The Portal Keeper

by S. T. Sanchez

  “NO!” Niv said, raising her voice.

  “Blake is right,” Leif acknowledged. “The elves shall retaliate. They are cunning. I do not know what they will try next, but I do not believe it shall be as obvious as the last attack.”

  “They’ll probably simply send a few over and drop Axel’s children into the chasm,” the dragon said.

  “Hey!” Axel yelled.

  “I do not want that to happen, but that is the fashion of the elves,” the seer replied defensively. “I have lived through it firsthand. Just imagine the most horrible possibility you can and then know the elves will come up with an idea ten times worse.”

  The trek from his room had exhausted Ajax, but he didn’t want his friends to continue this argument about him. He took a deep breath, painted on a fake smile, and strolled into the room as casually as he could.

  “Good afternoon!” He smiled lightly, glancing around the room. Everyone was here. Niko, Neely, and Spots were sitting at the table snacking on something. Sinda and Axel were standing in a circle with Nivara, Leif, and the Prince. Sky seemed to be napping on a chair.

  “Ajax, you ought not be up.” Niv ran and got a chair and pushed it towards him.

  “I’m fine,” he said reassuringly. To prove his point he declined to sit, although secretly he was grateful. Now he could rest his hand on the back of the chair and use it to support some of his weight. “What’s everyone discussing?” he asked, feigning ignorance, not wanting them to know he was eavesdropping on their conversation.

  “We were simply discussing when you might be up to fixing…or opening…the portal,” the Prince shrugged. “I’m still not sure how it all works.”

  Niv glared at Blake. “We have plenty of time for that.”

  The seer stepped forward. “You put on quite a show before. I have never seen another sorcerer come close to the power you demonstrated against Striker and his army.” He seemed to look straight through Ajax, and then gave a slight nod. Ajax wasn’t sure if it was meant for him or not.

  “Let’s move this to the table,” the dragon suggested. “After a couple millennia, if I have learned one thing. It’s to rest your feet when you have the chance.”

  Ajax had felt the sweat begin to trickle down his face. Standing for so long was about to do him in. He smiled warmly and followed the seer to the table and gave a silent thanks to be sitting.

  “You all want to go home,” the dragon affirmed. “I am not an expert on portals, but I do believe that they cannot be destroyed. It was your ancestor that dismantled the opening on this side. I think that he somehow made it invisible and had it alter locations daily. That would explain why everyone who entered came through in a different location,” the seer explained.

  “Then how do they get home?” the rhino grunted, tossing something that resembled a walnut in his mouth.

  Sliver shrugged. “That is the question, is it not? Since the spell cast was performed by his ancestor,” he pointed to Ajax, “then I have faith that he can call the portal to him and disguise it somewhere new.”

  “Like in one of the lower levels of the tower?” Neely asked. “No one knows how far down it goes.”

  “I was hoping for something a little more…clever. The best place to hide something is in plain sight. But I don’t know where that would be.”

  Sinda squeezed Axel’s hand. “What does that mean for us?”

  “I’m staying here with you and the children, of course,” Axel said.

  Ajax looked up. “Axel, you can’t. The elves will come back.”

  He waved it off. “I evaded them for ten years, I can do it again.”

  Leif cleared his throat. “That was before they knew you existed. Now they shall never stop looking. Before it was a possibility you died when entering our world. They have now seen that is not the case. It does not matter that they think it was Ajax and not you, the point is they will never cease searching.”

  “My family would be persecuted and feared in our world,” Axel argued.

  “We shall find a way.” Ajax pledged. “Even if we have to leave.”

  “I will issue a royal decree welcoming them to Rastella,” Prince Blake offered.

  “That is kind,” Axel smiled appeasingly. “But a piece of paper will not stop the fear.”

  Sinda caressed her husband’s face. “I suppose it may be the better of two bad options.”

  Axel sighed and nodded.

  “What about the rest of you?” Ajax asked, looking at each of his companions one by one. “Is it safe for you here?”

  “They didn’t see me or Neely,” Spots offered.

  Neely rubbed the ladybug’s back gently. “No, but they knew the seer was here. Chances are that they know about his companions too. They have spies everywhere, and if the seer was seen, we can’t take the risk. Even if they haven’t seen us specifically, if the elves start asking questions to the crew...well, it wouldn’t take long to figure it out.”

  “I fear we must all leave with you,” Niko said grimly.

  Ajax rubbed his eyes. His coming into their world had messed up their lives completely. Now they would have to abandon their home and come into a new and different land.

  “I will figure out a way to make this right,” Ajax said. “I just need to get us home and safe. Somewhere that I can have some peace and not be running for my life. Sliver and I shall come up with something.”

  “We have to. Until there is harmony in this world the dragons will never hatch,” Sliver added solemnly.

  “Then I guess it’s settled.” Sky yawned and arched his back on the chair. “Rastella, here we come.”

  Chapter XXIII

  The next few days were spent walking around the castle, trying to get his strength to return. Ajax spent many hours conversing with Sliver as they brainstormed ideas for the journey back to Rastella.

  “I’ve got it!” Ajax exclaimed, bursting into the dining hall as lunch was being served.

  Everyone looked at him expectantly. Niko froze midway through reaching for a platter of meat, his hand suspended awkwardly in the air.

  Ajax beamed. He slowed down and walked over to the table. “I know where we can conceal the portal. I have the perfect place, and it’s in plain sight just as Sliver wanted.”

  The seer leaned forward anxiously. “Well? How long are you going to keep us in suspense?”

  “I shall place it at the bottom of the chasm. No one would ever look there.”

  Sky choked on a piece of meat and started coughing. Neely nearly knocked over her goblet, and the others all regarded him as if he were insane.

  Spots flew over and landed on the table in front of the sorcerer. “To clarify,” the bug began, “you want us to jump off the tower and trust that a million feet down we will slide through a portal and into your world?” He turned to the Prince. “Exactly how big is this portal?”

  The Prince stretched out his arms. “Give or take,” he commented.

  “That seems awfully small, when we are jumping from so high.” Niv swallowed loudly. “What happens if we miscalculate and don’t hit the portal?”

  Ajax didn’t answer and let the silence speak for itself. After a few moments, he began again. “Of course, I will have to be careful where I place it. We can use something on the castle as a marker and only jump from that point.”

  “How will we know if your spell worked and the portal is really even down there?” Leif asked skeptically, in between bites of something that resembled pasta.

  Ajax sat down and pulled a plate in front of him. “You sure don’t instill a lot of confidence in me,” he scolded them as he loaded up his plate. “Do you really have such little faith in me? You think that I would have one of you jump to test it out?” He shook his head. “Sliver or Squeak can fly down and even possibly test the portal.”

  “Or we could ride the dragons down and forgo the jumping altogether,” Niv suggested.

  “Right. Good idea.” Ajax felt stupid for not thinking of that himself.
>
  The group seemed to relax some at this news. They ate the remainder of the meal in silence. After Ajax was finished he called Sliver over to a corner.

  “You stayed very quiet after my announcement. Do you not believe it will work?” He watched the dragon expectantly.

  “I was rather impressed by your ingenuity. Who would voluntarily jump off a cliff? I think it’s brilliant.” Sliver patted the boy on his back. “If I was quiet, it was only because I was reflecting on how I overlooked that.”

  “Sliver,” Ajax began. “Why did the dragon eggs never hatch when the sorcerers ruled? Weren’t things peaceful then?”

  “Yes,” the dragon agreed, “but it was a forced peace. The elves still tested their limits. They pushed back whenever possible. It wasn’t a genuine peace.”

  Ajax scratched his head. “I still don’t understand how the elves were able to hunt down and slaughter all the sorcerers. With my medallion, I am pretty much indestructible.”

  The seer nodded. “Yes, but there are always ways around even the most powerful magic. Poison, for one. The medallion might stop a poison dart, but not a poison berry you fed yourself.”

  Ajax nodded in understanding.

  “And then they could always go for something you care about. What wouldn’t you do for Niv? Your brother?” he asked knowingly.

  “I see.” Ajax shook his head. “It still baffles me that something with no apparent abilities overcame the most powerful beings in your world.”

  “Ah,” the dragon said, holding up a hand. “Don’t let them fool you, they have plenty of abilities. Their skill with the sword and bow is unmatched, and they have plenty of cunning. The elves are ingenious strategists and thrive at war. Underestimating them would be unwise. That was our mistake.”

  Ajax smiled at Niv as she and Niko helped clear the table. “I think I can call the portal. I have been reflecting on it, and I believe I can sense it, similar to how you could sense me.”

  The dragon shrugged. “It would make sense. It is your family’s magic that produced the spell.”

  “I think I can call it here and place it at the bottom of the chasm,” he said, feeling confident. “We should leave tomorrow. The more I hear about the elves, the quicker I feel we ought to depart.”

  The seer nodded. “Until tomorrow. I must go meditate and peer into the future. Perhaps I may see something that shall benefit us in the days to come.”

  Niv came to join them just as Sliver was leaving.

  “What were you two discussing over here huddled in the corner?” She eyed him suspiciously.

  Ajax shrugged. “I merely wanted to know what he thought of my plan.”

  They headed downstairs together.

  “We are going to leave tomorrow,” he announced as they reached his room.

  “So soon?” Niv asked, astonished. “Are you sure you’re up to it? It hasn’t been that—”

  “I’m fine now,” he interrupted. “I give you my word. No more light-headedness. I don’t pant walking up a flight of stairs. I am ready.”

  He waved his hand and the door opened.

  She huffed. “Is it really that much faster than simply pushing it open?”

  He laughed. “No, it’s just becoming second nature. I have been practicing a lot. I could probably do it without even waving my hand.” He stepped inside. “Are you coming in?”

  Niv hovered barely outside the doorway. “I hardly think that’s proper.” She shook her head.

  “Are you serious?” he asked, moving towards her. “You have been in my room almost every day the past week. And unchaperoned I might add.” He cocked an eyebrow up and gave a half-grin.

  She shook her finger at him. “No, that was different. You were injured and recovering. Now you tell me you are fine, so there is no good reason for me to be in your room.”

  He rolled his eyes and sighed. She did have a point. The rules of etiquette and propriety had been somewhat lax in this world, but where they were returning that was not the case. He could easily bring disgrace to them both, if he wasn’t careful.

  “I guess I should pack.” She looked down at her outfit. “I am going to miss wearing pants,” she mused. “I was horrified at first, but now, I really enjoy them. You can do so much more in them.”

  “Bring a few home,” he laughed. “You never know, maybe it will be a new trend.”

  She smirked at him, knowing he was teasing her, but she walked straight to her room, and the first thing she put in her bag were three pairs of pants.

  Sky popped inside as she was finishing up. She scanned the room one last time. The freedom she would long for, and the furnishings, but it was time to go home.

  “What’s your world like, Niv? Do you think we will fit in there?” Sky said, jumping on the bed and sticking his nose into her satchel, curious as to what she had deemed worthy to bring back with her.

  She sat down beside the hoosula and scratched behind his ear. She had found that was his favorite place. “Honestly, I am not sure. I suppose it shall be just as eye-opening for you as it was for me. Our worlds are so different.”

  He hopped up into her lap and started purring, arching his back against her stomach. He stopped suddenly and his eyes met hers. His countenance was more serious than she had ever seen him. “I will get to stay with you though, right?”

  Niv thought about it. “Certainly, if that’s what you’d prefer.”

  “And Leif too?” Sky asked.

  Nivara thought about the elf. She wondered how much of this new world her parents could handle at once. “With me or with Ajax.”

  Sky nodded, seeming content with the answer.

  “Oh, and it would be better if you didn’t talk.”

  The hoosula jumped off her lap. “What?!” he exclaimed.

  Niv hurried to get her words out. “At least not at first. People in my world are not used to talking animals. I want to explain it to my parents first. I hope they will accept it easier and with less shock, if I give them some warning in advance.”

  Sky looked at her speculatively. “So just for a few minutes?” he verified.

  “Yes. I give you my word.”

  The hoosula returned to her lap and deigned her to pet him again, which by now she knew to mean everything was fine.

  There was a light knock on the door and before Niv could hop off the bed she heard a voice calling to her.

  “Niv, can I come in, please?”

  So much for propriety, Niv thought, but then again it was easier than trying to explain such things to an elf.

  “Yes, Leif,” she called.

  The door opened slightly as he peeked inside. Seeing only Sky was in the room seemed to reassure him enough to enter.

  Nervousness exuded out of him. The elf was wringing his hands out in front of him and looking more at his feet than at her. She thought about jumping down from the bed and walking over, but he looked like the tiniest sound might send him bolting.

  “Is everything alright?” she asked hesitantly.

  Leif looked up and shook his head. “Niv…” he paused a long time, “Niv, is there anything you can do to help me fit in?” He looked down at himself. “I mean…well, when you came you stuck out like a sore thumb.” He grinned a small half-smile, seeming to relax slightly. “Ajax and the Prince look so different.”

  The elf was definitely going to stick out in Rastella. For one, his long braid was not like anything she had seen, and it caused his pointy ears to be more noticeable. His clothing was peculiar, but there wasn’t anything she could do about that until they were back in Rastella. His skin would also stand out, as it was much paler than the humans, and his eyes were one of a kind.

  “There isn’t a lot I can do,” Niv admitted. “I could cut your hair…” she began.

  His hand went automatically to his braid. He gasped quietly, but then nodded. “Do it.”

  She sent Sky off to find some scissors and sat the elf in a chair. Slowly her hands began to unwind his braid. His hair was bea
utiful. It hurt her to cut it, but not as much as it pained Leif.

  When the hoosula returned carrying the sharp object, Niv turned to the elf.

  “Are you certain? You don’t have to,” she reassured him.

  “I do. I want to look more comparable to Blake and Ajax. They do not wear their hair as I do.”

  Niv understood, but she still held her breath as she made the first few cuts, cringing inwardly. She could see how difficult this was for him. Although he tried to act unaffected, the pain was evident in his eyes.

  When she had finished, Niv was surprised to see how striking the new look made him. “You look very handsome,” Niv smiled. Touching the side of his face, she moved it from side to side. Never having cut a man’s hair before, she thought it looked fairly even.

  Now that his hair wasn’t pulled back, but falling loosely, it covered his ears. He stood and picked up a hand mirror that Nivara had set out for him. He stared into it for a long minute.

  “Thank you,” the elf said. “I had better go pack. Ajax means to send the dragon down at first light.”

  Niv nodded.

  She finished packing a few last items and then closed the flap across her satchel. “I guess that’s it,” she said, glancing around the room one last time.

  “Good. It’s about time,” Sky croaked. “I was about to die of hunger.” He feigned passing out on the bed.

  Niv poked him. “OW!” He jumped up.

  “You know,” Niv said, opening the door. “I am not sure we have enough food for you. We only eat one meal a day in Rastella.”

  Sky froze mid-step. “One meal a day!” he cried.

  Try as she might, Niv couldn’t keep a straight face and ended up laughing.

  Sky breathed a sigh of relief, then walked past her, avoiding eye contact. “That was not funny,” he huffed. “Sustenance ought never be joked about.”

  Niv followed him up the stairs, trying to look appropriately penitent. She could tell she had crossed a line in his book. He refused to sit next to her or talk to her at dinner.

  “What was that about?” Leif asked as he assisted Nivara in bringing an empty tray back to the kitchen.

  “I teased Sky, telling him there wouldn’t be enough food in Rastella.”