Counterpoint to Chaos

By Robert Courtland

Nazia Jahangir and Anton Laufer find themselves in a world of magic. The first people they meet label Nazia as the Chanai, prophesied to save the nations and Anton as her champion. It is only when they are faced with a race of evil, soul sucking wraiths that Nazia’s growing power is revealed. The power brings visions of the future and Nazia must buck what everyone thinks the prophecies mean to do what she knows must be done. They start out seeing their mission as a way home, but saving the people around them from the looming chaos soon becomes personal. Fighting evil is something they are willing to risk their lives for.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robert Courtland
• Release date: Dec 2, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301977543

Robert Courtland

Robert Courtland grew up on the great plains and migrated to the foot of the Rocky Mountains for collage. He took his time getting around to writing seriously. He started out in his teens devouring the novels of Terry Brooks, Stephen R. Donaldson, and J.R.R. Tolkien then naturally put pen to paper to try his own hand at it. Those early attemps faltered and college and career moved writing to the background. While life took him away from writing for a while, his interests continued to expand. He learned several languages and studied about other cultures around the world and through time. He took up calligraphy, map making, and archery. These ecclectic areas of study were useless at work, but when he finally returned to writing, it provided a unique perspective. He returned to his first love, epic fantasy, and set about creating worlds and stories colored by the broad scope of his studies. Robert lives in Colorado with his wife and son. He holds a Bachelors degree in Liberal Arts, but believes you should never stop learning. He continually strives to expand his horizons and is always looking for ways to make his stories unique and different. When not immersed in writing, he likes to read the works of Carol Berg and Carrie Vaughn or watch classic movies.

Book preview

Chapter One

Tony arrived on time for his interview, but as he opened the glass door, he silently berated himself for having gotten lost on his way to the company offices. He was nervous enough anyway without having to rush at the last moment. The blast of chill air conditioning after the warm spring weather outside didn’t make things any better.

He knew that getting an interview with a good company was a rare thing for someone with a short resume like his, but he had managed it and was determined to do his best. All he wanted was to get away from the family farm and find a niche for himself in the city. Living in Saskatchewan and not considering himself very adventurous he hadn’t looked beyond the province capital of Regina.

The receptionist politely took his information and had him sit in the lobby. He took a seat and waited. Before five minutes had passed he was fidgeting. He had every right to be nervous since most employers were looking for experience or schooling. This job was supposed to be an entry level job that required neither, but he’d been told that before.

There wasn’t much of a wait before the receptionist showed him back to the office of the interviewer, but it was certainly long enough for him to get nervous.

Anton Laufer, the professionally dressed woman on the other side of the desk said.

He nodded and said, I go by Tony.

She smiled. Shall we get started, Tony?

I’m ready when you are.

I see that you graduated three years ago and are currently working on your father’s farm?

Yes.

What sort of things do you do there?

Farm work had given him a very good background in machines. He tried to relate fixing the tractor to working on production machines and that he only had to be shown once. He did everything he could to angle it to be favorable to this job, but it was pointless. It was plain from the look on her face that his case was floundering. He continued to put the effort into it, answering every question she had, but in the end she said she’d be in touch, the code for better luck next time.

Tony concealed his disappointment and left with a smile on his face like he actually had a chance, but that faded to a sullen expression as soon as he got outside. After the stress of the interview what he needed was a relaxing natural area. He thought he’d seen a park a few streets over when he’d been trying to find his way here.

* * *

Nazia’s day started with a gut feeling that it wouldn’t go the way she expected it to. She knew from past experience that she should pay attention to the feeling, but she put it behind her. She was having too much fun helping her cousin Amina with her wedding preparations.

There was a lot to do, but there were also a lot of people to help. It seemed that every girl in the Pakistani community in Regina was involved. Nazia didn’t really know how big the community was since she was just visiting from Peshawar for the occasion. Her parents had sent her to represent the family because another cousin on her father’s side was also getting married at practically the same time, too close for them to be at both. She was somewhat embarrassed that her mother had put her sister-in-law over her sister by blood, but she kept that to herself. She knew in these precarious times that her father’s business depended on his brother a lot more than it should.

The morning started with a bunch of Amina’s friend coming over to help her mother get all the wedding suits ready. After lunch Amina suggested they all go over to her fiance’s house to help her work on the decorating and some of the other wedding preparations that they were doing over there.

Nazia hadn’t gotten to spend much time with Bilal, Amina’s fiancé. He seemed to be at work most of the time they were in his house, but from the little she’d seen, she thought Amina was very lucky.

It was a beautiful spring day as they walked across the park to Bilal’s house. She chatted with one of Amina’s other friends along the way.

When they got to the house, Amina cornered Nazia to pick her brain about the weddings she’d been to in Pakistan in the last couple of years. Amina really wanted her wedding to be authentic, but she had been a baby when they’d moved to Canada and hadn’t ever gone back. As the resident visitor directly from Pakistan, it fell to Nazia to help her plan an authentic Pakistani wedding in central Canada, and that had proven to be a challenge.

I wish Auntie and Uncle could have come with you, Amina said to her after Nazia’s again told her about the most recent wedding she’d attended in Peshawar.

I know, Ami would have been a big help. She’s the real wedding expert. She felt so bad when she found our your wedding and Zishan’s fell on top of each other. She’d already committed to helping his mother.

I don’t know what I would have done without you.

You could have had a cowboy wedding, Nazia said with a smile and several of the other girls giggled at the idea.

You saved me from that, thankfully.

I think you are going to have the most authentic Pakistani wedding ever held here.

They were interrupted by Amina’s cell phone. As soon as Nazia heard the distinctive ring tone Amina had for Bilal, she was reminded of her early morning feeling about the day, but she was enjoying herself so much she pushed it from her mind.

* * *

Tony’s instincts led him back to the same park he’d noticed and it was the perfect place to relax away the stress of the interview. There was a stream along the south side of the park with a walkway lined with trees. The park was situated between two residential neighborhoods and there were few sounds of city life to distract him. He found a spot where he could see the running water and leaned back heavily against the nearest tree and let the sounds of the wind in the trees and of the rushing water just feet away have the calming effect he needed to recover from his disastrous interview.

He needed to figure out what he was going to do with his life. His brothers were much more suited to farming and there really wasn’t room enough for all three of them to stay on there. At the same time, he really didn’t want to leave the area. That job had been perfect, it hadn’t required a degree and the pay would have let him move into Regina. It could have led to an industrial maintenance career that eventually might have let him move up or to a different company. He didn’t have high expectations for what he could do, but he didn’t want to get stuck with taking any job just to move into the city. It had to be something with some potential, even it if wasn’t much. But it seemed that every time he interviewed, something went wrong. Either they had someone in mind or he blew it, or they were looking for something they hadn’t included in their job posting.

His ability to do just about anything he set his mind to didn’t seem to matter to most of these people. His father and brothers weren’t exactly the best references to rely on, or at least that was the impression he got, especially this time. He’d gone out for most sports, he was almost as good at repairing the farm machinery as his brothers, and he’d excelled in school. But when it came to job interviews, they wanted to ask questions and listen to his answers and never consider what he could actually do. It would be nice if just once they would have some sort of skill test. He’d heard they had interviews like that, but in the last eight months he’d been seriously searching, not one company had done it.

The distant sound of a jet taking off from the nearby airport pulled him away from his spiraling thoughts. It took a moment for him to locate it in the clear blue sky. He was still fidgeting and tried to relax. His regular spot just north of Grenfell would have been quieter and more calming, but it was an hour away. He took a deep breath and shut out everything but the sounds around him.

He let his mind drift until he detected the sound of girls laughing and talking. He looked, but with trees in the way all he could see were bright flashes of color crossing the pedestrian bridge just down river. Moments later the girls came into view along the river walk, the jumble of colors resolved into the rich hues of their exotic clothing, probably from India or Pakistan.

His rough day didn’t prevent him from taking note that a couple of them were quite stunning but he was tired enough that it soon counted as staring. His lapse in manners drew the attention of two of the girls who looked his way and said something to each other. They burst out laughing but their pace remained unchanged. They didn’t look his way again as the group passed behind the curving line of trees along the river.

Tony smiled to himself, the earlier events of the day pushed out of his mind. He revised his opinion of the park; it was much better than his usual spot outside Grenfell. He again relaxed against the tree, his day brightened. He thought about leaving, but decided that the approaching clouds would make for a sunset worth watching. He could always find something to eat later.

Gradually the setting sun colored the distant clouds pink, orange, and purple. It was such a magnificent view that he ignored the isolated dark clouds quickly moving in from the north. A spring rain might be the perfect way to end his day. But there was something not quite right about those storm clouds. He took cover under a tree when the rain started and hoped it would pass quickly.

* * *

Amina kept insisting until the last minute that they were still going shopping and Nazia kept believing her. Bilal called a couple of times suggesting different things for later in the evening and it really didn’t look like it would impact their shopping trip so when it was time for the other girls to leave, Nazia stayed like she had planned.

Then Bilal called again to tell Amina he would be there in five minutes instead of a couple hours. Nazia was instantly reminded of the feeling she’d had that morning and regretted that she hadn’t walked back to her uncle’s house with the rest of the girls. Now she had to walk back alone. It wasn’t something she would dare do back home in Peshawar, but here she really didn’t give it much thought other than it was annoying. She knew the route well enough; they had walked across the park several times each day since she’d arrived.

Her annoyance slowly dissipated as she saw the colors in the sky. She paused as she walked across the pedestrian bridge to look at the glowing clouds. It was a beautiful sunset. She loved the colors, but back home she never seemed to have time to stop and look.

Some of the clouds moving in over the park looked dark and ominous so she tore herself away from the view and moved on at a faster pace toward her uncle’s house. Before she gotten very far down the river walk, it started to rain. She ducked under a tree and put her dupatta over her head, not that the translucent fabric would do much good.

Although the sunset still filled the sky to the southwest, above and to the north the sky was dark and getting worse. I guess I get wet, she said out loud then darted from her cover, moving quickly down the walk.

Suddenly the rain turned into a downpour that made it hard to see the path so she took shelter under the closest tree. She caught sight of a dim figure on the other side of the tree and realized she wasn’t alone. Her mind raced, wondering if she should say something, but she remained silent and hopefully unnoticed.

A blinding flash of lighting accompanied by the crack of thunder and the smell of ozone made her duck behind the tree. She looked around for where it might have hit and saw nothing. A second flash and crack of thunder felt like it was on top of her, knocking her to the ground and into unconsciousness.

* * *

Tony woke up looking at a green canopy of trees over his head. It took him a moment to realize that there was far too much light. The lightning had knocked him out and he must have ended up sleeping through the rest of the night.

He sat up and looked around. Something else seemed out of place. Something he couldn’t put his finger on. The girl who had taken shelter on the other side of the tree was lying on the ground just a few feet away. He was about to check on her when she stirred.

The lightning knocked us out, he said. Looks like it’s morning already.

She didn’t speak for a minute as she looked around. That doesn’t explain where we are. This is not any part of the Park I’ve been in before.

He wasn’t familiar with the park, but that didn’t make any sense. It’s probably just some disorientation from the lightning, he said

Then where’s the paved path? It should be just there. I don’t see any path.

Her accented words struck home as he looked around and noticed that not only were they not near a path, but there was no river on the other side, only a gentle slope.

Tony unsteadily got to his feet using the tree as support. He walked a few steps in either direction. There was no sign of any path or river. He started to notice other things. The grass was sparse and uncut, and green. Everything was very green and the air was far more humid than it should be. Everything was wild and unkempt and there was no sign of a lightning strike. As he looked around more, he started noticing all the other odd signs. These trees were all wild and natural and not of any species he’d ever seen in Saskatchewan. Wherever they were, it was nowhere near the park.

He went over to the girl and offered her a hand up. She gave him a brief glare and instead used the tree to help herself up. He pulled his hand back and said, My name is Tony.

Nazia looked around. She didn’t know every corner of the park. She must have gotten lost and taken a wrong turn in the rain when it started to downpour. She remembered noticing someone else under the tree. Her head was still foggy, but she was sure they were still in some part of the park.

Which way is the path, she demanded, suddenly becoming suspicious. We must still be near the park.

I don’t know. I don’t think we are in the park.

Where else would we be unless you moved me while I was out.

Except that I woke up just seconds before you did. Whatever happened, it happened to both of us.

I bet you would like me to believe that. She glared up at him. What do you want? What are you up to?

Tony started to profess his innocence when a sound triggered his hunter’s instincts. They were not alone. He grabbed her and pulled her behind the tree and covered her mouth when she started to complain. Quiet, someone is coming, he whispered to her. He assumed he’d gotten the potential danger across to her when she stopped struggling.

The sound grew louder until a cloaked figure appeared in the trees. As the person came into view, Tony saw that it was an old man in strange clothes with a walking staff.

The old man paused and looked around. He touched his staff to a puddle at his feet. He mumbled something then smiled. He walked straight to the tree Tony and Nazia were hiding behind.

You two can come out now, the man said. I won’t hurt you, he added as he uncovered his head. As you can see, I’m just an old man with a walking staff.

That doesn’t mean you aren’t dangerous, Tony said.

Quite right. The man tossed his staff to a grassy patch and proceeded to take off his cloak and threw it with his staff. Does that suffice?

Tony released Nazia and stepped out from behind the tree. What do you want? he asked the old man.

That’s a loaded question, but I will answer as best I can. The two of you have been summoned here to fulfill a prophecy.

Two? Tony questioned feigning ignorance.

Oh, don’t play games with me. You can come out now, young lady. You need to hear this more than he does.

Nazia stepped out and glared at both men. I just want to know what happened and where we are.

You are in the Miryage Islands in the heart of Hwento province. The Baimyan is the one who summoned you here. You aren’t safe. I need to send both of you home. But right now we need to move, we are too close to the city. Baimyan Chiigare’s summoning was strong and I was only able to deflect it so far.

I’ve never heard of these places. Where in the world are we? Tony demanded.

That is what I’m trying to tell you, you are not in your world. This ball of rock spinning around its star is not your world. Even the languages you hear and speak are not your own. The magic the Baimyan used to bring you here has made it so you could communicate with us.

But you are speaking English, Nazia pointed out.

No, I am speaking Miryaggis. Now can we get going. I do not want to get caught here.

I’m not going anywhere, Nazia stated. We were in a park and a storm came up. We were almost struck by lightning and woke up here. Everything you’ve said so far is just nonsense. Where have you brought us?

Yeah, what she said, Tony added.

We don’t have time for this, the old man pleaded. If they catch me here, they will kill me.

What about us? Tony asked.

They will make you fulfill the prophecy and then probably kill you.

Fulfilling a prophecy doesn’t sound so hard. Tony said.

Maybe not now, but when you figure out that the prophecy isn’t real and that you are just helping Baimyan Chiigare gain power, you will have great difficulty sacrificing your lives for a pointless cause.

Tony started to ask another question, but the old man cut him off and all kindness drained from his face. I told you I do not have time for this now. Come with me and I will answer all your questions while I try to get you home. I assure you that the Baimyan’s men will not be so nice and he won’t be trying to get you home. He will be able to find where the magic deposited you in no time. Now follow me.

As the old man turned to the path he wanted them to follow, his cloak and staff flew to him. The old man mumbled something and suddenly Tony and Nazia were compelled to follow him. As they left the clearing, he turned and mumbled something before continuing on his way. Behind them, as the foliage closed in, they could hear the sound of hoof beats milling around in the clearing then continuing on.

It was not a long or difficult trek. They ended up at a small thatched cottage secluded in a grove of large trees. Nothing they saw on the journey gave Tony or Nazia any clue where they might be. Tony didn’t recognize any of the lush green foliage and was inclined to believe what the old man had told them.

As soon as they were in the cottage, a fire spontaneously started in the fireplace and an oil lamp in the corner flickered to life.

This is where I’ve been staying this time around. Please have a seat, the old man said as he gestured to a bench.

I have quite a few questions for you, Tony said.

Before any questions, why don’t we introduce ourselves. I am Jyouzan. I was in the court of His Majesty until Chiigare gained power. Not that I minded for myself so much as the direction the kingdom has been going. Now what about you two?

I don’t think we really should be doing this, Tony commented.

Smart boy, but any danger you two may be in is from outside this cottage, not inside. You may tell me as much or little as you like. I’d just like to have something to call you.

Good point. I’m Anton Laufer from Grenfell, Saskatchewan. My friends call me Tony.

That’s quite a name, Jyouzan said. Until I have the honor of your friendship, I’ll just call you Anton of Grenfell. And you, Miss?

Nazia glared at both men before she spoke. I’d rather not.

Anton, since you have given your name, would you mind sharing hers?

I would, but we’d never met before.

That statement visibly shocked Jyouzan. It went against everything he’d expected from the pair in front of him. What was Chiigare up to, or did he even know who he’d pulled through? Maybe the magic had a will of its own.

My dear girl, please share your name. There is nothing to be gained by holding it and friends to gain by sharing it.

Nazia.

Jyouzan stood silent waiting for more. When Nazia didn’t say anything more, he simply smiled. Your name is a start, Nazia.

Now, how long before we can go home? Nazia demanded.

A few moments. There are some things I need to gather. Please wait here. He went into the next room and closed the door.

Tony sat down and looked up at Nazia. You don’t have to be so hard on the guy, Nazia.

We don’t know him. We don’t know what he really wants. I don’t trust him.

We really don’t have to trust him. But if we want to go home we have to do something.

Don’t tell me you believe his story about a different bloody world?

We aren’t anywhere around Regina. I grew up around there and this isn’t like any place I’ve ever seen in this part of Canada.

How can you be so sure?

One benefit of growing up on a farm is knowing plants and these aren’t local to Regina. I can’t be certain what he’s saying is the truth, but I don’t see any other options. In order for us to now be in a place like this on Earth, we would have to be hundreds of kilometers from Regina. Either that or one or both of us are dreaming all this.

This doesn’t feel like a dream. Nazia sat down next to him on the bench. This just goes against reason. How can be we in some other world? What does that mean anyway?

Probably some sort of parallel dimension or something. We aren’t dealing with something normal here. That storm definitely wasn’t normal.

They sat in silence and waited for Jyouzan’s return. He came back with a heavy satchel.

Please follow me outside. This will take just a few minutes to prepare.

Jyouzan led them to a small clearing and directed them to stand in the middle. He pulled some items from the satchel and spread the contents of a couple of jars in a circle around them.

This should be it, he said as he touched his staff to the circle and mumbled something.

The circle began to glow yellow. Wisps of light floated up from the circle and swirled around Tony and Nazia. The light seemed to hit a peak and become very clumpy as it started to fade. At almost the same time the noise of distant hooves echoed through the clearing.

Jyouzan doubled his efforts, but the light from the circle faded to nothing.

Just our luck, Nazia said, we get stuck in some strange magic place with an incompetent magician.

It’s not incompetence, my dear. I was afraid that this wouldn’t be strong enough. We must go back to where I found you and try it there. The link to your world is stronger there and should be easier to overcome. This was the strongest place I could find nearby.

Then why did you bring us here? Nazia demanded.

Because we weren’t safe there. We had to move somewhere and this was the best alternative. They’ve searched there already and it should be safe now. As safe as anywhere.

The sound of hoofbeats was getting louder.

C’mon, Nazia, Tony said as he grabbed her arm. We don’t have time. I don’t know who is on those horses, but I’d rather go home without finding out.

If he can get us home, she replied as she followed Jyouzan down a path and out the opposite side of the clearing from where they’d entered. Wait, she whispered after they were under cover. I want to see who is following us.

If you must, Jyouzan replied.

They heard the voices before anyone appeared in the clearing. At first Nazia couldn’t make out what they were saying. She could tell there were several men. One was yelling orders.

Search the clearing, was the first thing she could distinctly make out from the one giving orders.

Five men wearing heavy leather padding and carrying drawn long swords burst into the clearing.

Captain, one of them called, look at this.

The man who’d been giving the orders joined them in the clearing. What is it? he demanded.

Look, the man repeated.

Nazia couldn’t see everything that was going on, but knew they had to have found the circle. She could see the Captain kneel down to examine it closer.

It seems this is our lucky day. This circle was a failure. Spread out, they can’t be far from here.

I don’t recommend that we stay here any longer, Jyouzan whispered in her ear startling her. When she turned, he was several feet away looking at her. She nodded agreement to him. He motioned for her not to move and pulled something from a pouch. He blew the substance into the air and mumbled. Now let’s get going, he said in a normal voice.

Won’t they hear us? Tony asked.

Not for a few minutes. We should hurry.

* * *

Captain Farai cocked his head. He thought he’d heard something. There was nothing there now. He closed his eyes and concentrated. The trace was as clear as the circle on the ground in front of him. Baimyan Chiigare had warned him that only a strong wizard could have caused the summoning to be misdirected.

He opened his eyes and motioned for his men to be silent. He waited for a few minutes to be sure that his prey were out of hearing range.

Tengai, he said softly, take the horses back to the fork to Makombe and wait for us there. Tengai nodded and left the clearing. We are going to follow that wizard.

The way they’d gone was not hard to find. The wizard’s magic was mostly misdirection and it couldn’t stand up to the protection of the Baimyan for more than a couple of minutes. This wizard rarely tried to conceal his trail at all.

Before he’d followed the trail very far, he’d identified the wizard and his two companions. One was a fairly tall man; the other was a shorter woman. They were following the wizard with the man in the rear. It wasn’t long before he had an idea where they were going.

* * *

Jyouzan led Tony and Nazia back to the clearing where they’d first appeared with little effort. He looked around and found where they had woken up and had them stand there. He drew a circle on the ground and added his mysterious herbs to it.

This should work. He touched his staff to the circle and mumbled. The circle glowed much brighter than the previous one had. The wisps of light became thicker and stronger until they couldn’t see Jyouzan anymore.

Suddenly the light was gone. They had to blink to readjust after the brightness of the circle. Jyouzan had been wrong. It hadn’t worked; the Captain had his sword at Jyouzan’s throat.

Bind and gag him, the captain ordered.

Tony moved to stop them, but soldiers seized him from behind at the same time they got Nazia.

After he’d seen that Jyouzan was firmly secured, Captain Farai turned to the two special visitors.

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lord Farai, Captain of the Baimyan’s personal guard. Please do not consider yourselves captives, you are the Baimyan’s honored guests.

We just want to go home, Tony told him.

You cannot refuse the Baimyan’s hospitality. It would not be polite. It is not every day that visitors from another world arrive at our doorstep.

Can he send us home? Nazia asked.

All in good time. He may want to enjoy your company and learn some of your secrets before he returns you home

Nazia didn’t like what she was sensing from this man. Her instincts about people were usually dead on and they were telling her not to trust this man. She hadn’t sensed anything bad about Jyouzan, but now that she’d gotten a look at the other side, she found her instincts were leaning toward trusting the trussed up old man. She clumsily reached out and grasped Tony’s hand.

That sounds wonderful. My name is Ashwariya and this is my boyfriend, Paul. She squeezed Tony’s hand and did her best to look up at him lovingly to get him to play along.

Yes, Tony said. We just want to get home. This old man said he could and failed twice. Do you think..., Tony searched for the word the man had used and gave up, ...your boss can help us get home?

I’m sure he can. The Captain turned to one of his men. Puren, go to the fork and get Tengai and the horses.

Yes, Sir, Puren said, then turned and jogged down the trail.

Captain Farai stepped closer to the two strangers and looked them over. The young man was nothing special. Exactly what he was supposed to be. He looked like a typical Miryage peasant, except for how he was dressed. The girl was quite unusual. She had the look of the people of Ganzera, but with stunningly light gray eyes. She was dressed in colorful clothes with a scarf around her neck. Quite exotic. He’d felt the power of her presence and was sure she was indeed the girl of prophecy. A dark girl with silver eyes would come and lead the people and unite the land. These islands that had always been divided into separate kingdoms would be united at last.

Well, do you two have any questions?

Who is this crazy old man? Nazia asked.

Jyouzan is an itinerant wizard. He has no home, no position. He’s traveled a lot and gotten rather eccentric over the years. We thought he was harmless or we would have locked him up. I guess the meaning of your arrival got the better of him and he was after the favors that being in your service would provide.

How about yourself? Nazia added.

I serve Baimyan Chiigare. That carries sufficient honors for several lifetimes. My children and grandchildren will have position because of me. I need nothing else.

How far is your boss? Tony asked.

Not too far, but far enough that I’d rather wait for the horses. His palace is in the capital. It’s quite a beautiful city.

Nazia was trying to think of a way to get away from these awful people and getting nowhere.

Tony was also trying to think of a way out of this situation. He knew the key would be the old man. After the Captain’s speech, Tony had an idea that they were pretty important to his boss and that they weren’t likely to be harmed. He pulled his hand from Nazia’s and put his arm around her. She continued playing her part and looked up at him and smiled and leaned into him. He bent over and kissed her head and whispered, Untie Jyouzan.

To the Captain he said, I think we can trust you. That old man is pretty crazy. If we are here to fulfill a prophecy, I don’t see how he could succeed in sending us home.

Tony continued to chat with the Captain. He was waiting for an opening. The two soldiers came back with the horses before anything materialized.

Tony had a feeling that the captain would probably have each of them ride with on of his men. To forestall that, he briefly examined the strange tack and found it would function as he expected. There wasn’t much you could do to a bridle, saddle, and stirrups. He mounted and tested the horse’s training and found him easy to direct.

He moved the horse next to Nazia and offered her and arm up. She was obviously nervous, but accepted his arm as he expertly lifted her up behind him. She managed to not look too clumsy and quickly grabbed him around the waist.

Are we going? Tony asked.

The captain did not look pleased. Mount up, he called to his men.

Two of the guards threw Jyouzan over the back of another guard’s horse then double mounted the last one.

We have to get away, Nazia whispered to Tony.

I know. We need Jyouzan, too.

They rode along in silence for quite a distance. The Captain was in the lead with the double mounted soldiers behind him then the soldier with Jyouzan, then Tony and Nazia with the other two in the rear. Tony was beginning to despair that they would ever find an opportunity when a messenger came riding up. He couldn’t hear what the messenger said, but heard the Captain exclaim, Those idiots. He used some hand signals and his men responded. Soon three of his men were on their way with the messenger.

Three to one odds, I like that. Remember to untie Jyouzan, Tony whispered to Nazia. He rode forward on the pretext of asking him what was going on. As he passed the guard carrying Jyouzan, he deliberately got too close, pretending the path was too narrow, and back kicked the guard in the shin. He felt his heel hit bone and heard the guard scream. When the guard reached for his leg, Tony yanked him toward him, grabbed his sword, then pushed the guard away causing him to fall off the horse the other way. He lowered Nazia to the ground as the Captain and the other turned to see what was going on.

The guard on foot started to approach so Tony kicked his horse into a charge. The man didn’t move fast enough and the horse knocked him aside and he landed in the thick undergrowth.

Tony kicked the horse to keep the momentum and close the distance to the Captain before he could draw his sword or turn his horse. He used the flat of the sword like a baseball bat and bashed it into the Captain’s helmet as he passed him. To keep his advantage he quickly turned the horse to make a second pass and found the Captain falling to the ground. When he saw his sword was bent, he threw it into the bushes. He dismounted and disarmed the Captain. The guard was also out.

That was pretty good, Nazia complimented him.

It comes from living on a farm with older brothers.

Thank you.

Nazia couldn’t get Jyouzan’s gag undone so Tony cut it off.

Thank you my boy, Jyouzan said when he was free. That was a most uncomfortable way to ride.

Can you ride? Tony asked him.

Of course.

They drug the three unconscious men into the bushes but didn’t bother to tie them up. They mounted on two horses with Jyouzan leading the third and hurried back to the place where they’d arrived.

Tony stayed mounted while Jyouzan prepared the circle. He then dismounted and tied the three horses to a tree. Jyouzan, when we leave, send two horses away and then ride the third in a different direction until you are safe. They’ll probably follow the two.

Just get in the circle and let me worry about my own hide.

Again Jyouzan touched his staff to the circle and it lit up. The blinding yellow light made wisps and tendrils forming a cage then a shell. Gradually the brightness decreased to a soft glow and dimmed to darkness.

* * *

Tony woke up with a start and looked around. He could see the glow of the city lights on the clouds and the lights along the path. They were back in the park. He saw Nazia lying next to him under the tree, breathing softly in sleep.

Nazia, he said, shaking her gently. Nazia.

She slowly opened her eyes. Did it work? she asked.

I think so. I see lights and clouds just like there should be.

She sat up and yawned. Was that all a dream?

I don’t think so. Since we’ve never met in this world, there’s no other way I could know your name.

True. Just like I wouldn’t know your name is Tony and you grew up on a farm with two older brothers.

Tony was just helping her up when they heard someone say, Hold it right there, mister.

Tony froze as soon as Nazia was on her feet. He smiled at her.

Who’s there? Nazia asked.

Regina Police. Are you okay, Miss?

I’m fine.

Are you Nazia Jahangir? the officer asked.

Nazia smiled at how he butchered the pronunciation and said, Yes. And this is my friend Tony. Can he unfreeze now?

Okay. Your family has been very worried.

What time is it?

It’s after one.

Oh dear. We were looking at the sunset and then it started raining. We’ve been talking for quite a while it seems.

I promised your uncle that I’d escort you home if I found you.

Hey, I’d better get home myself, Tony said. See you later.

Bye, Tony, Nazia replied.

The officer waited until Tony was gone then asked, Is he really a friend?

Of course. He’s very nice. The timing was just bad this evening. If you are going to escort me to my uncle’s house, we’d better get going.

Chapter Two

Tony made the long drive back to the farm. It was after three when he finally climbed into bed. He knew he needed to get what sleep he could.

Alright, Lazybones, his brother Philip called the next morning at seven. I let you sleep in this long ‘cause I know you were out past two, but we’ve got stuff to do this morning and we need you.

I’m up. Stop it already, Tony complained.

Meet us in the barn in half an hour.

Tony groggily got dressed and went to the kitchen to get some breakfast. He wasn’t in the mood to put any effort into breakfast so he had a bowl of cereal. He just knew that whatever his brothers had decided to do today was going to be hard work and was going to last all day.

* * *

Nazia was confronted by her sleepless family as the police officer showed her to the door. They grilled her and she kept to the story she first told to the officer. Her uncle was furious with her, but let her go to bed when his yawn made it clear that everyone was tired. Nazia barely had the energy to get ready for bed before she collapsed. She was asleep as soon as she stopped moving.

From the moment she woke up in the morning, Nazia couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened. She hadn’t said anything to anyone about what really happened because she didn’t think anyone would believe her. She couldn’t really believe it herself. It was so far outside anything she had ever thought of.

The thing that bothered her most was how this all related to her religious beliefs. She considered herself to be a typical Pakistani Muslim girl. She listened to her parents, prayed, gave money to the poor, believed what she had been taught, and planned on making the pilgrimage to Mecca one day. She wasn’t a stranger to the idea of magic, but it was all illusion or superstition, not the flashy, transporting, in your face magic she had just experienced. She was finding it hard to reconcile that strange world full of magic with what she believed. If she’d been alone, she just would have assumed it was a dream of some sort.

But Tony had been there so it couldn’t be a dream unless he was a dream, too. With the policeman arriving like he did, there hadn’t been a chance to get his phone number so there wasn’t a way she could contact him to talk about what had happened.

She didn’t have too much time to spend thinking. Her uncle gave her a second scolding about staying out and threatened to send her home. Her cousins rescued her by dragging her out to help with more wedding preparations.

It was a couple of days before she noticed that she was never alone except in her room. No one had been happy to hear that she’d been with a Canadian boy when she’d been found. She laughed to herself. If they only knew everything that had happened they wouldn’t be concerned about a little thing like that.

* * *

Tony was in Regina again three days after that eventful evening. He didn’t have any interviews, but was picking up several job applications to fill out over the weekend. They weren’t hiring right now, but probably would be in the near future.

When he was done with his errand, he couldn’t help going to that same park again. He couldn’t help thinking about Nazia and how different she was than anyone he’d ever met. He’d heard how strict some families could be and didn’t dream that anything could develop, but she would be an interesting friend.

He found the tree that they had been standing at. In the light, he could see that it had been struck by lightning. It had a black scar down the side. It seemed impossible that the two of them had been standing next to it and not been injured or killed.

He loitered around the park near the tree for twenty minutes before he headed home.

He was home in time for dinner with his family. Both his parents teased him about staying out late the night before, and his brothers were giving him a hard time for trying to get out of farming. Tony retorted back to their good natured ribbing about how Henry was chicken to get engaged to his girlfriend of four years and how Philip wasted all his money going out with his friends instead of getting that new car he was always talking about.

He’s got you there, Philip, their father said. I’ve never seen someone go through money like you. I’d be bankrupt if I spent money like that. It’s a good thing you don’t have a lot.

Hey, I don’t do so bad. I spend the winter working in town and take all year to spend it.

Tony’s right, son, their mother added. A new car means you have to save money.

Phil, Henry said, You should know better than to bring up anything about money with our little brother. He gets you every time.

Philip laughed weakly. I’ll learn one of these days, Tony. But I still think you’re crazy to leave the farm. We’ve got plenty of work for you.

Tony grinned and said, That’s what worries me.

It was a good dinner and they relaxed that evening and spent time together because none of the brothers had made any plans.

* * *

Nazia was having trouble dealing with her adventure. Her cousin Amina could tell something was bothering her and cornered her when everyone else in the house had gone out. She didn’t want anything ruining her wedding.

Amina forced her to sit down on her bed and talk.

I’m not sure I should tell you about it. It’s really strange, Nazia told her.

We’re almost like sisters. You can tell me anything.

Nazia hesitated before she started. Even as close as they were, she wasn’t sure Amina would understand. Remember I had to walk home alone, right. Well it was at sunset and it was really pretty. Not like the kind we get in Peshawar, but with clouds glowing.

Yes, that’s pretty common here.

Well, I noticed the clouds were really dark as the sunset faded and then it stated to rain. So I ducked under a tree. There was a Canadian boy there already. The storm got really bad and I think the tree was struck by lightning. I woke up lying on the ground and it wasn’t raining or dark anymore. We were someplace else. There was this old man who was talking about a prophecy and that we’d been brought there to do something for this other guy. The old man did something and sent us back here.

Amina just sat there for several minutes looking at her. Well, she finally said, was he cute?

Nazia just shook her head and asked, Was who cute?

The Canadian boy. Who else?

Nazia couldn’t help blushing a bit. Yes he was.

It is quite a story. I bet you and he talked under the tree, then you were knocked out and don’t remember talking. The rest must be a dream or something.

But what if it wasn’t it a dream, Amina. What if I really went somewhere else. What does that mean?

Amina sighed and pondered the question for a long while before answering. Are you sure it was another place and not another time? You said it was primitive.

I don’t know exactly. I really had the impression that it was more place than time.

It would be simpler if you were somewhere else in time.

This is all too sci-fi for me. I like it here where I know what is going on. I don’t like magic. It makes me so uncomfortable.

It’s all academic since you are here and just had a dream.

I’m scared I’ll get pulled in again. I’m terrified. What do I do?

Listen, Allah is the creator of all. If you are somewhere that really exists, Allah will protect you. You don’t need to worry. I know you, cousin. You are a good Muslim, not some fake for show Muslim. Just be who you are and don’t lose faith in Allah. If there is magic there, it must fit in with how things work there. You’ll figure it out if you have to, but you won’t need to, so stop fretting.

I just have a feeling it isn’t over yet.

You’d better fit my wedding in with your feelings. I want you there for everything.

I’ll be there, don’t worry.

Amina’s worry about her reached the ears of her aunt and she was informed that she was going to their family doctor for a checkup the very next day. She knew it was no use to even try to argue with her aunt so she meekly accepted the change in schedule.

Her aunt personally drove her to the doctor and made sure she went into the exam room.

The female doctor was very nice, and after Nazia explained about the possible lighting, she examined each of Nazia’s limbs for possible burn marks, but found nothing. The doctor pronounced her perfectly fit physically.

Her aunt was not quite as satisfied, but she trusted the doctor so she accepted the verdict.

* * *

Tony went into Regina again the next day. He had to follow every job lead as soon as soon as possible if he was going to get anywhere. A lot of the jobs were beyond his skill or were just menial labor. What he needed was something he could actually live on that fit with what he could do. He always found positions he would qualify for, but his interview skills where holding him back. He figured the more jobs he interviewed for the better he’d get at interviewing.

He visited several large companies that were accepting applications. They weren’t hiring immediately, but a couple of them had special projects where they occasionally hired extra workers. With any luck, he would be able to have his application on file at the right time when they started hiring for one of those projects.

The morning was gone before he’d gone to all the places on his list so he took a break for lunch. After he’d eaten, he finished his list and was done by two thirty. His last top was at one of the corporate offices near the airport. He started to head for home but instead found himself at the park again without consciously meaning to go there. The afternoon had turned overcast and cool and it really wasn’t good weather for spending time in the park.

He again found the scarred tree and stood looking at it for quite a while.

What a surprise to see you here, Nazia said, starling him. Nothing better to do?

Not really. Besides, I was in the area. Tony realized she wasn’t alone. A slightly taller woman was standing some distance behind her, as if Nazia had left her there to say hello.

Nazia saw that he was looking at Amina. That’s my cousin who is getting married. Her name is Amina Kundi.

When she heard her name mentioned, Amina went over to meet her cousin’s Canadian friend.

Nice to meet you, Amina. Tony said as he held out his hand. My name is Tony Laufer.

Amina hesitantly took the proffered hand in greeting. Likewise. What brings you to our part of town?

Job hunting. I need something different and it takes work to break into something new. I grew up on a farm and parks like this just seem to draw me.

And what do you remember of the other day?

Amina, Nazia exclaimed.

It’s okay, Nazia. Tony said to let her know that such questioning wasn’t unexpected. I had spent the evening in the park and was watching the sunset when it started to rain. I got under this tree to stay dry hoping it would blow over. I saw Nazia duck under the tree and just after that there were two lightning bolts. One was not too far away and the second knocked me out. I woke up in a sun filled grove of trees next to Nazia. Then this old man showed up and tried to convince us that he was there to help us. I don’t think either of us believed him until after we escaped from the soldiers.

You didn’t mention any soldiers, Nazia, Amina pointed out.

I didn’t want to worry you even more.

So both of you have told me virtually the same thing. I think you’re right to be worried, Nazia. I don’t think you two should be here in this park, especially not together.

Amina, what could happen? Could you go on and let me talk to Tony for a few minutes?

Okay. But if you aren’t back in say twenty minutes, I’m going to drag everyone out here to look for you.

Amina, Tony interrupted, See that green car over in that lot, that’s mine. I live outside Grenfell and I’m related to most of the Laufers out that way. Just in case you want to try to track me down.

I’ll remember that. Amina turned to her cousin. Don’t be too long. You are required to be at my wedding.

Stop worrying and go. I’ll be fine.

Okay.

Nazia watched her cousin leave before she turned back to Tony. I’m glad you came back, I wanted to talk to you. We never got a chance the other night.

About that, I really don’t know why I’m here today. I stopped by yesterday to find the tree. Today I was in the area and just seemed to end up here.

I don’t care why. I wanted to talk to you and we didn’t have much of a chance to find out how to get back in touch the other night.

"No, we didn’t. Before that policeman used your full name,