slightly chipped at one end and other random areas. Without thinking,
he asked, “How's it work? Is it by runes? I see a few on here . . . or maybe by
the refraction of light or . . .” The man's eyes opened wider as if he had been
jolted. “I-I didn't mean to sound stupid or ungrateful or . . .” Redstreak
laughed. Eric's cheeks burned and he hid the necklace.
“You're hahahaa, pretty sharp, hahahaha, for ahah an Otherworlder,”
the hawk said. “I trust everything is taken care of? Good, now I can finally returnto my colony.” To Eric, he said, “I wish you good luck on
adjusting to our world.” He bobbed his head and flew out of the lobby.
“Umm. Where is room?” Eric asked
“Down that corridor and third door on the left.”
Eric opened the door and walked down the hall. Despite his
earlier fears about the strangeness of this world, his present fears about his
roommate and future fears about what would become of him, he couldn't resist
taking the crystals out and examining them once more.
Room keys made of crystal instead of metal and working by
runes and refraction of the light instead of gears . . . . .Different keys
means different locks. The make of it will be different and locksmiths here
will be different then . . . So absorbed was he that he bumped into someone.
“I-I'm sorry! I didn't look where—” He spoke to a human face
mounted on a horse's body. Not a centaur; a horse with a human head.
“Watch where you're going,” the human face said. A snake
slithered over his haunches and hissed. The chimera walked past him and Eric
saw the snake's body poking out where the tail should have been. For a while,
he just stood there, stunned. ' Good luck adjusting' he says. I'm going to
need it.
Three doors down, Eric found his temporary home. He took out
the clear crystal and inserted it into the hole just below the knob; assuming this
was the lock. It flashed. He assumed the door was unlocked and tried the knob,
but the door wouldn't open. He pushed the door, thinking it was stuck, but the
door remained firmly shut. Eric tried the lock again with similar success. He
was so frustrated he started banging on the door. It abruptly opened and Eric
bashed a face, which made the body attached fall backwards and clutch a
bleeding nose. Eric stammered apologies but—
“Nice hit.”
Eric could only stare. “You're not mad?”
“Of course not. It was an accident. In fact, I'm very happy.”
Talking animals and a chimera were one thing, but a guy that gets happy when
he's punched?
“You see, there's a strong unidentifiable funk in the room
and, being unsuccessful in getting rid of it, I've been trying to block my
nose. This break should do the trick.” He set the cartilage in his nose so it
would heal properly and stood up. The boy had long white hair, pink eyes, and
wore a tunic and pants. All of which had seen better days.
“Have trouble with the lock?”
“Yeah.”
“I did too. Apparently, Mr. Monotone forgets to tell people
that these locks work in the opposite fashion of normal ones.” Eric was about
to ask how normal ones worked, but the guy kept rambling. “Oh, where are my
manners? I haven't introduced myself. I am Aio Ricse, formerly of Latrot.” He
spat on his hand and held it out. “Pleased to meet you, Roomy!” Eric stared at
the spit soaked hand. When in Rome . . . He spat on his own hand .
“Eric Watley . . .uhh formerly of Earth.” They shook hands. “The
pleasure's all mine.”
“Here, it's called ‘Threa,’” Aio said. “Scholars decided
upon that name for your world ever since they discovered Noitaerc.”
Eric backed up and put a hand to his aching forehead. Threa?
Noitaerc? The last confusing straw on a very large pile of confusing
straws. “I suppose it is a lot to take in for two days. Take a rest.” The
buzzing in Eric's mind was too great for him to wonder how Aio knew he'd
arrived yesterday.
“Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!” A voice shouted.
he asked, “How's it work? Is it by runes? I see a few on here . . . or maybe by
the refraction of light or . . .” The man's eyes opened wider as if he had been
jolted. “I-I didn't mean to sound stupid or ungrateful or . . .” Redstreak
laughed. Eric's cheeks burned and he hid the necklace.
“You're hahahaa, pretty sharp, hahahaha, for ahah an Otherworlder,”
the hawk said. “I trust everything is taken care of? Good, now I can finally returnto my colony.” To Eric, he said, “I wish you good luck on
adjusting to our world.” He bobbed his head and flew out of the lobby.
“Umm. Where is room?” Eric asked
“Down that corridor and third door on the left.”
Eric opened the door and walked down the hall. Despite his
earlier fears about the strangeness of this world, his present fears about his
roommate and future fears about what would become of him, he couldn't resist
taking the crystals out and examining them once more.
Room keys made of crystal instead of metal and working by
runes and refraction of the light instead of gears . . . . .Different keys
means different locks. The make of it will be different and locksmiths here
will be different then . . . So absorbed was he that he bumped into someone.
“I-I'm sorry! I didn't look where—” He spoke to a human face
mounted on a horse's body. Not a centaur; a horse with a human head.
“Watch where you're going,” the human face said. A snake
slithered over his haunches and hissed. The chimera walked past him and Eric
saw the snake's body poking out where the tail should have been. For a while,
he just stood there, stunned. ' Good luck adjusting' he says. I'm going to
need it.
Three doors down, Eric found his temporary home. He took out
the clear crystal and inserted it into the hole just below the knob; assuming this
was the lock. It flashed. He assumed the door was unlocked and tried the knob,
but the door wouldn't open. He pushed the door, thinking it was stuck, but the
door remained firmly shut. Eric tried the lock again with similar success. He
was so frustrated he started banging on the door. It abruptly opened and Eric
bashed a face, which made the body attached fall backwards and clutch a
bleeding nose. Eric stammered apologies but—
“Nice hit.”
Eric could only stare. “You're not mad?”
“Of course not. It was an accident. In fact, I'm very happy.”
Talking animals and a chimera were one thing, but a guy that gets happy when
he's punched?
“You see, there's a strong unidentifiable funk in the room
and, being unsuccessful in getting rid of it, I've been trying to block my
nose. This break should do the trick.” He set the cartilage in his nose so it
would heal properly and stood up. The boy had long white hair, pink eyes, and
wore a tunic and pants. All of which had seen better days.
“Have trouble with the lock?”
“Yeah.”
“I did too. Apparently, Mr. Monotone forgets to tell people
that these locks work in the opposite fashion of normal ones.” Eric was about
to ask how normal ones worked, but the guy kept rambling. “Oh, where are my
manners? I haven't introduced myself. I am Aio Ricse, formerly of Latrot.” He
spat on his hand and held it out. “Pleased to meet you, Roomy!” Eric stared at
the spit soaked hand. When in Rome . . . He spat on his own hand .
“Eric Watley . . .uhh formerly of Earth.” They shook hands. “The
pleasure's all mine.”
“Here, it's called ‘Threa,’” Aio said. “Scholars decided
upon that name for your world ever since they discovered Noitaerc.”
Eric backed up and put a hand to his aching forehead. Threa?
Noitaerc? The last confusing straw on a very large pile of confusing
straws. “I suppose it is a lot to take in for two days. Take a rest.” The
buzzing in Eric's mind was too great for him to wonder how Aio knew he'd
arrived yesterday.
“Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!” A voice shouted.
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