The remainder of the day was spent idling chatting on the couch, with Mary sitting shoulder to shoulder with me. It was peaceful, enjoying her company, feeling her warmth as we talked back and fourth about insignificant things. Things had, well, definitely escalated fast but sitting next to here just felt so safe and comforting. There was little of that tension that constantly racked me in my life before I came here. It was just...nice.

Before I knew it the sun was beginning to darken, but that did little to darken the feelings inside of me. Safe next to Mary, admiring her as she went on about the uses of plants, she did know a lot about them both as pharmaceuticals and magical ingredients. I started to understand what she meant when she said she likes hearing me talk. She could be a bit odd, but in my eyes that just added to the charm, and despite all the dark things I’ve seen happen here she was bright enough too outshine it all. This moment was just perfect; I found myself wishing it could never end...

At that moment Mary tensed up, her smile gone and a look of wariness taking its place. Startled, I sat up straighter; clearly something was happening.

“What’s wrong?” I asked?

“Something’s happening. Something big. It’s like… Oh no. This is going to be… Fuck.”

I’ve seen her get stressed out, worried, happy, sad and scared, but I can’t recall ever seeing her act like this. She had paused deep in thought, clearly planning out the best course of action. You could practically see the gears turning in her head as she churned over the various factors and possible outcomes. Finally she grabbed my hand, dragging me out of the room.

“Follow me.” She said firmly.

I just nodded and followed as she dragged me up the stairs to her room. Come to think of it, I had never been in there. Maybe some other time I might get a chance to- no, Rose, now’s not the time for that. Clearly something is wrong. That concern alone dampened my thoughts as I was pulled into a well-appointed room, with several desks littered with a multitude of tools and equipment, a comfy looking upholstered chair next to an end table, and a bed with a charming quilt. The whole room just seemed so… Mary.

She hurriedly sat at a desk with a crystal ball, still keeping one hand in mine. Muttering under her breath as she lit a set of candles, she peered deeply into the ball. But all the while her hand still tightly grasped mine. I didn’t exactly mind, but it was a little awkward. For one thing I was still standing, and there wasn’t another chair within arms reach. I was just kinda awkwardly leaning over as she scryed with her crystal ball.

“Uh...Mary? Not that I mind, but...do you need to hold my hand?” I inquired hesitantly.

“If it’s what I think it is, who knows how they’d try to take you. I don’t want to let go now, even if-” She gave a start as she noticed my odd, bent-over posture. “Sorry, I’m a bit distracted.” With a wave of her other hand the upholstered chair slid across the room. Satisfied that I was sitting comfortably, she returned her gaze to the crystal ball. We sat there for what felt like several lifetimes but was in actuality five minutes, according to the clock next to her bed, when she raised her gaze from the ball.

“I knew she would try to get to you again, but this… I really never imagined someone could do something like this. Even more so from someone from your world. It’s theoretically possible, but to actually pull it off...she must come from one hell of a family of magicians.” Mary shuddered.

“Could you explain it in simple terms?” All I could really tell was that Mary seemed worried, which had been apparent from the start.

“Your stalker managed to outright tear a hole in the seams between our worlds. It must have taken hours of study, an intuitive mind, a strong aptitude for magic, and an outright obsession towards the one she’s looking for… if she wasn’t trying to steal you away I’d almost be impressed...” She trailed off, looking out the window at the dusk. In the distance the screeching of monsters could be heard, and a sound like thunder and...was that a grenade? I must have imagined it.

“I expect that’s what has the monsters all worked up. A tear in the world means all sorts of strange energies flowing through from your home world. Your stalker probably should be fine, if she worked her spell right, but if someone got caught up in it they’d be in for a really bad time. Tears like that can open the world to other things, things that don’t belong on this plane. But our bigger concern here is our soon to be guest. And I suppose our defenses here might need a bit of shoring up from outside invaders as well.” She sat up, grabbing a bag off another desk with her free hand. “Come now, doing this together will make it work even stronger.”

“Is this to stop-”

“The world’s unstable. At this point there’s not much I can do to stop Miss whatshername from coming here, not without hurting her, but her manner of travel has really upended things. We need to add a bit more ‘oomph’ to our property.” She explained as we walked. The cool night air was chilly, all the more so with me in my shirtsleeves but Mary was still refusing to let go of my hand. She was acting confident, but the tightness at the corners of her eyes betrayed the depth of her concern.

When we reached our destination, the north corner of the property, she scattered some of the powdered herbs from the bag and said an incantation, coaching me through the words. “It’s stronger with two than with one, after all,” she explained. I listened, the unnerving shrieking from the woods putting me on edge. And, yeah, those were definitely grenades I heard earlier. And was that an M240? Damn, whoever got sucked over here must have been loaded for bear. But that’s their problem, we have our own issues here to deal with.

We repeated the ritual at each of the corners of the property, walking with a sense of urgency. Mary seemed almost afraid to speak more than needed. Only when we had come back in through the front door did she show any sign of relaxing, letting out an audible sigh as the tension drained from her body.

“Grab your sword as well.” She said. Confused, I complied, but I wasn’t exactly sure how to put it on with only one hand free.

“Oh, hand it here.” Finally letting go of my hand, she bent to buckle the sword belt around my waist, the ghost of a smile peaking the corners of her lips as her arms encircled my waist. I patted her head, getting a muffled giggle for my trouble.

“So, all those preparations were for...”

“Demons. Some magicians use them, but it’s not really a common practice here. It’s more of a ‘your world’ thing to actually make use of them. They can be vicious, insidious beings, the kind of thing that works in the shadows, and the only advantage is if you need extra sets of hands or have to deal with the more rigid structure of the mundane world when trying to make magic work. They’re worse than the fae for trying to twist things to their advantage and the costs of failing are greater. We should be safe though. And they hate swords as well,” She lectured. “Now, our...guest...should be here soon.”

“Should I put on the kettle for coffee?” I asked.

“Sure… Nothing like a pot of coffee for our reality-tearing stalker.” She answered with a smirk.

“Was it really that big of a spell?”

“She must have somehow charted out the ley-lines in your world, found a node closest to where you came to this world from, and just like, pulled it apart like the seam of a cheap dress. Whoever she is, she must have a very intellectual mind on top of this potential, which is very rare to actually find. Most people in your world are complete slobs when it comes to magic.”

“She always was pretty analytically minded. If it’s who I think it is, I’m surprised she even thought to turn to magic.”

“What’s her name, anyways? She’ll be here soon, and I can’t just keep calling her-”

There was a knock at the door. Glancing at each other, Mary stepped forward, and slowly began to open it. On the other side, mussed up hair above a stony gaze that softened only slightly when she saw me there safe and sound, was my former student I tutored, and the stalker Mary and mentioned. She was wearing an odd, black cloak, and held slack in her hand was a dagger. In any other setting the outfit would just scream “Look at me!” but here it fit perfectly with the mood.

“Rose...” She uttered almost in disbelief.

“Sandra.” I replied. “Sandra Dee.”

She flinched when I said that. She always hated it when someone said her full name. She had a few weird quirks, and part of me wondered what her parents had been thinking, naming her that.

“Oooooh, like John Dee, the famed sorcerer!” Mary exclaimed. “That explains so much.”