The Twilight Star

by Laura E. Collins

  I began to wonder, with so many people watching me, how I would ever slip away? Now that the royals were here, the food was passed around freely, the drinks began flowing, and the dancing began. I waved off a few invitations to dance, pretending not to be interested. I marched up to the princess and thanked her for the beautiful gown.

  “It suits you, Evie,” she said amiably. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

  “Yes, Your Highness. It is a fantastic party!” I said enthusiastically.

  “I am sorry Eythan is not here to see you dressed so beautifully. You must wear that again soon,” she said happily as she was pulled away by some of the other courtiers.

  I wanted to say more to her . . . to thank her somehow for all that she had done for me . . . but I couldn’t give myself away. Now that was over, I was determined to get to Paul to hint to him that we needed to leave. Time began to slip away and I started to worry. It seemed like I could hardly get ten feet before someone stopped to chat with me. After what seemed like an eternity, I neared Paul’s station next to the large windows by the balcony. I glanced out the window and saw with alarm that the sun was almost down and the twilight star was shining high and bright. It was time! I stepped up to Paul, but before I could say anything to him, someone appeared at my side. Cringing, I noticed it was the horrible Lady Bluteau.

  “Look at you. Do you hope to gain Prince Eythan’s attention by wearing a blood-red dress?” she said sarcastically with a note of jealousy.

  I was tired of her insults and I was in no mood for it tonight. “Lady Bluteau,” I began, rising to attention. “Apparently there is no color in the rainbow that would make His Highness notice you.” I turned back to Paul with a flabbergasted and angry Lady Bluteau at my side. Before I could say anything to him a black blur appeared at my side in front of Lady Bluteau.

  “Just what do you think you are doing?” a snide voice said to me.

  I turned to see the awful Lord Crievan. I forgot myself and shot back, “what are you talking about?” I was not in the mood to deal with him either. I think my anxiety over this evening put me over the edge. Paul turned and watched me with wide eyes. We needed to leave now.

  “How dare you speak to a lord and lady in such a manner! You have really got to learn your place in this society,” he lectured sinisterly.

  I ignored him and picked up the ladle from the punch bowl and poured myself a drink. It seemed like time slowed to a complete stop as several things happened at once. The sun set completely and darkness enveloped the kingdom. Lord Crievan moved so fast it escaped my senses. All I felt was crushing pain in my right arm before I registered that he had grabbed me. I dropped the ladle as I heard him say, “Someone needs to teach you a lesson,” in a venomous tone.

  “Let her go!” Paul shouted, but Lord Crievan was too fast and shoved him back with one hand. I tried to pull my arm free but it was no use. Suddenly we were surrounded by vampire guards, moving faster than the speed of light to try to pry him off of me. Princess Emeley was there shouting at him and pulling out the super soaker. In a split second the vampire guards pulled back and she doused us with holy water. He finally let go of me, shrieking and hissing as the guards moved in to attack him. I fell backwards, grunting when my injured arm hit the stone floor to brace my fall. I could not believe the scene that began unfolding in front of me. Lord Crievan was surrounded by guards and doing a fierce job at fending them off. Then the king was there, suddenly engaging in battle with him when it was apparent that the guards were no match for the ancient vampire. King Edreyan wasted no time trying to take Crievan down. The legendary strength he possessed seemed truly amazing.

  Suddenly, screams summoned my attention with a flash of bright light near the windows. I watched in horror as a dark winged creature larger than an elephant crashed through the windows spitting fire and showering broken glass everywhere. Lady Bluteau, who had backed away to watch the battle over me, was right in its path, frozen with fear. The horrible creature snatched her up with its razor sharp fangs, spraying blood all over the place. It tilted its head back and swallowed her with one gulp as she screamed in terror! I heard more screams and then Princess Emeley as well as the king issuing orders. What was happening? Then I heard it . . . the call of the portal. An intense ringing sound filled my brain. I knew it was calling me home.

  Paul was suddenly at my side, helping me up. “We have to move, Evie!”

  Everywhere people were screaming, running, and fighting. My guards were entangled fighting to slay the creature that was trying to eat people, and King Edreyan faced off with Lord Crievan.

  Paul half-carried, half-dragged me away down a winding torch lit spiral stone staircase. We descended down several flights until we reached the ground level. I huffed and puffed the entire time, trying to keep pace with him which was nearly impossible due to my brain being flooded with that long ago almost forgotten ringing sound and the terrible pain that I was in. The events that had transpired had thrown me off because I hadn’t been expecting any of it. Even now I could still hear the sounds of shrieking wild beasts, screams, combat, and chaos. Paul continued to pull me onward down a corridor towards the back of the castle and the royal stable yards.

  I’m not sure how long it took us to reach our destination; it seemed like an eternity but must have only been a minute or so. Paul burst through a wooden door taking me with him out into the stable yard. Shock rippled through me as I could see not one, but multiple portals open at the same time! How was this possible? I had no time to think about it. We ran towards the gate that was, by some miracle, still open. The night air seemed to flash with a crimson hue from the fire breathing beasts that had come through some of the portals. Everyone was running and shouting around us, but surprisingly they left us alone. My face poured with sweat despite the chill in the fall air. He led me towards one of the covered entrances and behind a large cart where we stopped next to a massive pile of hay. Paul let go of me and I used my uninjured arm to steady myself against a wall as he moved quickly to tear the hay away from the pile in large swipes to reveal an item with a tarp covering it. He whipped the cover off of the small mound to reveal a motorcycle of all things.

  “Where did that come from?” I gasped, recognizing it as it appeared to be the same one near Princess Emeley’s treasure trove.

  “Sean found it out in the forest one day. He, Josh, and I worked on it and actually got it running. After Sean was killed, Josh and I relocated it here.”

  My mind raced. He was on an escape mission to the portal and he was taking me with him. He quickly mounted the bike and motioned for me to join him on the back. He helped me to be seated behind him and I leaned into him, wrapping my good arm around his waist.

  “What about the others?” I asked breathlessly.

  Paul turned his head back to me briefly as if to acknowledge my question, took a deep breath, and then silently looked away and turned back to face the front of the bike again. Clearly it was going to be just us. I didn’t like it, but I silently understood. We had no time to go searching in the dark four our remaining companions with all of these wild beasts roaming around. There was only one bike and no telling how long the portals would remain open. We had one shot at this. In a quick, smooth motion he kicked the bike to life with a mechanic roar I hadn’t heard in over a year.

  “Which one is it, Evie?” he asked as he gestured with his hand to the multiple bluish glows in the lands surrounding the castle. There must have been a dozen or more of them. Although I couldn’t see them all, I could definitely hear them, but there was one in particular that called to me. It was the same one on the mountain from which we had come. I could clearly see the blue projection into the night like the Luxor Hotel from Las Vegas in the distance. The ringing sound penetrated my brain. I could not shut it out and I knew it was the one. I had no doubt.

  “That one!” I pointed the portal, . . . our portal.

  Paul revved up the bike much to the horror of the people around us and we raced off t
hrough the heavy metal portcullis seconds before it shut, fortifying the castle from the horrors that were now out in full force around and, in some cases, inside the castle.

  I gritted my teeth as the bike bounced through the dirt and cobblestone pathways as we sped off. The turbulence brought wave after wave of pain in my right arm; at least I didn’t think it was broken. Paul swerved the bike back and forth into the night as people, soldiers, and strange beasts alike scrambled to get out of our way. I had to remind myself that no one here had ever seen a motorcycle before. My heart ached as we sped away from all of the chaos. People were screaming, and I noticed houses and other structures in the East Village were on fire. A few great winged beasts that resembled dragons flew over the castle spouting flames here and there. Swords clanged, arrows flew, and people died. I tried not to think of Sarah or the others. I hoped that they were safe.

  It did not take us long to clear the village at the break neck speed Paul drove at. There was no telling how old this bike was, and what was left in terms of gas and battery life. I prayed it would last. I had limited experience being on a motorcycle before and I was already frozen to the core on this chilly night. The headlight provided enough light to see where we were going. A fog that had suddenly materialized seemed to become denser and heavier making it difficult to see in the night.

  I faintly heard the sound of something running behind us, panting and snarling. I looked back, thankful for the full moon, and saw something that resembled a white wolf with very long legs running furiously behind us. I could see the red gleam of the retina of its eyes from the moonlight. I guessed that it had come from one of the portals because I had never seen anything like it here.

  “Paul! We’re being chased!” I screamed into his ear.

  “Hold on!” he yelled back as he slightly increased his speed, bringing us ever closer to our destination as the bike rumbled deeply with the effort.

  I dared to look back and saw that the creature, whatever it was, had fallen back a little bit. Paul stayed our course, bringing us further and further up the mountain. When we had been brought to Eteryn, it was summer and the forest on the mountain was covered with green bushes and thick patches of green leafed trees. Now, in the end of fall, it was filled with trees possessing sharp bare branches. My heart sped up. Please stay open, please stay open, I silently called to the portal. You have to! . . . I did not allow myself to think of Prince Eythan. I couldn’t. I had a one track mind at this point. The ringing calling to me did not let my thoughts wander. All I could think of was home. Home.

  I dared to look back again and breathed a sigh of relief as I did not see the creature that had been stalking us. Paul drove on for a short distance and then the bike started to stutter. He gunned it and it shot forward again, but started to die. I didn’t need him to tell me that we had either run out of fuel or the battery was going. As the bike slowed to a stop, he put his legs down to steady us as I dismounted. He followed promptly, dropping the bike to the ground. The lone headlight of the bike continued to shine into the night, providing some illumination. We started running as fast as we could towards the glow of the portal. I could see it intensifying as we drew nearer, just up and over the next clearing. The headlight of the bike behind us eerily faded as the battery died. Now it was just us and the moonlight.

  We didn’t make it that far before I heard that familiar pounding noise and snarling as whatever the beast was that was following us had started to catch up; only it was much louder now without the sound of the motorcycle.

  “Paul!” I screamed.

  Paul turned and in one smooth motion pulled a pistol out of his tunic. It was like the ones I had seen in Princess Emeley’s treasure trove. I wondered where he got it; he was definitely a man with a plan. He fired two shots back at the creature as we continued to run, none of them hitting it, but they sure made disturbing sounds and a spark of light in the silent dark forest that we were in. The creature stopped, as if to size us up, wondering what all of the loud noise was about before it gave chase. Paul let go of me to pull out a different revolver, he handed it to me. I gripped it in my left hand as we ran. He stopped briefly and turned to fire a few more shots. The creature yelped and I did not stop to look back as we both continued to run. Paul must have hit the creature, but it only slowed it down slightly.

  “Run!” Paul commanded as he fired back at the animal. I was several yards ahead of him by now, even though I was winded and wincing from the pain in my arm.

  I stopped, turned, and lifted my arm to fire at the creature seconds before it pounced on Paul, who grunted and fired bullet after bullet into the creature. The creature clamped his chest in its massive jaws and I could see his bright red blood running out around it as he continued to struggle. I tried my best, but my aim wasn’t so good. Between my ragged breaths and my panic I managed to shoot the creature in the head before my gun ran out of ammo. Finally the animal let go of Paul and trotted a few yards away unsteadily, leaving a trail of blood before it slumped over.

  “Paul! Paul!” I screamed as I ran back to him and knelt beside him. He was now scarcely conscious. I tried to assess his injuries as he lay on his back wheezing. His breath sounds were wet and I knew only too well there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t save him, and I couldn’t drag him to the portal. I put my left hand on his chest and I cried in defeat and frustration.

  Paul put his hands weakly over mine. “Evie, . . . go . . . you can make it. You can go home . . . go!”

  I had no choice. He was right. I kissed him on the forehead before I struggled back onto my feet. I heard more noises now. They sounded like horses. I did not stay to find out. I took a last look at Paul, who had closed his eyes, and ran. The tears practically blinded me as I forced myself onward towards the strange bluish light. The ringing took over everything in my head. I ran as fast as I could towards the portal, I could see it now. I could actually see it! It was waiting for me. I heard more noises now, more panting and snarling. I did not look back; I already knew that it was another one of those beasts that hunted me. I sprinted as fast and as hard as I could; my throat dry and sore from the cold. It was closer now. I didn’t look back as I huffed along before I heard the whiz of a reign of arrows showering around me. The creature behind me howled but I did not look back. More hoof beats. More arrows. Clearly the arrows weren’t meant for me, or they would have had me by now. The beast behind me fell back and fought against whoever was shooting while I kept running.

  As I neared the portal, the world went silent. Everything seemed to slow to a stop. With my eyes wide, I slowed to a walk and headed right for it. It’s gravity locked onto me, pulling me towards it. I vaguely heard a familiar voice calling my name as the portal’s energy lifted me up a few inches so that the toes of my boots began to drag on the ground. Weightlessly, I floated towards the strange vortex. I felt like my memory was being jogged. I could hear things. Things like cars, traffic, the sound of a jet taking off. Sounds I had not heard in over a year. I could even smell it! These things seemed so familiar, yet strange. Nearer and nearer it pulled me in. I could feel the portal pulsing with its strange energy. After all of this time, I could feel it. This was the one. I was going home! I was . . .

  Wham!

  I screamed as the breath was knocked out of me and I was pushed out of the warm glow of the portal. I could still see the light, but I was yards away now, on the cold ground with heavy fog all around me. I struggled and gasped for breath as the pain in my right arm surged intensely into my core. I looked above me and could not believe my eyes . . . it was Lord Beaumont straddling me, pinning me to the ground while keeping a watchful eye on the portal. He had tackled me like a quarterback! My brain was still possessed with the ringing of the portal and I began to cry and struggle and fight against him frantically. The portal started to flicker!

  His grip was firm and he was powerful. There was no way I could win this. I could see him speaking to me, but my brain did not register what he was saying. All I could thi
nk about was going home. There were a few soldiers I did not recognize around us, standing guard, but keeping a healthy distance from the portal.

  “Let me go! Pleeeaaaase!” I screamed as I panted and cried, continuing to try to fight him off desperately. I grunted with effort as I tried to free my hands. He was hurting my already injured right arm. I had no idea how long the portal would remain open and was desperate not let someone like him keep me from going home.

  “I am sorry, Evie, I would keep you for myself but it is not up to me,” he said straining to maintain control as I fought. I managed to pull one of my arms free, grateful that my adrenaline had sustained me this long.

  “Get off of me!” I shrieked, summoning memoires of the self-defense classes I had taken back home in college. I reached for the knife in my pocket, but he saw the movement and wrenched it out of my grip, tossing it to the side easily.

  “You see, I never wanted the arranged marriage that my parents demanded of me. They threatened to cut me off from my inheritance if I did not cooperate. The witch wants you alive and is willing to pay handsomely for it. She agreed to kill my wife and reward me if I hand you over. It was an opportunity I couldn’t resist, Evie,” he said with a grin.

  “You are a fool if you think she would actually keep her word,” I shot back.

  Recruiting my willpower, I used my legs to push myself further out from under him until I got a leg free enough to kick him in the lower abdomen. I missed the groin, but it was enough to startle him so that I could twist myself free, which was not easy in my full dress. I rolled to a stand and started sprinting back to the portal when he tackled me again, driving me face down into the ground. My energy was sapped and I began to panic. I would miss the portal and then be tortured and killed by an evil witch. Damn this world! The tunnel vision of my attack scarcely allowed me to catch the sudden movement around me. Henrik noticed my eye movements to the side as I watched Prince Eythan suddenly appear and yank him up and off of me with seemingly very little effort and throw him several feet away. Henrik scrambled to his feet to defend himself. I wanted to run to the portal but was transfixed watching the prince mete out his sense of justice. I never believed I would see him again and the sight of him pulled at my heart. Some of his guards fought with the ones that Henrik had with him. I clamored to my feet as more guards arrived in time to see the terror in Henrik’s eyes as the prince ran him through with his sword. I pivoted back towards the portal and gasped as I saw Queen Hadreah mounted on horseback flanked by two commanders standing between me and my way home.