The three men dismounted. Tamer walked to Clara's horse. He extended his hand out to help her and she took it. His large hand was soft and warm as she pressed her palm against his, using it for support. A rosy color flushed across her cheeks and she swallowed, praying that he wasn’t paying any attention to her face. This was unusual for her. Perhaps his indomitable disposition had left her feeling edgy.

Thankful that she was able to dismount her horse and land on the ground without tripping on her feet, Clara released her hand from his in haste. The lingering warmth was still there, latched on to her fingers even as she wiped her hand along the side of her chemise.

Tamer had strolled to the gates. A man of large build stepped out of the gate house to welcome them. A yellow turban was tied around his head and his torso was covered in a grey waistcoat. Bulbous trousers billowed out from his legs. His eyes were dark pools, darker than the blackest night and hollow like the empty sockets of a skull.

There was something unnerving in those unnatural eyes, as if an unknown mystery churned from the black depths. He bowed to them then his eyes fell on Tamer. Surprise registered on his face but he quickly masked it with a smile.

“Master Tamer,” the guard said in greeting, his tone heavy with a thick accent.

 “Mikail,” Tamer replied.

The man bowed once more then looked at Clara. She returned his stare and a crawling sensation chilled her to the bone marrow as the black pools observed her from head to toe. She felt the urge to wince under his scrutiny but she suppressed it and refused to break eye contact until he looked away.

“Is she a new apprentice of yours?” Mikail asked.

“You know that I never take in any students,” Tamer said. “She’s a guest.”

“Fair enough. I shall guide the horses to the stables. Welcome.”

He stepped aside, ushering them into a wide courtyard. A walkway made of cobbled stones led them to the main entrance of the fortress. Clara stayed close to Eryx and Tamer like a shadow, using their height to hide herself from view. Succulent trees and lit lampposts lined the path. Water trickled from beyond the trees. She guessed there was a fountain nearby, swathed in the foliage.

“It’s a beauty, isn’t it?” Rai slowed his pace to walk beside her.

She surveyed the fortress and admired the wine-colored flags on its walls, the narrow turrets that towered above them and the painted windows that were lit from inside. The flower symbols from the flags were discernible in the darkness. They emitted a white glow on their own.

“Yes it is,” she said.

Eryx pushed the double doors open. They entered the foyer. Muffled laughter and warbled voices laced with a soft tune reached their ears. The noise came from another set of double doors from across them, in an alcove.

“The Feast,” Eryx said. “We must meet Lady Alora first before we join the others. She will be delighted to see you, Tamer-"

Rai sniggered. Tamer glared at both of them. She could tell there was an unspoken understanding among them. In the short amount of time she had spent with them, she had learned that they acted more like brothers than comrades. 

"-and you too, milady. She will be pleased to meet a Distant Traveler."

Decorated in white and red diamond-shaped tiles, the marble floor shimmered under their feet. Its smooth surface reflected their indistinct images. The walls were lavished with tapestries and antique paintings. The ceiling was arched. Floating blue orbs scintillated, sprinkling their light on the brick walls and plunging the room into a cerulean glow. She was reminded of the blue sphere that Eryx had conjured to light the mouth of the cetus except these ones were larger and crackled like the flames of burning embers. A set of concrete stairs curved on either side of the room, disappearing behind the statue of a beautiful woman carved from the finest white stone.

She was at least ten feet high, clothed in a sleeveless dress. Her hands wrapped the hilt of a broadsword, its tapered end pointing to the ground. Her head was tilted upwards and her unflinching stare gazed up at the ceiling as if to offer a prayer to the divine gods in the heavens.

“That’s Rosalia, the first Guild Master and great grandmother to Lady Alora,” Rai said, jerking his head in the direction of the statue.

Clara felt humbled in her angelic presence. Rows of knights in gleaming armor stood on the edge of the hall, standing as still as watchful gargoyles. She thought they simply served as part of the decorations but was astonished when she spotted a pair of black eyes visible from a slit across the helmet of one of the motionless guards. She shuddered. Clara remembered those eyes. They were the same as those of Mikail.

“Homunculi,” Tamer explained as though he had sensed her unease. “They serve as guards to the fortress. Though they look like humans, their distinction lies in their black eyes. These beings are not humans but creatures spawned from alchemy.”

She had heard of alchemy before; in her own world, from hours spent in her father’s library, reading books on innumerable topics. Ever since she had learned to read and write, Clara had developed an insatiable thirst for knowledge, one which turned her into a curious and eager learner. Alchemy had been popular in the early centuries but its practice had waned over the years until people had forgotten its existence and those who remembered it swore that it had contributed to the growth of modern science.

 Father, that word  haunted her thoughts and forced her to momentarily forget the Homunculi.

She missed him already, more so because she was so far away from him...so far that she refused to consider the possibility that she may never see him again. She could picture his normally placid expression contort into fury as Timothy and Peter inform him that his only daughter and sole heiress had abandoned him. She could see his anger evolve to disappointment and distress: disappointment because she had disobeyed him and distress because he was afraid for her. Clara pushed that thought into the back of her mind.

Father.

She had been foolish to leave her home. Foolish and selfish. In her pursuit for freedom and the desire to be the judge of her own fate, Clara had forsaken the safety of her home and left no explanation to her father. He was her only family. He had been overprotective but he had given her all the love a daughter could receive from her father. It was a simple mistake, an impulsive decision fuelled by naivety and driven by selfishness.

Father…

She wanted to stifle that torturous word. She wanted to forget it. But Clara could not do that. To do so would mean deserting her father’s memory and those of Josephine and Timothy. Those memories along with her mother’s necklace were the only anchor to her own world.

“Clara!” someone called her and she felt hands shaking her shoulders.

She blinked. Tamer stood before her, his hands on her shoulders. Eryx and Rai’s apprehensive faces loomed over her peripheral vision.

“Are you okay?”  Tamer asked.

“I’m fine,” she replied, silently cursing when her voice sounded shaky.

“Stay calm. Lady Alora will question you once we tell her about your origins and you must answer truthfully.”

He drew back his hands and let them fall to his sides before turning to the set of stairs on the left side. Eryx followed him. Rai waited for her to get ready. Taking a deep breath, she drowned out the screaming thoughts in her mind until they became nothing but listless murmurings and hurried onwards to the stairs. They reached the upper floor. At the end of the hallway, a door remained shut. Tamer stopped in mid-stride.

“I’m going to regret this,” he muttered.

Eryx patted him on the back then proceeded to knock the door. Rai clicked his tongue, smiled mockingly at him before leaning against the door to listen.

“Enter,” a voice said from behind the door.

They walked into the office. A circular window with stained glass on the right side overlooked a wooden shelf filled with various antiquities. To the left was a simple bench and behind it sat the Guild Master, her head bowed low as she read the contents of a parchment. She raised her head just when Rai closed the door.

Lady Alora was a short old woman, with creases framing her aging face and steel blue eyes sparkling with years and years of wisdom. Her delicate white hair was tied in a lose bun. She was wearing a purple dress with gold embroidery forming interlaced patterns around the neckline. She rose from her seat, watching them with interest.

“Lady Alora,” Tamer said, dipping his upper body in respect. “You look as lovely as ever.”

“Tamer! How I missed you!”

The woman walked to him and spread out her arms, embracing him. She laughed. Tamer leant down and hugged her. As they broke their embrace, Lady Alora stretched out her hand and whacked him on the head with a force that would surely surpass that of a robust man.

“Ow! What was that for?”

The Guild Master frowned. Before Tamer could duck, she grabbed at strands of his hair. She pulled him close, shaking him like a rag doll. Tamer hissed and tried to pry away her fingers but the old woman clutched firmly. Rai bit back a laugh by pressing his mouth shut. Eryx watched them with laughter in his silver eyes.

“You insolent child! For one year, you disappear without a word and leave your comrades without a proper farewell. Was it so hard for you to tell me that you were resigning from the guild?” She thwacked him on the temple. “Do you have the slightest inkling how worried we all were? It took me three months to find out why you left. Three months, boy.”

Tamer froze, his expression twisting into a grimace but it was gone in a heartbeat. Lady Alora released her deathlike grip on his locks and brought her palms together, clasping them in front of her.

“I am sorry.”

“I know, child. I know.”

For a few seconds, the Guild Master’s face softened. Her blue eyes became glassy. Turning away from Tamer to give him a moment to himself, she addressed Rai and Eryx, “Thank you for bringing him back, gentlemen.”

Her stare fell upon Clara. Her lips quirked up into a gentle smile as she said, “Welcome to my guild, my young guest. What business has brought here?”

“We found her in Saberlot’s ship. She claims to be a Distant Traveler,” Rai said. “We believe she speaks the truth.”

“I see. She undoubtedly has no evil intentions and thus she is of no threat. The blessed Meimoria would have wilted under her presence if she did,” Lady Alora replied, pointing at the door behind her.

Clara looked over her shoulder. She noted it was not the door the old woman was referring to as Meimoria but the meshwork of leaves and stems which encircled the doorframe and the stone wall surrounding it like a green halo. White blossoms flourished from the intertwined stems. The leaves rustled as if cknowledging the old woman’s remark.

“What is your name?”

“Clara Allenson.”

“Speak, child. Let us hear of your tale. Tell us where you came from and what brought you to Aurion.”

The Guild Master settled back on her chair, plopped her elbows up on the table and listened to her with captivated attention. She recounted the same explanation she had told the men earlier, neither omitting any word nor including any new one for fear that they may question her credulity. When she was done, Lady Alora did not comment on her statement but instead, asked her to sit on the chair in front of the desk.

“What you speak of is a crucial matter, one which must be treated with utmost caution. Never in the history of Aurion have we ever encountered a Distant Traveler and I trust that you did not come here to deceive us. If you lied to us, we will offer you no kindness. Is this understood?”

“Yes,” Clara said.  She had no intention of lying.

“Very well. I will delve into your past and fall deeper into your mind to determine whether your statement matches your recollections. It will be like seeing through your eyes and feeling through your heart.”

Apprehension pitched a tent in the pit of her stomach. What if Lady Alora found out the secret of her necklace? She was afraid that her mother's necklace would be taken away forever. Although the chain of her necklace was visible on her neck, the locket was well hidden behind the chemise. She wanted to keep its secret to herself until she could understand the reason why it had thrown her into Findora. The need to bolt out of the office and run away as far from the Guild Master as possible shook her to the core but she forced herself to remain still.

“How far into the past can you see?” she asked, the words having left her mouth before she could stop them.

“Three days. Now come closer.”

Lady Alora placed her hand over her forehead and Clara hissed when she felt the mental link. She saw her memories, one by one as they reversed back in time. From her first step into the fortress, to the journey from Veletia, from the walk in the beach to the snapping of the cetus’ jaws and from the grim face of Captain Saberlot to the moment when she awoke on board the pirate’s ship. Then the memories shifted to the one she dreaded the most. She saw herself drowning in inky waters as her body shimmered in blinding light. A wall of darkness ensued before the vision skipped to the harbor and her streets where she ran from the guards. When the mental pull stopped, the memory lane came to a stop.

“Bless the gods! You truly are a Distant Traveler,” the Guild Master said, puzzled by her. “I had my doubts but your own memories have provided sufficient evidence. I saw a town of unfamiliar features. Men and women dressed in strange clothes. By gods, you brought a blessing on my doorstep, gentlemen.”

Relieved that the mental link had been broken, Clara exhaled. She had been holding her breath for several seconds. Her head was heavy with exhaustion and mental intrusion. Shortly after the momentary drowning scene, she had seen a black wall. Did that mean Lady Alora had not witnessed the necklace activating itself?

“Does this mean we can stop doubting her?” Rai asked.

“Certainly! What an interesting lady, you are, Clara Allenson. Quite interesting.”

Clara did not know how to respond. The old woman was studying her reaction so she smiled  and hoped that it did not look like a wince.

“You may stay with us as long as you wish but know first that I must warn you. Please do not divulge your true identity to anyone else. This secret will be kept among the four of us. The possibility of a different world from ours has been a debatable issue for eons and your coming has shed light on that.”

“I understand. Thank you for your kindness!”

“No need to worry. I would like to speak with you tomorrow, if it’s alright with you?”

“Of course, Lady Alora.”

“I will send someone to inform you of the time of the meeting,” said the Guild Master. Speaking to Tamer, Eryx and Rai, she continued, “In the meantime, did you acquire Saberlot’s mask?”

Tamer nodded and took out the black half mask with the red markings from a small pouch hanging from his waist. He placed it on the desk so that Lady Alora could take a good look at it. Smiling contentedly, the Guild Master praised the men for doing a remarkable job without causing any casualties.

“Foolish Saberlot was unaware of the mask’s powers when he stole it from an old alchemist. His crew had pillaged a ship and he thought it would suit his eclectic taste in clothing so he took it from the poor man. This mask has the ability to augment the wielder’s magic to thrice as much as its original level. It’s quite handy, you see? I shall return it to its master. The alchemist had paid a lot of gold to have it back.”

Eryx eyed the mask with a yearning. Lady Alora spotted his expression for she remarked, “I’m sure you would like to try it out, Eryx. However, this does not belong to the guild therefore I cannot allow you to use it.”

“As you wish, Lady Alora,” Eryx replied, trying his best to conceal the disappointment in his voice.

“Don’t be so saddened. Your charming wife is waiting for you outside my office,” said the old woman with a wink. “Tell her to show Clara her room. Off you go then, everyone!”

The dark-skinned mage was the first one to march out, eager to meet with his wife. Clara was hesitant on leaving because she wanted to give them a moment of privacy but the others were already on their way out of the office. She hurriedly exited, sensing the Guild Master’s eyes boring into the back of her head until she closed the door behind her with a click.