Spence’s body was like a ragdoll as he twisted and spun within the vortex. He didn’t know whether his eyes were open or closed, though he saw flashes of blue and white. An intense roar drowned out his screams. He lost all concept of direction and couldn’t determine if he was swirling in a circle, falling, or flying up. His stomach churned as if he was riding the Mind Eraser roller coaster, only worse because he was in the dark. Electricity charged the air, ranging from gentle tingling to lightning bolts.

He had no concept of time, but the blue and white faded away to total darkness at some point. He now seemed to be speeding in one direction, although he didn’t know which direction. But he was traveling extremely fast. White points of light appeared and streaked past as if he were traveling at light speed in a Star Wars movie. The roar was still mighty, and he was unable to move. Then suddenly, there was only blackness and the sensation of slowly floating down, like a falling feather on a windless day. He drifted for what could have been minutes, hours, days, or years.

Finally, Spence’s body came to rest, and he slowly opened his eyes. He stared at an overcast, gray sky. Instead of the warmth of the vortex or heat of the desert, there was cold—both in the air and on the surface he lay upon. His head pounded, and his body was weak and achy.

My legs. Spence instantly realized he had sensation in his feet and legs. He moved his toes and feet experimentally, and then he moved each leg. I’m not paralyzed! It had to be a dream. He had dreamed a lot over the past few months. Half of the dreams relived the accident. In the other half, his accident had been the dream, and he was still healthy and whole.

He slowly sat up and surveyed his surroundings. He lay on some type of raised, circular stone platform. Four three-foot-tall square stone pillars stood directly in front of him, with a pile of objects lying on the top of each. On the other side, in the very center of the platform, stood a twenty-foot-tall stone statue of a warrior. It held a sword in one hand, the blade pointing down, and a shield in the other. The warrior wore plate armor with a helmet on its head.

Morgan stood beside him on his right, her arms folded tightly across her chest. Trey sat beside him, and Caleb stood on the other side. Spence cautiously stood. His legs were weak, but they worked. He was a little unsteady, and his head and stomach swam.

The dais stood six feet above the surrounding ground, with a short flight of stairs leading down on each side. The land was flat and covered with short brown grass. It stretched fifty yards to each side and a hundred yards to the front and back until it reached a twenty-foot-high wall that enclosed the entire oval-shaped area. The sole break in the wall was a large, dark, arched opening on the side they faced. The vortex was gone, and there was no sign of Spence’s wheelchair or backpack.

Spence experimentally squatted down and stood several times, working the stiffness out of his muscles.

“Oh my God! You can walk,” Morgan exclaimed.

“I know! It’s crazy,” Spence said, grinning bigger than he had in months. “Where are we, anyway?”

“How should I know?” Morgan shivered visibly.

“You’re the vortex expert. Is this a vortex thing?” Spence continued.

“No…I don’t think so. I’ve never read of one transporting people somewhere else.”

“This has to be a dream,” Trey said softly. “I mean, Spence can walk again, and his chair isn’t even here.” He stood and slowly turned to survey their surroundings.

It was the first time Spence had heard Trey speak without cockiness and bravado. Trey was right, though. He had to be dreaming. Trey must have punched him in the back of the head or shoved him out of his wheelchair again, and he still lay unconscious in the desert clearing. That’s why his head hurt, he was dizzy and nauseous, and he had been lying on a hard surface. But it was an incredible dream. He could stand again! So, he might as well enjoy it. Maybe he could even fight back in the dream. Perhaps he could hurt Trey badly.

A long, deep growl from the dark opening interrupted Spence's thoughts. He stared at the archway one hundred yards in front of them. The hole was at least fifteen feet tall and the same width. His mind raced as he slowly processed the situation. “Uh, guys, we’d better see if there are some weapons on those pillars.”

“Why, ginger?” Trey said. “It’s probably just a dog or coyote.”

Spence was used to the “ginger” comments. He had pale skin, red hair, and plenty of freckles. That, plus being twenty pounds overweight, did nothing to help his high-school social standing. Spence ignored Trey reverting to being Trey. “That cave is a little sketch. I’m guessing whatever is growling will come out of that opening. Judging by the size of the hole, it will be something bigger than a dog. And we’re going to have to fight it with whatever is on those pillars. We’re in an arena.” Spence suddenly felt confident. Although he was probably in a dream, this was his environment, even if he just knew it from online gaming.

“And how do you know that? Oh, wait. Dungeons and Dweebs!” Trey exclaimed.

Caleb walked over to one of the stone pillars and began rummaging through the items on top. He held up a three-foot-long, silver short sword, turning the blade side-to-side to examine it. He swung it experimentally several times. Then he began inspecting the remainder of the items. Spence and the other two walked over to stand beside Caleb. Each pillar had a different weapon on it, along with clothing and some type of pack.

“What are you doing, Rambo?” Trey asked Caleb.

“Since there aren’t any guns, I’m upgrading my pocketknife,” Caleb replied, not looking at Trey.

Trey grunted and surveyed the other pillars. He approached one with a giant, gleaming, silver battle-ax lying on top. He picked it up and swung it back and forth, like the way Caleb had wielded the sword. “I’d better take the manly weapon. I know none of you girls could handle this.” The ax had a leather strap stretching from a hole in the end of the handle to a hole just beneath the head.

Spence’s heart began racing again, and he forgot the cold. This dream was turning out perfect, other than Trey being there. They had teleported to a different world or land. The vortex did remind him of the portal’s mages could create in World of Warcraft. Now, they were choosing fantasy-type weapons. When he spotted a staff on top of one of the pillars, he quickly walked over to it. He doubted any of the others would even know the purpose of a staff, but he couldn’t take a chance.

Spence felt every muscle, tendon, and ligament move and contract in his feet and legs, from toes to hips. His legs quickly felt stronger and steadier, and he gained confidence with each step. He reached the pillar, grabbed the five-foot-long black shiny staff, and held it reverently. The staff was very lightweight, and he couldn’t determine whether it was wood or metal. One end had a crystal orb on it. It was warm to the touch despite having been lying in the cold air and on cold stone. He experimentally pointed it at one of the walls, but nothing happened. He tried pointing it in various directions, but it appeared to be just a stick with a glass bulb. His excitement tempered.

“Nice choice, Spence. You’ll do awesome if we encounter a baton-twirling contest,” Trey said.

Spence gritted his teeth and squeezed his staff. If he could only break the bulb over Trey’s head....

“None of this makes sense,” Morgan said, hesitantly walking to the last pillar. She picked up a shiny black longbow. She experimentally held it in her left hand and pulled the string to the corner of her mouth with her right.

“No, it doesn’t. But if Spence is right, there’s not much choice but to try and defend ourselves,” Caleb said matter-of-factly. “Let me guess, Hunger Games fan?”

“Yep. Plus, my father is an avid bowhunter. I refuse to hunt and harm animals, but I’ve shot targets with him since I was six. I can outshoot him without sites or aids.”

Another growl interrupted their conversation, and the four stared at the opening. Something shifted in the darkness. “Hurry, guys!” Spence was the first to rummage through the remainder of the items on his pillar. He slipped on a black robe. Although thin and light, the material felt tough and provided instant protection from the cold. He fastened a wide black belt with a sheath hanging from one side around his waist and slid a silver dagger into the sheath. Then he removed his tennis shoes and changed into knee-high leather boots. Despite his staff being just a stick, he suddenly felt the part of a mage.

The others followed Spence’s example and began donning clothing and gear too. Caleb put on a chainmail shirt, a pair of black leather pants, gloves, and tall leather boots. He also had a belt with two daggers and a sheath for his sword. Trey fastened on a shining metal breastplate, a metal helmet with a nosepiece, brown leather pants, a belt and dagger, gloves, and boots. Morgan slipped into a thick black tunic that came to midthigh. She pulled on dark gray pants, a belt with a sheathed dagger, black gloves, and black boots. She placed a quiver of arrows across her shoulder.

The transformation was quick and impressive. In five minutes, they went from a ragtag group of teenagers to a party of fantasy adventurers. Spence hoped he didn’t wake up too soon. This was awesome! Then he heard a blood-curdling roar that ended in a howl.

“What the heck is that?” Trey asked. Nobody answered. They stood transfixed, staring at the dark opening.

“That’s no coyote. I’ve never heard anything like it,” Caleb said.

Two red glowing lights appeared at the cave entrance. Slowly the lights moved forward until a gray, hairy, doglike snout extended into the daylight. Then the entire head appeared, with the red orbs revealed as eyes. The head resembled a giant, mangy wolf’s. As more of the creature emerged, Spence saw the rest of its body was some type of lizard or dinosaur. The beast was nearly as tall as the opening, and the body extended thirty feet, including a long tail ending with a spiked ball.