Page 9 of Their Chosen

“I agree, Commander. How will we get there?” the prince asked as he closed and tucked the compass back inside his pocket.

“Well, Your Highness, our spells have improved over the years and as we've explored. With this map, we should be able to tune the portal so that you arrive in Dallas, where we have some buildings and human technology to assist with travels. Baer should get you there where you will pick up your car and human coin so that you can move freely.”

“Sounds good, Commander. How soon can we leave? We want to be in Fort Worth before we rest for the night and can start with the next sunrise with our search.”

“Baer should be...” The door opened and a fae male with sandy brown hair and blue eyes entered, a smile on his face. “Ah, here he is now. Your Highness, this is Baer Hawthorne, our best guide into the human realms.”

Baer bowed. “Your Highness.” Once straightened back up, he handed the prince one bag and then the other to me.

“I suggest you two get changed. I’ll update Baer here with the details of the assignment,” Commander Ashford offered up.

Baer took the opportunity to chime in. “Your Highness, Captain, you’ll find everything you should need to fit in on Earth in the bags I just gave you. Once you’ve changed, we can be on our way.”

“I'll show you two where you can change.” The Commander left the room, indicating we should follow as Baer studied the unrolled map, no doubt wondering what the mission would be.

He gestured to two doors. “Captain, you may use this bathroom. Your Highness, my personal rooms are just here. Help yourselves to anything you may need.”

“Thank you, Commander,” the prince replied, and we separated to our rooms to change.

I entered the bathroom and set the bag on the counter, untying it. Inside, I found a couple pairs of what appeared to be pants, a couple of odd tunics, a pair of socks, and boots slightly different than my own. These humans dressed oddly. I was sure the prince was undergoing a culture shock just trying on the human clothes. I quickly changed and tucked everything back in the bag before relieving myself while I could. Who knew how long it would be before we stopped again.

As I left the room, the prince also exited his room, tugging on the weird tunic that fit his slimmer form snugly and shaking a leg of his pants, which offered no give like our normal leathers. I held back a smirk at his obvious discomfort, which he immediately abandoned once he caught me watching him, his whole demeanor changing and hiding behind a facade of stone.

I was correct in my assessment of his feelings on mortal clothes. However, I also felt as if I was learning more about the man behind the title as I watched him hide himself away. I wasn't sure yet what to make of it or of the man, but I filed that information away. A long time ago, I’d learned that men often gave their true intentions away, not with words, but in their actions when they believed no one was watching. This method was often invaluable when determining the true mettle of the people I surrounded myself with. It was why my unit was an elite one and was given the most daunting assignments, such as the one I found myself in now.

The difference now, however, was that I was about to enter the mortal realm with two men I knew close to nothing about. Nevertheless, I was quickly finding that the prince was just as determined and could hopefully be counted on to complete the mission should we encounter any dangers. That was if my assumptions and assessments could be counted on.

We found ourselves back in the entry room of the Commander's quarters without delay, neither of us finding a need to speak, both set on the task of moving as expediently as possible. Baer met us in the room now wearing his own version of the same mortal clothes, his brown hair mussed but with a clean cut. He had a short beard that hadn't been shaved in a day or two, but his eyes were sparking with the light of adventure. His body was held tight as if trying to keep himself from bouncing around in anticipation, his energy evident even without a word. He held back a smile, but not very successfully. The man before me appeared to be very straight forward, his face expressive with every thought. If I had to guess those thoughts now, he was laughing at our discomfort at these mortal contraptions of torture that humans apparently called clothes.

I found myself catching his enthusiasm and mirth despite my own discomfort and hesitance about what awaited us on the other side. But the Prince's demeanor didn't change at all, his cold aloofness still evident as we stopped in front of Baer. “Your Highness, I am honored to be your guide into the mortal realm.” He paused to give a small bow in deference to him. “I just wanted to go over a few quick things before we departed. First, I want you both to prepare for a world that is much more crowded, louder, and, overall, just busier than ours. The drastic change often overwhelms our guards on their first trip, but I know that we won't have much chance to acclimate as we must move quickly. So, be prepared to trust that I will try my best to keep us out of most of the more overwhelming areas but that it will be unavoidable at some point if the Chosen is indeed in Fort Worth or Dallas. This area is one of the most crowded in the territory, and it will be difficult to avoid these distractions as we navigate through the realm.”

Baer clasped his hands behind his back as he paused his words. His demeanor had changed from excitement to no-nonsense while speaking to us as if we were a newly recruited group on our first voyage. In a way, we were, and I appreciated his frankness. Once he was satisfied we had digested this information, he continued, “Secondly, while I'm sure you are both used to using your magic for simple things and having it come easily, you will not be able to do so once we have crossed over. The mortal realm does allow us access to our magic, but it is only a small trickle unlike the rushing river we are used to. As we cross over, the full powers we have now will be slowly drained by the technology that humans surround themselves with. It is my advice that we hold on to it as much as we can, only using it when absolutely necessary. That being said, we also must avoid using magic in front of humans. They have a terrible habit of trying to capture what they don't understand and trying to study it through means of torture. We’ve, unfortunately, lost a few men to them over the years after they revealed too much. You may be tempted, but I must insist, that for all our safety, you don't do so without my approval. Even when you feel you are alone, humans have technology that is always watching. Any questions so far?” He waited patiently for our responses.

I shook my head while the prince said, “No, Baer. I have no qualms with deferring to your judgment in this matter as long as we can move quickly.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” He nodded and then turned to head toward the door. “Now, if you'll follow me with your bags, we’ll prepare to cross over.”

We all exited the Commander's quarters, heading towards the middle of the outpost, where we encountered another fence, more soldiers guarding the entry inside. I felt several eyes on us, fellow soldiers curious as to what would bring us to their tiny outpost. It made me a little nervous to have so many watching, but the prince and Baer seemed not to notice. Baer opened the gate and ushered us both inside, where a stone archway shimmered in the middle of it. He spoke behind us, and I turned away from the portal to face him. “Traveling through can be quite disorienting, similar to pushing through syrup, but should be over quickly. As our understanding has grown, we have learned how to set the portal to allow us through to different parts of the mortal world. It will let us out just outside of Dallas in a less densely populated area where we keep a property that holds supplies we’ll need for our journey. We’ll stop here and then plan our next steps.”

Nodding in affirmation, I watched as the Commander approached us. “Your Highness. Captain. I wish you safe travels. May your mission hold nothing but success.” He bowed to the prince and then nodded to Baer and me.

Baer walked to the portal and placed his hand over a symbol in the arch, murmuring words too softly for me to hear. I felt the magic move through the area around us, drawn to the symbol which started to glow and pulse in response. He removed his hand and stepped back. “Please place your hands on my shoulders and hold tightly as we pass through. As we leave Avalon, I must guide us through to the correct portal. Letting go means you may wind up somewhere not intended. Don't let go.” The last words were spoken more forcefully than I had heard from him yet.

The Prince and I stepped up behind Baer and placed one hand on each of his shoulders. Baer raised his hands, and the magic rose again in response. As he stepped forward and into the portal, we followed.

Chapter Six: Baer

We exited the portal, and the hands holding my shoulders released as the magic around us waned. The portal exited into a warehouse that held several rooms off to the side and was filled with cars and more supplies than we could ever need on a mission. Upon our exit, the excitement of our task burned through me again. The thrill of adventure had never failed in all my years of travel. I knew many others hated the feeling of their draining magic and the hustle and bustle of this world, but I didn't. I loved the thrill of having to rely on my own strengths and wits, which were needed to navigate through this world.

As we stepped away from the portal, I spotted several guards approaching us, all of whom I was familiar with since this was usually my area of travel. I was the most familiar with everything this territory held. Pettit waved at me before spotting the prince just behind me. Once he had, he bowed, and the others followed suit quickly. “Your Highness,” he exclaimed in awe.

None of us were held in high enough esteem to have ever met the prince before, which had always been fine by me. I personally felt he was likely a cold prick, unconcerned with any of his citizens or peons. Even now, he held himself apart, cold and foreboding, even if his words were all they should be. I watched as he and the captain glanced around the building, noting their curiosity when they spotted the cars.

After allowing Pettit and the others their short opportunity to gawk and grovel, I spoke to Pettit. “We’ll need a car and maps of Dallas and Fort Worth. Also, I need an update on any of the news in the area in the last couple of weeks since my last visit.”

“Of course,” he responded to me and then turned to the prince. “Your Highness, please allow me to show you to our kitchens, where we would be more than happy to show you our best hospitality. Unfortunately, we do not have a designated chef, but any one of the men would gladly make you up a meal.”

“Thank you, Pettit, was it?” Pettit nodded, obviously pleased that the prince knew his name. “I haven’t eaten more than some biscuits and cheese as we traveled and would gladly eat, but unfortunately, we won't be staying long.”

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