The Portal Keeper

by S. T. Sanchez

  “Master Maxwell, you are so young. Let us pretend for a moment that in my two thousand years I might have acquired a bit of insight.”

  “Perhaps,” Ajax acknowledged begrudgingly. “My companions have proven their trust to me. You are a stranger.”

  Nogard paused. “There is some wisdom in that. Just remember you sought me out, not the other way around.”

  Ajax kicked another small rock. “What did you mean about my blood calling to you?”

  “When I was young, there were many dragons. They lived in peace in these very mountains,” he said, swinging his tail around the cavern. “The elves...” he began. “Oh, I see you have already heard about their greed for power…And I think one of our first lessons will be about shielding your mind…Oh, you’ve already been cautioned by Neely.”

  “Can you get out of my head?” Ajax asked in frustration.

  “No,” the seer replied simply. “Not yet anyway. Now, where was I?” he hummed to himself. “Ah yes, the elves. Well, even back then they desired power. They wanted our skin for their armor and they wanted to find a way to steal our magic. In a fair fight, the dragons would have easily won. But the elves were more evil and merciless than anyone imagined. They came at night and took the eggs. They threatened to destroy them if we didn’t surrender and give ourselves up. They spared ten dragons who took the eggs and hid them. The rest of my species sacrificed their lives to be slaughtered in order to save us.

  “The remaining dragons placed a spell on the eggs. The eggs would sleep until there was peace in this world once again. The ten dragons made a pact with the humans. They would share their magic with them, creating the first sorcerers. In return, the humans would help use their magic to keep the elves in check. Each dragon linked itself to a human bloodline. I was linked to the Maxwell line. We share the same blood. As part of the ritual we infused dragon and human blood together, each taking a part of the other.

  “That’s why I can sense you. The moment you stepped through the portal, I knew. In time, you can learn to sense me.”

  Excitement flooded through Ajax. “Then you know where my brother is?” he asked, coming closer.

  The dragon shook his head. “I can’t sense people in your world.”

  The sorcerer grasped the dragon’s front leg. “No, he’s here,” he maintained enthusiastically. “Look for him, tell me where he is.”

  “I regret to have to tell you this, but there is no one else of the Maxwell bloodline here.”

  Ajax pushed off the dragon. “You’re wrong. I know he is here. I saw him in my dreams. The medallion…” he said, pulling it out, “showed him to me. Axel is here,” he claimed defiantly.

  “That wasn’t a dream. You were actually here, or your spirit was. I don’t know what to tell you. The man you saw may be here, but he is not of the Maxwell bloodline. Of that there can be no doubt.”

  Ajax stumbled back and sat on the ground. He had to be. The dragon was wrong.

  “I’m sorry,” Nogard apologized.

  “Can you assist me in finding him? And Niv? And…” Ajax paused, “the Prince too,” he added as an afterthought.

  “Why would you want to find Blake? If you found Niv, you could depart here with her. Then things could go back to how they used to be, if the Prince were out of the picture.”

  Ajax paused; of course that was what he wanted.

  “No. I mean, yes, I want my friendship with Niv back. But I can’t abandon Prince Blake in a strange world. That is so wrong. He’s a good person and has shown me kindness.”

  The dragon nodded, but said nothing for a moment.

  “Yes, I can find them, but you need training first.”

  “No, I merely want to reunite with them and go home,” Ajax replied.

  “Which home?”

  Ajax paused, contemplating all that Nogard had just told him. “You mentioned you linked with a Maxwell.” He gazed up at the dragon. “I’m not even from my world?”

  “Well your ancestors weren’t,” the dragon corrected. “You will need magic to get home. Powerful magic. It’s in your blood and the amulet helps to magnify it, but you need training or you will never return home.” He cleared his throat. “There is a prophecy.” He began reciting, “When the blood of the first returns to his home, the battle for power will begin to unfold. Search for the dragon or all will be lost as the monster escapes to wreak havoc untold. And balance restored by the sorcerer’s hand or death covers the realms and forever takes hold.”

  “That’s not exactly how I heard it,” Ajax asserted, reflecting back to his version.

  “Well, since I am the one who made it, let’s stick with my version.” Nogard bent his head down so he was eye-level with the sorcerer. “Ajax, you are the one in the prophecy. When the blood of the first returns to his home. Your ancestor was the first Maxwell, and you carry his blood in you. Now you’ve returned to the home of your heritage. You found me. I can guide you.”

  “This prophecy can’t be about me. I’m no one special. I wasn’t even supposed to be the portal keeper,” Ajax argued, scratching his head. “I thought the dragon needed to be destroyed before it wreaked havoc. I can’t even understand the prophecy, let alone fulfill it.”

  Nogard laughed. “You thought I was the monster.” He shook his head. “If I had a prophecy foretelling my death, I think I’d keep it to myself.”

  Ajax laughed. “I guess you’re right.” He thought back to all he had learned since he arrived. “The elves are the monsters.”

  The dragon smiled. “They won’t stop until they destroy everything. They already murdered all the sorcerers on this side of the portal. You are the only hope both of our worlds have.”

  Ajax took out his amulet. “I think you’re wrong. I don’t have any magic. Only this does.”

  “It’s in you too,” the dragon contended, pointing at Ajax’s heart. “The amulet is nothing to anyone else. It simply enhances what is already inside. Every Maxwell who has possessed it adds their blood to it, making it more powerful with each generation. You should do the same.”

  “You want me to put my blood on it?” he asked incredulously.

  “It shall strengthen the power of the amulet. “

  Ajax shook his head uncertainly, but unsheathed his blade. Why did everything have to involve blood? He glanced at his hand, expecting to see a scar from when he cut his hand during his oath to the King, but there was none. He ran his palm across the blade, wincing at the pain.

  “Your blood contains magic which speeds up your healing—that’s why there was no scar,” Nogard replied, reading Ajax’s mind.

  “Wow,” he said, his eyes widening. “Now I just…” Ajax looked down at his bloody hand.

  “Simply let it drip on the amulet.”

  Ajax placed the medallion in his uninjured hand and allowed his bloody hand to drip onto it. With each drop of blood that hit the surface, a glowing light appeared and the blood was absorbed.

  “I can feel the power in this,” Ajax insisted, looking up at the dragon. “Every time I touch it. Why can’t anyone else use it?”

  “Its magic is tied to your blood. No one can steal it from you. You could give it to someone, but it can’t be removed against your will,” the dragon explained.

  The memory of the Prince reaching for it and the chaos that had ensued as a result flashed into his mind..

  “Then why would I need to keep it a secret? I mean, if only I can use it?” Ajax asked.

  “One, you are not as powerful without it. That’s why it calls to you, once you are close enough that it senses you. Second, the amulet protects you. If someone wants to kill you it is much simpler if the pendant is removed.”

  This was all so complicated. Ajax couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to kill him.

  “Are you ready to start training?”

  Ajax put his medallion back under his shirt. “Now?”

  “You have more pressing matters than saving humanity?”

  He shrugged. “Okay.”


  “Let’s start by taking off the amulet.”

  Ajax stepped back. “Was that your plan the whole time? Get me to take it off so you can pilfer it…or eat me?”

  Nogard snorted. “You are really preoccupied with the thought of getting eaten. It is wise to be hesitant, but not very prudent given our time is limited.”

  The dragon mumbled something that Ajax didn’t understand, and the amulet floated off his neck and landed around Nogard’s.

  “Liar!” Ajax shouted, scooting back. “You said no one could remove it from me.”

  “I didn’t lie,” the dragon replied in a half-frown. “However, there are always exceptions to every rule. My blood runs through the amulet and Maxwell blood runs through my veins as well. So, I can pick it up, but it only helps enhance human magic. Yours is a diluted version of what I was naturally born with. That is why I came up with the medallion—to enhance it.”

  Ajax backed up and considered making a run for it.

  “Wait!” the dragon called, unclasping the amulet from his neck. “As a sign of good faith, I will give it back to you. Just set it in the corner away from you. Your training won’t get far if you don’t learn how to do magic without it.”

  Ajax slowly tread forward, expecting Nogard to pounce on him, but nothing happened.

  He snatched the pendant from the dragon and stepped back quickly. When he saw the creature make no attempt to move, he set the medallion down, and kicked it to the side before taking a seat on the ground.

  “Good,” the dragon nodded. “You are not as foolish as I was expecting a young human male to be.”

  Ajax wasn’t sure if he should take that as a compliment or not.

  “Let’s start with protecting your thoughts.”

  Ajax reached for his head. “Yes, it would be delightful to have some privacy again.”

  Nogard paced around him. “Try closing your eyes.”

  He was a little hesitant to do this with a huge dragon looming over him, and now without the medallion he was vulnerable. But since Nogard had had ample time to devour him, and hadn’t yet, Ajax closed his eyes.

  “The first step is to feel when someone is penetrating your thoughts.”

  Ajax tried to clear his mind and listen.

  “I don’t feel anything.”

  The dragon whipped Ajax on the back of the head with his tail.

  “Hey!” Ajax yelled, scrambling to his feet.

  “You didn’t assume it was going to be as easy as feeling that, did you?”

  He rubbed the back of his head and sat down again.

  “It’s subtle,” Nogard began. “When you see a pretty young lady, the first thing you do isn’t ask her to marry you.”

  He kept circling, Ajax could feel the vibrations on the floor.

  “No, you begin slowly,” the dragon went on. “You compliment her, maybe pick her some flowers. I am not going to attack your mind. I am going to peek in a little at a time, so that hopefully, you don’t notice.”

  Ajax thought about Niv and wondered where she could be. He felt the tiniest irritation and focused on it.

  Nogard stopped. “Good. Now the more you practice the easier it will be, and soon you’ll be able to detect a foreign intruder without even thinking about it. The same shall occur once you learn how to block the intruder.” The dragon turned and headed for another corridor. “Lesson’s over for today. Come back tomorrow.”

  Ajax stood up, brushing dust from his backside. “That’s it?”

  The dragon laughed. “It’s funny how things change. First, I had to fight you to get you to stay, now I can’t get you to leave.” He motioned with his head to the pathway Ajax had arrived through. “Go, before your friends assume I made you my supper.”

  Ajax hurried to the exit and then stopped suddenly. He ran to the corner and retrieved his amulet. Then he stopped.

  “Why didn’t it call to me when it was off my neck?” Ajax asked as he slipped it back under his shirt.

  “You just noticed that? This is a place of training. The room is spelled to block certain enchantments. It would be a little distracting to try to train with that medallion calling your name every few minutes.”

  He nodded. “Thanks,” he added hesitantly and then headed to find his companions.

  The light was barely beginning to fade as he stepped outside the cave.

  Niko ran up to him. “Are you alright?”

  He patted the rhino on the arm. “Yes.” It was amazing how his attitude towards Ajax had softened since fighting the sandworm.

  Neely walked over and gave him a big hug.

  Spots flew over and landed on Neely’s shoulder. “How did it go? You’re still alive, so that’s a plus. You weren’t in there very long. Did you find your brother and friends?” he asked.

  He shook his head. “Not yet. But Nogard vowed he would assist me. And what do you mean? I was in there for hours.”

  Neely shook her head. “We’ve only been out here a few minutes.” She pointed up at the sky. “See, the stars are not even out yet.”

  Ajax’s stomach began to rumble. He couldn’t believe that no time seemed to have passed outside the cave. “Do we have any of that cactus left?”

  “Ugh.” Spots spit on the ground. “Take it all.”

  They all laughed. Ajax gave them a recap of the discussions with the dragon, but he left out the amulet parts. He wasn’t sure why. He trusted his friends, but Nogard had been alive a long time. It couldn’t hurt to keep a few things close to the vest.

  Chapter XVI

  Soap and water provided a glorious feeling. The tub was an added bonus. Niv combed through her hair and was grateful for another pair of clean clothes, even if they were pants and a blouse again.

  There were plenty of rooms in the tower. Nivara was on the second floor from the top. Apparently the castles had always been uninhabited. The sky bridges were a secret that Striker had kept hidden. He liked keeping the beings of his world separated. That was one reason for his langabeast obsession. Few creatures possessed the ability to fly, giving him more power, as the elves were the only species that could safely traverse their entire world. Striker had thought about making his home in the towers but decided it wasn’t extravagant enough. So he built Elf City instead. All this was according to Sky.

  Nivara thought all that was ludicrous. She had a bed fit for a king, and had never stayed in anything so luxurious. There was a knock on her door. Niv set the comb down and hurried over to answer it. She opened it slowly and was surprised to see Axel there.

  “May I come inside?” he enquired, looking over his shoulder as if someone were following him.

  It was breaking all the rules of propriety for her to have a man in her room, but then again, she wasn’t in her world.

  “Sure,” she said, opening the door wider. After all, she had spent the last few days alone with an elf. Well, an elf and a cambriar. She wondered what her parents would think.

  “I regret my intrusion. I know this is not very proper of me,” he apologized as if reading her thoughts, “but I wanted to speak to you for a few moments in private.”

  Niv smiled reassuringly. “It’s fine.” She patted his arm.

  “It’s just that you seemed so jumpy when I mentioned Ajax. I was wondering why.”

  Niv sat on the bed and motioned for Axel to join her. “If we’re going to tarnish my reputation, we might as well go all the way,” she teased.

  “Niv!” Axel exclaimed. “I have no intention…I was cautious…no one saw me. The Prince is having his wound tended to.”

  “You and Ajax have that in common,” she laughed. At his confused expression, she explained, “You can’t tell when I am teasing you or not.”

  He sat on the bed, leaving a few feet between them.

  “You know Ajax took your place as the keeper?” Niv confirmed.

  Axel nodded. “I assumed he would.”

  “Well, the Prince had never seen the portal, so he took me to see it.”


  His eyes widened. “He took you to see the all-secret portal?” Axel asked, clearly stunned.

  “We are betrothed.”

  Axel jumped off the bed. “You are going to marry the Prince?” He looked around the room frantically. “I ought not have come here.”

  Niv stood up and grabbed him by both shoulders. “It’s fine, just calm down.”

  He took a deep breath. “Sorry.”

  “Let me finish. So, we went there, and Ajax had some kind of magical amulet. He didn’t know much about it or what it did, but when Blake—”

  “Blake?” Axel balked.

  “He told me to call him that while we are here. I know,” she agreed, holding up her hand. “It felt really peculiar at first. But really, if he is going to be my husband someday, shouldn’t I call him something other than ‘Your Highness’?” She shrugged. “Well, Blake reached for it, and some force exploded out of it and knocked the Prince through the portal.”

  “What? How did you get here?”

  “I went through and Ajax was going to follow, but after I entered, I waited in the jungle and he never came.”

  “Wait, let me get this straight. You stepped through into the Sinking Jungle?” Axel confirmed.

  Niv nodded.

  He moved back to the bed and let himself fall onto the mattress, lying flat on his back.

  Niv hurried over to his side.

  “Niv, when I entered through I stepped into the middle of Leif’s bedroom.”

  She let what Axel had told her sink in. The portal did not open in the same place each time. Ajax could be here, somewhere.

  “Maybe it only changes each day. We need to ask Blake where he entered,” Niv said, pulling Axel off the bed.

  He walked to the door slowly.

  “Axel, the Prince believes Ajax hit him and pushed him through the portal, so I would avoid mentioning his name.”

  “That’s crazy,” he argued. “My brother would never do that.”

  Niv nodded. “I know.”

  She had Axel wait to exit until she had checked the passage.

  A few seconds later there was a tap at the door.

  Niv hurried and swung the door expecting to see Axel, assuming that he had forgotten something.