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@inkhorn

Your characters sound like fun! Conroy seems kinda sad though. Just curious, are either of them main characters?

😁 Thank you! I am very fond of Rhianna.

Now let’s see if we can get Denari in here.

Denari

Ari stood in the doorway of the inn, frowning out at the whisps of fog that obscured the road.

“Eh, young Ari,” the innkeeper called from within. “Ye won’t be travelin’ in that, will ye?”

Ducking his head, Ari shrugged noncommittally. The man came over to stand by him.

“That there’s a heavy fog,” he commented. “Won’t no one be on the road today.”

“I can’t stay,” Ari said, his voice soft and unsure. “If I keep to the road, I’ll be fine, right?”

“Dunno lad,” the innkeeper replied. “Them mists are strange things. I’ve heard tell of many a traveler gone astray in them.”

A stubborn cast came over the boy’s face and he repeated, “If I keep to the road, I’ll be fine.”

The innkeeper glanced sideways at Ari and bobbed his head. “Mebbe ye would at that. Winds know, ye’re a strange enough one yeself.” Giving him an encouraging pat to the shoulder, the man went back to wiping down tables. When he looked up again, the boy was gone.

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Ari paused just outside the building. He almost stole one last backward glance, but something told him the fog had already hidden the inn from view. Instead, he reached into his pocket and rubbed the glass figurine there twice, for luck.

“Foolish Denari,” he muttered to himself, already regretting his decision.

Mists can’t hurt us, the Kraken whispered into his mind. Goya is a far greater risk.

Shaking his head, Ari started off down the road.

The fog muffled all the ordinary sounds, even the sound of his own footsteps came as if from a great distance. It was easy enough to tell where the pebbled road was; Ari wondered what had happened to the travelers the innkeeper had mentioned.

Hard as it had been to judge his progress down on the plains, it was far harder in the fog. Ari had been walking for what felt like hours when he came upon a cliff. Warily, Ari came to a halt. The road led straight into the rock.

He was not afraid. No, Ari rarely felt fear, though he was, as a rule, quite cautious. However, staring up at the impossible cliff face, something overruled even his normal caution.

With a whispered prayer, Ari closed his eyes and walked straight towards the cliff.

A gust of wind, a taste of sunlight, and Ari opened his eyes to find himself in a great hall.

Before he could get a proper look at this strange new place, a deep voice was booming his name.

“Denari, give up your most treasured possession, or take part in my fashion show.”

Ari slipped his hand into his pocket to make sure the Kraken was still there. Luckily, he was not required to give a response to the disembodied voice, for at that moment, Rhianna the Loki burst in with all her usual flare. Ari backed into a shadow and stayed there, feeling very lost.

Of course, Rhianna would start by angering the ruler of this place and inciting a rebellion, Ari couldn’t help thinking. Hesitantly, he followed her and her two victims behind the curtain.

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“Well, that was fun!” Rhianna exclaimed to her companions, spinning to face them. The smile was abruptly wiped off her face when she caught sight of a pair of electric blue eyes watching her and her newfound friends.

“Denari?” she asked.

Ari just blinked solemnly at her.

“I supposed I’m not dreaming, then,” Rhianna said.

Ari shook his head and added, “Seriously, a revolution? Isn’t that a little overkill, Rhianna?”

“Who wants to dream about a fashion show?” Rhianna retorted defensively. “Where’s the fun in that?”

“Where’s the harm?” Ari returned.

Stumped, Rhianna changed the topic. “Since when do you wear an earring?” she demanded, pointing at the clear glass bead dangling from Ari’s right ear.

Ari avoided the question by spreading his hands and asking plaintively, “Where are we?”