audible.
“I don’t know, baby,” I answered in
truth.
She promptly hid behind my denim-clad legs,
apparently not finding my answer to be even the least bit
reassuring. I didn’t blame her; the truth was all too often a harsh
reality, but I considered it a necessary evil. Besides, I
rationalized, recalling my brother’s words, it was better for
Ashley to learn how to deal with problems, and telling her that
danger didn’t exist wouldn’t accomplish anything. I had to admit
that Mike was right on that point. She would only end up
disappointed and, worse, unprepared when life’s inevitable mishaps
fell upon her. Although, really, our situation was beyond unusual.
Most people did not have to face and defend against repeated
attempts on their life. Normal people didn’t, as a general rule,
find themselves in alternate...what? Dimensions? Realms?
Twelve months later and I still didn’t quite
know what to call Terlain. The “magic place” did have a nice ring
to it, I decided, navigating through the gold-trimmed forest with
ease now. I wondered if we would see Faith’s dog Wilson again. So
far he hadn’t made himself known to Ashley and myself. He must have
been in the yard, maybe even in the house, I realized. I hoped that
he was still alive. Even though a year had passed, Wilson hadn’t
looked to be all that old, so chances were good that he was still
enjoying good health. The canine would forever hold a special place
in my heart—he was the first friend I’d made in this strange new
land.
The trees were thinner here; soon we would
hit the clearing, and Faith’s ranch-style house would be due north
at the far edge. The town of Lerna would be just beyond the ridge
behind the house. While it would probably never be called a
bustling metropolitan hub, Lerna was not exactly tiny either. It
was one of those family friendly places that had managed to find a
happy medium between overcrowded and middle-of-nowhere. If Faith
and her husband couldn’t be located at the house, for whatever
reason, Ashley and I would be able to find food and lodging for the
night in town. From there, we would move on, taking the safe-zone
avenues to Grandview where, with any luck, we would find Bob and
Marta...and Mark. We would be safe with them, I knew, shoving all
thoughts of Mark aside for the moment. Screw John Hanlen and his
band of merry, crooked cops, because for all intents and purposes,
Ashley and I had just dropped off the face of the Earth.
It was harder not to worry about Mike; maybe
we had managed to evade danger back home, but my brother had
remained in the thick of it. He had the dual task of not only
sorting through the mess, but cleaning it up. I prayed that he
would get through the experience in one piece. Logically, I knew
enough about survival and teamwork to say my quick but heartfelt
prayer and mentally move on, pushing all thoughts of the family who
waited back home—and the trials they faced—from my mind. Worrying
wouldn’t do them one bit of good, I knew from experience, and in
fact, it would distract me at a time when I desperately needed to
keep my wits about me. So I had to trust Mike to take care of
himself and do the same for Ashley and myself.
A break in the trees up ahead signaled the
end of the forest and I exhaled silently, remembering that we were,
quite literally, not out of the woods yet. A large tree that looked
to be a maple on steroids provided adequate cover, and I tucked
Ashley between the base of the tree and my own body, quietly
instructing her to stay low and stay silent while I carefully
perused our surroundings. Nothing could be heard throughout the
forest. No leaves crunching underfoot, no swish of blades hacking
through foliage, nothing. It looked as though we were alone. The
guards had evidently decided to move on. Not surprising, I
reasoned. After all, it had been a year. They probably figured we
wouldn’t be bold—or foolhardy—enough to return to Terlain, but if
Kahn found
“I don’t know, baby,” I answered in
truth.
She promptly hid behind my denim-clad legs,
apparently not finding my answer to be even the least bit
reassuring. I didn’t blame her; the truth was all too often a harsh
reality, but I considered it a necessary evil. Besides, I
rationalized, recalling my brother’s words, it was better for
Ashley to learn how to deal with problems, and telling her that
danger didn’t exist wouldn’t accomplish anything. I had to admit
that Mike was right on that point. She would only end up
disappointed and, worse, unprepared when life’s inevitable mishaps
fell upon her. Although, really, our situation was beyond unusual.
Most people did not have to face and defend against repeated
attempts on their life. Normal people didn’t, as a general rule,
find themselves in alternate...what? Dimensions? Realms?
Twelve months later and I still didn’t quite
know what to call Terlain. The “magic place” did have a nice ring
to it, I decided, navigating through the gold-trimmed forest with
ease now. I wondered if we would see Faith’s dog Wilson again. So
far he hadn’t made himself known to Ashley and myself. He must have
been in the yard, maybe even in the house, I realized. I hoped that
he was still alive. Even though a year had passed, Wilson hadn’t
looked to be all that old, so chances were good that he was still
enjoying good health. The canine would forever hold a special place
in my heart—he was the first friend I’d made in this strange new
land.
The trees were thinner here; soon we would
hit the clearing, and Faith’s ranch-style house would be due north
at the far edge. The town of Lerna would be just beyond the ridge
behind the house. While it would probably never be called a
bustling metropolitan hub, Lerna was not exactly tiny either. It
was one of those family friendly places that had managed to find a
happy medium between overcrowded and middle-of-nowhere. If Faith
and her husband couldn’t be located at the house, for whatever
reason, Ashley and I would be able to find food and lodging for the
night in town. From there, we would move on, taking the safe-zone
avenues to Grandview where, with any luck, we would find Bob and
Marta...and Mark. We would be safe with them, I knew, shoving all
thoughts of Mark aside for the moment. Screw John Hanlen and his
band of merry, crooked cops, because for all intents and purposes,
Ashley and I had just dropped off the face of the Earth.
It was harder not to worry about Mike; maybe
we had managed to evade danger back home, but my brother had
remained in the thick of it. He had the dual task of not only
sorting through the mess, but cleaning it up. I prayed that he
would get through the experience in one piece. Logically, I knew
enough about survival and teamwork to say my quick but heartfelt
prayer and mentally move on, pushing all thoughts of the family who
waited back home—and the trials they faced—from my mind. Worrying
wouldn’t do them one bit of good, I knew from experience, and in
fact, it would distract me at a time when I desperately needed to
keep my wits about me. So I had to trust Mike to take care of
himself and do the same for Ashley and myself.
A break in the trees up ahead signaled the
end of the forest and I exhaled silently, remembering that we were,
quite literally, not out of the woods yet. A large tree that looked
to be a maple on steroids provided adequate cover, and I tucked
Ashley between the base of the tree and my own body, quietly
instructing her to stay low and stay silent while I carefully
perused our surroundings. Nothing could be heard throughout the
forest. No leaves crunching underfoot, no swish of blades hacking
through foliage, nothing. It looked as though we were alone. The
guards had evidently decided to move on. Not surprising, I
reasoned. After all, it had been a year. They probably figured we
wouldn’t be bold—or foolhardy—enough to return to Terlain, but if
Kahn found
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