Stranger in a Strange Land

Chapter 2

Things Get Weird

Manual labor has never been much of a problem for me. I was always on the stronger side, even if I wasn't the biggest guy in my school or even on my football team. Besides, I often did physically demanding jobs during the summertime to make some money under the table. One of my uncles worked at a nearby dairy farm outside of De Pere back home, and I often went there for a summer job. It was hard work, with plenty of handling cows, feed bags, and heavy equipment.

But, somehow, working for Sunudor left me sorer than any job or football practice in my life. My muscles and joints felt stiffer than the day after a rivalry match with Kaukauna or Appleton North High School, and those games left me barely able to move the next day. Despite Kimberly always being the better team, those schools always brought their hardest hits.

As I finished loading the last sack of feed into the nearby barn on Sunudor's farm, I could feel all the muscles in my arms and back tightening into knots. A long, tired breath left my lips. I winced and rolled my shoulders as a heavy thump sounded beside me.

Thobos exhaled as he patted the last burlap bag. "There," He breathed, wiping some sweat from his brow. He wiped his slender hands on his pants and glanced at the small window in the barn, where scarlet light from the setting sun crept into the airy space. "All done for the day. Not a moment too soon either." He offered me a crooked smile. "For a human, you're not a bad worker, Michael Van Camp."

"Just Mike is fine," I breathed. A wince flashed over my face as I crossed my right arm across my body, stretching it for a few seconds. "Feels like I've been tackled by the same linebacker at least twenty times."

Thobos offered a quiet chuckle. "Aye, this is tiring work. But, fulfilling work. You more than proved your worth today. This would have taken me, Sonnos, and father a few more hours, and working after dark can be less than comfortable."

"Can't see?" I asked as I followed Thobos away from the feed bags towards the barn door.

Thobos chuckled. "Of course we can see. We are Asur. The darkness is not as blinding to us as it is to you humans. No," He shook his head as they exited the barn and returned to the warm twilight, "there are other reasons the dark is perilous. Reasons that I'm not sure I am permitted to tell you at this time."

My steps faltered. I arched an eyebrow as Thobos' long legs carried him ahead toward the house. From what I gathered so far, Thobos appeared to be the more relaxed of the two Asur brothers. Sonnos avoided me like the plague for the entire day, only ever shooting me dark glares. Thobos, on the other hand, wasn't afraid to interact with me, usually in a playful, almost arrogant fashion. That arrogance was lost when he spoke about the night and the darkness it brought.

What exactly did Thobos mean when he spoke in such a cautious, careful tone? For that matter, why could he not tell Mike why the night was so dangerous around here?

Perhaps Thobos' fear was due to some strange superstitions or legends. I knew there was plenty of that back home too. While I never subscribed to any of them, I did know about a few cryptids and ghosts that supposedly lurked in the forests and cornfields at night. Needless to say, even though he didn't believe in any of them, I was never keen to find out if they were real or not.

Given that I'm in a strange place now, with strange people, I felt as reluctant to tempt fate now as I did back home. So, without any protest, I followed Thobos back to the farmhouse.

We passed through the tall doorway and entered the farmhouse. Immediately, my mouth watered as I smelled a delicious stew bubbling over a fire in a large fireplace. The fireplace sprawled across one wall, dominating most of the farmhouse's common room. The fire crackled and popped within it. Above those flames, I spotted a large, iron pot filled with bubbling stew.

The rest of the common room was covered with nice furniture. Every chair and the sofa within looked elegant and clean, but also comfortable. The wood floors were made of some type of birch if I were to take a guess. They gave the space an even more light, airy feeling; allowing the room to feel bigger than it actually was. A rug with an intricate pattern woven into it, made of many gold, silver, and bronze threads, ran over the floor, sitting beneath the chairs, sofa, and table. To me, all this looked like it belonged in a palatial mansion, not a farmhouse.

Beside the fire, Sunudor stirred the pot. The elder Asur glanced at the door when me and Thobos entered. A ghost of a smile flickered over his pale lips.

"Finished?" He asked.

"Yes, father," Thobos nodded. His eyes flicked around the room. "Sonnos?"

Sunudor's lips thinned. "Out."

"Out?" Thobos replied, worry lines creasing on his brow. "But, the sun-"

"Sonnos is a grown Asur," Sunudor interrupted. "Even if he is still young, he knows to be back before it is too late."

Thobos' mouth creased into a thin line, an expression that made Sunudor's thin brow furrow. With a resigned sigh, Thobos nodded and took a seat on the soft, crossing one leg over the other as he sank against the silver cushions. He gestured for me to take a seat as well, which I gladly did.

A long groan left my lips when all the weight in my body left my feet. That groan caused Thobos to crack an amused grin.

"For as hard as you work, you are not used to the labor, hm?"

I scoffed. "Not used to that kind of work, more like," I rolled my neck, trying my best to stretch all of the muscles at the base of it. It didn't do much good, but this was better than doing nothing. I doubt they have ice for sore muscles in this place. Judging by all the candles and the fire, this house didn't even have electricity. "So… what is Chrace, exactly?"

Sunudor flicked his eyes from the stew to me. "You still are unsure of where you are, Michael Van Camp?"

I did not correct Sunudor like I did Thobos. For some reason, it felt wrong to do that. Sunudor had this strange aura to him, and it was difficult for me to pinpoint what exactly it was. He didn't look old, but he exuded wisdom that made me not want to correct or question him. I couldn't say that about any other human being, besides maybe my great-grandmother. Then again, these guys aren't human, or so they say.

"Not really," I admitted.

"Why not say this earlier?" Thobos asked.

I shrugged. "Too busy earning that free meal."

Sunudor uttered a quiet laugh. "Humans… your desires are almost always so simple." I cocked an eyebrow at that, making my confusion further known to the pair of regal figures I shared the common room with. "You do not believe we are Asur, do you?"

I drew in a deep breath through my nose. "Let's just say that I've never heard of Asur where I'm from."

Thobos gestured at me then. "I remember you mentioned a few names. Places, if I were to assume correctly. A Kimberly and Wis-cone-sin?"

"Wisconsin," I corrected with a friendly laugh. "Yeah, Kimberly, Wisconsin; that's my hometown."

"I do not know of any place with that name in the human realms," Thobos remarked. "Is there a place in the Empire named that?"

Sunudor shook his head. "If there is, I've never heard of it. Which would be strange. The humans are much more open about their lands with outsiders than we are."

Wait a moment… Empire? What Empire? Last I checked, there weren't any empires left on Earth. If you wanted to get into technicalities, you could say the United States, along with several other large countries, could be considered empires, but that was still a bit of a stretch. There were no emperors on Earth anymore, as far as I knew. And the only actual monarch I knew about was the Queen of England.

This place is getting even more confusing.

"Well, Michael Van Camp," Sunudor began, turning away from the bubbling stew and setting a wooden spoon down on a towel on the fireplace mantle, "we may not know where you come from, but know this: myself and my family will work to see if we can find a way for you to return home."

"We will!?"

My head snapped to the door, where I saw Sonnos step in, his brow furrowed, and that same, unfriendly scowl on his face. His bow was slung over his shoulder and a quiver full of arrows sat at his feet. He must've walked in and begun taking all his gear off when he heard his father speak.

"Yes," Sunudor nodded, voice calm, "we will, my son."

Sonnos' eyes blazed with righteous anger. The expression should have made me shrink in my seat. But, I've never been one to let a bully get to me. I sat up a little taller and matched Sonnos' glare. That caused the Asur's jaw to tighten and Thobos to stiffen.

"Mike," Thobos muttered, "I suggest you-"

Sonnos surged across the room, grasping me by the collar of my shirt and heaving me to the floor. He moved so fast, I barely had time to react. Even when I did react, all I managed to do was flail a pair of fists at his head, which he dodged with ease.

My eyes widened as I saw a pale fist raised over my head, ready to strike. Another pale hand snatched Sonnos' wrist before he could bring the blow down, causing shock to replace his anger.

Sunudor stopped him. The sharp glare he gave Sonnos made the younger Asur pale. Without any resistance, Sonnos's fist relaxed. After another second, Sunudor let go of his wrist and nodded at a chair, silently ordering his son to sit.

With a huff, Sonnos took a seat, resting his head on his hand. As I got up, he glared at me, then opened his mouth.

"We cannot allow him to remain. It is against our laws."

"Must you be so rigid, brother?" Thobos sighed, shaking his head.

"Those laws are what have kept Ulthuan the way it is for generations," Sonnos retorted. "Without them, what are we? No better than those humans and their petty squabbles."

"You speak ill of them," Sunudor said as he returned his attention to the stew, taking the spoon and stirring it some more. "Yet, you forget, it was a human that saved my life many years ago. Without that human, you two would not exist."

A sober expression formed on Sonnos' face. With a reluctant sigh, he bobbed his head. "I'll concede that there are some decent humans. Gallant ones even. Though most of them are still young fools."

"Youth has a way of making fools, doesn't it brother?" Thobos remarked with a smarmy grin.

Sonnos' jaw fell open. Meanwhile, I had to suppress a laugh.

"Damn you, brother," Sonnos spat, causing Thobos to throw his head back and laugh out loud.

"Indeed, damn me all you want. That means I am right." Thobos gestured to the cushion beside him. "Join me here, Mike. Better company makes for a finer meal."

"I am plenty fine company," Sonnos grumbled. He folded his thin arms, scowl still sitting on his clean face. "I just… I'm suspicious."

"Why?" I asked. "Ain't never seen a human with green hair before? Because, I'll let you know, I haven't either. Not in person, at least. So…" I pursed my lips as I trailed off for a moment. "Still don't exactly know how that happened."

"And you don't know how you came to Chrace?" Sunudor asked, shifting the topic from the brothers bickering to my origins once again.

I shook my head as I took a seat beside Thobos. "No idea. One moment, I was at Kimberly Stadium reliving-" A wistful smile crossed my lips "-reliving some good times, and the next I was waking up in that forest out there."

Sunudor's brow furrowed. "Stadium? Like, an arena?"

"You fought in an arena!?" Sonnos gaped, now not looking so cross with me.

I snorted. "Of a sort, but probably not what you all are thinking. I wasn't a gladiator or anything. I played a game called football. It's very popular where I'm from. The team I was on were state champions for several years in a row."

"Ah," Thobos nodded in understanding, "an athlete."

"Exactly!" I remarked.

Some disappointment formed on Sonnos' face. "Humans and their silly games. I can hardly keep track of them all."

"Did you see anything before losing consciousness and waking up in Chrace?" Sunudor asked.

"Um…" I furrowed my brow, struggling to remember what happened. I recalled leaving school, walking to the corner with Tim and Grant, then getting into the stadium through the unlocked iron gate. Once at midfield I saw… I saw…

My memory was blank.

"I can't remember," I admitted. "It feels like a memory should be there, but no matter how hard I try, I can't think of anything."

Sunudor stopped stirring the soup when I said that. He frowned, brow furrowed as he took a moment to think.

"Thobos, make sure the stew doesn't burn," He ordered, rising to his feet and moving towards me.

Thobos nodded, jumped up, and took his father's place by the fire. Sunudor did not take a seat beside me. Instead, he stood in front of me, blue eyes looking down at me with some concern and pity. Why was he pitying me? What exactly did I say to earn that? Sure, I've been through some sort of ordeal, but it could be worse. I could not be getting food right now.

I locked my eyes with Sunudor, and it felt like I froze in place. I wasn't looking into his eyes. I was looking into oblivion. An unending well of wisdom and knowledge spread out before me, all unintelligible to me and only visible in the form of slight twitches of his face and dilation of his pupils.

Strange energy flowed through me. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it felt like my entire body fell asleep then woke up over and over again. Not in the sense that I was about to pass out, but like that strange feeling that is like TV static when a limb goes numb. The strangest part was that I did not feel distressed. If anything, it was soothing.

"Father?" Sonnos questioned, his suspicion of me morphing into curiosity.

"You say you saw him appear in a flash of light, Sonnos," Sunudor said, making me blink.

"I what?" I remarked, snapping out of whatever trance I was in.

"I did," Sonnos nodded.

Sunudor stepped back, brow furrowed and one hand moving to his sharp chin. He ran his fingers along his jaw, studying me for a moment before humming.

"There is indeed something curious about you, Michael Van Camp. Although, I cannot place what it is." Sunudor closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath as the strange feeling I felt evaporated completely. "Yes, despite our laws, we will assist you the best that we can. Sonnos, the next time we go to town, we will be stopping at the archives."

Archives? That's great! Archive was a fancy word for a record house or a library. I could figure out where exactly I was there, easily. I might not know how to use the Dewey Decimal System, but it couldn't be difficult to find information about Wisconsin. The state was a big place after all. Maybe, once I got home, I'd be able to do research about Chrace and figure out where on Earth it actually was.

"Great!" I clapped my hands, my lips curling into a happy smile. "I'm sure I can find-"

"You cannot come with," Sunudor interrupted, causing me to fumble on the next few words spilling from my lips.

"Wh-what- I- huh?" I shook my head, blinking as I tried to comprehend what Sunudor said. "What do you mean?"

"It is against our laws for a human to be outside of Lothern," Sonnos sniffed, a bit of a superior smirk crossing his lips. "If any other Asur sees you, they will make sure you are imprisoned. From there, well… the best you could hope for is exile. But, you are the kind of human who wouldn't last long traveling to the Empire, or whatever other human kingdom you come from."

"Human kingdom? I-" My mind reeled. It was against the law for a human to go to the library here? Racist much? My head fell to my hands and I massaged my eyes, letting out a defeated groan. "So what? I'm supposed to just wait here until you get back from wherever you have to go?"

"Unfortunately, yes. That is what you must do," Sunudor said with a sympathetic look. "As Sonnos said, our kin's laws have kept Ulthuan safe and strong for thousands of years. To go against them is quite an offense; one we have all already committed."

Thobos snorted from the fire. "We have only broken the law if we get caught."

"That's-," Sonnos uttered an exasperated sigh, "this is foolish. That's what this is. Pure foolishness." He massaged his temple with his fingers, blowing out a long breath before addressing Sunudor. "I assume we are leaving for town tomorrow, as planned?"

"As planned, yes," Sunudor nodded. "But, we will be staying a little while longer to conduct some research. Perhaps we will find information about Wisconsin for Michael Van Camp. If so, then we can figure out a way to send him home without any trouble coming to him, or us."

"Hopefully it is that simple," Thobos remarked. He brought the spoon out of the pot of stew and sipped on some broth. With a nod, he set the spoon to the side and grasped a bowl and ladle. "It's ready, father."

"Good." Sunudor stepped away from me and went to grab some more bowls. When he handed me a porcelain bowl, he gave me a gentle smile. "Fret not, Michael Van Camp. The worst thing does not always come to pass. I'm sure we will get you home somehow."

"Hopefully soon," Sonnos grunted as he accepted a bowl of stew from his brother.

I received a couple of ladles of stew from Thobos, then ate in silence with my new companions. All the while, my mind raced. The more I learned about this place, the more I began to wonder where on Earth I was.

Was I even on Earth anymore?

I'm not much of a dreamer. Not in the sense that I don't have dreams. Up until this strange misadventure began, I still had many. I did dream of playing college football, then making it to the pros. While I didn't receive any scholarship offers, I knew I could try out and make a team somewhere, so long as I put the effort and work into the game. I loved playing, and I would not be denied that dream if I could help it.

No, I'm not much of a dreamer in terms of sleeping dreams and nightmares. Those things sort of faded as I got older. I got the occasional strange dream, probably from eating something weird, but nothing amazing or terrifying. The scariest dream I had recently involved my teeth falling out, which I'm pretty sure everyone has had at some point.

But, as I went to sleep, I closed my eyes, then awoke what felt like seconds later.

The first thing I noticed was that I wasn't in the little, spare room Sunudor's house had for guests. That room was small, quaint, and nicely furnished, like the rest of the house.

This room was dark. The walls were black; lit by glowing orbs of faint, scarlet, and indigo lights. I glanced at my feet, wondering what glossy substance I was standing on. At first, I thought it was some sort of polished, black marble. Then I saw something swirling within it.

Shadows moved and twisted, dancing through the rock beneath my feet like a strange ballet. They almost looked like smoke, pluming and branching out through the rock, flowing towards the center of the room, where a dark throne sat.

The throne drew my attention as the smoke gathered upon it. It was a structure made of the same, glossy, midnight stone as the rest of my surroundings. Indigo light pulsed through thin veins within the throne, giving it a purple glow which I couldn't decide if it was sinister or not.

My breath got stuck in my throat when a cold hiss shot through the air, brushing against my ears and making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. This icy, frigid feeling felt familiar. It did not feel like winter back home. While cold, that freezing feeling still held a strange warmth to it that was comforting. It felt like home.

The cold I felt now was like a void, or how I imagined outer space felt like. It made me shiver as fear lanced through me.

The hiss that swept around me warped into a quiet, dark chuckle. I spun around, my head whipping from one shadow to another as I tried to find the source of the laugh.

"Oh, this human is precious," A woman's voice snickered.

The voice came from the throne. Slowly, I turned to it once again. My eyes widened as I watched all the smoke that had flowed through the glossy floor shape itself into the form of an incredibly attractive woman wearing a low-cut black dress. She had gray skin and red eyes. Her black lips parted into a devious smirk as her hands grasped the armrests of the throne. Golden bangles and bracelets with a rainbow of jewels encrusted on them covered her forearms and wrists. Long midnight hair flowed beneath a tiara made of the same, glossy, black stone. Her sharp fingernails clicked against the armrests as she tapped them. A forked tongue flicked out from her mouth, licking her lips as she stared at me.

"So, this is the one my spell brought," She continued, causing my throat to tighten. "How interesting. The Winds of Magic always seem to provide a new mystery for me whenever I think I have them completely controlled."

I stepped back, terrified and in awe of the being on the throne. I could feel power thrumming through the air, making my rib cage rattle as deep thumps sounded around me. My throat bobbed as I swallowed hard, unable to form words. That only made the woman's smile widen to a length that shouldn't be possible.

"Yes," She hissed. "You are a scrumptious little treat, aren't you?"

Another low, cold hiss sounded. As if responding to the woman. She tilted her head and giggled.

"My other selves seem to agree." She continued.

I gulped and managed to croak out the only response I could think of.

"Huh?"

Clearly not the most intelligent of replies. Definitely not the most polite. The woman's black lips fell into a pout.

"Oh, and like all humans, it pissed itself due to terror. Pity, I was hoping this one might have more nerve. Oh well, if this is the one the winds of magic deemed to send, then so be it. At least he's adorable."

Another hiss and the woman rolled her eyes.

"No, we are not going to eat him," She said, talking to the hiss, or maybe to herself. I couldn't tell. "He's much too important now to enjoy as a meal. I doubt Ereth will appreciate that considering she ordered this."

"Wh-who?" I croaked, still unable to say any words longer than one syllable.

"Oh, by my unholy name!" The woman rolled her eyes and leaned forward in her seat. "Scared and daft; are you addled?"

I trembled where I stood. "According to some new friends, yes."

The woman gave me a hard stare, then drew back, fresh chuckles bubbling from her lips. She tossed her head back, her laughter growing more raucous. A staccato of hisses joined her, as if the room around me had joined her in her amusement. Her eyes gleamed with delight when she returned her gaze to me.

"Yes, the enemy will not see you coming- not one bit, Michael Van Camp."

I blinked. She knew my name. How? I have never seen, let alone met, someone like this in my entire life. For that matter, what was she rambling about. She said something about a spell and magical winds. What does that even mean? How am I connected to it?

"So many questions," The woman said, a smug smirk on her lips. I clapped both of my hands over my mouth as I realized I said all that out loud. "Little time to answer. You humans sleep such a short amount of time. It makes these communications hopelessly brief. That, and if you remained in my presence much longer, you would lose your mind entirely." She clicked her tongue. "Such brittle creatures."

"W-who are you?"

A pulse rushed through the air, like a strong breeze, almost knocking me off of my feet. The woman's brow furrowed and her mouth turned into a deep frown.

"Already?" She sighed and slouched a little in her chair. "Those Asur are such early risers. It's annoying. But, very well, you asked a question, and I have enough time to answer it before you wake."

I blinked. "Huh?"

"Keep your stupidity to a minimum, Michael Van Camp," the woman said, "else you may not receive the first of many answers you no doubt seek."

Another pulse. My body felt strangely light. The shadows swirled around me. To my horror, the woman's body flickered, like a bad hologram from one of those science fiction movies Tim and Grant enjoyed.

In one of those flickers, I saw a gargantuan creature replace her and the throne. It looked like a giant dragon with multiple heads. Black scales covered its entire body like armor. Enormous fangs dripped with some sort of inky liquid from each reptilian head. Glowing, yellow eyes gazed on me, studying me with hunger. The power radiating from that creature made the woman seem insignificant.

In another flicker, I saw the woman again, only she was some sort of eldritch horror rather than a humanoid figure. She had two legs, she still wore the same midnight dress, but she had many heads and six arms. It was unnatural, and it made me shake harder. I still wasn't sure if all of this was my mind playing a cruel trick on me. If it was, then I would need to have a chat with myself. I did not enjoy this nightmare at all.

Before I could find out what all this was, the woman and the throne faded to smoke on a frozen wind. The smoke passed by me, scentless and suffocating. On that smoky wind, I heard her voice whisper in my ear, along with several snarls and hisses that caused my blood to go cold.

"You may call me, Hekarti."

I awoke with a startled yelp. Sweat coated my brow and body. My chest heaved up and down as I sucked in one deep breath after another. Both of my hands pawed at my face and throat as my brain slowly caught up with reality.

"Wh-what?" I wheezed. "Huh?"

Birds chirped outside of my room. I whipped my gaze to the window and saw the sun cresting over the distant horizon, bathing the rolling hills and nearby forest in golden rays of light. A bluebird came to rest on my windowsill, happily chirping as it ruffled its feathers and warmed itself in the sunlight.

I drew in another deep breath, still trying my best to calm my racing heart. The bluebird glanced at me, tilted its head, chirped once, then flew away to the forest. When it was gone, a knock sounded on my door, making me jump where I saw.

The door creaked open and Thobos poked his head in.

"Mike?" He noticed my disheveled, disturbed state and furrowed his brow. "Is all well?"

I swallowed hard. Images of the woman on the black throne shot through my mind, looping on repeat. Her voice echoed in my thoughts, seductive yet terrifying. It was as if she was power incarnate, and it made me tremble.

"Um… y-yeah, I think?" I wiped my hands over my eyes and blew out a long breath. "Just a nightmare."

Thobos did not look convinced by my casual dismissal. He and his family were amazingly perceptive. Maybe that was an attribute of Asur? Thankfully, he didn't press me further on the topic.

"Well, it's time to rise, eat, and get dressed," Thobos said. "Father and Sonnos have already left for town, but that doesn't mean we are excused from normal duties." He gave me a friendly, but mischievous, smile. "You still have meals to earn, after all."

With that, he closed my door with a quiet click, leaving me to sit and stew on my own. The thin, but warm, sheets shifted over me as I swung my legs out from the bed and set my feet on the warm floor. I bowed my head again, hands on my knees, and let out a shuddering breath.

It was just a nightmare. I reminded myself. It wasn't real.

"You may call me Hekarti."

An iron ball lodged in my throat. If that was a nightmare, then why did it feel so real? Why did it feel like I was actually talking to that woman- thing- dragon. My right hand raked through my green hair and raised my gaze.

"I swear this entire situation keeps getting stranger," I shook my head and sighed before finally rising to my feet and stretching my arms. I couldn't get stuck on a nightmare right now. As Thobos said, I had meals to earn, which meant there was farmwork to get done.

Let's get today over with. I threw a shirt on, put on my shoes, and moved to the door. Hopefully, there are no more rude surprises.

And chapter! This is such an interesting world to explore. I'm enjoying it! I hope you all are enjoying it too. Again, thank you to firetrail for commissioning this story! Let me know what you all think of this chapter, and, as always, have a nice day!

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