“Keita,” Aswad interjected. “We must press on. We must try to find a way out of here.”
“There is no way,” Keita said. “It’s all a trap. We’re doomed.”
“You don’t know that,” Ossouna said. “Come now, lest we suffer the same fate those who we passed did.”
“My legs feel weak,” Keita said. “Like I could hardly stand.”
“But you slept through the night, didn’t you?” Ossouna said. “I did not.”
“We must go,” Aswad replied, and Ossouna was in the process of helping Keita get on his feet when they simultaneously looked over their shoulder.
“Up! Now Keita!” Ossouna said. “Run!”
An arrow was dispatched and a creature that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere fell on its side, writhing in agony. The arrow had lodged deeply into its neck.
A fellow appeared out of a thicket and released two more arrows. Both lodged into the chest of the beast.
The archer came out into the open, followed by a wolf.
“Do not move,” he ordered. “And, don’t worry. I mean you no harm.”
He picked up the sword that had fallen out of the beast’s hand and was at its side.
He plunged it into its chest, turned it sharply, and watched the creature exhale its last breath.
The three came toward him.
“What is it?” Ossouna asked.
“A ghoul,” he replied.
“’Tis the most hideous thing I’ve ever seen,” Ossouna added.
“They probably feel the same about you.”
“Such a brutish looking creature with such a fine-looking weapon,” Aswad said.
“It probably did not make it. ’Twas taken from one of us, I’d bet. Taken after one of our clashes with them,” Noor said. “Although,” he added, “they are not without some sense of refinement.”
“What do you mean?” Ossouna asked.
“They’re not stupid. They’ve figured out how to use fire, how to extract and make use of ores, temper them and make their own blades, swords, axes, and so on. It takes a creature with a higher level of intelligence to do that, I’d say.”
The newcomers did not reply.
“Come. We must go. More will come. ’Tis the time when they arrive to get their wine and meat.”
“Wine?” Ossouna asked.
“Human blood,” Noor replied. “Come. We must go, and fast.”
“Should I take the blade?” Aswad asked. “We are without weapons here.”
“Fine. Take it, but we must leave now. More will come, and as stealthily as this one did. This is no place for a man to be.”
“Now!” he demanded, and they followed him into the bushes.
The three keep pace.
Their guide moved swiftly, purposefully. Here was a man who knew his way about the place, or so his movement inspired them to believe.
The forest, or so Keita, Ossouna, and Aswad thought, appeared to have no end.
“Where or what is this place?” Aswad asked.
“What?” Noor said. “Where are you from? Not from here?” he asked, feigning ignorance.
“No,” Aswad replied.
“From far off then?” Noor asked.
“Very,” Aswad replied.
“I see,” Noor said. “Yet another one. Or three.”
“What do you mean?” Aswad asked.
“No time,” Noor said. “Keep moving. You’re in the Forest of Souls.”
They proceeded with haste for over an hour before their guide and his wolf began to move at a more moderate pace.
“Were you born here?” Aswad probed.
“Hm,” Noor exhaled. “Born here? No, sir.”
“Raised then?” Aswad inquired. “You know your way around very well.”
“Hm,” Noor exhaled. “Raised?”
Aswad looked at him. He thought he appeared to be struggling with his thoughts.
“Did I say something that offended you? If so, I apologize,” Aswad said.
“You didn’t,” Noor replied and became pensive.
“You asked where this place is?” Noor began. “You can call it whatever you want. Hell, the second realm or tier, purgatory. Whatever.”
“Purgatory? The second tier?” Aswad said.
“Yes,” Noor replied.
“Why?” Aswad asked.
“Again, you can call it whatever. For now, you may just want to call it home,” Noor replied.
“Home?” Aswad said.
“Yes,” Noor replied.
They were perplexed.
“Why would we want to call it that?” A concerned Aswad asked. “Is there no way back to our real home?”
“And, just where is that?” Noor replied, feigning ignorance.
The men fell silent. Noor stopped walking and looked at them. “Where is your home?” he asked, stressing on the word ‘is.’ “Where exactly are you from? Think you can get back there?”
“We don’t know,” Ossouna said solemnly. “We’re not sure how we got here.”
“Oh yeah?” Noor said.
“Correct. We don’t know,” Aswad added.
“I bet I know how you got here,” Noor remarked.
Aswad was slow to respond. “And, what makes you think that? I wonder,” he said.
Noor looked him in the eye. “You tell me a story, my friend, and I’ll tell you one.”
Aswad said nothing.
“We don’t how or why we’re here,” Ossouna interjected.
“If you can believe it, neither do I,” Noor said.
“But you . . .” Aswad began.
“But what?” Noor said.
“You appear to know your way around so well,” Aswad continued.
“What does knowing my way around well have to do with anything?” he replied. “I learned, and in time you will too.”
They were silent.
“Any more questions?” Noor asked. “I mean ones you may really want to ask if you understand me.”
They said nothing.
“Why not just get it off your chest?” Noor said.
They were slow to respond.
“You do remember something,” Keita said. “Don’t you? About . . .”
“What do you remember?” Noor asked.
Keita did not reply.
Noor looked him in the eye, then he looked at Aswad. “You think I don’t know what you want to know?”
They listened.
“You came through the portal. All of you.”
“Portal?” said Ossouna.
“Well, maybe not,” Noor replied. “But I would bet on it.”
“Please,” Keita said. “Go on.”
“You have a perfect recollection of having a life somewhere, somewhere other than here. Consider it the first tier, but you’ve since moved on, my friend,” Noor added.
Aswad was slow to respond. “And, how would you know all this?” he asked.
“Take a wild guess,” Noor remarked.
The men said nothing.
“Could it be because I’ve been through the same thing?” Noor replied.
“How is this possible?” Ossouna asked.
“How is anything possible?” Noor returned. “I don’t know.”
“What is this portal?” Aswad asked.
“An entry to this place,” Noor replied.
The men listened.
“You know as much about it as I do,” Noor added. “Through the portal is
