The Fourfold Key

Blackness swirled in her head. Ruth tossed the color, playing with the curves and bends. It seems like quickly moving liquid while she was watching from a distance, but when she tried to grab it, it seemed to thicken into a solid wall, trapping her in her conciseness. Am I dead? she wondered. If I’m dead, why am I dead? Her mind reached for her memories, but the black swirls solidified around them, refusing to let her through. Stop! They’re my memories! I deserve to look! She gave the blackness a shove, pushing into it. It pushed back, holding her tight. Let go! Stop it! Stop it!

“Stop it!” she shouted out loud, and shoved the blackness away, as well as a strong pair of arms.

“Hey! Ruth! Calm down; it’s just me!” Tom stood there in front of her, holding his hands in surrender.

The memories flooded back. Ruth sat up slowly, blinking at her surroundings.

She was laying on a lumpy bed - a mattress really, as there was no frame keeping it off the floor - with rough sheets. Next to her bed was a small table covered in various bottles and such. The walls were dirt, as was the ceiling. The ground was bare, and it, too, was dirt. On either side of her was a second and third bed. On the one to her right was her father. To her left lay Lemonjello. The only light came from a flickering lantern suspended from the ceiling.

“Are they okay?” Ruth croaked, her throat dry and cracked.

Tom walked over and poured her a drink before answering. “They’ll live,” he said simply.

Ruth took a sip of her water. It hit her stomach like an anvil. She grimaced and handed the cup back. Shakily she got to her feet, supported by Tom, and hobbled over to her father.

He lay with his eyes closed, his breathing easy. His wrist was in a sling, and under the sling was a gray crust. Ruth hoped very much it was some kind of salve and not his skin.

“Why is he unconscious?” she asked.

“He was held by the neck for a considerable amount of time, and then dropped from quite a height. The doctor did think it strange that he hasn’t woken yet.”

“Where’s the Key?”

Tom held up the golden item. “It’s safe.” Ruth nodded, relieved.

Her father looked just fine, so she stumbled over to Lemonjello.

Lemonjello looked worse. Her skin was pale and her eyes closed. She lay on her stomach, her wings, crumpled and wrinkled, in full view.

“Oh, Lemonjello,” was all Ruth could say.

“That was a heavy bit of magic she did,” Tom said, “projecting herself as a dwarf—as multiple dwarves—then getting hit with the curse, even when it wasn’t her, was a heavy blow. Catching your father was too much. When they rolled she didn’t have the strength to fold in her wings, and they were crushed in the fall. We—we’re not sure if she’ll be able to fly again.”

Ruth didn’t want to think about Lemonjello never being able to fly again. “Where are we?” she asked.

“The Dwarf Mines. After you collapsed the dwarves helped me carry you three in here and the healers got to work. When were you taught magic? I didn’t think they had it in your world.”

“I—I wasn’t taught. I heard the Sorceress say it in one of my visions.”

Tom frowned. “That’s impossible. The words to summon magic differ from person to person. You would need to be taught to discover the words, though sometimes families share the same words.”

“Are you sure the Sorceress’s words could work for me and I still might not be related?” She was still clinging to the desperate hope that the Sorceress wasn’t Arnada. But deep down, she knew they were the same person.

“No. You’re related if that worked. There’s no way that could have worked otherwise. She must be Arnada. You’re - ”

“Her great-aunt,” said a cracked, wheezy voice from the doorway. Ruth spun around to see a wrinkled old dwarf who looked to be made more of cracked mud than flesh and bone, holding a worn, leather case. “Arnada had two siblings; boy and girl. The girl married and had your father, Collen McKenzie. He disappeared for over a decade, then reappeared, married, with children, and in the clutches of his aunt.

“He stayed a captive to us, hidden in one of the newer dungeons Tom did not know of. Arnada tortured him, attempting to force him to reveal where his family was—or at least, that was what we historians were told. Then your showdown with the Sorceress happened two days ago; I have been working day and night to record its happenings.”

“Who are you?” Ruth asked.

“I’m one of the few historians of the dwarves. And one of of the rare physicians. In fact, I am one of only two doctors among us.” he puffed out his frail chest.

As if that’s a thing to be proud of, Ruth scoffed inwardly. “Why are there so few of you? That doesn’t seem very safe to have only two of you. Especially since you’re so—” Ruth mentally smacked herself.

“So..?” the dwarf prompted.

“So…” Ruth blushed deeply. Ancient, she thought.

“Ancient?” the dwarf chuckled. A shock of surprise exploded in her brain. “What’s becoming of the youth these days? It’s simple. There are few because the job is of little interest. I’m old because I’m important, so I’ll do everything in my power to keep myself alive. Even if it involves revealing important secrets. I’ve had to betray a few secrets to live this long, so I’d say my ancientness is quite an accomplishment.”

“How—how did you know..?” Ruth said weakly.

“My dear young lady. You are not the only one in the world with magic powers. While the dwarves may not have the strongest ability for magic we can still perform it.”

“But you didn’t say anything,” Ruth said. “You need words for a spell.”

“The older you get, the easier it becomes, until just thinking the word is satisfactory. I happen to excel at telepathy.”

“Well, um, in the future, would you mind…uh…”

“Keeping out of your head?” the dwarf finished. “Too late. My mind has recorded every memory in your head. But I will refrain from seeking out your present thoughts. Perhaps in the future I could also teach you how to block unwanted persons from invading your thoughts.”

Ruth nodded. She wasn’t sure of what she thought about this dwarf.

“Now—let’s have a look at our patients. You seem to be doing fine, so we shall move your cot to a different room tonight.”

He walked over to her father, placed his fingers on his temples and closed his eyes. “Oh dear,” he muttered. “He’s shut me out completely.” He rummaged around in his leather bag and pulled out a small vial, which he tipped down her father’s throat. Collen choked and sputtered, then turned his head away, still sleeping soundly. The dwarf smiled, nodded and moved to Lemonjello. He placed his hands on her temples. His closed eyes became troubled and darted under his lids. He barked out a harsh command in a language that sounded like rocks breaking. Lemonjello’s eyes shot open wide.

“Where am I?” She tried to roll over, but the dwarf held her down.

“Hush, you’ve slept for three days; your head needs rest.”

“Oh, my wings,” she groaned. “What happened to them? Is everyone okay?” She tried again to see her back but was again restrained.

“The others are fine. Your wings, on the other hand, may not have been so lucky.”

Lemonjello’s face fell. “But, they’ll get better, right?”

“I’m afraid only time will tell.”

Her skin paled. She began to mutter under her breath in an incredulous tone, rocking slightly back and forth.

“Lemonjello, are you okay?” Ruth asked haltingly.

“No. Just go away,” Lemonjello muttered sullenly.

Ruth knew what loss felt like, and she knew the best way to stay on the mourner’s good side was to stay away until the initial shock had worn off.

“When will my dad wake up?” Ruth asked the dwarf instead.

“Who knows? He’s being incredibly unresponsive and I’m not sure why. He could sleep forever for all I know.”

Tom put a consoling hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Ruth. He’s been through so much, he won’t die now.”

“I know.” Ruth’s voice didn’t shake as she said it; she wasn’t worried. “He’ll wake up.”

A week later Ruth sat in the shade of the Elven Woodland’s leafy green trees. Sitting beside her was Drexel, and on her other side sat Tom. When she turned to look around, she saw a small cot made of plant life. Drexel had made it for her father. He lay there, so still and peaceful looking Ruth would have thought he was dead. But she knew he was only sleeping. He hadn’t woken since the disaster with the Sorceress, and everyone but Ruth was worried sick.

Lemonjello stood on the far platform, chatting animatedly with an elf and attempting wing exercises that were supposed to help fix her crippled wings. Ruth hoped she recovered; what was a fairy without her wings?

“You realize now that we have all the Keys together in the same place there are going to be many people after them. We have to protect them now,” Tom said, glancing at his waist, where he had strung the one large Key on his belt the other day.

“Well they’re in for a surprise.” Ruth smiled at him. “We’re unstoppable!”

“You’ve become strangely optimistic these past few days,” Tom noted, tilting his head towards her.

“We have everything. Everyone we love. They might not be in perfect shape anymore,” she gestured to her dad and then Lemonjello, “but they’ll recover. We got ’em this far, and they’re not going anywhere but forward.”

“Yeah, and with me, you’ll be even more unstoppable!” Drexel said excitedly. “I can get one of my friends to teach you more magic, and you could use that to protect this Key thingy. What do you say?”

“Sure. As long as your friend isn’t as annoying as you.” Ruth grinned.

“Oh, trust me, he’s much, much worse.”

“I find that incredibly hard to believe,” Tom muttered.

“You know what, Shorty? I think I’ve figured you out,” Drexel announced.

“Oh yes?” Tom countered. “How so?”

“You’re jealous of me…because I’m taller than you!” Drexel grinned triumphantly.

“I just find you incredibly annoying. And I’m not that short. So there.”

Ruth laughed. “You guys are crazy. I know you enjoy each other’s company, so stop bickering and admit it!”

They both gave her an appalled look. Ruth giggled at their disgusted faces.

“Shouldn’t you go back to your world, Ruth? Won’t they all be worried?” Tom asked.

“I’m staying here until Dad recovers. After that, who knows? That’s another chapter in my life.” Ruth still couldn’t help feeling guilty about leaving her family to suffer, though. She wondered how they would react if they were in her situation. Would her mom stay until her dad recovered before taking him back? What about the triplets? Or Lila, if her dad’s life was on the line?

“Unless you die first,” Drexel countered.

“Kill her once, I’ll kill you twice.” Tom warned.

They all burst into laughter. This was how Ruth always wanted it to be. Together with the people she loved; today, tomorrow and forever. Her adventures had been great, but it was the people she met on the way that made them unforgettable. She got her dad back, made new friends, and defeated her enemy—well, another enemy killed her enemy and then ran off. Same difference. This was where she wanted to be for the rest of her life.

“Hey, can I try opening a lock with the Key?” Drexel asked suddenly.

“No,” Tom answered quickly, his hand moving to cover the Key at his waist. He patted at his belt, then looked down. The Key was gone!

Drexel grinned and held up the Key, which he had somehow slipped off Tom’s belt without him realizing. Tom lunged over his lap to grab it, but Drexel held it up out of reach, announcing animatly,

“Not only am I going to open a lock, I am going to unlock the bridge between our worlds! I will open a portal to Earth!”

Ruth grinned, remembering his reaction when she told him about her real world. It had been pretty great.

Drexel mimed putting the Key in an imaginary lock, then mimicked the sound of a lock clicking as he turned the Key.

A sharp breeze shot out of nowhere and a thunderous boom sounded. A flash of light cut through the air, then sucked itself back in, now a large, black hole.

It floated just off the ground, a...portal leading into oblivion.

Drexel looked, wide eyed, from the Key in his hand to the rippling void before him.

“Oh gosh.”

THE END