3. That Doc Was a Quack

Chapter 3

That Doc Was a Quack

Reaching the town of Misty Pass took longer than either of us had planned, and it was all my fault. We discovered the hard way that my faulty memory had also blocked out my ability to "remember" how to ride a horse.

Okay, okay. I'd never known how to ride a horse.

I'd been riding all of four times in my life, and that was only because Georgie had dragged me along. She'd wanted to go and hadn't wanted to ride alone. She might have also sold me on the fact that it would be excellent research for my books.

All I'd gotten out of it was a sudden fear of heights, a sore ass, and a new respect for cowboys.

I had offered to walk while Nylian rode, but he grew impatient with my slow amble through the woods and demanded that I ride behind him. Unfortunately, my meager skills did not include that.

After nearly sliding off the back of the horse twice and panick-grabbing at my new friend, Nylian switched positions with me. That wrapped me in his arms—not exactly the place I wanted to be—and we moved much faster with him keeping me on the horse.

Lesson learned, kids. If you're going to get swept away to another world, make it one that has at least invented cars, not one dependent on horses for getting around. Your ass will pay the price.

I couldn't tell how much time had passed while we traveled through the woods, but the great wall of trees finally pulled away from the narrow dirt track we were following to reveal that we were in a valley between two tree-covered hills. Among the green were little specks of orange, yellow, and red, announcing the steady approach of autumn. Birds glided on the soft eddies, twirling and dipping into the thick leaves to disappear. For the first time since waking up in this world, something within me relaxed, and I enjoyed the sights. My worries, for the time being, slipped from my mind, allowing me to breathe in the beauty of a nice late-summer day.

Misty Pass huddled below us, only a few dozen buildings with thin gray smoke curling up from stone chimneys. As we drew closer, it became easier to pick out the vendors who'd set up outdoor stalls to sell their wares. People moved between the buildings and the booths, shopping and gathering in clumps to trade gossip. Their clothing seemed plainer than what Nylian and I were wearing. The colors were less vibrant and simpler in design, which left me questioning exactly who I was supposed to be. Nylian was actually an exiled prince and could afford fancy clothes. Did that mean I was a member of the nobility as well? Maybe the eldest son of a rich family?

As we entered town, Nylian stopped the horse near a small group of women. "Can you direct me to the town's healer?" The three women stared wide eyed at him, not saying a word. "My friend has fallen ill. Please," he added. Their eyes darted to me for a second. It didn't help that I answered their looks with a wide grin and a wave of one hand. They probably thought I was addled in the brain, but it got one of them talking.

"Take a left on the next street. Blue building on the right," a woman with steely gray hair replied.

"And an inn?"

"Same street."

"Thank you," Nylian murmured and gave the horse a nudge with his heels.

The moment we were out of earshot, I whispered, "They were totally dumbstruck by your beauty."

"More likely, they were shocked to find themselves face-to-face with an elf."

"Really?"

A derisive noise roughed up the back of Nylian's throat. "Your memory is faulty. It seems you've forgotten that Misty Pass is within the borders of Edros—a human kingdom. Elves don't frequently move through Edros towns."

Shit . He was right. Edros had a long history of hostility toward the elves of Wolfrest, as the two kingdoms fought regularly over the location of the border. Once we settled at the inn, I'd need to see about getting my hands on some paper and ink to make some cheat notes for my own world. I didn't even have my damn phone to save a few thoughts in. My brain was so scattered and overwhelmed by everything I was seeing, I was forgetting the history and rules I'd set up.

"Maybe," I hedged as Nylian directed the horse to the left. "I still think your golden good looks struck them silly."

"I'm losing hope that the healer will be able to do anything to help you. Not only have you lost your memory, but it's clear you're also insane."

"Whatever. Just get me off this horse," I muttered. I didn't know how long we'd been riding. However, I was sure that it was long enough to make the muscles in my thighs ache as soon as I was on my feet.

Thankfully, it wasn't difficult to locate the doctor's building. Blue didn't begin to describe it. It was a bright robin's-egg-blue with boxes on every window ledge overflowing with different plants. Not the typical window-box flowers, but things that probably went into the healer's poultices and tinctures. Signs also covered the two-story building, offering a variety of services.

Balance the humors and get a good night's sleep!

Drain the pus and save the leg!

Buy two demon exorcisms and get the third one free!

I was going to die a second time.

"You know," I started as Nylian dismounted the horse behind me while my fingers tightened on the saddle horn. "Maybe my memory will come back on its own. It could be bad for the healer to go poking around."

"This is for your own good." The elf grabbed my arm and pulled, breaking my hold on the saddle and sending me sliding off into his arms. A strangled yelp escaped me as I landed on him and stumbled a few times before my feet settled enough to support me.

While it was tempting to dig in my heels and force Nylian to drag me inside the building that was emanating a strange and pungent odor, I clung to the last shreds of my dignity and walked in under my own power. The interior did not help to instill in me any new faith.

The first floor was mostly one large room overflowing with battered books and dusty yellow scrolls. Plants of all kinds hung from the ceiling, drying out to be used later for whatever concoctions were needed. The smell that I'd caught a whiff of was even stronger now. A mix of spicy, rancid, pulpy, and rich in bodily fluids. My stomach turned, but the smell was forgotten as something small and furry scurried among the flotsam covering the floor, darting into the deeper shadows. I told myself it was a cat.

I didn't believe the bullshit I was shoveling.

"Hello! Is anyone here?" Nylian called out.

I seized his forearm, preparing to drag him outside. "Nope. No one?—"

"Coming! Coming!" An older woman's scratchy voice rang out in a singsong tone. A couple of seconds later, a white-haired woman appeared in a baggy brown dress that hung on her thin bones. She smiled a mouthful of crooked yellow teeth at us and clapped her hands together. This person looked more like an animated corpse than a living, breathing creature. "What seems to be the trouble?"

Nylian pulled his arm free from my grasp and placed his hand on my shoulder before shoving me a few stumbling steps forward. "I found this man in Trengrave Woods. He's lost his memory. Can you help him?"

"Oh, you poor lost lamb. Let old Mother Thistle help you." The soon-to-be corpse took one of my hands in both of hers, leading me over to a chair stacked with books and heavily sprinkled with what looked to be to be cat hair.

Even as I was led away, I snagged Nylian's wrist with my other hand and pulled him along with me. "Don't you dare fucking leave me," I snarled between clenched teeth.

For the first time since we met, his lips spread in a broad grin that was an even mix of amusement, mockery, and malice. That had been the asshole's plan all along. Just drop me in the hands of whoever would take me and disappear. Well, that wasn't happening. I wasn't sure I felt all that safe with him, but it was a hell of a lot safer than with this quack.

"Don't worry. He's not going anywhere. Elf blood is good for fixing a person right up," Mother Thistle announced dismissively as she shoved me into the chair. The woman was a lot stronger than she seemed.

"I'm not giving him my blood."

"I'm not drinking his blood." We spoke in unison.

"Pish posh, let me look at this handsome boy."

Whatever we said to her went in one ear and immediately out the other. At least that matched my experiences in the real world. She clucked and muttered to herself under her breath as she peered into my eyes, up my nose, in my ears, and down my throat. Bony fingers pressed around my neck. Then she put her head against my chest to listen to my heart and lungs.

It was only when she wanted to inspect both of my palms that I had to release Nylian. I glared at the elf, pinning him in place with a severe look, daring him to make a break for it. While Mother Thistle was strong, I was feeling pretty confident that I could break free and catch Nylian before he got on his horse.

My companion waggled his dark-blond eyebrows at me, taunting.

"Ah…so that's the problem," Mother Thistle mumbled. I threw Nylian one more warning scowl and dragged my eyes to the old woman with a hunched back.

"What's the problem?"

"Your soul has gotten out of alignment. You've recently suffered a significant physical blow or a scare in your life. It was enough to cause your soul to attempt to flee from your body," Mother Thistle explained, and my heart stopped. That…actually sounded correct.

I had suffered a huge scare—a car had forced me off a bridge where I'd supposedly fallen to my death, but I'd gotten swept to this world instead. Not that I could explain that to either of these two people. It would sound like gibberish. I didn't recall creating a world where the insane and possessed were burned at the stake, but I didn't want to test that theory.

"If that's the problem, how does he fix it?" Nylian demanded. The elf shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his arms crossed over his chest.

"That's easy!" She lifted her hands and clapped. "Well, I mean, it's easy for me to give you what you need, but it's going to require diligence on your part, young man, if you want to make a full recovery." She slipped around Nylian and over to a long table filled with colored vials and bottles. A scratching noise rose above her mutters as she moved things aside. Glass clinked against glass and a burst of flame went up, lightly singeing the already blackened ceiling beams.

Without looking away from her work, she held up a bottle containing a bright-orange powder and shook it twice. "You'll need this powder here every morning with a cup of weak tea." She shuffled about some more. "This is a poultice that needs to be placed behind your ears three times a day. It'll coax your soul back into place. And I've got this powder to be mixed with your evening tea before going to sleep. Oh! You must burn this incense every night to keep your soul from trying to escape out of your mouth while you sleep."

She gathered everything up in little packets and bundles, a wide grin on her face. Each brown paper package had instructions written in chicken scratch that I had zero hope of interpreting on my own. Not that I planned to ingest any part of this.

Yes, she'd correctly called the fact that I'd had a big scare recently. However, my memory was working fine. Or well enough, at least. The problem was that I couldn't explain that to Nylian without him either killing me or leaving me behind.

Not good options.

I didn't think I could fight him off if he tried to kill me.

And, right now, he was the only person I knew in this world. I had no memory of creating a character called Mother Thistle. In fact, I wasn't entirely sure Nylian had stopped in Misty Pass in Betrayal of the Elf Prince . I might have altered his course. What I needed was a few quiet minutes alone to think and possibly figure out my next steps.

Not drink Mother Thistle's potions.

"Also," she started and then gave a long pause as she looked from me to Nylian and back to me. "It's important that for the next three months at least, you don't drink alcohol or engage in any sexual acts." The leveled piercing gaze had me jumping to my feet, all the things she'd dropped into my arms clattering to the messy, stained floor.

"Whoa! It's not like that. He found me in the woods. Giving me a hand. That's all!"

Nylian smirked as he reached out and pinched my chin between his thumb and forefinger. "What are you getting so worked up about, pet? Is she stopping your dirty plans?"

I violently batted his hand away with both of mine. "Stop talking your nonsense. Pay the healer and let's get out of here."

In a huff, I bent and picked up all the items I'd gained from Mother Thistle. If Nylian didn't watch out, I was going to put this shit in his tea and burn the incense around him. Maybe it would help his soul.

Not that I would. His life was a mess, thanks to my evil plotting. He didn't need someone making it more complicated.

A soft clink of metal coins filled the building as I picked up the last of the items and marched out the front door without another word.

The sun was sinking lower in the sky, painting the soft blue a warm orange and yellow. Voices raised in commerce, and idle chitchat had died away as people returned to their homes for their evening meals. Even the air was growing cooler and moister with the coming night. I was about to spend my first night in this strange world I'd created, and I hated to admit that I was afraid.

Despite creating this world, it was still utterly foreign to me. The only one who was familiar was Nylian, and that was making me cling to him like a barnacle on the side of a whale. He didn't want me, and it was just a matter of time before he figured out a way to scrape me off.

But I couldn't let that happen.

For some reason, I'd been brought here and placed directly in his path. That had to be a sign that I was supposed to stick with him. Maybe I was supposed to fix some of the plot mess I'd left unfinished. Who knew?

Muffled footsteps approached, and I twisted to see Nylian stepping outside. He dragged in a deep, cleansing breath and offered me a small nod. I don't know whether he believed what Mother Thistle had said or whether he believed the collection of powders, incense, and poultices would actually fix me. He didn't offer any comment.

"The inn is two doors down from here. We'll get rooms for the night and a meal," he declared. With deft fingers, he unwrapped his horse's reins from where he'd tied them and led the way along the nearly empty street.

We walked side by side in silence, my gaze skimming over the other shops and homes. Lamps and candlelight flickered between the cracks of curtains and the smell of cooking food wafted out onto the street.

"Thanks for your help. I'm sure you weren't looking for this kind of trouble. I'll pay you back," I murmured. My hands tightened on the packets, making the paper crinkle softly.

"Since I was the one to scare you, I consider us even now. Tomorrow, we'll go our separate ways."

I opened my mouth to argue that we needed to stick together, but the words died on my tongue. What the hell was I supposed to say? Fate had brought us together? That was a load of horseshit. No, I needed a much better reason. Something believable.

I was still thinking when we arrived at the inn. Nylian grabbed his bag of belongings and handed the reins of his horse over to a stable boy with filthy clothes and hay in his light-brown hair. He gawked openmouthed at Nylian while the elf ignored him.

"You're catching flies," I snapped at the boy as I followed Nylian into the three-story building. The boy's mouth shut with a click of his teeth, though his wide eyes continued to follow the elf until he disappeared.

I thought I caught a look from Nylian, but it was forgotten in the next second as I crossed the threshold to the inn. Holy shit, it was like stepping into my imagination. My heart fluttered and jumped into my throat as I took in the thick wooden beams everywhere and the creak of the floor under my feet. The smell of ale and fatty cooked meat assaulted my nose from the pub that was through a large open doorway on my left. Directly in front of us stood a battered table that served as a front desk to the inn. A harried woman wearing a rigid smile glared at us as if she'd rather scare us away than give us rooms.

"How can I help you, gentlemen?" the innkeeper inquired, her dark eyes darting from Nylian to me, as if she couldn't decide which of us was likely to be the troublemaker.

"Two rooms for the night," Nylian said.

She grunted and turned to a board that held a handful of keys on individual hooks. She plucked two off and slammed them on the counter, but kept her hand over them, her eyes narrowed to thin slits. "This is an honorable establishment. I won't tolerate no brawling. You get in a fight, and you're out. I don't care who starts it. Also, no guests in your rooms. If you wanna take advantage of Lady Finkle's wares, you keep it at her establishment. I don't want to see any of those whores here."

I bit the inside of my mouth to keep from snickering. Misty Pass was large enough to support a brothel? The town looked like a forgotten town on a nonexistent dirt path. Brothels were typically reserved for larger towns along major trade routes. I really needed to spend some time trying to remember my own book. The longer we were in Misty Pass, the more I got this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that there was something about this place that I needed to remember. Something that Nylian should accomplish. But it was a splinter dug too deep, and I couldn't reach it yet.

Nylian smiled stiffly and slapped a gold coin on the counter beside her hand. "You won't even know we're here. We'll be gone by first light."

The innkeeper released the keys and snatched the coin up in a flash. "Second floor. End of the hall. Rooms are across from each other."

Nylian slowly took the keys with a nod and led the way up the narrow wooden staircase with a soft thump of his boots. I followed without a word, still trying to take in all my surroundings.

At the end of the hall, my companion handed me a key and motioned to the door across from the one he was standing beside. "Go in and wash up. We'll go down for a meal in a bit…and discuss things."

I let out a grunt as I accepted the key, trying to hide the sinking feeling in my stomach. It wasn't hard to guess what he wanted to discuss. The elf was going to make his first serious attempt to get rid of me. At the very least, I appreciated that he was going to discuss it with me rather than disappear into the night.

Not that I didn't think he was entirely capable of that.

Running off and leaving me behind was likely Plan B if talking to me didn't work out.

No, ditching me was not an option. I needed to come up with a good reason for us to stick together so that he wouldn't resort to Plan B.

The lock scraped and gave a weak metallic thunk as it slid aside. The room was a bit of a disappointment. Barely larger than a walk-in closet, it held a narrow bed with a ragged blanket. The nightstand was a rickety affair with a brass candlestick and a nub for a candle. There was another stand that held a chipped bowl and an old, stained pitcher for water for washing up. A single wooden chair stood next to the only window in the room and appeared as if it would collapse under my weight if I were insane enough to sit on it.

I pulled aside the worn curtain with the sun-faded floral pattern to allow the evening's last sunlight into the room. The window looked out onto a narrow alley that ran between the inn and a general store on the other side. The added light in the musty-smelling room didn't help, and I fought the urge to open the window to let in some fresh air. It was probably a safe bet that the air coming off the alley was going to be anything but fresh.

After draping my cloak across the chair and laying my sword on top of it, along with all the nonsense I'd gained from Mother Thistle, I poured some water into the bowl. I bent and splashed the cold water across my face, washing away some of the road dust and forcing my brain to wake up. As I was reaching for something to dry my face, I froze, every muscle in my body locking up as I caught sight of my reflection.

This wasn't my face.

The eyes staring back at me weren't my eyes.

Even though I'd woken up in different clothes, I'd always assumed it was my body that had appeared with my mind in this world. But that was not who was staring at me in the mirror . I didn't know this face!

With shaking hands, I poked at the somewhat large, Roman nose in the middle of the face with high, sharp cheekbones and somewhat deep-set dark-brown eyes. Thick black eyebrows sat over those eyes, giving the face a grave expression.

But this face also possessed a pair of full, pouty lips that were only enhanced by the neatly trimmed mustache and goatee.

My skin was now a swarthy, warm brown compared to my previous pasty, never-seen-sunlight white. The hair that hung to my shoulders was a brown so dark that it was almost black. Of course, it was a rat's nest after lying on the ground and getting windblown while riding on the horse with Nylian.

Staying bent in front of the mirror, I tried out raising my eyebrows and smiling, which made me look like an idiot. I switched to something flirty and suave, which made me look to be an even bigger idiot. I settled on a glare and sighed heavily. That seemed natural on this face. Of course. Did that mean I was supposed to play the asshole?

Fuck.

Who the hell was I?

Or rather, who the hell was I supposed to be?

While my mind was adjusting to being in my book, I'd thought I had popped in as myself in my body. But this body wasn't my own, so that left me thinking that maybe I'd taken over the role of one of the other characters.

But which one?

I'd never been especially great at visualizing my characters. I was more into personality traits and interior thoughts, not jaw structure and the innate sultriness of eyes.

I pulled off my gloves to better inspect my face and discovered a signet ring on my right hand. It was a big, heavy gold-and-onyx thing. Overlaid on the black stone was a golden raven with its wings spread wide in flight. Something like this definitely meant that I was part of some important family. But which one?

Now that I was alone, it was a good time to get better acquainted with what I'd been blessed with. I turned from the mirror and patted my arms, chest, and waist. There were a surprising number of knives on my person. Maybe this body's muscles recalled how to use them, because I had no clue.

There was also a bag that contained some travel basics such as soap, a comb, a toothbrush, a canister of what appeared to be pomade that had a nice spicy scent, and a spare dark-green tunic. This was going to come in handy.

In a little pouch, I had money! Oh, thank the gods, I actually had my own money. I could at least pay Nylian back, and I had a chance to survive if the damn elf ditched me.

I reached in to pull out a handful of coins to count my bounty, and my fingers fumbled across a coin that didn't feel like the others. My heart stuttered, and I drew out the same fucking coin I'd found on the bridge.

The same coin I'd flipped a heartbeat before that car had forced me off the bridge.

Was this thing the reason I was here now? One side of the coin had a raven on it, very similar to the raven on my ring. Was that why I was here?

Should I give it another flip and pray that it got me home?

Or would flipping it change me into a corpse at the bottom of a river?

Three loud knocks tore through the room, jolting me from my swirling thoughts. My hand jerked, and the coin fell from my fingers to clatter on the floor.

"Lockhart?" Nylian called through the door. The knob squeaked as he turned it.

I slammed my foot on the coin, covering it from his sight, and beamed at my companion. "Yeah. What's up?" My attempt at nonchalance failed miserably. Most likely because I was sweating and panting as if I'd run a marathon in my closet of a room.

Nylian stared at me for a second, his blond eyebrows shooting toward his hairline. He seemed like he wanted to back out of my room slowly and make a run for his horse, but the exiled prince held his ground. "You okay?"

"Yep. Sure. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Are you ready to head downstairs for a meal?"

I nodded manically. "Sounds good. I'll be right behind you. I need…to grab…my gloves!"

Nylian continued to stare at me as though I'd lost my mind, but finally nodded and closed my door. I waited, listening for his quiet footsteps to disappear along the hall before I snatched up the coin and placed it into my money pouch.

"No more causing trouble until I figure out what you are," I snarled at the thing.

I was going to need to find a wizard to help me sort this out. For now, I was sticking to Nylian like glue. Some weird magic had put us together for a reason. And I had a feeling it was going to take a lot more weird magic to get me home.