Little Sofia was back on the beach, searching down its length for the boy building the sand castle. A small figure was in the distance, and she waved hoping to get the boy’s attention.

The figure turned to face her, rose, and stood much taller than she expected. It started moving towards her, but as it did so a dense fog came between them. The air suddenly felt very cold and the approaching figure loomed over her. Its pale yellow eyes looked into her very soul. She wanted to scream but before she could, the Ymplerim began menacingly calling her name, “Sofia! Sofia!”

Sofia woke with a start, her breathing labored and high. She sat up quickly to inspect her surroundings. She was in the tent, enveloped by thick, fluffy blankets. Harton, who had been sleeping beside her, pressed closer against her before relaxing and sleeping deeply once more.

“Sofia? Are you awake?” 

Quickly turning her head, she saw Erae’s silhouette from the morning light against the side of the tent. “Breakfast is ready.”

“Oh, y-yes I am. I’ll be right there.” 

As he walked away, Sofia forced herself to take deep breaths. W-where did that come from? 

Calming down a bit, Sofia began to notice delicious smells causing her stomach to rumble in hunger. Placing a hand on the Dlam, Sofia gave him a gentle shake. “Harton, food’s ready.”

The Dlam stretched and then curled into a tight ball. “Five more minutes,” he mumbled. She smiled softly and stroked his fur before getting up and changing into her travel clothes. At least someone is resting well.

Sofia avoided thinking about the dream as she brushed her long, black hair. She toyed with the idea of braiding it to match the men. I don’t think I’ve had my hair braided since I was a little girl. 

In the end, she decided against it and exited the tent with her long, free tresses moving gently in the morning breeze.

Roquewei and Erae were sitting across from each other at the fire pit, discussing something in low, serious tones. When Sofia emerged, Erae signaled the other elf with his eyebrows. Roquewei, without making eye contact, grabbed a last bite of food and walked away.

There was a twinge in Sofia’s gut as she watched him walk away. Is this really necessary?

“Síocháin, mo cuishle. Come eat,” Erae’s countenance had changed to a large, welcoming grin. He stood to move Roquewei’s seat closer to his own, then held out his hand to her.

“We have a long day ahead of us,” said the blonde elf as he guided her to the seat. “So eat up! Fonn bón.”

“Thanks,” she replied.

As she ate, Erae noticed concern on her face. “What troubles you, Sofia?”

“Oh,” Sofia started. “Um, nothing really…” Should I tell him about the dream? she wondered.

She fiddled with her food a bit. No, he’ll only worry.  “I guess I didn’t sleep very well, that’s all.”

Now Erae looked concerned. “Did the meal upset your stomach? Or was the ground too hard? I can give you extra blankets for tonight.”

“No, no,” Sofia assured him. “Nothing like that. Besides, I already have enough blankets. If I took all the blankets, what would you sleep on?” She turned to where she had seen him set up his bed the night before. 

“Did you really sleep in front of the tent the whole night?” she asked.

“Of course,” Erae replied, placing his hand on her knee. “I had to make sure you’d be safe through the night.”

He takes safety very seriously, doesn’t he? Sofia thought to herself.

“What about…” she said out loud, turning towards the direction Roquewei had gone.

“Somewhere in the forest, I’m sure,” Erae interrupted, lifting his hand abruptly. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like more blankets? More food?” He made to serve her another portion of breakfast. 

Sofia frowned and clutched her bowl to her chest. “No, I’m fine.”

Sensing a shift in the mood, Erae slowly placed the serving spoon back. They sat in awkward silence for a moment. Before either spoke again, Harton appeared from the tent with a loud yawn. 

“Morning. Any food left?”

“Here,” Sofia said. “Take mine. I’m going to start packing.”

Leaving the bowl on the seat, she walked past Harton back into the tent in a huff. The Dlam looked at the blonde elf quizzically, “What did you do?”

Several hours into the forest, Sofia regretted not having eaten more in the morning. Having opted to walk rather than ride the Ghryz, Sofia had already exerted herself more than the entire day before. 

Harton, walking by her side, noticed her waning energy. “Are you sure you won’t ride for a while?” he asked.

“No,” Sofia replied as she clutched the straps of her pack, breathing heavily. “I’m *huff* fine.”

The Dlam glanced back at Erae and Kalokim, who were tailing slowly behind. The elf looked nervous and confused. The Ghyrz turned her head back to address her companion.

“I’m not sure what happened,” she said under her breath, “but she’s been avoiding you since this morning. You better apologize.” 

Erae swallowed apprehensively before nudging Kalokim to move closer. “Sofia…”

Sofia suddenly lifted the brim of her hat and looked to her right, “Harton, look! Are those berries?” Quickly turning, she made a beeline through the underbrush for a bush a several meters away. The berries in question were white and shined like jewels in the dappled sunlight through the trees. 

“Yep, definitely avoiding you,” said Kalokim. Erae frowned at the Ghyrz. 

“Thank you for your astute observations,” sulked the elf.

The woman and the Dlam had reached the berry bush. Harton sniffed the bush hesitantly before nibbling some of the low-hanging fruit. “It’s pretty good,” he said.

Following suit, Sofia started picking berries, but before she could eat one she felt a firm hand on her forearm. Turning, she saw Roquewei standing beside her. His sudden nearness caught Sofia off-guard.

“Dia berries are good for animals, not for people,” he said quietly, his green eyes earnest. “You would get bad stomach pains if you ate these.”

“O-oh,” stuttered Sofia. Roquewei let go of her arm and stepped back as she bent down to feed the berries in her hand to Harton, who was watching the interaction with interest. “Thanks…” 

As she stood back up, Sofia noticed the pendant on the elf’s necklace glowing a warm red. She suddenly became aware of warmth emitting from the pouch in her pocket as well.

“Hey,” she said, pointing to the pendant. “Doesn’t that mean…?”

Porgi suddenly shrieked from overhead. “Roquewei!”

The elf turned just in time to avoid Erae’s punch. The blonde elf, placing himself between Sofia and Roquewei, clenched his fists again for another blow. 

“I told you to stay away from her!” Lunging again, he threw a series of punches, all of which Roquewei blocked or dodged. Finally, Erae landed a punch that knocked the blue-haired elf off his feet.

“Erae, stop it!” Sofia shouted. She and Harton ran to place themselves between the men. “Enough!”

“Why are you protecting him?” Erae shouted back. “He’s been nothing but rude to you and planned to abandon you!”

Ah, thought Sofia. I see.

“We made up, Erae,” Sofia said, trying to reason with him, but still blocking his way with outstretched arms. 

“You made out?” asked Kalokim, who had just arrived at the scene. “I did not think you two even liked each other…”

The others looked at her deadpan. She returned the gaze with wide, innocent eyes. “What?”

Turning back to Sofia, Erae asked, “Made up? W-when…?” He looked beyond her to Roquewei, his face darkening again. “This man nearly got you killed!”

“Sometimes people deserve a second chance,” declared Sofia. Behind her, Harton was helping Roquewei stand on his feet while Porgi watched.

“That was his second chance,” Erae growled. 

What? Sofia wondered.

Roquewei looked at him with confused, fiery eyes while nursing the part of his face where he had been struck.

“Look,” Sofia continued, “we can’t keep traveling like this. I can’t take the tension between the two of you anymore! You both are here because you promised to help me get home, so… you guys need to figure things out.”

She stepped out from between the two elves, slowly walking backwards. Erae stared angrily at Roquewei but didn’t move. Roquewei lowered his gaze.

“Just… talk to each other, or something,” Sofia said, gesturing with her hands. Sofia continued to step backwards to give the men space when suddenly, she tripped. She felt herself falling and… pulled. 

Shi…! she thought as she felt her body tugged through a gate.

Sofia landed with a thud on the forest floor. Rubbing her backside, she slowly got up to gather her bearings. The colors were duller here, so it was obvious that she had crossed over to Talamh, but the trees around her looked different than those through the first gate. 

It must be a different kind of forest, she thought to herself. The majority of the trees were naked, their leaves having fallen to cover the ground around her. The ground was at an incline, informing Sofia think was on some sort of hill. The air was crisp and cool, but everything was strangely silent and a funny smell wafted among the trees. 

Still isn’t London. I should probably go back to the guys…

Looking intently where she had come from, Sofia could just see the quivering air of the gate. But before she could move through it, an enormous explosion shook the ground beneath her.  

The trees swayed violently around her, rocks fell from the sky, and a cloud of dust and smoke bulldozed its way through the forest. Sofia hid behind a nearby boulder, crouching low to the ground and covering her face with her hat. 

“Sofia!” 

“I’m over here!” she called back, coughing from the dust.

Harton was the first to find her, soon followed by the two elves. All were concerned and anxious. The men covered their noses and mouths with their sleeves, and Erae encouraged Sofia to do the same. She used her other sleeve to cover Harton’s face.

“What happened?” Erae asked through his makeshift mask.

“I don’t know…” replied Sofia, still coughing.

Roquewei stood up as the dust settled and gingerly walked around the boulder, still covering his face. His eyes widened suddenly as he looked out on the damage of the explosion.

“I-I can’t believe it…” his tone displayed his shock.

“What is it?” asked Erae as he and Sofia stood up from behind the boulder, with Harton at their heels. Roquewei looked back towards them.

“This… was a mountain.”

“Was?” Sofia, Erae, and Harton asked in unison. 

Turning to face where the explosion had come from, Roquewei pointed ahead. “Was.”

The rest of the group carefully joined Roquewei where he stood: a newly formed cliff face with a steep drop into rubble and debris of what had just moments before been the side of a mountain. In the distance could be seen other mountains that had met the same fate. What should have been an expanse of majestic peaks was now a display of naked and flattened land. 

From where they stood, the group could see how the stern rock that had made the mountain’s height was now fragmented, broken, and unstable. Among the debris, the trees lay twisted and splintered like gnarled bodies.

What is all this? Sofia’s eyes burned as she looked over the devastation. W-why?

A screech overhead brought their attention to the sky.

“Watch out!” Porgi called from above.

Sofia felt the earth beneath her give way. She and the others quickly stepped back as another bit of the newly formed cliff face crumbled away into the trench below.

Catching their breath, the group assessed the situation.

“We can’t stay here,” said Harton. “We need to get off this cliff.”

“Can’t we just go back to Lyfay?” asked Sofia, wrapped in Erae’s protective embrace. 

“Unfortunately, no,” replied Roquewei, holding up his pendant. It had stopped glowing. “It seems the gate shut soon after the explosion.”

Sofia turned and sure enough, the quivering was gone. “S-so what now?”

Porgi swooped down to join the group, landing on Roquewei’s pauldron. “There are people down below. And some large yellow creatures that are starting to move the rubble.”

“Yellow creatures?” repeated Sofia. Keeping a grip of Erae’s hand, she looked briefly again over the cliff. Below were bulldozers and other construction equipment sifting through the debris and hauling things away. 

“We’re in a quarry!” Sofia exclaimed. 

“A what?” asked Erae.

Letting go of Erae’s hand, Sofia began quickly marching down the mountain. “If we can’t go back to Lyfay, we should go talk to the miners,” replied Sofia. “They could at least tell us where we are. Besides, we really need to get off this cliff in case there is another blast.”

The others followed suit, anxious to get somewhere safe. 

As they came down the mountain, the noises of heavy machinery grew louder. The murmurs of workers shouting to each other over the din also became more noticeable. 

Suddenly, Erae reached out and grabbed Sofia’s arm. He looked at her pleadingly, and then turned to the Dlam. “Harton, could you scout things out ahead?”

“What, are you crazy?” Sofia exclaimed before Harton could move. “Do you know how people will react when they see him?”

Surprised, Erae released her arm and took a step back. Sofia knelt down to hold Harton’s face with both hands.

“Please don’t let anyone see you,” she begged. “I can’t imagine how these people might react seeing a creature like you. Please. The same goes for you, Porgi.”

The elves looked at her confused, but the Dlam and the Aslavu nodded in agreement. Satisfied, Sofia stood and looked at the men. 

“Before we go further we should try a couple of things…” She stepped towards Erae. He blushed, thinking Sofia was going to hold his face. Instead she quickly swept his hair over his ears.

“Ok,” she said, “that should work. You look like a normal human otherwise. You, on the other hand,” Sofia said as she turned towards Roquewei, “are a different story…”

“Thanks?” the elf replied, annoyed. 

After thinking for a moment, Sofia snapped her fingers and placed her hat on Roquewei’s head. 

“Wear this,” she said, smoothing out her own hair. “And maybe tuck your braids up under it or something.”

“Why would I tuck my braids…?” Roquewei began. 

“Blue hair is definitely not common, especially not in a place like this,” said Sofia. “If people find out you two are elves, who knows what could happen! Just… do it, ok?”

Roquewei gave Erae a look, who simply nodded, and with a sigh obediently pulled up his hair under the fedora. Sofia noticed the hilt of Roquewei’s sword gleaming behind his head. 

“Wait, where are our weapons?” Sofia spun back around to Erae. 

“With Kalokim in Lyfay…” he replied. “I didn’t get the chance to grab them when we heard the explosion…”

The sound of crunching leaves cut him off. Erae placed himself in front of Sofia and Roquewei quickly drew his sword. 

“Hello? Who’s over there?” a man’s voice called from a little ways into the forest. 

“Hide!” Sofia commanded the animals. Harton and Porgi disappeared into the forest. 

Soon a large, rough-looking man appeared from among the trees with a rifle poised to shoot. 

He was startled and bewildered at first by the motley crew, but quickly cocked the gun again. 

“Ya’ll a bit lost for a comic-con, ain’t yah?”