2. Welcome back to Horizon! The last time we left Iwan Urisini and his group of Lorian settlers had
recently set up a colony on planet Earth. Of course, they hadnât meant to come to Earth, but a hyperdrive
malfunction had caused them to drift through space for 300 years rather than 3 months. Landing on
Earth, meant they needed to take special precautions to protect not only themselves but the human local
population. A magical barrier was constructed by the gypsy matriarchs to hide the settlement from
unwanted eyes. Everything was going well for the small colony when Iwan had just awoken from another
prophetic dream. He had decided he should speak with the family and colonyâs resident guardian Bran
Walosenko. Conveniently enough, Branâs son Kay was having his childhood birthday.
3. âJohn, Luis is here. We need to get going or weâll be late for Kayâs party.â
Iwan finished the sentence heâd been working on and closed his journal. Keeping a journal was
one way to keep track of his dreams as well as a form of therapy for dealing with them. It had
been his fatherâs suggestion when his gift had appeared when he was 11. It had been very
helpful over the years to have a place to record his thoughts and feelings on these strange
visions. Because honestly sometimes he just didnât want to talk about them. âComing Claire!â
he called.
4. Meanwhile across town, Ryker was also getting ready to head to the party. âYou could always come along
if you want Nerissa.â
Nerissa Inada smiled, âNo, you go ahead. Theyâre your family. I donât want to intrude.â
The Akivari grunted,â You wouldnât be interfering.â
Nerissa just waved a hand as she headed out the door, âHave a good time Ry. Iâll see you tomorrow.â
5. âYou ready to grow up little man?â
âGrow up be BIG!â Kay shouted.
âInside voice sweetie!â Allyn called from the kitchen.
Kay though couldnât quite master an inside voice. He whispered loudly, âBe big!â
Bran laughed, âClose enough.â
6. âBran! Aidenâs here.â
âAiden!â Bran grinned. âI didnât expect to see you.â
âBut weâre glad heâs here arenât we dear?â Allyn asked as she rubbed her swollen belly.
âOf course we are. You have to stick around for the party.â
Aiden rolled his eyes, âThatâs kind of why Iâm here in the first place Bran. Iwan invited me.â
âGreat! Hear that Kay, someone else came to your party.â
âYay! More friens!â
7. âThough that descendant of mine didnât mention you two were expecting another baby. Congratulations.â
âThanks buddy!â Bran grinned." You ever think about settling down again and having more kidsâŚhow does 10
sound?â
âWhat?â
Allyn cut in to save Aiden from her husband, âWeâre both very excited. And Bran, Aidenâs love life is none of our
business. Now if you two will excuse me I need to make sure Kayâs cake doesnât fall.â
âI hep!â Kay squealed as he made a mad dash for the kitchen.
âKay! No honey stay away from the stove!â
8. As the sun finally set and all the guests arrived, Bran brought his son to the cake.
âAlright Bran. Time to make a wish.â
âHmm let me dinkâŚokay. READY!â
âInside voice Kay.â Allyn moaned.
Her husband and LOUD son just laughed.
9. âI donât think youâre having much luck there Allyn.â Claire teased.
âAh leave the boy alone.â Ry-Ry chimed in cheerfully from the corner.
âFine, I guess Iâll just make noise too then. See how you all like it.â Allyn pulled out a
noise maker and made the loudest noise she could. To her satisfaction Bran winced, but
Kay just giggled with pleasure.
10. âHi Miss Claire!â Kay said as he bounded away from the kitchen sink. âHow do you bend your
leg up all the way like that? Does it hurt?â
Claire smiled, âNo, it doesnât hurt. It just takes practice.â
âWE SHOULD PRACTICE TOGETHER!â
âKay!â
âI mean, HEY RY-RY WAIT I WANNA COME WITH YOU!â and with a flash he as gone.
11. As the back door slammed shut, Allyn sighed, âThat boy..I swear.â
Claire chuckled as she slid onto the couch. âYouâve got your hands full with that
one donât you?â
âJust that one? I wish.â
12. From his place on the other couch Bran spoke up, â Hey now. Iâm no trouble at all am I
Iwan?â
âHmm. Yes no trouble at all.â Iwan replied sarcastically.
âWell youâre no help at all. Say are you okay?â
âHad another dream last night.â
âOh? One we should talk about?â
13. âMost of it was fine. But the last bit well I donât knowâŚitâs got me uneasy.â
âHow so?â
âIn the dream I saw Rick Contrary and the gypsy matchmaker. Sheâd brought over his
intended bride. But hereâs the thingâŚthe girlâŚI think it was Vyn Jeffress.â
âThe Nectu girl that helps Luis and Victor at their shop? Why does that make you
uneasy? The gypsies always use the matchmaker to find their children a spouse.â
14. âI knowâŚbut Vyn didnât look too happy to be there. I mean it was like I could feel
the emotions of the moment. Iâve never done that before, but I felt anger and fear.
Why would I feel fear?â
Bran looked perplexed. âIâm not sure. Let me grab Ryker. See what he thinks. I'll
meet you on the porch in just a sec.â
15. âIâm okay. Iâm okay.â
Ryker grinned. âYouâre doing fine for your first run kid.â He looked up and saw Bran
standing on the porch waving him over.
âSorry kiddo, but looks like duty calls. Why donât you go keep your Mom and Miss Claire
company?â
Kay sighed, âAlrightâŚbut momâll probably make me read or something.â
16.
17. âYou could feel the emotions through the dream?â
âThat is normal isnât it?â asked Bran.
âOh not to worry heâs not going into an overload. Iâll admit itâs been generations since the dreamers
could feel through their dreams. But it was once quite common. It seems Iwan inherited a great deal of
the old magic. I think Aiden marrying into the Goldweaver family may be why everyone of the kids born
to Kalana and after showed a much stronger connection to magic than they had before. Though with
more power we should carefully train the children so they can handle it.â
18. âThanks for reviving the magic great-â
âIf you call me great-grandfather again Iâm going to flay you alive.â
Iwan rolled his eyes. âSo should I be doing anything extra? I mean since I can
feel emotions in the dreams. I donât want to overload.â
âDo you have a chess set? Iâd suggest using it to calm your mind before
bedâŚâ
19. âOr you can meditateâŚwell I never thought Iâd see a descendent of Toren that didnât
like chess.â
âSo,â Aiden cut in, âIwanâs dream do you think itâs anything to worry about. This girl
and the gypsy matchmaker.â
20. âItâs true that some gypsies have misused their power in the past. They infected the elves with
the virus which all but wiped them out, infected my people with an allergy to the sun, they
unleashed the storm upon Loros which threw Loros into an apocalypse. And while I think most
of them are good people, I was concerned from the beginning about the Contraryâs motivation to
journey with us. Iâll speak with John Mole before I head home. It couldnât hurt to let the gypsies
know we suspect trouble might be brewing.â
Aiden nodded, âYou do that. I have no desire to live through an apocalypse.â
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
21. âGood evening Grandmaster. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?â
âI wish I were here under better circumstances John, but Iâm here to ask you for a favor.â
âHow can I be of assistance?â
âI just need you to keep your eyes and ears open in the gypsy compound. Weâre concerned
there is trouble brewing.â
22. âMight I ask what kind of trouble?â
âIâm sorry John, my details at the moment are sketchy. I just know that the Contraryâs and the Jeffress
family are involved.â
âThe servants? I see. Iâll keep my eyes open though surely Edward would not want to bring such
dishonor to his family by marrying his only son to a serving wench.â
âThere are not many gypsies with our group John, and if the matchmaker insistedâŚâ
âYes, of course.â
23. For his part John certainly hoped the matchmaker had not been corrupted. Her
services were greatly needed among his people. How else would the gypsies find
appropriate matches for their children? He gently stroked his daughterâs brown curls.
There was no cause for alarm yet. The Akivari himself said it was all just speculation.
So why didnât he feel reassured?
24. Perhaps because the fights between Edward and his heir Rick were becoming
more and more frequent. It didnât help that John had suspected for years that
Edward had dealings with less than honorable men.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
25. âRyker! You made it. How was the party?â
âIt went very well. Kayâs still a bundle of energy. The whole family is at a loss when
it comes to figuring out where he gets it from.â
Nerissa laughed, âYes, where could all that energy have come from?â
26. Ryker whipped out his binoculars whistling innocently. âI suppose some
things shall always remain a mystery.â
âI suppose so.â
27. âSo whatâs next on your agenda Grandmaster?â
âWell if you mean after our date, Iâll be teaching dance lessons this afternoon.â
âOh are we calling our outings dates now? And here I thought you werenât looking for
a serious relationship.â
âI wasnât. But one seems to have found me.â
28. âSo does this mean youâre going to introduce me to your family now? And
should I start picking out bridesmaid dresses?â
Ryker gently took Nerissaâs hand, âHmm, it just might.â
Nerissa giggled. âYou're just too cute.â
29. âBut what Iâd like to do right at this moment Ry, is have some tea.â
âShall I serve?â
âWe both know youâre going to insist on waiting on me.â
30. âWhat can I say? Iâm old fashioned.â he winked playfully at Neri.
âNever change. You hear me?â
âHoney if I havenât changed by now, I donât think thereâs much chance
of it ever happening.â
31. Rykerâs next big engagement was the birthday of the Ursini twins. He found Axel and Lexaâs
birthday to be the perfect opportunity to introduce Nerissa to the entire family.
Claire grinned at her husband. âIwan, would you look at that the Grandmaster has a
girlfriend.â
Iwan winked. âI know.â
âYou are going to tease me forever about this arenât you?â
32. âAiden! You here for our birday!â
âYou bet. So letâs go blow out those candles. I want some of that cake.â
âCake!â
33. âJohn, I didnât expect to see you here.â
âGood afternoon Grandmaster. Mr. Ursini invited us to the party. He thought it would be nice for our
children to get to know one another.â
âItâs good to see you John. Inderb.â With that Ryker headed off to speak with Bran.
But Inderb was much too interested in the green Akiari to notice that Ryker had spoken to her. Sheâd
never seen Mr. Bran before and she found his green skin quite interesting to look at.
34. âInderb.â John growled, âIt is not very becoming of a lady to stare at others. Second why did you not speak with
Grandmaster Kim?â
Inderb slowly turned to face her father. Her first social outing and she was making a mess of things. âIâm sorry Father.
Iâll go and speak with Grandmaster Kim.â
âItâs too late for that. The opportunity has already passed.â He continued angrily, âIf this is how you will behave in
public then perhaps you are not yet ready to leave the compound as I thought.â
Poor Inderb was on the verge of tears. She stood wringing her hands nervously behind her back trying to figure out what
to say that would appease her father.
35. Iwan stood nearby and could not help but frown with dislike. It seemed to him that John was
the one behaving poorly not his daughter. But he held his tongue. It wasnât his place to interfere
with how John chose to raise his daughter. He attempted to diffuse the tension by getting the
ball rolling. âAlright Lexa, letâs blow out those candles.â
36. âI should take you home right now.â John continued to berate his daughter. He was
completely embarrassed by her lack of manners. Heâd really thought she was ready for a
public outing. The Grandmaster and the head of the colony were here!
Ryker slipped in trying to save the poor girl from her fatherâs wrath, âJohn, Iâm not
offended in the slightest. Itâs not everyday a young lady gets the chance to meet
someone that is green. And honestly with all the noise, she probably didnât hear me.â
37. âIâm told I can be quite distracting.â Bran added with a laugh
âBran,â Allyn hissed, âI donât think youâre helping.
âIâm sorry for not speaking to you before Grandmaster Kim.â Inderb spoke up boldly.
She gave her best curtsey and smiled, âIf Father will allow me to stay at the party I
would make up for my earlier rudeness. Perhaps we could have cake together?â
38. âIâd like that. And I certainly do hope your Father permits you to stay. After all, Ryker
whispered, âI was hoping thereâd be another pretty young lady to help me teach my friend
Nerissa how to dance.â
Inderbâs green eyes popped out of her head.
âVery well Inderb we will stay.â Perhaps he was being unreasonable. After all his daughter
seemed truly repentant of her slip in manners and the Grandmaster didnât seem too unhappy.
39. After the canldes had been blown out and the kids had aged, Lexa approached Inderb.
âHey Inde you wanna come play catch with me and Axel.â
âI must decline as I already promised a dance to Grandmaster Kim.â
Lexa looked quizzically at the other girl, âYou mean Ry-Ry? Well okay. If you change
your mind, weâll be out back.â
âAlright thenâ was all Inderb could think to say.
40. Lexa was a little disappointed that her game of catch had to be put on hold. Her twin brother wanted to have cake first.
She didnât really want any as she hated sweets. âThat girl Inde, sheâs a bit of a bore isnât she?â Lexa complained. She
stared at her uneaten cake, âAnd she looks kind of like an ape doesnât she with those lips?â
Axel put down his fork having devoured his own slice of cake, âThatâs not nice Lexa. Inderb seems like a very nice
girl to me. Sheâs just a little more girly than you. And sheâs got very pretty eyes.â
âI guess. Come on letâs go play catch!â
âUh sure sisâŚright after I eat your cake.â
41. But Lexa didnât get to play catch. One look into the study on the way outside, and Axel had gotten it into his
head that it wasnât very nice to leave Mr. Mole playing chess all by himself. Honestly he was a grown-up
couldnât he entertain himself? She wandered into the yard hoping maybe her dad wasnât too busy to play
catch. Or maybe Aiden.
42. But her dad and Aiden were busy talking. After being told it was rude to interrupt, she was told to go
find a way to amuse herself. Her dad even suggested she go play dolls with Inde! Sheâd rolled her
eyes at that.
In the end she found Bran wasnât busy and ended up hanging out with him for the rest of the party.
He was pretty fun although he kept trying to talk to her about dresses and jewelry which was a little
annoying. But overall, she liked Bran. She liked him quite a bit actually, and his son Kay sounded
like fun.
43. Meanwhile Axel had decided within five minutes that chess was the best game that had ever been invented.
He didnât understand why his dad and mom never seemed to play. Sure it was hard, but Mr. Mole was
proving to be a good teacher. Or at least Axel thought so. âSo you write stories for a living?â
âYes, I do Mr. Urisini.â
It was funny how Mr. Mole insisted on calling him âMr. Ursini.â He was rather enjoying it actually. Normally
kids didnât get called stuff like Mr. unless they were in trouble. âDo you like writing?â
âYes, I enjoy it very much. You are in check Mr. Ursini.â
44. âOh.â he moved another piece, âDoes your daughter like to play chess Mr. Mole?â
John frowned. The young man had not only managed to get himself out of check, but it now appeared that
Axel had set him up. He could see that he had almost put himself in a trap and lost the entire game. âYes,
she and I play in the evenings.â
âDo you think my sister and I could come over this weekend? Iâd really like to get to know Inderb better.
She seems really nice.â
âIt would be fine with me Mr. Urisini, as long as your parents consent of course.â
45. âSo why am I playing this again?â
âBecause Ryker said it would be helpful and two your son has shown an interest in it, and you want to encourage him.â
âRight. So the kids are going to visit the Moleâs on Saturday.â
Claire nodded as she moved a piece, âI told Axel we were okay with that. That poor girl could use a friend or two donât
you think?â
âNow Claire, itâs not our place to judge John. And besides from what Iâve seen in the past he loves her very dearly.
Heâs just very formal. Most gypsies are.â
46. Upstairs the twins were in Axelâs room. âAnd why would I want to go over to the ape girlâs house
with you?â Lexa whined.
âCome on Lexi, give her a chance. You barely talked to her today. And donât call her an ape. Itâs
mean.â
âFine.â Lexa huffed. âI guess it would be better than sitting around the house alone all day.â
âThatâs the spirit!â
47. âYou wanted to see me before bed Father?â Inderb asked hesitantly. Was he still mad at
her about this afternoon? Inde certainly hoped not. She didnât like it when her father was
unhappy.
âYes. First, let me say that I wanted to apologize for this afternoon. I shouldnât have
snapped at you. You did quite well all things considered. Just try not to ignore people in
the future, child. Itâs quite rude.â
48. âNow how does a story sound?â
Inderb ginned from ear to ear, âCan you read me the one about the Gnome and the
Troll? I like that one.â
49. On Saturday morning, Inderb was surprised to find several of the local children had
come to visit her. Axel and Lexa Urisini were there and Axelâs new friend Pauline
Aspir had come too.
The four children had gone into the back of the compound to play mahjong. Lexa
quickly decided she didnât like this mahjong game.
50. She also decided that Pauline Aspir was a bore too. She liked pink and Axel kept talking to
Pauline and Inderb more than he did her. She was his twin. Whyâd he always want to spend time
with other people? Other people werenât so great. At least, Lexa hadnât met anyone she thought
was that great.
52. âI apologize for my sister Miss Mole. She can be such a bore.â Axel did his best
to mimic the gypsy talk.
Lexa pursed her lips not finding his teasing the least bit funny.
Across the table Pauline laid down her rack of tiles. She looked at Inderb
nervously, âI won, I think.â
53. Inderb smiled softly at Pauline and did her best to ignore Lexa. She could tell she
and Miss Aspir were going to be good friends. She was glad Axel had brought her to
play too. âYes, you won.â
54. âWhoopee!â said Lexa.
Inderb barely refrained from sighing with annoyance. She smoothed the kink in her
dress and tried to be a good hostess. âDo you like to dance? The Grandmaster taught
me one that is very fun.â
55. âYes!â Axel shouted in excitement. âRy-Ry knows the best dances ever.â
Pauline nodded shyly. Even Lexa couldnât complain about this new suggestion.
Anything Ryker could come up with would have to be fun. It would certainly be
better than playing mahjong all afternoon.
56. And it wasâŚthe kids had a blast trying to smustle. Lexa had to admit ol ape face was
actually pretty good at it. Maybe there was hope for the stuffy old gypsy girl after all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
57. âRicardo! Stop playing in the sacred fountain and come here. Your mother and I
need to discuss something with you.â
Rick just sighed.
58. âYes Father?â he bit out between gritted teeth.
âWatch your tone.â Edward snapped back.
59. âYes, Ricardo watch you tone. It is certainly no way to speak.â
âOf course mother.â
âThatâs much better. Now, the Matchmaker is coming tomorrow so be sure to
shower tonight. You want to look your best when you meet your wife.â
60. His wife. How was he supposed to just fall in love with some girl that an old woman
picked out for him? Rick wasnât ready for this. But whether he was ready or not, his wife
would be here tomorrow. He just hoped they got alongâŚ.
61. Yep thatâs where Iâm leaving you. Iâm mean I know. So what will happen between Rick and
his chosen bride? Is the gypsy matchmaker corrupt? Will Lexa ever make a friend? Will Kay
ever master being quietâŚ(I doubt it)
So stats: Pretty much the population is exactly where it was at the end of the last update. See I
was addicted to playing and played farther than Iâd written. Which is part of the reason why
my SM is already so high.
Anyway Iâll leave you with a final photo of Ryker and Nerissa. No I didnât plan that. I should
have known though since Ryker has family as a secondary that this was going to happen.
Besides, I canât tell
him no. Especially,
when they have 3
natural bolts and
theyâre so adorable.
62. Alright I had to share this one too. Johnâs smustle face it kinda creepy. But he is a
good dad. Heâs always tucking Inde in, reading her stories, and stuffs. He just
sometimes get a wee bit grouchy on me.