Stranger in a strange land..(Akkadian, Any)

[magnus]

— find what you love and let it kill you —

Was it easy for him?

In some ways, he supposes that it was; after all, outwardly, he was unscathed. There was no bruises to mar his knees or lacerations on his flesh. He was slick with sweat but physically fine—the exertion of finding his way down the mountain and searching for others enough to awaken him, the adrenaline pumping through his veins. As she stood up, he moved instinctually over, offering support to the injured mare.

He smiled kindly at her, his lips scarred and the smile crooked but warm. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Jord,” he offered. “Although I do wish that it had been under slightly different circumstances.” He wished that all of this was under different circumstances; that the Gates was still there, that the jungle cats still ran wildly beneath the vines. He did not miss the magic, had never truly tapped into it, but he did miss the familiar thrum of life in Beqanna. This new tempo was frantic and fearful and completely alien to him.

“My name is Magnus.” He laughed gently at her remark, not offended in the slightest. “I would like to say that I was careful, but the truth is that I was just lucky and found an easy path.” Not the easiest path, but he didn’t say as much, not interested in drawing comparisons. At her assertion about her family, his mouth pulled into a frown, concern etching itself onto his features. “I am truly sorry to hear that, Jord. Would you like for us to go look for them? I am sure that we would be able to find them together.” After all, he wasn’t about ready to just let her wander off on her own—not when she still carried these injuries.

He dipped his head slightly. “Whatever I can do to help, just tell me.”

magnus