Lydia woke from a slumber she didn’t want to end with her head pounding relentlessly. It felt like she had just laid down and gone to sleep. The light that invaded her eyes didn’t help the headache that grew more intense. Muffled voices drifted from somewhere outside her apartment.

Throwing the blanket over her head, she tried to block everything out. It didn’t stop her head from feeling like it would implode on her. When it didn’t subside, she threw off the blanket and tried to throw her legs over the edge of the bed, resulting in her legs getting caught in another blanket. 

Don’t fuck with me this morning. 

With a tug, she pulled the covers off her and swept her feet over the edge of the bed. She leaned forward, rubbing her forehead as it pounded at the movements; Tylenol and some greasy food were what she needed—and the bathroom.

The hardwood floor met her feet as she stood up, sending goosebumps up her legs at the coolness. She attempted to run her hand through her curls, getting them tangled into the mess halfway through. Heaving out a sigh, she dared herself to open her eyes and figure out what kind of mess she had gotten herself into. 

Cream-colored walls greeted her in an average-sized room. A door to her left that she heard voices walk by and another straight ahead. She noticed an oil lamp that sat on a table in the middle of the room. A window was by the bed with a nightstand beside it. It was decent but not extravagant. More extensive than her apartment.

It also wasn’t her room.

The only light that flooded through the room was the sun that peeked through the blind-covered window. No light fixture, no light switch. She glanced to the other side of the bed, finding it empty. 

She caught sight of black peeking out from the light-colored sheets her feet were raveled in. She reached out, pulling it from under the blanket. She only remembered getting a black cloak in the weird dream she had. 

There is no way any of that was real.

“Nooo,” Lydia whispered. She quickly took a step back, dropping the cloak back on the bed. A wave of dizziness took over, making her stomach threaten to spill the nothing that was in there. 

When her headache became bearable again, she tried to remember anything from last night. She didn’t know who he was, but the last thing she remembered was falling asleep in a carriage as she practically called him a serial killer. She remembered being laid onto something soft, which had to have been the bed, and then nothing. She could only recall his deep voice and alluring silver eyes. 

Any man like that was a force to be reckoned with. She would throw caution to the wind to feel his hands run along her skin as his eyes consumed her. She had to give it to the man. He was one of the few who didn’t take advantage of an intoxicated woman. 

Her gaze caught sight of a note on the nightstand. 

Cautiously, she grabbed the note. She scrunched her nose up at the elegant handwriting and the contents. 

“What the… is this dude for real?”

I hope you got a good night’s sleep. 

Keep the cloak. It’ll be of use to you.

Also, the clothes are for you.

Until we meet again,

–T

“Oh, you idiot, Lyd’s,” she grumbled. “Your drunk ass got you into something that you need to get out of.” 

She turned the note over to see if he left anything else. It was blank. 

Her eyes narrowed onto the piece of paper as if it would answer the multitude of questions that ran through her head. 

He gave her no name or address even to try to find him. So how did he expect her to return it? There weren’t even any clothes in the room! She didn’t need his cloak to help her get home. 

If I can make it home, she thought. 

She had no money on her. No car, and from what she recalled, they didn’t have those. For all she knew, she could have very well blacked out when she walked out of the bathroom at the club, but the hotel she was in didn’t look like any she knew of in Louisiana.

Lydia walked to the door in front of her. A breath of relief got stuck in her throat when she took in what was supposed to be a bathroom. A vintage porcelain tub sat in the middle of the room with two wooden step stools inches high beside it. She didn’t even want to know how the other object worked, quickly scanning over it.

“What the…”

A knock on the door made her jump. She wasn’t expecting anyone, obviously, but she honestly needed—wanted answers and a way home from wherever she was. She wasn’t against washing up before she figured out where she was and head home. Her mysterious man apparently had, and she would use the small benefits that came with it while she could.  

Lydia opened it to find a woman around her age dressed in an old-style maid outfit. Brown hair in the most neatly perfected bun Lydia had ever seen, and forest-green eyes gleamed enthusiastically. She held a pair of neatly folded clothes in both hands. 

Chipper seemed too light of a word with how she was feeling. It was like the woman was on cloud nine compared to her being stuck face-first into the dirt. 

“Good morning, miss! I wasn’t sure if you would be up yet. I’m Maria and I will be your attendant during your stay. Would you like to start with a bath this morning?”

“Lydia, and that sounds perfect, except how do I do that, though?” Lydia awkwardly asked, jabbing her thumb in the direction of the bathroom. She wanted half the energy that girl had that early in the morning—if it was even that. There were no clocks in the room, and she couldn’t tell where the sun sat in the sky to have a rough estimate of time. 

The maid tilted her head, “I will fill the tub for you, miss. I also have a pair of clothes from the gentleman who brought you in last night. He told the front desk that you would need them.” 

That would explain the clothes in her hands. However, Lydia could tell that the woman was being nice when she glanced at her wrinkled clothes. She caught a hint of sweat and alcohol, making her nose wrinkle up. He wasn’t wrong, but his ass had better be prepared for when she found him. “Uh, well, thank you.” 

Maria smiled, sliding in beside her when she opened the door wider. “It’s no problem, miss. Did you have a preference for a scent?”

“A scent?” Lydia asked, already lost after the maid’s first sentence. “No, I… uh, I don’t think so.” 

“That’s no problem; I can pick one out for you if you want. You can relax until we get everything ready, and then I can help you.”

Lydia slowly nodded, watching Maria head for the bathroom before she comprehended what she said. Help? Since when did people need help to bathe? Questions swirled in her mind, and with no answers, she took a seat at the square table and waited. 

She decided to follow the woman into the other room. The clothes had been placed onto one of the small wooden stools. She watched the woman walk around the room, opening small containers she barely paid attention to when she viewed the room earlier. Vials with corks were pulled out and put back before one was chosen, making her way to another box. It was bigger than the one that held the vial. 

The object glinted it when it was pulled out of the box. She silently watched, wondering how any of those objects in the woman’s hands would fill the tub. Maria poured the vial into the tub and held out the hand with the object she noticed was crystal shaped with a tint of blue that seemed to swirl on the inside. 

Lydia almost ran forward when the crystal was dropped straight into the tub. Her eyes widened as she watched water form in the tub, rising higher until it almost reached the rim. 

“What was that?” 

Maria glanced at her, her eyes brows squinted together with questioning eyes.“I used a water crystal to fill the tub. Is this your first time seeing it?”

Yes, yes, it was. None of what she just witnessed was normal. “Yes. I-I have never seen anything like this.”

“It was my first time when I came to work here. It truly is something amazing that they can create. The water is always at the right temperature, so you can get in when you’re ready.”

Maria didn’t elaborate further on who they were, and Lydia didn’t want to step further outside the box than she already had seemed to and ask.

Lydia wasn’t afraid of showing her body to anyone, but she never thought she would have someone help bathe her at twenty-three. Getting a message naked and skinning dipping was normal sounding for her. Not someone helping wash her up in a bath when she was capable of doing it herself. Just where the hell was she for that to be normal? “Thank you.”

A sigh escaped her lips as she set foot into the water before sinking entirely in. It was euphoric. Coconut wasn’t her favorite scent, but she wasn’t about to complain as Maria came over to massage her shoulders. That was something she could get used to, but she had more important matters than being pampered. 

“Maria?”

“Yes, miss?”

Lydia bit her lip, her heart thumping faster as she asked her question. “What’s the name of this hotel? I wasn’t… I was passed out drunk when I was brought here. So I’m not sure where I am.”

“Miss! Are you okay? Should I send for a doctor or the knights!? Maybe both!”

“What? No, the man who brought me seemed to help more than cause trouble. Just that none of what I remember from last night looks familiar to me.” 

The last thing she wanted was to make a huge deal out of whatever her situation was. There was no telling how much worse it could make it before she knew herself. It was reliving to hear Maria sigh in relief. Her hands that tensed against her shoulders softened, releasing the slight hold she had unintentionally put on her. She didn’t know the maid from Adam, and there she was, worried for a complete stranger.

“I’m glad nothing serious happened to you, miss. The name of this hotel is Oriental Arc. It’s a step up from what the common folks can afford. He must really like you if he paid for you to stay here.”

Lydia rolled her eyes, doubting the man had feelings for her in one night. A few words and a carriage ride did nothing to know a person. Maybe to see how irked she could get trying to find him when all she had was a cloak and the initial T. The joke was on him, though. She didn’t plan on wasting her time trying to find him.

“And.. where exactly is the Oriental Arc, Maria?” Lydia asked, already dreading the answer. She could feel the confusion and worry in Maria’s gaze as she stared at her.

“It’s in Alenris,” Maria confirmed. “Are you sure everything is okay? You are in the capital city of Meoria. Did you forget why you traveled here?” 

Lydia held back another groan for the umpteenth time that morning. The more information Maria gave her, had her head ready to explode. There was no Alenris she knew of in Louisiana or any of the surrounding states. She didn’t know how to explain what was happening, but it seemed absurd to say she walked into another world from a bathroom door, no less! A wardrobe to Narnia would be much better than whatever this was. 

The bath was the most relaxing she had ever felt in a while, and Maria was attentive to ensuring everything was to her liking as they made their way out to the bedroom. A pair of folded clothes were laid out on the bed, no doubt from the two others that helped while they were in the bathroom. She took back the thought of dressing herself as soon as Maria held up the dress. No way would she have gotten that right on the first try. 

“Was there some type of party last night?”

Maria hummed behind her, rinsing her hair from whatever shampoo she used. “The only one that comes to mind I had heard in passing was Duke Griffin’s. If you came from any party with a man who had money to pay for this, it would have been from there.”

Maria helped her dress once she was done. It was time to face the music. She needed to see where she was for herself and figure out what she could do. The library was the best place she could start. Books were the greatest weapons— if they weren’t messed with during publication, to everything she needed to know. 

“Is there a library near here? And can anyone walk in and read?” 

Maria finished adjusting the skirt before answering. “There is. If you go down two blocks to the right and take a left, it’s down that way. It’s called Booked Full. Let me get you something to eat before you go, though.”

“Wait, Maria. I don’t have any money to pay for all this.”

“The gentleman who brought you here paid for quite a lengthy stay and said to give you anything you needed.” Maria smiled before walking away.

Lydia was stunned at the news. Her heart dropped in anxiety, yet her blood boiled with rage. She wanted to throttle that silver-eyed hottie with a blindfold. She would probably gag him, too, so he couldn’t speak. His voice did wonders to her body. She scolded herself mentally, pushing him out of her mind for now. She had other matters to worry about first.

❦

It was easy to find the library Maria had given her directions for. However, the buildings were a mix of a Tudor style with a modern twist. The women either wore lavish fabric or simple cotton-style dresses. It made sense why the mysterious man had given her the dress she had worn. Her nightclub clothes would have made her stick out like a sore thumb in the crowd. Not something she wanted when she just wanted to go home, yet that possibility seemed to get farther away, if not impossible. 

Booked full was a tall stone building with lancet windows. The entrance was a double multi-panel made with dark wood that made the place stand out against the other buildings around it. 

Lydia made her way inside, brushing her hand against the door to feel the grain of wood under her fingers. She didn’t feel any coating of polyurethane or stain. It solidified her mental list of things, making her realize that she wasn’t in her world. If possible, her heart sank further in her chest, settling in the pit of her stomach.

Her breath caught in her lungs as she took in the library. Books were stacked beyond her wildest dreams the further she stepped into the library. It lived up to its name. Shelves were full of different colors and sizes, some more worn than others. 

Knowing what section she needed but not the location, she made her way to the taller counter where an older woman sat, filtering through some papers.  

She wasn’t dreaming anymore. The longer she laughed the idea off, the quicker she might end up dead. If she remembered correctly, she had already pissed someone off last night. She couldn’t remember his face as clearly, just the vulgar way his hazel eyes took her in with a possessive nature. She shuddered at the thought of seeing him again. 

There weren’t many people in the library. Some sat at the long tables with an open book or piles next to them, while others strung their fingers down the spines as they read their titles. She could feel the glances from most males that were there. She noticed the lack of women and those who were there were dolled up in fabric finer than she cared to know the price of. It made her feel slightly subconscious in the dress that wasn’t even hers. 

“Excuse me,” Lydia whispered, trying to get the attention of an older woman behind the desk. “Where would I find the history books?” 

The older woman eyed her up, “what would you need with those books?”

“Call it curiosity,” Lydia replied, shrugging her shoulders. 

The woman sighed but contented with her request. “Second floor, west side near the back.” 

“Thank you.” Lydia wanted to ask where the west side was but thought better of it as the woman squinted at her. There was no point in asking when she knew she wouldn’t get an answer; more like a glare and someone to add to her list that detested her.

The stairs weren’t far from the desk, but she had to walk past the tables, where everyone openly stared at her with curiosity. Lydia didn’t falter in her steps and kept her head high. Rule number one in an environment you didn’t know, walk like you own the place. It hadn’t failed her yet, and she wasn’t about to show a sign of weakness that those around her could exploit. She’d be chewed up and spat back out before she probably knew it.

Taking a random direction once she was on the second floor, she decided to explore that floor and hopefully find the section she needed… eventually. Lydia breathed in the earthy aroma as she wandered down an aisle, lightly running her fingers over the spines of books. She loved to use books for her studies instead of the Internet. The smell of opening a book and turning the pages as she sat in peace while curled up somewhere was intoxicating. She was glad no one else was on the second floor that she could see. It gave her the privacy to read and silently curse the world she was in.

Browsing through aisle after aisle, her eyes lit up in excitement as she found the history section. She had very little hope that the Kingdom used the same language, even with all the signs that she had been able to read on her way there. Running her fingers across the spines, she stopped when she found one that caught her eye. 

Magic and Pentacles. Taking it from the shelf, she began to pile a few other books onto her arms before continuing her search.

Lydia had finally found a few books on the founding and history of Meoria. Worst case scenario, she was stuck if she couldn’t find anything in those books. Granted, she would have student loans to pay back in a few years, and anyone wanted out of those, but she still had family and friends back home that she couldn’t just leave them. The choice wasn’t hers, though. It was whatever force had brought her here and if she could access it again. Walking back into a Duke’s mansion was out of the question when she had no established name to see him for, and something told her going back there without a plan was a very stupid idea.

She turned to one of the smaller rectangular tables at the end of the aisle, pausing as she noticed the glass lamp already lit. She knew no one had been up there but herself; otherwise, she would have heard their footsteps. No one could be that quiet, could they? 

Glancing around, she didn’t see anyone go down any of the aisles or browse the shelves. 

She shook her head, not taking another second to think about that. At least the lamp was lit because she wouldn’t have known how to since magic wasn’t something she was used to using. Watching Maria earlier had only helped inform her of how different their worlds were. She placed the books down before taking a seat and opening The Founding of Meoria. 

It was founded through war, casualties, poverty, and population growth. The man who was later crowned king had traveled the lands, finding a suitable place to settle with the few who followed him. The land she was on was the same land they built with their sweat and blood from the ground up, establishing what it was today. It was years into the building when their history wrote about the dragons that had come and swept everything from under them. They plundered and burned anything in sight until the people had the tools to fight back. The first king had won after years, with a price that cost many of his people’s lives. 

Lydia slammed the book shut with more force than she intended, apologizing to it silently. She leaned back into the chair and took a deep breath. That’s all everything was to anything and anybody. A piece of property they could sweep in and take because they could. She knew land held a price that anyone would go to war for. The soil had to be right to plant and grow crops while also having rainfall and a good water supply to live off of. Dragons were the anomaly she didn’t know anything about. Especially why they sought to have the land other than to destroy everything, but that was only in fantasies back home; dragons were real to these people, and she couldn’t base myths on reality. 

Taking a different book from the pile, she focused on reading about the magic the world seemed to have, with a small hope settling in her chest that it held some kind of clue or key to making her way back home.

“May I sit here?” A man’s voice questioned, startling her.

Surprised at the newcomer’s voice, she sat up straight, hands flat on the book she had been reading. She didn’t hear him approach her until he spoke. Lydia peered up at the new figure to find him gesturing to the seat across from her. She debated whether to accept, considering there was a whole floor of empty tables. It was odd that he wanted to sit at the same table as her. Not knowing exactly where the books in his hands came from had stumped the refusal from escaping her mouth, uneasily allowing him to sit across from her. “It’s free if that’s what you’re asking.” 

“You look engrossed in that book that I didn’t want to disturb you, but it’s also nice to have silent company.” 

He had her there if only his presence didn’t disturb every fiber of her being for no reason. It was that little voice in the back of her head that said she should put up every defense she had around him. She took in the way he leaned from side to side with nerves and softness to his voice. He wasn’t dressed extravagantly, but more than the few she saw on her way there that she thought better of saying something to fuel the already burning embers. It was also a good way for her to get a feel for the people she would see from then on. “You’re right, company is always great.” 

“Thank you. I’m Thomas, by the way. It’s nice to meet you, miss,” Thomas introduced himself with a nod as he sat down. 

“It’s nice to meet you too, Thomas. I’m Lydia.” 

She watched the way his eyes darted to hers, quickly looking back down at the book he had opened. She narrowed her eyes, slowly bringing her attention back to the pages she was reading. Her eyes skimmed the pages, barely retaining the words since her body buzzed the moment Thomas made his presence known. She gave up after re-reading a page for the fifth time, taking another book from her pile. 

Thomas only asked occasional questions when she picked up another book to read. He was, in a sense, a gentleman when she was reading. He would leave her alone in what would have been her own world if she wasn’t acutely aware of him sitting across from her every second. They seemed like harmless questions, yet she couldn’t get the nagging feeling out the back of her mind he had different intentions than being friendly. Getting up and leaving seemed out of the question because it felt like what he wanted, and she knew better than to turn her back on someone who made goosebumps crawl up her arms. 

“You don’t seem happy with that book,” Thomas expressed dryly.

She glanced up at him, noticing the kind smile on his face didn’t reach the look in his brown eyes. He peered across the table at her, amusement dancing across his features. It was the kind that made goosebumps appear internally, sending a tingling awareness throughout her whole body. The air turned thick as she tensed, trying to keep the alarm off her face. 

“You have a fiery attitude. Your eyes burn like flames when you’re upset; did you know that? I didn’t think the books you’ve been reading were just for fun. Most women would just use their beauty to capture a man of higher status than read what you’re reading to get someplace. Otherwise…”

Lydia hated the way he paused, eyes gleaming while he thought over his next words like they held all the answers she wanted in one thought. She didn’t have to ask what he meant when he continued.

“You’re reading because you don’t know the place you’re in. Which is sad for a woman like you.”

“What I read and why is my business. I don’t believe a small conversation here gives you the right to know anything about me,” she retorted, hating the way the corner of his mouth curled up while his eyes lit with delight. She didn’t get how anything she said made the man happy, and she didn’t stick around to find out—staying felt like she was being slowly caged into a corner that she wouldn’t get out of. 

“It seems I’ve stayed here too long. I’ll be leaving.”

She gathered her pile of books to see what Thomas would do, standing to pick them up. He stayed seated with a curve of a smile on his face. She grabbed the books, giving him a sheepish smile in hopes that it would be the end of their meeting. Turning on her heels, she headed for the aisles to return the books and high tail it out of there afterward. Keeping Thomas in her peripheral vision whenever she could, she made sure that he hadn’t moved from his spot and kept a way for her to escape if she needed it quickly.

Her chest felt tight with every beat of her heart with each book she put back. Her palms began to sweat against the books, and as much as she wanted to wipe them on her skirt, she didn’t. It felt like a sign of weakness.

Placing the last book on the shelf, she let out a shaky breath. Her hand ran along the spine of the book. The grooves on the leather binding calmed the nerves that had taken over and eased the shaking in her fingers.

She headed down the aisle, glancing to her left where Thomas still sat at the table, book in hand, with his head buried in whatever he was reading. She couldn’t tell if he really was, and it didn’t matter to her. Relief flooded through her, knowing the stairs weren’t far from where she was.

“Were you leaving without saying goodbye? I thought we had gotten to know one another after that little exchange?” Thomas’s voice was right beside her ear, his breath fanning down her neck.

Whirling around too quickly, she stumbled back. The only that stopped her from landing on the floor was the edge of the table she ran into. She grasped it to steady herself. Her fingers curled underneath it, gripping it until she knew her knuckles turned white. 

How did he move that fast? He was seated a few seconds ago. 

Her heart pounded in her chest. It jumped into her throat as he closed the distance. The smile on his face twisted into a triumphant glee. Her feet wouldn’t move no matter how much her mind begged them to. The echo of his footsteps sounded louder with each step.

Lydia had been focused on Thomas’s movements; she almost missed the glint of a metal dagger that came around Thomas’s throat. Her eyes left his face, following the hand that held the dagger. She couldn’t see whoever was behind Thomas—swallowing the lump that formed in her throat at another person being around without their presence being heard. It didn’t matter if they stopped Thomas from advancing further to her—even if there were less than two feet between them. 

“I wouldn’t take another step if you want to live.” The voice was deep, yet the threatening tone sent shivers down her spine though they weren’t aimed toward her. 

“And who the hell are you?”

Lydia’s breathing hitched as Thomas’s eyes darkened. She glanced down, noticing his hands curled into fists at his side. 

“Who I am is none of your concern. Your intentions with her, however, are,” the man spoke.

“I don’t see how this woman concerns you. Magicians should worry about themselves and stay away from where they don’t belong.”

A low chuckle came from the man. Lydia could tell it was the last straw when Thomas’s eyes flared. He didn’t seem to care that a dagger was still placed against his throat when he whirled around, fists raised in the air. 

Her eyes widened at the quick movements the man had made with the dagger still in his other hand to grab Thomas’s wrist. She was frozen in place, both awed and fearful, as she watched the man twist Thomas’s arm around. 

Thomas’s body was slammed to the ground in the blind of an eye.

Her breath hitched, glancing around before she took in the situation with wide eyes. The man held his knee in the center of Thomas’s back with one arm pinned next to it, the dagger against his throat once again. The veins in Thomas’s neck could be seen as he tried to move, groaning under the weight the man had on him. 

Lydia leaned further into the table involuntarily as she saw the fury burning in Thomas’s eyes. 

“No one is around. He made sure of that when he came up here.”

“How do you know that?” Lydia mumbled, trying to get oxygen to quench the fear that threatened to take hold of her mind. She had feared Thomas, and now there was another man who look bored while holding a man underneath him as if he was holding a ferret that wanted to bite his hand. 

She glanced at Thomas, finding shock taking over the rage in his eyes. It made her question the man’s motives for helping her. He seemed to be protecting her, but she hadn’t made any friends since the moment she came here to warrant that. 

He mumbled something inaudible. She took a step forward to ask him to repeat what he said; however, she was met with Thomas disappearing before her eyes in black smoke. 

“What did you just do?”

“Cleaning up useless specs of dust.”

There were no words for what she had just heard. He spoke as if he was actually sweeping trash with a broom into a dustpan and throwing it away. 

“Did you kill him?” She whispered. The answer seemed to stare her in the face, but she couldn’t explain what she had just seen.

“No.”

She didn’t know what made her question his answer, but she continued to push. “Is someone else going to kill him?”

“Why show remorse for someone that wouldn’t for you? Don’t leave this behind again, Lydia.” The man threw a dark article of clothing at her. 

She caught it with shaking hands, glancing down at the fabric she remembered leaving in the room she stayed at. It was the cloak she received from the man last night. 

“Also, you might want to change rooms at the hotel.”

Her head whipped up in a panic to find swirls of blackness dissipating where the man stood. He not only knew her name, but he had been in the room she stayed in. She knew he had followed Thomas in the library since he knew the floor they were on was empty. It didn’t explain why he was following her, though. She was a nobody in a world she didn’t even belong in.