CHAPTER 1

Sarah is all packed up and ready to go. She has everything she needs to survive in comfort off the land in the Underground indefinitely. She was showered, hair washed and braided tightly down her back. She was dressed all in black with black high boots, long sleeve tshirt, leather pants, a wide buckle belt with a hunting knife, all sheathed and attached to rings on the belt. She had a bow and arrow set, a small holstered Kel-Tec P-11 9mm pistol handgun 12 shot magazine with 1000 rounds of iron bullets in her gear and a black cowl deep hooded cape. She puts on all her black waterproof gear: backpack with bedroll, duffle bag, large tote bag with a pop-up tent inside. She had been preparing for months. She has everything she will need but a horse and tack, and money. She bought a large amount of gold jewelry and cut gemstones to barter with all wrapped in a package inside her belongings. She was not coming back. She was done with this world.

She was ready. She said out loud, "I 'wish' for a portal to the Underground that will give me safe passage to a place not too far from a safe nearby town for humans there." A silver oval disk formed about six feet tall by four feet wide. It was reflective like a mirror but had silvery swirling wisps moving below the surface.

She said taking a deep breath, "Ok, here goes… let's go feet." She stepped through.

She entered a small cave. She located her flashlight and turned it on. It was musty and dripping inside. She looked around and found a kettle pot sitting on the ground on the floor ahead of her. It was filled with dirt Sarah wiped it off with her gloves hand and it was filled with gold coins. She smiled. She put down her bags and got out gallon size plastic zip close bags and started filling them with gold coins, minus the dirt if possible. She put the bags as she filled them inside her tote she carried on her shoulder. She had four bags full and her two front pockets full. It was heavy.

She said out loud, "I 'wish' the weight of my bags I'm carrying were light." The burden was lessened. She stood up and grabbed her bags to leave the cave. The entrance was overgrown but she was able to get through after a bit of cutting.

She walked out into a thick forest with crickets chirping at night. She kept her flashlight on and found a trail along a stream. She had no idea where she was. She set up a camp with her tent against a grouping of trees and a fire with rocks around it. She caught a fish in the stream with her fishing line and hooked it with a dough ball. She had a loaf of baguette bread she had in her backpack of spices and dried food stuff.

She cut it up and filleted it, putting it in a small frying pan with a bit of olive oil. She threw all her debris in the stream to feed other animals and carry it away. She had two small pots and boiled water in one for tea and made a rice mixture with nuts and dried mushrooms in the other. She added salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. It was tasty with her fish. She saved a piece of fish for morning to have with her bread for breakfast. She slept lightly because of the noises in the forest we're not all the same she was familiar with.

When dawn came, she packed up everything, ate breakfast and was ready to find civilization somewhere hopefully. When she came to the edge of the forest, she found a dirt road that looked well traveled with wagon wheel grooves in it. She followed it. A party on horseback was coming so she ducked into the bushes on the side of the road and watched as they passed. It was a group of goblin soldiers. They were not like the goblins she remembered. They were big and muscular with a serious look in full leather armor. No sooner had they passed and another group came in a wagon. It looked like a family of human gypsies.

She kept walking down the road and came upon a town. She went into the woods behind it and watched the comings and goings. There were a mix of people: human, dwarven, fae and elven. She spotted an inn and walked inside. She had to let her eyes adjust for a moment.

A human male about thirty five was behind a counter washing dishes. She walked up to him and asked, "Excuse me, do you have a room for a week?"

He looked up and smiled at her feminine voice. He said, "Do ye want a tub, pump and privy in yer room, lass?"

Sarah said, "Yes, please." He smiled at her manners.

He said, "Four gold, two silver. It be six silver a night. Meals are four coppers and drinks be two, tea be one." She gave him five gold coins from her pocket. He gave her eight silver coins back. She knew the money system now ten to one: gold, silver, copper.

He gave her a key and said, "Room six, lassie." She went up the stairs and found room six. She unlocked the door. It was a nice room. It was clean. There was wood stacked neatly on both sides of the fireplace with a mesh screen in front of it and a metal kettle and bucket next to it. There was a metal high back tub in one corner by the window for tipping out of the window, no doubt. There was a four poster bed on the opposite wall from the fireplace. A curtained off area in the one corner. It was a stall with a latrine or privy with a closing lid and a bucket of tree moss next to it. In the opposite corner was a water pump with a floor drain under it and a bowl and pitcher set on a small table.

Sarah dropped off her bags on the floor and locked the door. She took off her cloak, leather gloves and bow and arrow set and laid them on the bed. She poured a bucket of water into the tub and washed the gold coins and laid a towel she brought on the floor. She did each bag of coins until the dirt was off all of it. She dried and repackaged it all while counting it in gallon plastic bags. She had 1,595 gold coins at about 400 per bag. She got the dirt out of her pockets and put twenty five in the left pocket and twenty with the eight silver coins in the right. She put on her cloak, gloves and locked the door.

Sarah went down to the innkeeper's counter and put a silver coin on the counter and asked, "Do you have anything for lunch and wine, please?"

He smiled at her and brought her a dish of mutton stew and wine. He asked, "Yer from far away?" She nodded.

She asked, "Do you know where I can buy a horse and tack?"

He said, "Marley, the blacksmith in the stables to the left, be selling horses and weapons in town."

Sarah asked, "Is there a tanner or leather craftsman?"

He said, "The cobbler be right next door."

She said, "Thank you."

He said, "Ye been taught some fine manners. Ye talk like the fae, but differnt' too."

She said, "Using manners, it is respectful to others and yourself. It costs nothing to do it."

He grinned and said, "Indeed, it don'."

She finished eating and went to the stable. A human man in his mid fifties and with a full salt and peppered beard looked up at her and asked, "Whatcha be needin', lass?"

She asked, "Do you have horses for sale?"

He smiled and said brushing off his hands, "Come let me show ye?" He took her to the back of the barn and showed her the horses.

He said, "This be Lorgaire (Tracker) a gelding two years, an next to him be Breacadh (Trotter) a mare four years, an next to her be Cróga (Brave) a stallion three years. I be asking 20 gold fer the stallion, 15 fer the gelding, 12 fer the mare." The stallion was all black. The mare was painted brown and white. The gelding was a chestnut with a black mane and tail.

She looked over the stallion. He was all male and beautiful. She was very happy she knew how to ride a horse. She asked, "If I take the stallion will you board him for a week for free? And how much for full tack?"

The blacksmith said, "I'll board him fer ye. Tack be four gold. He got his own all in black leather from the man who sold him ta me." Sarah emptied out her left pocket full of twenty four gold and gave it to him. He went and got the tack and put the saddle and bridle on the wall of the stall. It was all black with silver conchos and very nice. The large saddlebags he handed her that matched with silver conchos buttons were made very well. She was happy with her purchases.

She asked, "May I see your weapons?" He led her to a room with weapons mounted along the walls. She bought a long sword with a heavy black leather scabbard, a boot knife and a large hunting knife for seven gold.

She went up to her horse and petted his muzzle. She softly said, "You're a beautiful boy, Cróga." The stallion put his head on her shoulder and snorted as she caressed and hugged him.

The blacksmith said was curious, "He be seemin' quite fond of ye already. It be strange, he not be very nice to many. The man who sold him said he be mean. Tha be why he be gettin' rid of him."

She said, "Maybe he's just been waiting for the right person to come along."

The blacksmith said, "Mayhaps. Me name be Devon. Welcome to Foraoise (Forest). Ye be from far away?"

She said, "My name is Sar. Yes, very far away. Nice to meet you Devon." The horse kept letting her pet him soothingly.

He said, "People here be not as polite as ye."

She said, "That's what the innkeeper said. I told him that using good manners is respectful to others and yourself. It costs nothing to do it. It's free."

The man chuckled, "Yer right, lassie. People forget that and most not be taught it, least not be in this place." Sarah turned and smiled at him.

She kissed the nose of Cróga and patted him. She said, "See you soon, Cróga."

She turned to Devon and said, "Thank you Devon for everything. I appreciate your time."

He smiled and said, "Ye be welcome, lassie. Stop in from time to time." She smiled and waved goodbye. She dropped off her weapons, putting her knife in her boot and taking twenty more gold in her left pocket. She locked up and went to the cobbler.

She went to the cobbler next door to the stable. She got four large leather bags, two medium size and two small, two coin purses, one curry brush, a large black leather tote bag, a pair of lace up knee high boots in suede black leather, another pair of black leather gloves, and a smaller black leather saddle bags. She paid twelve gold. She took everything to her room at the inn and dropped it all off.

She left to go to a couple clothing stores she saw. She bought men's clothes four tunics, four leggings in black, a pair of leather baggier pants. She went to the women's clothing store and bought two bars of vanilla soap, a set of makeup, two sets of hair combs and ribbons, two long skirts in black and dark green, two short sleeve and two long sleeve peasant blouses in black and dark green, and a black lace up outside corset.

Over The period of the week, she had herself completely outfitted and ready to leave with her gear packed up to be able to be tied down to her horse's saddle properly and stored in her two sets of saddlebags. She had her 1500 gold coins in leather bags evenly on each side of the saddlebags and surrounded by other stuff. She had purchased a pocket watch that was a twenty six hour two day wind up one on a silver chain.

She had gotten directions from Devon on traveling from town to city. He had drawn her a map on a piece of parchment, showing all the kingdoms and the lay of the land. She was told that she was due east in the Highlands. The High King's Palace was in the Highlands in the center of the map.

He gave her information important to her survival. He said the ogres were enslavers of humans and to avoid them at all costs on the road, if not to kill them because they would not be so forgiving. He said their kingdom was due south. He described them as large, bald with jagged teeth, bad smelling and gray skin. He showed her the Ogre Kingdom on the map to the south flanked by the Dwarven and Leprechaun kingdoms. He said the elves, to the north east, were kind of arrogant like the fae, but more tolerant of humans than of fae. He said the fae ruled in the Pixie, fairy, Unicorn and Goblin Kingdoms. The other four kingdoms were self governing. She decided that being it was summer turning to fall, she would start to the east and visit the Pixie Kingdom due east.

Day 8

After breakfast that morning, she said her goodbyes and tied down everything and mounted Cróga. She was ready to travel two days east to a town called Leamhan (Elm). She had her compass clipped to her watch also.

It was clear all afternoon, until towards the evening when clouds started rolling in. She came upon an outcropping of rocks next to the woods and she started looking for a campsite. There was a small cave inside the formation big enough for her to camp inside. She had bought a bag of sweet feed from Devon for Cróga. She tethered him to a small sapling next to the cave entrance. She took her flashlight and was looking inside being it was so obscure of a place to notice. The cave was empty.

She stood outside and said out loud, "I 'wish' that all harmful animals, people and insects to me are repelled away from me in this cave." She stood back as insects and snakes all left the cave. She set up her tent, unloaded and unsaddled the horse, and made her campfire site with plenty of wood and kindling inside. She brought Cróga inside when it started to rain to the back of the cave.

She started a fire and cooked some dried lamb meat and made up a rice medley with carrots, peas, mushrooms and spices in her pot with tea. She started singing old Celtic tunes to pass the time. Her bed was made and comfortable. She put more wood on the fire and fell asleep.

—--

In the Goblin Kingdom, the Goblin King was sitting on his throne kicked back gazing in crystals. The chaos around him was bustling with drunken goblins playing, gaming and singing. It was like he was immune to the sound.

He was watching different people in different places. He said out loud, "I wonder what Sarah's been up to after a couple months?" His crystal brought her into view, sleeping. It looked like she was camping. He thought, 'How boring.' He popped the crystal. He said out loud, "Really Sarah, you're such a bore, the least you could do is take off your clothes." He grinned.

—--

Sarah awoke in the night and felt like she was being watched. She hoped it wasn't Jareth and his crystals. She sleepily said out loud, "I 'wish' that all fae could not see me in their crystals." She laid her head back down and went back to sleep.