Sword Bearer (Return of the Dragons 1)

“I feel like that myself sometimes,” I said, trying to smile.

Kara glared at me. “There’s nothing funny. We’re about to die, and you’re making jokes.”

“Sorry.” I looked to Kara hoping she was joking, too. But her eyes showed me she meant it.

“We have to get out of here, now,” she said. “How did you create the portal?”

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“I don’t know what you mean.”

“I mean, what did you do right before you saw that circle, with me in it.”

“I burned some incense,” I said.

“Incense? From his store?”

I nodded.

“Whatever you do, don’t do that again. All we need is to make more connections back to him. He’ll get here soon enough as it is.” She sniffed, looked around, found the brazier by the window. “Is this it?”

I nodded.

She took the brazier full of still smoldering incense, and knocked its contents out the window.

There was more banging from outside the door.

“What else did you do?” Kara said. “We need to recreate the rest of what happened, and fast.”

I looked around. “Tea. I drank some of this tea.”

“Drink some, and give me a cup too.”

It felt ridiculous, to be drinking tea while the room shook and a monster on the other side of the door roared in anger. But I sipped and swallowed. The tea was still warm, heavily spiced, and it felt good on my throat as it went down. I felt clearer headed as it reached my stomach.

A shock wave hit us then, and I stumbled. The whole room shook, but the door itself didn’t move. I stood up straight again, and felt oddly relaxed. I refilled the cup calmly, with the last of the tea. I handed the cup to Kara, whose eyes were wide with fear.

She drank the tea in quick small sips.

Then Kara smiled, put the teacup down, and took my hand.

She closed her eyes and seemed to concentrate for a moment, then opened them again, shaking her head. “There’s something I’m missing here. Anything else you did before you saw me?”

I shook my head.

“You sure?”

I started to nod, then stopped. “No, wait, I threw my homework out the window.”

“You threw your homework out the window?”

I nodded.

“Why did you do that?”

“I don’t know. I guess I was angry.”

She looked puzzled, for a moment, but then she smiled. “Well that’s easy.”