Realm of Wolves

Lingua Intellegere

“She is in my grasp!” A distant cold methodical voice floated toward my ears. 

“With her blood my plans can come to fruition” The voice said ill intentions laced in every syllable uttered. 

I am being sucked down. To where I do not know but everything in my being is telling me I need to escape. I need to get far away from that voice. I must escape…I must get back to my mother and my clan, they will protect me against this unknown assailant.

I can’t breath. My lungs fill with water as I tried to take in a breath… I’m being pulled through water? Why?

I struggle harder and harder against the hands that held me. They where strong and determined to keep a hold of me, but I am also determined. Determined to get away from the voice and the fate that awaits me if I am caught by her.

“No!” The voice shrieked in horror

Finally! I celebrated as I swim out of the clutches of my captor and toward a light above my head. Please be a dream please be a dream please be a dream! I prayed as my head broke the surface of the water.

“What?” I looked around. I am at the center of what looks like a community well or pool. People filling large containers with water stoped to stare at me, their expressions dumbfounded.

I need to get out of here. I looked down the hole I came out of and came to the immediate conclusion that going back the way I came probably wasn’t the best idea. A watery death isn’t the way I want to go out. Turning toward the crowd of flabbergasted people, I slowly waded out of the water.

People nearest me backed away from me whispering in a language I have never heard before. In fact I am positive that this language does not exist.

Where am I? My heart dropped as I hope the answer to the question isn’t what I am thinking. 

As I walk farther and farther away from the well It became increasingly clear that I am not at college anymore. The woman who has been trying to summon me succeed in bringing me to her world. 

I take a deep breath and coughed. The air in this world is thicker and weights heavily in my lungs. There are two suns one yellow and the other a blueish white. Despite having two suns however the temperature is cool. I made my way through a crowd of curious stares and hushed whispers till I reached an overlook.

Must stay calm. I told myself as I approached the edge of the overlook. I must stay calm. I need to figure out a way to get back to my world. My mind need to be clear in order to formulate a plan. The other option would be to wait till my mother and clan find me and summon me back to my original world but that could take years. I don’t have years someone with ill intentions summoned me here I’m pretty sure they have plans to sacrifice me. I don’t have years I might not even have days.

Take a deep breath I reminded myself, don’t panic. From the over look I am able to survey my surroundings. I am in a city a large city built on the side of a mountain. Most everything is made of stone, clay, or wood. The city is protected on all sides by a great stone wall. Beyond the stone wall is a jungle so dense I barely could make out the ground beneath the canopy of leaves. 

To the East a large grey stone castle sat on top a hill nestled into a cliffside. The white castle is surrounded by larger than large white stone mansions. Further down the obvious caste system are town homes also made from stone. There is a courtyard where a bustling market place is located. I spot the possible well/pool that I emerged from. It’s actually smaller than it looked. Next to the market place is a large stadium arena. To the West is where the people who aren’t in the upper class live in modestly sized wooden or clay homes. The farther away from the castle you live however the smaller the homes get till eventually you see people living in break away tents in the shadow of the great wall. 

Whispers floated around me. People dressed in colorful fur clothing stared at me as they walked by. I wish that I knew what they where saying. Fortunately there is a spell for that. I sighed i really don't want to use that spell. But I need to know where I am. In order to do that I need to talk to someone. 

Could i even do magic in this world. I assume that there is a magic source if someone was able to rip me from my world and bring me to theirs but that didn't mean that I would be able to cast spells. Well there is only one way to fined out no use speculating.

"Lingua intellegere" the spell fell from my lips. I looked around for an unsuspecting person but found no one. 

"Great" I muttered these people are curious enough to stare at the stranger but to cowardly to approach. 

Form the corner of my eye I spotted something interesting. I little tucked away garden with a stone shrine of a wolf. I should start there. Being a Puritan Witch one of my many talents is to talk to guardian deities. 

A loud yell of exclamation startled me to my feet. Men who look like soldiers pointed a various mix of weapons at me. Assuming the worse I turned tail and ran through the streets. Howls of anger followed behind. I attempt to dodge passerby’s while at the same time slow down my pursuers. Any object that was within arms reach I threw to the ground effectively leaving a trail of destruction behind me. 

They were probably sent to bring me back to that cold dead voice. Why else would they come after me? Unless appearing in a well is a crime here… or maybe its because I am wearing funny clothing. Jeans and a t-shirt doesn’t look to be the normal attire. Ornate belted skirts and random strips of cloth held together by string seem to be the fashion statement.

Whatever the reason, these guards must not catch me. It would make it easier on the person who summoned me here to find me and I do not want to be found by that person. My stomach twisted as I dodged an object that came to close to my head. It looked like a police baton. I took some relief in knowing that they at least want to apprehend me alive. 

I rounded the corner and bumped into a hooded figure. I fell to the ground rubbing my nose in discomfort. Pushing myself to my feet i realize that some how I have found my way to the garden with the stone shrine of a wolf.

“I’m sorry” I said rubbing the dirt from my damp dress.

The cloak fell away to reveal a handsome golden eyed man, in his early 20's. His jet black hair is cut short in the front but is long in the back. He is tall and lean and shone under the light of the sun. He doesn’t look like a  guard, however, his aura exudes power and lots of it.

He opened his mouth to speak to me but alas I could not understand the language of this world. I rose my eye brows and gave the gentleman an apologetic look. Muttering the language spell I jumped on the man grabbing his face in my hands I pulled his lips towards mine. 

As I expected his lips where soft and warm. Muscles that where hidden under his dark cloak stretched and pulled my body closer to his. My body melted into his and I found it difficult to stop the kiss. There was a small sweet smelling breeze that twirled around me several times before leaving. The garden deity I presumed. Hopeful and excited that the spell might have worked this time. I looked up at the man expectantly. 

The man looked at me puzzled and spoke. But to my chagrin the spell did not work.

“Oh for the love of…” 

Shouts of anger is getting closer the guards must have dug their way out of the mess I left for them. I shrugged my shoulders at the man and I moved to run passed him. But instead of letting me pass the stranger grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him. The cloak wrapped around us as we fell to the ground his lips once again pressed tightly to mine.

What in the fresh hell is this! I squirmed to get away from the man but he was too heavy. My skin burned with anger and frustration as I willed with all my might to get this man off me. Nothing of course happened. But I wasn’t going to stop struggling.

“Hey you! Did you see a girl run by here?”

The stranger parted his lips from mine. His hot breathe inches away from my nose. The heat of his eyes bore holes into mine causing a shiver to run through my body. I was about to scream but he quickly covered my mouth with is hand.

“A girl?” He asked “I have not see anyone I am a bit occupied at the moment.” 

He pulled his cloak to block my face from view while turning his attention to the soldiers. His body is heavy and I’m unable to make a sound or breathe properly. 

“My Prince!” One of the soldiers exclaimed “What are you doing in a place like this?”

Prince? I thought. Wait… their words…why all of a sudden I can understand them? I don’t understand. Why did the spell work now? What changed?

“Go away!” growled the stranger in a guttural voice that paralyzed me.

A few moments later I hear the pitter patter of retreating feet. The strange man got off me once the sounds of feet could no longer be heard. As soon as his weight was lifted I scooted away.

The stranger studied me closely. “Your not from around here? How did you get here?”

The million dollar question.

“Why is the queens guard after you?” He asked another question.

He reached to grab at me but I sprang to my feet and ran away. It bothered me that the language spell didn't work the first time. It confused me as to why it worked the second time, the spell wasn't spoken either. 

My running for my life came to a halt when I realized that I am surrounded. Soldiers where closing the circle around me as people watched on fear and horror in their eyes.  What do they have to be afraid of? I thought before I am struck from behind and darkness closed in around me.