The crowd gasped. Some stood still as if frozen in place, while others stepped back to create some distance.

  “What just happened?!” one monster shrieked.

  “My hands!” another groaned. Luran regained his composure and drew his sword within an inch of Thomas’s neck.

  “This can’t be!” one of the elderly yelped. “It’s impossible!” The Chief circled to the injured, his gaze never leaving Thomas, eyes as wide as saucers, before inspecting a monster with injured hands. They revealed a faint scorch mark. He looked from the hand to Thomas and back to the hand.

  “He’s… a Summon!” the Chief proclaimed in shock, turning to his entourage, which had gathered at his side. They let out a gasp.

  “No! That cannot be! Why would a Summon be all the way out here? It doesn’t make any sense!” one of the entourage counseled.

  “I refuse to believe it!” another asserted, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest.

  “How can you deny what is right before you?” the eldest of them said, placing a hand on the shoulder of the monster crossing his arms. He approached the Chief, who was still clearly bewildered. “Chief… I think it best we re-discuss our options. Circumstances have changed.” The Chief looked at him with a severe expression, mulling it over.

  “What’s there to discuss?!” a voice blurted from among the crowd. “Do you want to get us all killed?”

  “Have you forgotten what their kind do?” another quivering voice wailed.

  “Enough!” the Chief commanded, silencing the crowd. “Luran! Escort the prisoner back to his hutch.” Without missing a beat, he paced away towards a large circular building with a thatched roof. “Elders, with me. I require your counsel.”

  Thomas lay in the hutch for what seemed like several hours. They were certainly taking their time. While he couldn’t see the crowd any longer, he could still hear them. They were not as loud as before. Instead of yelling over one another, it seemed as though they were conversing among themselves in small groups, coming to terms with the development they had just witnessed.

  But what had they witnessed? One moment, he was bound in place by the villager’s hands and seconds from being skewered, and the next, the monsters were repelled backward and in a complete state of shock and fear. The cause was beyond his understanding, but he couldn’t deny what he saw—the residual effects of electricity leaving his body. Had he done that? There didn’t seem to be any other explanation.

  The monsters certainly weren’t the cause, as they were just as surprised as him. Of course, there was always the possibility that the divine had intervened to save his life, but this made even less sense. Assuming he had been dumped in the forest by some higher power, it wouldn’t make sense for that higher power to save him less than a day later.

  It wasn’t exactly clear how or why the electricity manifested, but the more he thought, the more certain he became that he had caused it. Yet by all accounts, this should have been impossible. While it’s true some living organisms generate substantial electricity, it should not be possible for him. Unlike an eel, which had evolved to expel electricity to stun its prey, he had no such adaptations. He lacked the genetics to achieve such a feat.

  This once again led him to believe that he was, in fact, dead. But if he was in a kind of purgatory, why enable him to produce electricity? It didn’t make a shred of sense. Thinking about it, while the monsters had seemed surprised, they didn’t seem completely dumbfounded. As if, perhaps, they had seen it before. What did the Chief call him again?

  Rubbing his head ferociously, he strained to recall the name. “A Summon.” He had called him a Summon. And at that, the cogs began turning in his mind. To summon means to order one’s presence, and he had appeared in the forest with no memory of how he got there. Clearly, the rules of this place were different from the ones he was familiar with.

  Hellish creatures he didn’t recognize and electricity that seemingly materialized from nothing, he needed to expand the limits of what he thought possible. Based on the information at hand, however unrealistic, he could only draw one conclusion—he’d been summoned to another world.

  The realization that he might not be dead flooded him with relief, but it was short-lived, for the dread of knowing that he’d never see his sister again was too much to bear. He had been ripped from his world. From everything he knew and held dear, and implanted in this one. A world filled with monsters. It was soul-crushing.

  He knew nothing of this place, its dangers and norms. One night in the forest had been evidence of that. He was like a child cast into the ocean with no boat, expected to stay afloat. It was either adapt or die.

  While he’d miscalculated his worth at his initial sentencing, if you can even call it that, he was more certain of his standing this time round. While these monsters despised and feared humans, it seemed he was something slightly different. Something… more. Something of value. Something that they could use for their gain.

  His base opinion of living creatures had not changed. Whether human or monster, we are all incredibly selfish. And if he could offer something at no cost to them, they would be foolish to decline. What that was, he didn’t know, but it had something to do with being a Summon. He was sure of it. They feared him. A lot more than they did a few hours ago, anyway. And where did this fear stem from? If he had to guess, it was power, he thought, inspecting his hands.

  When Luran came to retrieve him the second time, he felt more hopeful than the first. Of course, they could kill him on the spot. He had no way of knowing how to activate the electricity a second time, and even if he did, there was no chance he could kill an entire village of monsters. But he expected the Chief to make the logical decision. The right decision. To let him live.

  The monsters parted as he was once again led into the center of the crowd. Many took a few steps back at his sight, and looks of anger had mostly turned into looks of concern. Although, of course, some remained as they were, unyielding. The Chief commanded the open space with absolute authority, his current demeanor not betraying how rattled he had become hours before.

  “You said your name was Thomas, didn’t you?” the Chief probed.

  “That’s right,” he confirmed, allowing the Chief to control the flow of the conversation, holding back the ever-growing weight of questions that pressed against his mind like a dam about to burst.

  “My name is Zerron. As you may have already guessed, I am the Chief of this village. We, are the ekari,” he explained, motioning to the crowd surrounding him. “Could you once again explain how you came to be in this forest?” Thomas surprised himself, throwing his arms up in the air in a show of aggrievement.

  “Explain how I came here?” he barked. “What? Like I did earlier? Right before you condemned me to die?!” The Chief bowed his head before responding.

  “I sincerely apologize. There are factors at play that I suspect you are unaware of. These are what pushed me to such extreme a measure. Nevertheless, it was an oversight. I apologize.”

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “Fat lot of good an apology would do if you’d had this guy skewer me,” he protested, pointing to Luran aggressively.

  “Oh, be quiet, human, would you?” Luran responded, rolling his eyes. Thomas looked at the Chief in astonishment, and the Chief sighed in defeat.

  “This apology doesn’t sound very sincere!” Thomas barked. “This bastard couldn’t give a damn!” The Chief stepped forward and motioned for Luran to join the crowd to de-escalate the situation.

  “Sorry about him. His mouth moves before he thinks. Could we return to the topic at hand, please? How did you come to be in the forest?” Thomas glared at Luran as he joined the crowd, but the ekari did not look his way, unmoved by Thomas’s aggression.

  “Very well,” he growled through gritted teeth. “As I was saying,” he began, allowing the words to hang heavy in the air. “I arrived in the forest last night. I do not know how or why. The last thing I remember was dying, and then the next thing I know, I’m naked in the forest.”

  “Dying, you say?” the Chief inquired, looking to his entourage. They began to chatter among themselves with inquisitive interest, but none directed their voices back to the Chief. “And what were you dying of exactly?”

  He went to answer the question, but hesitated. Revealing the truth of his death might not be such a great idea. Explaining that he was put to death by the electric chair for a crime was probably not the wisest idea, so he twisted the truth.

  “I was… struck by lightning,” he explained. “Enough to kill.” The Chief nodded receptively.

  “And… what of this place? Do you recognize it? Do you recognize us?” That just about confirmed it.

  “I’m in another world, aren’t I?” he asserted, massaging his temples.

  “It would appear so,” the Chief confirmed, saying no more to allow the news to sink in. Thomas stared into space, feeling all around him slip away. He’d mostly put it together himself, but hearing it out loud had more of an impact on him than he thought it would.

  “What is a Summon?” he quizzed. The Chief cleared his throat.

  “A Summon is a human summoned from another world with a gift.”

  “A gift?”

  “Yes. The electricity you shot outward earlier. That is the gift I speak of.”

  “So I can wield electricity?”

  “Yes, to an extent,” the Chief explained. “Although you’ll find your control very limited to begin with. I suspect the only reason you were able to use it as you did earlier was because your life was at stake.”

  “I see,” he answered. “I suppose my next question is, why was I summoned here? Does it have something to do with my death?”

  “Well... the circumstances of your arrival are most peculiar,” the Chief said, trailing off. “To my knowledge, Summons never perish in their home world before coming here. In addition, Summons can only ever arrive at the gate from which they were summoned. Therefore, we are all quite puzzled as to how you arrived in the forest. The nearest gate is some 50 miles in that direction,” he pointed. “In the human kingdom of Valoria.”

  “Right. That does seem a little strange, he agreed, nodding his head to try and take it all on board, “but you say it was the humans who summoned me?”

  “Not directly. There are Summoning Gates scattered throughout the realm. When a Summon dies, the gate from which they were summoned siphons their essence, calling forth a new Summon to take their place.”

  “And these humans, I take it you’re not on friendly terms?”

  “To put it simply, no. We are not. That is why I sentenced you to die.” Thomas sighed.

  “Makes sense, I suppose. But as you can see, I’m not of this world. I don't bear any grudges or affiliations.” He looked up at the Chief, his expression cold. “Will you let me leave?”

  “I’m afraid I cannot do that.” He figured that was coming.

  “And what about my life? You’d have killed me already if that was your goal. What will it take for you to spare me?” A playful half-smile broke out on the Chief’s face.

  “If I could let you leave, I would. While some of the ekari might hate you for what you are, I hold no such stance. It would be illogical to blame you for crimes committed by others. That being said, if you leave this village, and by some miracle do not perish in the forest, the first place you will seek out is Valoria, the nearest human kingdom. We cannot afford to let that happen. Your arrival means Maeve, the previous Summon, has fallen. And she was the greatest threat the humans posed to us. Without her, we can repel the humans. So you see, if you join forces with them and live up to your potential as a Summon, we are right back where we started.”

  “You don’t understand,” Thomas protested. I’m not going to jump headfirst into somebody else’s war. I’m not a soldier,” he explained, pointing to his chest with his thumb.

  “Be that as it may. I cannot afford to take that chance. I will not gamble with the lives of my clan.”

  “Well, send me back then! I don’t want to stay anyway. I need to get back to my sister. She needs me!” The Chief slowly shook his head.

  “There is no way back to your world, I’m afraid, Thomas. You are here for good.”

  “No way back?” he gulped, putting his head in his hands. “No! There must be! The gates summoned me here so they can send me back!” he boomed, advancing toward the Chief in fury. Luran took two quick strides to intercept, but the Chief waved him down. The pair stood eye to eye, unmoving. The Chief’s face, apologetic, while his showed nothing but anger. “So what am I to do then? Let me guess, you’re going to keep me here like some kind of prisoner!” he announced.

  “Not a prisoner,” the Chief objected, raising a finger. “I propose you become an official member of the clan,” he grinned.

  Cries of outrage erupted from the crowd like a volcano.

  “Have you lost your mind?!” an ekari shouted.

  “He doesn’t belong here!” another screamed.

  “This will be the end of us!” someone else shuddered. Before the Chief had a chance to quell the rising tempers, a fierce red-head broke away from the crowd and darted to the Chief.

  “Uncle! Please do not do this! He cannot be trusted!” she protested, grabbing at his sleeve while turning to Thomas, a scowl strewn across her face. He recognized her from earlier because of her striking hair and exceptional anger that stood out among the rest.

  “Excuse you!” he objected. “You don’t even know me!”

  “I know your kind. That’s enough,” she snarled. The red-headed ekari looked up at the Chief with longing eyes, praying he would reconsider.

  “I’m sorry, Elarissé. But this is what is best for the clan.” Frustrated, she stormed off, cursing under her breath. Watching her go, the Chief walked around the perimeter of the circle and addressed the crowd. “My fellow ekari, I know the humans and Summons have wronged us in the past, but today marks a new beginning. We have been given a golden opportunity that we must seize,” the Chief asserted, closing his fist as if to crush an apple in his hand.

  “Never before has a Summon miraculously appeared in the forest, untainted by the hatred and whims of the human kingdoms, yet here Thomas stands. By welcoming him here into our clan, we thwart any potential plans the humans may have in store for him. And while he is currently young and untrained, we can mold him into the warrior he was summoned to be—but not for the oppression and murder of monsters, rather for protection, ensuring we are never wronged by the humans ever again.

  “Thomas,” the Chief exclaimed, turning to him, “Will you join the ekari and fight at our side?” He stood rigid, taken aback by the Chief’s declaration. What could he say? That the idea is insane? That this will never work? Because it certainly wouldn’t. While the crowd had quieted, their faces said it all. For every face of hope, there were five of anger and fear. Yet turning the Chief down wasn’t an option either. He’d kill him before allowing him to seek refuge in the human kingdom of Valoria.

  “What choice do I have?” Thomas exclaimed, scratching his head. Luran butted in,

  “It’s simple. You join or you die.” The Chief gave Luran a death stare, at which point he raised both hands as a show of innocence.

  “See. That’s exactly the kind of thing I am worried about!” Thomas protested. “If I do decide to join, what guarantees can you make about my safety? Half of this lot look like they want to kill me.”

  “Do no fret, Thomas. My word is law.” The Chief pivoted to readdress the crowd. “From this point on, if Thomas chooses to accept, he is an honorary ekari. He will be subject to the same rules and protections as the rest of us, and he will contribute to the good of the clan just as everyone else does. And let me be clear,” he threatened in a low tone. “if anyone should knowingly seek to harm Thomas beyond the confines of training, the consequences will be severe. Of that, let me assure you.”

  The atmosphere fell silent, highlighting the severity of the threat. None spoke up in defiance, although many had surely wanted to. The Chief had spoken, and his word was final. “So I ask again, Thomas. Will you join the ekari?” Looking to the Chief and then to the apprehensive crowd, he forced what was perhaps the fakest smile he had ever made. His mission was to guarantee his survival, and while he was not free, he’d done exactly that.

  “I suppose I will.”