Joshua lifted his arm to protect his face as he plunged back into the burning car, a thick cloud of acrid smoke immediately enveloping him. He’d already dragged an elderly couple from the wreckage, but the woman had mumbled something about her grandson in the back seat.

  He grimaced as the flames licked at his clothing, and searing pain shot through his hand as he brushed it against a piece of red-hot metal. Shoving down the pain, he clambered back into the crumpled car. All that mattered now was finding the baby.

  For a moment, he couldn’t see anything through the billowing smoke, but then the haze cleared for a second to reveal a child’s car seat covered in a blanket. He ripped off the covering and was immediately greeted by the sight of a baby in a blue jumper.

  Joshua fumbled at the straps, while the infant's face scrunched up and he began to wail. He undid one clip and then cursed as the second one jammed. Why did they make these things so damn hard to open?

  Finally, he ripped off the last of the straps and gently cradled the baby close to his body. As he turned to climb back out of the wreck, he caught a flash of movement on the floor. He heard a yelp and looked down to see a German shepherd puppy. Its eyes were wide with panic.

  He tried to grab the dog, but it shied away from his grasp. After two more failed attempts, he gave up and placed the blanket over the baby to shield it from the flames. Covering his face with his arm again, he jumped back out of the vehicle. He landed awkwardly on the asphalt—pain shooting through his leg—before stumbling over and handing the infant to the elderly woman, who was now sitting up.

  “Thank you,” the woman babbled, tears streaming down her face. “Thank you for saving Mark.”

  A coughing fit struck Joshua, nearly making him double over. When it finally passed, he glanced back toward the burning vehicle, where he could hear increasingly panicked yelps from the puppy. Then his gaze turned toward the engine, which had become completely engulfed in flames.

  I’m not really going to go back for the puppy, am I?

  With a shake of his head, he raced back toward the car. If he could just snag the dog through the window, he should be able to get clear before the vehicle exploded. He knew this was insanely reckless, but he couldn’t stand by while a puppy burned to death.

  Ripping his jacket off, he used it to beat down some of the flames. Then he reached in through the window to cover the trembling dog. A gout of flame erupting from beneath the car made him jerk back. He realized his time was up and hurled himself away. The asphalt rushed up to greet him, and the impact made the air whoosh out of his lungs.

  He struggled to draw in a breath as he flopped onto his side, taking care to protect the puppy. While he was burned and battered, he’d managed to save everyone from the wreck. With a grunt of pain, he struggled to his feet and took a step backward—just as the car exploded into an incandescent fireball.

  A wall of surging flames rushed toward him, but there was no time to react. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for his inevitable fiery doom. But after a few seconds, when nothing happened, he cracked open one eyelid. In front of him, a fireball floated in a sea of nothingness. While he watched, the tendrils of flame drifted away like grains of sand on the breeze before disappearing.

  Something moved inside his jacket, and the snout of the German shepherd popped out. The dog took in the vast expanse in front of them, and then immediately burrowed back into safety under his arm.

  I don’t blame him for going back inside, he thought, straining to see anything. What the hell is going on?

  After what felt like an eternity, stars flared to life, and in the distance, a vast galaxy twisted its way across the darkness. “Is this the afterlife?” he muttered to himself, his voice strangely muffled. “If so, it’s a little disappointing.” But nothing answered his question, and the stars continued to spin across the infinite vastness in front of him.

  He’d never been one to consider life after death, but there was a distinct possibility he was experiencing it right now. Unless, of course, he’d been mortally wounded in the explosion, and this was all a fabrication of his dying brain.

  The dog whined from inside his jacket, and he reflexively reached inside to pet him. If I’m in the afterlife, does that mean dogs go to heaven, too?

  He didn’t have long to ponder his thoughts as he started to move through the darkness. At first, his passage was barely perceptible, but then he started to hurtle forward with increasing speed. The stars blurred until they appeared as brilliant lights shooting past him like comets.

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  Joshua blinked his eyes, momentarily blinded by the radiance. When he blinked again, he found himself lying on his back and gazing up into a clear blue sky above him. The air felt warm on his skin—a far cry from the chilly fall temperatures back home. And in the distance, he heard the cry of birds and chittering of insects.

  When he moved to sit up, the pain returned with a vengeance. His burned hand throbbed angrily, and the half a dozen injuries he’d received in the accident suddenly flared up to remind him of their presence. Somehow, he’d even managed to twinge his back.

  “Oh good, you’re awake,” a female voice breathed. “Thank goodness. I was afraid you were injured.”

  He groaned and rolled over onto his side. While he’d expected to see a paramedic or firefighter, instead, he was treated to a vision of the most exotic woman he’d ever seen.

  She was crouched next to the smouldering remains of a campfire and wore flowing dark robes. A crimson embroidered cloak was draped around her shoulders, the hood obscuring most of her face. But from within the shadows he could make out glowing purple eyes and pale alabaster skin. Underneath the cloak, a simple dress was visible, along with sturdy leather boots.

  Joshua shook his head to clear the cobwebs from his mind. With a groan, he sat up and took in his surroundings. Somehow, he’d ended up in the middle of a clearing with an immense weathered stone at the center of it. At some point in the distant past, inscriptions must have covered the boulder, but they had long worn away and only faint impressions remained.

  The grassy meadow ended abruptly at a dark forest, where ancient moss-draped trees stood taller than skyscrapers. Beyond the edge of the wood, darkness reined, with only a handful of narrow shafts of sunlight penetrating the dense canopy.

  He rubbed a hand down his face. “Where am I?”

  “This may come as quite a shock to you, but I’ve summoned you to my world. We have great need of you here.”

  He was about to make a sarcastic comment when he remembered floating through the void. Then his thoughts turned to the car accident and the dog he’d rescued. He scanned the surrounding ground until he spotted his jacket lying nearby in the grass. With one hand, he gently opened it to reveal the puppy; it immediately lunged at him and began to slather his face with licks. “Alright, alright,” he said, trying in vain to hold the joyful dog back. “I’m happy to see you, too.”

  The woman watched him with her inhuman eyes. “May I ask what world you are from?”

  “I’m from Earth.” While he spoke, he searched his pockets for anything to wrap around his burn on his hand—the pain was growing worse, and the skin had become blistered. When he failed to find anything, he ripped strips off his shirt to wrap around his wound. “I take it I’m no longer in my world?”

  She nodded, her eyes wide. “I used this primordial wayfarer stone to summon you to my world.”

  He turned to examine his surroundings a second time, and he realized just how alien it all looked. There was nothing like this forest within a thousand miles of where he lived. Everything around him seemed too green. The trees were blanketed in strange vines, while unfamiliar ferns sprouted high into the air.

  Joshua decided to accept her explanation for the moment. “Assuming this is all real, and not just a figment of my dying brain, why did you summon me here?"

  The woman clasped her hands and looked pensive. “I… we… need you.”

  Leaning forward slightly, he waited for her to continue. But when she didn’t, he scrubbed a hand through his hair and decided to start with simpler questions. “What’s your name?”

  She raised both hands to her mouth and looked horrified. “Where are my manners? My name is Ciara, daughter of Killian. What name are you known by?”

  “I’m Joshua.”

  The purple eyed woman nodded, a smile lighting up her face. “Joshua is a wonderful name for our new lord.”

  “Excuse me?” he replied, raising his brow. “Your new what?”

  “Oh, of course,” she exclaimed. “I forgot to tell you about that part. I summoned you here to rule Caher Drommore. The previous baron recently fled, and the one before him was killed by the Fomorians. However, I have high hopes for you. If you can raise the tribute in the next few months, I’m sure the sea raiders won’t disembowel you in front of the entire settlement like poor Baron Donal. Mind you, that leaves the dark elf tribute, but I’m sure you can figure that out.”

  Joshua sat there stunned for several moments as he tried to process everything she’d told him. Apparently, being the lord of this place was a dangerous job. But right now, that was the least of his concerns. The pain from his wounds was growing worse, and he felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. He needed treatment for his burns, and soon. “Are there any doctors nearby?”

  She only gave him a blank stare in return.

  He lifted his hand and pointed at the wound. “Someone who can treat burns?

  Ciara clasped her hands to her chest. “You’re injured! I apologize if I caused that with the summoning spell. However, there should still be some supplies left at the old surgeon’s house. It’s not a far walk from here—if you feel up to it.”

  Without a word, Joshua dragged himself to his feet. He then reached down and snagged his jacket from the ground, before patting his leg to get the dog's attention. “Come on, mutt.” The dog happily bounded over to him and ran circles around his feet.

  The purple eyed woman rose to her feet and smoothed down her robes as she walked to the edge of the clearing. Once he’d reached her side, she set off at a brisk pace towards their new destination.

  Joshua followed her down a narrow path into the forest, wondering if he’d truly found himself in another world. If it turned out she really had summoned him to be their new lord, he was planning to politely decline the position.

  After all, being a lord where their lifespan seemed to be measured in days and not years wasn’t exactly a job he wanted. He’d already survived one close brush with death, and he wasn’t about to tempt fate a second time.