Patrice groaned as her body flopped against the metal armour, flung over Jarek's shoulder like a ragdoll.

Lifting up onto her hands, she looked around the area. The land that she'd once stood on seemed so far away. Around them were high walls of stone that closed in on them as they entered the cave.

It was not as dark as Patrice expected. Light shone from above. She turned to see the misty glow that felt like a soft veil as they passed through.

Realising that he was doing as he stated, Patrice began protesting again. Jarek ignored her and continued. Patrice's voice was raw from yelling at the giant. The other giants watched on with amusement, passing looks between themselves and sniggers as they followed. They didn't know how Jarek would get out of this predicament.

With a huff, Patrice gave up protesting. She looked at the one that had been nice to her, Armon.

"Where are we going?"

"The realms," he offered. "Well, the centre point between each of our realms, to be precise."

"You don't live on Earth?"

"No. We just watch over it and occasionally intervene."

"Usually when the humans can't get along with each other." the one beside him interrupted.

Sander smiled at her, tilting his head as he assessed the human.

"I'm Sander, king of the fae. Next to me is Zakiel, the werewolf king, and on the other side of Armon is Brogan, the shapeshifter king."

"I'm Patrice. So, why do you watch over us and intervene?"

"It's our duty." Brogan began. "The immortal kings are charged with the duty of caring for humans and their home. When tempers flare, we intervene."

"Well, you didn't intervene quickly enough." Patrice snapped. "I lost a loved one in the war."

Brogan tried to be sympathetic, but the elf king pulled her out from his shoulder where he'd put her. Patrice dangled in the air, frowning at the menace.

"Mind your tongue, human. You are speaking with kings. In this instance, we shall ignore it as you are unaware that time passes differently between your world and the realms. We do not laze about and wait for the opportune time to strike. Perhaps you should be grateful that we bothered at all."

Patrice's eyes narrowed to thin slits as she stared at the king. He was not fazed by it and returned her to his shoulder.

"Would you like an interesting fact about us?" Armon asked the human.

"Sure, why not?"

He smiled, gesturing to each of them as they decreased in size. Patrice lifted on her hands, noticing that Jarek was not as large as he'd once been.

"What's happening?"

"We are returning to our normal size. When we venture through the realm gate, our size increases to cross the land quickly. There is only one gate so often we need to walk great distances."

"So, how big are you normally?"

"We share the same frame and figures as humans. By the time we reach the plateau, our stature will return to normal."

"You will like it in Jarek's world," Zakiel said. "Perhaps he will be kind enough to show you around."

Jarek snorted a huff.

"And if not, then he will remember that civil kings are hospitable kings," Sander said in a firm tone. "Regardless of what is going on."

Jarek turned his head to Sander. Both had plain faces as they stared at each other until Jarek returned to the path ahead of him. Sander smiled at the human. He would happily play this game to ensure Jarek complied with his duties and the immortal kings' expectations.

"And as such, my dear Patrice, you should expect a fine room to rest in until you are returned to your own world. Your dietary requirements will be met without failure, as will any other things that you may need, which includes additional clothing and toiletries. The time you spend in the king's company and other times when you are not with him shall always be pleasant and never detrimental to your welfare. We are the caretakers. We are the kings of the immortals. Our duty is clear and precise. To falter is to,"

"Enough," Jarek spat out.

"Just making sure you behave yourself," Sander muttered.

The four kings looked at each other. Their thoughts were the same, even though a word had not been said. They would place a caretaker to ensure that Jarek was a good host to his guest.

It felt like Jarek hiccupped when Patrice's body jolted off his shoulder. She realised that he shrunk a little more. Now he was like an oversized human.

When the burden of the human became too much for him, Jarek put her down to her feet.

"Understand that you won't be able to find a way home without me. Once we have figured out how to get my stone back, I will return you to your world."

Sander glared at Jarek, who huffed with frustration.

"And yes, I will provide to you accordingly and ensure that your stay in my world is pleasant. Just stay out of my way."

With that grumpy statement, Jarek continued through the gate. Patrice followed him even though she didn't want to. Her protests were once loud, but now they were silent. The closer she got to the plateau, the more the stone guided her to what it wanted. Her acceptance of what was happening was thin, much like Jarek's pleasant nature.

Joining the other kings as they began walking again, Patrice noted that they were only a fraction taller than her.

"Has any other human ever seen one of you?"

"It can happen and has done. When we enter the battle, we return to this size. We are not seen by many, just a few who happen to see the enemy falling to the ground without reason. It's about balance," Armon said. "To remain unseen but to have the dead piling up would raise questions."

His attention turned, and a smile brightened his face.

"Ah, here we are. Welcome to the plateau."

Wonder filled Patrice's face as she rose through the golden veil. Clouds lined the large blue circle. It appeared to be glass, though Patrice wasn't sure. Surrounding the inner circle were large windows that spanned high into the sky, curving over like a dome.

Even though they looked like clouds, Patrice walked on the fluffy white ground as if it was just that, ground.

"This is strange."

"This is the cloud cover that comes and goes like normal clouds do. What you see there is a mirror of the world that reflects everything that happens on Earth. In those windows are five watchers from each of our races. Together, they sit and meditate, watching the land."

"They do that every day?"

Her face crinkled at the thought of a sore backside, pins and needles in her feet, and then those other minor issues like sleep, food and using the facilities.

"No," Sander chuckled. "There are many watchers, and they will stay for a few hours at a time during their shift then return to their lives. This is the way that it has always been. We live in this world, hidden from humans. Our watchers ensure that all is well. If there comes a time when we are needed, they send for us."

The four kings showed Patrice to a door, then into the watcher's domain. Patrice noticed that it was a simple area. Stone floors sat right up to the glass window. Fire roared in burners that sat high atop of pillars. In front of the window was a man sitting on a pillow.

His back was rigid, his legs crossed, and his eyes shut.

"Evander."

The figure opened his eyes, turning them straight to Patrice. His wicked smile told her that he already saw what had happened.

"Perhaps a holiday is in order," Armon began. "We have a task for you."

Evander stood. Another watcher soon took position on the pillow. He was dressed in a simple blue tunic with long black pants below. Patrice briefly glanced at the bare feet, wondering if that was normal.

"What has my nefarious brother been up to now?"

Patrice's eyes widened as a soft gasp escaped. She fumbled, pulling the stone out of her pocket. Evander raised an eyebrow, then looked at the other kings. With a supreme smile, he moved his hands behind his back, grasping one at the wrist.

"I suspect that you want me to play host, but you know that it is not my duty as the prince."

"We know. Our task for you is to ensure that Patrice is well cared for. Your brother is unhappy that the stakalis will not return to him."

"Hmm, curious. Don't you agree?"

The kings nodded at the young prince.

"It is done. I shall take care of the human and ensure that my brother is everything you expect of him. No doubt he's already calling the clerics to figure this out, so I think that we shall be returning this lovely lady to her home fairly soon."

"Yeah, don't count on it," Zakiel growled. "Stakalis weave a powerful magic, young one. Make sure Jarek behaves himself."

As the kings turned to leave for their own realms, Evander watched for a moment. When they were gone, he smiled and gestured to the grand staircase.

"Let's start with a conversation about you."

"Well, I am Mrs Patrice Baldwin."

"You're married?"

"Widower, unfortunately. My beloved Eddie was killed in the war."

Evander paused for a moment, then gave the woman a sympathetic smile.

"I am sorry for your loss. You've probably been told that we intervene and find our delayed presence to be quite upsetting. Unfortunately, it takes time for the kings to go through the gate."

"We returned in a few minutes," Patrice grumbled.

"It seems like a few minutes, and to us, it is but to humans, it is months. The kings made it to the war about a year after it started, yet they set off from here within the first day of it beginning. From our perspective, they've been gone for about a day."

It seemed odd to Patrice, and she wondered if it was the truth or a lame excuse given to her because she was angry.

Patrice winced as they reached the exterior of the building. Sunlight found them quickly. It was harsh, making Patrice hot in her winter farm clothes.

In the distance, she could see Jarek as he climbed the stairs of another building. There were four that surrounded a courtyard. All the buildings were built in a pale cream sandstone. Three were grand, but the one that Jarek entered was larger and much more ostentatious.

"What is this place?"

"The royal court. This one is the watcher's building. The upper levels contain rooms for the watchers to reside in while they're rostered on. Opposite us is the cleric's court, which you'd probably find similar to your judicial and political system."

The pair began walking down the stairs towards the courtyard. In the centre was a large fountain. Water spurted out of the mouth of an odd-looking creature that Patrice thought looked like an oversized fish.

"That is the entrance building which is also home to security and the lodgings of the palace staff. Then there's that monstrosity over there. Usually, I call it home, but others often refer to it as the palace. Rather gaudy, don't you think?"

Patrice smiled, saying nothing. When she looked at Evander, she could see a younger version of Jarek. His hair sat at the shoulder, unlike Jarek's, which was vastly longer. They had the same firm jawline but their eyes were different. Jarek's were a blistering white whereas Evander's were a cornflower blue.

"How come his eyes were white?"

Evander stopped for a moment, wondering why she asked that.

"It's part of the transformation process. Usually, they're blue, like mine."

As they began the ascent to the palace, Evander kept his pace slow so that he could consider the facts surrounding this lovely human coming to their world. He'd seen the stone drop to the ground. He knew that Jarek had lost his stakalis but could not leave his posting. Before he could send a servant to tell Jarek, Evander saw the human pick it up. He'd groaned loudly. Pure frustration echoed through the watcher's domain.

Evander knew that Jarek was lucky that the stone lured the woman to his path. Otherwise, he'd have to find the woman and retrieve it. Still, Evander thought that it was a curious situation. Why did the stone leave Jarek? He'd had the stone since a few days after he was born, and it had never become sentient. If that's what it was.

Evander scowled, turning away so that the human could not see him. What was the stone doing? There would be a reason but would the clerics find it before Jarek started to wither? Already his temper was frayed. Jarek tended to be a jerk, but from what Evander had seen, this was not normal.

"Patrice, can you think of any reason as to why this has happened?"

She shrugged, glancing momentarily at Evander.

"I don't know. When I was in the field, it felt eerie. The farmer left the gate open which is not unusual, but it's not normal either. I moved the stray cow into the correct field and then saw the glow. It hadn't glowed until that moment, and as soon as I picked it up, the light stopped shining and didn't start again until I was near Jarek."

Evander thought that was a curious thing for it to do. The stakalis stones were not known to glow, but then they weren't known to abandon their owners either.

"I'd like to conduct a test if you don't mind."

"If it means that I can return home sooner, then you may do as many tests as you want."

The comment distracted Evander, his thoughts lost as he wondered what was so wrong with his beloved home.

"Don't you like it here?"

Patrice turned at the top of the stairs. The view was breathtaking, and she could see for quite some distance. Beyond the palace entry building was a bustling town. Terracotta roofs that sloped with a gentle curve. Beneath were pristine white walls. It was a quaint village surrounding the palace.

"It's lovely, but it's not home."

Evander looked at the young woman and wondered a lot about her but asked nothing. She looked as if she'd rolled in the dirt, and her clothes were well worn. Patrice spoke of her husband and his passing but mentioned no one else aside from the farmer. She didn't mention children that she had to rush home to, nor was any form of family spoken about. He believed that if they existed, she would constantly remind them about it and how they'd worry about her.

It had been minutes here, but days would have passed on Earth. She would have been declared as missing by now. Anything more prolonged, and it would be a risk to return her. Humans were inquisitive and they'd want to know where she was. Evander would have to discuss this with the clerics. He believed that they would insist that she became a part of their world and state that returning her was dangerous for their anonymity.

It was the most significant rule that was consistently enforced. They could go to Earth, they could interact and ensure that everything remained as it should be, but once it was over, they had to return to the realms so that humanity would forget that they existed. It would take time but it would happen.

As for what the clerics said, Evander thought that it mattered little anyway. He believed that there was something far greater at work here. Something that they were yet to discover. He knew that when they did figure it out, there would be no turning back for any of them. This was a one-way path, and Patrice was not going home.