Foretold

Chapter 1

He hadn't asked for any of this. He hadn't asked to fall into another place, another dimension. He hadn't asked to be part of some strange prophecy. He didn't want to be the savior of a race from ancient times.

He hadn't bargained for any of that. He had come to them accidentally and unwilling.

But what choice did he have, really? Because there was no escape. No way back. Unless he could find it. The trouble was, he had no idea how to find it or where to begin looking.

The situation really wasn't is thing. He climbed mountains and worked as an accountant. He wasn't some mythological savior or fiery warrior. He was just one man. How was he to save them, help them, or free them as they thought he could?

He couldn't. That was the answer. He just couldn't.

***

Alex Hallyra stood in the sweltering heat of the Tunisian summer. He had won a contest to take a vacation here for a whole week. And it started as soon as he touched down in Tunisia.

Now he was waiting for the small transport car that would take him into El Kef, the village where he was vacationing. The village was located in one of the highest altitudes in Tunisia, and it was next to the Dorsal, the part of the Atlas mountain range that ran through Tunisia.

This suited Alex just fine. He had done a lot of mountain climbing in his spare time and when he took vacations. He had climbed mountains all over the world, in fact. He'd climbed several peaks in the Alps and a few in the Rockies. And after that, he'd also done some climbing in the Higher Atlas mountains in Morocco.

Now he was planning to try some of the peaks in the Dorsal. First, of course, he had to actually et to El Kef, and that meant a long ride through some of Tunisia in the heat. That was one part that Alex didn't look forward to, but if it meant a nice vacation in a place he'd wanted to visit for years he was certainly willing to deal with it.

The car pulled up, and Alex hopped in. "El Kef, sir." He handed the driver a small sum of the Tunisian currency.

The man grunted and began driving.

Alex leaned back in the cracked leather seat of the dingy cab to get some rest for the duration of the ride. Not that he got much. The roads were rather bumpy, and Alex found it difficult to maintain even a semblance of sleep.

The driver didn't speak to him, and Alex figured that perhaps he ought to strike up a conversation. The quiet and heat was stifling and conversation would at least relieve his boredom. "So, you live in El Kef, sir?"

"No." The driver grunted.

Strange man. Certainly not very friendly or talkative! "Well, then... I suppose we won't be seeing each other again, eh?"

"No."

The man didn't say much, Alex reflected. "I'll just look out the window then."

This time the man didn't say anything.

Irritated, Alex amused himself by imagining the man in all sorts of strange predicaments. Really, the chap has got to have a more extensive vocabulary than just no!

***

When they finally reached El Kef, Alex was relieved. He grabbed his suitcase quickly and bid the driver a hasty goodbye. Then he headed off to find his inn.

 ***

El Kef was a small town. It had one fairly nice restaurant, the Restaurant Venus, which doubled as a bar. It had a few places to stay, and Alex was staying in the Residence Venus, a nice little place run by a cheerful family.