“Where are we?” I asked.
“No idea,” Kull answered. “I was hoping you would know.”
I shook my head, looking from the grass to a shimmering dome on the horizon. A city, maybe? “Do you see that?” I asked.
“Yes. It could be a settlement of some sort. Do you feel well enough to walk?”
“I will in a minute.” I turned to him. “How did we get here?”
“After the elves left, I knew if either of us were to be healed, we’d have to get through the portal, so I carried you through it.”
“You carried me? And you remember doing it?”
He nodded.
“But how? You’d been shot.”
“Stunned, really. I’ve had worse.”
“And… you’re better now?”
“Yes, the portal healed me.”
“That shouldn’t have been possible. Naturally occurring portals don’t heal physical wounds, and you didn’t have a memory charm, so you shouldn’t be able to remember anything.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive. Unless… unless the enchantment I used to remove the masking spell interacted with the portal somehow, causing it to function unpredictably. I suppose it’s possible. I don’t know any other explanation.”
Glancing up at him, I was almost too afraid to ask if he remembered me, but I had to know. “What all do you remember?”
He cleared his throat and didn’t look at me. “Everything.”
“As in everything everything?”
He only nodded.
“You remember Earth Kingdom? You remember me?”
“Yes, and I feel I must apologize. I was not in my right mind, although I realize that is not an excuse for the way I acted. I am sorry for how I treated you.”
Elated, I grabbed him in a tight hug, catching him off guard. “You have no idea how glad I am to hear those words.”
He laughed. “I wasn’t that bad, was I?”
“You were horrible.” I pulled away and poked his chest. “Never get cursed again. Deal?”
“You know I have no control over such a thing.”
“Doesn’t matter. You have no idea how much I wanted you back.” I hugged him again, feeling more relieved than I probably should have at finally having him back to normal.
“You hated me that much, huh?”
“Yes, more than you know.”
“You do realize a lesser person could take offense at you for saying such a thing.”
“But not you,” I answered, resting my head on his chest.
“You’re right,” he answered, stroking my hair. “You know me too well.”
After such a horrible ordeal with the elves, being trapped by Veladon’s spell, and nearly suffocating, I took a few minutes to quietly savor being with Kull once again. There was no place in either world where I felt more safe. He was my champion and my guardian; he’d saved me in more ways than one, and I never wanted to let him go.
With the impending arrival of an asteroid, and with the elves still searching for the sword, I knew I couldn’t stay wrapped in his arms forever, so I pushed away from him.
“I think I’m well enough now. Should we go?”
“There’s no rush,” he said.
“Actually, there is. There’s this asteroid headed for our planet that we need to somehow stop, a sword to find, and a goddess to destroy.”
“And by now, the elves must’ve realized they stole a worthless sword. They’ll soon be on the trail to the goblin lands tracking down the actual sword. And,” Kull sighed, “I’ve lost yet another sword. I’m back to using Gnat Biter.” He tapped his sword’s hilt peeking from his scabbard.
“It seems you’re not having the best luck with swords.”
“No. I’m not, but my mind is my own once again and I have you. That’s all I need.” Kull smiled, though I still saw the sadness. He stood and outstretched his hand. I took it and stood, feeling a bit of lingering dizziness and nausea, but at least the headache was gone. We faced the horizon where a large dome shimmered.
“Have you ever seen anything like that?” I asked.
“No, I’m not familiar with it, but Faythander is a big continent. There are many uncharted settlements.”
“Do you think it’s safe to go there?”
“No way to be sure, but we can’t stay in this field. With any luck, the people in that village will be able to point us to the nearest light-rails, and we’ll be able to make it back to Danegeld.”
Kull found my pack lying beside him and handed it to me. “I believe this is yours.”
“Thanks,” I said, taking it from him.
We set off across the field, avoiding the giant dandelions and shallow pools of water where nobbinflies danced, leaving glowing trails of blue and purple lights in their wake. The cool evening air stirred with a gentle breeze. Sounds of fairy chatter pervaded the silence as slanting rays of sunlight quickly disappeared from the grasslands.
I clasped Kull’s hand as we walked. It felt so good to have him back again. I wasn’t sure what I would’ve done if he’d been stuck as King Kull the Snippy Skullsplitter forever. Probably would’ve shot myself, to be honest.
Drawing closer to the city, we dodged another pool. Turquoise lights shimmered beneath the transparent domes, like something from another world, and not something I was familiar with on Faythander. It was a beautiful sight in an altogether magical way, and the sight of the village housed beneath the dome mesmerized me.
Spiraling waves of magic shimmered over the dome’s surface. Inside, I saw the tall silhouettes of trees soaring over the village. Bridges connected some of the trees together.
“Should we knock?” Kull asked.
“I don’t know,” I said, reaching out. My own magic was slowly returning, and I felt it filling me with energy. As I pressed my hand to the dome’s surface, a wave of radiant energy—powerful, but harmless—brushed against my magic.
“I think it’s okay to enter. There’s some sort
