Chapter 1 (dear god, I hope no one sees this)

Outland

Two frosty gray eyes peered through the shrubs as the scene before them played out. A school bus, clearly out of place rumbled down the abandoned dirt road. The driver obviously missed the old sign stating NO TRESPASSING BEYOND THIS POINT, when he chose to make that turn down this dead end path. He had made a wrong turn some where, but his decision to make this final turn was the biggest mistake of all. It would cost him everything, and everything of the eight students on board. Their field trip had quickly turned from boring to worse when, without knowing, that driver had doomed them all. Miles from civilization they had crossed the border between reality and fantasy. Those students' parents far away safe in their homes and at their jobs had no idea that morning would be the last time they would see their children. The bus careening down the road, kicking up dust, suddenly its tires blew, all reception and connection lost. The sun high in sky heating the metal vehicle like a pre-heating over, forcing the occupants to exit.

"Old fool," the creature with gray eyes muttered. Beside those two eyes another set appeared, these sparkled like rare emeralds. 

"Those humans. They shouldn't be here."

"Neither should you, Sassa."

"Unn, when the queen finds out humans have trespassed on our land, she and her court will eat them alive," Sassa's green eyes twinkled in the sunlight.

Unn looming in the shadows, "I know."

"We have to report this."

"If we do, those children will die."

"They are not children. They seem big enough to take care of themselves," Sassa replied.

"Maybe, but not to defend themselves against the queen. This is her land. They didn't heed the warnings, they crossed over. Now they deal with the consequences." 

The two sisters watched as the group of teenagers and one adult lingered around the broken down vehicle. Some fanned themselves in the heat, others began arguing with the driver. The two creatures could hear the exchange of words. 

"You're my responsibility. I can't just let you wander off!" The elderly one shouted.

"A group of us will walk back to the main road and flag someone down. Or maybe our phones will work the closer we get back to the city," one of the boys explained. 

"Oh, he is very handsome, Unn! He's so tall and broad and strong, like a beautiful dark tree. But why is his skin so dark?!"

"Sassa, that's a human! You fantasize over anything pretty."

"So, you admit, he's pretty," Sassa giggled.

"I have no time to waste on thoughts like that."

"You're no fun, sister."

The dark skinned boy formed a group of about five and began walking back down the road in the direction of where they came. But just as if the road was a culdisack, as soon as the group took the bend that turned towards to forest, they came full circle, coming back towards the wreck.

"How is this possible!?" The boy exclaimed. 

They're trapped. Trapped within our land. Trapped by our magic. Unn's thoughts were despairing, but true. They'll never be able to go home again. Unn knew that feeling all too well. It had not been long since she too had found herself unable to return to her home. At least at that time she was surrounded by her own kind and she had her sister, despite how juvenile Sassa could get sometimes. Nostalgia and sentiment had no place right now in this moment. 

"Unn, you have to report this. It's the law."

"But...," Unn stopped. She had never hesitated before in reporting trespassers. Why was this instance different? Why did she sense something new and off-putting by this crowd?

"Unn, you took the oath. You are to remain loyal to the queen and her courts!"

Unn's loyalty had never wavered before. Why now? Why them? 

"Word will reach the queen's ear one way or another. There's nothing you can do. If you don't do your duty, when they are taken away you will be taken away with them. And you know your fate will be more horrendous then their's."

"Sassa! I know! I know!"

"Then why hesitate, sister?"

Unn breathed deeply before turning to look into her sister's eyes. She could see the fear. More importantly she could see the impending pain if Sassa were to lose her sister. 

Another breath, "They're innocent."

Sassa's eyes widened, confused.

Unn looked out at the hopelessness before her. Determination settled over her. She was going to save them. That's what she was going to do.

"I'm going to save them, little sister."

"Saving them won't correct your mistakes in the past. You're just adding to your list of mistakes! By now another scout has probably spotted them and is on their way to appear before the court. Either do your duty or don't, just don't interfere."

The roles had been reversed. Sassa was the one speaking in legal terms, and for the first time ever, it was Unn who was putting the law aside.

"Don't desert me," Sassa muttered under her breath. Unn stood up from her crouching position and was about to depart from her hiding spot amongst the bushes and shrubs. 

"Wait, Unn!" Sassa whispered after her older sister, "Your wings. I think that might scare them. I'm sure they've never seen anything like us before."

Unn looked over her shoulder at the two fluttering, translucent wings glittering in the sunlight. As if each beam of light turned into pure diamonds as they bounced off the wings protruding from her shoulder blades. 

"I should probably get new skin and human clothes while I'm at it," Unn joked, making an attempt to lighten the situation. Seeing Sassa's uncommon seriousness, Unn wiped the faint smile from her face. She quivered as her wings shriveled up against her skin, becoming flush with her back, so only an imprint of wings remained, like a permeant fixture, inked in her flesh. Maybe if her wings are hidden these humans could see past her clearly un-human skin and pigmentation. She pulled her cloak tighter around her covering as much of herself as she could, flipping the hood up over her head, protecting her pointed ears from questions. Hopefully they'll just see her differences as birth defects. She slowly approached the stranded strangers, unsure of what she might say or do. One of them, a girl, noticed the advancing figure and nudged the tall boy from earlier. Slowly each of them looked out towards Unn.

"Mr. Willis! There's someone coming!" The boy shouted. Unn was just a dark figure, a shadow, a rippling mirage against the blazing sun. The older man, Mr. Willis come around the bus from where he was trying to figure out how to fix the tires; a faulty wish. Eventually Unn was there, face to face with them. Never been this close to humans before.

"Hey there, do you think you can help us?" 

No response.

"Or, maybe you live near by and your folks could help us?"

Still no response.

The group stared at Unn, interrupting her silence as rudeness, when in actuality she was just trying to recall their language. It had been years since she'd heard that tough, let alone spoke it herself. Finally the words came to her.

"I'm sorry. I was trying to think of some way to help you. I saw your vehicle break from my post and I wasn't sure what could be done."

"Your post?" It was the boy asking.

Did she really let that slip? Too late now. As if she didn't hear him, "You're a long way from home. And I'm not sure you're going to make it back."

"What do you mean?" Mr. Willis asked.

"Well, what I mean to say is, you're never going home."

One of the girls stepped forward, she was big. "Is this some kind of prank?! Why'd don't you show your face?! Trying to scare us?!" She reached forward pulling at Unn's hood. The fabric fell. A synchronized gasp and then silence befell the group. Then without thinking, just reacting, two of the students jumped forward grabbing Unn. A sheik sounded as Sassa charged the group, wings flapping, ears showing, skin exposed. Two more boys grabbed her.

"There's two of them!"

"What are you?"

"We're nothing. I'm just here to warn you," Unn replied calmly. She was trained to show no fear, never waver, to always be composed. 

"My name is Sassa. She's my sister Unn. And you're trespassing on the queen's land!" Sassa shouted, struggling to break free with each word.

"What is this, some kind of homestead cult?" A student asked.

"Let us go, and I'll explain. But what I will say I doubt you'll believe anyway," Unn replied. The boys let the two sisters go. 

"So, tell us, what's going on," the boy urged.

"When you turned off the main road on to this dirt path you passed through the gateway that separates humans from us. We placed a sign at the turn warning trespassers to stay out. But some refuse to listen and cross over anyway. Just as you found you could not retrace your steps back to the road, so have many before you. As soon as you crossed the divide this dirt path becomes a circle."

"How do we get out of this circle?" Mr. Willis asked.

"You don't." 

"Well, if you say other humans have come here before, take us to them."

Sassa laughed, "There are no humans here. Our kind eats your kind."

The humans backed away slightly. 

"What my melodramatic sister means is there are those of us who would love to see you dead and unfortunately eat you. Sassa and I are not of the habit of eating humans. So, no need to fear us."

"It's the queen you should fear," Sassa added. Unn rolled her eyes. Her little sister had a tendency to make things more dramatic then need be. 

"Queen?" A girl asked.

"Yes, Queen Ase. She's the one who brought us from our world to your's. She claimed this land, from the main road to far south stream, from those woods to those hills behind us," Sassa explained pointing each direction. She continued, "She blessed this land to be our's, but laid a curse against human kind. Hence your inability to leave."

Suddenly, a soft yellow light glowed from beneath Unn's cloak.

"Unn! Your amulet!" 

"Oh, shit!" Unn pulled the golden chain that was around her neck, revealing an tear-drop shaped orb. 

"What is that thing?" The boy asked. 

"It's the source of Unn's magic."

"But it's also my connection to the queen and her court. They've sent out a signal, humans are here. That means you," Unn explained looking at the group. 

"If you can do magic, why don't you cast a spell or something to break the curse that keeps us here?" The boy asked. "I can't believe I'm believing this," he muttered under his breath, so no one could hear.

"I can't do that kind of magic. And you better believe, your life may depend on it."

The boy looked at her, shocked that she heard his whisper. 

"I hear everything." His eyes widened as her thoughts entered his mind. 

"Why doesn't your sister have one?" Another boy asked.

Sassa laughed again, "I can't do magic, and I'm not a member of the queen's legion."

"Wait. You're in with this evil queen of your's!" 

Sassa gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth, as if to say I won't speak another word.

"Not after this little stunt. Speaking to humans, or as the queen calls you, prey, is forbidden. And now someone has reported your presence and probably also that I'm engaging. Which means if we are caught we are all doomed. And the queen is not evil, just ruthless and protective of her kind," Unn explained. "I'm going to do everything I can to protect you and somehow get you back home. Where you belong."

The amulet burned brighter, its contents swirling violently, as if a war had broken out within. 

"Sassa, use your sight. How far off are the scouts? How much time do we have?" Unn instructed. 

Sassa turned her back on the group, closed her eyes for a moment, meditating. And then her eyes burst open, no longer sparkling green emeralds, but white, lifeless spheres, staring out into the distance; seeing nothing and everything. Her frail arms and legs began to shake, she began to fall and Unn was by her side before anyone could blink, catching her. 

"The scouts have gathered, they will depart the courts within the hour. General Manning is leading them. You'll never hide from him," Sassa gasped in a rasping, broken voice. 

Unn knew she had less than a couple hours before Ase's make-shift army would reach them. Unn knew she needed to get these humans somewhere safe, somewhere Ase and her court would not be able to find them. Better yet somewhere they wouldn't dare venture. Unn lifted her sister to her feet and hugged her, holding her tight. 

She whispered to Sassa, "I may never see you again. I love you, but I have to do this." She released Sassa, who was in tears. Sassa looked at her older sister and knew there was no stopping her.

"I know," she whispered back. 

"There's a chance Ase doesn't know you're involved. Stay hidden until you know you're in the clear. And this is a lot to ask, but please do what you can to slow them down."

Sassa nodded in agreement. 

Unn turned to face the group of frightened and slightly intrigued teenagers. "I have to get you far from this place. I'm taking you somewhere even Queen Ase wouldn't dare go. It will be dangerous and I can't promise everyone will make it. You're welcome to stay here and play your chances against our kind. But you will be hunted and you will die, guaranteed. Our kind is ruthless and merciless when it comes to outsiders. At least with me you have a higher chance of surviving."

"How do we know she's not leading us to this queen?" A student asked.

"You're just going to have to trust me."

"Where will you go?" Sassa asked.

"We'll hide out in the woods until night fall. And when the moon rises, I'm taking you all to Englyn."