Liana awoke to the twitter of birds in the canopy above her. It took her a while to realise where she was and why she was sleeping in a strange multicoloured sleeping bag under an ancient oak-like tree. She looked around and found that she’d been the last one to wake up. She didn’t see Akhina and Inaya, but Lun the yam-healer was sorting and packing all kinds of strange objects in his equally strange backpack. She got up and folded her sleeping bag, and then had no idea what to do, so she turned to Lun.

“Good morning Lun,” she said politely. She hoped she hadn't had to do anything else to address him, the politeness of this world was still completely foreign to her, but these people seemed a lot more formal than Liana was comfortable with, with her rather naturally egalitarian personality. He mumbled something back in an unfamiliar language as he put dried herbs from a leather pouch into some sort of stone bottle, then looked up to her. “Ah, old world girl, it’s you. I was preparing for the trip. I have to leave my herbs here and sort through my stuff to see what I take with me. Akhina has gone back to the woods for a job, and Inaya is at the last emergency meeting of the Nummerfil Council to discuss the final plans. She should be back soon.”

So today are we really going to Kavanderra?” It was more of an affirmation than a question, but Lun answered anyway. “You can always say no if you really want to, you are a free nawa. But councillor Inaya thinks it's a good idea to have you along, for various reasons." She shook her head “What help could I be in another world? I don't know anything about things like that. I'm a simple schoolgirl, not an expert on dead alien civilisations.” she said. "We aren’t experts either. Nobody knows Kavanderra well. Nothing lives there, and nobody ever goed there. You know as much and as little of it as we do now.” he replied.

Liana paused, and her attention shifted to the herbs. “So you are a yam-healer? What is that anyway?” He looked at her, searching for words. “Have you no healers in your world? So what do 'doctors' do in your society? Every people here has their own yam healers. They know about the healing power of nature and the whole web of Al-Elyehdinn, and direct it when needed. That is an important task.” he explained. “You said I had a talent to become something like that, why?” she asked, staring uncertainly at a bag that looked like the wizal-bedstraw from the traditional spring drink she'd drunk earlier. “Akhina said that, I'm not sure. You don't have healing hands. I think you'd be better as a priestess. Or maybe a magichemical worker.” He had used a Dutch word that Liana didn't know. "What is that?" she asked. “I literally translated Kih Man Pol. What you call magic and chemistry are two parts of the same principle to us. Hence magi-chemical. Science and magic are the same thing, but approached in a different way, right? Yam-healers have a lot of magical knowledge and practice, of course, but they are not the only ones. There are other ways to use your strength for the good of the world.”

“Do you really think I could be something like that?” asked Liana. He nodded. “You're already doing it. You see things in the side dimensions. You fold the dimensions. All you need is a good teacher to develop your gifts. We have always thought and taught that the humans of the old world had none of those gifts at all, even less than the humans of the new world, but you have them, and more clearly than most of my colleagues.” He said. Competing ideas and feelings began to fight within her, but she rejected them. “Sorry, but I'm not that special. I was just panicking and I just imitated Inaya.” He looked at her strangely. “You were not even in mortal danger, you admitted that yourself. And you went through an invisible portal made on the spot, to a world you had never been to and didn’t even know existed. That says enough. Although you can't control it yet, it's certainly a good idea to take someone as powerful as you to Kavanderra!"

Liana was silent as Lun continued tinkering with his herbs, amulets, and unknown objects. Had they taken her as a representative of Oranderra, or because of her so-called powers that they found useful for some reason? She didn't know much yet about the motives of the Nummerfa. Suddenly Lun stopped. "I think she's back." And then Inaya appeared on the blue stone as if out of nowhere as she’s done the day before, and this time Liana wasn't even surprised. Strange how quickly things get used to…

Inaya had taken on her more shiny appearance when she returned from the meeting. Her white dress was almost glowing again, the jewel on her chest seemed almost alive, and her face was extremely serious. “Good morning Liana. I went back to the Council of Nummerfa to discuss the plans. We're leaving today, as soon as possible even. There was some discussion about your participation, but in the end everyone was convinced of the importance of an Oranderran representative in the operation. Akhina will be staying here, she still has work to do in the woods. But the three of us will go together: I as a representative of the Numberfa, and also of the Council of councils of Nuanderra itself. Lun comes along as a representative of the people of Nuanderra and as a yam-healer, which might always come in handy, and you, Liana of Oranderra, must represent your world. And maybe we could use your gifts as a dimension-folder. That has been decided and approved by the council of Nummerfa, and the Council of councils also thinks it a good idea. All of our leaders are starting to get nervous about the Onnobolda.”

Liana felt dizzy. Her questions were more or less answered. On the one hand it seemed the most natural thing in the world -which world was that though?- to go on an expedition to Kavanderra, on the other hand there was that nagging feeling that she had been away from home and school for too long. "What about school? And my parents?" "Don't worry too much about that now. We'll figure it out somehow. The Onnobolda may want to destroy your whole world, school and parents and all, or at least wipe out your whole species. Perhaps you would find that more important than your school? Moreover, our opponents may be aware of your existence now that you have made contacts here and travelled through the worlds. Orranderrans invading the empty world of the baro-tentue is something that stands out, and it will be talked about by all kinds of people. There will be more people who have felt it. You are not safe here maybe, but you might not be safe in your school either. You have become part of the war between the world now. You’re on their radar now, as they say." Those last words struck a chord. For a moment she could barely breathe.

"So even if I want to, I can't just hide back in my own world, go to school every day and eat my potatoes in the evening and wait for Inaya to tell me that the problems are over?" Lun nodded. “That’s impossible indeed. It doesn't work that way. They would find you. You made yourself part of it by that dimensional travel to the in-between world.” She swallowed. “And what exactly are we going to do? What is the mission?” she asked uncertainly. Inaya looked at her. “We are looking for the Onnobolda in Kavanderra. We know roughly where they are. We have to find out what they want and also what their plans are, and put a stop to that if we can. If all goes well, it will be a diplomatic mission… By the way, this is a very dark historical turn for our world that you’re a part of now. We have never had a war of this magnitude on Nuanderra, neither inside nor outside our world.” Now Liana was tongue-tied. She'd heard something like that before, she remembered, but she couldn't really believe it. “Never had a war? In all of your history?” Inaya shook her head. “It's an unknown idea in our culture. Even murders don't exist. Unthinkable even. Never before have there even been armed conflicts between nawa. Except when the Onnobolda started spreading their ideas and carrying them out. The battle of the baro-tentue killed people and that was a great shock and a huge scandal to all Nuanderrans that will be talked about for thousands of years to come. Our ancestors left the ancient world under the shadows in the early days because the hmana fell into evil, and so we thought that we ourselves would always remain innocent of the shadow, which causes evil and thus also wars. There is something behind all the myths about Gorchbolds and the fear of what they might do when they reach our world, if you only look closely at your world. But the Onnobolda are looking at it wrong too. They are not hmana-orr, but now they do in their hatred and fear what the Gorchbolds do in the myths themselves, in a coalition of different kinds of Nuanderrans. They have become the monsters themselves.” She said. “Which kinds are they then?” “Nummerfa and Drotnira in any case, possibly others. Maybe not." Inaya replied. “Who are those Drotnira anyway?” asked Liana. “They are smaller than hmana, they live in the mountains, they grow mushrooms for food and they work stone and metal. Their people traditionally have a great hatred, for the Gorchboldi and a great fear of the shadow of Oranderra. The word ‘Gorchbold’ comes from their language, by the way.”

Suddenly they heard Lun's voice. "And here's Akhina with the gate."