Page 5 of A World Enough

“How long since you’ve been home?” Vorka asked.

“Quite a while. I would help you, Vorka. You have always given me a fair chance, but I have a promise to keep to my new friends. In the final battle with Balor, an Irish werewolf got thrown from the Evergreen through the portal. I promised I would try to find her.”

“Without a clear idea where the wolf was heading, she could be anywhere,” Vorka said.

Morrigan sighed. “I know, but I need to try.”

“We have people all over. I’ll put the word out.”

“Thanks, Vorka. I hope you find the Map Keeper, If the Abnobians are bent on expansion, it’s not good for anyone.”

“No. Unfortunately I fear there may be darkness ahead.” She looked up at the statue of two figures caught in an embrace.

“I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

One of the other monks, a female named Lindy, came rushing into the cave. “Vorka, the Map Keeper has been spotted being chased by the Abnobians. She was penned in, and a wolf jumped into the fight. The wolf fought off the pursuers, and Camber jumped through a portal, the wolf following her.”

“Could that be the wolf you’re looking for?” Vorka asked.

“It sounds like it,” Morrigan replied.

Lindy shook her head. “What if it was a lone wolf bounty hunter? She could find and take her to the Abnobians.”

“Was there anything unusual about the wolf?” Morrigan asked.

“Ugh…she was wearing unusual clothes,” Lindy said.

“That’s her, that’s Brogan.”

“She could be anywhere,” Lindy said. “She followed Camber through a portal. Camber was running from her.”

Vorka sighed. “And Camber is good at running. She probably thinks your Brogan is a bounty hunter.”

“Where do I start?” Morrigan asked dejectedly.

“We need to gather our portal guardians. If you join them, you’ll have a chance of finding her. I can’t put out a call for assembly because the Abnobians will be monitoring us, but I can tell you where to find the first two, and they should lead you to the others.”

“Thank you, Vorka.”

“Try putting your trickster days behind you. Being a portal guardian may suit you.”

Morrigan laughed. “I don’t think I’m that good, but just once it might be nice to help.”

“Very well. Let me get the details for the world where you’ll find the first two guardians.”

Morrigan was determined to bring Brogan home to her friends. Her secret was she loved Earth, and she’d tried to protect the humans by calling them to arms, to protect their villages and cities. But afterwards, as Morrigan walked the killing fields, the dead weighed heavily on her conscience.

Maybe after this quest she could actually feel good about herself for once.

She thought Brogan had met the Map Keeper.

Brogan jumped from rooftop to rooftop, gaining distance on the guards following her, shooting as they went. It wasn’t long since she arrived in the marketplace, that she realized she stood out like a sore thumb amongst these people.

They stared at her T-shirt and jeans and saw someone completely out of place. Soon the guards noticed her, and she ran. She had no idea if they were good, bad, or indifferent, but running seemed like a good idea.

That idea was reinforced when they started shooting at her with the same sort of energy weapon they tried to shoot the girl with.

Brogan was too swift for them and found a lower part of the roof where she could crouch and hide. She waited for them to catch up and rush by. They had no idea where she was. After a few minutes, Brogan felt safe enough to come out from hiding.