Chapter 1: In the beginning.

         It didn’t seem quite right that she wasn’t crying. Her mother was in the passenger’s seat next to her as they drove home. She was crying. Sydnie glanced guiltily over, a quick look before setting her sights on the road ahead once more. At least it wasn’t the great sobs of two days ago when they’d gotten the call that Nana had died. The tears her mother shed now were the quiet tears of a grieving heart.
         Sydnie chewed her lip. When that call had come in, that awful call, saying that her great-grandmother had gone to sleep and wasn’t going to wake up, Sydnie had cried then. She had raged. Why? Why now? Why ever? She’d thrown a temper tantrum as she had when she was little. She had stomped her feet, pounded her fists into pillows, screamed and cried. Nana had been the only one who understood her. The only one who could lend a sympathetic ear to the feelings of displacement Sydnie always had. The sense of being in the wrong place, of an urgent need to be somewhere without being able to pinpoint that where. Nana had known what it was like to. . . . . Nana had known.
         Yet now, while her mother wept in the passenger’s seat, her hands over her face, Sydnie felt calm. It had started the next morning, when her family had pulled together to comfort one another. Nana was gone, yes. From here. But there was a certainty in Sydnie’s heart that they would see one another again. Later. Until then, Nana would not have wanted everyone ‘carrying on’ as she would say.
         Glancing once more at her mother as they pulled into the driveway, guilt nibbled away at her calm. It just didn’t seem right that while she found easy acceptance, her family suffered so. She knew Grandma Sophie, Nana’s eldest daughter, was just as upset. Maybe it was because Sydnie had had only eighteen years with Nana compared to her mother’s forty-five and Gram Sophie’s sixty-eight. Whatever the reason, it didn’t sit well with her and she shoved it to the back of her mind as she opened the car door for her mother.
         “We’ll need to clean out the house.” Kim smiled weakly at her daughter, patting the hand that held the car door. “Get it ready for sale.”
         “Can’t we keep it?” Sydnie put a part of her mind to concentrating on walking in pumps. A warm afternoon breeze blew the skirt of her cotton dress about her legs. She worried about tripping. Nana had liked to see her in dresses. It was for her that she had worn it. And pumps, she thought with wry amusement. Nana had better appreciate the pumps. Kim took the keys from her to unlock the apartment door.
         “You know we can’t, Sweetheart. I make barely enough to cover what we need to live here. I don't know that I could even afford the taxes on that place.” She walked to the sliding glass doors pushing them open to let in the desert winter breeze.
         Sydnie looked around their small apartment. The living room was just large enough for their Salvation Army couch, an old wooden rocking chair, an end table, the battered particleboard coffee table and matching entertainment center. The dining room was really just a tiny carpeted nook just before the kitchen, occupied by a refinished table and mismatched chairs. The two bedrooms were sparsely furnished; beds, dressers, nightstands, with a desk in hers for schoolwork. Despite having to stretch every penny she made, Kim made their tiny rental a home. Handmade pillows softened up the rocking chair and brightened the old couch. Knickknacks and colorful prints cheered the walls and shelves. A country blue throw Kim had knit herself covered a juice stain on the back of the couch. A mark left by the previous owners.
         Taking off the light jacket that had been necessary in the mountains where Nana’s house was, where Nana had been buried, Kim dropped onto the couch. “Come sit by me.”
         Puffing out her cheeks, Sydnie snuggled in next to her mom. “I could get a job. Help out.”
         “Out of the question. You’ll be going to college in the spring. You will not have a job while you’re in school.”
         “Ma.” Sydnie started to turn, to look her mother in the face, but she was held firm.
         “Leave it be, baby.” Kim rested her cheek on her daughter’s soft auburn hair.
         She kept quiet; knowing anything said further now would only make Kim angry.


         Sydnie plopped her grandfather’s fedora on her head, tilted it a bit rakishly, and snickered at her reflection in the full-length mirror before her as she sat indian style on the floor. She was in the attic of her great-grandmother’s home sifting through the dusty memories stored there. She was supposed to be choosing things to keep and packing away the rest for the estate sale in three days. However, with her great-grandmother’s death only days ago she couldn’t bear to part with anything and spent her time instead trying on her Nana’s old clothes and flipping through yellowed photo albums of people she had never known. Securing the hat a little better, she bundled up the pile of albums and picture frames in her lap, setting them gently within a box to her left.
         “Syd!”
         Sydnie started. It was her uncle, his voice coming up from downstairs where the rest of the family was preparing the home for sale.
         “Yeah?” She got up, legs a bit wobbly and numb from spending too much time in one spot. Making her way through the maze of opened, partially unpacked boxes strewn about the room, she stopped to lean on the rail to the stairs.
         Her mother’s brother, Steve, grinned up at her, waggling a Dr. Pepper can. “Thirsty? With all the noise goin on up here I thought you’d have worked up a thirst.” He hefted the can preparing to toss it up to her.
         She snorted, not appreciating his humor, her reply slightly defensive. “I’ll get it done. I was just looking at some things.” She reached out, catching the can, and then fumbling it, before snatching it to her chest.
         Now it was his turn to snort, his smile a knowing one as he turned away from the stairs. The tone of his voice as she called to her over his shoulder was the usual sort of warm sarcasm that passed between members of her family. “Well we’ll expect to see you in a day or so, when you’ve finished looking.”
         Rolling her eyes, Sydnie turned back to survey the attic and all she had accomplished so far. As with all her cleaning projects, it got worse before it got better.
         Heading back to her cleared spot on the floor, she paused a moment, looking over the mirror. It used to stand in the guest room Sydnie had always stayed in when she came to visit Nana, now it was stuffed in the corner. Smiling slightly, she touched the cool surface and marveled at the perfect luster of the bronze frame. It was generations old. Nana had told her once that it was older than time itself. Her mother had laughed at that; dismissed it as a story. Nana had always been full of stories. Medieval ones were her favorite to tell. Well, not exactly medieval. Nana had usually added wizards, elves, dwarves, dragons, and the like to her tales. But they were never fairy tales. No. Never that. They had a sense of reality, a sense of truth, to them that her great-grandmother attributed to her storytelling talents. Yet. There was a wistfulness in her voice. A longing, Sydnie had not recognized as a child. Recalling Nana’s story voice and the undercurrents of hidden emotions it carried with it sent shivers down her spine. This mirror had been the gate to all Nana’s stories. They always started with a girl of eighteen, Sydnie’s present age, finding the key to unlocking the mirror, stepping through it like a door, and encountering a world of magic and wonder. Sydnie smiled again. This old mirror. The hand-made frame with it’s dents and nicks. How could she and her brother, James, ever have believed it would take them to another world?
         The smile faded once more as she thought of her older brother. Staring at her reflection in that old mirror, Sydnie saw her brother’s dark brown eyes returning the gaze. She shook her head to clear the cobwebs of memories that were crowding in.
         “I wonder,” She whispered to her self. Slipping her hand between the brown paper backing and the mirror itself, she felt for the photo of her and James she had dropped there. ‘So Nana will never forget,’ the two rambunctious children that spent summers at the old cottage. It was supposed to have been a surprise for Nana when she recovered the back of the mirror which she did every-so-often.
         I guess she never found it. This paper still has Jimmy’s stick drawings all over it.
         Sydnie sucked her breath between her teeth at a sharp pain along the tip of her ring finger. Holding her hand in the sunlight, she saw it was bleeding from a small cut about half an inch long. Dark red blood welled up in droplets that ran down the side of her finger. Wiping the blood off on her jeans leg, she sucked gently on the injured digit. Curiosity got the better of her and she delicately pulled the paper away from the frame, trying not to rip it.
         What could it have been?
         Her answer came in a small shard of mirror that dropped the few inches to the floor with a tiny tinkling sound.
         I don’t remember that ever being in there. We would have cut ourselves twenty times over if it had been.
         She stood before the mirror once more, examining the glass sliver. Looking to her reflection, she asked, “Where did this come from?” She examined the mirror carefully, putting every inch under scrutiny. There. In the top corner, the tip of a v-shaped gap was barely discernible. Sydnie began prying the back away again, just as gently, but at the top. Yes. There it was. A gap in the mirror perfectly matching the shard Sydnie held in her hand. Frowning slightly, she slid the missing piece into the slot. Even from behind, she could see the glass ripple out, like a pebble dropped in a pond.
         She stepped around front and watched in fear inspiring awe as her reflection was rippled out and replaced by snatches of another world.
. . . . .an old woman cradling a baby in her arms. They sit in a rocking chair in a wooden cabin . . . . .
. . . . .a young knight fights for his life against a sort of man-tiger on field already soaked with the blood of companions from both sides. . . . .
. . . . .an aerial view of a forest. A herd of deer scatter as the shadow of a great dragon passes over them . . . . .
. . . . .an old attic filled with dust and forgotten belongings. . . . .
. . . . .a wooded glade on a sunny autumn day. A few cotton-ball clouds in the sky . . . . .
         Sydnie reached out with a tentative hand. Her fingertips brushed the mirror and the scene froze. The mirror rippled once more as she touched the surface again and her fingers passed through the glass as if it were water. The scene remained.
         “What the-“ She yanked her hand back. Didn’t hurt. Not missing anything. Hmmm. She stretched out her hand, putting the whole thing through. Staring at her hand on the other side of the glass she wiggled her fingers. There was a faint tugging sensation, but she ignored it sliding her arm in to her elbow. At that, the tugging grew more insistent and Sydnie decided to end her experiment.
         Too late. The gentle tugging became a rough jerk, and Sydnie was pulled completely through.
         “Ooof!” The air rushed out of Sydnie’s lungs as she was thrown to the ground. Tiny points of light filled her vision until everything went black.

         She came to slowly. Her first sight was of the dry grass pricking the side of her face. She was laying facedown on the ground. It was dark and the song of crickets surrounded her. She blinked, confused. Grass? Pushing herself gently to a sitting position, she frowned down at the sickly green blades. Her last memory was of being in her great-grandmother’s attic. What had she been doing? How did she get outside? Looking at the trees around her a trickle of fear mixed with the confusion. They were oaks, or maple? She didn’t know which kind, but they were definitely not the kind in Nana’s backyard. The Arizona desert wasn’t hospitable to these leafy giants.
         So where did that put her? There weren’t any lights around. Her ears rang with the quiet. No cars. Looking up, she thought the moon looked bigger than usual. And yellow. Very yellow. Odd. She stood, rubbing the sore shoulder she seemed to have landed on.
         Landed from where? What had she been doing? Sydnie decided she had better find someone and find out what was going on. As she walked in a random direction she rifled through her memory to figure out just what had happened.
         The last thing she could remember was Nana’s attic.
         The mirror.
         She’d been looking in the mirror. But it hadn’t been her reflection she had seen. There had been snatches of different places. Each scene only there a few seconds before the next replaced it. But how was that possible? Then again . . . . Sydnie pursed her lips as she started walking again. How was it possible she was out in B.F.E. in the middle of the night? Obviously, she was going to have to talk to someone else to figure this out. Her mother would be looking for her. Maybe she had just . . . . Just what? Wandered out of Arizona and somehow all the way to . . . . . . Colorado? She shivered. The air was cool. Too cool for Arizona. The tiny prickle of fear she had felt earlier threatened to blossom into full-fledged panic.          Where the hell was she?
         “Focus.” She said aloud to herself and stiffened at the sound of things scurrying away in the night. Keeping her head down and her thoughts blank, she quickened her pace and just left it up to luck to bring her to civilization.

         It wasn’t civilization that she came across, but it was human. A middle-aged man was camped off the side of a dirt road. Two mules were tied to a tree and the wagon they pulled was loaded with hay bales and sat a few feet away. The man was laying near a low fire, his head propped up on what looked to Sydnie like a rolled up blanket. She stayed in the shadows not sure what to do. A wagon? This definitely wasn’t any John Deere model either. Maybe he was Amish? She looked him over as he slept. The clothes were plain enough. But she thought Amish men wore black. He was all browns. Soft looking leather boots. Probably not Amish.
What now? Approach him? Sure. Having been raised mostly in the city, Sydnie was well aware of the dangers a woman had to be wary of. So here, in the middle of the night, she wasn’t too keen on the idea of approaching a strange man camped off the road. Amish looking or no.
         She decided to follow him. Either he would lead her to a town or at least more people. As quietly as she could, Sydnie retreated into the woods again far enough that she thought he wouldn’t hear if she stepped on a few dry leaves or twigs. She reemerged near the wagon, but still kept back a bit. Settling down at the base of a tree, she curled into a ball against the breeze that nipped at her bare arms. Even though it had been mid-afternoon when she had been in Nana’s attic and she was sure she had slept the rest of the day and half the night, Sydnie’s eyes slipped shut.

         She awoke to a warm puff of air on her face. Followed by a velvety soft brush against her cheek. Thick hairs tickled her ear and then something was tugging gently on her hair.
         “Here now, Jon, you nosey old fool. Leave her be.”
         The voice snapped Sydnie’s eyes open and she started at the closeness of the mule that continued to rub its muzzle in her hair despite his owner’s command.
         “Jon!” The man she had seen the night before shoved against the mule’s hindquarters to make him step away. Making it seem as if he had lost interest anyway, Jon wandered the length of his tether back to his teammate. “Its sorry I am, Miss. Jon smells something pretty, he can’t help but put his nose in it. He didn’t nip I hope.”
         Near to shaking with fear, Sydnie ignored the hand he offered her and stood against the tree. “No, he didn’t bite. Just drooled.” She wiped a smear of spit off her temple and hoped the animal hadn’t gobbed up her hair. Who knew when she’d be able to get a shower.
         “Ah well. I’ll apologize again.” He took out a neatly folded handkerchief from his vest pocket and handed it to her. She stared at it a second before taking it to wipe off the little bit of spit left.
         “Its okay. I don’t mind it really.” Folding the cloth back up, Sydnie took a moment to study him in the sunlight. He was handsome really. Perhaps thirty, with sun-streaked light brown hair and hazel eyes that watched her with a mixture of curiosity and concern. He took the kerchief back, tucking it safely away once more. Broad shoulders shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.
         “Are you lost then?” There was on odd lilt to his voice. Almost Irish, she thought.
         Sydnie opened her mouth, prepared to lie, but after a look around her at the strange surroundings, decided it would be pointless. Dangers be damned. She had taken that karate class at parks n’ rec. “Yeah, I guess so.”
         “Halex Vitan. Call me Hal.” He offered his hand once more, but this time Sydnie took it. She felt small and incredibly fragile with his strong, callused hand wrapped around hers.
         “Sydnie Cassidy.”
         He nodded and turned away to untie the mules. “Why don’t you ride with me a bit. See if you recognize anything. I’m taking the bales in to Lian for market. If we haven’t come across someone by then, we’ll try up to the Gallahey to see if they can help.”
         With sure hands, he led the mules to the wagon and began hooking up the rigging.
         Sydnie stood where she was for a few uncertain moments then walked over to pet Jon and his teammate. “How long is it to Lian?”
         “Oh.” He paused with one foot on a small ledge built into the side of the wagon. “About two or three hours, I imagine. Usually make it in one day.” He pulled himself up onto the bench and leaned over the other side, offering his hand again to help her. “Got a late start yesterday.” Reaching into a bag under the wagon seat, Halex pulled out a rough cotton long sleeved shirt. “It’s a bit late in the year for bare arms.” He handed it to her and waited until Sydnie put it on over her t-shirt before clucking the mules to a start. “The Boys and I, now that’s Jon and Tory there, we decided the Missus wouldn’t mind us getting a bit of shut-eye before heading into the wilds of the Lian market. Couldn’t get taken at half price for lack of rest. A shrewd businesswoman, is my Larayn.”
         He continued to talk about his farm, Larayn, his four children and, of course, the Boys. Not once did he ask Sydnie where she was from or how she had gotten lost. He seemed to sense her reluctance in answering any of those questions.
         Sydnie remembered her watch, but was dismayed to find it had stopped sometime during the night. So much for taking a lickin’. Squinting against the glare, Sydnie tried to judge the sun’s position. Was it ten? Or nine? She rubbed her eyes. Who could tell?
         There was a wooden sign posted off the side of the road. Lian, it read. It was in need of a new coat of paint as the second leg of the ‘n’ was almost completely worn away, leaving the town’s name to be Liar. Sydnie thought that it hadn’t so much been worn away naturally as having been the handy-work of a bored teenager.
Unconsciously, she leaned forward to see the town as they rode in. They passed a scattering of modest cottages. Most on the outskirts had medium sized gardens along side the house. As they worked their way in, they encountered more houses and people. Staring at their clothing, Sydnie was unaware that her mouth was hanging open. She was certain she had just rode into a renaissance faire. Peasant blouses, full skirts, high collared doublets, men in hose and breeches, the colors as varied as any rainbow mixed with earthy tones. She noticed a man in clothes similar to Halex’s leading a cow; there was a dagger in his belt. A little belatedly, Sydnie glanced at Hal and saw he too had a plain dagger tucked into his belt. Now that she had caught the weapon on the stranger, she spotted more on people in the crowd. Daggers, short swords, full claymores even. It seemed as if every man was armed and that left her wondering if the women weren’t.
         “Sure, and its a mess, isn’t it?” Hal shook his head in a sort of amused disapproval. “All these people. I wonder if its themselves or each other they dress up for.”
         Sydnie shrugged, her attention on the assortment of booths they passed.          Apparently the crowd had marked them as entering the market. There were weapon smiths, armories, bakers, cloth merchants, spices, jewels, horses, boots, candles, and cattle. She tried to look everywhere at once, take it all in. Just where was she?

         “We’ll likely find some help here. Shane’s a good lad. Took over the place after his ma passed.” Hal waved a hand toward what looked to Sydnie like a large two-story mansion. Brightly colored glass painted simple patterns in the windows of the first floor. A sign hung above the door, just below the second floor balcony reading, ‘Gallahey Inn’. Looking above it, Sydnie caught sight of a young woman with golden blond hair and dark eyes staring down at the pair of them. The moment her gaze met with Sydnie’s she backed away from the balcony railing and disappeared into the rooms beyond.
         Hal held the door for her as they entered the inn, still chatting away at her. “Took on a girl-child not long before Wren was born. Couldn’t have been more than three. Poor waif was just wandering around the market, filthy and terrified. Called her Elspeth. Raised her as one of their own. Good people, the Gallahey’s. After Shane’s Da was killed, Merline ran the place herself. Shane wouldn’t have been more than…eleven.” He nodded to himself, guiding Sydnie by a hand on her elbow through the tables toward the bar in the far right corner. “Did a fine job of it too, until she took sick herself. Shane!” Hal lifted his voice and free hand in greeting as a young man, not more than twenty, came around the bar.
Hal was saying something to her. Introductions most likely, though Sydnie couldn’t seem to part with enough of her attention to hear him. She was too busy taking in the dark hair, and eyes of the inkeep. The beginnings of a beard darkened his face. He smiled when he reached them and his whole face seemed to change. It lit from within, a light that shone from behind his eyes. A dark curl hung across his forehead and almost into his eyes. A pair of black wire glasses rested on his nose, giving him an air of intelligence.
         “We’ve a lost one here, Shane. Found her sleeping near my Boys this morning ‘bout two hours outside of town.” Hal let go of her elbow and pulled a chair out from the empty table they had stopped by. “Have a seat, lass.”
         Sydnie flushed, realizing she probably looked like the country cousin come to the big city for the first time and dropped gratefully into the offered chair. Slumping a little, she leaned an elbow on the table, her chin resting in her hand.
         Hal stepped a few feet away, gesturing Shane with him. With a concerned glance at Sydnie, the older man kept his voice just loud enough for the younger. “I’ve got to get those bales to market or Larayn will have my hide. It alright if she stays here?” At Shane’s quick nod he added, “She needs anything. Food or drink. You bill me. I’ll be in near the end today to check see if she’s found any kin in this mess. I’ll pay you then.”
         Sydnie was eyeing up the common room. There were perhaps twelve tables; most of them full, all had at least one person. The few stools at the bar were taken as well. A large fireplace sat in the center of the back wall flanked by a slightly raised stage and the bar. The kitchen door, situated just behind the bar, was in constant motion. Sydnie watched as two young woman bustled in and out, their trays loaded with either new orders or empty dishes.
         “I’ve got to be getting on, Sydnie.” Hal rested a hand on her shoulder.
         “Uh . . .” She looked around the room, uncertain as to what to do.
         “Shane here is going to keep an eye out for ya. I’ve got to get to market. I’ll come round after fourteenth to see how you’ve faired.” He gave her shoulder a light pat, then moved off before she could respond.
         Sydnie turned immediately to Shane. She felt panic rising. The one person she had met here had just left her alone. She was alone again. In a strange place where it seemed everyone was armed, she was alone. And unarmed.
         The young inkeep noticed her distress. “Sydnie was it? Unusual name.” He turned one of the chairs from her table backwards and sat with her. Resting his arms on the chair's back, he asked, “Where is it you’re from?”
         “Phoenix.” When he seemed confused, she added hopefully, “Arizona?”
He shook his head. “I’ve never heard of those places.”
         “The United States?”
         He shook his head again.
         “North America?”
         No.
         Sydnie laughed, hysteria shoved panic aside and took its own shot at drowning her. “Earth?”
         Shane’s expression abruptly changed. Sydnie was not sure what it was she read there, but there was certainly recognition of that name.
         “You know Earth?” At his slow nod, she heaved a sigh. “Well that’s a start.”
         “Are you saying you’ve come from Earth?” He dropped his voice to a whisper and shifted the chair so he could lean across the table toward her.
         Sydnie leaned away. “Is that bad?”
         He frowned. “No. Not bad. Unlikely, perhaps impossible, but not bad.”
         Sydnie’s spine stiffened. “Are you saying I’m lying?”
         “No, no.” He put up a hand as if to hold off her anger. “I’m sure you believe it.”
         “So now I’m a loony.” When he silently mouthed her last word, obviously not understanding the meaning, she rolled her eyes. “A nut. Crazy. Unstable. Not someone who should be left alone with sharp objects.”
         “Yes, I understand. And no, I’m not suggesting you’re crazy, just perhaps confused.”
         “That’s the nice way to say loony. I’m not a complete idiot. Lost, yes. Crazy and stupid, no.”
         “Alright.” Shane paused looking around him the room crowded and a few patrons unabashedly listening in on their conversation. “Follow me. We’ll talk somewhere with less ears.”
         “Fine, so long as it isn’t the nut house.” Sullen, she fell in behind him as he led her through a doorway at the base of the stairs to the second floor. The room was obviously his office. A large dark wood desk sat in the center of the room. The wall behind it was lined with cubbyholes, most of which were filled with rolled papers. There were stacks of books occupying the shelves that sat against the front and sidewalls of the room. A ledger sat open on the desk, half filled with tiny meticulous writing. A quill, inkwell, and sand jar were in the right hand corner of the desktop. Sydnie itched to try them out. She had always wondered about writing with a feather. It seemed silly. There was another staircase in the room, a mirror of the one on the other side.
         “This leads up to the family rooms. Come. You can meet my sister. We’ll finish our conversation with her.” Shane started up the stairs assuming she’d follow.
         With a shrug, Sydnie did just that, though she wondered at the intelligence of following a stranger into his home.

         The stairs ended in a sort of sitting room. There were a couple of chairs, an overstuffed couch and a few tables arranged so that someone sitting would be comfortable while being warmed by the fire in the hearth built into the back wall. There was a door leading out onto a private balcony. Sydnie could see from the windows that it wasn’t the one she had seen earlier, this one was to the side of the inn.
         There was a young woman sitting on the couch, plucking lute strings, frowning over a sheet of paper on the low table in front of her. It was the same young woman Sydnie had seen earlier looking over the front balcony at her and Halex when they had first arrived. Shane introduced her as Elspeth, his sister. Sydnie remembered Halex mentioning her as a child of three wandering the streets, taken in by the Gallahey’s.
         Elspeth wore her long golden blonde hair in a complicated braid that fell down her back to her buttocks. The eyes that shifted between Sydnie and Shane as her brother told her what he knew of Sydnie’s predicament, were a variety of colors. It seemed to depend on both her mood and the lighting whether they were gray, brown, blue, green, or any number of combinations.
         They were a green-blue as they studied Sydnie. Curiosity seemed to roll off her in waves. “You say you’re from Earth, then.” It wasn’t so much directed at Sydnie as it was a thought aloud. “What’s it like there?”
         “You believe me?”
         “I haven’t decided yet. How did you get here?”
         “Well, Halex brought me-“
         “No. How did you get here? If you are from Earth, then you must have been transported by something.”
         “From Earth. You guys say this as if we’re somewhere else.” Something tugged at the back of her mind. There was something familiar about this place. The way the people dressed. Sydnie shook her head. Too many fantasy novels. Of course it seemed familiar, it was the base environment for almost every story she had ever read. “There is no where else. Just Earth. Just our grubby little over-populated planet.” She bit her lip hard, to try and calm herself down. Freaking out would get her nowhere.
         Shane and Elspeth exchanged looks.
         “I am sure Wren and Narise will be wondering why they’re doing all the work. Sydnie and I will talk awhile. We’ll let you know if we come up with something useful.”
         It was as much a dismissal as Sydnie had ever imagined coming from a queen.
         The young inkeep stood staring at the two women a moment before nodding. “If you need anything-“
         “I know where to get it.” Elspeth gestured for Sydnie to sit in the overstuffed chair across from her, effectively ignoring Shane as he growled at her interrupting him and stalked down the stairs.
         “He’s always hovering.” The young woman took a deep breath and let it out before turning now gray-green eyes on Sydnie. “There is somewhere else. Though not many people here believe that about our world. You are on Kerthrin. The main continent of Thairin in the country Matuarell. T-“
         “The city of Lian. Yeah I saw the sign.” The offworlder huffed. She knew now what had been nagging her. Kerthrin. The stories her great-grandmother had told her had been of Kerthrin. But they’d just been stories. Hadn’t they? Everyone else had thought so. Nana had told them for years. Generations really. She had told them to Gram Sophie, to Kim, Sydnie’s mom, and her brothers and sisters. And she had told them to Sydnie and the other great-grandchildren.
         Sydnie thought back to those stories. The mirror had been the gate to all Nana’s stories. That mirror in the attic?
         Elspeth watched her, her eyes shifting as she tilted her head, to a gray-brown. She said nothing, seemingly sensing the other’s need to think things through.
         It wasn’t possible. Shane was right. Impossible. She must be dreaming. Perhaps she fell down the stairs at Nana’s and was unconscious, in a coma even. Good god was she in a hospital? Was her mother trying to speak to her and she couldn’t hear? How does a person wake up from a coma?
         Or worse, what if this was real? What if it wasn’t some dream brought on by Nana’s stories, but the real deal? How was she going to get home?
         Then a thought slammed into her hard enough to push her back into the chair. Did she want to go home? Hadn’t she been dreaming of a place like this for her entire life?
         That, unfortunately, brought her circling around again to the thought that this whole thing was a delusion or dream of some kind.
         With snake-like speed, Elspeth reached over and pinched Sydnie’s right arm, hard.
         “Ahhh!” Snatching her arm away, the offworlder rubbed the sore spot. “Whatnell was that for?”
         Elspeth’s lips twitched in a tiny smile. “You seemed to be coming to the conclusion you were dreaming.”
         Sydnie blinked. “What’re you, psychic?”
         “If that means I know what you’re thinking, no I’m not, but I have a way of figuring out what someone’s thinking. Your eyes were starting to glaze over. A sure sign of ‘This isn’t happening to me.’”
         Still rubbing her arm, and positive she was going to get a bruise out of that, Sydnie sighed. “So what do I do then? If this really is Kerthrin. How do I get home?” She followed that by the silent thought of ‘Do I want to?’
         “Tomorrow we’ll go see Errol. He’s the only mage in town who doesn’t ask for a fee before he tells you anything. He’s a good man. And a smart one. If he doesn’t know of a way himself, he’ll know someone who does.”
         “Where does that leave me for tonight? I hate to mooch but I don’t really have any other place to go. Hell, I don’t even have my toothbrush.”
         Elspeth stared at the offworlder a moment, her expression bemused, and her eyes a kind of brown-green. “What does ‘mooch’ mean?”
         “It means,” Sydnie thought a moment. Bum, leech, sponge, freeload, oh hell, where’s an explanation that isn’t slang? Aha! “To take advantage of someone. To take without earning or giving back.”
         “Interesting word. One night doesn’t constitute as . . . mooching in my mind. You’ll be a guest. After we see Errol, we’ll see what needs done.” She stood. “Come, let’s go downstairs and see if Narise will fix us something to eat.”
         Sydnie suddenly realized just how hungry she was. She hadn’t had anything to eat since lunch the afternoon before. “Sounds like a plan to me.” Quickly getting up, she followed her new friend down to the kitchen.

         Later that afternoon, just after fourteenth by the clock in the common room, Halex was true to his word and came back to check on Sydnie. He was disappointed, but not entirely surprised she had not seen any family in those coming and going from the inn. No one mentioned her claim of being from Earth. She gave him back his shirt, as Elspeth had lent her one of hers. Halex stayed long enough to enjoy a bowl of Narise’s beef stew, a twice backed potato, and a mug of Shane’s honey ale before wishing Sydnie luck and thanking Shane for his hospitality. Then he was gone. Off to get the Boys and start back to Larayn.
         Elspeth left her guest for a few hours while she sat on the stage, playing the lute and singing. Sydnie was entranced. To have the courage to get up on stage and open yourself up like that made her envious. She had always been too self-conscious to do so much as raise her hand in class. Then there was Elspeth's voice. With her songs, she led the audience through sorrow, adventure, and love. It was incredible. The crowd quieted when she climbed onto the stage, and kept to a low murmur until she left it. Only raising its cumulative voice to join her in the few jaunty ballads she played.

         That night, snug in her pallet on the floor of Elspeth’s room, Sydnie thought about her family back home. She wished there were some way to let them know she was alright. If she could do that, maybe she would stay here. Of course, that might mean she would never be able to see them again. But then, maybe there was a way to get around that as well? Who knew? There was a way to get here, there had to be a way back.
         She pulled the quilt up under her chin. Tomorrow. She would find out tomorrow.

         It was mid afternoon before Sydnie and Elspeth made their way to Errol’s mage ware shop. They had spent the morning in the kitchen, Sydnie washing dishes and Elspeth bringing out orders. Just before the lunchtime rush, an older woman came in. Her name was Alida. She and her husband, Joren, were the Inn’s only two paid employees. Alida took over for Elspeth, and Joren for Sydnie. Soon both girls were off to seek out the mage, Errol.
         Elspeth knocked on the open door to the mage ware shop before stepping across the threshold. “Errol, are you here? It’s Elspeth.”
         Sydnie was a step behind Elspeth. The shop was empty of patrons, another door in the far corner of the room stood open. It was from there an elderly man’s gravely voice came. “In here Ellie. I’m just finishing up a custom order.”
Elspeth tiptoed to the doorway. “Is it safe? The last time I interrupted a special order, my hair was green for months.”
         Sydnie peeked over Elspeth’s shoulder. The mage appeared to be in his mid seventies. Long silver hair was in a neat braid to the middle of his hunched back. A floppy royal blue hat balanced precariously on his head. It seemed ready, at any moment, to fall into his project. He wore a matching blue, billowy-sleeved shirt; a black vest carelessly open over it. Black pants were neatly tucked into suede boots of the same color.  Gnarled hands gestured for them to enter.
         “Come in, Ellie. Nothing so dangerous this time.” He held a tiny bottle up, muttered a few arcane words, and made a fluid movement his arthritic hands seemed incapable of doing. “Done.”
         Fierce green eyes greeted Sydnie when he turned to face them. “Well, this must be the young woman you told me about.” He set the bottle on the table to his right, then held out his hand. Gingerly, Sydnie clasped it and shook. He laughed and squeezed her hand. “Young woman, I’m not going to break.” His face cancelled out Sydnie’s earlier assumption of his age. From that she would think he was perhaps fifty. If that.
         “Master, I searched all over Fraher Lake and there is not one snimplin bush anywhere.”
         Elspeth hid a smile. “Keiran. There’s no such thing as a snimplin bush.”
         A young man, apparently Keiran, had entered the room. He wore clothing mirroring Errol, with the exception of a white shirt in place of blue. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and where the shirt stopped, mud began. From Elbow to fingertip and knee to toe, Keiran was covered in mud. His expression told he was less than pleased. In his left hand, he held a small wicker basket equally as muddy.
         “Why Keiran, what were you doing at Fraher Lake? The snimplin bush only grows at great altitudes. You won’t find any around here.” Errol made a show of being sincere, all the while giving the girls winks out of Keiran’s sight.
         “Master Errol. I thought we’d gotten beyond the initiation pranks long ago. Please tell me Elspeth doesn’t know a snimplin bush from a raspberry bush.” He was about to collapse into a chair next to Errol’s worktable, when the old man caught his arm.
         “Oh, no you don’t. You’re not going to leave anymore of that stuff around here than absolutely necessary. Besides, that’s my chair.”
         Keiran gave the old mage an exasperated look. His brown eyes rolling up to the ceiling, in stressed patience. Errol turned him, guiding him back towards the door.
         “Why don’t you go get cleaned up and then perhaps we’ll have a talk about your study habits.”
         Keiran dug his heels in, halting their progress. “Master?”
         “Oh, honestly, Keiran. You keep your nose in those books much more and the ink smear on your nose will be the only color you’ve got. You need to get out more, boy. Today did you good.” The straightened up a bit, smiling warmly at his student. “Now get, you’re dripping all over my floor.” He opened the door and gave Keiran a light shove.
         As the door closed behind him, Keiran frowned. He was not really concerned with what Errol had said. It was not the first time he had been sent on a fool’s errand just so his master would have an hour to himself, or to remind him there was life beyond magic. He was curious, however, as to why Elspeth was there and who had been with her. She usually kept to herself. Deciding the mud was not such a nuisance after all, he crept around the wall to the laboratory’s only window. Thankfully, Errol had left it open a crack. Keiran settled himself below the sill and listened.

         “He asked me more questions than I got answers to.” Sydnie grumped as she and Elspeth left Errol’s shop.
         “Nonsense. Just because he didn’t know precisely how you got here, isn’t any reason to dismiss him altogether. We got quite a bit of information today.”
         “Glad you think so.”
         “He told us we’d have more luck in Seiranell, didn’t he?”
         “Yeah, but he also said that was in the spring. Unless the planet revolves differently here, I believe that’s quite a few months away.”
         Elspeth stopped walking and planted her fists on her hips. “Do you have to see such darkness in everything that happens to you? Errol has given us a place to start and while it may be a ways off, it does give you time to explore. Aren’t you even the slightest bit curious about this place? If it really is so strange to you, don’t you want to see any of it?”
         Sydnie turned around prepared to argue. She locked gazes with the young bard and watched her green-brown eyes darken to a brown almost black. “Look. I’m a little scared, okay?” She took a deep breath, puffing her cheeks as she let it out. “My family is probably going out of their minds trying to find me. My great-grandmother died a week ago and now I go missing? That might be a little much for my mother. I’m worried about her. Since my brother- She shouldn’t be alone.”
         Elspeth came forward to drape her arm around Sydnie’s shoulders. A gesture anyone who knew her would be startled by. “We can’t rush the seasons. And we wait for spring because as, Errol said, there will be more mages gathered in Seiranell then, than if we were to wander the continent and search them out. Not to mention the energy it saves.” She smiled at her companion as she nudged her to walk. “In the meantime. Enjoy yourself. We’ll find some work for you so you’ll have spending money. And you won’t mooch.”
         Sydnie chuckled as she let herself be led back to the inn.