Skye awoke the next morning to someone shaking her gently. Still half asleep, she rolled over and stared blurry eyed at the big man she vaguely remembered meeting the day before. He smiled and gave her a friendly pat on the head before moving on to wake up Jason, who was lying a few feet away from Skye.
Where did my horse go? she wondered suddenly, bewildered. And why am I in a bedroll?
She sat up, now alert, and watched as the camp they were in slowly came to life. Shadows that were soldiers of the Own moved about in the faint light of early morning, packing supplies and starting breakfast. A slight chill in the morning air made Skye glad for the warmth of her bedroll, and she was pulling it tightly around her when she saw a figure with a sword off on the far edge of the camp. A glimpse of red hair instantly told her it was Alanna, and Skye watched with interest as the woman went through several complex passes with her sword before sheathing it to begin practicing punches and kicks. After finishing with a few extra minutes of kicks off her left side, Alanna came back into the camp and sat over by the fire. Admiration, and a small bit of jealousy, bubbled up inside Skye.
"She's good, huh?" Skye quickly turned to look at Jason, who was lying back with his hands behind his head, gazing up at the morning sky with a thoughtful look on his face.
"Don't worry, I'm not mad at you anymore," he said, noticing her glance. "For now, at least."
"Well that's good," Skye said, grinning. "I wasn't sure what I was going to do if I wasn't on speaking terms with the one person here who understands me." She paused a moment before adding, "I'm sorry if I offended you last night…but you have to admit, it was pretty funny."
He scowled and sat up with a groan, stretching. "Alright, sure, it was funny. But no more, okay? Deal?"
"Deal," Skye confirmed, nodding. Just then Alanna walked up with bowls of oatmeal and the teens accepted them gratefully. She gave them a small smile before heading back to get some breakfast of her own.
"Mmm, drish es goood!" Skye exclaimed, her mouth full. She hadn't realized how hungry she was amidst yesterday's excitement, but now that she thought of it, she realized that she had barely eaten since dinner two days before. The soldiers had given her some bread right before the group had mounted up, but that hardly counted.
After breakfast a young soldier came over to show them how to stow their bedrolls on the packhorses, and before they knew it they were riding again. The day passed slowly and became warm as the sun shone brightly overhead, making everyone thankful for the cover of the forest foliage. Just as Skye was beginning to wonder if they would ever come out of the woods, the procession finally made their way out of the last of the trees.
Blinking in the bright sunlight, Skye looked with interest at their surroundings. From their vantage point atop a hill, a rolling green valley spread out before them, dotted here and there with clumps of trees and brush. She glimpsed something traveling along a wide road off in the distance and squinted at it, trying to discern what it was. Just then the column stopped, and as she leaned sideways to see around the soldier in front of her, she gasped. A few miles distant a walled city was visible, gleaming beautifully in the noon sun. It was the palace in the background that caught Skye's attention, however. Tortall, she thought numbly, gaping. We're in Tortall...
Even seeing Alanna had not brought on such a startling feeling of reality. Skye looked helplessly over at Jason.
"I think we both know where we are now," he said, smiling grimly as he stared at the city. "Although I wouldn't believe it if I weren't standing where I am right now."
Skye took a moment to pinch herself, hard. Time to wake up, she thought desperately. Time to slam my alarm clock and get dressed. Go to school. Be normal.
But nothing happened. The pain was all too real, and the drop of blood on her arm far too warm and lifelike. She barely noticed as they began to move again, her pony obediently following the horse ahead of it. The large man fell back soon after to begin another round of charades with Jason, but Skye paid little attention as she lost herself in deep thought. Tortall, of all places! The land of knights and kings, immortals and mages…the land of heroes and villains, quests and adventure. Certainly a place she had never dreamed of being a part of.
Jason's voice brought her out of her reverie as he sighed and said, "Well Skye, I think he was trying to tell me that we still have about another day's ride. I guess that means we won't be entering the city, then."
Skye glanced at the palace. "I have a feeling this won't be the last we see of this city, though," she said quietly as they turned away from Tortall's capital and onto the road she had seen earlier. "And I'm beginning think we have quite an adventure ahead of us."
Jason laughed. "Well it's about time! My life has never been this exciting before…I say bring it on!"
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Authors Note: Thanks to all for the encouraging reviews! If it weren't for you, I would have no incentive to keep writing :) You're awesome!