Chapter 3

• Someone pushed their way by the giant in the door. A woman stopped and eyed Liri, “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe he did this.” She held her hand over her forehead and looked her up and down. One thing Liri decided, was that she was never leaving home again without her dusack, Normally, she wasn’t stab first, ask questions later, but after today, that might change.
• “I am so sorry that you’re a victim of stupidity.” The woman said and motioned to the cot. “You’re going to want to lay down. Trust me. I can’t believe you’re up and standing.”
• “Did you drug me?”
• The woman’s brows furrowed, “No. Spencer used the phaser, and we don’t use it because it’s
• exhausting and fries all electronics. It’s supposed to be used for emergencies only.”
• Liri was trying to tell if she could see her soul, but she couldn’t. Was it the low light, or was there another reason? Maybe it was from the phaser.
• “I’ll leave you to it.” The giant said in a soft voice. “We’ll talk after she’s rested.”
• The woman nodded but didn’t turn around to look at him. He moved from the doorway, allowing more light into the room. Liri glanced at the open door and tried to think through the ache in her head, wondering if she made a run for it, would she be able to get out. If there were more excessively large men around though, she doubted she’d get far.
• “Running is a bad idea.” The woman said, her tone gentle and coercive, “I doubt you’d make it a hundred feet before you fell on your face.”
• Liri paused in her panic to assess how she was feeling. It wasn’t her gut-wrenching transition when she went to Alterealm, but what the woman said was true. Her muscles felt like she’d worked out about three hours past her body’s limits. She put her hand over the base of her throat and tried to slow her breathing. “What’s happening to me.”
• “You need to rest.” The woman nodded and motioned to the cot again. “It only lasts a few hours, and then you’ll be fine.”
• “What is phasing?” Liri blinked, trying to fight the lethargic feeling that was getting heavier by the second.
• “Everything will be explained to you after you rest.” The woman took a few steps toward her.
• Liri couldn’t have lifted her arm to stop her if she’d wanted to. It was taking everything she had to stay upright. The cold from the wall on her back told her it was the wall keeping her from dropping to the floor, not her body at all. The woman moved quickly and put her arm around Liri’s waist. Up close, Liri could see she was human, and that confused her. Why would humans kidnap her? “You’re human.”
• “One hundred percent.” She answered in a clipped voice. “A few more feet; move your legs if you’re able.” It dawned on Liri that the woman was the only thing keeping her from hitting the floor. She looked down, hoping that if she could see her legs, she could will them to move. “Once I get you settled, I’m going to find that idiot and give him a piece of my mind—he’s probably already passed out after phasing you out like that. No one phases and is conscious on the other end, which is why we don’t use it unless the situation is dire.”
• Liri knew she was on the cot again but couldn’t feel it beneath her. The angle of the room was changing, and she really hoped it was because the woman was helping her lie down because she couldn’t make sense of anything. A piece of her mind? Was that a literal thing or some cute human saying? She couldn’t be sure. “Tell,” Liri paused, was that her voice? She tried again, “Tell Spencer— I’m going to,” to what? Why couldn’t she think? Her mouth was so dry she dragged her rough tongue over her lips, “break his face.”
• The blurry woman grinned at her, “I will pass the message along. We’ll see you in a few hours.”
• Liri wanted to keep her eyes open, but it was impossible. The lighting in the room looked like a strobe light as she fought to keep them open repeatedly. She wasn’t sure what a phaser was, but she was breaking it as soon as she could move again. The whole room began rocking; she gave up fighting it and closed her eyes completely.