Sebastian

crushed by the monsters Belladonna had unleashed in the world.
    Prodding the horse with his heels, he deliberately turned away from the wild horse standing on the rise—
    and from the west, where the sun was making its journey toward the horizon. He had a bedroll and some food, and there was grain for the horse, but he hadn't considered that he might not find the Den quickly or, barring that, find accommodations in a village. He didn't want to sleep out in the wild.
    Shelter , he thought. An inn with warm food and a bed with clean sheets. That's all I ask. All I ask A few minutes later he found a bridge. Not just planks over a stream, but a proper wooden bridge wide enough and sturdy enough to take a farm wagon.
    Which made no sense, since there was no road leading to it or away from it. But he wasn't about to ponder the logic of a bridge that had no purpose. It was the first sign of civilization, the first hint that he might find a place to stay before the sun went down.
    The horse crossed the bridge… and stepped onto a dirt road that followed the curves of the land.
    Koltak jerked the reins, bringing the horse to an annoyed stop. Twisting in the saddle, he looked back over the bridge. The dirt road continued on the other side.
    But it hadn't been there before.
    He'd crossed over into another landscape. But he hadn't felt the warning tingle of magic, hadn't had any warning that the bridge was more than a bridge.
    His heart raced as he straightened in the saddle, wincing at the protest of muscles that had spent too many hours riding.
    Urging the horse to a trot, he followed the road and felt relief when, a few minutes later, he caught a glimpse of rooftops and the smoke from chimneys.
    By the time he reached the village, the shops had closed for the day, and most of the people had gone home to have their dinners, but he followed the sounds of voices and laughter to what was, undoubtedly, some kind of inn.
    He groaned when he dismounted, then felt a flash of annoyance when no one hurried out to take his saddlebags so he wouldn't have to carry them himself. Leaving the horse tied to a post, he hauled the saddlebags over his shoulder, stepped into the main room, then walked up to the bar, bumping into people who didn't have the sense to step aside for him, as was proper.
    The man behind the bar gave him a hard look and a cold smile. "Good evening to you."
    Koltak grunted. "What's the name of this village?"
    "Dunberry."

    Not a familiar name. "Give me a glass of your best ale."
    The man drew a glass of ale and set it on the bar. But he didn't release the glass. "Let's see your coin first."
    Deeply insulted, Koltak gave the man his most formidable stare. Then he tapped the badge pinned to his robe. "You dare insult someone who wears this badge?"
    The man leaned a little closer to get a better look, then shrugged. "Could be a family trinket, for all I can tell. If it's not but brass or copper, it might fetch enough to equal two glasses of ale and a plate of whatever is left in the kitchen. If it's gold, it's worth that and a room for the night, plus stabling for your horse, if you have one."
    "You think I would barter this?" Koltak shouted. "I am a wizard!"
    The man cocked his head to one side and considered. "A wizard, is it? And what would that be?"
    Koltak stared at the man, then turned and studied the other men standing at the bar and sitting at the tables.
    "A wizard," he repeated, growing uneasy when the blank looks didn't change. "A Justice Maker."
    "Like a magistrate, you mean?" someone asked. "You set the fine if someone's pig gets out of the pen and tramples the neighbors garden?"
    "How dare you insult me?" Koltak whirled toward the sound of the voice but couldn't tell who had spoken. "I am a Justice Maker. I can call down the lightning of justice and kill you where you stand!"
    "Well, Mr. Wizard, sir," said the man behind the bar, "around here we call that murder. And we don't care if you do murder with a knife or with this lightning of yours. You kill a man here, we'll hang you good and proper."
    A sharp-edged ball of fear rolled in Koltak's belly. Not his part of the world. Not any of the landscapes he knew. He was powerless here, because any use of the power he controlled would have them hunting him like a common criminal.
    "I have some money." He fumbled with the money pouch tied to his belt and put three gold coins on the bar.
    The man behind the bar moved one coin away from the others. "This will get