Different Worlds

Intervention Of Fate

"We have to keep moving."

I looked up, bleary-eyed from sleep to see Devon standing over me with a small amused smile on his lips.  I guessed that my morning look probably wasn't the best.

"Huh?"  Neither was my response.  But no-one was ever going to get a coherent response from me just seconds after I'd woken up.

I looked over as Jacek gave a chuckle.  "We have to keep on moving.  There's only one place that you'll be safe for any amount of time, and that's with the Nardema Rebels.  They live about another day's travel in the heart of the Dorring Mountains."

"Rebels?"

"A group of Nardemians who outrightly oppose Netiri."  Devon offered me his hand, and I reluctantly took it and let myself be pulled to my feet.  "Don't get me wrong, there isn't one person in the whole of Nardema who doesn't want Netiri's reign to end, but the Rebels are the only ones who actually try to do something to try and stop her.  Unfortunately, all of their plans to try and overthrow Netiri have all failed, and many have lost their lives in the many fruitless attempts, so their numbers are beginning to dwindle."  Devon looked at me with a serious expression on his handsome face.  "But they'll be your best chance of helping you get back home."

I nodded as Jacek handed me a strange-looking piece of food.  It looked like it would be a piece of fruit, maybe?  It looked like an apple that had frostbite so badly that it had turned blue.  I looked at Jacek questioningly, and he gave another chuckle at my bemused expression.

"It's called an Ajen fruit.  Nice and sweet, and surprisingly filling.  It's all we have time for this morning, we really need to get on our way."

I brought the fruit up to my nose to smell it, and Devon burst out laughing.  I scowled.

"I bet that you've never ever done anything remotely spontaneous, have you?"

My frown deepened.  "Of course I have."

Devon's smile widened.  "Right.  Go on then - take a bite."

"What's that got to do with being spontaneous?"

Devon continued laughing as he slung his bag on his back.  "You're always so careful about everything.  Even with the stew last night, you couldn't make yourself eat it unless you'd had that tiny taste first."

"There's nothing wrong with that."

"No, there's not."  He stopped laughing and turned to look at me appraisingly.  "But you need to live life too, you know.  It's no fun going through life if you're scared to look around you."

I rolled my eyes as I turned away from him and began to follow Jacek through the back of the cave.  Devon may be extraordinary in his looks, but he had a lot to learn in regards to females - or people in general.  Or maybe in regards to just me.  I had only known him for an extremely short amount of time, but I had already found that he had a way of getting under my skin without even trying.

After about half an hour of walking through a black cave that was only lit up from the torches that Jacek and Devon were carrying, sunlight finally began to filter through, showing the exit into the world outside.  I heaved a sigh of relief.  As soon as we were out in the sunlight, Jacek and Devon put the torches out, and I began to look around as my eyes adjusted to the light.  It looked so beautiful.  There were trees swaying in the breeze, the grass was greener than I'd ever seen any grass before, it was kind of how I would have imagined the Garden of Eden to look.  But then again, even the Garden of Eden had had it's snake.  I fervently wondered what evil could be lurking beneath such a paradise.

"So, what do you think?"  Devon had been watching me as I'd been appraising the scenery.

"It's beautiful," I breathed before I could stop myself.  "It's probably how my world would have looked before technology became such an integral part of life.  It's lovely."