After awakening in an unfamiliar fantasy world, a Canadian trauma nurse allies with a mysterious elf king to save his world from the shadows that feast on its inhabitants.
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Death is no stranger to ER nurse Nessa. Little does she know she's going...
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Silence fell upon the clearing after Hern's departure, leaving nothing but the faint whispering of the returning breeze. The static of the portal's quick departure still lingered, its energy crackling in the air.
Nessa's eyes fell on the angry wound that stretched from her wrist to her forearm. The black charred edges reminded her of the severest burn victims she had cared for. Burning flesh still lingered in her nose as she recalled how Hern's touch had seared through both her inner and outer layer of skin. The pain was nearly unbearable, a stinging, burning agony of the worst kind. It threatened to take her consciousness, and the edges of her vision blurred.
"I need a cloth soaked in cold water." Nessa choked on the words, trying to get the message out before she couldn't speak.
"There is a stream just past those trees," Maena replied, standing and heading out of the clearing. Her movements were slow, and she favoured her right leg. It was not long before she returned, carrying a strip of fabric saturated with cold water. She handed the cloth to Nessa.
Nessa carefully wrapped the cold cloth around the wound, her stomach heaving as the cold fabric met the burnt flesh. The coolness provided some measure of comfort, but little could take away the depth of the burn. She cringed, pushing herself to her feet.
"Was it just over there—the stream?" Nessa gestured towards the place Maena had returned.
Maena nodded, saying nothing as she observed Nessa's movements.
"I'll be there," Nessa spoke, exiting the clearing and heading in the direction Maena had come from. She didn't care who followed her, and part of her hoped no one would.
The stream bubbled quietly as she neared it, and she took a seat beside its flowing waters. In the comfort of the quiet, she inhaled a deep breath of the fresh air. The cloth had warmed on her skin, and she unwound it carefully. Once the wound was in the air, she noticed that the redness had reduced, causing her to raise a brow. It was odd for the inflammation of a wound so deep to subside so quickly. She chewed her lower lip in contemplation and submerged her arm deep into the stream. The water was ice cold, and it gave her much needed relief against the constant pain.
Only now did she get a moment to reflect on Hern's words. How was it possible that some of her blood had originated in this world? It made little sense, and she didn't want it to be true. It was bad enough that she was stuck here in this place and being hunted by strange creatures. The last thing she wanted was to be forced to stay because part of her belonged here. Did she always have this blood within her? So, was she just some sort of mutant?
The portal refused her. If Hern was to be believed, it was because this strange blood was revealing itself, making itself apparent in her body and her physical appearance. If the information was good for anything, it explained the physical changes.
The only information Nessa had about the Uynare was the brief conversations she had with both Trystan and Hannah. Trystan had said they had all but vanished, and Hannah had revealed little more. The stable hand told her that the Uynare were said to favour humans and admired their strength of spirit. Once the Uynare started vanishing, relations between the elves and humans deteriorated quickly, leaving them with the distrust and cynicism they had now. Could the disappearances of the Uynare so long ago have something to do with the vanishing of Maena and Trystan's people? If the elves were so powerful, why did they trust their last reminding blood within a human of all people?
