Page 3 of Their World

He smiled and said, “Noted.” Walking over to the door, he pulled it open and bowed as he waved me through. “After you, Princess.”

Dhun hopped up, ears perked and tail wagging, and trotted behind me as I walked out of the room and into the hallway lined with torches along the wall in grooves that had been cut into the strange stone. Some of them had mana stones at the bases as well.

King Jolmach walked beside me, arms lose at his side, but his body was rigid.

“So, where is your queen?” I asked. “Or prince or advisors?”

The castle was eerily empty as we walked down the hallway and entered a kitchen, also empty of others.

“I have no queen and no spawn. I have military advisors, but they are in a room together discussing strategies to present to me, so you can meet them later.” He went to a rectangular stonebox and opened it, shocking me as cool air like a refrigerator came out.

It seemed we were completely wrong about the demons. If I was stuck here for who knew how long, it would be the perfect opportunity to learn more about them. To have an accurate record to somehow send back home.

“So, you cook for yourself?” I asked. “You don’t have a chef to do that for you?”

He pulled out a box of my favorite brand of chicken nuggets and a bottle of ketchup that was definitely from my world. At my shocked expression, he asked, “Did you see the desolation of the lands before the forest and what remains of the forest?”

I nodded.

“That’s how ninety percent of our world is now.”

“Is that why you’re invading our world? Because you don’t have resources for your people?”

He frowned, put the chicken nuggets back, and said, “Let me show you something.”

Heading out a side door I hadn’t noticed, the stone all looked alike, so it was hard to see the seams. He led me to a balcony that overlooked a city made of small houses and a few two to three story buildings. Demons in all shapes and sizes, including children with their parents, walked or flew around the city.

“This is our main city, Obselk. One of three cities that remain now. We used to have dozens of cities. Millions of demons. We’ve tried everything, but our world continues to die. We continue to try to take things from your world and plant them here, but it’s to no avail.”

“Take things from our world?” I asked, frowning. As far as I knew, no one had ever mentioned demons taking things back through the portals.

“If you aren’t looking for something, it is easy to miss, Princess. When a portal opens and we go through, we aren’t doing so aimlessly. We take food, useful items, and plants.”

My eyes widened. They had been stealing things to sustain their people?

“So far, every plant we bring back dies after it’s planted and even if we bring a potted plant here, it will die within a few days, leaves burned. Our environment is no longer habitable for plant life.”

“The portals opening in the city, you go into the stores and take items,” I realized.

He nodded, and we walked back to the kitchen. He held up the chicken nugget box. “Like these.”

“Why not try to speak to our kings to work something out? Why attack our people?”

Scoffing, he shook his head. “Your people kill mine before a chance is even given. It wasn’t until we were able to see you that we realized there might be another way. Even then, your people killed dozens of mine.”

All of this seemed like a huge misunderstanding that could be worked out with communication and aid. One thing he’d said bothered me, though.

“See me? How did you see me?”

“Our Grand Advisor was able to use his powers to find you, to show us images of you, and advise me that you were the one we needed to learn about the other world.”

They wanted to use me to learn about our world? Why me?

“You will meet the Grand Advisor soon, but he is not available currently.”

“How do the portals work?” I asked. “Do you choose where they open? Is it you that opens them?”

Jolmach sighed and shook his head. “No, I have no control over the portals. My people are spread around, watching for theportals, for their chance to jump through them and grab supplies from your world.”

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