The darkness began to fade gradually. A drab light appeared, followed by a blow of chilly wind. Tessa shivered, opened her eyes, and everything became clear again. She was reclining and gazing up at a blue-grey sky. How had she managed to escape the slime? A bird called while the clouds were moving overhead. She was unfamiliar with the noise. Did birds of different species inhabit the Land of Light?
Tessa became conscious of her body, and her fingertips touched the slightly wet pebbles. Wasn't it supposed to be grass? Nothing is meant by this. I've been placed somewhere after being knocked unconscious once more. A small piece of the tree branch dropped out of her grasp as she rolled to a crouching position as her thoughts finally became clear. She looked up after seeing it roll towards the toe of her boot.
Trees. No trees were present! She saw rocks everywhere she turned—huge red stones that cast shadows in every direction. Aside from the small black puddle a few feet away from where she had been resting, the ground was also bare. She ignored the small, worrisome chill that crept up her neck and adjusted her bow and sword. Move without thinking. She climbed the tallest boulder nearby after trudging through the red dust she couldn't make sense of. She froze as she saw what was in store for her.
The drop in front of her was so great that she could not see the earth below as she stood on the brink of a high butte. She was surrounded by what appeared to be hundreds of other buttes—vast, craggy formations that thrust their plateaus upward. There appeared to be structures of some sort on several of the buttes, though it was difficult to see them properly.
Tessa continued to grip the hilt of her blade while allowing her gaze to look up at the sky once more. There were three moons by Tevvuk's beard. The largest of the three shone a light blue, while the other two were white.
No.
Tessa moved away from the action and shut her eyes to give herself a moment to breathe. This cannot be true. All of this could not be true. Surely she is dreaming. Yes. She must have been having a dream. That or she was going crazy, I guess.
She quickly ran her hands over her face before opening her eyes gradually. The three moons were still visible, and she could see small brown mud cottages scattered across the plateau she was on in this way. The huts, which were arranged in two rows, started not far from where she was standing and appeared to go all the way to the edge of the plateau, where a higher building loomed. Oh no, I've gone crazy!
Tessa held tight to her officer training as her palms started to perspire. Accept. Act. Survive. It was the right thing to do in dangerous situations. Any way she turned around, Gaia could not be this. There were only three possibilities if this wasn't Gaia: the Light Landers had altered her consciousness, she had actually entered another realm, or she had died and was now in the afterlife. There was only one thing she could do to maintain her sanity, regardless of which of those three possibilities had materialised. She had to proceed with her objective under the assumption that she had crossed dimensions.
Locate Michael and deliver him to Gaia.
Tessa checked her weapons, feeling more stable now that she had a purpose in sight. She was shocked to discover that there was no sign of the black substance on her outfit. She then moved towards the brown huts while holding her sword's hilt in one hand and her quiver's strap in the other.
The mud huts were bigger than they had initially seemed up close. The wide, domed single-story buildings had what seemed like basement floors that had been carved out of the rock. She moved between the small buildings, staying in the shadows, and peered into the windows. There was no one inside the living quarters, which appeared to be spacious enough to accommodate families of five or six. Where were they all?
Tessa dove behind a wall when she heard a door slam and turned to look across the road at a somewhat larger hut. Two women had emerged, each wearing straightforward brown tunics with vibrant beaded belts. They didn't appear to have any weapons on them.
Tessa watched them from where she was hidden. They were around the same height as Greenlanders; they weren't as tall as Warriors or as small as No-Landers. Their skin, however, was a golden colour with a hint of crimson, similar to that of the inhabitants of the Giant Forest. Their nearly similar black curly hair swung to the beat of the hand movements that went along with the sharp sounds Tessa couldn't understand as they spoke.
They turned away from Tessa and started walking down the sandy path after what seemed like a lifetime.
Tessa stayed in the shadows once more, following the women because she thought they would take her to where the others were. She had to locate the locals so she could speak with someone regarding the location of a nine-year-old youngster. If she could only figure out a way to communicate, that is!
Before reaching the tall structure Tessa had spotted from the boulder, the women walked through a number of further cottages, all of which appeared to be as deserted as the previous ones. This four-story building was composed of what seemed like blood-red wood and had four levels. Its door was wide open, in contrast to all the ones she had seen so far, and noises of raucous laughter were coming from inside. Surprisingly, the building had no visible windows other than one on the top floor.
Someone inside had to have seen the youngster because it appeared that the entire plateau was congregated there. Tessa followed the women inside what she could only characterise as a gambling den, aware that she was taking a chance. The entrance and the entire mezzanine above were crowded with tables that were illuminated by dazzling hanging candles and surrounded by enthusiastic people. She confirmed her suspicions with a quick glance around from a position near the door: there were no swords, arrows, or spears to be seen.
Two women in only sheer red gowns helped a man stutter down the large staircases in the middle of the structure. They were performers, right? No one had noticed her presence because they were all preoccupied with their joys. But they would, and she needed to learn more before it happened.
Tessa searched the mezzanine floors for skilled combatants while staying close to the walls. There were several dozen people who appeared to be fighting-ready. There were at least twenty people who had pickaxes attached to their leather belts, and practically everyone appeared to have blades in their boots. None of them appeared to be trained troops based on the way they moved. Yet surely there would be security in a venue like this where money was being exchanged?