Wiley screamed and flailed while he sped through a multicolored tunnel. He bounced off the colorful tube of power that separated him from the void of space. Stars streamed by ever faster until they shot along in straight lines.
“This was a bad idea! AAAAH!” He zoomed along, weightless and bouncing off the sides and cartwheeling his arms.
Behind him, the rainbow tunnel stretched into eternity. Ahead, the scene changed, and another rainbow-colored sheet appeared on the planet he recognized from his phone. The closer he flew toward the striped rainbow sheet, the faster the ground came toward him.
He fell into the rainbow membrane, bending it, and it absorbed his forward motion like a car’s airbag, and then his feet touched solid ground. A forest spread in front of him, then he drove into the membrane with his shoulder, pushing with his feet under his wooden tripod. To his surprise, his tripod had arrived here ahead of him.
The rainbow sheet wrapped him like plastic wrap. It flexed as Wiley pushed, then tore, and he fell onto soft green grass, rolling head over heels and burning. Small fires singed the edges of his clothes, and sparks popped as he rolled on the grass. His clothes smoked at the edges.
Wiley slapped out the fires on his shirt and jeans and stomped small flames on the grass. He slapped at his smoking hair. Smoke rose from Wiley’s back, and his hair smelled burnt. He stood, satisfied all the embers had died, and he studied his steaming tripod.
The tripod appeared unharmed, like a monolith, and it puzzled him. The clock, can, and ruby dangled in the light.
“How?” Then he coughed and put his fist to his mouth and coughed more. “The air here is so fresh. It’s like breathing air so pure it burns.” He coughed a couple of times more, cleared his throat, and took slow deep breaths, and found he tolerated the air. “The air smells light and crisp and cold to breathe, although it’s warm. The season could be late spring or early summer.”
Wiley pivoted and scanned his surroundings. He stood on the grass among trees and squinted at the warm white rays through the tree canopies.
“The light from their star streaks through the broad trees. It slices through the fat trees and creates the long and wide stripes through the forest.” He put his hand up to shield his eyes. “It’s afternoon here, and the white star is lowering. What do they call it?” This unblemished forest ended not far to the north, and beyond the edge of the forest, he could make out a large meadow. “Wow. What a sight.”
Wiley jumped up, and the small hop took him a whole foot off the ground. “Wow! I’m light,” he said. “There’s less gravity here than Earth.”
Thunder boomed in the distance, and he ducked and hustled behind a large tree. Lightning flashed from a tall thundercloud in the meadow past the unspoiled forest. Wiley peered from the tree at the thunderstorm in the distant field. “The storm is in a small area, isolated in that vast meadow.”
A feminine voice came from behind him. “You there, sorcerer! Hold. What strange magic have you done?”
Wiley spun. A young woman crouched six or seven paces behind him, hands out, ready for battle. But she didn’t look like any woman he had ever seen.
She looked human in every aspect except for the rabbit parts. Her body had a human torso with arms and legs, hands, and feet. The woman had one thing Wiley couldn’t help noticing that set her apart – rabbit ears!
Her long, broad ears mounted at the side of her head, reached high, a foot at least, and tapered to a point. They had light brown fur on the outside and white inside, and her left ear stood straight while the other ear bent in the middle. It matched her quizzical raised eyebrow.
“Only a wizard could create such a talisman as this. Stop gawking at me, sorcerer, and explain yourself!”
“Relax, I mean you no harm,” Wiley said. She rose, straightening but still wary with her hands forward out of her cloak sleeves, ready for combat. Her green cloak covered her shoulders, had a collar, and fastened at her neck.
Along the outer edge of each ear, she wore small shiny diamond studs. She had placed three tiny diamonds in a row on each ear, and on her wrists, she wore loose silver bracelets.
She had large deep blue teardrop-shaped eyes that slanted up on the corners. She had a flattened nose that ended in a heart-shaped, y-split for nostrils. Beneath her nose, she had long white whiskers jutting out each side.
She’s no teenager, Wiley thought. The crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes gave away her maturity. The woman didn’t seem hostile; she would have already attacked. She cocked an eyebrow along with one long ear and stepped toward Wiley.
“If you have come to do mischief, strange sorcerer, think again. Know me, for I am Yini, the renowned and dreaded witch of the forest. Who are you, sorcerer, and what species are you? Tell me how you materialized through that talisman!” Yini pointed toward it.
“Call me Wiley, Yini, and I’m a man, traveling from the planet Earth through spacetime. This device brought me here,” he said, giving it a nod, “and I have a hunch my father came here long ago using a similar device.” Still tense, Yini and Wiley circled one another, wary of making a sudden move.
Yini had a firm, athletic build. This woman displayed a fighter’s grace in her movements, easing one foot across the other light as a ballet dancer. She wore her brown hair cut short at her chin, uneven as though she cut it herself. Her short hair stuck up as it split around her big ears, she had bangs in her eyes, and longer strands hung on each cheek. Except for Yini’s rabbit eyes and nose, she would be a human woman with a full mouth and pouty lips.
Under her green cloak, she wore a green shirt and tan pants with hand-stitching down the leg seams. She tucked her pant legs inside her leather boots, and her green wool cape fell over a small rucksack with a bedroll on top. The backpack fastened to her shoulders by wide straps.
“Well,” she said, nodding, “but you are not a Myn. Myn are eight-feet-tall and have arms as thick as your waist.”
“Meen?”
“No, Mi-en,” she said, breaking it down for him.
“Min?” he asked.
“That’s close enough.” She shook her head and walked close to him. “Where are you from? You call yourself a Myn, but you look nothing like one. Hold still, I must do this.”
Yini grabbed Wiley’s crotch, and he jumped back, covering himself with both hands. “What are you doing?”
“Why did you jump? A Myn would have been happy for me to check his spike. They have big ones and are proud of them.”
He cupped his hand over his crotch and stood wide-eyed. “Leave my ‘spike,’ or whatever, out of this! Jeez!” Wiley breathed hard.
Yini smiled, her cheek dimpled, and her eyes twinkled. “You said you traveled from another world. Do all Myn have itty-bitty spikes where you come from?” She giggled. “It was this big,” she said, holding up her finger and thumb.
“Aw, come on! It’s not that little!”
Wiley stepped toward her, and her ears perked straight up, and so did her eyebrows. “Are you going to show me and prove it?” She smiled a sideways grin with her eyebrows arched.
Wiley stopped, scoffed, and turned his back on her. “No, I’m not going to show you.” He stood like this for a moment until he felt her hand on his shoulder.
“They are useless, you know, those big spikes. The Myn hurt their She-Myn with them, use them more for inflicting pain than pleasure. They are no good for fun and play. Rabbit is better.”
Wiley looked over his shoulder at her, and it surprised him to find her face so close to his. Her long eyelashes hung half closed over her big blue eyes while she leaned on his shoulder from behind him, and her lips came close to touching his.
“A vision came to me of your talisman, Wiley,” she said. Yini took a step around him and ran her fingers over his shoulders. “The journey to here from my hut began two days ago, traveling by foot from the southern forest to see you and this talisman. The vision foretold of a newcomer, but my vision could not focus on your face, so here I am to see you firsthand.” She released the hook on her cloak and let it drop, then loosened the rucksack strap. “Give me a hand?”
Wiley lifted the ruck allowing her to slip her arms out of straps.
“Thank you, my new friend.”
Wiley offered her his hand to shake, and she frowned. “What do you want?”
“Where I’m from, when we greet new friends, we clasp hands.”
“Wiley. On Deamlon, strangers greet like this.” Yini put her right fist to her chest over her heart and bowed and lowered her eyes. “It’s an honor, sorcerer. Like that. But we have already gotten close, so we are past greetings.”
“I’m not a sorcerer,” Wiley said.
Yini frowned, looking from him to the tripod and back to him. “That talisman is powerful magic.”
Wiley stood staring at the tripod, not knowing what to say. The tiny scratchy voices still rang in his ears. Aim at the pinwheel. “Do you know anything about little flying creatures who speak in scratches?”
“Yes, I do, but I cannot speak of them,” Yini said. A smile broke on her face, making dimples again, and her beauty made Wiley smile. “You’re lost, aren’t you! You stepped out of time without having a clue where it might lead.” Yini giggled. “And you came here with nothing, no staff, no bedroll, and no food, I presume.”
“As a boy, my father built one of those talismans as you call them, and I dreamed of it or remembered it, I’m not sure which. I don’t know, but I found this phone,” Wiley said and reached to his back pocket for his cellphone.
As quick as a cat, Yini grabbed the hilt of her blade on her belt. “Easy!” she said in a calm but sure voice. “This blade has killed Myn three times your size. Whatever you have there, ease it out and hand it to me.”
Wiley nodded. “I don’t blame you for your caution.” Wiley slipped his white phone out of his back pocket and held it in his open palm.
Yini reached her hand out with plenty of caution and lifted the phone from his palm. At once, the blue flame jumped from its glass. Yini laughed. “AHA! You brought my Pool of Fire! The vision I had put this in my hand on this day and it gave me hope, Wiley. Do you see why I had to come? The dreams showed me that an outsider would bring it.”
When she looked up from the phone, Wiley’s face became contorted.
What is happening? This dull ache in my chest is killing me! The pristine forest, Yini, her ruck on the ground, all twirled, spinning.
“Dizzy… head is swimming, Yini. OW!” Wiley’s heart stopped, and he smacked his chest with his fist.
“What is the matter, my friend?” she asked. Yini frowned, then Wiley doubled over in pain.
His heart took a long pause, then, thump-bump!
Energy erupted from his chest, staggering Yini enough to cause her to stumble back a step. The forest quivered from the power wave, making Wiley gawk in surprise. Leaves rattled and swished as the force flew through the woods, rippling the fauna. Wiley gripped his ribcage and bent over, grimacing.
Yini found herself heartbroken. “What did you do to me?” she asked him and started to cry. She dropped to one knee and with her mouth open, and crying with her lip trembling. “My dear, dear friend! You are in pain, my sorcerer! But you must hold your power inside until I can help you!” She squatted with him and sat, and Wiley stretched his legs out on the ground. Yini put his head in her lap, and she stroked his hair.
She began to hum as her eyes welled with tears, not a tune, but a steady deep tone. This sound arose from her – a throaty sound like a cat purring but lower, like an engine idling. She vibrated and blinked tears down her cheek and sniffed, sobbing. “Wiley,” she whispered while she purred.
The throaty vibrating purr came, “Hoodle, oodle, oodle, oodle….” Yini put her palm on Wiley’s cheek, bent low to his face, put her lips close to his, and slid her arm under his shoulders. She purred from deep in her chest while she breathed, purring while inhaling and exhaling. “Hoodle, oodle, oodle, oodle, oodle….” As her purr rumbled, she made her lips round like a kiss. The low pulsations vibrated from her chest down into her arms and hands.
An azure blue tendril snaked from her puckered lips, and Yini put her kiss-shaped lips close to his. He closed his eyes and let Yini send her tendril into his mouth and down his throat, and it tickled. Her closeness brought the scent of wildflowers and evergreen. Wiley tilted his head to her neck, and she did not mind him sniffing her.
Yini peered out of narrow eyes and smiled when he caught her gaze while she purred and sent her blue snakes into his mouth. Wiley’s thoughts turned to her thick lips and how he wanted to kiss her as close as they were. Guessing his thoughts, Yini eased in closer while her magic poured into him. She touched her lips to his and backed away, acting normal as if it were an accident.
The blue cords went deep into his lungs, then split into tiny webbing. Yini’s threads seeped into his bloodstream. Yini’s power found his heart and wrapped vines around it.
Wiley’s eyes jerked wide! “You have my heart!”
“Yes. Be calm,” Yini said, talking and purring, and it came out in vibrato. She massaged Wiley’s heart and steadied the beat, and his pain subsided. “Mmm, there, there. Relax now. Wiley, people know me as a healer so, let me use my healing magic on you,” she said. “Yes, that’s it; close your eyes, and let me help.” Wiley sniffed. “You enjoy my scent,” she said, whispering close to his lips, still sending her blue power drifting into his mouth. Wiley’s face went red, and he nodded. She searched his eyes.
Yini entered his mind, and her voice echoed. Tell me of that wave of power you set loose. What did you do to me, sorcerer? You brought tears from my eyes, and I have never cried for a Myn in my life.
Wiley jerked and tried to back away from her, but she gripped his shoulders. She spoke with her mind again. Be still and relax, Wiley; let me help you. Wiley stopped, batted his eyes, and nodded.
“Okay. You’re in my head!” He shut his eyes and began taking deeper breaths, and he relaxed. After two heart massaging moments, Yini straightened, and she let him up. She removed her blue vines from his heart, and he got to his knees.
Once done, she smiled. “Do you feel better now?” Yini helped Wiley to his feet.
“Yes, I do. I don’t know what happened. A similar spell happened before I used the tripod to travel here.”
“Your heart is trash. It needs new valves,” Yini said. “From what I found, Wiley, you’ve had this affliction since birth. You heard me asking about the wave of power you sent. Please explain it to me.”
Wiley frowned. “How did you talk to my mind? It made me want to open my head and dig out the bug in there.”
“Answer my question first, and I will answer yours. Power came from you, and I have never heard of a power causing instant love and heartbreak, shedding tears for you, and I don’t even know you. How did you do it?”
Wiley became frustrated. “Yini, I assure you; the power is new, and I didn’t do it on purpose,” Wiley said, pushing out his palms.
“Don’t excite yourself, but you do not speak the truth, Wiley. The blast came from your chest.” She arched a brow and cocked an ear in thought. She pooched her lips, and her whiskers twitched. “A spell such as that could be useful in a battle to bring an enemy to tears. But we will drop it for now until you become stronger.” Thunder boomed in the distance.
Yini stepped from behind Wiley and gazed out toward the open field. “Out there, we call that the Great Meadow. There is an important thing I need to tell you,” Yini said. She pointed to the sky. “The thunderstorm out there in the Great Meadow is not natural.”
“How so?”
“Queen Amora is inside that thundercloud. She makes the thunder and lightning to put fear in the people. Right now, she demands the Rabbits tell her where this talisman is,” she said and pointed. “Your talisman. She has had a vision of it, but her visions lack precision.”
“Who is Amora, and what is she?” Wiley asked.
Yini said, “Amora is Queen of all Deam and Deamlon, the entire world.” Yini motioned with her hands.
“This country is Deam?”
Yini nodded. “The word comes from an ancient language called Mittle, meaning fertile. Myn spoke Mittle eons ago before Amora.”
“Deamlon would mean fertile land?” Wiley asked.
“Yes, Wiley. The planet’s name means fertile land. You know you are skinny, and I could whip you in a fight with my bare hands. But your magic heart power scares me, sorcerer,” Yini said.
Wiley sighed and paused, then dropped the subject of magic heart power. “Okay, so Amora rules the world. I thought so. Amora fought me in my world. She came through, looking for a piece of red glass I have.”
“I do not doubt it as she is a powerful witch. Wiley, look me in the eyes,” Yini said. He complied. “Good, now listen. You may hate me after telling you this, but you must know that I am a witch. Do you understand what it means?” Yini stopped, leaving it and waiting for his reaction.
“Yes, you said already, and I’m okay with it. You used magic to heal my heart and talked inside my head. How did you do that because you entered my, um, sanctum, or whatever?” Wiley asked, and the thought hit him that she saved him. “But never mind. I don’t care, and I’m glad you can do magic! You saved my life with it. Do all Rabbits have magic? How many witches live on Deamlon?”
Yini put her hand on his cheek again and smiled. “Very few peoples tolerate magic, let alone glad of it. Oh, my sorcerer who can make instant love,” she said, smiling and batting her eyelashes. “The law forbids a witch to live in Rabbit clans!” Yini shook her head, and her eyes welled with tears. “Alphus, my Clan Chief, exiled me many seasons past as an adolescent. There are no other Witch-Rabbits. And if a She-Rabbit gave birth to another witch, mage, or sorcerer, I would see it in a vision.”
“You must be lonely,” Wiley said. Yini shrugged and turned her head. Wiley wanted to change the subject. “There’s a difference between a witch and a mage?”
Yini sighed, then used her hands to help explain. “On Deamlon, you see, there exists a hierarchy among magical peoples. At the top is the witch. They can divine the past, present, and future. She uses mystical means to manipulate the physical and ethereal realms,” Yini said with a wave. “Those with lesser power who are mages or sorcerers depending on their sex. They do not have visions. No mages or sorcerers exist now because the Crown, through time, has hung them all. Let me clarify; no sorcerer exists here until you came today.”
“I’m not a sorcerer, but the hanging part sounds like Earth. But you are a witch, the highest power,” Wiley said.
“Yes, I am. And I am a witch who has a price on her head,” Yini said. “Clan Chief Alphus wants to see me hang and has placed a hefty bounty for my capture.”
“And what about Queen Amora. She’s a witch, right? Why don’t they hang her?” Wiley asked.
Yini laughed. “The law doesn’t apply to the Crown. She is above the law,” Yini said and laughed again, but fake, and Wiley knew she burned with anger.
“A contradiction,” Wiley said.
“A big one, and stupid.” She looked at Wiley through tears. “Queen Amora had a vision of your talisman, the general area right, but not the pin-point place. So, she harasses my people enjoying the wedding ceremony. This time of the year, Rabbits marry. Not me, though.” Yini sniffed.
“So, you’re a Rabbit. What else is there?”
“She-Rabbit,” Yini said, correcting him. “There are Myn and She-Myn, Myn-Rabbits and She-Rabbits, and Elves on Deamlon,” Yini said.
“Are there, She-Elves?” Wiley asked.
“Yes, but Elves are ambiguous, even with their voices. You don’t know which sex you’re addressing. They look like one another. They are all tall, skinny, and have blond curly hair.”
“Amora is a She-Myn,” Wiley said.
“Yes, Queen Amora is a She-Myn, and she terrifies everyone, including Myn, who are bigger and stronger. Wiley, you said you had a piece of red glass she wants. Where is it?”
“You are a good listener,” Wiley said. “It’s hanging on the tripod.”
“You must hide it. Now! Amora has realized you and your red glass are not among the Rabbits, and she comes this way.” Yini grabbed her rucksack and cloak, hoisted the ruck on her back, then trotted toward the road and stopped behind a tree. Wiley went to the tripod and untied the ruby shard.
“How can you tell? Oh yeah, visions,” Wiley said.
Wiley stuffed the piece of glass in his pocket. Yini stood behind a tree close enough to the forest’s edge to see the meadow, staring at the sky. “There is yet another danger around us. We must run from the forest right away or become dinner for the Etter birds. Can you hear them?”
“Etter birds?”
“Yes, Wiley. We will talk once we are in the Great Meadow. Run now!” Yini took off at a sprint through the trees with Wiley right behind her.
Wiley laughed when he discovered how fast he could run. He could cover more ground with long strides. “This is faster than I’ve ever run!” Wiley said and laughed. His heart rate increased, and his chest began to cramp. But he ignored the pain as they raced from the woods toward the road and the Great Meadow.
“This is so much fun!” he said while he ran faster.
Etter birds flapped their giant wings above him. The sight of enormous white wings and a long-billed bird motivated him to run harder, catching Yini. An Etter bird squawked as they both broke through the wood line and onto the east-west road. The road ran along the edge of the forest as far as Wiley could see. Yini slowed to a stop.
“We are safe now,” she said without a sign of losing any breath. “The birds will not exit the forest because of the Elves’ mind control.”
Wiley bent at the waist and sucked air. “Will you answer my questions soon?” he asked and took a deep breath.
“Yes, but not now. Let’s go!” Yini said.
When they ran again, Wiley noticed her tail for the first time. Her pants buttoned at the waist above the spade-shaped furry tail. Her bunny tail had a hint of brown fur on top but all white underneath.
“You have a tail,” Wiley said.
“Of course, I do. I’m a Rabbit. Let me tell you the story of the Etter birds while we run. Hundreds of seasons ago, Amora wished the forest free of debris. She wanted a certain depth along the major roads cleared for appearances. Back then, she ruled over the Elves, so she tasked them to do it. Being lazy, the Elves noticed how the big Etter birds cleaned every scrap around their nests. So, Elves compelled the birds to clean the forest two hundred tensteps deep each day at dusk. But now, the Elves can’t stop them. They clean everything, every twig, and people also if you’re dumb enough to be there.”
“Looking at this depth, a tenstep would equal nine or ten yards on Earth. How do you measure height? You said Myn stood eight feet tall.”
“Amora commanded us to measure height in feet and smaller increments in inches,” Yini said.
“Okay, thanks. The Elves can’t stop the Etter birds?” Wiley asked.
“That is what I said. Elves died trying. The Etter birds clean it from dusk till dark in a space which we call the ‘Etter distance.’” Yini said, using air quotes. “After the distance, the forest is wild, dark, and tangled, and it is my home.”
Wiley nodded. “The wild forest is my home, too. So, the Etter distance is safe, except dusk until dark. How do we speak the same language, Yini?”
Yini’s attention stayed focused on the big thundercloud in the distance. She pointed at the cloud. “Amora, up there, changed our language when she became Queen eons ago. Rabbits spoke Danguray, a fanciful language. Myn spoke Mittle, a harsh and guttural tongue. Elves spoke Elvish, and Amora demanded the peoples of Deamlon speak the same tongue, hers.”
“Amora fetched books from the world of her birth for our scholars to teach. The change took five difficult seasons, from what I’ve read. To motivate people, the Queen started hanging anyone who wouldn’t speak her English.” Yini glanced down the road and back at the cloud.
“You’re nervous,” Wiley said. They stopped running, and she turned to him.
“The jitters come when I cannot wrap my forest around me like my cloak to hide and protect me. The Rabbit clans will find me in the open meadow. Look,” Yini said and pointed down the road. “The road along the forest takes you west to Piens and on to Estiel. You can start looking for your father there. Start in Piens,” she said and headed across the Great Meadow at a trot.
“Who said I wanted to find my Dad? He abandoned me,” Wiley said, watching her run away. Her long ears flopped on her shoulders as she ran. The grass, knee-high weeds, and wildflowers slapped her legs. She said nothing and kept on running.
Lightning flashed, and thunder boomed across the meadow, and Wiley crouched.
“There it is!” a deep feminine voice reverberated from the thunderhead. Lightning flashed, and thunder rolled.
“Oh, no! That voice is familiar!” Wiley said. The stratospheric tall, menacing cloud rolled toward him. His tornado had come from a cloud that looked like that one. Amora turned her rain cloud from the Rabbits in the wedding ceremony at once, and since no longer captive, they scattered. Rabbits ran across the Great Meadow toward tall, forested hills in the distance.
“CAPTURE HIM!” Her voice came deep and booming across the meadow.
Three oval-shaped, flying vehicles came toward Wiley from behind the cloud, silver, blue, and sleek. He couldn’t run into the forest to hide because of the Etter birds, so he ran in the direction Yini went across the Great Meadow.
He could see for miles, and Yini had vanished. Where did she go? Better yet, how did she disappear? He glanced over his shoulder, and the flying vehicles bore down on him.
Wiley screamed and flailed while he sped through a multicolored tunnel. He bounced off the colorful tube of power that separated him from the void of space. Stars streamed by ever faster until they shot along in straight lines.
“This was a bad idea! AAAAH!” He zoomed along, weightless and bouncing off the sides and cartwheeling his arms.
Behind him, the rainbow tunnel stretched into eternity. Ahead, the scene changed, and another rainbow-colored sheet appeared on the planet he recognized from his phone. The closer he flew toward the striped rainbow sheet, the faster the ground came toward him.
He fell into the rainbow membrane, bending it, and it absorbed his forward motion like a car’s airbag, and then his feet touched solid ground. A forest spread in front of him, then he drove into the membrane with his shoulder, pushing with his feet under his wooden tripod. To his surprise, his tripod had arrived here ahead of him.
The rainbow sheet wrapped him like plastic wrap. It flexed as Wiley pushed, then tore, and he fell onto soft green grass, rolling head over heels and burning. Small fires singed the edges of his clothes, and sparks popped as he rolled on the grass. His clothes smoked at the edges.
Wiley slapped out the fires on his shirt and jeans and stomped small flames on the grass. He slapped at his smoking hair. Smoke rose from Wiley’s back, and his hair smelled burnt. He stood, satisfied all the embers had died, and he studied his steaming tripod.
The tripod appeared unharmed, like a monolith, and it puzzled him. The clock, can, and ruby dangled in the light.
“How?” Then he coughed and put his fist to his mouth and coughed more. “The air here is so fresh. It’s like breathing air so pure it burns.” He coughed a couple of times more, cleared his throat, and took slow deep breaths, and found he tolerated the air. “The air smells light and crisp and cold to breathe, although it’s warm. The season could be late spring or early summer.”
Wiley pivoted and scanned his surroundings. He stood on the grass among trees and squinted at the warm white rays through the tree canopies.
“The light from their star streaks through the broad trees. It slices through the fat trees and creates the long and wide stripes through the forest.” He put his hand up to shield his eyes. “It’s afternoon here, and the white star is lowering. What do they call it?” This unblemished forest ended not far to the north, and beyond the edge of the forest, he could make out a large meadow. “Wow. What a sight.”
Wiley jumped up, and the small hop took him a whole foot off the ground. “Wow! I’m light,” he said. “There’s less gravity here than Earth.”
Thunder boomed in the distance, and he ducked and hustled behind a large tree. Lightning flashed from a tall thundercloud in the meadow past the unspoiled forest. Wiley peered from the tree at the thunderstorm in the distant field. “The storm is in a small area, isolated in that vast meadow.”
A feminine voice came from behind him. “You there, sorcerer! Hold. What strange magic have you done?”
Wiley spun. A young woman crouched six or seven paces behind him, hands out, ready for battle. But she didn’t look like any woman he had ever seen.
She looked human in every aspect except for the rabbit parts. Her body had a human torso with arms and legs, hands, and feet. The woman had one thing Wiley couldn’t help noticing that set her apart – rabbit ears!
Her long, broad ears mounted at the side of her head, reached high, a foot at least, and tapered to a point. They had light brown fur on the outside and white inside, and her left ear stood straight while the other ear bent in the middle. It matched her quizzical raised eyebrow.
“Only a wizard could create such a talisman as this. Stop gawking at me, sorcerer, and explain yourself!”
“Relax, I mean you no harm,” Wiley said. She rose, straightening but still wary with her hands forward out of her cloak sleeves, ready for combat. Her green cloak covered her shoulders, had a collar, and fastened at her neck.
Along the outer edge of each ear, she wore small shiny diamond studs. She had placed three tiny diamonds in a row on each ear, and on her wrists, she wore loose silver bracelets.
She had large deep blue teardrop-shaped eyes that slanted up on the corners. She had a flattened nose that ended in a heart-shaped, y-split for nostrils. Beneath her nose, she had long white whiskers jutting out each side.
She’s no teenager, Wiley thought. The crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes gave away her maturity. The woman didn’t seem hostile; she would have already attacked. She cocked an eyebrow along with one long ear and stepped toward Wiley.
“If you have come to do mischief, strange sorcerer, think again. Know me, for I am Yini, the renowned and dreaded witch of the forest. Who are you, sorcerer, and what species are you? Tell me how you materialized through that talisman!” Yini pointed toward it.
“Call me Wiley, Yini, and I’m a man, traveling from the planet Earth through spacetime. This device brought me here,” he said, giving it a nod, “and I have a hunch my father came here long ago using a similar device.” Still tense, Yini and Wiley circled one another, wary of making a sudden move.
Yini had a firm, athletic build. This woman displayed a fighter’s grace in her movements, easing one foot across the other light as a ballet dancer. She wore her brown hair cut short at her chin, uneven as though she cut it herself. Her short hair stuck up as it split around her big ears, she had bangs in her eyes, and longer strands hung on each cheek. Except for Yini’s rabbit eyes and nose, she would be a human woman with a full mouth and pouty lips.
Under her green cloak, she wore a green shirt and tan pants with hand-stitching down the leg seams. She tucked her pant legs inside her leather boots, and her green wool cape fell over a small rucksack with a bedroll on top. The backpack fastened to her shoulders by wide straps.
“Well,” she said, nodding, “but you are not a Myn. Myn are eight-feet-tall and have arms as thick as your waist.”
“Meen?”
“No, Mi-en,” she said, breaking it down for him.
“Min?” he asked.
“That’s close enough.” She shook her head and walked close to him. “Where are you from? You call yourself a Myn, but you look nothing like one. Hold still, I must do this.”
Yini grabbed Wiley’s crotch, and he jumped back, covering himself with both hands. “What are you doing?”
“Why did you jump? A Myn would have been happy for me to check his spike. They have big ones and are proud of them.”
He cupped his hand over his crotch and stood wide-eyed. “Leave my ‘spike,’ or whatever, out of this! Jeez!” Wiley breathed hard.
Yini smiled, her cheek dimpled, and her eyes twinkled. “You said you traveled from another world. Do all Myn have itty-bitty spikes where you come from?” She giggled. “It was this big,” she said, holding up her finger and thumb.
“Aw, come on! It’s not that little!”
Wiley stepped toward her, and her ears perked straight up, and so did her eyebrows. “Are you going to show me and prove it?” She smiled a sideways grin with her eyebrows arched.
Wiley stopped, scoffed, and turned his back on her. “No, I’m not going to show you.” He stood like this for a moment until he felt her hand on his shoulder.
“They are useless, you know, those big spikes. The Myn hurt their She-Myn with them, use them more for inflicting pain than pleasure. They are no good for fun and play. Rabbit is better.”
Wiley looked over his shoulder at her, and it surprised him to find her face so close to his. Her long eyelashes hung half closed over her big blue eyes while she leaned on his shoulder from behind him, and her lips came close to touching his.
“A vision came to me of your talisman, Wiley,” she said. Yini took a step around him and ran her fingers over his shoulders. “The journey to here from my hut began two days ago, traveling by foot from the southern forest to see you and this talisman. The vision foretold of a newcomer, but my vision could not focus on your face, so here I am to see you firsthand.” She released the hook on her cloak and let it drop, then loosened the rucksack strap. “Give me a hand?”
Wiley lifted the ruck allowing her to slip her arms out of straps.
“Thank you, my new friend.”
Wiley offered her his hand to shake, and she frowned. “What do you want?”
“Where I’m from, when we greet new friends, we clasp hands.”
“Wiley. On Deamlon, strangers greet like this.” Yini put her right fist to her chest over her heart and bowed and lowered her eyes. “It’s an honor, sorcerer. Like that. But we have already gotten close, so we are past greetings.”
“I’m not a sorcerer,” Wiley said.
Yini frowned, looking from him to the tripod and back to him. “That talisman is powerful magic.”
Wiley stood staring at the tripod, not knowing what to say. The tiny scratchy voices still rang in his ears. Aim at the pinwheel. “Do you know anything about little flying creatures who speak in scratches?”
“Yes, I do, but I cannot speak of them,” Yini said. A smile broke on her face, making dimples again, and her beauty made Wiley smile. “You’re lost, aren’t you! You stepped out of time without having a clue where it might lead.” Yini giggled. “And you came here with nothing, no staff, no bedroll, and no food, I presume.”
“As a boy, my father built one of those talismans as you call them, and I dreamed of it or remembered it, I’m not sure which. I don’t know, but I found this phone,” Wiley said and reached to his back pocket for his cellphone.
As quick as a cat, Yini grabbed the hilt of her blade on her belt. “Easy!” she said in a calm but sure voice. “This blade has killed Myn three times your size. Whatever you have there, ease it out and hand it to me.”
Wiley nodded. “I don’t blame you for your caution.” Wiley slipped his white phone out of his back pocket and held it in his open palm.
Yini reached her hand out with plenty of caution and lifted the phone from his palm. At once, the blue flame jumped from its glass. Yini laughed. “AHA! You brought my Pool of Fire! The vision I had put this in my hand on this day and it gave me hope, Wiley. Do you see why I had to come? The dreams showed me that an outsider would bring it.”
When she looked up from the phone, Wiley’s face became contorted.
What is happening? This dull ache in my chest is killing me! The pristine forest, Yini, her ruck on the ground, all twirled, spinning.
“Dizzy… head is swimming, Yini. OW!” Wiley’s heart stopped, and he smacked his chest with his fist.
“What is the matter, my friend?” she asked. Yini frowned, then Wiley doubled over in pain.
His heart took a long pause, then, thump-bump!
Energy erupted from his chest, staggering Yini enough to cause her to stumble back a step. The forest quivered from the power wave, making Wiley gawk in surprise. Leaves rattled and swished as the force flew through the woods, rippling the fauna. Wiley gripped his ribcage and bent over, grimacing.
Yini found herself heartbroken. “What did you do to me?” she asked him and started to cry. She dropped to one knee and with her mouth open, and crying with her lip trembling. “My dear, dear friend! You are in pain, my sorcerer! But you must hold your power inside until I can help you!” She squatted with him and sat, and Wiley stretched his legs out on the ground. Yini put his head in her lap, and she stroked his hair.
She began to hum as her eyes welled with tears, not a tune, but a steady deep tone. This sound arose from her – a throaty sound like a cat purring but lower, like an engine idling. She vibrated and blinked tears down her cheek and sniffed, sobbing. “Wiley,” she whispered while she purred.
The throaty vibrating purr came, “Hoodle, oodle, oodle, oodle….” Yini put her palm on Wiley’s cheek, bent low to his face, put her lips close to his, and slid her arm under his shoulders. She purred from deep in her chest while she breathed, purring while inhaling and exhaling. “Hoodle, oodle, oodle, oodle, oodle….” As her purr rumbled, she made her lips round like a kiss. The low pulsations vibrated from her chest down into her arms and hands.
An azure blue tendril snaked from her puckered lips, and Yini put her kiss-shaped lips close to his. He closed his eyes and let Yini send her tendril into his mouth and down his throat, and it tickled. Her closeness brought the scent of wildflowers and evergreen. Wiley tilted his head to her neck, and she did not mind him sniffing her.
Yini peered out of narrow eyes and smiled when he caught her gaze while she purred and sent her blue snakes into his mouth. Wiley’s thoughts turned to her thick lips and how he wanted to kiss her as close as they were. Guessing his thoughts, Yini eased in closer while her magic poured into him. She touched her lips to his and backed away, acting normal as if it were an accident.
The blue cords went deep into his lungs, then split into tiny webbing. Yini’s threads seeped into his bloodstream. Yini’s power found his heart and wrapped vines around it.
Wiley’s eyes jerked wide! “You have my heart!”
“Yes. Be calm,” Yini said, talking and purring, and it came out in vibrato. She massaged Wiley’s heart and steadied the beat, and his pain subsided. “Mmm, there, there. Relax now. Wiley, people know me as a healer so, let me use my healing magic on you,” she said. “Yes, that’s it; close your eyes, and let me help.” Wiley sniffed. “You enjoy my scent,” she said, whispering close to his lips, still sending her blue power drifting into his mouth. Wiley’s face went red, and he nodded. She searched his eyes.
Yini entered his mind, and her voice echoed. Tell me of that wave of power you set loose. What did you do to me, sorcerer? You brought tears from my eyes, and I have never cried for a Myn in my life.
Wiley jerked and tried to back away from her, but she gripped his shoulders. She spoke with her mind again. Be still and relax, Wiley; let me help you. Wiley stopped, batted his eyes, and nodded.
“Okay. You’re in my head!” He shut his eyes and began taking deeper breaths, and he relaxed. After two heart massaging moments, Yini straightened, and she let him up. She removed her blue vines from his heart, and he got to his knees.
Once done, she smiled. “Do you feel better now?” Yini helped Wiley to his feet.
“Yes, I do. I don’t know what happened. A similar spell happened before I used the tripod to travel here.”
“Your heart is trash. It needs new valves,” Yini said. “From what I found, Wiley, you’ve had this affliction since birth. You heard me asking about the wave of power you sent. Please explain it to me.”
Wiley frowned. “How did you talk to my mind? It made me want to open my head and dig out the bug in there.”
“Answer my question first, and I will answer yours. Power came from you, and I have never heard of a power causing instant love and heartbreak, shedding tears for you, and I don’t even know you. How did you do it?”
Wiley became frustrated. “Yini, I assure you; the power is new, and I didn’t do it on purpose,” Wiley said, pushing out his palms.
“Don’t excite yourself, but you do not speak the truth, Wiley. The blast came from your chest.” She arched a brow and cocked an ear in thought. She pooched her lips, and her whiskers twitched. “A spell such as that could be useful in a battle to bring an enemy to tears. But we will drop it for now until you become stronger.” Thunder boomed in the distance.
Yini stepped from behind Wiley and gazed out toward the open field. “Out there, we call that the Great Meadow. There is an important thing I need to tell you,” Yini said. She pointed to the sky. “The thunderstorm out there in the Great Meadow is not natural.”
“How so?”
“Queen Amora is inside that thundercloud. She makes the thunder and lightning to put fear in the people. Right now, she demands the Rabbits tell her where this talisman is,” she said and pointed. “Your talisman. She has had a vision of it, but her visions lack precision.”
“Who is Amora, and what is she?” Wiley asked.
Yini said, “Amora is Queen of all Deam and Deamlon, the entire world.” Yini motioned with her hands.
“This country is Deam?”
Yini nodded. “The word comes from an ancient language called Mittle, meaning fertile. Myn spoke Mittle eons ago before Amora.”
“Deamlon would mean fertile land?” Wiley asked.
“Yes, Wiley. The planet’s name means fertile land. You know you are skinny, and I could whip you in a fight with my bare hands. But your magic heart power scares me, sorcerer,” Yini said.
Wiley sighed and paused, then dropped the subject of magic heart power. “Okay, so Amora rules the world. I thought so. Amora fought me in my world. She came through, looking for a piece of red glass I have.”
“I do not doubt it as she is a powerful witch. Wiley, look me in the eyes,” Yini said. He complied. “Good, now listen. You may hate me after telling you this, but you must know that I am a witch. Do you understand what it means?” Yini stopped, leaving it and waiting for his reaction.
“Yes, you said already, and I’m okay with it. You used magic to heal my heart and talked inside my head. How did you do that because you entered my, um, sanctum, or whatever?” Wiley asked, and the thought hit him that she saved him. “But never mind. I don’t care, and I’m glad you can do magic! You saved my life with it. Do all Rabbits have magic? How many witches live on Deamlon?”
Yini put her hand on his cheek again and smiled. “Very few peoples tolerate magic, let alone glad of it. Oh, my sorcerer who can make instant love,” she said, smiling and batting her eyelashes. “The law forbids a witch to live in Rabbit clans!” Yini shook her head, and her eyes welled with tears. “Alphus, my Clan Chief, exiled me many seasons past as an adolescent. There are no other Witch-Rabbits. And if a She-Rabbit gave birth to another witch, mage, or sorcerer, I would see it in a vision.”
“You must be lonely,” Wiley said. Yini shrugged and turned her head. Wiley wanted to change the subject. “There’s a difference between a witch and a mage?”
Yini sighed, then used her hands to help explain. “On Deamlon, you see, there exists a hierarchy among magical peoples. At the top is the witch. They can divine the past, present, and future. She uses mystical means to manipulate the physical and ethereal realms,” Yini said with a wave. “Those with lesser power who are mages or sorcerers depending on their sex. They do not have visions. No mages or sorcerers exist now because the Crown, through time, has hung them all. Let me clarify; no sorcerer exists here until you came today.”
“I’m not a sorcerer, but the hanging part sounds like Earth. But you are a witch, the highest power,” Wiley said.
“Yes, I am. And I am a witch who has a price on her head,” Yini said. “Clan Chief Alphus wants to see me hang and has placed a hefty bounty for my capture.”
“And what about Queen Amora. She’s a witch, right? Why don’t they hang her?” Wiley asked.
Yini laughed. “The law doesn’t apply to the Crown. She is above the law,” Yini said and laughed again, but fake, and Wiley knew she burned with anger.
“A contradiction,” Wiley said.
“A big one, and stupid.” She looked at Wiley through tears. “Queen Amora had a vision of your talisman, the general area right, but not the pin-point place. So, she harasses my people enjoying the wedding ceremony. This time of the year, Rabbits marry. Not me, though.” Yini sniffed.
“So, you’re a Rabbit. What else is there?”
“She-Rabbit,” Yini said, correcting him. “There are Myn and She-Myn, Myn-Rabbits and She-Rabbits, and Elves on Deamlon,” Yini said.
“Are there, She-Elves?” Wiley asked.
“Yes, but Elves are ambiguous, even with their voices. You don’t know which sex you’re addressing. They look like one another. They are all tall, skinny, and have blond curly hair.”
“Amora is a She-Myn,” Wiley said.
“Yes, Queen Amora is a She-Myn, and she terrifies everyone, including Myn, who are bigger and stronger. Wiley, you said you had a piece of red glass she wants. Where is it?”
“You are a good listener,” Wiley said. “It’s hanging on the tripod.”
“You must hide it. Now! Amora has realized you and your red glass are not among the Rabbits, and she comes this way.” Yini grabbed her rucksack and cloak, hoisted the ruck on her back, then trotted toward the road and stopped behind a tree. Wiley went to the tripod and untied the ruby shard.
“How can you tell? Oh yeah, visions,” Wiley said.
Wiley stuffed the piece of glass in his pocket. Yini stood behind a tree close enough to the forest’s edge to see the meadow, staring at the sky. “There is yet another danger around us. We must run from the forest right away or become dinner for the Etter birds. Can you hear them?”
“Etter birds?”
“Yes, Wiley. We will talk once we are in the Great Meadow. Run now!” Yini took off at a sprint through the trees with Wiley right behind her.
Wiley laughed when he discovered how fast he could run. He could cover more ground with long strides. “This is faster than I’ve ever run!” Wiley said and laughed. His heart rate increased, and his chest began to cramp. But he ignored the pain as they raced from the woods toward the road and the Great Meadow.
“This is so much fun!” he said while he ran faster.
Etter birds flapped their giant wings above him. The sight of enormous white wings and a long-billed bird motivated him to run harder, catching Yini. An Etter bird squawked as they both broke through the wood line and onto the east-west road. The road ran along the edge of the forest as far as Wiley could see. Yini slowed to a stop.
“We are safe now,” she said without a sign of losing any breath. “The birds will not exit the forest because of the Elves’ mind control.”
Wiley bent at the waist and sucked air. “Will you answer my questions soon?” he asked and took a deep breath.
“Yes, but not now. Let’s go!” Yini said.
When they ran again, Wiley noticed her tail for the first time. Her pants buttoned at the waist above the spade-shaped furry tail. Her bunny tail had a hint of brown fur on top but all white underneath.
“You have a tail,” Wiley said.
“Of course, I do. I’m a Rabbit. Let me tell you the story of the Etter birds while we run. Hundreds of seasons ago, Amora wished the forest free of debris. She wanted a certain depth along the major roads cleared for appearances. Back then, she ruled over the Elves, so she tasked them to do it. Being lazy, the Elves noticed how the big Etter birds cleaned every scrap around their nests. So, Elves compelled the birds to clean the forest two hundred tensteps deep each day at dusk. But now, the Elves can’t stop them. They clean everything, every twig, and people also if you’re dumb enough to be there.”
“Looking at this depth, a tenstep would equal nine or ten yards on Earth. How do you measure height? You said Myn stood eight feet tall.”
“Amora commanded us to measure height in feet and smaller increments in inches,” Yini said.
“Okay, thanks. The Elves can’t stop the Etter birds?” Wiley asked.
“That is what I said. Elves died trying. The Etter birds clean it from dusk till dark in a space which we call the ‘Etter distance.’” Yini said, using air quotes. “After the distance, the forest is wild, dark, and tangled, and it is my home.”
Wiley nodded. “The wild forest is my home, too. So, the Etter distance is safe, except dusk until dark. How do we speak the same language, Yini?”
Yini’s attention stayed focused on the big thundercloud in the distance. She pointed at the cloud. “Amora, up there, changed our language when she became Queen eons ago. Rabbits spoke Danguray, a fanciful language. Myn spoke Mittle, a harsh and guttural tongue. Elves spoke Elvish, and Amora demanded the peoples of Deamlon speak the same tongue, hers.”
“Amora fetched books from the world of her birth for our scholars to teach. The change took five difficult seasons, from what I’ve read. To motivate people, the Queen started hanging anyone who wouldn’t speak her English.” Yini glanced down the road and back at the cloud.
“You’re nervous,” Wiley said. They stopped running, and she turned to him.
“The jitters come when I cannot wrap my forest around me like my cloak to hide and protect me. The Rabbit clans will find me in the open meadow. Look,” Yini said and pointed down the road. “The road along the forest takes you west to Piens and on to Estiel. You can start looking for your father there. Start in Piens,” she said and headed across the Great Meadow at a trot.
“Who said I wanted to find my Dad? He abandoned me,” Wiley said, watching her run away. Her long ears flopped on her shoulders as she ran. The grass, knee-high weeds, and wildflowers slapped her legs. She said nothing and kept on running.
Lightning flashed, and thunder boomed across the meadow, and Wiley crouched.
“There it is!” a deep feminine voice reverberated from the thunderhead. Lightning flashed, and thunder rolled.
“Oh, no! That voice is familiar!” Wiley said. The stratospheric tall, menacing cloud rolled toward him. His tornado had come from a cloud that looked like that one. Amora turned her rain cloud from the Rabbits in the wedding ceremony at once, and since no longer captive, they scattered. Rabbits ran across the Great Meadow toward tall, forested hills in the distance.
“CAPTURE HIM!” Her voice came deep and booming across the meadow.
Three oval-shaped, flying vehicles came toward Wiley from behind the cloud, silver, blue, and sleek. He couldn’t run into the forest to hide because of the Etter birds, so he ran in the direction Yini went across the Great Meadow.
He could see for miles, and Yini had vanished. Where did she go? Better yet, how did she disappear? He glanced over his shoulder, and the flying vehicles bore down on him.
