Interstellar Ross

Chapter 4 Practically A Fossil

Witch/Warlock Realms

Month of the Hare

I stumbled around with a black scarf wrapped around my face, seeing the Witch Realm through a veil of tiny black holes. I could make out the silhouettes of towering buildings and bright golden lights, but it was the surface of the street that had me tripping over every five seconds. Some of the streets were paved with cobblestones from a bygone era and some were with smooth stone and it seemed that it varied with every one-hundred metres or so. The capital city was a collage of Victorian gothic and ultra-modern architecture and style.

I couldn't make out the faces or any other distinguishing features of the people we passed, but that was probably a good thing. If I couldn't see them, they couldn't see me.

"Shit!" I tripped for what felt like the one millionth time in the past twenty minutes.

"Keep your voice down." Tiberius whisper yelled from in front of me.

"I'm fallin' on my arse back here!" I made a point of yelling in return.

"You can uncover your eyes as long as most of your face is hidden." Bryn allowed.

"Why didn't ya just say that?" I pulled down the scarf as we reached the front steps of a tavern that looked like it was from Middle Ages Europe.

Dimitri stepped up to the guard positioned beside the wooden door and handed him a leather pouch of what I suspected to be coins.

The guard handled the pouch, his fingers glimmering with rings and brandishing intricate tattoos. He nodded to himself as he pocketed the coins before opening the door for us with a phlegmy grunt.

I grimaced behind my scarf as I followed Dimitri, Tiberius and Bryn inside the warmly lit tavern.

"We're here for a room." Dimitri tossed another pouch from his belt to a man I assumed to be the tavern owner.

The owner paused to look each of us in the eye suspiciously.

"Do you have a room or not?" Dimitri stepped aside so he could block the owner's view of me.

I heard the jingling of keys before we were guided to the foot of a staircase that winded in a spiral to the heavens.

"Why do I smell piss?" I pressed the scarf over my nose.

"You get used to it." Bryn chuckled.

Dimitri opened the door to our room on the third floor and my grimace deepened at water stained ceiling and barred windows that greeted us within.

"I think I prefer my bridge." I unravelled the scarf from my face, combing my fingers through my short dark hair to dispel any hairs that dared to stray from their place.

"It's only temporary, we needed a place out of the way." Dimitri explained.

"We'll be meeting with someone who can help us in the morning, so you should get some rest." Bryn suggested while I watched Dimitri whisper to Freya. Freya then proceeded to fly straight through the window as if it were made of water rather than glass.

"There's only one bed." I pointed out.

A stupid smirk crossed Tiberius's face. "You used to be smarter."

"Ha." I laughed. "That's a funny joke." I kept a dark edge to my tone to indicate that I would kill him if he dared to pick on me again.

"You wanna hear another one?" He leaned against the windowsill.

"Don't." Dimitri warned.

"You know we used to date?" Tiberius revealed.

"No." I eyed him with disdain. Sure he was cute, but I couldn't see him being my type in any alternate reality or secret life.