We stood at a cave opening, and everyone waited on me. A portal to another world lay somewhere in the cave, and I didn't want to go. I'd damn near died a day ago and wasn't looking forward to that possibility again.

The naked, furry hominin guide called Yua pointed at the darkness. However, I was Lord Protector Kevin Covali of Baemardis and Lord of the Realm. I was the de facto ruler of Baemardis and the leader of this expedition into the unknown. I wanted to call this off, but this was the reason we were here.

I glanced around.

My sister Ellie...Maid Protector Elexus of Baemardis and Maid of the Realm...stood to my left, bow in hand with an arrow nocked. She bit her lip as she waited on my command.

Nathan, my cousin from New Mexico, stood to my right, shifting uneasily at my hesitation, as did Sinense, who was from a domed city on another version of Earth suffering from a nuclear winter. Their titles were similar to Ellie's and my own, and like Ellie, they had their bows at the ready.

I looked behind me at our entourage. From our Realm-supplied mentor, Lady Cornelia, and the Primor of this land, Lord Boian, to our personal retainers, plus a couple of Cavaliers, and their contingents of men, we looked like we were going to war. I sincerely hoped that wasn't the case.

Cornelia smiled at me and nodded.

I sighed.

Torches were lit, and everyone waited for my command.

I drew my rapier and nodded for Yua to lead us into the darkness.

We'd gone only ten feet before there was a deeper darkness ahead of us. I lifted my rapier high for us to stop, the rainbow scintillations of the blade's glow obvious.

The cavern was tall and wide enough for wagons to roll through. That meant the people Boian fought against fifteen years ago might have come through here, too, though that didn't make sense. Those were Napoleonic sorts with flintlocks and cannons, not prehistoric hominins like our guide.

She looked back, gesturing for us to follow, then disappeared into the darkness.