The first thing Claire noticed when she woke was the ache. It was a dull, distant throb that seemed to radiate from no one place but all over in waves. It reminded her of the soreness that came after hours of training, of practicing the same move over and over again until she could do it in her sleep.

Groaning, Claire rolled over, wanting just five more minutes of sleep before starting her day. Her hand fell against something warm and rough and her heart skipped a beat in her chest.

Who was in her bed?

Forcing her eyes open, she found herself staring into the sleeping face of a red haired stranger, the back of her hand resting against the curve of his cheek. No, that was wrong, not a stranger, it was Alek. What was Alek doing in her bed? Very slowly the memories started stitching themselves together like the patches of a quilt. She had been sharing a drink with Alek, then they had been fighting about something, she couldn't remember yet. She had started feeling very strange, like she wasn't in control of her own mind.

Then there had been fire.

It had been a pain so intense even the memory of it made her uncomfortable.

None of that explained why Alek was sleeping there.

Pushing herself upright slowly, because she felt like she had gotten hit by a semi-truck, Claire realized Alek wasn't actually in the bed. He had been sitting in a chair beside the bed and somehow had wound up in this rather awkward sleeping position.

Alek wasn't the only one there. Sleeping slouched over in another chair was Draz. The two of them looked so peaceful that Claire didn't have the heart to wake them. Instead she pushed the heavy blankets aside and slowly shuffled to the edge of the bed. Looking down she saw her leg had been properly bandaged and while it still twinged, it no longer burned as though hot coals were being poured into the open wound.

As she rose, Claire gingerly tested the ability of her leg to hold her weight. Using the wall for support, Claire slowly shifted her weight until she was standing upright on both feet. While there was a dull ache, her leg seemed capable and willing to hold her up, for now anyway.

Letting out a relieved sigh, Claire stretched her arms over her head and felt the stiffness seeping from her shoulders. After a brief search, Claire found her shoes were nowhere to be found within the confines of the small hut. Instead she pulled on a pair of leather moccasins she found at the foot of the bed, and donned a heavy coat she found hanging from a hook by the door.

Pushing open the hut door, Claire took a deep breath as she stepped out into the cool morning air.

She hadn't gone far before a large shadow fell over her. Shielding her eyes from the early morning sunlight, she looked up at the hulking figure that had appeared beside her and smiled when she saw Yakone looking back.

"Good morning," she said.

He grinned and brought the back of his hand to his forehead. Claire did the same, which made the grin on Yakone's face grow wider.

"Calaire," he said proudly, pointing to her.

"That's right," she replied, his mispronunciation of her name making her smile grow. "I'm Claire. You are Yakone, right?"

The large man nodded, beaming with pride.

"Feel better?" he asked, a worried expression stealing over his sun kissed face.

"Yes, thank you," Claire answered with a nod.

Yakone nodded and then crouched down beside her. He patted his shoulders, motioning for Claire to climb on.

"My leg is feeling much better," she said, motioning to it. "Could you perhaps show me where I can get something to eat?" She made a gesture she hoped he would understand. He nodded enthusiastically and motioned for her to follow.

As he lead her through a maze of wooden huts and white stone structures, Claire could only stare in awe. There was a large, tall shed from which smoke was seeping. Claire presumed they were using it to preserve meats and fish. They passed a group of women weaving fabric on large looms, singing and laughing with each other.

Another group, this one comprised of men and women, was preparing to leave for a hunt. The more she saw, the more she felt overcome by a sense of shame. To her, life without television, internet or a Starbucks within walking distance was unbearable.

These people lived and worked the land and they were happy. They were all working together: helping, sharing and teaching. Each group they passed paused in their work and watched Claire as she walked by. As they neared the city center, Claire spotted a group of children playing a game with a ball that reminded Claire of soccer. One of the children broke off from the game and rushed over to her. She was young, perhaps seven if Claire had to guess, and in her hand she held a small purple flower.

She held it up to Claire who took it with a smile.

"Thank you," she said before tucking the flower behind her ear.

The child smile and ran off to rejoin her friends.

It wasn't long before they were interrupted again, this time by a familiar face.

"Claire! Yakone!"

Claire looked back to see Tanaraq hurry towards them. "Good morning," Claire called out.

"Glad to see you are feeling better," Tanaraq said breathlessly. "Is your leg hurting?"

"It aches a little, but it's much better than it was before," Claire replied. Tanaraq nodded.

"Grandmother wishes to speak with you," Tanaraq said, motioning for Claire to follow.

"Grandmother? What about?" Claire asked. She could think of no relevant reason why a woman as revered as Grandmother would wish to speak with her.

"One does not question, Grandmother," Tanaraq replied.

Fair enough.

Claire did not push the subject further, but as they walked, she over the possibilities in her mind. Did it have to do with Alek, or what happened on the train? Did she not believe them? Had Claire done something that might have offended the village elder? There were still parts of the previous evening that she couldn't remember with much clarity.

Claire reluctantly followed Tanaraq to the long house where they had spoken with Grandmother the previous evening. This time when she entered, the space was bright and airy. The torches were all extinguished and heavy leathers that that been covered small square openings had all been lifted away to allow in the warm sunlight.

Grandmother was sitting in a high back chair that had been constructed from wood, stone and animal bones. Despite the primitive nature of their settlement, the older woman with her snow white hair twisted into braids of varying lengths and thicknesses, looked quite regal. She motioned for Claire to come forward and, like the night before, Claire removed her the boats before approaching.

It wasn't until she stood just feet before Grandmother that Claire realized Tanaraq had not joined her. She looked back towards the door but the young woman was gone.

How in the world was she supposed talk to this woman?

Turning back, Claire found those intense, cobalt blue eyes fixated on her.

"G-good morning," she managed at last.

For a long while Grandmother was silent, her gaze unwavering, just as it had been the night before. Try as she might, Claire was unable to tear her eyes away. She began to wonder if the older woman really was somehow gazing into her very soul.

"Sit, child," Grandmother said at last, her voice stronger and deeper than Claire would have expected from a woman of her years. As Claire sat, it struck her that Grandmother had spoken in a language she could understand.

"You... but... Tanaraq said...how?"

"Where do you think she learned your language?" Grandmother asked.

"But why lie?" Claire asked, feeling oddly betrayed.

"You question me, child?" Grandmother asked, a flash of anger sparking in her eyes.

"N-no," Claire stammered, "but surely trust is not earned through deception?"

A faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "You've got a fire in you," she said. "That's good. You are going to need it for the road ahead. The reason I deceived you was because you and your companions had not yet earned my trust."

Claire nodded, though she wasn't wasn't wholly convinced it was a reasonable answer.

Grandmother, taking her silence as acceptance, continued.

"How are you feeling this morning?"

"Better," Claire replied. "My leg doesn't hurt as much as it was. What... happened?"

"You were not born in this world, Claire," Grandmother said, "and as a result this world reacts differently to your presence, just as you react differently to it." She motioned for Claire to come closer. "It has been some time since we've had a wayfarer such as yourself in our midsts."

"How do you know?"

"Besides your strange clothing and obvious ignorance?" Grandmother said with a smirk. "I can sense it. Your aura is different, it conflicts with the natural flow of this place, but it is not entirely foreign either and I believe, someday, it could also learn to harmonize with it."

"Harmonize? But, Alek... he said I should go back," Claire replied quietly.

"Is that what you wish? To return to your home?"

"I..." Claire began, uncertainty welling up within her once more. "I don't know."

"I've met many like your friend Alek. For all his knowledge, he cannot always see past the moment, he does not alway see the forest through the trees," Grandmother offered. She motioned for Claire to follow her to the pit where a low fire was burning. "His pride is both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness. Your humility is yours, Claire."

"I don't understand."

"Last evening, when we spoke, you said you were only a burden," Grandmother continued. "Why do you feel that way?"

"Because all I've done since I've arrived is cause trouble," Claire said after a moment of thought. "I have nothing to offer. Draz and Alek, they have amazing magic, and I'm just a normal girl. A girl who should have just gone home."

"If you truly believe that, why did you get on that train?"

"Because... Alek, he took something," Claire said at last. "I wanted to get it back."

"Is that all?" Grandmother smiled and picked up a wide, shallow dish sitting on the edge of the stone ring that made up the pit. She scooped a handful of silvery white powder. " Because of your choice, your life has split into two paths. You can choose to remain here and follow the new path fate has carved out for you, or you can return home, return to your old life. Look deep into the flames, Claire, and tell me what you see."

Before Claire could question her, she tossed the dust into the flames and it flared briefly before settling again. The fire shifted from a bright orange to a deep blue.

"I don't..."

The words faded as images began to appear in the shimmering flames.

A broken crown.

A flaming sword.

A blood stained moon.

A shattered mirror.

Each image came in fragmented, disjointed pieces and Claire didn't know what to make of any of it. As the last image faded away, she looked up to see Grandmother watching her intently through thin wisps of gray smoke.

"Did you ever consider that you were meant to get on that train?" Grandmother asked at last, breaking the heavy silence.

Claire hadn't.

"But why? What does it mean? The things I saw..."

"That is always the problem with visions such as these, child," Grandmother said with a slow shake of her head. "They rarely make sense at the start. Only time will reveal their true meaning. The choice to stay here is yours, Claire. You can see what fate has in store for you here, or, you are free to return to your home, free to live your life and try to forget this place. But know this, you will always be connected to this world and while you may forget after a time, your heart will yearn for it even if you cannot remember why."

Once outside, the heavy, foreboding feeling that had settled over her during her time with grandmother seemed to dissipate under the warmth of the morning sun. Tanaraq was nowhere to be seen, but Yakone was waiting patiently by the door. When he saw her he smiled and motioned for her to follow.

"Food," he said and that was all the encouragement Claire needed.

He lead Claire back to the town center where tables and chairs were still set up from the previous evening's festivities. He motioned for Claire to sit and then lumbered off in search of breakfast.

Or so Claire assumed.

When Yakone returned a few minutes later he had a tray in one hand and a clay jug in the other. He set both down on the table and watched her expectantly. Claire lifted the cloth covering the tray. It bore dried strips of salted fish, a thick pungent cheese that reminded Claire of cheddar, and a strange bluish white fruit that reminded her of a mix between a blueberry and a cherry.

"Thank you, Yakone," she asked.

He nodded, that broad smile returning to his face.

Claire had only taken a few bites of the sweet, blue fruit when the sound of squabbling drew her attention towards the path down which she and Yakone had walked. She was not surprised to see both Draz and Alek stalking towards her, the two engaged in some heated conversation.

"Hey you two," she called when they were close enough. "Want something to eat? There's plenty, I'm not sure Yakone knows I can't eat as much as he can."

"Eat? She disappears and then asks us if we want to eat?" Draz exclaimed. "Where in the world have you been?"

"We've been worried sick!" Alek shouted.

"Grandmother wanted to speak to me, and since then I've been with Yakone," she said, motioning towards her broad shouldered companion.

"That's your excuse?" Draz asked.

"Excuse? It's not an excuse... will one of you please tell me what's going on?"

"What's going on is we woke up and you were gone," Alek stated sharply. "We were worried you had wandered off and... and..."

"And what?"

"Walked off a cliff or something!" Draz finished for him.

"Do you see any cliffs around here? Do you know how absurd you both sound right now?" Claire asked, feeling a mixture of annoyance and amusement. "You are both being incredibly silly. I didn't wake you because you looked so peaceful, but I was sore and needed to stretch."

Draz opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it.

"Sorry," Alek said with a heavy sigh. "After last night we were just really worried."

"Yeah, about that... I'm sorry," Claire said, her eyes seeking out Alek's own. "Whatever I said... that wasn't me. I didn't mean it."

"I know," Alek replied, though he looked away when he spoke. "No need to apologize."

"Is this breakfast?" Draz asked, poking at the tray of food. His expression reminded Claire of a hopeful child waiting for permission to go out and play.

"Yes, Draz, take what you like," Claire said. She turned her attention back to Alek. She wanted to ask him more about what had happened, but his attention had shifted to Tanaraq who approached with Grandmother at her side.

"Good morning," Alek said bowing at the waist. Grandmother nodded and Tanaraq returned the gesture with the same sweeping hand motion Yakone had greeted Claire with earlier.

"Grandmother said you are welcomed to stay another night if Claire requires more time to recuperate," Tanaraq offered with a smile.

Alek looked towards Claire who shrugged. "I feel a lot better, so no need to hold up things on my account," she replied.

"If you feel you can travel, I will start the preparations, we will leave this afternoon," Tanaraq replied. "We have prepared more suitable clothing for all of you. It will take us two days to reach the edge of our territory. After that, you will have to make the rest of the journey on your own terms."

"How will we travel?" Claire asked.

Tanaraq grinned. "That is a surprise."