to be in, being a decent friend and a suffering moron.

  The bright sunlight contributed to the throbbing ache behind my eyes.

  We had started out early, me with a painful headache and a full-body crick, and them in a new relationship, glowing in post-coital bliss. I stumbled along after them as they chatted while walking. There may have been giggling involved, too. Ugh.

  As the sun climbed higher into the sky, I drained my canteen and slowly felt better. By lunchtime, I mostly felt normal again. Mostly. There was that whole sweating it out thing, despite the brisk mountain air.

  Soon we came upon a small town with stone and wooden buildings. Unlike the other settlements I had been to, the entrance had odd, glowing statues and strange floating symbols that glowed brighter as we approached. The entrance was on a narrow ledge framed by a cliff face on the right and a drop on the left and was just big enough for two horse-drawn carts to pass through at the same time. The line of houses on the right side of the road was visible through the arching wooden structure framing the space.

  “Those are to keep out evil creatures and spirits. I didn’t know this area had issues with them,” Jerseil muttered to himself. He studied the symbols, continuing to talk to himself.

  “How broad a spectrum do these symbols cover? I know there are still places in the world where people still fear cambions,” Harper asked worriedly. “Even if the town is safe, we can’t just let Finn wander about on his own.”

  “Excuse me? I’m not exactly made of porcelain over here,” I scoffed. I was bluffing, of course; fancy pottery would hold up better in the situation.

  “Finn, that’s not what I meant,” she said gently.

  “Fine. But I’m not a child either,” I grumbled. I knew I was acting immaturely. Despite that, I was not going to give her the satisfaction of my apology. And really, I wasn’t going to enter the town without the two of them. There were many naive things I could have done, but going it alone was not one of them. At least not yet.

  Jerseil sized up the entrance and took a deep breath. “We won’t know if it will stop us until we try!” He walked determinedly toward the barrier blocking the arch. He stopped before it and reached out, palm open and fingers splayed.

  His first contact with the barrier caused it to flare up, stopping his hand. He pushed against it harder, and the damned thing rang like a gong. Jerseil stepped back, a little dazed and holding his hand. “I did not expect that,” he said with a shake of his head. The man’s face was pale.

  An old man walked up to the barrier, looking at the three of us. My first thought was that this guy looked like the epitome of a martial arts master in old kung fu movies. He had long white hair and a thin mustache that hung down his chest. He stroked that mustache as he studied the three of us. Then recognition flared in his eyes, and a wide smile graced his wrinkled face.

  Without fear or trepidation, the old man stepped through the barrier as if it wasn’t there. “You’re with the Allied Army! I’ve seen no soldiers since my grandson was on leave,” he said. “He and some other soldiers came to visit six months ago, and his uniform was in much better condition.”

  “We’ve been through a bit of trouble, so my grooming routine has been a little lacking,” said Jerseil, grinning sheepishly. “So, I can only offer my sincere apologies for my wretched state.”

  The old man laughed and embraced a very startled Jerseil. “I think we can forgive this! My name is Chiang Wu. I’m the Spiritualist guarding this town. Hmm, I must have been careless the last time I tweaked the barrier parameters,” he said thoughtfully before nodding. “I will give you safe passage, for you obviously are no demon, and you’re too solid to be a spirit!”

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  An oval formed in the barrier, and Chiang Wu led the three of us through the barrier, patting a still perturbed Jerseil on the back. “Come, come! You will stay at my house for the night, and I will feed you an excellent meal. And you will tell me how you all got here.”

  “This town doesn’t have problems with cambions?” Harper asked uncertainly.

  “What? Absolutely not. Your heritage does not make you monsters. Our isolation from the world’s hustle and bustle doesn’t mean we’re uncivilized!” the old Spiritualist replied.

  Chiang Wu led us to a nearby house made of wood and stucco on a stone foundation. The wood had a dark red stain, making it stand out against the trees. Several of the buildings that I could see were like that, adding an interesting aesthetic. The inside of the old man’s house was open and rather spartan. He slid open the door into an inner courtyard, where a simple outdoor kitchen was situated.

  The old man efficiently cooked a meal of rice or a rice-like grain, and vegetables. There was also some meat in a rich, thick sauce. The entire thing smelled divine, reminding me of a Chinese-American place near campus where the kitchen was open to the dining area.

  He served the meal with both chopsticks and a spoon. I hadn’t realized how much I had missed the cuisine from home. I filled my bowl with rice, vegetables, and some of the meat in the sauce. It was spicy, with almost a sweet and sour tang to it. I smiled with pleasure at the first bite, savoring the flavors and textures in my mouth.

  “Where did you learn to cook like this?” I asked. “I haven’t tasted anything like this since home!” Harper grunted her enthusiastic agreement, her mouth full.

  “My mother grew up in San Francisco. Her family had a restaurant there for several generations until something happened that forced them to shut down and leave the city. She taught me how to cook traditionally, and I was going to open a little place myself, but then I ended up in this world,” he said, regret and fondness coloring his voice in equal measure.

  “And in all fairness, I’m glad it did! I met my wife and settled down in this town, living a mostly peaceful life with children and grandchildren in this wonderful community. Since I grew up in a small town, this place is just perfect for me,” he continued.

  It didn’t take me long to finish my first bowl, spooning the rice into my mouth while Chiang Wu told his story. I refilled my bowl with the same mix. The food was superb, and I should have slowed down due to the spiciness slowly becoming overwhelming.

  “So what is a Spiritualist, Chiang Wu? I’ve never met one before,” Harper asked.

  “Hmm. How to explain? My class is sort of like a Monk with qi and has spells like a Wizard. With a heavy dose of Cleric thrown in for protection. I deal mostly with spirits, both good and bad, gaining my power through them,” he replied. “Does that clear it up?”

  “Yes, I think it does,” Harper replied graciously.

  It was not clear to me, as I didn’t know much about all the classes here. Didn’t Monks and Clerics have something to do with religion and Gods? I would have to ask a lot of questions later. I can’t afford to be ignorant of these things anymore.

  After we ate, we went out to check out the town with Chiang Wu’s blessing. The town was built on what was basically a shelf, with one side ending in a cliff. Where we entered through the barrier, the shelf was at its skinniest, widening out significantly. Though the houses were only on the right at first, soon the main road of the town and residences, then businesses, were on both sides.

  Touristy though it was, wandering through the town was another delightful distraction. The number of people out and about was staggering. I had been under the impression, thanks to Chiang Wu, that this was a small town. Crowds filled the town, and it boasted more shops than I expected. And eateries. It certainly made me wonder what the old man considered small.

  I followed Jerseil and Harper into a general store, with a variety of unique items on display. It reminded me of those shops that are one part antique store, two parts gas station, and a healthy dose of flea market thrown in for good measure.

  I looked at the set of armor displayed on a rack—a complicated mess of metal, leather, and straps. It was strange and confusing, and I was glad that I likely couldn’t wear it. There was a book sitting in a glass case by the front window, a book that looked somewhat familiar. But my attention was swiftly pulled away from it by the most astonishing sight. In my peripheral vision, I glimpsed someone I never expected to see here, or anywhere else, for that matter.

  “Arilyn!” I exclaimed, rushing out of the store. She was not visible in the mass of shoppers. Where did she go? “Excuse me, sorry! Pardon me,” I apologized, pushing through the crowd. Glimpses of her curly hair flashed past the arms and shoulders of the people blocking my way. A gap in the crowd to my left opened, and I dashed through it. Fuck, why are there even more people? Is there a festival or something?

  In a moment of inspiration, I dashed to a stack of boxes and barrels on the side of the street and leapt up on a barrel to get a view over the people blocking me. I saw her getting farther down the street, heading towards what seemed to be a temple of some sort. Seeing the people thinning ahead, I got down and moved with the crowd. “Arilyn!” I called out as she went around the side of the temple. I broke into a jog trying to catch up.

  “Hey, watch it!” snapped a well-dressed man as I barely avoided knocking him over. “Show some respect!”

  “Sorry!” I yelled over my shoulder. The incident was quickly forgotten as I ran around the temple. As I turned the corner, I skidded to a stop at the vision of beauty that was Arilyn.

  The back of the temple was a garden area with hedges and benches. It looked very serene, like a good place to stop and just think. The woman faced away from me, looking at something in her hands. Although her outfit was different, her sun-kissed curls were still the same. The change in attire made her appear more scholarly. There was something in the air here that made me suddenly hesitant. Was it really her?

  “Arilyn? Is that you?” I asked.

  She stiffened in surprise, slamming the book in her hands.