She made her way along the forest edge. The sounds of the festivities and the scents of the food faded with each step as the sun beat down from its mid-afternoon vantage point.
The fact she'd gotten to the edge of the forest without being caught by an aunt or cousin other than Lalko who wanted to know what she was going to do with her life now that her dreams had been given to another—well, that was just a miracle. Wasn't it?
They were all focused elsewhere. Most likely no one would notice she was gone until much later, and then they'd assume she just needed to be alone. And they'd be right. She could be gone for weeks without anyone thinking much of her absence.
As she evaded the bruja vines, the soft grass sprang up beneath each footfall, soft and fragrant. She focused on that green scent to block the warm smells of honey, cocoa, venison, and bread. Her stomach grumbled in response. A narrow holm oak branch scraped the top of her head. Ducking, she untangled it from one of her pinned braids. Some golden light caught her eye farther in the warm yellow-green depths.
“Idalno! Come see.”
Her entire body tightened. She knew that voice. “Lalko?”
How—how was that possible? There was no mistaking her voice. How had she gotten out this far? She knew better than to wander off on her own, and she had been playing with the other children only a short time before.
“Come on! Move quickly!” It was fainter this time, as if she was moving farther in.
“Lalko, wait!” She pushed the branches back and charged forward. A bit of light glinted, then flashed in her face. Recoiling, she lifted her arm. Her face stung as she closed her eyes. What was this?
The air changed. It smelled of delicate florals, sunbaked earth, and…myrrh and cloves?
She cracked her eyelids open.
She wasn't in Ehecatl anymore.
The Ulmus Forest with its towering holm oaks and crawling bruja vines had vanished. In its place was a tight-growing network of gray-barked alders, craggy oaks, and copper beeches. Crunchy leaves coated the ground, obscuring whatever path—if any—existed. Near the roots, clumps of lavender spires, butterfly bushes, and red-flowered trillium clustered together.
Her jaw dropped. The cursed Tue-Rah with its snatching people. That's exactly what this was, wasn't it? Everyone knew that the interdimensional portal didn't always stay in the temples. It had a mind of its own. Or maybe the Creator had told it to take her here?
But where was Lalko?
Sunlight poured through the interlacing branches, softer and…dimmer. More soothing golden yellow than brilliant citrine like it had been over the gathering for Selnon’s officiation. Different suns had different qualities. This was warmer and heavier, more akin to a late summer afternoon. An older sun perhaps. It felt older.
The air had a thicker quality to it. Richer. Hazier. Almost enough to lull her to sleep if she stopped paying attention. The forest itself had an ancient feeling to it. Even if the trees were smaller than in the Ulmus Forest.
She tilted her head, straining her ears for some sound of Lalko.
“Idalno, come on,” Lalko called out again, as if in response, a little farther than before and ringing back as if down a stone chamber and not in the forest.
“Lalko, come back here right now.” She raised her voice, biting back the edge. Something was wrong. “Little coya bird, fly back now, all right? Come back.” She started toward the voice even though it sounded wrong. Whatever was going on, she couldn't risk abandoning Lalko. Who knew what lurked in this forest?
“Idalno, hurry up!”
She bolted toward the voice. The branches gave way easily, as if eager for her to go farther into this place. The leaves rustled and crackled beneath her feet, stirring up and falling aside.
Lalko's voice remained just ahead of her, growing fainter and fainter with each call.
She ran faster and faster, each step confirming that something had gone exceptionally wrong. The Tue-Rah didn't work this way. Something else had happened. But what? And why?
Branches snapped; leaves crunched. Then the trees gave way.
The ground sloped down into a steep grassy hill to a broad valley surrounded with the remains of a pale yellow-gray wall. The rubble was little more than small stones and fragmenting chunks of rock, but a somewhat impressive set of sealed gates stood at what was likely the main entrance. Now...well, anyone could pick their way through that rubble. In fact, a few paths had been pushed inward already.
Within that rubble lay a whole village. A small one. A large flat-topped clock tower stood in the center, surrounded by square buildings that looked almost more like uncured clay blocks than homes or businesses. A rosy brick road wove in and out of the buildings. Infuriatingly, it was off-center and crooked.
She squinted. In fact, all of the buildings were uneven in some way. Even the clock tower. Its broad yellow face had simple numbers on it to mark the time, and it went up to thirteen. Surrounding the numbers was a magnificently detailed blue ouroboros.
Something was wrong here. The hairs on her arms and the back of her neck lifted, her muscles tightening.
“Lalko,” she called again. “Come back, come back now.” She set her jaw.