Yesenia glanced to River, and he nodded. "I'll get you some water and maybe something to eat."
The male left and Reika let out a sigh. Why, she didn't know. The female could be a murderer or some sort of criminal for all she knew, and be a million times worse than the doctor.
The only good thing was even if Reika wasn't exactly a street fighter and didn't know if she could overpower the other female, at least the odds were even now.
She nearly laughed at the absurdity. Just what had her life become, thinking about taking down someone in a fight? Some sort of over-the-top TV drama or romance book?
Yesenia pulled out the chair from the desk and sat down, facing her. "There's no how-to guide for this kind of thing, so I'm just going to tell it to you straight. I'm a fae witch who can wield time. My brother and I are originally from the United States in 2022, but this is 1890 London. I was trying to bring a fated one here for someone I know, and that fated one is you." She threw up her hands and said drolly, "Surprise."
Reika blinked. "What are you talking about?"
Yesenia touched her chest. "I'm a time-wielder. And you're sort of modern, is my guess, although your jeans are different than what I'm used to seeing. When are you from? Tell me that and I can better try to fill in all the details."
Her heart thundered so hard Reika could barely hear anything else. There was no way she could believe this fae witch. "There are no such thing as time-wielders in real life. They only exist in the myths."
Yesenia shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I found out by mistake—not even an assessor could pinpoint my powers—and I randomly ended up here, in 1890, by my own power." She gestured at her clothes. "Believe me, I would not be wearing this if given the choice. But wearing pants is like if I'd walk around in my underwear out in public back home, not to mention my husband would start killing people for looking at my ass."
Reika barely noticed Yesenia roll her eyes. No, she studied the clothing, the furniture, the single bulb that was clear glass rather than frosted.
Could it be true?
No.There were plenty of hotels and places that catered to certain themes or time periods.
Hell, even if this place were a sex club, she'd take that over being stuck nearly a hundred years before she was even born.
Yesenia's soft voice garnered her attention. "I know this is a lot to take in, and it seems like a dream. But what I say is the truth. The sun should come up soon and if you look out that window, you'll see the horses and carriages, the clothing, the lack of cars and other modern stuff, and you might start to believe me."
Reika shook her head. "No, it's probably just part of a set. There are no time-wielders. Time travel isn't possible."
Yesenia stood, walked toward the bed, and looked her dead in the eye. "Itispossible, I promise you. If I need to get my vampire husband or my vampire sister-in-law to tell you that—which you know they can't lie—I will. They'll both say the same as me."
As she stared at Yesenia's face, Reika's heart pounded harder.
She was right—vampires couldn't lie. And if two were willing to come in and tell her the same thing, it meant it must be true.
Somehow, some way, time travel magic existed.
No.She couldn't be in the past. Surely there were rules about taking people without asking.
Weren't there?
Serves her right for not studying the Code of Fae Witches as much as she should've during her magical training years.
Yesenia spoke again, her tone softer. "I know it's a shitton to take in, I do. For now, let's just start at the beginning, as if we'd met on the street. What's your name? Where are you from? Knowing that might help me speed some things along and get you adjusted faster." She paused and then murmured, "Because you can't go back to whenever you're from."
What?She leaned forward. "I can't go back to 2003? To Vancouver? Why?"
Yesenia smiled sympathetically. "No, I'm afraid you're stuck here. Time travel is one way for anyone outside of my bloodline."
A sense of panic started to creep over her. "Say this is all true for a second, why would you do that to me? Snatch me from my home, my family, my everything?"
The other female raised a hand as if to touch her, and then dropped it. "I'm sorry, I truly am. There's some debate about finding fated ones and moving them through time without asking, although the fae witch council usually allows it. But the main reason you're here is far more serious—there are a lot of people relying on me to strengthen my magical muscles to help bring about peace. Despite my age, I only found out I had magic months ago. There's more to it, of course, but I can't share any more just yet."
She stared at the determination and fierceness in Yesenia's gaze; she believed her own words, most likely.
Reika didn't want to believe the female, she really didn't. Time travel magic was something that existed only in the myths. No one in living memory had ever met one, and that had seemed like enough proof.
And yet, what if it were true? Some magical abilities were rarer than others, although they usually never went dormant for hundreds of years, or whatever.