The Wall Between Our Worlds

Chapter Two (Part One)

The stranger's eyes startled Krimson. They were blue—as blue as the sky. She had never seen eyes that color before. She had seen only green and brown eyes. Blue made a beautiful color for eyes.

He blinked at her a few times before his eyes focused. He tried to lift his head, but he failed. Then he closed his eyes again, letting out a quiet groan.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry."

Krimson was about to ask what he was sorry about—but he kept talking before she could formulate the question.

"You should get away from me," he said. "We're going to make each other sick."

He had lost his mind. Again, Krimson was about to speak—this time to tell him that they would not make each other sick unless he had some sort of strange disease—but again he kept talking before she could say anything.

"But I guess you don't understand me, do you? My language must seem very strange to you."

Just for that, Krimson decided not to speak to him.

She moved across the fire to him and put his head in her lap, then brought a cup of Crior tea to his lips. She had also mixed in a sedative with it. Now that she knew he was unlikely to die, she needed to keep him immobile while she continued to tend to him. He drank the cool liquid without protest. "Thank you," he said. "That's... pleasant." He fell asleep again within seconds.

Krimson drank in the sight of his handsome face with its pale skin. She had never seen skin so white before. Her skin, though a shade or two lighter than the skin of most people in her tribe, was as black as midnight compared to his. He didn't look like the monster that the stories painted Westerners as. Rather, he was just an attractive young man with beautiful eyes and a broken flying machine. From the few sentences he had uttered, she guessed he had a kind spirit—even if he had some strange ideas.

While he slept, she maneuvered him him onto the stretcher she had built earlier, and she began the trek back to her house. If she didn't bring him there, she would have to stay awake all night to keep watch for Blood Wolves—and she didn't really want to stay awake all night.

She stayed awake all night anyway. Though she knew this part of the forest better than anyone, navigating it in the dark while dragging a stretcher was no easy feat. It was mostly downhill, so that was a blessing, but the uneven terrain meant that she had to stop often to readjust the stranger so he didn't fall off.

Krimson and her charge didn't arrive at her house until almost dawn. When she finally got the stranger into her one-room abode, she piled another blanket on top of him and collapsed onto her makeshift bed, exhausted.

She didn't stay down for long, though.

She needed to go to the village to get clothes for the stranger.

After resting for only a few minutes, she slung her backpack on and made the two-hour walk to the village. It had been weeks since her last trip there, and she had not intended on going back so soon. But perhaps she would be fortunate enough not to encounter Farron during this visit.

When she came within sight of the village wall, the guard at the main gate—which was always open now because the village was in a time of peace—smiled at her. Krimson couldn't help but smile back. Garris was her cousin, but he had always been more like an older brother.

"The Blood Wolves have not eaten you yet?" he asked.

"They tried. I did not taste good, so they spit me back out."

He chuckled. "It warms my heart to see you, cousin. Will you be staying?"

Krimson's smile disappeared. "No."