The journey took them over mountains, roads, and rivers that came up to the horses’ bodies. In a vast, endless prairie, they parted long grass cut with a rolling breeze and took a break in the middle of a Valley. Isaac dismounted while Jane remained on the horse.

  He offered a flask, but she refused.

  “I forgot, sorry.”

  ~You said I can get back home?~ Jane signed. ~How?~

  Isaac bit into an apple and looked around.

  “Right now, you are mostly flesh and bone, except everything above your neck, which is …complicated. In order to return home, you must visit the Throne room and beg the Empress. Of course, the Throne Room is very hard to pin down, none of which you can access without an invitation.”

  ~Is there a way of finding it without an invitation?~

  The Old Knight scraped a hand through his greying hair and thought a while.

  “There was a rumour about a shortcut, known only to the most ancient scribes.” He said. “Bearing in mind, I got this from a witch, who was somewhat deep in her cups. Anyway, she mentioned something about two Beacons."

  ~Where?~

  “Unknown. It could be at the bottom of the sea or in some brooding crypt sealed with forbidden magic. Either way, they will be tough to acquire. These woods are unforgiving, and the ‘Headless-Nameless’ can appear in any shadow, including your own. You’ll never know until it’s too late.”

  Jane looked at her shadow and felt a chill wash over her.

  ***

  As the day grew dark, Isaac stopped outside at the neck of a nearby woods and set up camp next to a craggy rock face.

  “Excellent.” He said, helping Jane down. “We made it before nightfall.”

  ~So what now?~

  “For now, we make camp, because tomorrow you will have to climb this mountain.”

  The girl saw how the rocky monolith disappeared into the clouds.

  ~This mountain?~

  “That mountain, yes.”

  ~What about ropes?~

  “No ropes, free-hand.”

  ~What?! That’s insane! ~

  “Yes, it is kind of the point,” Isaac said. It is a challenge designed to be unwinnable. Don’t worry; you will have two weeks, so best get started soon.” He threw a dagger down at her feet. “Here. You will need this.”

  Jane folded her arms.

  ~I am not going to kill anyone.~

  “Okay,” Isaac said patiently. Here’s how it works: If you refuse the task, you will be executed. If you give up, you will be executed. If you run away and get caught, guess what happens? This is the only way you will see next month.”

  ~It’s not fair. None of this is fair.~

  “Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you put idiots in charge. Go find some firewood.”

  ~What about the Headless-Nameless?~

  “It won’t come anywhere near here.”

  ~Why not?~

  “Because it knows better.”

  ***

  In a shaded clearing nearby, Jane got to work pulling out the biggest branch for firewood. Left alone, her mind wandered and picked at things that didn’t make sense. The journey gave her time to think, time to reflect and question who was really on her side. The novelty of being transported to a strange new world had worn off, and protected by two men she wasn’t entirely sure about.

  It was the reason she fled the castle in the first place. She had heard about ‘Stranger Danger’, so how was this any different? Who were these weirdos, and why were they dressed in armour? They could easily turn on her at any moment. Maybe this was their idea of a false sense of security? What if they were attackers or cannibals? What if they ate the rest of the people inside the castle? That’s why Isaac rescued her, to have her for himself! She angrily attacked the ground, digging a hole..

  This was not over.

  Noticing a shadow, she scampered out of the way, wielding the branch in front of her. Isaac carefully raised his hands.

  “It’s just me.” He said. Jane kept her distance with the branch out and backed into a corner. “I see you’ve had a change of heart.” Jane knocked some loose slats off a boulder. The Old Knight picked up the jagged tile and gave it a look. “This could have been an assailant, and you wouldn’t have known.” He said. “You must always be wary of your surroundings.” Jane ignored him and kept the branch up. It was getting harder to keep the stick poised at an angle until exhaustion took over, and she dropped it onto the soft grass.

  ~Whatever you are going to do, get it over with.~

  “I wasn’t going to do anything,”

  ~For now, what about later?~

  “Later.” Isaac said, picking up the branch, “And what comes later?”

  ~You are going to eat me. ~

  “Cannibals? That’s what this is all about?”

  ~Don’t laugh! I don’t know what you are capable of.~

  “I rescued you from a monster and an angry mob, who wanted to set you on fire. I hoped that gave me a little credit.”

  ~I still don’t know who you are.~

  “I understand,” Isaac said. “You’ve only just arrived, and suddenly a bunch of strangers turn up out of the blue.” He unsheathed his hunting sword and wrapped a bare hand around the blade. “On my oath as a Warden, no harm and no indiscretion will befall you, on penalty of death.. And the Empress sees all.” He ripped out the blade, letting pools of crimson seep through the gaps in his fist. Jane stared, paused momentarily, grabbed a nearby leaf and placed it in Isaac’s palm. “I take we are alright?” The girl shrugged. “I guess it will have to do. Now get some rest, for tomorrow you have a mountain to climb.”

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  ***

  Sometime after breakfast, the sun broke through in golden banks of morning light.. It reminded Jane of home; how the tall hills were haloed by the glittering sun, and the world smelled of newly mowed grass; and Silage....so much Silage. Placing her hand on the rock-face, Jane looked up. She traced her fingers against the lightning shape slashed across the surface. It looked like her only way up.

  “It’s slippery for now,” Isaac said. “But it will have dried out when you hit your stride.”

  Jane’s first attempts at climbing the rock were met with multiple failures. Every time she tried to get off the ground, she fell flat onto her back. Hours passed, and she could barely climb five feet before a mishap sent her crashing down. Frustration rose, and she kicked the mountain, something she immediately regretted.

  “Problem?” Isaac said.

  ~It is impossible.~

  “Put it this way, you can sit here and dream about being at the top, but guess where you’ll be tomorrow?”

  ~At the bottom.~

  “Exactly. You can only achieve what you want through hard work, focus and dedication.”

  ***

  After three days, Jane had mapped a route where the most grips were. She discovered that using her feet to wedge in the gaps made it easier to steady herself while feeling around for more handholds. Higher and higher Jane climbed, using her hand to search for new holes or pockets. Every metre she gained was a victory; every patch of mountain she claimed was a triumph. She began to feel more confident in herself, an untapped self-belief, only now she was starting to realise. Further on up, the mistakes became less of a problem. It was a slow process, but she eventually found the halfway point and pulled herself onto the ledge. From her vantage point, Jane could see the campfire, now a yellow dot in the clearing. She looked out toward the endless forest, like a blanket of emeralds flowing to the horizon. For a moment, the girl felt lucky to have bumped into Isaac, for here she would have been truly lost. It scared her to think what would have become of her without his guidance. Looking to her right, Jane patted the huge stack of wood and realised she was sitting next to a large nest. Suddenly fearful, she decided to make a hasty retreat, in case the owner returned.

  Onward and upward.

  ***

  Hand over hand, Jane began to sense the end was in sight. Three straight grooves were carved into the rock-face like a giant bird’s claw. On top of this, the cool morning sun had become a blazing death-ray which cooked her back. Everything was becoming more precarious the higher up she went. It had got to the point where if she fell, the impact would have destroyed her completely. Even with a magic body, there would be little chance of recovery. Jane blinked and tried to remove all negative thoughts; they only slowed her down. Some ten metres from the summit. She noticed that the rest of the mountain was made of packed clay, smooth, flat, and inaccessible. Jane lowered her head in despair, annoyed at being denied after coming this far. Is this why it was designed to an impossible task? Going back down was not an option, so she had to find a solution and fast. To her right, she saw how the rock-face continued under a grassy ledge and jutted out to a point. It was not much, but it was something.

  ***

  After a few attempts, Jane found herself under the overhang. Every second was going to be dangling helplessly over fresh air with nothing but a distant forest waiting below. Jane reached out and used to fingers like spiders legs, seeking out any kind of hand-hold. She managed to find a couple, and then another, all the while, her back was exposed to a straight drop into oblivion. Things were going good for a time, when suddenly her fingers slipped, leaving her one remaining hand anchored to the rock. Panicking, she slid out of the gap and desperately tried to find another hold. All around was nothing but a smooth surface.

  Then she spotted it: a root, thick as rope and hanging down.. With no other choices left to her, Jane reached out and grabbed it with her free hand. Luckily, it held. All or nothing, she let the other hand go and dangled freely in the breeze. Using her rope climbing skills, she knew from P.E, Jane managed to pull up the root, grab onto the grassy verge and lie flat on the summit. Success! She stared up at the darkening sky. Several stars were dusted in a neat curve like a glittering rainbow.

  I can’t believe I did that. She thought. I just climbed a mountain!

  Jane got up and brushed herself off. On the edge of the cliff, she spotted an old sword poking out. Overwhelmed with curiosity, she pulled it out and lifted it high, as a fleet of dragons passed by in single file against a sunset and a looming storm which coughed flashes of lightning inside thick grey clouds. Any other place would have stuck the scene on a Power Metal album. Jane ventured toward the mountain summit, shrouded in a curtain of mist. Waving at the wispy veil, she saw several shoots of bamboo managing to thrive in clusters and soon realised there was someone else watching. A small shape flittered inside the banks of mist. It was small, squat and bounding around at speed. Jane gripped the dagger.

  Here we go.

  ***

  The shape came out of nowhere and charged at the girl, hurling her against the mountain wall. Dazed slightly, she pushed herself slowly up. Three times it knocked her down and three times she watched it burst out of the mist like incoming truck. Every time it would run back, no doubt coming around for another pass. Jane didn’t want to wait that long and burst into a sprint, taking in lap after lap of the tiny Bamboo garden. She could sense the shape was coming up close, but could not find a way to escape it.

  Eventually, something caught her eye: an opening.

  It was a cave mouth big enough for her to escape into. Without a second thought, she threw herself into the entrance and tumbled down a steep slope into an unsighted ditch. After sitting up, Jane coughed up a mouthful of saliva. It was not as soft a landing as she hoped, but it took her some time. Lying low, she sat up and peeked over the edge. The shape was still there, framed in shadow against the background of curtain of mist. Jane could see the thing was a squat beast with four legs, something resembling a large pig.

  No…a Boar.

  Jane was shocked, not by the size of the thing, but by the fact that the eyes were bulging out of its sockets, as if they did not fit. Eyes she recognised as her own. Terrified and confused, Jane ducked, not wanting to give herself away. She remained flat against the mossy ravine. Cursing herself for not being able to hear its approach, she remained still and could smell its matted fur becoming more intense the closer it got. Sure enough, the beast appeared; its large head looming darker than the shadow of the cave. The girl gripped the dagger in a tight fist and waited. The stolen eyes glinted in the dull light and looked down. Suddenly, a large, bear-like woman stalked out of the dark and launched the beast with a single kick.

  “GRR!” She said. “How many times have I said? DO NOT COME IN.”

  She struck the Boar again, breaking its neck with a single blow, before hurling it toward the cliff's edge. After being helped up, Jane was led to the edge of a passageway and stopped. Any further progress was halted by a lack of path or bridge; there was only a dark hole at the end of the tunnel. She looked back at the Bear woman, who simply nodded, smiled and pushed her off the edge. Tumbling down and down into pitch darkness, Jane fell long enough to replace the immediate shock with an annoyance at having to climb the mountain again after everything she had done.

  I am disappointed with everyone I have met so far.

  Somewhat bored already, Jane was convinced the fall was longer than the length of the mountain, which meant she was now in some pit beneath the Earth. A hunch that did not improve her mood one bit. Halfway pondering whether she should nap, a bright flash burst out of nowhere, causing her to crash into a tiny metallic cell.

  Urghh!

  Still dazed from the impact, she woke up in a kind of cargo crate, but a lot smaller. Nor did it make sense for the ground to be an orange shag-pile carpet. There were two doors near her feet, with windows painted black and dotted with stars. By the way her body was thrown about, everything appeared to be moving at speed. It was a Van.