It was the same. Exact. Clearing. The same one.
I had just sprinted for hours, my throat felt as if it were actually on fire, which, at this point, wouldn't even surprise me, and I couldn't feel my legs anymore.
How the hell was it possible that I was in exactly the same place I started!
By this point, I was ready to just say screw it and take my chances with the weirdos from before. Yes, they were trying to kill me, but a quick beheading sure seemed a lot less painful in the long run then starving to death or getting mauled by a bear in unfamiliar woods.
The only problem with my ingenious plan, however, was that said weirdos were gone. The clearing was completely and totally empty. The glowing blue things gave enough light for me to see that much, but I was skeptical that they had actually abandoned the place.
They're probably just waiting in the tree line for the right time to pounce.
And with that happy thought, I walked confidently into the glade; they were already going to kill me and neither fighting nor running seemed to work, so what the heck, what did I have to lose? Well, aside from my life of course.
As I strode confidently forward, I made no effort to hide my approach. No sudden figures burst forth from the surrounding foliage, though, so I assumed I was safe for the moment.
Well, relatively safe, there was still the issue of finding a way home, or at least back to civilization, before I died of thirst or some wild animal got me. Stumped, I looked around. My gaze quickly settled on the portal that I had been transported through to get there.
Doing another quick search of the area turned up no alternatives, so I shrugged and started toward the portal, it was worth a try. I figured, if it got me there, it could take me home, right?
Well, it was possible, yes. But what I hadn't factored into my calculations was that this portal was made by one of the kidnappers (the nice one, yes, but a kidnapper all the same) and was thus probably how they got to and from the forest as well. Thus, the portal was most likely not just connected to two locations, if I went back through it, there was no telling where I would end up.
Of course, I didn't know or hadn't thought of all this at the time, and so, I went through the portal.
The experience was just as unnerving as the last time: feeling like you're being pulled and stretched in all directions and then suddenly finding yourself in a location you're unfamiliar with.
That's right, I didn't land back at home, all safe and sound. No, where I landed instead was, you guessed it, another forest. Yay!
Sometimes, I really hate my life.
Upon landing at my new and improved location, I did what any self-respecting teenager would do. I cussed. A lot. Just a good, general cussing out of (including, but not limited to:) my life, the universe, the kidnappers who took my mom, whoever they were looking for, my life, the actual criminal who had done what I was being accused of, and my life.
Surveying my surroundings, I found that, surprise surprise, not much had changed between one forest and the next. The only big difference was, now, it seemed to be the middle of the day. Maybe I changed time-zones or something?
Anyway, the other major change where I was stranded was that I could see what looked like an old-fashioned village (like the ones that you see in history textbooks from Medieval times) a few miles to the south of where I stood.
It seemed like a good of a place as any to try to sort out my predicament. Maybe some of the locals could tell me where I was or lend me their phone or something. Although, who I was going to call I had no idea. It was always just me and my mom, and now she was gone. I was on my own.
Deciding upon my course, I began my trek down to where the houses stood, hoping against all hope the people there were normal. Who was I kidding, it was a literal village, anyone who lived there was not going to be normal.
It took me a little over three hours to complete the journey; I was tired and worn out from all the running I had done earlier and had to stop frequently to catch my breath now that all the adrenaline had worn off.
Stopping at the edge of the tree line, trying to be more cautious after the events of the day, I peered through the flora to make sure the people I was about to approach were, at the very least, not murderers.
I didn't have quite as much luck as I was hoping for. As I watched, many people came and went through the houses and markets, most, if not all, carrying some sort of weapon on their person. They were all also dressed in the same style as the kidnappers I had encountered earlier. The odds of me getting tangled up in some weird magic cult seemed to be about one thousand percent.
Unfortunately, while pretty much correct, that wasn't exactly the full scope of what was happening. The truth was much more complicated and significantly harder to deal with.
As I stood there contemplating whether or not to introduce myself and see if they could help in any way, even just by telling me where I was, I was spotted. A woman who had just exited one of the many archaic style dwellings had been studying the flowers a little to my left, probably weighing to pros and cons of coming over to pick some, and had noticed me among the plants. I didn't exactly blend in.
The choice now taken from me as her cry of alarm quickly notified the others of my presence, I tried to take charge of the situation and quickly exited the bushes with my hands in the air.
I may not have been all that experienced in dealing with warriors and the such, but even I knew that when you're considered a threat by people with very pointy weapons, it's best to do what you can to diffuse that idea.
"Hi, there! I don't suppose any of you could tell me where I am?"