The days felt shorter as the journey stretched on. It wasn’t the sunlight that changed; it was the group’s dynamics. Sheena no longer walked ahead like a lone wolf. Now, she moved among them, her guarded demeanor cracking just enough to let flickers of connection shine through. Lloyd watched her from time to time, wondering what had changed—or if she was simply too tired to keep her walls up. Sheena and Lloyd talked more, though Lloyd did most of the sharing. Sheena was still reluctant to dive into details about her past, but Lloyd appreciated the small glimpses she offered.

  The group came upon a small village. Lloyd had never encountered anything like this before. Encasing the village was a dome of light blue energy. The village felt both alien and oddly intimate, a contradiction that unsettled him. A faint hum pulsed in his ears, coming from the direction of the town. Excitement bubbled beneath his unease, the thrill of stepping into the unknown battling with the instinct to turn back. The town was tucked in amongst the trees. The blue dome sliced cleanly through the treetops, leaving jagged edges as if the forest itself had been frozen mid-motion. Where it met the ground, the energy shimmered faintly, as if it were breathing against the earth. The surrounding forest brushed up against the barrier, its leaves and branches scratching against the dome.

  The blue of the barrier was light and translucent. Lloyd spotted small shacks cobbled together from mismatched lumber and thatch. The roads that wove between the huts were filled with nothing but dirt. As citizens walked the streets, their steps stirred clouds of dust. The town seemed small, likely able to house no more than a few hundred people.

  “What the hell is that?” Lloyd asked as the group edged forward cautiously.

  Confusion flickered across Colette’s face, mirrored by the Regal’s clenched jaw as they stared at the dome. When Sheena and Milla stopped, Lloyd caught up and saw the same look reflected in Sheena’s eyes.

  As the group approached, Lloyd spotted a villager pointing and shouting in their direction. A few men ran to the bubble’s edge. They stood next to an eight-foot by eight-foot metal doorway frame that was fully enveloped by the blue dome. They stopped at a console Lloyd didn’t initially see or recognize. The tallest man had short black hair and wore tattered shorts with a cutoff t-shirt. He jabbed his finger into the console, and the blue within the metal doorway washed away. The remainder of the dome flickered, but otherwise remained intact.

  As the doorway opened, the men took aggressive stances, weapons at the ready. The tall, dark-haired man gripped his spear tightly and stepped forward to speak. The groups stood about twenty feet apart, flashes of the earlier ambush racing through Lloyd’s mind.

  “Get that beast out of here!” the man barked, his voice sharp with fear rather than malice. His gaze darted to Sheena, then to the dome, as if he expected her presence to bring it crashing down. “We can’t allow it so close to the town. Turn around. Now.” He hesitated, his tone softening as he added, “Please. We’ve lost too much already.”

  The urge to summon his staff gnawed at him, but he hesitated, scanning the men’s faces for any hint of deceit. Trust was a fragile thing, and the memory of their last ambush was still too fresh. He was ready to summon his staff at the first sign of trouble.

  Sheena turned to the group, shrugging her shoulders. A soft shadow of sadness swam through her eyes. “I suppose I should be used to this by now,” Sheena said with a sigh.

  As Sheena turned, her gaze met Lloyd’s. His stomach tightened. The fear in the villager’s eyes wasn’t unfamiliar to him. It was the same fear Sheena had spoken of. The same fear that had stolen her childhood in Mulbar. His fists clenched at his sides, his nails biting into his palms as his heart hammered against his ribs. Anger flared through him. He glanced at Sheena, her face calm but distant, as though she’d already accepted this rejection. Milla stood galanty by, her posture icy calm, but her flames slightly flickered.

  Lloyd wanted to snap at these stupid men for thinking Milla was a danger to them. He knew that Sheena didn’t need his defense, not here, not now. Still, Lloyd hovered his left hand in front of his chest, his fingers metaphysically brushing the warmth of the cube embedded inside his soul. If they make one wrong move...

  “We don’t need to stop here; we can keep moving. There are a few more cities before we reach The Citadel,” Regal said, already consulting his map.

  “Are you all heading to join the guard?” asked the black-haired man, who clearly overheard Regal.

  Sheena rolled her eyes. "What’s it to you, man? You didn’t want us here," she said, her cheeks flushing slightly.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Sheena turned to walk around the town. As Lloyd’s group followed Sheena, a flicker rippled through the blue dome surrounding the town. It only lasted for a moment before the dome returned to its steady, solid state.

  "Wait, wait!" the black-haired man called as he stepped forward.

  The other two men each grabbed one of his arms, trying to stop him from approaching Sheena’s group. The black-haired man shrugged them off, breaking free from their grip. Setting his spear on the ground, he took a few cautious steps forward. A light breeze cooled the sweat on the back of Lloyd’s neck as the wind picked up. Lloyd doubted the man meant harm but couldn’t shake the thought that it might be a ploy. Lloyd tapped his index finger on his chest, considering whether to summon his staff. The man continued to approach. Better safe than sorry. A single thought later, his right hand gripped his staff as he gazed up at the Manarite crystal atop it.

  "We can’t allow that b…” The man said, pausing as he surveyed Sheena and Milla. “…your companion, into the town. The people here wouldn’t be comfortable with it. We’ve lost many to an enraged Corrupted in a nearby cave. Understand that it is only a precaution. If the four of you were headed to The Citadel, we would request help from you in vanquishing this enemy.”

  The group turned to Sheena, who raised her head to the clouds. With a deep sigh, she silently shook her head. Colette wrapped her arm around Sheena’s and rested her head on her shoulder, nuzzling close. Sheena glanced down at Colette’s blonde hair, missing the sly grin hidden beneath. Yet again Sheena shook her head, this time not in defiance but in acquiescence.

  "Fine. Point me to the beast, and we’ll handle it. Just make sure we get a reward," Sheena said.

  Colette stood on her tippy toes, even though she didn’t need to, and planted a quick kiss on Sheena’s cheek.

  "Thank you," Colette said, clapping her hands as she led the others toward the men.

  The black-haired man retrieved his spear from the ground as Lloyd’s grip on his staff tightened. The three men sheathed their weapons as the two groups closed the final gap between them. Lloyd only slightly relaxing his grip.

  "My name’s Colette. That’s Sheena and Milla back there, and these two are Regal and Lloyd," Colette said, extending her hand to the black-haired man.

  He extended his hand, meeting Colette’s with a firm handshake. "I’m Calvar. This is my son Tim, and this is Scott," Calvar said, introducing his group.

  Now that they were closer, Lloyd noticed the wrinkles on the man’s face and the streaks of gray threading through his black hair. Tim, stood a few inches shorter, his hair a shade lighter than his father’s. His brown eyes were gentle, and his unscarred skin hinted at little battle experience. Lloyd wondered if Tim had ever faced the Corrupted. Lloyd couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but ever since leaving Breakwater and facing more fights and people, he felt he could gauge others’ combat prowess. Of course, he could be wrong, but Tim didn’t strike him as battle-hardened.

  Scott was about the same height as Tim, with similar features that hinted at a shared lineage. Other features provided different evidence, namely his bleach-blond hair and light blue eyes. Lloyd noticed that Calvar introduced Tim as his son, but not Scott. Speaking of all having similar features, all three men wore strange devices strapped to their wrist. The devices, circular and metallic, were mounted on leather bands. Lloyd couldn’t discern any details on the metal faces, but the devices struck him as strange. The wrist devices and the blue bubble surrounding the town felt like a fitting pair of oddities.

  “Please follow us, so that we can meet with some of the other members of the town. Again, I apologize, but we can’t have you or Milla enter,” Calvar said.

  Sheena shrugged her shoulders, Milla scowled and bared her fangs at Calvar, but otherwise didn’t move toward the town.

  Calvar guided Lloyd, Regal, and Colette to stand in front of the metal doorway in the bubble. He glanced at his wrist device, pressing a few buttons on its surface. The blue within the doorway fizzeled away once more, and they all walked into the dome. A few taps on his wrist device and the doorway closed behind them. The bubble flickered a few times before becoming completely solid once again.

  Now fully inside, Lloyd caught the faint rumble of voices and the clatter of activity in the small town. A few people stopped to glance at them, but most scurried along the dry dirt paths, kicking up dust as they went.

  “Can nothing get past the force field?” Lloyd asked, a panicked series of thoughts skittered through his head. Are we stuck in here?

  “Well, nothing living at least,” Calvar responded.

  Lloyd turned and saw Regal with a similar nervousness, his hand vigorously scratching the back of his head.

  Colette spoke up first. “Are you saying that we are trapped in here?”

  “Oh. No, my dear. We will let you out and in as you please,” Calvar said as he stepped toward Colette. “In fact, have this please,” Calvar said as he took his wrist device off. He then strapped it to Colette’s wrist.

  “That green button will open the door if you are close enough. The red will close it. Please, try it out now,” Calvar said, motioning toward the entry.

  Colette walked over to the metal door once more, pressing the green button. As promised, a gap appeared. Colette smiled before pressing the red button. The blue shimmered back into place. The dome shuddered as the flickering intensified, the blue light rippling like water disturbed by an unseen force. Lloyd’s gaze darted to the ceiling. Was it weakening? Or worse, was it reacting to their presence? A faint crackling sound accompanied the shimmer, raising the hairs on the back of his neck.

  “What’s happening to the big dome? Is that flickering normal?” Lloyd asked.

  “Excellent observation. Let’s walk and talk; there’s much to explain,” Calvar said.