Unless he really knew what he was doing in bed, à la Christian Grey and unlike Jason.
"The guards said you appeared last night," the Red Knight says and leans forward, as if he doesn't want anyone to hear his words. "You were not there and suddenly you were. From whence came you?"
I sip my wine, once again at a loss as to how much I should say. The Red Knight is waiting patiently, his friendly, open features encouraging me. He's not giving me the vibe I'm used to, that I'm about to be judged or made fun of.
"From another world," I reply honestly. "I don't know where or how. I went to sleep there and woke up here."
"Someone sent you here," he guesses.
"Yeah. How'd you know?"
"Let's just say you're not the first who's been sent." He's frowning, his eyes moving to stare at some point in the distance.
Is it possible the people of this world are aware of mine? How crazy would that be?
"My head hurts so bad." I can't even entertain such a deep thought.
He's too distracted. "This world, is it magical?"
A glance around reminds me these people don't know what electricity is let alone the Internet. "You can say that."
He sits back, pensive.
I eat quietly, uncertain what's bothering him. The cheese is awesome, much better than the bread and wine. I'm not a fan of jerky and quit after choking down one piece.
"What is your name, witch?" he asks finally.
"Naia."
"Naia." A flicker of surprise crosses his features. He shifts forward again. "You must not tell others of this magical world from whence you came or the person who sent you or even your name."
"Why not?"
"A battle-witch, such as you are, is expected to have knowledge of the unknown and magic. But another world?" He shakes his head gravely. "You will be flogged or worse, put to death, for even mentioning it. And . . ." He pauses, as if not sure he should continue, before he does. "I'm going to track down the person who sent you. I don't need others getting in my way."
Ummm . . . yeah, right. No book character can find its author, because they aren't real.
Listening and growing more confused, I'm surprised by the severity of his expression and the sudden way he's looking at me as if he wants to feed me to Panther-man after all.
It hits me then that this man, the Red Knight, is a warrior, one trained to lead men into battle and kill, even if his kingdom is at peace. It's not like he's a Starbucks barista or coworker at the library. He's armed with a sword and knife and friendly - but dangerous. If he wants to track LF down, I doubt it's to thank her for creating his world.