Chapter Two: A Land Unknown

Skye reappeared in a forest, so suddenly that her head spun and she almost fell over. Holding on to a tree for support, she shook her head to clear it and looked around. It was a little misty in the forest, chill and damp. Thin fingers of fog curled around the tall trees of the darkening forest. Skye estimated it must be close to nightfall. Standing up straight, she walked to where the forest ended. A little ways away she could see a city, with a majestic castle beyond. Good. She could find out where she was and maybe how to get home.

As she walked towards the town, she realized that it didn't look familiar, any of it, not one bit. Katra hadn't been kidding. A dawning horror grew in her as that fact sank in. Suppose she couldn't get home? How was she going to live her life in a world she didn't know? She didn't even have very much money with her.

She stopped just outside the town, shaking her head. No. There must be a way to get home. Of course, something like that was bound to be expensive. Back to the money problem. Oh, well. There had to be a way to get some fast cash.

"But what?" Skye wondered aloud. "I don't have anything I could or would sell, so.... jeez." She shook her head again, sighing. "What a dingbat. I'm the boss of the Scorpion Army, and the best thief in any dimension. I'll just steal the money I need, then find out how to get out of this world and back to mine." Smiling craftily, she continued on towards the town.

Concentrating on her goal, she failed to see the man walking towards the town from the opposite direction. Both distracted, they walked right into each other.

"Ouch! You clumsy clod! Watch where you're going!" Skye glared at him, rubbing the head she had bumped.

"Same goes for you," he retorted. "You could stand to be a little more observant yourself."

"I didn't ask for an analysis of my flaws, just that you don't sweep other people off their feet with your astonishing grace and coordination like you did me." Skye smirked.

"Look, I'm sorry, but I'm in kind of a hurry," he replied irritably. "We'll have to discuss this another time." He headed off quickly.

Skye followed, grinning happily to herself. Thanks to the beautifully crafted spear she had just stolen from him. That bump had been no accident. Humming the Scorpion Army theme to herself, she continued walking into the city.

A little bell jingled over the door of the Weapon Shop as Skye pushed it open. A bored-looking shopkeeper glanced up at the noise. "Yes, can I help you? You do know it's almost closing time, right?"

"This won't take long," Skye said dismissively. Walking up to the counter, she set the spear down. "I just want to sell this."

The shopkeeper whistled. "That's a nice one. What's the name of it?"

"The name?" Skye stared blankly at him.

"Yeah," he replied, giving her a strange look. "You have to know the name of it. And I gotta know what I'm buying, so I don't plunk down a bunch of GP on a worthless imitation. So what's the name?"

"I, I'm not sure," Skye stammered.

"How can you not be sure?"

"Very easy!" Skye snapped. "I found it in a cave! They don't exactly have signs lying around saying what all the treasures are!"

"Oh?" The shopkeeper looked at her suspiciously. "That so? How do I know you didn't steal it from somebody?"

"Do I look like a thief?" Skye feigned angry innocence, inwardly amused by her performance.

"Doesn't matter if you do or not. The point is, if you can't tell me what the name is, I can't buy it."

"Oh, shove your point in your eye!" Skye snapped angrily. "I'll just find a better shop." Taking the spear, she left the store, fuming.

Walking quickly and angrily, muttering to herself, she failed for real this time to see the man she had bumped into earlier.

"You again?" he said dryly. "What a...." He trailed off as he saw the spear she had stolen in her hand. "That's mine! What are you doing with it? Wait, stupid question -- you stole it, of course. Now give it back." He snatched the weapon from her hand. "Thank you kindly for returning it," he said sarcastically.

"I was going to return it," Skye retorted. "That's why I had it -- you left it on the ground and I thought I'd find you and give it back."

"And you thought you'd find me in the weapon shop, right?" he asked dryly. "Look, I'm not buying it. You're pretty, but you're also a pretty bad liar. A good thief, though -- I didn't even realize it was gone till I was attacked and couldn't defend myself."

"Why, thanks for the compliment," Skye said sarcastically.

"Whatever," he said dismissively. "I'd discuss this more with you, but I'm late for a party." Turning around, he left.

Skye glared after him. Then she realized what he'd said. A party? Hmmm.... parties were crowded, and in the crowd she could make a lot of money stealing. It could be to her benefit to follow him to this party. Pulling her hood over her head, she hurried after him.

To her surprise, he was heading for the castle she had seen earlier. It was quite pretty, with its fairy-tale turrets and towers, the white stones bathed beautifully in the azure light of twilight. Lights shone in the windows, and as they drew closer, she could hear voices from inside.

The castle was filled with people, and even better, the owners were obviously loaded. She'd make a fortune tonight, more than enough to pay her way back to her world.

Skye shook her head and sighed. What had she ever done to deserve this? Trapped in a strange world, by a weirdo who was probably up to no good. She just hoped she'd have a world to go back to.

"Ah, Rydia. You look as lovely as ever." Edge, Prince of Eblan, smiled flirtatiously at the pretty young Caller. "Care to dance?"

"For the last time, no," Rydia said irritably.

"The last time? You mean if I ask again, you'll say yes?"

"I won't even dignify that with a response," was her only answer as she left.

As she did, he caught sight of Skye, wandering around the party aimlessly. With a sly grin, he headed over.

"Hello, my lovely lady," he said to Skye. "Who might you be? I've never seen you before."

"Well, for one thing I'm not yours," Skye replied. "For another, I don't care to tell you my name. And last, I've never seen you either and don't care to ever again."

"Oooh, a feisty one." Chuckling, he took her hand. "I'm Edge. And you?"

"A total stranger. Leave me alone. " Skye pulled her hand away.

"Won't you at least tell me where you're from so I can look you up?"

"A faraway place. That's all the information you're going to get, so go away. Or better yet, I will." Skye hurried and walked away, hoping he wouldn't follow her. Luckily, he didn't.

She soon forgot about him anyway, engrossed in wandering about the castle, admiring the fine things and picking the pockets of the guests. Some gold here, a pocket watch or piece of jewelry there. By the time she was through, she figured, she'd have enough to get home and some extra to spend on a little treat or two for herself.

"Let's see, what's in here?" Skye murmured to herself. She'd wandered far from where the party was, into an empty hallway. She tried the door, but it was locked. "Not a problem," she muttered to herself as she picked the lock. Wincing at the slight creaky noise the door made as it swung open, she hurried inside and quietly shut it behind her.

Turning around, she found that she had discovered the castle treasury. "Ah, jackpot," she whispered excitedly. "These are the moments that make stupid parties like this worth coming to." Humming the Scorpion Army theme, she began to unlock the glass cases and empty the contents into a bag she'd brought along. "Such beautiful things...." she breathed. Jewelry, tiaras, finely-made weapons, all kinds of treasures. She'd have more than enough to get home.

"Now that you've played with the toys, could you kindly put them back where you found them?" a voice inquired dryly.

Skye froze, a glittering wand of some sort in her hand. Swallowing nervously, she turned slowly. Standing in the doorway were several guards and a man in regal clothing, probably the king. She laughed nervously. "Ha, ha, quite funny."

"Very amusing," the king replied in the driest of tones. "I'm flattered that you like my treasures, but I'd really rather you admire them here and not elsewhere. And that you ask permission to see them, rather then breaking the lock." He indicated the door.

"Do you always make small talk with thieves that you catch?" Skye inquired.

"I don't usually catch thieves, but.... never mind. Guards?"

"Yes, your Highness?" they replied.

"Take her away." They nodded and obeyed. Skye struggled to break free, but couldn't. They hauled her away and shoved her roughly into a cell.

"Well, this is a fine mess," Skye grumbled to herself as she stewed in her cell. "I was so careful! How did I wind up in here?! Stupid king...." Muttering unprintable things about him, Skye took out her sketchbook and a pencil and began to draw.

It was a quiet, normal morning in Guardia Castle. Bleu and Magus had been married a few days prior, and were sitting around having breakfast with Rydia, Lucca, and Marle. Crono, Schala and Daria were upstairs watching TV in Daria's room.

Though no one spoke of it, there was quite a bit of tension in the air in the castle. The Mystics' war against Guardia had been crippled by the loss of the R-Series, but wasn't over yet. And Bleu was still wanted as a traitor, though it'd been quite a few months since her escape. And even with what she had done, she still wasn't accepted or trusted completely by the people of Guardia because of what she was.

Sitting quietly at the table, Bleu idly picked at her breakfast while twisting her ring on her finger. It was a simple ring, crafted of shimmering silver with a small diamond on it that sparkled radiantly in the lamplight. Simple and beautiful.

Watching it sparkle, Bleu wondered not for the first time if she was really happy. She loved Magus, yes, and was happy with him, but not with everything else. Not with her status as an outcast and fugitive, as a freak that everyone stared at and nobody trusted or accepted. Ashamed of what she was, and how she looked, with her otherworldly and exotic features, her pointed Mystic ears and her tall, thin, awkward body with its many scars from years of brutal training, she hid inside her dark, concealing clothes and covered her face as best she could. She hated being stared at, so she covered herself up as much as she could so no one could see her.

She often wondered what had drawn her parents together. Since Mystics had no last names, she had been given her mother's last name after her birth. Her mother had insisted. Her father hadn't spoken much of her, only saying that she was very beautiful and that Bleu looked very much like her. Bleu didn't believe that both could be true though.

Watching the group from the doorway, Katra giggled very softly to herself. This was going to be easier than she'd thought. All of them unsuspecting of what was to happen to them very soon. They had weapons with them, probably for practice or something, but by the time she'd opened the gate, it would be too late for them to use them against her.

It seemed like a pretty silly plan to Katra. Toss a bunch of people who had previously saved their worlds into other worlds and take over the different worlds. It didn't quite make sense to Katra. But she supposed it must make some sort of sense to her, or she wouldn't have ordered Katra to set it in motion. She was very smart, she was, much smarter than Katra. Too smart. Katra's eye twitched a little, and a violent shudder passed through her. Then she banished it and giggled again.

Bleu's sensitive ears pricked at the soft sound, and her head snapped up to see who had made it. She could tell from Magus's expression and his overall personality that he hadn't made and would never make that sort of noise, and Rydia and Lucca were too focused on their discussion of technology and various inventions to think of laughing. And Marle was chewing some of her food and looking bored, so she obviously couldn't and wouldn't have laughed.

The noise came again, and this time her keen eyes caught sight of someone standing in the doorway. Looking over, she saw the most bizarre and frightening thing she had ever seen. Bleu gasped involuntarily, and everyone at the table looked at her. Following her vision, they saw Katra.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Bleu demanded as she quickly stood up, the others following suit.

"I think the more appropriate question would be what is it and why is it here?" Magus muttered.

"Just taking care of business," Katra replied giddily. She moved quickly to stand before them, barely a foot or two away.

"And just what is your business?" Rydia inquired warily, backing away slightly as she adjusted her glasses.

"Why, this of course. What else?" Katra giggled and opened the same portal that Skye had been sucked into. Before they could say a word, they too were plummeting through the murky black depths of the space between dimensions.

The next second, it felt like, they were standing a short distance outside a brightly lit castle at night. For several seconds, there was stunned silence as what had just happened sank in.

"Well, that was rude," Marle remarked at last.

"Rude?" Bleu repeated incredulously. "That was beyond rude, way far beyond it! There we are, eating breakfast peacefully, when suddenly that giggling idiot shows up out of nowhere and sends us flying to who-knows-where without even an explanation or anything! There wasn't enough time for what she was doing to sink in until it was done!"

"Now that you're done with your little rant, shall we continue on to that castle and try to get some help?" Magus inquired dryly.

"Little rant?" Bleu raised an eyebrow, a challenging look in her ice-blue eyes.

"Ah, trouble in paradise already," Rydia commented wryly. "Let's go on to the castle before they rip each other's heads off." She, Marle, and Lucca headed off. Giving Magus a warning look, Bleu followed, and he followed her a bit warily.

The minute they tried to enter the castle, they were stopped by guards.

"Halt! What is your business here?" one of them demanded.

"They look awfully suspicious," the other guard spoke up. "Who knows, they might be friends of that thief the King just caught, trying to free her. Best lock them in the dungeon till the party's over and the King can deal with them."

"Right."

"Wait, no," Lucca protested as they were hauled. "Who are you talking about? We just got here and need some help. Really!" Their protests fell on deaf ears, however, as they were shoved into the jail.

Skye looked up as Bleu and Rydia were pushed into her cell, the others into the next one. "Quite a busy night," she muttered to herself as she resumed sketching.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bleu asked irritably as she sat down.

Skye glanced up, startled. "You heard me?"

"Yes. So what did you mean by that?"

Skye shrugged. "I just meant that it's a busy night for this jail tonight. First me, now you people. What'd you do to land in here?"

"Nothing -- just look suspicious. So, are you the thief the guards mentioned?"

"One and the same," Skye replied as she erased something on her drawing and redrew it. "What a crappy day this has been," she grumbled. "First -- nah, never mind."

"Never mind what?" Rydia spoke up curiously.

Skye shook her head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Let's just say I've had one of the worst days of my life, and leave it at that."

"Try me." Bleu looked very interested. "We've just had a very bizarre experience ourselves that I wouldn't think anybody would believe, so do tell."

"Fine," Skye sighed. "What do I have to lose by sounding like a complete lunatic? It started out like a normal day, then suddenly this, this thing comes along, this giggling, crazy monster, and for no reason at all opens some weird portal and sends me here, to another world. Pretty wild, huh?" Skye's expression was that of mild amusement.

"Are you kidding?" Bleu stared at her with an incredulous expression on her face.

"Judging by the look on your face, you either think I'm insane, or the same thing just happened to you. Which is it?" Skye inquired dryly.

"The latter," Bleu replied, still stunned. "It doesn't make any sense, though. Why would someone just do that first to you, and then us?"

"Either someone's playing an idiotic practical joke -- which I doubt -- or someone is gathering us up to kill us or something."

"But that's stupid too," Bleu pointed out. "First of all, who would want to kill us? And second, unless they're super-powerful, gathering us and probably some others would only get this... person killed."

Skye shuddered. "Let's hope that's not the case."

"Right." Bleu shuddered.

"What an awful thought," Rydia commented.

"Speaking of thoughts, shouldn't we be thinking of how to get out of here and get back to our worlds?" Skye inquired. "I'm sure none of us wants to stay in this crappy cell for the rest of our lives."

"Well, one's going to be easier than the other," Rydia replied, a slight frown creasing her forehead.

"Let me guess, escaping this jail is the easy part, right?" Skye said with a sigh.

Rydia shook her head. "Surprisingly, no, it's the other way around. You see, Lucca -- one of the people in the other cell -- and I have been developing a device to travel in between dimensions, which she just happens to have with her. Lucky coincidence, huh?" Rydia grinned.

"It's straight out of a numbingly predictable book," Skye replied flatly. "And I bet it won't work."

"Yes it will," Rydia insisted. "You'll see."

"Oh, will I?" Skye muttered.

"Well, now that we've got that covered, let's escape." Bleu stood up. "I can blow the hinges off the doors."

"Somehow I doubt that that's the right way to go about it," Skye said dryly. "We'd never escape like that -- they'd catch us."

"Oh, no they won't," Bleu replied. "While I blast the other door, you two will take out the guard and lock the door to the prison. By the time it gets opened, we'll all have been sent back to our own worlds."

"Well.... I guess that might work," Skye said grudgingly. "Still sounds crazy to me, though."

"What other choice have we?" Rydia sighed. "Go on, destructo-girl. Get us out of here."

Laughing slightly, Bleu cast a quick spell. Bright scarlet light flared around the hinges, then there were two small explosions as they were blasted off. Shoving the door open, Skye and Rydia ran out to meet the guard, who was rushing over to see what the noise was. While Skye cast Sleep Flower on him, Bleu blasted the other door and Magus, Lucca, and Marle hurried out, Lucca retrieving the device Rydia had spoken of from her pack.

While that was going on, Rydia sprinted to the prison door as fast as her short legs could carry her. Just as she reached it, though, it opened to reveal the king, Edge, and Kain. With a startled gasp, Rydia turned and ran back to the group. "Go, go!" she yelled as she reached them, the three close behind. "Hit the button now, Lucca!"