Everyone sort of froze at that, unsure exactly what was going on. The air in the room seemed to thicken, as if even the candle flames hesitated. Algraves continued to stare, muttering again, “Theresa?”

  The young woman, with her placid expression and no visible reaction at all, just stared at him briefly. For a second it felt like the whole room had shrunk down to the two of them and the space between their eyes. Then, in a quiet, whisper-like voice that was so familiar yet undeniably different, she replied, “No. I am not her.”

  The way she said it struck him harder than any blow he had taken in the forest.

  And of course she wasn’t. How could she be, he thought to himself. That was a lifetime and worlds apart. The world he had lost. The world that had been taken from him. Just coincidence. She looked so much like Theresa that it scared him.

  His heartbeat thudded unevenly as he forced himself to look again. Now that he looked closely, really looked past the shock and the instinctive ache in his chest, he realized she was correct. The differences were subtle, but there. Small things, details most people wouldn’t notice. Although a part of him didn’t want to believe it. He knew there was a part of him that would always miss and want his family, and that part had surged to the surface like a wounded animal clawing for air.

  Taking a deep breath, still staring at the woman, he nodded slightly.

  Theresa’s hair had been a sun touched dirty blonde, always falling a certain way no matter how she tried to control it. Hers was raven black, smooth, glossy, nothing like the warm gold he remembered. Theresa had soulful brown eyes that softened when she listened. This one had jade and olive eyes or somewhere in between, clear but cool. But the features were almost identical. Same flat blank expression. Same stillness. Same glint in the eyes that hinted at something more behind the quiet. Same body type even.

  Too much. Too close. Too soon.

  It was frankly too much for him to take in at this time.

  He nodded again, more of a reflex now, something to anchor himself. He looked to the rest of the people and said, “Excuse me. Sorry. She just looks like someone I used to know.” His voice cracked slightly despite his attempt to hold steady. “Please carry on with your meal. I did not mean to offend. If you’ll excuse me, I think I need to go meditate for a bit.”

  He said it in a breathy whisper as he turned and made his way out.

  The room stayed quiet behind him. Too quiet. He could feel eyes on his back as he left. Her eyes especially. Watchful. Curious. Maybe confused. Maybe something else. He didn’t know. Didn’t dare look back.

  No, no, no, no. This isn’t right. This isn’t real. This is coincidence. That is not Theresa. She’s just someone who looks like her.

  His thoughts spun in circles as he stepped into the cooler night air of the courtyard. He kept walking, letting the darkness swallow him. Doppelganger theory. Your world had it. Said there was at least one other person who looked almost exactly like you. It’s got to apply here too. I just… He paused in the shadow of one of the lantern posts. I just ran into her doppelganger. That’s it. No other connection.

  He said all this under his breath as he made his way back to his dwelling, although he wasn’t quite sure who he was trying to convince. Himself, or the piece of his heart clawing at the memory of what he had lost.

  He didn’t meditate that night. He couldn’t settle his thoughts enough to even begin. Every time he fell still, the image of her face appeared again, overlapping with the girl he had grown up with. His pulse jumped. His chest tightened. He couldn’t breathe right.

  Hours later, mentally exhausted, he gave up and went to the small sleeping mat, lying down without bothering to change position or adjust the blanket. Sleep came only because his body had nothing left to give.

  The next morning, sunlight filtered into the courtyard through the small open patch of sky overhead. He woke determined to put on a good face and shove the whole incident behind him. At least long enough to function.

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  Out in the little courtyard space provided, he forced himself through his movement techniques and martial arts, each form giving him something concrete to focus on. The motions steadied him, even if his mind wandered. His body remembered what to do, even when he didn’t.

  A few hours later, Cai Ren showed up, bringing a welcome distraction. He explained that in the morning, he and a few family merchants would be heading to a smaller city to the south. He went on about the road and its side settlements, describing with careful detail how the land between the shore and the Periphery of the Great Green opened into little pockets of farmland and small villages, all connected through the next main road city. Not as big as Junktar. More of a town than a city. A different pace of life.

  Salt Peak was an agricultural hub for the villages that branched off into those open spaces. It was called Salt Peak because most of the region’s salt came from there. According to Cai Ren, there was a long stretch of shoreline nearby and cliffs that from a distance looked like a mountain peak. The whole area was good for salt and certain minerals.

  Cai Ren, to his credit, did not mention the dinner fiasco. For that, Algraves was grateful.

  Also wanting to get out of town and away from the sheer density of people, Algraves agreed to accompany him. And if his memory of what the three women had said was accurate, the path after Salt Peak led to a larger place, then another hub, then another, forming a looping chain around the continent. Which meant he was still in one of the quieter, less developed sections of the region.

  Nodding in thanks, he said he would be ready in the morning. He needed to do more shopping and then rest. There was absolutely no way he was going to have dinner with the Cai family again. He could not bring himself to see her again. Not yet.

  He still needed a name for the Theresa lookalike. A name to separate who she was from who she reminded him of. A mental boundary he desperately needed.

  After a few more hours of training and finally some successful meditation, he managed to shake off his funk and regain some stability. Mind calmer, breathing even again, he headed back into town to collect the things he had forgotten the day before.

  Cooking utensils. Pots. Pans. Mostly wok-type shapes, though a few round-bottomed ones seemed vaguely familiar from his world. He bought several sizes, utensils for stirring and cooking, a plate set, a tea set. Each item clunked softly as it disappeared into the storage bag, the interior swallowing their bulk without complaint.

  He searched for grains. Nothing in Junktar, but older merchants told him that farther north, colder regions cultivated something like winter wheat and possibly rye. More importantly, traders from the Badlands and the Steppes sometimes came to Salt Peak, one of the few places that still traded with the other races. They brought exotic grains and what sounded like beans. The description made him think of red beans or pinto beans. The thought of making chili again squeezed an unexpected warmth into his chest.

  He found something like snap peas, one of his wives’ favorite additions to stir fry. The merchant called them snow peas, and since snow peas existed in his world, he took it as a good sign. He always had a weakness for raw peas. Bought a handful.

  Smoked meats. He bought more. Seasonings. Nothing new, but he kept searching, hoping.

  As he headed back, a thought hit him. He detoured to a vendor selling smoked meats and kebabs and asked to leave a small pot of salt inside the smoker. The merchant frowned at first, confused, but when Algraves explained smoked salt and the flavor it added, he grew interested. He even planned to experiment with other minerals and herbs. He refused payment, saying if it worked, he’d profit, and if not, no loss.

  With hours still before sunset, Algraves found a small restaurant and had a modest meal. He told himself repeatedly that he was not avoiding the Cai Pavilion. Not at all. He was exploring the town. Learning his surroundings. Getting a feel for this place. He absolutely was not avoiding seeing the Cai woman again.

  Absolutely.

  After eating and some self reflection, he left town and walked several miles toward the coast. The air grew cooler, carrying the faint promise of salt from far away. He didn’t reach the shore, but he found a small rise overlooking the plains and sat cross legged.

  He meditated.

  At first nothing happened. Then, slowly, he felt a pulse. A ringing through the metal anvil in his Dantian. His qi grew denser. Concentrated. Sharper. Same overall volume, but the weight of it changed. It settled more cleanly into the channels he had opened.

  Realm One, Rank Two.

  Already.

  He opened his eyes, exhaling slowly. He didn’t know if this pace was normal, if it was because he was new, or if it was something to do with the Corvid path twisting strange through him.

  He stayed outside longer than he intended. The sky dimmed. Shadows lengthened. He took out smoked fish and water and ate quietly, letting the cool wind settle his thoughts.

  Eventually he admitted he could not stay out all night. With reluctance, he stood, brushed off his hands, and made his way back toward Junktar. The Cai Pavilion lanterns glowed gently in the distance.

  He headed for his small room. His quiet space.

  And he was absolutely, completely, undeniably not avoiding the Cai woman.

  No.

  Totally not.