The Portal

by Brock Deskins

  He thought about everything he had read in Drew’s book while Phil and his sister were packing their gear. He thought about the strange words and their purpose. The drawings and runes that seemed to make no sense earlier started to become clear in his mind.

  The strange images the book described were like geometry and other higher mathematical equations. He translated the complex descriptions and overlaid them on a grid system in his mind as he did when he created three-dimensional objects on his computer.

  The book described x, y, and z points that had to be drawn and connected in sequence while chanting out the spell described in the book. Fortunately, he had an exceptional memory and pictured one of the spells in his mind. He dropped the book into his pack, held his staff in the crook of his arm, and began chanting the arcane words and drawing the mystic rune in the air.

  The air started to shimmer before him as a strange tingling filled his body. Goblins rushed at the seemingly frail human boy with murderous intent. At the zenith of the gathered energy, Ted pointed his hand toward the goblins and shouted the final word of power that would release the eldritch energy his body had accumulated. A scorching jet of flame arced out from his extended hand, engulfing two of the goblins in its blazing wake.

  “Oh my god, I just cast a spell. I just cast a real magic spell!”

  The exhilaration that the gathering energy filled him with sapped an equal amount of energy when he released it. Ted felt like he had just run a hundred meter dash and forgot to use his inhaler.

  Chuck was slashing away with his sword and bashing with his shield with wild abandon when he felt a burning pain lance into his calf muscle. He swung about and brought his shield up just in time to deflect a second arrow from two goblins firing bows from twenty yards away behind a concealing mass of bushes.

  The goblin that had fired the shot that struck him nocked an arrow to his bow and drew back for another shot as the second goblin fumbled for another arrow. Chuck held his shield up, hoping he could deflect the arrows a second time. It was a lot of ground to cover, and Chuck’s shield was not so large that it could cover both his torso and legs at the same time. He also knew he could not just stand there and keep taking shots. Eventually, one would get through and hurt him far worse than the first one had.

  Just as he started to advance on the goblin archers, the one with the arrow drawn arched back, launched its arrow harmlessly skyward, and collapsed to the ground. A dark figure loomed behind the second goblin as the creature fitted its second arrow to the bowstring. The figure pumped its arm forward, and the goblin let out a piercing shriek and fell to the ground alongside its kin.

  “Backstab, you nasty little bastards, WOOT!” Chase shouted and ducked back into the bushes, disappearing in the thick foliage.

  It was then that the young party realized they were not alone. Several other dark shapes were moving in the wood line, firing arrows or cutting down goblins with swords. Josh figured there were perhaps half a dozen at best and, as long as they were killing the goblins, he was glad to see them. Only a few of the malodorous creatures were still standing, and they fled once they realized they were significantly overmatched.

  It was not until they were able to pause and process what had just happened that Chuck looked down and realized the severity of his wound. A goblin arrow was deeply embedded in his meaty calf.

  “Freaking hell, I’ve been skewered!” Chuck protested loudly and sat down heavily onto the ground. He touched the offending projectile and cried out when it sent a shooting pain up his leg.

  “Great job guys, we were awesome!” Felicia exclaimed when she saw that everyone seemed ok.

  “I cast a real spell, you guys! Did you see it?” Ted asked, hardly able to breathe through his excitement.

  “I saw it, Ted,” Phil answered. “That was the coolest thing I have ever seen. How on earth did you do that?”

  “Drew’s book has some spells in it, and I figured out they are basically mathematical equations, kind of, but different. Anyway, I figured it out. I can’t wait to read some more!”

  Josh saw Chuck sitting on the ground holding his leg. “Chuck, are you all right? What happened?”

  “Looks like Chuck got stuck,” Chase replied, appearing out of the brush. “Hey, that rhymes! Teddy, gimme a beat!”

  Ted launched into an improvisational beat box while Chase broke into a rap.

  “Look at our friend Chuck.

  The big ape got stuck.

  Guess he should've ducked,

  But he was outta luck.

  Took an arrow below the knee,

  Says it burns worse than when he pees.”

  “This is not a joke, you idiot!” shouted Chuck.

  “Yes it is, Chuck, you just don’t get the punch line because you are the punch line,” Chase retorted.

  “Oh no, Chuck, are you ok?” Felicia asked, very concerned but still trying not to laugh at Chase’s impromptu rap.

  “No, one of those nasty gremlins shot me and it hurts like hell!”

  “They were goblins, Chuck, not gremlins,” Gabe informed him.

  “Whatever. All I know is that I got shot, I’m bleeding, it hurts like hell, and that twerp is singing about it!” Chuck complained bitterly.

  “Quit crying, you sound like a big baby,” Chase admonished the wounded lad.

  “I have an arrow in my leg! You said I wouldn’t get hit in the leg!”

  “I said you probably wouldn’t get hit in the leg. Kind of like I said you probably would never develop a language beyond grunts and clicks but hey, just look at you now, opposable thumbs and everything!”

  “I’d like to see how you would act if you had an arrow in your leg, you jerk!”

  “I know I wouldn’t be crying like a little girl! The thing is hardly even bleeding.”

  “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Felicia demanded.

  Chuck took advantage of Chase’s momentary distraction, reached up, and grabbed his arm. He dug his thumb deeply into the soft flesh in the crook of Chase’s elbow.

  “Ow! That hurt, you big horse’s ass!” Chase shouted, rubbing his arm.

  “Imagine how it would feel if I drove my thumb all the way through it!”

  “All right, fine, it hurts. I get it.”

  “We have to get the arrow out,” Phil insisted.

  “Perhaps we can be of assistance in that,” a deep voice came from the edge of the small clearing.

  The group had completely forgotten about the strangers who had seemed to help them in their battle with the goblins. Now that Josh thought about it, he was sure it had been one of them who started the fight by shooting the goblin with an arrow.

  “Who are you?” Josh demanded, lifting his sword.

  Phil and Felicia took up their bows again as they all stood shielding Chuck who was still sitting on the ground nursing his wounded leg. An older man in soft woolen clothes and a cloak stepped forward, and raised his hands in a gesture of peace.

  “Be calm, young warriors. I am Elderin, a druid of this grove and the surrounding forest. The goblins are invaders and have no place here. We thank you for your assistance in dispersing them.”

  “You could have had gotten us killed attacking them like that!” Josh accused and looked down at his wounded friend.

  The druid at least had the decency to look contrite when he answered. “I am sorry we were forced to bring you into the fight like this, but we could not allow you to go with them. If you had, you likely would have been lost along with your friend.”

  Josh figured the druid was talking about his brother. The thought of Drew in the hands of those foul creatures made his blood boil.

  “Where is he? Where is my brother?”

  “The goblins have been watching this ancient site for some time now. Your brother appeared before I was able to summon enough help to deal with them. He was taken two days ago by the goblin scouts.”

  “Two days? That’s impossible,” Josh said, shaking his head.

 
“Time can flow wildly when traveling through such gates. The time variances are usually not too far out of flux, but an unstable gate can have significant disjunctions in time,” Elderin explained.

  “Look, guys, I hate to interfere with your socializing, but I have an arrow in my leg! I think I heard something about someone being able to help with that,” Chuck cut in frantically.

  “Of course; how inconsiderate of us. Let us deal with your friend’s wound first, then we can go back to our camp and discuss these other events,” the druid offered.

  Four men dressed in leather and chain armor concealed under camouflaging cloaks stepped soundlessly from the trees. Each carried longbows and swords. Josh and the rest of the teens ignored them for now, intent on helping Chuck.

  The druid knelt down beside the wounded young man and examined his leg. “I can extract the arrow, but magical healing is not a skill I posses. I can make a poultice that will prevent spoiling of the wound and aid in its healing.”

  Elderin began chanting in a strange tongue that even Ted could only partially understand. The wooden shaft of the arrow suddenly drooped, losing its rigidity. The onlookers gasped in surprise as the vine-like arrow shaft began slithering like a snake, extracting itself from the wound and pulling the steel head out with it.

  “It is fortunate that the arrow was not barbed. That would have been far more difficult to extract,” the druid explained with relief.

  As soon as the arrowhead dropped to the ground, the wound began to bleed profusely. Elderin pulled out a swatch of cloth, wadded it up, and pressed it to the wound, eliciting a hiss of renewed pain from Chuck.

  “Crap, that’s a lot of blood,” Ted remarked as the bandage quickly became soaked with the sticky bodily fluid.

  “Gabe, you’re supposed to be a cleric. Can’t you heal him?” Phil asked, desperate to try to do anything to stop the bleeding.

  “That’s in the game, not in real life!” Gabe wailed, terrified and feeling helpless at the site of the blood coming from Chuck’s leg.

  “Yeah, just like Ted is a wizard in the game, but here he can cast real spells,” Felicia urged.

  “We’re not even in the same world anymore. I don’t know if God can even hear me here! Even if he did, why would he listen to me? I’m just a fat kid from Oregon, not mother Teresa!”

  “Gabe, God is everywhere; that’s what you tell us. Are you saying you don’t really believe? Are you just another hypocrite who goes to church to feel better about themselves for another week?” she asked doggedly.

  “No!”

  “Then help him. At least try.”

  Gabe let out a sigh of resignation and knelt down next to Chuck’s prone form. He replaced the druid’s hand holding the bandage with his own and prayed shakily.

  “Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” he prayed, clenching his eyes until he finished the Lord’s Prayer.

  When he opened his eyes and lifted the bandage the wound still bled as bad as it had before.

  “You see, I’m not good enough!” Gabe wailed, tears streaming down his face.

  “Well you never actually told God what you wanted. Maybe you need to be more specific,” Chase told him.

  “The Bible says all you ever need is the Lord’s Prayer. God knows what you want before you even ask. He does not like people who ramble on in their prayers. It says so in the Bible,” Gabe explained between sniffles.

  “Just try it Gabe. Maybe the Bible isn’t a hundred percent accurate in everything. Plus, things are different here,” Felicia urged.

  “Ok, I’ll try again.” Gabe squeezed his eyes shut once more and began to pray with all of his heart. “Dear heavenly father. Allow me to be your vessel. Let your divine radiance fill me and heal this brave man of his afflictions. Let your holy power flow through me so that I may restore one of your beloved children to wellness. In this I pray, amen.”

  Gabe was the first to notice a change. His body tingled and filled with warmth and a sense of immense calm. Gasps of astonishment came from all those around him as his hands began to glow with a golden radiance.

  Chuck felt the pain vanish under the warmth spreading from Gabe’s hands. When Gabe lifted the blood-soaked cloth, another gasp of surprise issued from the youths. The wound in Chuck’s leg had closed, and fresh skin covered the hole with barely a perceptible scar.

  “That was amazing. I can’t believe I just saw the power of God, and it flowed through Gabe!” Chase shouted.

  “We should leave this place now and go back to my camp. We have many things to discuss,” Elderin urged the group.

  Chuck stood, and they all followed the druid out of the clearing while the rangers silently formed a wide circle around the party.

  Gabe stared at his blood-soaked hands. “Does anyone have some water to wash this off? I think I’m going to pass out,” he begged, his face pale now that the wonderment of what he had done was rapidly being replaced with the return of normality.

  “Here you go,” Chuck replied and offered his canteen. “I just wanted to say thanks for fixing my leg. That was pretty amazing back there.”

  “Thank God, he is the amazing one, not me. I was just the extension cord to his power tool,” Gabe said modestly.

  “Still, I doubt anyone else could have done it, so thanks.”

  “I just hope I don’t have to do it again.”

  They walked for over an hour before the group passed another dark-garbed man who blended into the foliage so well, they never would have seen him if he had not moved. Although they could not see anyone, they all felt several more pairs of eyes watching their approach.

  “Who are these men?” Josh asked the druid as they walked into what must have been their camp.

  “They are mostly rangers who answered my summons for help. Others are woodsmen who live not farther than a few days travel and wish to protect the land from the infestation of the evil goblins and their leader,” Elderin explained.

  The camp was like none even the twins had ever seen before. If it were not for the small fire pit and the two dozen men sitting around on fallen logs and tree stumps, they would never have known the place was occupied.

  No tents were erected, and no trash littered the ground. No clothes were strung up to dry, and all personal gear was tightly packed, ready to be slung on the back, and moved out at a moment’s notice. Only the nickering of horses and the ringing of a hammer shaping steel somewhere out of sight presented any substantial signs of habitation.

  Everyone dropped their packs and took a seat wherever they could find one. Exhaustion had finally set in once the excitement of what had happened wore off. Most of the young band laid back on their packs and closed their eyes. Ted was too excited at his discovery and opened the old tome to study the incantations within it.

  “That was quite some fighting you and your friends did back there, though I would wager none of you are experienced in combat; excepting, of course, the two young siblings over there.”

  “Chuck and I play some pretty rough sports; that’s about the closest we have ever come to real combat. I guess that helped a bit. Mostly, I think it was just fear and wanting to get my brother back. Can you help us find Drew? Do you know what happened to him?” Josh asked, his eyes beseeching the old druid for help.

  “I can provide some equipment, information, and hopefully some knowledge. Knowledge can sometimes be the greatest of weapons, if used properly. As far as providing direct help with any kind of force of arms…” The old druid shook his head regretfully, “I am afraid I will be able to provide little in the way of help. None, in fact, beyond these woods,”

  “We would appreciate anything you can do.”

  “The young man you are looking for was taken, alive and well, about two days ago. They are moving swiftly and you will not be able to catch up with them, so please stay here for a short time so my people and I can do what we can to give you the best chances for success.”<
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  “But the longer we wait the farther he will be taken and the harder it will be to find him,” Josh said plaintively.

  “I know where they are likely taking him and will point you in the right direction. Do not fear on that part. I am also certain Darkrell will not harm him. Of time, you have a little; but of experience, you have none. If you rush off prematurely, you risk total failure. If you fail, you fail your brother and do him no good at all.”

  “Who is Darkrell and what does he want with my brother?”

  “Lord Darkrell is in one way a typical evil tyrant bent on ruling the world. Unlike nearly all of the previous tyrants, he realizes that he cannot carve out a kingdom with just the evil races. Evil eventually destroys itself from within, almost without exception. He knows this and he is very patient, or at least he has been so far. For years, he has been searching for a way to open one of the ancient portals to one of the other worlds in an attempt to find warriors, magic, or weapons to aid him in conquering this world,” Elderin explained to the young man.

  “What has that got to do with Drew? He doesn’t know any magic, doesn’t have any weapons, and is certainly not a warrior. He got beat up by a girl last year!”

  “He needs your brother to reopen the portal back to your world in hopes of finding what he needs. Once he gains access to your world, he can take control of the portal on your side and travel as he pleases. Does your world have weapons or warriors that he may find useful?”

  “Definitely, there are weapons you can’t imagine and millions of people who will fight for the right price.”

  “Millions…by the gods.” The druid breathed out, his face going pale at the thought. “He must not be allowed to gain access to the portal. I must keep my men here and increase their numbers. I cannot hold the portal on my own. I need an army of more than just my rangers and woodsmen. We will do what we can to slow them and harass them. I will have to try to convince the King’s lords that this is where the truly important battle will take place.”