Chapter 4

Four

To sayI was horrified by this situation was the understatement of the century. I was not even kidding—the people of Rehobath were living in third world conditions. The more we walked down the “main road,” the heavier that message hit home. Normally, when I saw something like this, I blamed the leaders. Hoarding wealth and resources was typically the reason for extreme poverty, but I knew that wasn’t the case here. Theon’s words and actions told me that clearly.

The man went from person to person, checking on supplies, talking to his people about what they needed. I could see the care, the worry, and underneath it all, the fear that he wouldn’t be able to do anything.

His clothes told their own story, too. Theon dressed plainly, no jewels or embellishments, and while his clothes were clean, everything looked frayed around the edges. I saw the wear in the collar of his white shirt, the threads coming undone on the bottom edge of his black jacket, the mismatched buttons on his vest.

If a duke of his territory couldn’t afford to replace the buttons on his clothes, then he wasn’t living much better than his people. My own clothes I’d borrowed were just as worn and frayed.

Shit. Seriously, I didn’t like what I saw. I doubt anyone with a conscience would look at this situation and shrug it off. It was heartbreaking to see kids, no more than ten, with gaunt cheeks. It made me wish I had candy in my pockets to give to them.

What kind of situation had I landed in?

I walked at Theon’s side and kept my eyes and ears open. Not saying much, just greeting people and trying to remember names.

Theon answered questions frankly. He didn’t try to spin it to look better, or play on sympathies, he just…answered. I thought better of him because of it. I hated people who manipulated others. Theon didn’t even try; he simply laid his cards out on the table.

What I learned in that hour of walking around was that one: the miasma was seriously like a poisonous fog, and it had put everyone into almost starvation mode. Two: this place seemed to be a catchall for people—those who were refugees, displaced, or had some kind of disability. Grit was a good example of that. A good person, no doubt, but likely not welcomed elsewhere because he had that Phantom of the Opera vibe.

There seemed to be a ratio to the population. About one third was human, the rest every race under the sun. Including a few I hadn’t heard of. Like the flying cats with the long-ass tails. What the hell even were those? Definitely cute, but weird.

All of this still felt surreal, like I was in a very lucid dream. Any second I’d wake up in a hospital bed, broken and hurting, with reality crashing back in. I hoped this wasn’t a dream. Earth had done me no favors, and I wasn’t eager to return to the mess of a life I had left behind.

Although, I wasn’t sure what I could do here, either. This was a pretty desperate situation, and I had no resources. I currently was beholden to Theon’s kindness just to have food to eat and a roof over my head. I was a good enough businessman I could likely turn the situation around, but I needed seed money to start a business.

I still had to ask, what kind of genre was I in? It was looking like tragedy, and yikes, no thanks. Seriously. Hard pass on that.

Theon slowed his steps a little, and we moved past the storage area, heading back into the town proper, if you could call it that. Central square, at least, where the main road (which was little better than hardpacked dirt) and all the businesses were. This place could only be described as a village. If there were more than a hundred buildings in the whole place, I’d be very surprised.

“What do you think?” Theon asked with a wry smile.

“I think you need serious help.” He’d been honest with me, so I’d return the favor. “I can’t imagine the miasma is an only-you problem. If it spreads, it’ll surely affect the rest of the country. Does your government not give you any support?”

Theon snorted, expression black. “They don’t like me whatsoever, which is part of the problem. They’re too busy playing politics and bribing each other to bother caring about us.”

Ah. One of those governments. Well, that explained why the situation had gotten so bad here. No support would do it.

I glanced over my shoulder at the monstrously large wall. It made the Great Wall of China look like a prototype. They really had tried their best to keep the miasma out. Still, despite the very large granite walls, the poisonous fog of deep purple crept right over the top of it. If it could do that, its progression over the rest of the duchy was inevitable.

“Do you have an exit strategy to get everyone out of here?” I couldn’t help but ask. Worry prompted me to do so.

“Yes.” Theon sighed, and for a moment, he looked at his wit’s end. “But I can’t say it’s a good plan. It means sending my people to another territory, and there’s no plan of bringing them back. Even if that bastard king finally decides to do something about the miasma, this land will be rotten and unusable. Only a holy maiden can clear the land to where it’s viable again.”

So it would be like abandoning a sinking ship. There would be no way to recover it. He’d be a duke in name only, having lost his land and his people. Damn. “I haven’t even met your king and I already hate his guts. Anyone stupid and greedy enough to let people live like this doesn’t deserve to rule.”

Theon’s smile was genuine for once. “You really are a good man. I completely agree. Sadly, there’s not much I can do about the king.”

Where was an assassin when you needed one? Not to say whoever replaced the king would be any better. Sounded like the whole government system was pretty screwed up. I wondered if his king was anything like my ex-husband. Eww, terrible thought. Brain, what the hell, let’s not do that to ourselves.

Although, living under that king was now my reality as well. Ugh. I didn’t like that thought either.

“Are you a religious man?” Theon inquired, seeming genuinely interested.

“Uh…not really.” How to explain American culture in fifty words or less? “On my world, being gay clashed with a lot of religions. They thought of it as a sin or something. So no, not really religious. Why?”

Theon paused midstep to look at me more carefully. “What is ‘gay?’”

Uh. Now there was a loaded question. “Means I’m attracted to my own gender.”

“Ahhh. Your world had a word for it?”

We were just jumping from one loaded question to the next, weren’t we? “Many words for it. You don’t?”

“No. No need for it.” Theon seemed stuck on this idea. “Attraction is attraction, there’s no reason to define or control it.”

My god. I’d landed on a world that didn’t think same-sex attraction was strange. Was I really, positively sure this wasn’t a dream I was having as I lay dying? Because this seemed too good to be true.

Theon kept talking, mostly to himself. “That seems strange. Why would loving someone else be a sin?”

“I’ve asked that question many a time. Never got a straight answer.” I shrugged, not sure how to explain when it never made sense to me.

“Well, on this world, liking your own gender isn’t sinful.” Theon continued walking, gesturing as he spoke. He was definitely a man who talked with his hands. “Do not fret on that, and love whom you wish to. That’s what we all do.”

“Sounds amazing. Uh, do you have gods on this world?”

“We do, yes. Our goddess, Ailane, is one of mercy and swift justice. Only her divine power has kept the miasma at bay as long as it has. We put many a sacred relic into the walls, but I think they’ve eroded and broken over time.”

Hence the miasma. Got it. “So your goddess is very active in your lives?”

“She is. Fortunately, otherwise we’d have long been dead.”

Well. Something else to wrap my head around. Yippee.

I hope you heard the sarcasm in that word.

Theon navigated across the street to a very simple wooden building with a steeple that resembled a sword, and pushed open the creaking front door. I followed him in and belatedly realized I was in a temple. It had rows of wooden pews, an altar at the front, and lit candles on every side. Like, literally every wall had sconces upon sconces of candles, all of them lit. Were these…prayers?

The place smelled smoky, likely from all the candles, but it had a homey sort of feeling in here. Like I’d come to visit a favorite aunt’s house or something.

From a back corner, a woman rose and turned to see who had entered. She looked middle-aged, very short, with green skin, and white hair caught up in a high ponytail. A Goblin? That was my guess, at least. She wore a dingy white robe worn out at the knees, but her smile was bright.

“Your Grace, what brings you here?”

I kid you not, she sounded like a cartoon character, with a very high-pitched, soft voice. I had to focus when she spoke or I risked missing half of it.

“I’m here with a request,” Theon answered, striding straight to her. “First, Little Mother, how are you?”

“Oh, I’m all right.” She gave a smile that looked strained at the corners. “I’ve been praying to Her Holiness all morning for a miracle. I keep getting the answer our miracle is already here, which makes no sense to me. But She’s never lied to me, so I’m sure I’ll figure it out eventually. Who’s this handsome man with you?”

Who, me? I mean, I knew I was attractive, but normally people didn’t call me handsome. Cute was their word of choice.

“This is my guest.” Theon half turned to do the introductions. “Little Mother, this is Jake. He was summoned from his world and arrived here last night.”

Her eyes grew wider the more she looked at me, which let me tell you, wasn’t a comfortable sensation. If someone had smacked her with a feather, she’d have fallen over.

I gave an uncertain “Hi? Nice to meet you.”

“By the Goddess,” she whispered, the words choked with emotion. Tears welled up in her eyes. “You really are here.”

Come again?

No, seriously, someone fill me in. I felt like I was starting a book halfway through, having missed the first part. I looked to Theon for an answer.

Theon, however, stared at her, then me, and his expression mirrored the priestess’s. “He does have divine power then?”

“He’s overflowing with it.” The priestess reached for me, taking my hands in hers, and they were bony and ice cold. “Jake?”

“Uh, yes, ma’am.” How the hell did I address this woman politely?

“You are the answer to our prayers.” Her joy was so bright, it was like she shone from within. “I am so, so glad to meet you.”

Let me check.… Yeah, still lost and confused. Time to ask questions. “Can you tell me why you say that? Because I don’t have any power.”

“You do.” She said this firmly, without any hesitation. “You’re overflowing with it. Can’t you see mine?”

What the hell did she mean by that? Almost as soon as I thought it, I had the answer. I’d thought she was shining because she was so happy, but that wasn’t it at all. She actually did have her own aura. Somewhat dim, but pure white light limned her body, like an afterglow of the sun.

Uh.

The hell?

Did being portaled from another world somehow give you divine powers?

Theon wasn’t waiting for me to find my tongue and ask questions. “Are you sure of it, Little Mother?”

“Oh, no mistaking this.” She kept hold of my hands, beaming up at me. “He’s as bright as a shooting star. I’ve never seen someone glow as he does. He has more natural power than the Holy Mother.”

She was and wasn’t clarifying matters. Okay, mouth, reconnect to brain. We gotta get to the bottom of this. “I’d like to point out I’m not part of your religion.”

“Doesn’t matter,” she said promptly. “Divine power is divine power. You can believe in another god, or goddess, or what have you, and still have it.”

Her words actually relieved me. Again, I wasn’t particularly religious.

“You were called from your world because we desperately need you.” Her hands tightened on mine, desperation coming over her face. “Jake, I am sorry you were ripped from your family. You didn’t deserve that. But we need you. To survive, we need you. Help us, and we will do whatever we can to repay you.”

Did I want to explain to her that my family wasn’t all that great and being here was actually a relief in some ways? Naw, that conversation called for alcohol. I knew she wasn’t kidding about how much help they needed, and honestly? It felt good. To be needed. To be wanted somewhere. I liked helping people and feeling like my life had a purpose, and by god was I in the right place for it. Even if I was struggling to wrap my head around the whole situation. More answers were called for. I went to the next question.

“Repaying me sounds fine, but um—sorry if I’m stuck on this—I’m still struggling with how I have these powers. I wasn’t born with them. I don’t understand why being summoned here would magically gift them to me.”

A tiny, smug voice spoke up from my pocket. “Oh, it’s because I gave them to you.”

My head jerked down and I stared at my pocket with suspicion. There was, to my knowledge, only one thing in there.

I retrieved one of my hands and pulled the pocket open to stare down into it. I stared at it with all due suspicion—and let’s face it, lots of suspicion was due. This thing had never acted like an inert coin. Its habit of putting itself in my pocket spoke volumes on that. So while I felt silly asking, I also felt it prudent. “Was it you who spoke just now?”

“That’s right.” The coin shimmered a little in the dimness of my pocket, as if preening. “I’m the one who brought you here and gave you powers. You can thank me later.”