by Day Leitao
Aline sat down and passed her some kind of bread. “Try it, it's really good.”
“Thanks.”
There was a question she wanted to ask, but she didn’t want to ask, but she had to ask. She found a way not to sound too specific. “Where are the others?”
Aline swallowed her bite then said, “Early morning training or something. They might leave the army, but the army doesn’t leave them.”
“Joel left it?”
“He’s just taking time off. Sort of.”
Karina then heard steps behind her. Before she turned, a pair of arms had wrapped her, and she was getting a kiss on the cheek. The arms squeezed her in a tight hug as all her worries melted away. Karina laughed with happiness as Sian sat by her side.
He smiled and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “Sleep well?”
“Wonderful.” She wondered if she looked silly.
But there was nothing silly about the way Sian looked at her. She reached out and touched his hair. It was thick and soft at the same time. Their eyes met, and Sian pulled her closer. Was it bad manners to make out at the breakfast table? Karina didn’t care.
It turned out that Raja was leaving, so they all went outside to say goodbye to her. The day was cold and misty. Karina wore a fluffy black coat and wished she had a hat and a scarf or something. Sian wore a different black jacket. She was wondering if she could take a peek his wardrobe, but perhaps it was too soon.
A red and gold lift, very different from anything she’d seen so far in Whyland, had come to bring Raja back to Siphoria. It was Malena’s. Raja would later travel back to the kingdom where she lived.
Raja said goodbye to each one. When it was Karina’s turn, the girl hugged her then whispered in her ear. “Remember what I told you.”
Right. Something about gutting her. Somehow it sounded sweet and hilarious now. Karina smiled. “Sure.”
The girl entered the lift and soon disappeared in the sky.
They all turned back to return to the castle, but Sian pulled Karina’s hand. “We’re going elsewhere.”
They walked for many minutes and the weather seemed to get foggier and foggier. Chills ran down Karina’s spine as she remembered the day she’d arrived with Darian and Cayla. Sian had his huge mace, though, and guaranteed that there was no risk. Karina did feel safe by his side, but then, the image of him trapped in stone filled her with a lot more horror than it had ever done before.
They reached a stream. He stepped on it, his feet on the water. His were probably great boots. Karina wasn’t sure about hers, though. He lifted her and placed her on a rock in the middle of the stream.
He looked at her. “This is a safe place to talk about the castle. The water blocks us.”
Standing on the rock, she was as tall as Sian, which meant they’d have their conversation face-to-face.
“Blocks us from what?” Karina asked.
“The energy in the castle.”
“Are you going to explain it, or should I just keep guessing?”
Sian laughed. “I’m pretty sure you can figure out a lot on your own, but if you want faster answers, you can ask.”
Karina sighed. “Well, I do know that there’s something in this castle you want, there’s something you aren’t telling me, and that this castle has some kind of magic, energy, or whatever that can be controlled. Is that correct?”
“Exactly, except for not telling you. I’m being as honest as possible, Karina. Now, that room with the mirrors, they are portals. A long time ago, people in the castle decided that the best way to keep something hidden and protected was to create a subdimension for them. So there are things there that can be brought back to us.” He watched her closely.
“And there’s something you want.”
A half smile, like a smirk, except that his face looked sweet now. “There’s a staff that has been kept away. With it, I’ll have complete mastery of the Darloom castle.”
A staff to control that castle. It didn’t sound that good. It sounded quite dangerous, in fact. Karina’s first thought was that they should tell the queen, but then she realized that Sian perhaps wanted to keep that castle for him, and in a way, that was a great improvement from wanting to take the kingdom.
She decided not to comment on her reservations, and asked instead, “How do you know all that?”
“There are records. I read them. Not only the books on ancient religions but boring records of what happened here a thousand years ago. Most of the truths can be found in the ordinary, the mundane. There it was.”
“Am I wrong in thinking that there’s some kind of sentient force, energy, magic, whatever, in this castle?”
“Sentient-looking, perhaps. It’s just residual magic from someone from thousands of years ago.”
“Is it magic, though? You said magic was personal, depending on talent, affinity, something.”
He gestured around him with his arms. “For the person who created this, it was magic. Once it’s all put in motion, the magic is there to be used. So yes, you no longer need the personal talent.”
“You said the castle had a new master, though. Who or what can it be? What sent those things after me?”
“The castle can be commanded with powerful objects. But the staff is the most powerful.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Anyone could command the Darloom castle with one of those powerful objects, Karina. The thing is that I have one myself,” he pointed to his gigantic mace. “And that will keep you safe. The staff will keep you even safer.”
Karina sighed. “And you’re not curious to know who it was?”
“I understand curiosity but I’m pragmatic. We get the staff, we get our answers.”
Karina looked away, thinking. She knew Sian wanted that castle for himself, she understood why he wanted to control it, and yet… “Is it worth it messing with forces that are more powerful than we are?”
“Worth it is quite subjective. More powerful is quite debatable. The thing is; you can’t lock away anything forever. One day it bursts out. We’ll be safer if it’s on our side. Plus, I want to make sure you’re safe. I gave you my word, remember?”
Karina did remember. It seemed like an eternity before, when she thought he’d been flirting with her as some kind of joke, when she agreed to come with him even though she was terrified of falling in love. No, scratch that, she knew how she felt; she was terrified of having to admit it. All that fear seemed so ridiculous now. Still, all this talk about getting a magical object that had been put away on purpose… Karina felt queasy.
Sian touched her chin and pulled her face up. “Do you trust me?”
Karina hesitated. “I like you.” Sian dropped his hand. Karina added, “A lot.”
Sian looked away and snorted.
Karina said, “It’s not that I don’t trust you.”
Sian shook his head. “It’s fine. Fine. I’m sorry.” He took her hand in his, brushed it lightly with his other hand, then pulled it to his chest. “This is what matters.”
“With the staff, you’ll be sure those creatures won’t come after me?”
He nodded. “Yes, I’ll be sure.”
“And you think I can get it for you?”
“I know you can.”
Karina narrowed her eyes. “What else does the staff do?”
“It controls the castle.”
“Like what?” Karina laughed. “Will the kitchen cook for us or something?”
Sian also laughed. “Hum, not sure I’d trust a castle’s cooking.”
Karina laughed, then bit her lip. “And what about… You said it could also have a portal. For teleporting.” She dreaded thinking about this next part, but she had to think about it. “Eventually I’ll have to go home.”
He let go of her hand, then stared at her with an unreadable expression. “Is that what you want to do?” His tone was neutral.
“Eventually. I…”
Karina had thousands of conf
licting thoughts. Yes, on one hand, she wanted to go back and see her parents, go back to her life. On the other hand, she didn’t want to go, but she didn’t know how long she’d be allowed to stay, where she’d stay, and what would happen.
Sian still had an odd expression. “Yes, you can open it for the hidden objects, and you can also open a portal. To go home.” There was some bite in this last word. He stepped closer to her, brushing his fingers on her forehead and hair. “But you can also stay a little longer. If you want to.”
He had spoken in his voice that was soft, calming, and comforting, that voice that touched her very soul. Karina smiled. “I do.”
His face was close to hers. “Stay longer, then. You can go back to visit, but later. Let’s sort everything we need to sort out first.” He kept caressing her hair and forehead, looking at her as if she were some special and precious thing—person.
Well, thinking about the future was pointless. By Karina’s calculations, she could still take a couple weeks, if Zoe had warned her parents, if everyone thought she was at the summer camp. She also feared going away, not being allowed to return, and losing all that she had right now. But wait. “You said ‘go back to visit’? Meaning I would come back here?”
Sian rolled his eyes. “No Karina, just go away forever. What a horrible thing it would be for us ever to see each other again.”
Karina laughed. “No, it’s just… It didn’t seem that easy before.”
Sian pointed to the castle. “The portal there, it can be fixed. We could make it work as a permanent passage.”
Karina’s heart beat faster, but it was happiness because some of her worst fears were now melting away. “Really?”
“Why the surprise? You think I’d bring you here just so you’d go away? Or do you think I’d rip you from your home dimension forever?”
“It’s not like you called me here.”
“You came for me, didn’t you?”
Karina could say that she’d come for Cayla, or for Darian. Maybe she’d come just to come back to Whyland again. But then, a big part of Karina’s yearning to return had a face. The face in front of her. “I was told I’d break your spell and come back.”
Sian shrugged. “It’s clear that my brother wasn’t properly briefed on the reason it had to be you. But he got you here, so whatever he did worked.”
Karina laughed. “It wasn’t that hard to convince me.”
Sian wrapped his arms around her. “Stay then. We’ll get the staff, and you can stay here.”
“I don’t have a place here, though. No family, school, job, home… What would I do?”
Sian smiled. “You can be my queen. Do you want to be my queen?”
Karina laughed. “I’m serious.”
Sian smirked. “And I’m not? You got a problem with royalty?”
“No, but—”
“No problem. That’s good to know.” Sian kissed her lightly, then said, “Tomorrow. When the sun rises. You’ll get your answers.”
In the afternoon, Sian went out with Joel to check the castle grounds and contact people in Siphoria from his lift. Karina was left with Aline, and the girl was a lot more at ease and relaxed, talking about flying undetected and crossing the ocean. Karina envied her life of adventure, but then she hoped she would have her own adventures in the future. They played a different board game, but this time Karina was terrible at it.
Despite some periods apart from Sian, the day was spent between tight hugs, tighter hugs, and kisses of all sorts. It ended when Karina laid down on Sian’s bed, wearing very soft pajamas, below fluffy covers. He also worse soft clothes, and they smelled like cotton. Everything so soft like sleeping amongst clouds, and there was nothing happier than falling asleep in his arms. He showed no intention of trying anything she didn’t want.
Karina found herself in the purple room with the portals, and this time decided to look at the well. There was so much light that she couldn’t see anything, though. She woke up with a start. Her body hurt, and she couldn’t move at all, as she realized Sian still wrapped her tight. The dream was probably anxiety about going there in a couple hours. With some difficulty, in fact, a lot of difficulty because his grip was so tight, she turned and faced him.
Sian squeezed her even more. “Don’t leave me,” he said, eyes still closed, a groggy voice of someone still sleeping.
Karina kissed his cheek and whispered, “I won’t.”
His breathing steadied. The room was dark, but there was some light coming from the window and the moonlit sky. Sleeping he looked so sweet, innocent, with beautiful lips. Hard to believe that it was true, that they were so close together, and she was sleeping wrapped in his arms.
Karina closed her eyes and just let herself get drowsy in that smell of sheets, covers, soft clothes, affection, warm in that cuddle she hoped would last forever.
19
The Well
The sun hadn’t risen when Sian woke Karina up. She wanted her answers, and she wanted to figure out the room, but…
“Does it have to be so early?” she asked.
Sian was already dressed, all in black, in one of his ten thousand overcoats. He sat on the bed and brushed her hair away from her face. “There’s something special and powerful about sunrises. Maybe it’s just the fact that we’re reminded that no matter how dark or long the night is, the day always comes. It’s positive energy.”
“Technically, the sun was always there.”
Sian chuckled. “You could say then that as much as we might turn away from the sun, we always turn back.”
“You woke up poetic.”
Sian took her hand in his, his long fingers brushing her palm. “I woke up with you.” He leaned over and kissed her. “Get dressed. We have important things to do.”
She pointed to her pajama-like clothes. “And I can’t go like this?”
He stared at her. “You want to play the part, you need to dress the part.”
Dress the part. Yeah, that explained a lot. “And are you going to tell me what part that is?”
Sian smirked. “Queen, of course.”
Karina rolled her eyes, but got up, and picked a nice pair of pants and a jacket. She dressed and washed her face quickly. Doing important things without coffee didn't seem right. Oh, then she was reminded that Whyland, or at least this castle, didn't have coffee, so she'd need to go without it either way. And without food. But it should be fast, right? Grab the staff, and that's it.
They walked to the purple room, and this time it was much easier to go through that dark hallway holding Sian’s hand. Well, everything was easier and nicer holding his hand. The room was eerie, and despite her jacket, Karina felt cold. She wondered if it wasn't dangerous. Well, it probably was a little dangerous, but not for her, because she could open a portal and return in case anything happened. Sian brought her to one of the mirrors.
“It's here. Go there, pick it up, and return. Don't look back and don't do anything else.” He’d spoken in his special soft voice that seemed to cast an energy in the room.
“Or?”
Sian shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s better to be on the safe side, right?”
“How do you know which mirror is the right one?”
“I read it.”
He put a finger over his lips. Right. No talking in the castle. It was just that it was odd that it should be so simple, and that he’d waited two days to ask her to do that. Maybe there were more things he wasn’t telling her, and she’d make sure to ask them later.
Karina took a deep breath and touched the mirror. “How do I cross it?”
“You’re the portal opener, Karina.”
“So you don’t know?”
He tilted his head. “In theory, at least, you should be able to walk through it as if the glass were just fog.”
Karina tapped the mirror. “Not fog.”
“You have to do whatever portal opening you do. I’m not sure how it works.”
Portal opening. Right.
Emotion. Looking at him should be enough for an emotional spike. She remembered looking at him sleeping, and how he asked her not to leave her. The mirror was still solid.
She said, “This is very different. Usually I just teleport from where I am. I don’t move through anything.”
“The principle is the same, Karina. This just might be a little harder.”
Karina tried to remember the times she teleported. A few times were when she was in danger. Fear somehow made it easier to teleport. And she’d teleported back home, leaving Sian, even though she didn’t really want to. She’d used anger then because she was afraid he was mocking her. This time she’d need to do whatever she did to teleport—while walking at the same time. A bit harder, for sure.
A fear hit her. “Will you be disappointed if I can’t do it?”
His eyes were serene. “That’s an impossibility.”
She had no idea what he’d meant.
Sian chuckled. “I know for a fact that you can cross this portal.” He took a deep breath. “In your case it’s magic, and it’s different, but…it’s a thing I learned. When I was young, my father tested how much I could withstand pain—”
“Your father tortured you?” She knew General Keen had been a monster, but this was a little much.
Sian rolled his eyes. “Torture is meant to break the victim. This was meant to make me stronger. Like tempering a sword.”
“But you’re not a sword.”
He waved his hands, annoyed. “Yeah, no. That’s beside the point. I can withstand pain without complaining or showing any reaction. It is useful. But it’s beside the point.”
“That’s horrible.”
“Whatever. That was not what I was getting at, and I don’t want to talk about it. The thing is how I did it. Can you listen to me, or are you going to be horrified at my past?”
“I’m not horrified, I—”
“Can you listen to me?”
“Go on.”
“The trick is in letting go of the perception of the real world. You need a strong focus, but at the same time, you need to relax. See, people stress into focus. You need to relax into focus. That will allow you to do it.”
