Ortai Legacy: Descent

2.2 - Aftermath (L)

An officer escorted me through the check-out process, which left me outside on the curb with no shoes, phone, or purse. I was about five seconds from devolving into sobs, but a warm mind at the edge of mine gave me the strength to start walking.

[I don't suppose you remember how to get to James's house?] I asked. [I usually suck at directions, but I figured you might not.]

Mar'kost sighed. [I only had direct access to your memories last night because you were heavily inebriated.]

I stopped. [So you don't know.]

Pause. [I was watching on the way to the station. Perhaps I can remember the route back.]

[Perhaps?] I started walking again.

[Yes, perhaps. It's difficult to keep track of directions while looking through the eyes of someone on another planet who's riding in a vehicle of impressive speed.]

[Wait, you're an alien? You on Mars or something?]

[Turn left here.] He waited until I turned the corner before continuing. [We call our planet 'Vangorn,' and I highly doubt it resides in the same solar system as yours.]

[Uh huh.] So he was a fantasy alien from another solar system. That made perfect sense. [How on Earth did you manage to contact me from so far away?]

[My ancestor made a heritage oath to yours, linking them with a telepathic Knight-Ortai bond. I inherited that bond, so my attempts to contact Ortai Shiel brought me to 'Liza Shiel-Smith.'] He sounded disappointed, which made me feel bad in spite of the fact that he was a figment of my imagination. [Unfortunately, if you die, I'll likely be punished by the bond.]

[Maybe I can give you that power you were looking for.]

[Why would you bother?]

I didn't want to admit that I was afraid of scaring off the only thing keeping me sane right now. [I don't want to make my subconscious grumpy, do I?]

He sent the mental equivalent of an eye-roll [Very well, go ahead.]

[How?]

[How should I know? I'm a shifter, not an Ortai. Cross the street here.] As I followed his instructions, he added, [Perhaps the transfer of power will happen of its own accord. Whether it does or not, I still intend to guide you home today. However, I must insist you address me as a real person.]

My mom would have a field day if I told her about this. [Okay, Mark.]

He shuddered. [My name is Mar'kost Vek Tivom.]

[You mean you want me to say the full thing every time, or...?]

[If you insist on shortening it, 'Mar'kost' is acceptable.]

[Got it, Mar'kost Vek Tivom. So, why'd our ancestors do the whole heritage oath thing?]

[The original Ortai were known as deities, and my ancestors swore fealty to Shiel in exchange for protection from other Ortai that wished to eliminate them.]

[Why-]

[Supposedly, my ancestors committed a great offense against the Ortai. Their exact sin is highly debated. Turn left here.]

We continued walking and chatting about his world, which apparently had magic alongside such modern inventions as the camera and the automatic washing machine—though both were luxuries Mar'kost had never personally owned. My aching feet grew to burn as the sun rose overhead. I switched to walking on grass, which unfortunately held the danger of hidden rocks and dog poop.

It was a great relief when my car finally came into view. I hurried to it and found my purse half-wedged under the back seats. I took out my phone to message everyone and let them know I was alright. As soon as I opened my texts to Olivia, my stomach sank. Several voice messages to her had been 'read' but left unanswered. I didn't remember sending those.