The Fifth Realm

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 5: 𝕳𝖊𝖑𝖕𝖑𝖊𝖘𝖘🌤

They stood huddled together at the train station, waiting for the train. They had spent two days in a Khethinian hotel. Xena had to admit, it had been fun. She had gotten to know these people a little, and Khethinia was amazing.

"When is the train coming?" asked Alfie, rocking back and forth. "It's so cold."

Jake stood to the right with his hands open, taking in the fresh air. "The cool air is one of the best things about Khethinia."

Maria fixed her headscarf. "The train is due in 10 minutes, keep your pants on."

Xena laughed, up, she had gotten to know these people all too well. They had agreed to skip Shlow and head straight to Lagor from here on out because their parents had called, asking for updates, which they did not have.

"Finally," sighed Alfie, "the train's here."

Xena looked up and saw a blur of shiny silver zooming towards them. They picked up their bags and scanned their phones as they boarded.

"Welcome aboard the Train of Khlovesh. We will be heading to Lagor and we'll be there by nightfall."

They listened to the intercom as they headed to the last compartment. Maria plopped down next to Xena, and surprisingly, the boys sat next to each other without complaint.

After they settled in for the train ride, Xena broke the silence. "So what's the plan once we get to the Fifth Realm."

Jake sat up and put his hand up. "I say, we do some quick recon, take a couple of pictures, then head over to Shlow."

Alfie took out his notebook and flipped to the back. "I think we should find like a leader and then make them talk."

Xena leaned in, trying to get a peak in his notebook.

"I thought the Fifth Realm didn't have a leader," Maria said. Her eyebrows were raised and she looked around the room for an answer.

Alfie pushed his glasses up farther up his nose, and moved his notebook away from Xena, "Yeah, well, they don't have a known leader, but obviously there will be some sort of gang that's on top."

Jake threw his head back and laughed, "So you want us, four 16-year-old kids, to find the scariest gang in the Fifth Realm and torture them for answers."

Alfie shrugged, "Well, we could bribe them or something."

Xena zoned out a little as they debated. They needed a solid plan, and quick. She focused back on the conversation as Alfie got up to go to the bathroom. She sat up properly, suddenly alert. She had been waiting for the chance to look inside his little notebook. She got up and felt around his seat. Jake gave her a weird look and went back to his heated conversation with Maria, something about Shlow politics.

She looked under Alfie's bag that was laying on the floor, nothing. She asked Jake to stand up for a second, still nothing. She sat back down, baffled. Did he really take it to the bathroom? What the hell was in there?

Alfie came back a while later, and sure enough, his notebook resurfaced seconds later. Xena gave him a look.

"What?" he asked.

Xena shrugged and avoided his eyes, "Nothing."

Jake and Maria's conversation eventually died out and they all ended up sitting around in silence, using their phones.

"What the hell was that?" asked Jake.

They all stood up and looked out the window. The Khlovesh had come to a sudden stop. Xena bent down and grasped at the end of her Sabule, itching to bring it out.