The Next Dimension

Chapter 2

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The next time Sagarus woke up, the lights had been turned off, and the only source was a dull glow from the windows and a single lamp that he could barely see the edge of when he turned his head to the side. Not much else had changed, except the man had been replaced with an odd-looking woman. She was sitting next to the lamp, staring down at something on the table the lamp was also placed on. He saw a glint of white and thought that it must be papers of some sort. The woman had two brownish horns sprouting out of her forehead, just below her hairline. Her hair itself was a fiery red, and she was tall with a thick build. She had little curvature, but her strange clothes were what really captured his attention. They seemed simple enough, composed of a sort of light tan dress that was folded strangely at the skirt with a thick fabric belt that was a pale pink. She had a golden band on her arm, and her legs were blocked from his view by the edge of the bed.

He blinked lazily as he gazed at her, his mind slowly clearing. The pain was still intense in his hand, but his leg just ached dully. His neck didn't feel as weak anymore, but attempts to lift his head were quelled by the stabbing pains of a headache. He groaned, his eyes fluttering closed again in a long blink. When he reopened them, she was hovering over him. He jumped, and immediately regretted it. It made his leg ache that much more, and he stifled another groan.

"Crud cakes, how is such a big lady so quiet?" Now that she was closer to him he could see how tall she really was - and she was tall. She had to be at least 6'2", he figured, and she didn't seem terribly big boned, but her figure was more like a man's than a woman's. She must work out, he guessed.

She raised one of her eyebrows above a light brown eye, the pupil of which was a somewhat darker brown. Really not the oddest thing he'd ever seen. The horns on her head were much more menacing, as they seemed razor sharp.

"A big lady can be quiet when she's been trained for it in the military. Now, I've been told that you weren't entirely cooperative the last time you were questioned. I thought that perhaps you would answer to me?" The way she put it, it wasn't really a question. His mind strained to recall what exactly she meant, and he vaguely remembered waking up with the harsh young-old man next to him.

"You mean the rude guy that was in here last I woke up?" She nodded. "Oh... I don't really remember what I said to him, so..." He gave a small shrug and discovered that he had most definitely strained a muscle in his back and side, along with several bruises that did not wish to be stretched. He winced and went back to being a lump of mashed potatoes. It didn't hurt as much.

"Well, regardless of whether you remember it or not, the Chancellor wasn't amused. I'm going to start with the first question, it would be kind of you to comply." She didn't wait for him to respond to her demand and launched into her first question. "What is your name?"

"Er, Sagarus Ayers."

"Age?"

He thought for a few moments, recalling when his last birthday was.

"Uhhh, 148, if I'm thinking correctly."

She gave him a funny look.

"Species?"

"Rucceld, Wizard."

She gave him an even stranger look. With a sigh, she got up and retrieved the papers from the table on the other side of the room, which was attached to a clipboard looking thing. Except the clipboard was green, and looked like it was cut out of a giant leaf and sanded flat. It was odd.

She appeared to write down everything he had just told her, then scanned it and looked back up. "And where are you from, er, Say-gar-us?" She pronounced it slowly, probably so she wouldn't say it wrong.