Chapter 6 -

  The old woman stood at the edge of the porch, her gaze fixed on the forest as if she could see straight through the trees.

  “I know you’re out there,” she called calmly. “You don’t have to hide. Come inside. Out of the dark. It’s all right, every one of you.”

  Her voice carried no edge, no command, only certainty. When she smiled, it was warm and unguarded, the kind of smile that made fear feel faintly unreasonable.

  Colin glanced at Coleen. She studied the woman for a heartbeat longer, then nodded once.

  “All right,” Colin said quietly. He turned to Rod. “Go get the others. We’re going to the cabin.”

  Rod didn’t argue. He nodded and disappeared into the trees at a run.

  Colin and Coleen stepped forward together.

  Up close, the woman looked older than Colin had first thought, deep lines at the corners of her eyes, silver hair pulled back loosely, but there was a steadiness about her that made the porch feel safer than the forest behind them.

  “H-hello,” Coleen said, her voice catching despite her effort to sound calm. “M-my name is Coleen. My friends and I… we’re lost. C-can you help us?”

  The woman’s smile softened further. She glanced past them as the others emerged from the woods, one by one.

  “You are most welcome here,” she said. “I won’t harm you. Come, come inside. Let’s get you something warm to eat.”

  No one argued. Hunger and exhaustion won out over caution, and they followed her into the cabin.

  ***

  The interior was small but lived-in, every inch used. The group settled wherever there was space, on the floor, against the walls, near the low table. A pot of soup simmered near the hearth, filling the room with a rich, comforting smell.

  Bundles of herbs and strips of drying meat hung from the rafters. Crockery and simple cooking tools lined the walls, worn smooth with use. It felt like a place that had endured.

  A few of the survivors sagged the moment the door closed, shoulders dropping as if they’d been holding themselves upright by will alone. No one spoke. The warmth felt tentative, like it might vanish if acknowledged.

  Aisha moved quietly through the room, checking hands and wrists, murmuring soft instructions under her breath. When she found nothing urgent, she nodded once to herself and stepped back, staying close but unobtrusive.

  They ate quietly at first, the sound of spoons against bowls the only interruption. Gradually, tension eased. Rod and Kevin sat off to the side, murmuring to each other as they examined their crude weapons, tree limbs shaped into something almost usable.

  Someone accepted a bowl with shaking hands and laughed softly at the spill, embarrassed. The sound died quickly, but it broke the stillness all the same.

  One of the larger men tested the window latch and the doorframe, movements small and deliberate. When he finished, he leaned back against the wall, eyes still tracking the dark beyond the glass.

  An older woman folded her hands in her lap and bowed her head briefly, as if acknowledging something already lost. When she looked up again, her gaze stayed on the twins, steady and unflinching.

  The woman poked at the fire, coaxing it brighter, then lowered herself into a chair beside the table.

  “My name is Agatha,” she said. “What brings such a large group so deep into these woods? I never thought I’d see the like come to my door.” She gave a small, amused chuckle.

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  The twins told her everything.

  About the bus. About school. About Uncle Dan. About the light, the forest, the fear. About how none of this made sense.

  Agatha listened without interrupting, her expression thoughtful rather than shocked.

  When they finished, she said gently, “Believe it or not, I have some idea of what you’re going through.”

  She explained that she had once served as an advisor to the former king, King Willis Noton. A good man, she said. Loved by his people. A king who cared for commoners, expanded trade, and ensured that no one starved, even through harsh winters.

  After his passing, she remained to help guide his son, King Gensiv Noton, into the role. Only when she felt confident in the council he kept did she retire and come to live here, away from court and politics.

  Then she hesitated.

  She moved on before questions could form, explaining summoning magic, how rare it was, how only a handful of people were ever born with the talent. Even fewer could perform a ritual powerful enough to pull beings from another world.

  “Such rituals are known across the kingdoms, usually only by court advisors,” she said. “They’re meant for times of uttermost despair. And they come at a terrible cost. Most casters can perform it only once. Some lose their magic entirely.”

  She set a kettle on the fire and soon returned with tea, handing cups around the room. The warmth settled into them, heavy and reassuring.

  Then Agatha’s tone changed, quieter, more serious, as she addressed the twins directly.

  “Being summoned is no small thing,” she said. “Those who did this will be powerful. Well connected. Be careful who you tell your story to. There are people who will try to use you.”

  “Use us?” Colin asked. “For what? We don’t even know what’s happening.”

  “Those from other worlds,” Agatha replied, “often surpass what we can achieve here. Crossing over seems to grant them… potential. Have you not gained Acknowledgement?”

  Coleen frowned. “Acknowledgement? This is the first we've heard of that. You make it seem like a game.”

  Agatha smiled at her, patient and kind. “You wouldn’t know yet. You haven’t been to the Church.”

  “The Church?” Colin asked.

  “When one turns ten,” Agatha explained, “they go before the Goddess Mystear. The Ritual of Acknowledgement introduces them to the world, and the world to them. From that moment, they can gain skills, join Orders, and choose a path, and begin to join our society and help us grow.”

  She held out her hand. A faint haze shimmered into existence before her, barely visible, like heat rising from stone.

  “Do you see it?” she asked. “You will see this only from those that have been Acknowledged.”

  Colin’s eyes lit up. “You mean, Magic?! Okay, now it really sounds like a game.” He turned to Coleen, grinning.

  Agatha chuckled. “Some grow in magical knowledge after this. Most join the Adventurer’s Association. From there, Orders help shape professions that benefit society.”

  She crossed the room, opened a chest, and returned with a rolled map. Unrolling it, she pointed.

  “This forest,” she said. “This is where we are. And here, Airst. There’s a church there. Half a day’s walk.”

  She rolled the map closed and placed it on the table.

  “But not tonight,” Agatha added. “You’ve all had enough for one day.”

  She retrieved bedding from another chest, handing it out until the floor was covered in makeshift nests.

  Sleep came quickly.

  —