Savage King: New Worlds - Milly Taiden Page 0,33

when Zee shifted. This place was of magic like the Crystal Kingdom.

They passed a woman and young girl walking the main path with large woven baskets balanced on their heads. Wren stared wondering how that was even possible. With each step, no matter how her body moved, the woman’s head didn’t bob or jerk. As Wren watched, the woman turned and looked down at the girl, tilting her head. And the basket didn’t fall! What the fuck? Was it strapped on? No—duh. Magic.

Lilah bumped Wren with an elbow. “Don’t go all panic attack right now, but didn’t you say at one time that we weren’t on Earth?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Why aren’t you freaking out about that and this magic shit?”

Wren shrugged her shoulder. “Guess that with Chelsea and everyone in the Crystal Kingdom, being on another planet and magic doesn’t seem that strange anymore.”

The only thing about being on a different planet that bothered her was the fact they weren’t supposed to be there and didn’t have a way to get back.

Off to the side, three people seemed to be bagging flour. One person scooped handfuls of those acorn-looking nuts onto a flat rock while another person rolled a bigger stone over them, crushing and making them into a powdery end product.

Another area, where several men gathered, had a hundred straight sticks that were perfect for roasting marshmallows. The men were whittling the ends into sharp points and attaching large pieces of leaves to the other side. Arrows? The only weapons she saw on the guys were long knives. Which was where the clanging echoing through the village came from.

The typical smithing tools and hot fires were set on wide swaths of dirt. There seemed to be a lot less metal than wood here. Which made sense, being in a forest.

The men had them stop, and most dispersed to individual, tall mounds of ground. These places were like tepees, but instead of tall sticks with draping animal hides, the ground was pushed up into a dome with the entrance covered with dense vines hanging down. She wondered what the inside looked like. Was this where the people lived?

Ahead of them, the rest of the village lay. The mound homes created a protected barrier area where a ton of activity was going on. Kids sat in groups learning various things. One was basket weaving with as many boys as girls joining in.

Another group appeared to be cleaning and preparing veggies, or what she thought were vegetables. It could’ve been battery parts for all she knew.

So many more things were happening in the center area. She felt the life in this community. Even though they worked with their hands, with not a single computer in sight, this was a civilization. But one cell phone would’ve been nice.

The man who had helped them to their feet earlier returned with a female who wore thick necklaces around her neck that covered her chest. It wasn’t a shirt as such, but Wren didn’t feel awkward looking at her.

The woman had a beautiful smile, while she spoke gibberish. Lilah did the honors of telling her of the no incommunicado situation then laid her hand on her own chest. “Lilah,” she said. Daphne and Wren introduced themselves.

The woman called herself Iridia and the gorgeous big guy was Haml.

So after everyone knew everybody’s name, they just stood there looking at each other.

“May I have something to drink?” Wren asked and Haml jumped into action, probably glad to be doing something. Iridia gestured for them to follow her. As their foreign tour guide, Iridia spoke about the village, pointing out things. Some things looked interesting. She’d have to come back to find out what they were.

Their tour ended at the other side of the village where a bonfire blazed with several older folks sitting around it. Iridia introduced Wren and her friends and continued talking, as Haml handed them wooden cups filled with water. The liquid tasted just like the creek. That was probably their only source of water.

One of the older ladies got up from her seat and came up to Wren. Taking her free hand, the elder held it up and flipped it over, palm up. A gnarled finger traced the lines while she spoke. Then the woman shuffled to her cousins and did the same, except didn’t say anything to them. The trio watched quietly as the elder hobbled to a grass-covered dome.

Lilah looked at Wren. “Fortune teller?”

“Why not?” Wren replied. “They have magic. How much