Arella opened the book to her left, flipping through page upon page of pigment swatches that were grouped together by color. I watched as they flicked under her thumb. Cool-toned reds, warm-toned reds, muted reds, pinks, purples…She skipped ahead to the dark blue section. “Let’s see…” she hummed, dipped a small strip of fabric into the liquid, and held the color swatch next to each square. “Looks like your new home is in the mountains of Cyciciah.” She wrote something down in a leather-bound notebook.
“Home?” That word caught my attention. Afterall, I was in the market for one of those now that my rundown flat had been spoken for.
“The field will take care of you. Stay there as long as you can.” She paused quickly, catching herself in a thought. Her brow furrowed. “So that your Earth toxicity symptoms abate. You’ll recover faster within its borders,” she explained, continuing her scribbling. “The field in Cyciciah grows blackberries from your home planet, they’ll sustain you adequately. The water is pure to drink. The weather in that region is extreme, but the field will provide shelter for you from the worst of it. You will be taken care of there.”
This field sounded like built-in stability. And it was just for me? As was determined by a blood test? My heart pounded. That sounded like something that I could callmine.My DNA claimed it.
“Despite your behavior in the throne room, you are taking the news well,” she observed.
“I didn’t have much going for me on Earth,” I shrugged. “Can Nurghle come with me?”
She looked at the cat in my arms. “If the beast managed to port with you the first time, I don’t see why it wouldn’t a second time.”
“Alright. Then… port away.” I squared my shoulders. This was going to hurt if it was anything like last time, but I was more than willing to rip off the bandage.
New—hopefully permanent—home, here I come.
She raised an eyebrow, surprised by my compliance. “This is a guide to get you settled.” She passed me the small notebook she had been writing in. “It will coach you through the basics. Once you finish reading it, the book will disintegrate. Don’t be surprised. We don’t need this kind of information floating around inthatworld.”
I took the journal, flipping through the first couple of pages curiously. It might as well have been titled “So, You’re a Demigod. Now what?”. The front page contained my name, regional information, and a pronunciation guide.Sih-see-shee-ah.Treh-bee-on-ah. The wet ink smudged under the edge of my thumb as I flipped to the next page, a table of contents.Earth poisoning, powers, reproduction…
“Any questions?” She began to stand.
“Tons… but I’ll stick to asking again for some clothing if you don’t mind. I’d rather not port to a random planet butt-ass-naked.”
“It will disappear once you port. Only lifeforces can move between realms.”
I didn’t love the idea of showing up in a strange world nude, but it was fine. I was scrappy. I’d figure something out once I got there.
Arella walked towards a large amber crystal situated on an otherwise empty table against the window. Dust sparkled in the air around it, the endless golden wheat field filling the backdrop.
“Ready?”
I pet Nurghle and nodded.Sorry, buddy. This is going to suck.
“Expect a strongzap.”
She touched the crystal and that bright light and sharp burn of electricity returned, ripping me apart and sending me into my next life.
Theo
I was being humbled.
I’d survived almost everything that could kill a person. Stabbings. Maulings. Gunshots. Fire. I could handle anything. But here I was, fighting for my life againstsnow. I knew Cyciciah’s weather was cruel, but this was ridiculous.
I’d created this list of tasks with a strict order in mind. I wouldnotchange it based on comfort or convenience. Hitman tendencies die hard. With these mountains next in line, why would I bother factoring in the seasonal weather? I wasn’t afraid of a little ice. And it wasn’t like the torrential storms of the summer would be much better.
If only Cyciciah was in the Eastern hemisphere where spring and autumn occurred.Mild seasons were so much more pleasant when traveling by foot.
Where is the damn field?
The slow, grating beep of my radar was muffled by the wind, yet a constant reminder that I hadn’t gotten closer to my target. The toneshouldspeed up when detecting a magnetic shift, telling me an energy field is nearby. I’d been walking all day without hearing any changes in pace.
I took another grueling step up the snowy slope. Despite my face being fully covered except my eyes, the wind felt like knives stabbing my cheeks. I could barely see my own hand in front of me through the blizzard. I’d never experienced weather so ruthless. Heavy. Slow. Frustrating. Painful. Dangerous.Unproductive.
This wasn’t working. I need to go back to Drifael and make a new plan. Come back in the summer. A mission temporarily abandoned, butsurelythe summer thunderstorms would be better than this.
“I should find a cave for shelter and wait this storm out,” I thought to myself.
