A/N: I will try and write more. Here is Chapter Ten for you all.
"Yes," Toby whispered back into Tori's ear, wrapping his arms around her once more and inhaling the scent of her hair. A few minutes later she pulled away from him and Ryu moved aside so their legs could breath again.
They rode in silence on the dusty road, neither paying any attention at all to their surroundings, both sinking into a riding induced trance and into their own thoughts. That is, until an ear piercing neigh rang out through the late morning air.
Ryu's ears swiveled forward and he gave a half rear, shouting, :That's a Companion!:
"Let's go," Toby whispered and Tori didn't have time to nod in agreement before Teral shot out underneath her and started galloping down the road, his and Ryu's hooves beating out a quick chiming song, sounding dangerous and almost deadly.
:What's going on?: a voice in his head said and it took Toby a moment to realize it was Tori mindspeaking him.
:I- I'm not sure. It sounds like the Companion, whoever they are, is in trouble, and we're running to help: Toby explained, although Tori probably already knew what he was telling her. He might as well have said "I know as much as you," but Tori understood him anyway.
It took less than a minute to reach the place where a lone Companion mare dressed up in her best tack stood in the middle of the road, rearing and neighing in what sounded like frustration.
:He's not here! Damn it all he' s not here!: she shouted for all to hear, much to Tori and Toby's surprise.
:It's Berne: Ryu said to Toby, :She must be out searching for her Chosen.:
"It doesn't seem like she can find him though," Toby commented and when Tori nodded in agreement he figured Teral must have been saying something of the sort to her as well.
As Teral and Ryu slowed to a halt in front of the mare she stopped and looked at them, her eyes demanding something of them they couldn't possible give to her.
:None of us know Berne: Teral said 'out loud', startling only Toby this time, for he had never heard Tori's Companion's voice before this.
:Of course you don't!: she sneered and then turned away, muttering, :Damn it, he'd better be a good Herald for all the trouble I'm going through to Choose him. There are at least ten other potentials that would work with me, and he's damn lucky I decided to take the hard road and get the only one who happens to be best for me.:
And then she opened a Gate. There happened to be some old ruins near the road here, of which none of them had noticed before except Berne, and in the remains of an old doorway is where it appeared. Of course, neither Toby or Tori had any idea what a Gate was, having never heard of one, but their Companions did, and just by looking at it they could get an idea of what it was meant for.
With a triumphant neigh she sprang through and without consulting their Heralds, Ryu and Teral dashed after her, lurching through the Gate before it disappeared. There was a moment in which Toby thought his stomach was dropping out of him and his heart was jumping out through his throat and then it was over. They were on solid ground again.
"What the hell was that?" Tori spat out, leaning over in the saddle towards Teral's neck and sounding shaky.
:A Gate: Teral said to her, :It's nothing really, so don't pay it much heed.:
Tori nodded and turned her attention to where the Companion, Berne, was stepping up to a scruffy, black haired boy with hazel eyes and looking deep into his eyes. A Choosing. Tori blinked and looked around, finding herself to be standing in a small woods, small in that none of the trees looked over twenty or thirty years old, but she couldn't see the border from here. The boy was wearing strange clothing. His tunic was short, despite the fact that he looked like a peasant, and his pants were baggy and made of a strange material. His shoes, now they were a completely different thing. They were shoes all right, with laces and all, but they were multicolored, blue and white and streaks of yellow, strange shapes and designs all over with thick, touch looking soles. What made him scruffy and peasant like was the holes in his pants and shirt, the faintly brownish overtones on all his clothing, shoes, and even skin. No one else would be wearing clothes and dirt like that.
"Berne," he whispered, reaching up and touching the Companion's face.
She must have said something to him because he suddenly seemed to notice Tori and Toby and his eyes widened and he managed to stutter out, "Wh-who are you?"
"Herald Victoria and Herald Tobias," Tori said, "Or Tori and Toby for short. Who are you?"
"H-her what?" he repeated, stepping closer to Berne and glancing at their Companions as if wondering what they were doing with horses just like his.
:Where are we Ryu?: Toby asked, having a sneaking suspicion they weren't in Valdemar anyway.
:Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore: Ryu said with a chuckle and then, since Toby obviously didn't get it, :Well… as of now we're in this country called the United States of America, but we can just call it America. Here, it's the year 2004, counting from when some guy was staked on a cross. It's from the biggest religion in this world.:
:Honestly, don't you know anything? His name was Jesus, and he loves everyone, no matter what, and he died to save us… some people didn't like what he was saying at God so they staked him…: Teral explained cheerfully, :I think.:
Toby glanced at Tori, wondering why the Companions were all of a sudden deciding it was necessary for them to speak to everyone when they could just speak through their Chosen.
"Heralds," Tori said, dismounted from Teral's back and walking over to the boy, "From Valdemar. And now that you've been Chosen you'll be one too."
She paused a moment and then added, "Don't worry, we won't leave right now. Apparently our Companions dragged us along so we could help you adjust, since apparently this place is very different from Valdemar… Or so Teral, my Companion, says."
"I'm C-Caley," Caley said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants and glancing at Berne, "Um, I'm not crazy am I? This isn't a mental institution?"
Tori shook her head, "Not at all. Can you show us where you live?"
"Uh," he glanced around and finally his eyes landed on Berne and he nodded, then looked shocked at something and said, "I can't ride! I've never even been on pony rides!"
Berne snorted and shook her head and Caley added on, "Seriously, I can just walk…"
"No cars?" he exclaimed a moment later and Toby wished he could hear the other half of the conversation but by then Caley, looking doubtful, stepped over to Berne's saddle and put his right foot into the stirrup, attempted to mount, and promptly fell.
"Wrong foot," Toby said and Caley shot Toby a glare before saying, "I know. She told me that."
Toby shrugged while Caley attempted again and managed to get himself sitting uneasily in the saddle, clutching the saddle horn and totally ignoring the reins.
:Berne says she's glad he can't ride, because then she'd have to get him out of all the bad habits like kicking and pulling on reins.: Ryu said to Toby as they started winding their way through the forest under trees thick with leaves. It was, at least, still summer here.