“I don’t know. I’m going now to examine her.” He stood up and handed Alina a vial of purple liquid. “This medicine treats the infection. Have him put it on his leg every day for a week. Here are some clean bandages.”
“Thank you,” Alina said. He nodded, grabbed his bag and left the room.
Alina took Rex’s hand. “How do you feel?”
He blinked his eyes. “Much better.”
“They took Jade to the hospital wing. I’m worried about her.”
Rex licked his lips. “It’s okay, I’m sure they’re helping her. We’re lucky to be here. Their security seems strong—” he broke off as the door opened again and a tall, black-skinned man entered. Alina gave a small gasp. She’d never seen someone without hair before. Smooth, shiny skin stretched over his bony skull.
He nodded at Alina. “Have a seat,” he said, motioning to the chair next to Rex. She sat down.
He stood with his arms folded. “I think you both have some explaining to do.”
Alina glanced at Rex. She didn’t know what was safe to disclose.
Rex cleared his throat. “As you probably know, we’ve come from Pria.”
The man gave a curt nod.
“We are enemies of Sampson and had a difficult time leaving.”
“He didn’t send you?” the man asked with raised eyebrows.
“No. This girl is of interest to him, you see, and I was in danger of being imprisoned, so we fled. We almost didn’t make it.”
“She seems very unscathed for one fleeing Pria.” He studied Alina.
“Well, she—” Rex broke off.
The man raised one eyebrow. “Yes?”
“The wilderness wasn’t too dangerous. We didn’t meet anything threatening until this morning, and we arrived mid-day yesterday.”
“Nothing during the night?”
“No, but someone in our party did mysteriously disappear.”
The man looked back and forth between them with eyebrows furrowed. “The wilderness between the portal and our city is the deadliest in all of Carthem. It’s the only area Sampson can unleash the mist, which he did today. Most from Pria don’t make it here at all. If they do, they’re always injured, unless they’re Sampson’s spies, who all seem to arrive unharmed. But his cast-offs are at his mercy. If he wants someone to die in Carthem, he usually makes it happen. Did you meet any opposition on your way?”
“I saw a rock that shot deadly quills,” Alina said.
He nodded. “We call them killing stones, but they’re animals. It didn’t hit you, I presume, since you’re still alive?”
“Uh—right.”
“Anything else?”
“Some horrid-looking beasts with spiky tails chased us,” Rex mentioned.
“And?”
Alina paused and glanced at Rex. “We were able to get away,” she answered.
The man’s face hardened. “They sound like monyxes to me, and those are impossible to outrun. If you’re truly enemies of Sampson, you better have a good reason why he didn’t finish you off.”
Alina looked at Rex, waiting for him to explain.
The man continued. “And how do you explain the woman in your company with the hidden spying device?”
“You can detect those?” Rex asked.
“Of course! Our lives depend on it! An alarm signals when something Prian-made crosses our borders. A sensor also stuns those carrying a spy chip.”
Alina felt a wave of relief. “She’s only stunned?”
“Yes. She’ll be fine. Who is she?”
“Her name is Jade,” Rex said deliberately, watching the man’s face.
He started. “Did you say Jade?”
“Yes. Have you heard of her?”
The man looked back and forth between them. He pointed his finger at Alina. “Are you Alina?”
Rex broke into a broad smile. “Yes.”
The man beamed and put out his hand. “I’m Baylor Simms. And you are?”
Rex shook his hand vigorously. “I’m Rex. I’m so glad you know who we are.”
“Well, it’s no accident our town is set up close to the portal,” Baylor said. “We’re the border control, so to speak. We want to examine all who come from Pria. There’s not another town for miles, so the wilderness drives them here.”
“How—?” Alina began. She had so many questions, she didn’t know where to start.
Baylor grinned as he turned to her. “Alina! I’m so happy to meet you. You’ll find your name is well known here. And such a beautiful young lady, for a mortal.”
“Uh, actually, she’s not mortal anymore,” Rex piped up.
Baylor’s mouth dropped. “What do you mean?”
“Somehow the entry into Carthem reversed her.”
“Does Sampson know?”
Rex looked at Alina. “I’m not sure. If he doesn’t, then he might be trying to protect her. That could explain why we met so few dangers in our travels. But I don’t know how much he can control.”
“What does this mean for us?” Baylor asked.
“I don’t know yet. I was hoping to find answers here. Any chance Camden is alive?” He winced, as if afraid what the answer might be.
“Yes, he is. And J’koby too.”
Alina’s eyes widened. J’koby?
Rex grabbed Baylor’s arm. “You mean it? Camden’s alive?”
“Yes.”
“Is he here in Stormport?”
“No, both of them live in Jaden, a city about three hundred miles from here. Jaden and Stormport are the two headquarters of Carthem.”
“Jaden? Is the city named after—”
“Her? Yes.”
This information seemed to bother Rex. He frowned. “What do you plan to do with Jade, anyway?” he asked.
“She’s being prepared for the operating table,” Baylor said. “Her chip must be removed. Don’t worry,” he added, noticing their expressions. “We’ve done this operation many times before. It isn’t without risks, but it must be done. There’s no other option. Leaving it in is too dangerous. Sampson is constantly trying to infiltrate Stormport. He would destroy the whole city if he could.”
“Why?” asked Alina.
“Because one of his top enemies lives here: Lance. He entered Carthem as a spy for Sampson soon after Camden left Pria. Once he arrived here in Stormport, he joined the resistance.”
“I remember him!” Rex exclaimed. “Sampson gave some strange excuse for his disappearance.”
“I’m sure he did. Lance was valuable to Sampson, and no one suspected he was conspiring against him. Even Camden thought him loyal to Pria because he took no part in the resistance there.”
“How did he get here?”
“He volunteered for a secret mission to find the hidden portal in the Blue Forest. Sampson wanted a way to enter and
