Julia woke up the next morning when something furry tickled her face. She felt relieved and happy that he had come back. Smiling, she opened her eyes.
It wasn’t Jade.
She screamed and pushed herself up, then hurried away as fast as her clumsy legs would take her. Her back hit against a tree trunk and fell into a sitting position. A huge spider—bigger than her head and covered with black hair—crept towards her. She whimpered as she pulled her knees up and hid behind them.
Falcon walked over, slid the end of his sword gently under the spider’s belly, and then flicked it off into the distance. He went to her side, set the sword down, and pulled her into his arms. “It’s okay,” he told her tenderly as tears streamed down her face. She clutched a fistful of his shirt. “Jules, you’re all right. It’s gone.”
“What wrong?” Tikki asked as she came into view, jumping from tree to tree until she stopped on one several feet away. “Why boo-hoo?”
Falcon hesitated for a moment, then lied. “Bad dream.”
Julia pushed on Falcon, but didn’t let go of his shirt. “Get up,” she told him.
He did so, keeping his arms around her. When they were both standing, she looked around anxiously. “It’s gone,” he said quietly, so that only Julia could hear him. “It’s okay now.” He held her and stroked her hair while she buried her face in his chest and took a few deep breaths.
“Sorry,” she said finally in a weak voice, but didn’t move out of his arms. “It’s just… spiders…” She shivered.
“Lots of people are scared of spiders,” he whispered soothingly. “There’s a guard in Jaida Grove who’s scared of them, and he’s a big, tough guy.” Just then, Badger came into their small clearing, and Falcon chuckled softly. “And then, there’s some who just eat them.”
“Ew,” she whined. She took another deep breath and let it out slowly before looking up at Falcon. “Thanks for not making fun of me, even if I’m a baby.”
He smiled tenderly. “You’re fine.”
He stepped away from her, and she grudgingly let go. She watched him get their stuff together and just knew that he was thinking about how she was going to get them killed. She blinked back the new tears that threatened. She hated being so weak and stupid.
“Julia done boo-hoo?” Tikki asked.
“Yeah,” Julia mumbled, staring at the ground.
“Good. Eat.”
Julia barely had time to look up before something big and hard hit her. “Ow!” she griped as she managed to catch the thing.
The little savage looked amused. “Julia learn to be tough, like Tikki.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Julia grumbled, then asked, “What is this, anyway?” She turned the oval-shaped, yellowish-green fruit, that was the size of a small watermelon, over in her hands.
“Food. Eat.”
“It’s a papaya,” Falcon said. “Have you ever had one before?”
“Not like this,” Julia answered.
“Here.” He took it from her, pulled out his dagger, and cut it in half. Getting a spoon from his bag, he scooped out the round, black seeds from the middle of each part, then handed her both halves and the spoon.
“Thanks.”
Tikki was too impatient to wait, so Julia ate the sweet fruit as she walked. Thankfully, Falcon kept a hand on her arm to keep her from tripping or running into anything. After a while, Julia offered the second half to him, but he declined, so she gave it to Badger, who happily accepted.
She paused for a moment to pull her hair into a quick ponytail, since Tikki hadn’t given her time to braid it as usual. Tikki and Badger didn’t stop, so when Julia was done they were far enough away to be out of earshot. She took advantage of it. “Why’d you tell Tikki it was a bad dream?” she asked Falcon as they started walking again.
“I had a feeling she’d think the truth was… amusing,” he told her. “And she’d probably just try to find more spiders for you.”
Julia shivered. “You’re probably right. Thank you,” she said, then sighed. “I’m really glad you came with me.” She laughed humorlessly at herself. “I wouldn’t get very far without you, would I? I hate being so useless.”
“You’re not. Outdoor stuff is just more my thing than yours. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t handle answering a 50-line phone system while also having to deal with an office full of adults who go whining to you like children whenever something isn’t just right. You did that and more without ever looking the least bit stressed.”
“And dealing with Tom,” she added with a smirk.
He chuckled. “That alone should earn you an award.”
She smiled and blushed. “He’s such an ass.”
Falcon nodded. “But see? We’re just good a different things.”
“Thanks,” she told him again. “Well… this is just more proof that I need to get back to my world.”
“You’d adapt just fine if you stayed,” he insisted. “I had to adjust to it too. Although, after a week of not hearing an alarm clock, a siren, or someone blasting their rap at me through an open car window… I was pretty much settled.”
“What if you have to get up early?”
“I always wake up as soon as the sun rises―most people here do, actually. But if not, the bell at Daegon’s temple rings at six every morning, at noon, and at six at night,” he answered. “Then there’s the clock tower, but you can’t hear that from our place.”
She nodded. “Oh. So… do you miss anything from Earth?” she wondered.
“Just Gabe,” he told her. “Not that I’d go back for him. I wish he could come here, though… he’d really love it.” He sighed sadly. “But I’m starting to think that maybe the reason he hasn’t is because of what the fairy said, about us being the ones. Maybe we were brought here.”
“Don’t know why I would be.”
He shrugged. “Me either. I’m sure there’s someone else in this world who could do this better than me. There’s got to be someone much more capable.”
“But maybe none stupid enough,” she said. “Oh! I didn’t mean you’re stupid, I―”
He smiled. “I know.” They walked in silence for a moment, while he looked thoughtful. “You know, though, regardless of why I came here, I’m glad. Clicking Play was like coming home for me. I haven’t felt out of place for a year now, but on Earth… I never felt like I truly belonged.”
“Maybe there are more worlds out there.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because I feel out of place no matter where I am,” she chuckled, though it wasn’t actually funny.
He just held her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. He seemed to naturally want to touch people. It was always in a warm, friendly way, almost like he was constantly trying to give comfort. It was something she really appreciated, just another thing that she liked about him. He made her feel more at ease and, as much as it was possible in a world like this, safe. She smiled at him, though he didn’t see it.
Up ahead, the others stopped next to a twenty-foot-wide river and Tikki jumped off of her brother's shoulders. “Badger stay,” she commanded, and he obediently sat down. A small branch cracked under him when he hit the ground, but he didn’t seem to notice.
Falcon and Julia joined them. The undergrowth and trees grew so close to the brown murky water that there was no real shore. If the others hadn’t been stopped there, Julia thought she probably would have not noticed and fallen in. Though as she got closer, the river came into full view and the sun sparkled on the surface.
Tikki grabbed a rope that was tied to a post and pulled. An old wooden rowboat, covered with moss in places, drifted out of the tall reeds, knocking softly against the muddy bank. When she started to step into it, Badger threw the rest of his papaya into the water and bellowed, causing Julia to jump. “Tikki stay!”
She sighed as she went back. With the orc sitting on the ground, she was eye level with him. “Tikki take tall people to temple. Badger not fit in boat.” When he looked sulky but said nothing, Tikki patted his cheek affectionately and returned to the boat. Falcon and Julia got in after her.
Tikki untied the boat, then pointed the oars out to them as they began to drift along. They each took a paddle, but before they could touch the water, there was a loud splash. They turned to see that Badger wasn’t taking no for an answer. He was walking down the river toward the boat, the water almost reaching his chest. He caught up quickly and placed his hands on the wooden ledge, and the boat glided effortlessly forward. They set the oars back down.
Tikki stood at the front of the boat facing Badger, her hands on her little hips. “Badger not listen!” she scolded, though her eyes twinkled with amusement.
He gave an obstinate grunt.
“Okay,” she said with a mock sigh. “But Badger not cry to Tikki when angry fish bite toe.” He just gave her a big goofy smile. She shook her head and sat back down.
After a while, the river forked; in the middle of the fork was a large building. Most of it resembled the huge bottom half of a pyramid, made from sand-colored rock. Stone steps rose two stories to reach the plateau on top, where a small building stood. Though it wasn’t as grand as Daegon’s temple, this too had a tall spire on top, pointing the way to where the goddess, Nathora, was thought to be.
Tikki urged Badger to the right as they got close and he pushed the boat onto land. They stepped out, but then turned when Badger grunted behind them. An alligator had popped its head halfway out of the water and was very near him. Julia gasped, afraid for the orc, but Badger raised a fist and slammed it into the reptile. It sank into the water with a splash and didn’t resurface. Falcon and Julia both laughed, while Tikki barely seemed to notice.
“Why isn’t anyone here?” Julia wondered as they climbed the steps to the little temple.
“High Priestess in gnome village,” Tikki answered. “Only come here on service day.”
“Is that Sunday?”
Tikki rolled her eyes. “No. Service day.”
Julia just nodded.
The only thing inside the small building was a stone altar―on top were candles, flowers, a bowl of offerings, and a life-size statue of a woman with long, ringlet curls. “Is Nathora a gnome?” Julia asked, noticing how much the statue resembled Tikki.
“Nathora a goddess.” Tikki told her. “She look like people she appear to.”
“So, if there’s a gnome, a dwarf, and a human…?” Falcon wondered.
“Start of bad joke,” Tikki answered, straight-faced.
Julia smiled. “People have seen her?”
Tikki nodded. “Stories, long ago.”
“Of course,” Julia said, disappointed.
Tikki frowned at her for a moment, then continued looking around. Falcon and Julia searched, too, while Badger got distracted by a bird that was flying back and forth over the water, looking for fish. Nothing looked like part of a magical orb, but then Falcon pushed the altar aside. He smiled when he saw the trapdoor beneath it. He held it open while Tikki and Julia climbed down the ladder, then came down after them.
Badger had to wait up top because the opening wasn’t big enough for him. He wasn’t happy about it and whined to Tikki with his hands waving through the doorway, reaching for her.
“Badger stop. Close door. Tikki back soon.” When he didn’t move, she glared fiercely up at him and raised her voice. “Badger go. Now!”
He gave a pouty grunt as he moved back and closed the wooden door with more force than necessary. It broke, splintering under his great strength. He looked down at Tikki guiltily. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
“Stupid Badger!” she scolded. “Sit down. Not touch stuff!”
He nodded gloomily and did as he was told, but a moment later he was back in the opening, blocking out the light again. “Tikki. Badger find something.”
“Badger,” she grumbled angrily.
“Look, kitty!” he said happily, then held a silver and black tabby cat over the hole so they could see it.
“Jade!” Julia exclaimed, smiling widely up at her pet. “Badger, please let him go.”
He frowned as he grudgingly dropped the cat―thirty feet to the bottom. Julia gasped, but Falcon caught Jade, and amazingly the cat didn’t scratch him.
“Oh, good boy,” Julia cooed as she took Jade into her arms.
Falcon smirked. “I do my best.”
She chuckled. “You too. Thanks.”
Tikki looked curiously at the scene.
“He’s mine,” Julia explained. “His name is Jade.”
Tikki frowned. “Julia own cat?” It seemed like this was a foreign concept to her, and she didn’t approve of it.
Julia shrugged. “Well, he’s a pet. I take care of him.”
She understood that. “Oh,” she replied, nodding, “like Badger.”
Julia just nodded as she stoked Jade once more and then placed him gently on the ground. “You be careful, now―we don’t know what’s in here, okay? You better run if there’s trouble,” she told him, then shook her head at herself.
“What?” Falcon asked.
“Nothing, it's just that… for a second, I completely expected him to nod or something." She laughed softly.
“I’m telling you, he’s your familiar.”
She just shrugged, not believing him. Just because she was silly sometimes didn’t mean the cat was magically connected to her.
“Tikki not wait all day,” the little savage said impatiently. “No more talk. Tikki want action!”
Falcon chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”
“What you call Tikki?”
“Ma'am―it’s a woman, like…” He shook his head. “It’s not insulting.”
“Humph,” was all she said.
Falcon called up to the orc, “Badger, would you mind moving? You’re blocking the light.”
“Okay, bird man,” he answered and―though he looked sad about it―got away from the opening.
Finally the group started paying attention to their surroundings. They had descended into a perfectly square room, the walls made of smaller sand-colored bricks. There was an old cypress door on the right and one in front of them. Falcon opened the side door first, to find a room that was half-filled with crates and chests.
Tikki looked in around him. "Offerings for goddess here.”
Falcon was already heading back to the main room. “Come on, we’ll raid it after we find the orb piece.”
Julia frowned. “Should we really steal from―”
“Yes,” he cut in. “It’s for the greater good, Jules.”
She pursed her lips. “Okay, but if we get struck down by some god’s wrath don’t blame me.”
She could almost hear him rolling his eyes. “That’s not going to happen,” he told her, then added under his breath, “probably.”
They went to the other door, this one seemed to be made of iron, and had no handle. They tried to push it, and then to slide it open, but nothing worked.
“Wait,” Julia said. “Look, it says something.” It was covered in shadow―the daylight from the opening above didn’t reach it. She cast her light spell, illuminating the letters carved into the door. “It says… feed me and I live, give me water and I die.”
They all pondered it for moment, and then Tikki answered, “Fire!”
“You’re right,” Falcon said. “Jules, use a fireball.”
Everyone stood back as she cast it. As soon as the spell hit, it burst into flames and disappeared. A line appeared down the middle of the door, and it opened, each half moving into the walls.
Beyond was another square room. A round table stood in the center. There were two doors on each of the side walls, and a set of double doors in the back. None had handles.
They walked in, but as soon as they were all inside the room, the door behind them suddenly slammed shut.
