Snippet #1553747

There wasn't much to do really, everyone seemed to settle happily into a role as though they were on some sort of family camping trip. Sebastian had not the slightest idea of how to put up a tent, nor how to start a successful fire. He could not hunt, he could not build, he could not fight. Really, he started to think, he was useless out here in the wild. In fact, he seemed to be useless pretty much anywhere he could think of in this mystical land. While some had basic skills in combat and others clearly had the gift of the gab, he was left alone to watch as they all worked as a team, something he had always thought himself good at. Maybe at the end of the day he wasn't, he was just good at being told he was part of a team and then left to his own devices. It seemed likely enough to him now that he thought about it. He always seemed to work better alone, despite getting along with everyone. Well, everyone was perhaps too conclusive a word. There were no enemies, but there were relatively few close friends either.

And all this left him stood staring into space as he wondered what possible contribution he could make to the proceedings. It soon struck him that the only option would be to do what he did best, which was the boring stuff that no one else thought of. So he slowly strolled over to the wagon and made use of the dwindling twilight to start rummaging around inside. He trawled through books and bottles and bags until he found an empty journal and some ancient stationary (Which may have been cutting edge as far as he knew), deciding that at least making himself look busy was better than gawping at everyone else. He made an inventory of everything in the wagon, from the largest crate to the smallest sprig of herb, and by the time he was done the fire was crackling away and the group had settled down to the smell of roasting meat, something that no amount of distracted thoughts or procrastination could keep him from.

As he went to place the final book back in it's place, he was nudged from behind, reasonably hard in the shoulder. He turned with a frown and was greeted by a snort in the face from his horse. He retracted his head for a moment then raised his hand to rest on the mare's face.

“You don't mind me, do you girl? I can't be all that bad then.” He sighed. “But I can't depend on you to save my ass every time something comes up.” He scratched absently at the back of his head for a moment and reached into the wagon to bring out a few vegetables that were stacked in a crate near the front (Everything had been placed back in an appropriate and easily remembered order), dropping them on the back of the caravan before heading off to fetch dinner of his own as the horse who needed a name started chomping away.

Mouth watering, he took his place near the fire, dropping the book he still held in front of him. Despite clear signs of hunger and a hard day of riding, Sebastian could only pick at the food that he took, instead choosing to stare into the flames as thoughts consumed him. He half listened to everyone around him and made mental notes about them as each took their turn. Intending to go last, if at all, the teacher was surprised when the feisty bookkeeper from down under asked him of his origin directly and his head snapped around, eyes blinking away the heat that had been blazened upon them by the dancing, flickering fire.

“Me?” He recognized the reference, she had called him 'Professor' before, but he was just a little caught off-guard. “I'm no professor, not yet anyway.” He shifted himself back and placed his palms on the cool grass behind him, back popping softly as he stretched. “But I'm from London, now you mention it. A physics teacher, if you must know. Not exactly where I saw myself at this point in my life but I'd still quite like to get back there right about now.” He was speaking casually, having seemingly, finally, accepted that he was stuck here for the foreseeable future, but the words escaping his lips made him realise something about himself; he had not given up.

Something, or someone, had taken his home, his job and his entire life away from him but he was going to get it all back somehow. He had no idea how but if he never managed it then he would die trying, he promised himself that much at that moment. But for now, he was here, with these people, so it was probably best to get to know them a little better, tired though he was from the journey so far.

“And it's Sebastian, my name that is” he added, gesturing to himself. “You know what I do and where I come from, you may as well know what I'm called.” That added up to about half of them with names now. “How about you?” he asked, looking over at the other side of the fire to the few who had yet to give their names; the Australian bookkeeper, the Boston vagrant, the New Yorker Pianist and the Lieutenant from... Well, it wasn't like they'd know it even if she had told them. And frankly, he wasn't feeling in any place to ask, his attention had suddenly shifted to the front of the book he had brought to the gathering, which lay in front of him, title glowing in the firelight.

Magic and the Arcane arts, a leather-bound volume that seemed devoted to the mystery that was magic. His first thought, obviously, was that it was fictitious but he had leafed through a few other documents and they all seemed to be factual, documentaries of the medieval era. Was it so hard to accept that in this bizarre world of terrifying creatures and semi-humans that powers of the supernatural could exist?

He decided to leave the book for the next day. He would need something to occupy his mind for the remainder of the journey and such a mystical idea, trivial though it may still have seemed to him, would be just the thing to keep his mind busy.


When names had been given and conversation was just beginning to take form Kali walked over, having seated herself apart from the convoy to eat and reflect on the happenings of the day.

“It's getting late, I'd get some sleep if I were you. We're up at dawn. Except you.” She pointed to Flin. “I'll wake you when the next watch starts.” She started to walk off. “Nox, with me, I'll talk you through what you need to do.”

She guided the man away from the camp and positioned him far enough away that the firelight would not illuminate him, but close enough that he could see any oncoming danger.

“Keep your eyes open, watch in all directions. There are creatures out here that can sneak quicker than your eyes can follow if you don't pay attention. If you see anything, anything out of the ordinary, just shout.” She started back to camp, though with no intention of sleeping. She would keep watch tonight too, there was no chance she would leave it up to civilians to guard each others lives.

“Good luck” she said bluntly over her shoulder, almost grudgingly. This was not her usual mission, it was far from it, but she intended to do it as well as any other assignment given to her. People were not exactly her strong point but she knew her fair share about manipulation and gaining trust would be necessary on the journey, she had a feeling she would not be rid of these people any time soon.

Kali took her place in a tent but was soon out, camouflaged in the darkness in a change of clothes, watching all around her restlessly while the others set about preparing themselves for sleep.


Sebastian lay awake, as unwilling to sleep as the soldier who sat watch over them all, mind once more flooded with thoughts. It was far too dark to read but he had an unexplainable urge to just keep on filling his mind with information. He had not felt such a craving for knowledge in many years and it was, in a distant way, comforting to relate to a past time in his life at an hour as dark as this one.

The night passed, the watched changed without incident, and the dawn arrived. Sebastian had managed a couple of hours of broken sleep and emerged from his tent with dark bags beneath his eyes, hair stuck out at the back of his head and a strong desire for a coffee and a shower, neither of which he would find out here. Kali, the travelers would see, was waiting outside for them around the remains of the fire, dressed in battle gear and at arms. The time had come for them all to learn the art of combat.

“Gather your weapons, we'll train before we head out” she said simply, swinging her sword in a lazy arc around her hip. Sebastian groaned. He was not a great morning person and the last thing he wanted right now was to work up a sweat.