After we heard that name we could do nothing but stare. It was impossible; the thought of it was too much. How could it be possible for Amelia Earhart, the name we had all heard over and over again in school, and read in so many news stories, to be here? To think that her disappearance could be explained by this place was so fantastic and surreal.

"Is something wrong?" asked Cassius. "You two look strange. Have you heard that name before?"

"Yes, yes we have." Brooke said quietly. "In our world, she was a famous pilot who disappeared trying to cross the ocean. Almost everyone in our country knows her name. It's one of the big mysteries of our time."

"Interesting, perhaps you all can talk soon."

I was surprised, I had been thinking that she would have been dead after all these years, but I had forgotten the differences in the way time moved here. "So she's alive? Where is she?"

"After we explained to her our world, she stayed with us for a month, but then decided she was ready to go on her own. Last we heard from her, she was living in a city called Chorrol. It's far from here, in the Great Forest towards the northwest. We can make that our destination, if you would like."

I was eager to go, but Brooke spoke before I could. "Finish the story first, if you don't mind."

"No problem, but there isn't much more to tell. After our encounter with Amelia, we decided that others were sure to come through. We found a good site, and we built this cottage. Later, we decided to live here all the time, instead of just using it as an outpost. We made a habit of inspecting the cave on our way into town, and from time to time we would find small things that came through. We have a small collection of things downstairs. We always keep anything inanimate, whenever an animal comes; we bury it and forget about it, as they always come through dead. You can see the grave markers out behind the field, at the edge of the forest." We looked, and indeed there were about ten large white stones by the tree line. "We don't get as many objects, though. There are only six different things that we found outside the cave, and most of them are just different types of things we have here in Tamriel."

"Tamriel?" I asked

Tsajadhi smiled. "It's the name of the continent we are on, dear." This was the first thing I had heard from either her or Nanniton since Cassius had begun his story. I took a moment to look at them. Tsajadhi seemed concerned about something; she looked as if she wanted to correct Cassius on some crucial point. I decided I would ask her about it later. Nanniton simply looked bored. I was beginning to suspect he didn't approve of the others decision to stay and tend to the cave.

"Yes, indeed," said Cassius. "However, as I was saying there are two things we can't figure out. Nanniton, would you be so kind as to bring the things up for us?"

"Sure," he grumbled with a yawn, and went through the basement door. We waited a few minutes, and then he came back up with two objects in his hand. One was a small round object, gold and metallic in color. The other was a small pair of binoculars. He handed me the binoculars, and Brooke the other object.

"Do you two know what these things are?"

"Yes," I said, "These are binoculars, they're used to see far away things as if they were closer."

Tsajadhi looked exited. "Yes, we saw that when we looked through them. It gave us a bit of a shock. You must tell me how they work."

"I…I'm not really sure," I said guiltily. "It has something to do with the way the glass inside is shaped, I think."

"Oh, I was expecting something different. I thought it might be a sign that your world had…"

"No, Tsajadhi," Cassius interrupted quickly. "Not yet, they can't take too much at once."

We all were quiet until Nanniton asked about the object he gave Brooke.

"Oh, I almost forgot about it," she said, "It looks like a compass to me. Its something we use to tell which direction we're headed. You see these letters? They mean north, south, east, and west. The needle should always point to north. I'm not sure you have the same kind of rules here, though. The needle is just spinning around."

"How fascinating"

"Yes, yes it is," Cassius said, "I'm sure were all hungry, though, why don't we eat dinner?"

Tsajadhi looked pleased. "Wonderful, shall I set the plates? I'm sure you two are famished."

I then realized how late it was. It was dark again, and I could see the smaller moon hanging in the sky above the field. I was starving, and for the first time I noticed the aroma of meat and something else hanging in the air. Tsajadhi quickly put several plates on the small circular table. Brooke and I walked over and sat down. On the plates there was a large piece of meat, several berries, and a delicious looking baked potato. After Cassius, Nanniton, and Tsajadhi sat down we all started to eat. The food was delicious. I discovered that the berries were some kind of blueberry; at least they tasted like them. The meat tasted like beef, but I couldn't be sure.

"Is it good?" asked Cassius

"Yes, it's incredible." I said between mouthfuls. "Before, Tsajadhi, you were about to say something. I really do think we can handle whatever it is. We have been through so much already."

"I don't know," she said. "Cassius, what do you think?"

"I think that if they believe they are ready, then they are. Go ahead and tell them."

"Alright. Now, children, in the many differences between our two worlds, there is one that stands out. I believe it is the one factor that truly separates our lands. You see, in our world, we have magic. It manifests in many ways, from simple things like the magic of certain plants to the most complicated spells that only master wizards can cast. Everything in our world has some amount of magic in it, although it usually only manifests in creatures, or powerful enchanted objects. Every person in this world is capable of performing some magic, but some people, me included, have devoted their lives to studying and practicing spells and other aspects of the arcane. Do you two understand so far?"

We were both stunned. Magic, actual magic, was real here. Finally my unspoken questions about the incident with the glow-seeds were answered. It could be explained by what she said about certain plants giving magical properties. "Yes, I think we both understand." Then something struck me. "But we're not from this world. We can't do any of those things." The amazing feeling I had gotten thinking about what Tsajadhi had said was gone. Now there was a feeling not unlike jealousy. I looked at Brooke, who was staring at me.

She started to speak. "Zach, I…I didn't tell you at first, but... Remember the feeling we got when we first stepped in here?" I did, I could still feel the faint aftereffects from it, but I was completely used to it. "Well, Zach, when we were walking here I got to thinking about how it felt. I kept feeling I had this energy inside me, and I tried to get rid of it. That's when it happened."

I was getting anxious, "What happened?"

"I…I lifted my hand, and I pointed it at this butterfly that was flying a few feet away. I sort of…I tried to imagine the energy just leaving me. Then I felt the tingle get worse. It started to burn, and then a thin wisp of fire just sort of shot out of my hand. It hit the butterfly and it was destroyed. I was going to tell you, but I just didn't know how."

I couldn't speak. What she was saying was amazing.

Tsajadhi spared me the effort of speaking first. "Why Brooke, that's incredible. To be able to cast a spell like that without any training or knowledge, not even I could do that. You will be a very accomplished spell caster, that much is apparent." Brooke blushed and thanked Tsajadhi.

"Now," Tsajadhi continued, "You said something about a feeling when you first left the cave?"

"Yes, it was like a stream of energy flowing into me, and afterwards I felt like I told you, as if I had a great energy within me, waiting to be let out."

"Zach, did you feel the same thing?" Tsajadhi then turned to me.

"Well, sort of. I know what she means when she says the energy flowed into us, but afterwards it wasn't so much like it wanted to get out. It felt more like everything had become clearer, and I felt powerful, but more like I could do whatever I wanted, like I could bend the world to my will."

Tsajadhi thought for a moment, and then spoke. "That is very interesting. You see, there are many different types of magic. Brooke, from your descriptions and your experience with the fire, I would venture that you will be skilled with direct magic, like destruction, or other energy oriented spells. Zach, I think you will be skilled in the more manipulative magic, things like mysticism or illusion. Why don't you try to do something right now?

I was suddenly apprehensive about this. "Well, what do you want me to try and do?"

She placed a jug of water on the table. "Concentrate on this, and just try and direct some energy to it. What will happen won't matter; it's just a test to see if I'm right."

I looked around. Cassius and Nanniton were watching with interest. Brooke was looking at me with a small smile. I looked at the jug.

I started to concentrate it. Almost immediately, I felt the tingling increase all over my body. All at once, the jug stood out in my vision. I could see every tiny crack and imperfection on its surface. More importantly, I could feel it in my vision. I could sense its weight, and feel its texture on my mind. Without thinking, I pushed the tingling forward to it.

It exploded. More accurately, it broke into hundreds of pieces that floated in a rough outline of the jug for a few seconds, and then fell.

Everyone just looked at the pieces that had fallen on the table. Then Nanniton started laughing, and eventually we all started. "That…that was very good Zach," Tsajadhi managed to chock out between bouts of laughter. "Maybe we should work on your control, but that was a pretty good telekinesis spell there."

I was surprised. Telekinesis was always something I had been fascinated about. Now I could actually use it, and apparently I could do much more. "Can you teach us how to do more?" I asked.

"Maybe tomorrow," commented Cassius. "It's been a long day, I'm sure everyone here could use a rest. Brooke, Zach, we have one extra bed in the basement, and one of you can have my bed. I will be leaving to go into town. I'm going to find a messenger to deliver a letter to Amelia. I think we should give her a few days warning before we come knocking on her door."

Although I was exited at the prospect of learning other ways to use my newfound magic, I was also immeasurably tired from a day of new universes, magic and long lost historical figures being brought back to life. I said goodnight to everyone, thanked them for all they had done, and headed downstairs, with Brooke following behind. The steps were narrow and steep. At the bottom there were a few lamps to light the small room. I looked for a match or something to light it with, but before I could find anything, the lamps flickered to life. I looked and saw Brooke standing in between them with her hands in either one.

She smiled sheepishly. "I thought I could use the practice. I'm definitely going to need it, and so will you."

I shook my head, amazed at how quickly she was warming to this place. I looked around the cramped basement and saw four beds, each with a small nightstand beside them and a chest at the foot. One was dusty and looked abandoned, the other three were neat. I took the dusty one, and after dusting it off, crawled into it. Brooke took the one next to me.

We started talking, as Tsajadhi and Nanniton had not come down yet. Now that the excitement of discovery had worn off, our situation was beginning to look bleak. We knew that our new friends would gladly take us in and care for us for a while, but how long until we overstayed our welcome? How long until we must go out on our own? The three were certainly going to make sure we would know all there is to know about this land, and make sure we could survive, but how could we possibly adapt to an entirely different world? These questions still paraded through my mind after Brooke drifted off to sleep. I got up and sat next to her. I gently caressed her hair and told her, "I'll take care of you. I'll make sure no harm ever comes to you, I'll never leave your side." I kissed her forehead, and went back to my bed and lay down.

When I reached the edge of sleep, I heard voices upstairs. At first they were just a low mumble, but as I concentrated, they became clearer. I took it as another aspect of the magic. I heard Nanniton arguing, presumably with Cassius. As I concentrated more, I could start to make out words.

"…not tell them? If they have any hope of surviving here, we need to make sure they know about everything! To leave out such a crucial point…well, they could die for your fear of giving them too much!"

"Silence, Nanniton! I will not be criticized for trying to keep these children happy! We haven't seen any sign of those men since the last attack! There is no reason to believe they are still around, and there is no reason to scare these children with tales of demons!"

I didn't understand. What had Cassius left out in the story? I made a quick decision to ask Cassius about it, whenever I got the chance.

Now I heard Tsajadhi's voice, struggling to be heard over the two men's rising voices. "Please, Cassius, Nanniton, there is no need for this!" Apparently her words had no effect. If anything, the arguing got louder. Suddenly I felt more then heard a rushing, and there was immediate silence from both of the men. I assumed Tsajadhi had silenced them magically. Then she spoke. She was quiet, so I couldn't make out the words, but I noticed something. Her voice seemed lower and smoother than when she was talking earlier. It seemed to have numerous layers, all talking at once. Even with no knowledge if it was even possible, I knew right away she was using a spell to calm them. After a minute or two of the strange talking, she stopped, and I heard a door shut, presumably Cassius leaving for the city. A few seconds later, the basement door opened, and Tsajadhi and Nanniton came down.

I peeked through my closed eyes to see Nanniton getting into bed, and Tsajadhi extinguishing the lamps. I noticed that in the dark, her eyes shone with a blue light. She came over to Brooke and I and seemed to watch us. After a minute, she went and got into the bed across the room from me. I waited to hear her breathing slow, then let my guard down and drifted to sleep. The last thing I thought was too keep my eyes peeled for any sign of strangeness from the Khajiit.