"Holy muffie, they're here! They're actually here!" How did they find me so quickly? In fact, how did they find me at all? I've never heard of this place, so how could the Valdorians? They're marching towards me and the girl, who, even though she's trying not to show it, looks absolutely terrified. I can't blame her. I'm pretty scared myself.
"You're her. You're the girl from my—" A loud blast cuts the girl off. A soldier just fired a magical arrow at us.
"Who . . . who are they?" she asks. Her voice trembles slightly, and she swallows hard.
"It's hard to explain. I'll tell you later. For now, I think we should run." She nods, and stoops to pick up her furry animal. I gesture for her to follow me. I have no clue where I'm going, only that we need to get away. I race down the street, and turn left into another residential area. I don't check to see if the girl is following me. I can hear her footsteps right behind me. I can also hear the Valdorians. I can tell they're gaining on us, because the clatter of their heavy boots against the pavement has gotten much louder. I can't let them catch me. I can't die, and what happens if they decide to punish my new friend as well? I should never have gotten her involved. Even if she does think I'm strange, she doesn't deserve to die.
Next I turn right. Then right again. Left. Right. Right. Left. Left. Left. Right. Soon I lose any sense of direction that I actually had. I feel like I'm running in circles. However, at some point or other, the footfall of the soldiers begin to fade. Soon I can't hear them at all. I come to a halt and glance at my companion. She's doubling over, trying to catch her breath. I have to admit, I'm kind of tired myself. Her furry friend is sitting beside her.
"I think . . . we . . . lost . . . them," she says, turning to me. I nod, and we both smile.
"I'm Araya, by the way." I extend my hand, which she politely shakes.
"Madgick. Nice to meet you." I laugh.
"Madgick's a weird name, isn't it? Are your parents obsessed with mages or something?"
"Mages? Do you mean magicians? Because if so, no." I shake my head, and we both fall silent. I fiddle with the drawstrings of my inventory pouch.
"Praise the first, I'm really sorry about all this," I say, plopping down on the pathway. We now seem to be in an industrial area, filled with lots of grey buildings and machinery. Smoke clouds the air. Madgick sits down next to me.
"Well, I'm sure it's not your fault. But if you don't mind me asking, why were they chasing you?"
"If I tell you, I doubt you'll believe me."
"Why not?" I bite my lip, and turn my gaze away from her.
"You seem to think I'm kind of crazy," I say slowly. "You haven't even heard of a guild."
"You haven't even heard of a car," she counters. I shrug.
"I promise that I'll do my best to believe you, Araya. There's something about those men..."
Before Madgick can finish her sentence, I feel her tense beside me and she lets out a little yelp. I turn and jump to my feet, stumbling backwards in surprise. Three Valdorian soldiers stand in front of us.
"Levitas Magnus: Force Pulse," I yell. One of the Valdorians laughs.
"You can't cast magic here, you fool," he says. I recognize his voice from somewhere...
"Why can't I cast magic?"
"Don't you know? You're in the human world, kid." My eyes widen. I turn to Madgick.
"Are you a human?" I'm bewildered. Madgick mirrors my expression.
"You're not?" she asks incredulously. The Valdorian who spoke earlier laughs once more. Then he pulls back his mask to reveal Val Cath's face.