Adam Andrews Johnson

Dorjin, the Human from Nextworld, was still on the beach. She had stopped sobbing, and she was focused. She was using the slimy innards of the crab she had killed to cast a spell. It was a simple window charm, and she expected it to merely grant her a glimpse of those onboard the ship and maybe give her a bearing of where they were. She knew they were out to sea, and she was on land, but she did not have any other idea of what she could do. However, as her magic activated, it flared with f

Nuji and Alydrael were the only two aboard the Mermonster. The excitement of locating the rebels had left Alydrael worn out, and she was resting in her cabin. Nuji was on the deck. She had her primary spell book in front of her. “I can’t let that Human find us again. Since I’m a beacon for magic, I need to shield myself from her sight. Now, how do I actually do that? How do I make myself invisible to magical vision?” Nuji began flipping through her books. She had read and reread every

For five uneventful days, the Mermonster headed toward the archipelago that extended out to sea from the mainland, and Alydrael slowly began to heal. Tigath made a crutch for her out of some spare wood that he found down in the hold of the ship, and she was slowly getting used to walking with it. She was still in a significant amount of pain, but Nuji’s potions were making it bearable, and each day was a little better. Two hours after noon on that fifth day, the ship snapped a rope and ratt

As the sun began to rise, the forest around Dorjin did not seem to be getting any less dense. For the entire following day, she wove through the tree trunks, guided by her compass to the south and west, away from the city her fellow Humans were attacking. She came upon no paths or trails and not a single clearing. The forest was bright from the sun above the treetops, but no direct light made it down to her through the thick canopy before the sun began to set that evening. Dorjin could not

Alydrael awoke in pain that was like a tsunami. Whatever confusion she first felt had been overwhelmed by the all-consuming agony that threatened to smother and swallow her whole. She could not comprehend the world around her. The sun was blaring down, and her eyes refused to focus. She did not know where she was, did not know why she was not in her bed in Edgedale. Her whole body throbbed, but her hands reached for the origin of her suffering, her leg. Another pair of hands took hers, pre

Nine minutes later, Dorjin boarded the eel shuttle. The thing was like a huge slimy snake with an interior large enough for soldiers to stand upright. There was a cockpit and control station where the oversized animal’s head should have been. “About bleeding time!” the pilot shouted at Dorjin as she entered. “Stow your gear and strap in.” He did not wait for her and activated the engines. The ship lurched forward, and Dorjin wobbled on her feet but managed not to fall. She took her s

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“You can hear me! Can you see me as well?” Tigath, Othri, and Lestralin stayed where they were, but Nuji and Kilial approached, and Kilial swiped her long spidery fingers through the hovering image. It rippled, but the Human’s face remained. “Oh good, you can see me!” “Who are you?” Kilial barked. “And how is a Human doing this?” Nuji added in disbelief. The woman looked relieved. “My name is Dorjin. You need to stay away from the big city and the islands!” “What

Tigath and Othri were resting. They had each donated a pint of their own blood to replenish what Alydrael had lost. She was still unconscious, and Nuji was grateful she had not woken up during the makeshift surgery. Her leg was a mess, but it would heal. Nuji was on the deck of the ship with Kilial, and she was planning on casting a charm over the men’s blood in preparation of the transfusions, but the captain insisted on remaining right beside her, which made Nuji reluctant to use her mag

For three uneventful days, the Mermonster traveled toward Kroave Island, but the Humans had already arrived and laid waste to the community that had thrived there. The ship was aware of the destruction even before the city was visible on the horizon, and it creaked to Kilial. Nuji heard its words also. “We can’t go there,” she stated. “No,” Kilial confirmed, and she turned to the map of West Sea. “What do you mean?” Tigath asked. “Why can’t we go there?” “The Humans got ther

and let's not forget that the starship in my sci-fi series is called the Ulaa-Lah 😄

The Mermonster was anchored to the sunken island of Uall. Only the tip of the small landmass and a few trees were above the waves. Dawn was beginning to break. Tigath, Othri, Alydrael, and Kilial had begun the repairs to the ship before sundown, but the Mermonster still required several hours of maintenance that they planned on completing in the morning. Alydrael was the first to make her way above deck, but she was shocked to see the rugged skyline of a mountainous continent. “W

In less than ten minutes, the five of them were in the tiny boat, and Kilial steered it around to the other side of the Mermonster to see the burn from below. It was much worse than she had realized. “Oh great! Why didn’t you tell me it was this bad?” she asked the ship, and it let out a few little groans. “Yes, it is that bad! Stop trying to play tough in front of our new friends. This repair will take all day.” A rope snapped, and Nuji could not stop herself from snorting a laugh.

“How is this possible?” Tigath asked Kilial as her ship began to head out of the Elstall harbor. The Mermonster possessed no crew. No strapping young seafolk dealt with the ship’s tack or sail, and yet, Kilial steered it out into the open ocean at a fair clip. “My love was constructed over five-thousand years ago.” She stroked the ship’s large wheel with one of her long-fingered hands. “What are you talking about?!” Othri squawked in disbelief. “It’s true,” Kilial countered

It had still been early in the morning when the Noktar woman with her mushroom-barge dropped off Tigath, Othri, Nuji, and Alydrael on the northern bank of the river. For half of that day, the four travelers hiked north into the rolling grasslands. The following morning, they turned east and made their way to the ocean at a region that was far to the north of the devastation in the Yellow City. It was another two days’ journey north along the coast before they arrived at the fishing village of El

Tigath awoke in darkness. It was the middle of the night, and Othri was in another one of his night terrors. Tigath looked at Othri’s muscular silhouette, twitching and shifting beneath the sheet. He was going to let him remain asleep, but Othri let out a whimper, and Tigath decided to wake him. He reached out and placed a gentle hand on Othri’s chest, and his body fell still. One of his hands came to the back of Tigath’s. “I was dreaming about the dead,” Othri whispered. “I know,” Ti

I thought i was tagging you both above, but it doesn't look like i did 🙃

Oh my gosh, my editor and I discussed your recommendations... and we decided that i totally dropped the ball, and you're both right! I've pasted below the section I've added to the beginning of the chapter and i've edited the section above. Thank you for your responses! Othri smiled. “Well, you two seem just lovely,” he commented to the young couple. “Lead the way! And did you say the inn is called the Riverview?” “That’s right,” Tonint confirmed, as she and Oonnik headed toward their town with the four travelers in tow, “the Riverview Pub.” “It’s owned by a nice Urcai man,” Oonnik added. “How delightful,” Tigath replied. He then changed subjects. “Do you two ladies happen to know about the Humans and Vuliburge?” Both their faces fell. “Oh yeah, that’s right,” Oonnik said in a somber tone. “Three survivors made it here like a week ago, but they continued on to the Yellow City” “And a group of Olingtonites left the next morning to help,” Tonint added. “They haven’t come back yet though, and the Humans didn’t come here, so I kind of forgot, but it’s terrible!” “Is that where you’re from?” Oonnik asked. “It is,” Tigath answered before Nuji or Alydrael could say anything, and he continued. “Glad you’ve seen some people from Vuliburge, and the Yellow City is our destination as well. We’ve had no idea if anyone else escaped. Glad your town was spared.” Olington was vibrant, and with the destruction out of sight, it also proved to be out of mind. Life was bustling in the village. When the little group arrived at the tavern, Othri admitted that he was more exhausted and sore than he expected, so once they had secured accommodations for the night, he and Nuji headed to the room to redress his wound. He had gotten used to her dealing with it over the past week of traveling. Tigath and Alydreal were escorted by the two local girls into the tavern for drinks and food, and Nuji joined them several minutes later.

Halfway through the following day, the quartet saw a tiny hamlet in the distance. Unlike the moldering town of Edgedale, this little community looked healthy and vibrant. To the weary travelers’ surprise, they rounded a bend and stumbled upon a pair of teenage girls behind a huge tree. One was a Noktar, and the other was a Rothian. The two had been passionately making out, and they quickly pulled away from each other and looked very embarrassed at having been seen kissing. Tigath spoke up

Alydrael might be a little sassy! haha

The two green-skinned men began to stroll out into the high grass and flowers. They came to a little rise in the land, crested it, and found Nuji waiting for them in the valley on its other side. Her long, skinny arms were crossed over her bony chest, and her wide mouth was in an extreme frown. “Hello, lads, how were the hateful inhabitants of Edgedale?” Othri rolled his orange eyes and replied, “I defer to Tigath.” “Each of them has suffered a tragedy,” Tigath stated, “and they’

Tigath and Othri did not like being called brothers. The man who had addressed them continued speaking. “We are but humble Urcai, like yourselves, living our quiet life alone in the forest without the influence of others. Our little hamlet is a pure community, and we are happy you have been drawn to us. The people here call me Emerald.” He gestured at his face, hair, and eyes, each of which was a different shade of green. “What are your names, brothers?” Both Tigath and Othri did thei

The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to preparing more food for the trio’s upcoming trek, and as the evening set in, they sat down to eat a little of the leftover hare from their breakfast. They had eaten the entire dove earlier. The next morning, the three began the first leg of their journey. The day was sunny, but the trees of the forest kept the travelers cool. They made their way slowly with Othri’s wound dictating their pace, and when they stopped at midday, he was exhausted. Tiga

Nuji led Tigath and Othri into the deep forest away from the ruins of Vuliburge. The journey to the Yellow City was going to take them more than a week, and they needed supplies. “Where are we headed?” Othri asked. Tigath was helping him walk. “To my home,” Nuji replied. “You live way out here,” Tigath asked, and he added, “alone? That must be tough.” Othri’s foot slipped on a loose stone, and Tigath caught him, but bracing caused Othri to hiss a harsh breath in pain. “Can I

You totally nailed it haha I shared over social media that my fairies were going to be vicious, and several of my readers were like, of course they are haha