We ended up sitting around the table once more.

  “You say you're a mage,” I said. Elandra nodded. "Exactly what does a mage do?"

  “Perhaps it's easier to show you,” she said. She raised her hand, and I watched blue strands coalesce around her fingers and then link together above her palm. A bright blue ball appeared above her hand. Even from across the table, I could feel the heat. She closed her hand, and the ball disappeared. She raised the other hand, and another group of strands appeared; this time a web that spread into a vertical oval. She pursed her lips in an obvious effort, and before her appeared a semi-transparent blue wall. I reached cautiously across the table and pressed. It felt as if I was leaning against a piece of rubber. No matter how hard I pushed, I could not advance my hand further. The wall collapsed, and she breathed in relief.

  "So, you used your magic to bring us from our home to here?” I asked.

  “No, that is beyond me," she said. "I asked our Goddess to help, and she provided the bodies that you wear and your transport here."

  “Is that something you do all the time?” I asked. "Speak to your Goddess and ask for favors?”.

  She shook her head. "It's not something anyone has done that I know of." She paused. "We were desperate."

  "Why?”, asked Kate.

  "This will be a long story," said Elandra. "Perhaps we should eat first.”

  I realized that I was famished. I nodded, and Kate shrugged. Elandra leaned back in her chair and called out. "Summer. May we have some dinner?”

  A gray-haired woman popped her head out of a door that led to an adjacent room. She was dressed in a simple frock with an apron. Her feet were bare. She reminded me of my grandmother.

  "Of course, milady. I have some stewed challi, salad and bread, if that suits."

  “That sounds wonderful.”

  There was a clattering behind the door, and Summer emerged carrying a tray. She put bowls in front of us containing stew with some type of meat and what looked like root vegetables. She placed a basket of bread on the table. She disappeared into the kitchen again and returned with two more bowls for Elandra and Rory. On her final trip, she deposited ceramic cups of water and glasses with a blood-red wine. She smiled at us and disappeared.

  Elandra motioned at the food, and we dug in. I had not realized how hungry I was. It was an effort not to gobble everything down at once. I mopped up the sauce with a heel of bread and sat back. I sampled the wine; it was a little sweet to my taste, but otherwise excellent.

  Elandra sat back and looked at Kate and me. “We two are from Chai'noch,” she said. She pulled over Rory's bowl and placed it in the center of the table. She pushed her own until it was touching his. “Our world," she said, "is called Náh’nua. There are two main continents, here to the north,”—she pointed at the top bowl— “and here to the south. She drew an oval in the left-hand gap formed by the bowls. Between them lies the Inland Sea, which connects to the ocean to the west." She tapped the top of the lower bowl. "Here is the capital of the Empire of the Inland Sea, called Vandoran. We are south of the city.”

  She pointed to the bottom of the South Continent. "Here lies Chai'noch. It is a smallish country, cooler than here, and ringed with mountains. Our families—” she waved her hand, indicating herself and Rory, “—have dwelled there for generation upon generation. Life in Chai'noch was never easy, but the country has a beauty beyond description.” Her gaze turned inward. Rory was silent.

  “But three years ago, hell itself came to our door." She clasped her hands together and stared at the table. "No one has been able to tell me where the demons first emerged. Some say the Southern mountains, others say they emerged from one of the old silver mines. They appeared to be human, albeit taller and cadaverous. But all bore a collar around their throat. Soft, silvery, and almost alive. I do know that their first target was a small village called Shalma which rests in the foothills of the Southern Mountains."

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Her fingers tightened, and the knuckles blanched. “Only two escaped from the village. I was the local mage in the nearest city and spoke to both. They told me the village was attacked early in the morning when all were sleeping. The adults were collared, while the children, the elderly, and the infirm were killed.”

  “What do you mean, collared?”, I asked.

  “The same collar that the demons wore was placed around the necks of the villagers. Once secured, it could not be removed. Worse, the survivors told me that the collared had lost their souls. Their eyes were blank. Their thoughts were not their own. They followed the commands of the demons, including orders to kill those of their own family who resisted.” She closed her eyes. "Even their own children."

  Kate frowned. "But surely, once you knew what was happening, you could have called in the army to retake the village."

  Elandra laughed hollowly. “We have no army. We are a small country, and when we need to defend ourselves, a militia is raised from the local lords. The number of soldiers is small. They are not outfitted well. We depend upon our mountains and our knowledge of the terrain, but the villagers who were turned knew all of these things." She shrugged, "Of course, we investigated. I did not go myself for, I am not a battle Mage. But two of my colleagues and their Blades set out with a coterie of knights to investigate. They were set upon by the villagers. The collared feel no pain. Have no fear. They continue fighting until they are dead. The mages were killed, as were most of the knights. The others were turned."

  “This was three years ago," I said. "What has happened since then?"

  Her voice was almost a whisper. "Our country was lost. Day after day, month after month. Village by village, and then the cities. The demons did not just turn humans. They turned the other races: elves, goblins, orcs. The orcs served as their shock troops. Even our knights were hard-pressed to stand against them. But the worst were the mages. A turned mage is a terrible thing."

  “Was there no way to destroy the collars? Wouldn't that free the turned?”

  “Any attempt to destroy the collar leads to the death of the host. They are very difficult to remove. Fire is the only safe method.”

  “Did you ask for help from other countries?” asked Kate.

  "Of course! But they did not believe us at first." Elandra shrugged. "And then they sent observers to see for themselves. But all of them felt that once the demons had conquered us, that would be the end of it. We're far away and out of mind. And so, we have nothing of value that anyone wants." She wiped her eyes. "No one cared."

  "Where do the collars come from?" I asked.

  “No one knows.” Elandra said, "We know that they seem to be produced slowly since their spread throughout our country was so slow. At one point, we sent a group towards the original site from which the demons came to seek their source. Only one of the scouts survived. The rest were killed or turned."

  "How many people are left in Chai'noch?" asked Kate.

  "You mean those that are not collared?" said Elandra. Kate nodded. “None. Only the demons are left. Those that were not turned fled the country. We did our best to allow the women and children to flee through the passes. Our Mages and their Blades were the rearguard. Almost all of them died."

  “You keep on mentioning Mages and their Blades.”, I said. “What do you mean?”

  Rory spoke for the first time. "Mages fight at a distance. Each has a Blade who serves to protect them at close range."

  Kate waved her hand at the two of them. "So, you two are…”.

  Rory's hands clenched on the table. Elandra shook her head at us in warning.

  “How and why did you two end up here?” I asked.

  Elandra sighed, "I told you I am not a battle Mage," she said, "I am a Seer."

  "You see the future?” I said.

  "No, not as such. I see possibilities that spread outwards like a web. I try to follow the strands, but sometimes they branch so much that it is impossible to discern an outcome. Occasionally a few strands stand out from the others, and I'm able to guess what will or may happen. And only seldom,” she shuddered, “I see a single strand that stands alone.”

  She was silent for a minute. "As we retreated through the final pass, I cast my spell while looking down towards Chai'noch. I was looking for a route for my people to escape. But instead, I watched the collared swell in number, then march through the passes, up the Southern Continent and then to the Northern. They were inexorable. Nothing stood before them. Cities burned, children died. When they were done, all that was left were demons."

  She paused. "But there was another strand, slimmer and more fragile, wavering in my vision. I saw myself prostrate before my Goddess, and she reached out her hand and called for heroes to support us. And they fought for us.” She bowed her head. “I do not know what happened next.”

  She looked up at us. “I told our leaders of my vision, and they sent me Rory to protect me, and told us to flee to the north. When we arrived here, I called out to the Goddess.” She waved her hand at us. “And she sent you."

  Kate and I looked at each other.

  “No pressure," she said.