“Princess? Is everything well?” Mohan asked me as I took my place on my sister’s right.

“Yes. For now...I pray it will be for my father as well...” I was still worried after all my father was ill and not as spry as he once was.

“Lillith don’t worry. Father will be fine. I promise.” Edana said stroking my long tresses.

“Are you positive Edana?” I whispered fear weighing heavily in my voice.

“Yes Father will be fine. He will send for us when the war is over.” She smiled calmly. “Now. Come. We must leave.”

I nodded, following her along the musky forest path. The light filtered softly through the needles on the tall pines above us. Had the urgency of our journey not hung heavily in the air like a hammer above the white-hot iron of a new sword it would have been a beautiful day for a walk.

As we walked I noticed something was off with my sister. She was just trying not to touch Mohan a little too hard. I caught her arm and whispered softly, “You like Mohan don’t you?”

She turned beet red and growled. I took that as a yes and stepped back and put my “mask” up. Whenever I have to deal with sorrow I suppose you could say that I shut out the world.

After about five hours we could finally see the light at the edge of the forest, we were finally almost to our portal! As we walked I glanced back, I saw a dark shadow in the dimming light and shrugged. “Edana,” I thought quietly to my sister.

“Yes?” She thought back annoyed, as if I had interrupted her thoughts. You see if we need some privacy we can block one another from our minds until they directly think to the other.

“Am I the only one that saw that shadow?” I knew my thoughts sounded worried and I silently hoped she’d dispel my fears.

“What shadow?” she thought turning to me with a slight roll of her eyes.

“I suppose it was nothing,” I was slightly hesitant as I answered her. I knew something was there, but why scare the others. It was probably nothing! Of course it was nothing. Why would someone be following us? It had to be one of the little woodland critters Edana and I loved so much… right?

“Ready sister?” Edana said with a smirk.

“Yes, “I whispered taking my sisters hand and slowly raising my other hand facing her.

Together, our eyes glazing over we whispered, “Le chéile againn ordú dhuit, buille gaoithe tríd, báistí titim isteach linn, fuip dóiteáin ag ár n-chosa. Oscail an tairseach go mbeidh a cheilt orainn as an méid hunts. Hide chugainn ó a díobháil. Sinn ó sin ar mian a mharú. Impigh mé de tú.”1 As we lowered our arms a small ring of soft blue light slowly appeared and grew in intensity and size.

As it expanded the glorious swirling blue light created a doorway. “Gents first,” Edana said with a smirk.

“Uh-uh.” Aden said grabbing my hand. “My brother and I will each take one of you to ensure your safety.” He smiled gently at me kissing my hand.

“Aden.” Edana said. “Do anything untoward my sister and you will die a slow and painful death. DOST THOU UNDERSTAND?!”

“Y-yes my lady!” Aden squeaked with a sweeping bow and he lead me into the portal as his brother and my sister followed.



______________________________________________________________________________
1.
“Together we order you wind blow through, we fall into rain, fire whip at our feet. Open the portal will hide us from the hunts. Hide us from harm. From those who want to kill us. I beg of you.”

We landed with a hard thud. As I stood I glanced around us. We were surrounded by strange looking people. They all had the skin tone the was very near the tree bark, there hair was flowing and raven-black, all the eyes looking at us were black and they were in garb that was totally foreign to all of us.

One spoke in a language that was unknown to me but I for some reason I understood what they said.

“Hello.” The gentleman said. His voice was soothing.

“Where am I?” I knew it was my voice but I wondered how I was speaking a language that I had never heard. It sounded weird.

“Japan young lady,” he said with a kind smile. His clothing reminded me of the silken robes my sister and I would wear after our evening soak.

“Oh?” I asked. Well knowing where we were cleared up the language issue. We must have been speaking that odd language my father had spoken of occasionally, ‘Japanese’ I think he called it.

“Yes ma’am,” He said. “Where are you from? You accent is unknown to me.”

“I –I’m…from very far away sir.” I was unsure of how to say where I was from. To these kind folks it would be somewhere that they had never heard of… My land was Dracheland.

“I may have heard of it,” he said gently sponging a long cut on my arm.
“No, sir I can assure you, you have never heard of my beloved home.”

“Are you positive? I am well read in volumes from all over the world.”

“My home sir is Dracheland.”

“I have never heard of it.” The man appeared confused.

“I knew you hadn’t heard of it. My home is a beautiful island and it is hidden by tall rocks and sirens. No man is brave enough to travel there.” I smiled thinking of my home. “It is on the coast of the Emerald Isle.”

“Oh? It sounds perfect, how did you get here if it is unsafe to travel?”

I sighed. How was I supposed to tell him? I was sworn to secrecy if I was off my dear island. “I’m not sure. “

His burrows furrowed. “How do you not know?”

“Sir… It’s very complicated but back away from my boss’s daughters or else you will meet the edge of a steely blade.” Aden glared his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

“Excuse me?! I was just tending to her wounds!” The man said obviously insulted.

“Yes well you finished now step away!” Aden said.

“Aden,” I said in our native tongue with a soft smile. “Let the nice Japanese man up. We need no casualties on this side of the veil. There shall be enough of that on our home side.”

“Yes my lady.” He grumbled taking his hand off the sword.

“Thank you.” I said with a smile touching his arm. “After all, this nice man did help me.”

Aden grumbled, he was obviously upset that I had stopped him. He never did like others touching me. I felt bad but the man who just bound my arm did not deserve to perish and that is what Aden would have done to the man.

The gentleman looked confused. “Excuse me miss?” He said, his voice was vaguely worried.

“Yes?” I asked in his language.

“What just happened?” He asked.

“Oh, my guard just got told not to kill you mister…?”

“Ryu. My name is Ryu.”

“Well Ryu-dono. Aden was not happy that you even touched me. My father gave him and his brother the job of guarding my sister and myself.” I gestured to each person as I spoke.

“Well my dear lady.” Ryu said kindly. “Why don’t we continue our conversation somewhere more…Private, such as my home?”

“Yes please Ryu-dono,” I said standing and brushing my gown off then turned to my sister who was already on her feet.

Ryu looked at Mohan and Edana. “I mean not to be rude but may I know your names as well?” his tone was curious and not at all rude.

“That’s Edana and I’m Mohan,” Mohan said briskly.

“Alright Misses Edana and Lillith and Sirs Mohan and Aden, shall we be on our way? It’s a fair walk.”

We nodded and started down the lovely lane. The air smelled of cherries and there were merchants on every side of us. All were wearing the robe-like garb that Ryu wore. The clothing was beautiful and odd at the same time. There was so much to look at that I didn’t know where to look first.


Interesting scents filled the air. As we walked the familiar scent of ginger followed me. I knew it for it was in all of my father’s favorite dishes.

When I looked up I saw a canopy of flower’s but no sky. I missed the majestic blue of the sky back home. These blossms were divine but they could not compare to the home I missed so much.

After what felt like an eternity we reached our destination.