Chapter 5
A Bridge Between Worlds
A prism of colors swirled around Rowan as he ran along a road of white light. The glowing road curved and spiraled into the collage of colors.
Rowan slowed to a stop. Before him, an old man with full graying hair stood with a welcoming smile. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Are you the one that’s been calling me?”
The old man shook his head. “I am just a messenger.”
“Who’s?”
“One day you’ll know. For now, you must be aware of what you’re getting into.”
A sigh escaped Rowan’s lips. “And what, pray tell, is that?”
“Darkness.”
The prism of colors darkened. Tainted. A chill ran down Rowan’s spine. “Okay… cryptic much?”
The old man chuckled. “You have chosen, Rowan Cane. You have chosen and now a gift is to be bestowed.” The old man held out his hand.
Rowan glanced at the empty palm. He raised an eyebrow. “I think I’m okay.”
The old man chuckled. “Give me your hand.”
“Awkward. A bit creepy too.” Still, Rowan held out his hand. The old man gently held it. With a single finger, the old man touched Rowan’s palm. “What is this suppo— ow, OW, OW!”
Smoke rose from Rowan’s palm. The old man stepped back. “It is done, Rowan the Wayfarer.”
“What did you do?!” Rowan looked at his palm. The silhouette of a phoenix had been burned in. “What is this?!” Rowan looked back up to find the old man had disappeared.
His hand twitched in pain. Rowan returned his attention to the phoenix. “Who needs a tattoo when you can get a burn instead?” He winced.
A certain silence caught Rowan’s attention. It was an eerie silence. Foreboding.
Rowan glanced over his shoulder. The path behind him started to crumble. Rowan sprinted.
A black dot in the distance came into view. The exit.
He ran faster along the white road. His legs burned and screamed. Despite the burn, however, his pounding heart mirrored his excitement. White light illuminated from the exit. Rowan ran with all of his strength. He jumped into the blinding light.
Rowan popped out of the blinding light. The rising feeling in the pit of his stomach snapped Rowan’s mind to panic. The gate had opened high in the sky.
Rowan plunged toward the ground. He threw his hands out before him and summoned all the wind he could manage. A massive burst of wind slammed into the ground and held Rowan for a moment. The dense wind dissipated and lowered Rowan safely to the ground.
Placing a hand over his racing heart, Rowan sighed in relief.
“What’s the big idea?!”
Rowan jolted up. No one was around. “Hello?”
“We’re all trying to sleep here, bud!”
“Who is that?”
“Down here, you ass!”
Rowan looked down. His stomach turned.
A cluster of rocks looked at him with big, annoyed eyes. The largest rock in the middle raised a jagged arm and pointed at him. “You’ve got some nerve to just wake us up like that! Who the hell do you think you are?!”
“Y-you’re talking…” Rowan blinked and took a step back to steady himself. “… A rock… is talking…”
“You some kind of idiot? Of course we’re talking!” The rock looked at the smaller ones around it. “I tell you, people are getting crazier by the day.”
Rowan knelt by them. He poked them. “How are you talking?”
“Hey!”
“Do all rocks speak in this world?”
“Stop poking us! It’s rude!”
Rowan retracted his hand. “Oh. Sorry.”
The rock dusted itself off. It looked up with its big grey eyes. “What’s wrong with you anyway?”
“Nothing.” Rowan looked up at the sky… the green sky. “Whoa. This world is trippy.”
One of the smaller rocks looked at the big one. “He’s so weird. Why does he keep saying ‘This world’? It’s weird.”
“Wait…” The big rock stared at Rowan. “Where are you from?”
Rowan scratched the back of his head. “I’m from a place called California.”
“Never heard of it.” The rock gave Rowan another look-over. “Well, I’ll be. We got ourselves a Wayfarer here, boys.” The smaller rocks ‘ooh-ed’. The big rock hushed the smaller. “Now tell me, Wayfarer, what you’re doing in our world.”
Rowan shrugged. “I don’t know. All I know is something is calling me and it brought me here.”
“That’s quite a rock you’re between. I don’t know what to tell you, Wayfarer.”
“He should go see the sorceresses!” One rock said.
“What sorceresses?” Rowan asked.
“The sorceresses of Valahan, an order of powerful women who command the elements and supervise the land of Nacosa,” Big rock said. “If you’re looking for answers, they’re the ones to see.”
“It’s the best option I have right now.” Rowan looked out to his right. He was enamored with the rolling hills heading north. Wait, how do I know that’s north?
“Valahan is to the north,” Big rock said. “The city is said to be the size of a mountain. You can’t miss it.”
“Great.” He glanced up at the sky. Two pink suns setting in opposite directions sat in the green sky. Which way is north?”
“Really making me wonder if you actually are an idiot,” Big Rock rolled its gray eyes. “You’re looking north right now.”
Rowan blinked and returned his full attention to the rocks. “What?”
“I’m starting to think you know where to go, Wayfarer. Follow your instincts.”
Rowan smiled. “Thanks for the help and sorry about landing on you.”
“By the way, kid, how did you control the air like that? You’re not from this world and I don’t see any magical items with you.”
Rowan shrugged. “Just something I was born with. Thanks again.” He took a step forward and lost his balance. Rowan skipped on his toes until he regained a semblance of control. “What the---“
“Clumsy too. What kind of wayfarer are you?”
“That was weird. It felt like I put too much strength into walking.”
“I’ve heard of different worlds having different gravity forces. Your world might have heavier gravity, Wayfarer.”
“Weird.” Rowan looked at his hands. “Then… does that mean…” his lips curled to a smile. He braced himself and jumped.
“WHOAAA!!” Rowan laughed as he looked down at the top of a tree. He had easily jumped twenty feet into the air. “This is awesome!!”
Rowan lightly landed. He started running across the fields. He easily crossed miles and his breathing remained unaffected. Rowan leapt over hills. He laughed.
He was fascinated by the strange creatures roaming about. Horses with beaks and wings drank from a nearby red pond. Trees with blue leaves walked about the area. Butterflies with multicolored wings flew beside tiny creatures with goat heads and eagle wings. Rowan was mesmerized by passing giants. Each had full bushy beards and scars on their upper-body. They wore strange armlets which reflected the light of two suns.
Rowan was really in a different world.
He looked north again. How he knew which direction was north he didn’t know, but he could feel himself being pulled that way. Whoever was calling him was to the north.
A Bridge Between Worlds
A prism of colors swirled around Rowan as he ran along a road of white light. The glowing road curved and spiraled into the collage of colors.
Rowan slowed to a stop. Before him, an old man with full graying hair stood with a welcoming smile. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Are you the one that’s been calling me?”
The old man shook his head. “I am just a messenger.”
“Who’s?”
“One day you’ll know. For now, you must be aware of what you’re getting into.”
A sigh escaped Rowan’s lips. “And what, pray tell, is that?”
“Darkness.”
The prism of colors darkened. Tainted. A chill ran down Rowan’s spine. “Okay… cryptic much?”
The old man chuckled. “You have chosen, Rowan Cane. You have chosen and now a gift is to be bestowed.” The old man held out his hand.
Rowan glanced at the empty palm. He raised an eyebrow. “I think I’m okay.”
The old man chuckled. “Give me your hand.”
“Awkward. A bit creepy too.” Still, Rowan held out his hand. The old man gently held it. With a single finger, the old man touched Rowan’s palm. “What is this suppo— ow, OW, OW!”
Smoke rose from Rowan’s palm. The old man stepped back. “It is done, Rowan the Wayfarer.”
“What did you do?!” Rowan looked at his palm. The silhouette of a phoenix had been burned in. “What is this?!” Rowan looked back up to find the old man had disappeared.
His hand twitched in pain. Rowan returned his attention to the phoenix. “Who needs a tattoo when you can get a burn instead?” He winced.
A certain silence caught Rowan’s attention. It was an eerie silence. Foreboding.
Rowan glanced over his shoulder. The path behind him started to crumble. Rowan sprinted.
A black dot in the distance came into view. The exit.
He ran faster along the white road. His legs burned and screamed. Despite the burn, however, his pounding heart mirrored his excitement. White light illuminated from the exit. Rowan ran with all of his strength. He jumped into the blinding light.
Rowan popped out of the blinding light. The rising feeling in the pit of his stomach snapped Rowan’s mind to panic. The gate had opened high in the sky.
Rowan plunged toward the ground. He threw his hands out before him and summoned all the wind he could manage. A massive burst of wind slammed into the ground and held Rowan for a moment. The dense wind dissipated and lowered Rowan safely to the ground.
Placing a hand over his racing heart, Rowan sighed in relief.
“What’s the big idea?!”
Rowan jolted up. No one was around. “Hello?”
“We’re all trying to sleep here, bud!”
“Who is that?”
“Down here, you ass!”
Rowan looked down. His stomach turned.
A cluster of rocks looked at him with big, annoyed eyes. The largest rock in the middle raised a jagged arm and pointed at him. “You’ve got some nerve to just wake us up like that! Who the hell do you think you are?!”
“Y-you’re talking…” Rowan blinked and took a step back to steady himself. “… A rock… is talking…”
“You some kind of idiot? Of course we’re talking!” The rock looked at the smaller ones around it. “I tell you, people are getting crazier by the day.”
Rowan knelt by them. He poked them. “How are you talking?”
“Hey!”
“Do all rocks speak in this world?”
“Stop poking us! It’s rude!”
Rowan retracted his hand. “Oh. Sorry.”
The rock dusted itself off. It looked up with its big grey eyes. “What’s wrong with you anyway?”
“Nothing.” Rowan looked up at the sky… the green sky. “Whoa. This world is trippy.”
One of the smaller rocks looked at the big one. “He’s so weird. Why does he keep saying ‘This world’? It’s weird.”
“Wait…” The big rock stared at Rowan. “Where are you from?”
Rowan scratched the back of his head. “I’m from a place called California.”
“Never heard of it.” The rock gave Rowan another look-over. “Well, I’ll be. We got ourselves a Wayfarer here, boys.” The smaller rocks ‘ooh-ed’. The big rock hushed the smaller. “Now tell me, Wayfarer, what you’re doing in our world.”
Rowan shrugged. “I don’t know. All I know is something is calling me and it brought me here.”
“That’s quite a rock you’re between. I don’t know what to tell you, Wayfarer.”
“He should go see the sorceresses!” One rock said.
“What sorceresses?” Rowan asked.
“The sorceresses of Valahan, an order of powerful women who command the elements and supervise the land of Nacosa,” Big rock said. “If you’re looking for answers, they’re the ones to see.”
“It’s the best option I have right now.” Rowan looked out to his right. He was enamored with the rolling hills heading north. Wait, how do I know that’s north?
“Valahan is to the north,” Big rock said. “The city is said to be the size of a mountain. You can’t miss it.”
“Great.” He glanced up at the sky. Two pink suns setting in opposite directions sat in the green sky. Which way is north?”
“Really making me wonder if you actually are an idiot,” Big Rock rolled its gray eyes. “You’re looking north right now.”
Rowan blinked and returned his full attention to the rocks. “What?”
“I’m starting to think you know where to go, Wayfarer. Follow your instincts.”
Rowan smiled. “Thanks for the help and sorry about landing on you.”
“By the way, kid, how did you control the air like that? You’re not from this world and I don’t see any magical items with you.”
Rowan shrugged. “Just something I was born with. Thanks again.” He took a step forward and lost his balance. Rowan skipped on his toes until he regained a semblance of control. “What the---“
“Clumsy too. What kind of wayfarer are you?”
“That was weird. It felt like I put too much strength into walking.”
“I’ve heard of different worlds having different gravity forces. Your world might have heavier gravity, Wayfarer.”
“Weird.” Rowan looked at his hands. “Then… does that mean…” his lips curled to a smile. He braced himself and jumped.
“WHOAAA!!” Rowan laughed as he looked down at the top of a tree. He had easily jumped twenty feet into the air. “This is awesome!!”
Rowan lightly landed. He started running across the fields. He easily crossed miles and his breathing remained unaffected. Rowan leapt over hills. He laughed.
He was fascinated by the strange creatures roaming about. Horses with beaks and wings drank from a nearby red pond. Trees with blue leaves walked about the area. Butterflies with multicolored wings flew beside tiny creatures with goat heads and eagle wings. Rowan was mesmerized by passing giants. Each had full bushy beards and scars on their upper-body. They wore strange armlets which reflected the light of two suns.
Rowan was really in a different world.
He looked north again. How he knew which direction was north he didn’t know, but he could feel himself being pulled that way. Whoever was calling him was to the north.