Through the Portal

“Any idea how much longer it’s going to be until we reach them?” Meredith asked, after about an hour of walking.

“Well, with any luck, it should only be an hour or two,” Katherine replied, looking around to make sure she knew where they were going. They picked their way over fallen stones, careful not to trip.

“Right.” Meredith’s tone was far from enthusiastic. They had already run into one cave-in, which set them off course and made her nervous.

“Hey, couldn’t you have just blasted the stones out of the way or something?” Jake asked, having thought about that for a few minutes, “Like you did with the shadow thing?”

Katherine sighed. “That light is only good for beasts, not inanimate objects. Besides, it wouldn’t work down here. I’m too far away from the lights. I draw my power from them, after all.”

“So, it’s like when Superman is sealed off from the sun,” Henry commented. The others turned to look at him and he felt his ears turning red. “Because he gets his power from the yellow sun.” He paused, feeling awkward, but unable to stop himself. “So, when he is sealed off from it, he’s powerless.”

“Well, I’m not completely powerless, but that isn’t a totally inaccurate analogy, I suppose.” Katherine smiled at him. “If it helps you understand, it works.” She looked back to the path, making sure they kept heading in the right direction.

“Right,” Henry mumbled, still feeling like a complete dork.

Valda fell into step beside him. “What is this superman like? Does he have powers like our lady?” She paused. “Also, what is a sun? Is it a great source of magic?”

Henry smiled, a little. “Uh…not exactly. Superman is super strong and fast. He’s also indestructible. The sun isn’t exactly a source of magic. It’s really more of a big ball of fire in the sky.”

“Does it not burn your world?” she asked, her eyes wide as she tried to picture it. “Are you not afraid it will fall?”

“No, it’s not like that.” He paused, trying to figure out an explanation that she would understand. “It just kind of floats above the earth, keeping it warm and making things healthier, in general.”

She nodded. “So, it is magic.”

Henry considered arguing, but didn’t know how better to explain his world. “Sure, we can call it that.”

“I think I would like to see this great ball of fire in the sky,” Valda told him, trying to picture it in her head. “It must be beautiful.”

“Well, you can’t really look at it,” Henry replied. “It’s too bright and would make you go blind if you weren’t careful.”

“I see.” Valda pondered that. “Well, I suppose all magic has danger. Your people must take great care not to go blind with such a thing hanging over you.”

Henry shrugged. “We just don’t look at it.”

“Is it not tempting to do so?”

Henry shook his head. “The pain and risk of blindness are a pretty good deterrent.”

“Yes, I suppose they would be,” Valda decided. “Well, it is probably quite beautiful, nonetheless. It is a shame not to be able to see it.”

“I guess.” Henry had never really thought much on it.

Valda stepped away from him, lost in her own thoughts.

“My feelings are none of your concern,” Tristan replied to William’s question, “It’s not as though a Dunyan child like you understands anything, anyway.”

“I understand more than you think.” The more William thought about it, the more sense it made that the elf was in love with Katherine. It would explain why he was so protective of her and why he didn’t like the king, who was engaged to her. William frowned at that thought, realizing he was in that category, too. He brushed that idea aside, not wanting to think about it.

“You are a foolish child who knows nothing about such serious matters,” Tristan told him. “I wish to serve our lady well because she is our lady. You can go getting idiotic ideas from a dark elf, but that doesn’t change the facts.”

“You mean like the fact that you are in love with Katherine,” William persisted, not ready to drop the idea. “You should probably tell her before she gets married, you know.”

Tristan was silent for a minute. “For the sake of this argument, let’s say I am in love with our lady. Why would I ever tell her such a thing?”

William shrugged, although it couldn’t be seen. “Maybe she feels the same way, but has never said so because she fears it will not be reciprocated.”

“And if I tell her, you think there is a chance we may get married and live happily ever after?” The elf’s tone indicated that he doubted that.

“She’s immortal, isn’t she?” William pointed out. “I don’t see what the problem is.” He didn’t know why he should bother encouraging the elf to pursue Katherine. He didn’t really like the idea of Tristan marrying the girl. The discussion just gave him something to do to pass the time.

“She is immortal and she will spend the rest of her immortal life with King Nicholas when he becomes the guardian. That is how it must be for the sake of Mirra,” the elf told him. “I cannot be the guardian because he has to be a human. Therefore, our lady will marry the king, regardless of any personal feelings of herself or others. Knowing that, do you still think it would be wise for anyone to pursue her?”

William sat in silence, not having a response. He realized he hadn’t thought the whole issue through very well and sighed. “I guess not.”

“Then, perhaps, you will be able to set aside such foolish notions and speak no more about them. In fact, do not say anything else while we are here,” Tristan commanded. “Your voice irritates me.”

“Look, there’s no reason to be mad at me, just because you fell for the wrong girl.” William lay down, wondering if he might be able to sleep. Based on the silence from Kaelen, he assumed the dark elf had already managed it.

Tristan didn’t respond and silence enveloped the group.

“At least there’s not going to be any light in the tunnel,” Katherine mumbled to herself as she walked. They had been going for a few hours and her mind was working overtime.

Meredith heard the girl and looked at her. “What do you mean?”

The guardian smiled. “Well, if there were light, they would probably be in a sword fight, by now. In the dark, the most they can do is argue, possibly wrestle, if they are truly determined.”

Meredith couldn’t help but smile, in return. “I would never underestimate William’s determination.”

Jake looked at Valda. “Think he has a chance against Tristan in a wrestling match?”

Valda shrugged. “It’s hard to say. However, it is more likely to be an argument, primarily. In a battle of wits, they are evenly matched.”

Jake grinned. “Well, that’s good to know.”

Katherine shook her head, but looked amused. “You really shouldn’t be so hard on Tristan. He is a loyal soldier and a brilliant warrior.”

“Perhaps, you do him too much justice, my lady,” Valda retorted, although she didn’t really believe that. She would never praise the elf, but she knew Katherine wasn’t wrong about him. If Valda was going to choose someone to have her back in battle, it would probably be him. “At any rate, let’s hope we get to them before they do anything too idiotic.”

Katherine continued to smile in amusement, but her eyes gave away her stress. She was relieved that they hadn’t come across any more cave-ins, so far, but she didn’t know how long their luck would last. One ill-placed blockade could set them back a day or even two. She couldn’t allow that to happen, so she pushed forward, praying for the best.

After a few hours in total darkness and silence, William nearly jumped as he saw a light coming towards them. He stood, feeling immensely relieved. “Katherine!” He winced at the pain in his ankle, but he felt he could handle it, now.

Kaelen seemed to have no trouble getting up, quickly, causing William to wonder if he had really been asleep, at all. “You see? It is best not to worry.”

Tristan, stood, as well, turning to face the glowing girl as the group drew near. “My lady, thank you for coming back for us.”

She smiled, warmly. “I could never leave you behind.” She was also feeling incredibly relieved that they were alright. However, she’d done her best to convince everyone that she had been confident they would be and she couldn’t drop the act, now. She looked to William. “How is your injury?”

“Just a sprain.” He looked down at it. “I’m afraid it may slow me down, but I should be alright. Sorry for being so clumsy.”

She waved the apology away. “I should have protected you better.” She frowned at his ankle, then looked to Jake. “Any chance you have something in your medical bag to help?”

He nodded and set his satchel down to look through it. “Sit down, Will.” He felt strange giving the older boy orders, but William obeyed. Jake pulled out a bandage and wrapped the ankle to keep the swelling down, then handed him a leaf from his cache of herbs. “Nimbus weed. It will help with the inflammation and speed the healing.”

William popped the leaf in his mouth, thinking that it tasted a little like peppermint. “I’m really sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused.”

Meredith smiled at him. “We’re just glad you’re alright.”

Josie had been holding the older girl’s hand, but she released it to hug William’s neck. “I was really worried.”

He wrapped an arm around her and smiled. “No need to worry about me, kiddo. I’m a survivor.” He stood, testing his weight on the ankle, relieved to find it no longer hurt. “At any rate, shouldn’t we be going? I think we’ve lost enough time because of this.” He glanced around and realized most of the group looked exhausted, making him feel guilty, all over again.

Katherine shook her head. “We should rest for the night. You need a little time to heal and everyone else needs rest. We will start again, early tomorrow.” She looked at the weary group, now wearing grateful expressions at the thought of lying down.

William nodded, knowing she was right. “Sorry, again.” He sat back down.

“Stop apologizing and rest or you won’t be able to walk tomorrow and we’ll be further delayed,” Tristan ordered.

William frowned at the elf, suddenly noticing how careful he was not to look at Katherine or speak to her any more than necessary. It seemed so obvious that William had to wonder how he hadn’t notice anything before. He felt some sympathy for Tristan, but it didn’t outweigh his annoyance. “I don’t need you telling me what to do.”

“Tristan’s right,” Katherine commented, reasonably, “I mean…he could have said it more politely.” She gave the elf a stern look, before turning back to William. “But you do need to rest, now. We all do.” She smiled and took a seat, pulling a mushroom out of her bag. “We’ll camp here, tonight, and start first thing in the morning.”

As Meredith sat down, she looked at the guardian. “I’ve been wondering: how do you know when it’s morning? You can’t see the light from down here.”

Katherine shook her head. “I can sense it.” She closed her eyes and touched her chest. “I am connected to the lights and can feel what they are doing, even from this deep underground.”

“What is that like?” Meredith asked, unable to imagine such a thing.

Katherine opened her eyes and took on a thoughtful expression. “What is it like to feel your heartbeat in your chest and know you are alive?” She looked to the girl. “The lights are the lifeblood if this world and, therefore, are as much a part of me as my heart or lungs. I cannot exist without them.”

“But you did, before, didn’t you?” William asked. “You weren’t always the guardian.”

She gave him a slight smile and nodded. “But that was a lifetime ago. When I took on the title, everything became different. Sometimes, I can hardly even remember what it was like to be human.”

“That’s sad,” Josie commented.

Katherine looked at the child and cocked her head. “Is it? I gave up one life for another. Becoming the guardian was a great gift, so how can I be sad about it?” Nobody had a response, so she just smiled at the group. “Get some rest. We have a lot of ground to cover, tomorrow.”

They nodded and obediently lay down after eating. Josie curled up next to William, half-afraid she might lose him, again.

William awoke with a hand on his mouth. Katherine was standing over him and put a finger to her lips, before removing the hand. She woke the rest of the group the same way, ensuring that no one made a sound. Once they were all up, she motioned for them to follow her, moving slowly, trying not to make noise.

“What’s wrong?” William spoke softly enough that she could barely hear, even right beside him.

“There’s something down here.” Her voice was equally soft, but sounded nervous. “Something that shouldn’t be in the tunnels and isn’t happy about being trapped.”

William didn’t like the sound of that and it was enough to keep him silent. He grabbed ahold of Josie’s hand, making sure she stayed by his side. Thanks to the nimbus weed, he was able to walk normally. He just hoped he would be able to run, if necessary.

After a few hours of creeping along, his ankle started to throb, but he didn’t complain, for fear of slowing them down, again. Suddenly, Katherine stopped dead in her tracks, staring ahead. “Oh, no.” Her voice was soft, but carried her distress through the group.

William looked over her shoulder to see the problem and realized she was staring at another cave-in. He realized that must be blocking the path they were supposed to take.

“Is there another passage we could use?” Valda asked, softly.

Katherine shook her head, glancing around, furtively. “None of the other tunnels lead near the palace.” She sighed. “We’ll just have to get as close as we can.” She led them down a different path, praying that they would be out of the tunnels before the creature caught up with them. She hadn’t seen it, but she knew it was somewhere in the tunnels and it was hungry.

They managed to make it a few more hours without incident, but it was getting harder. Everyone was tired and the stress wasn’t helping. On top of that, William’s ankle was really starting to hurt. He was about to ask Jake for some more nimbus weed when he heard something that made his mouth go dry. It sounded like the padded footsteps of a large beast, followed by a snake-like hissing. The group slowly turned to face a creature which was built like a lion, but covered in red scales. Its feet had long, sharp claws like a bear. Its head resembled a snake, right down to the fangs, which it seemed eager to show them.

As she often seemed to do, Katherine yelled, “Run!” She made sure everyone else was behind her as she ran, not wanting to lose anyone. Kaelen lifted Josie onto his back, easily running as quickly as the others, even with the extra weight.

They ran down winding passages, following Katherine and fleeing the beast, which drew ever nearer. William had trouble keeping up due to his ankle, but he pushed on, terrified of the monster behind them. Finally, they saw daylight and ran for it, feeling they would be safer in the light. Katherine felt a surge of energy as she saw the colorful sky. She turned back, just in time to see the creature catch up to William, who was in the back of the group. It swatted at him and the boy went down, hard. She lifted her hands and blasted the creature with light, causing it to flee.

Katherine fell to her knees, too weak to walk. “William?”

Valda and Kaelen ran back and dragged the boy out of the tunnels. He was unconscious and there were nasty gashes on his back, causing concern among the group.

“Lay him on his stomach,” Katherine told the elves. Once they obeyed, she laid her hands on William’s head and closed her eyes. After a minute, she breathed a sigh of relief. “He’s okay, just unconscious.” She looked at the claw marks with anxiety. “Jake, can you tend to those?”

He frowned and nodded. “I can, but…” He took a long pause, knowing William would not be happy if he heard what he was about to say. “We’re going to need to take his shirt off, so I can see the wounds, properly.”

Katherine nodded. “Do whatever needs to be done. He can be angry at us when he wakes up.”

Jake nodded, unhappily. He knelt down and looked at the shirt, trying to decide how best to get it off.

Henry walked over and held out a pair of scissors from his sewing kit. “That shirt can’t be saved. You’ll just have to cut it.”

Jake accepted them and looked back at William, hesitating, still. He knew the older boy didn’t want them to see him without a shirt and he had a pretty good guess as to why. Even so, the wounds needed to be treated, so he cut the shirt away and frowned at what was underneath. He tried to ignore it as he worked on the gashes.

Meredith, Henry and Josie looked away, quickly, as if they had seen him naked. They sat away from William and Jake, feeling uncomfortable. The majority of his back and arms were covered in various scars, most shallow, but some deep. They all recognized the shape of some of the burns as being from cigarettes, but some of them were different from what they usually saw, as though he had been cut with something that had a rectangular shape.

Jake dressed the gashes as quickly as he could and realized Katherine was sitting nearby, holding a blanket. As soon as he stepped away, she used it to cover William, once again hiding his scars from the world.