Clara awoke a few hours later, the lack of warmth beside her an indication she was in bed alone. She sat up, letting out a noisy yawn. Mecha hopped on a pillow and chirped a greeting. She picked it up.

“I’m sorry for being mean to you.” Clara tickled its body, smiling when Mecha’s chirps turned into happy squeals.

She plopped Mecha on the mattress and stood up. Her backpack was on a chair. Tamer must have brought it. Grabbing a pair of clean trousers and a shirt, she snorted as the mechanical bug wrestled with the curtains.

“Have you seen Tamer, Eryx or Rai?”

Mecha banged its body on the window.

“Are they outside?”

It squealed, little wings flapping wildly.

“So they are.”

After a quick shower, she exited the room. There were two men speaking with the tavern owner. When they saw her, they kept quiet and eyed her. Feeling uncomfortable, Clara strolled out of the bar.

“Let’s find them,” she said to Mecha.

The sun was perched on the center of the sky, a glowing yellow orb that burned with a fierce intensity. Puffs of clouds floated in the air, doing little to shed the earth beneath them. Thatched cottages lined the road, their walls painted with varying colors. The village was a semblance of peace, a remarkable transformation from the night before. There were no bodies of grotesque creatures strewn on the ground, no splotches of dried blood decorating the streets.

She noted the crystal walls circling the village. They were solid and intact. She hoped the magic would not wane over time. So long as the walls stood firm, the villagers would be protected from another invasion.

She set out to the wooden structure next to the tavern, snatches of conversation reaching her ears. The scent of hay, dust and sweat stung her nostrils. At the end of the stables, she saw Eryx and Rai, their backs hiding a proper view of Tamer. When she neared the men, she drew in a sharp breath.

“Stop wasting my time,” Tamer said, pulling up a kneeling Enki by his hair. He smashed his face against the wall before releasing him. “Now, speak.”

Enki coughed out blood. His eyelids were swollen, his cheeks bruised and his mouth torn. Despite his wounds, he held up his chin in defiance. Tamer balled his fist and punched him in the gut. The man wheezed as air was pushed out of his lungs.

“Who is your master?” Tamer demanded. “How do we break the barrier?”

When she had fought alongside Rai and Eryx the previous night, they had told her about the barrier. Amarant was sealed, cut off from the rest of the world. It had been a shock to her.

Enki heaved, eyes glaring at them, mouth dripping with blood. He slid down to the floor but Tamer forced him up.

“Speak.” He pointed an index finger at Eryx. “His wife is stuck in the fortress. There are children in there! I will not let them starve to death!”

The man sniggered, battered face twisting into an ugly grin. Tamer shoved him on the wall, hitting his temple again and again. Mecha shrilled then flew out of the stables.

Clara forced her mouth shut, nails biting deep into her palms. This Tamer wasn’t the same man who had held her in his arms with such tender compassion. This was a part of him she had never seen before, a darker side of him that made her heartbeats catapult in warning. When he paused, the man swayed on his feet.

“Get her out of here,” Tamer said, still facing Enki.

Rai held her shoulders but she shrugged him off. “I’m not going anywhere.”

She had to see it all. She had to know of this new Tamer that was more of a stranger than a friend. He was seething. She could see it in his movements. His voice was deathly calm, masking something dark and dangerous within him.

“Do you think this is funny?” He grabbed Enki’s shirt. “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

Enki eyed him with contempt but as the seconds passed, his expression turned to that of fright. His eyes bulged and his torn lips quivered. He backed away from Tamer, pressing his hands on the wall.

“I’ll ask again. Who is your master?”

Enki was silent. When Tamer took a step forward, he said, “Stop! I can’t talk.”

Tamer gripped his collar.

“If I talk, we'll all blow up!" He tried to wrench his shirt free. “I have the Lakht Curse on me.”

“Show me the mark.” Tamer shoved him back. “Do it.”

Glowering, Enki unbuttoned his shirt. On his chest, Clara spotted a branded tattoo of a serpent in a circle, its head biting its tail. Inside the ring, there was an inverted triangle with two horizontal lines.

“You know what this curse means. If I break the oath of secrecy, I’ll explode. You can beat me up all you want but I will tell you nothing. Either way, I die.”

“Aurion faced oppression, poverty, starvation and death because of the army of Ghilan. Why would you want to free them?” Rai asked, his tone spiked with fury. “You know what? I’d like to see your face all blown up to pieces!”

Tamer took a step back. “Tie him up, Eryx. He’s coming with us.”

A burst of blue light grew in the Zamari’s hand. He threw it at Enki, blue orb shattering into strips of ropes that coiled around his form before turning invisible.

“Once we leave Kasar Cove, I’ll take him to a witch who can break the curse.” Tamer turned to Enki. “When that time comes, you will tell me the truth. Defy me and you’ll wish we never caught you.”

He walked away from the man and towards Clara. Long fingers clasped her wrist, gentle but firm. He led her out of the stables, face held up, gaze locked on the streets and feet moving in long strides.

“Please don’t look at me like that, Clara,” he said.

She wanted to speak but no sound left her mouth.

“I had no choice.”

A pair of children collided with Tamer’s leg and he looked down at them until they darted into the rows of houses. When his gaze fixated on her, she saw the truth in his words. His face was emotionless but in his eyes, she saw guilt and regret.

He didn’t do it because he enjoying inflicting pain nor did he do it to pass time. He did it because it was the only way to get the answers. He did it for the sake of Aurion. Amarant. Freya.

Realization hit her like a jab in the chin.

In all of her sheltered life, she’d seen the world in white and black. People were either good or bad. There were no in-betweens. Her time in Findora had taught her the world had different shades of grey. It didn’t matter that she was in a parallel universe where magic and reality intertwined. Both worlds had people—whether human or not—with similar goals, motives and aspirations.

There were men who would kill to cause mayhem, like Enki and his master and there were those who would do it to protect friends and family even if it meant losing shreds of their humanity. The latter were the ones who would cross the boundaries between right and wrong, between good and evil. In the end, they would have to face the outcomes of their actions, to bear the weight of their sins, to live in penitence and shame.

I judged him without acknowledging that.

She ran her fingers along Tamer’s clean-shaven jaw. He flinched. She wished she could read his mind. Did he think he was undeserving of her touch?

“Tamer...”

“Get your bag. We’re leaving.”

Her words dried in her throat. She strode into the tavern, climbed the stairs and went inside her room to pick up her backpack. When she returned outside, the men had climbed their horses. Tamer had chosen the firis. The only horse left was a grey stallion with a wedge-shaped head and a high-carried tail. She tied the bag on the saddle before mounting the horse.

They rode to the gates where a crowd waited. With a blessing from the elders and a cry of ululation from the villagers, they set out into the forest. Clara looked back at the village as they rode up a small hill. In the midst of the cottages, black smoke rose up to meet the white clouds.

They're burning the bodies. They kept them hidden. That's why I couldn't see them.

Images of mutated men appeared before her eyes. They had killed so many of the spider creatures. She should have had nightmares from the ordeal but sleeping beside Tamer had eased her mind. Somehow, he had kept the nightmares away.

Turning away, Clara focused on Enki. He’d been quiet throughout the journey. His silence could mean anything from planning a way of escape to fearing the wrath of the others.

Guiding her horse to catch up with Eryx’s, she said, “I don’t trust him.”

“Me neither. I’ve put a spell on him. If he tries to move anywhere beyond ten meters from me, his feet will stay rooted to the ground. I’m also controlling his movements to some extent,” Eryx replied.

Clara didn’t think anyone would enjoy playing a puppet. The conversation died after that. Mecha twirled around Tamer in silence. Two hours passed without a word from anyone. The trees thickened when they rode towards the middle of the forest, the ground smoothening into mushy undergrowth.

She noticed the bell-shaped plants she’d seen on their way to Amarant, their wide caps shielding the climbers that spiralled around their stems. Giant flowers sagged from sinewy branches, their web-like petals spotting thin fibres, the richness of their purple hue accentuating the diversity of the forest life.

“Oh for Yumah’s sake, lighten up, everyone!” Rai said, bringing his horse to the middle. He flicked his head at Enki. “Except for you, vermin.”

“Yumah?” Clara asked.

“That’s right. Yumah is the goddess of good fortune, hope and happiness,” Rai said. “She is the matron of the Shima, the paragon of joy, the giver of laughter and the taker of sorrow.”

“What about Eryx? Does he worship the same deity?”

“The Zamari are monotheistic. They believe in the Allfather, Nimara,” Rai said.

“Nimara is the king of all the deities. Ruler of heaven, hell and Findora. God of order, justice, harmony and civilization,” Eryx remarked. "He also represents chaos, violence, wrath and vengeance. We do believe the other deities are a manifestation of him. They’re all one and the same.”

Rai leaned close to her ear. “Tamer is a heathen. Don’t let him sway you to his wicked ways.”

She grinned, not bothering to inform him that in her world, he would be labelled a heathen too.

With the stifling tension gone, they proceeded the rest of the way at a relatively good mood. They stopped at a clearing and dismounted. Tamer walked a few paces ahead of them.

“If those hellions go berserk, I’ll shoot!” Rai took out his steelguns.

“Put your weapons away, Rai. They won’t attack,” he said.

“What are we waiting for?” Clara asked.

“Ragars,” Eryx whispered. “Stay quiet. They are easily distracted.” He breathed out inky smoke from his mouth to his hand. The smoke twirled in the air, twisting and whipping into a shimmery net before bobbling towards Enki’s face to gag him.

She wanted to ask Eryx to teach her how to do the nifty magic spells he knew but the crunching of the leaves made her pay attention to the trees. Squealing, Mecha flew to her shoulder. A massive bird shambled out of the bushes.

The creature stood ten feet high with a long neck and a white comb on its head. On each scaly foot were two toes tapered with black talons. Blue feathers covered its body with orange stripes marking its wings. The beak was hooked and serrated, powerful teeth sprouting out of the grooves. There were tufts of blue and orange on its tail.

Tamer held out his hand, calling the creature. Its short cries were strange sounds, a mix of clicking and growling. The ragar bent its neck down, sharp beak brushing his head. Clara hissed. If Tamer lost control of its mind, the creature could snap off his head. Rai clicked the safety off on his guns.

“You’ll be nice to me, won’t you, little one?” he said.

Little? It’s huge! she thought.

Sifting his hand over the feathers, Tamer patted the ragar. “Bring two of your friends to me.”

It responded with another strange cry before trotting back to the shrubbery.

“Are you sure you can control all three of them?” Rai asked.

“Yes.” Tamer said. “They’re predatory in nature but they have a soft side. It’s the reason why they live in flocks.”

The rustle of the leaves reverberated. The ragar returned along with two of its companions. They circled Tamer, clicking and rumbling like a trio of agitated hens. Finally, they settled down.

“It’s done. They’ll remain docile until I switch off the connection. ” Tamer said.

“Don’t ever do that when I’m anywhere near those beasts.” Rai slid his guns in their holsters.

Tamer whistled. “Do I detect fear in your voice?”

“Shut up, you infidel.” He bowed his upper body at Clara and gave her a charming smile. “If you’ll accept, I’ll fly with you, milady.”

She returned the gesture with a smile of her own. “Of course.”

Eryx climbed one of the ragars without a word. Tamer instructed Enki to take the other and leave space for him. With his hands restrained behind his back and his movements under Eryx’s control, he wouldn’t be able to try a surprise attack on Tamer or anyone else.

The horses galloped away from the clearing, retracing their steps to the village. The firis remained. Clara rubbed its ears before bidding it farewell.

“Be free, old friend,” Tamer said, watching the firis run into the wilderness.

She sat behind Rai and wound her arms around his torso. The ragars flapped their wings, iridescent feathers spreading out in full glory. With Tamer’s command, the creatures kicked off the ground. They soared high into the sky, the glare of the sun shining upon them.