The Final Link_The Gateway Saga

by Erin Thornton

  “If you two are finished, we need to head in to get all of you settled in your rooms. Then if there is still light left after that, I’ll show you the prince’s quarters.” Mathius seemed to have a one-track mind and Aggie could appreciate that, in this instance. Given the fact that not were children was missing, but also the Prince of this realm. That could lead to a potential war if it goes that far.

  “By all means, Mathius, lead the way. I will stop slowing us down.” Aggie admitted slightly embarrassed that their conversation had made them fall behind.

  “You aren’t at fault. He is just not used to traveling with a human. He needs to allow for your need for knowledge of the things previously kept from you.” Ren was quick to answer in her defense, resulting in a sound resembling a growl from Mathius. Ren smiled fully at that as though it were his intention to get underneath the demon’s skin. Just thinking about it made Aggie’s brain run in eight different directions. She couldn’t believe she was traveling in a demon realm with a demon, an elf, two shifters, a Mage and who knew what else since the others had yet to reveal their natures. Aggie wasn’t going to ask, since she had already made enough stupid moves that day. She did allow herself to speculate and wondered how long it would take them to come clean.

  *****

  As Mathius led them through town, Aggie soaked it all and got lost in the sights and smells. She didn’t even realize when they all stopped in front of a massive gate, she ran smack into Mitchell’s back. While she should have been embarrassed, her first thought as her hand flew up to protect her face and landed on his shirt was, Damn, what does he have under there, because I can feel every single ripple. Thankfully, her mind and mouth were friends at that moment and she kept that very outspoken thought locked away for her personal time later. That made for a very vivid image. She quickly stepped back putting some distance between them, not before Mitchell turned and scowled at her. Darting her eyes away from his determined stare, Aggie took in the doors before them. They were the tallest she had ever encountered in her life and she couldn’t tell if they were made of wood or not. The coloring said yes, but the texture made her believe they were actually a stone base. Intricate designs were woven into the very heart of each door. In the center, were six boxes, three to each door. The completed picture was breathtaking.

  “Where are we?” Aggie asked no one in particular.

  “The demon castle, this is where the guardian rooms are reserved because it adds to the royal protective blanket when we are all here. There is a similar space in every realm. Those of us who live in the realm have a permanent room in the same wing.” Mathius informed her in a way that made Aggie hope this man relaxed every once in a while. No way he could be this cold all the time.

  Nodding her understanding, Aggie chose not to speak again for fear of a verbal reprimand. So far, it was mixed as to which of the guys were being nice to her and three were still silent since the introductions. Kyrel had kept his distance after Mathius smacked him before. She didn’t know if she should be thankful or take offense to his recoil. He had a particular allure that even though they were separate there was still a pull to him that was almost tangible.

  Glancing at the front of their group, a movement caught her eye. While they had stood there, she thought they were waiting for someone to open the doors. Instead, she realized Mathius was placing his right hand in the centermost square on the right door and the same with his left on the opposite door. Everyone waited without speaking through the process and Aggie wondered what was happening. Then out of nowhere, Mathius’s hands began to glow red. She couldn’t see his eyes, but assumed they were glowing as well, given his display from before.

  Just as she was leaning to whisper to Gryson to figure out what was happening, the doors shook and with a loud rumble to match their stature, split and opened slowly. Aggie started to walk toward the doors but stopped short. No one else had moved a step, Aggie looked around and hoped no one noticed her mistake. Each man looked at the slowly opening doors, and then her eyes came to rest on Ren, who was looking at her with a smirk and laughter in his eyes. Deciding to take a page from Mitchell and Mathius, Aggie scowled at Ren. Unfortunately, his shoulders bounced his mirth in return. She chose to ignore him until he forgot about this moment.

  Soon the doors opened fully, and they all began their walk inside. The walls were made of stone and the palace resembled a fortress. The halls were lit with torches alight with a flame that seemed to be never-ending. She assumed it was the magical flame Mathius used in the room of doors the first night she met them. She watched as the fire danced and the glow lit the hallways that looked more like tunnels. Even though the space could be used as a foothold, it was also extravagant. The tapestries on the wall painted pictures that were stories Aggie wished she knew. Perhaps one day, she could persuade Mathius to share one with her. The hallways sprouted in all directions from the main entrance and Aggie was overwhelmed with everything she could see just from this vantage point.

  “This way.” Gryson nudged her toward the hallway on the right. She felt like the lone man out because she wasn’t sure how she would remember how to get anywhere in this place, but everyone else seemed to have been here a time or two and had it covered. Each hallway looked basically the same. The only difference was the tapestries. Mentally recording a few that she passed when they made turns, Aggie decided they would be her virtual roadmap around this maze. At the left was a tapestry that depicted a woman on a hillside, Aggie read the nameplate at the base, ‘The Wanderer’. A few more minutes they took another left and the first image she saw was something that resembled a dragon being crowned by some sort of flamed creature. Aggie was confused and reading the plate that clearly stated, ‘The Flamed Dragon’ in her mind and continued.

  After what felt like countless turns later, Mathius stopped in front of a dead-end hallway with nine multicolored doors branching off from it. Each of the men made their way to different doors. Xavier stepped through a red door. Mitchell and Ren disappeared behind matching golden doors. Eldon’s door caught her attention because it wasn’t so much a color as an iridescent shimmer as the torch lights flickered. Kyrel placed his hand on the knob of the door that appeared to be teal and glanced back at her for the first time since they met. The pull intensified with the lingering look and nearly took her breath away. With a broad smile, Kyrel walked into his room and sealed the door again. Liel, Mathius and Gryson stood in front of a white door. Aggie thought this was strange that they would share a room, “Well I had no idea you boys swung that way.” She giggled to herself at her own joke, but the guys all shared a confused look.

  “This is your room. It is a space that hasn’t been occupied for many years, but I made sure it was prepared for you.” Mathius spoke. Before stepping inside, she looked at the remaining doors in the hallway, assuming the silver, purple, and green doors would be for the remaining men. Not thinking any more of it, she turned the knob to her room and pressed her way inside. The men lingered at the entrance and let her take in the place.

  It was the most extravagant room she had ever seen before. A bed that looked custom designed and was larger than a king size was placed in the center of the room not touching a single wall. She thought that was odd but dismissed it, as she was distracted by everything else. Walking around the room she ran her hand over the crown molding that surrounded each wall. It was white with gold running through it, giving everything an elegant feel. There was a table in the room already set with what appeared to be a tea or coffee pot and a few treats, to which she was thankful for as she could really use a snack. The dresser was made of solid wood and had a built-in vanity. Aggie placed her bag on top of it and moved over to the wardrobe. When she opened it, her hand flew to her mouth and she gasped. It was filled with countless dresses that Aggie could only dream of wearing. Lowering her hand, she took in the soft textures and noticed upon further investigation, that each of the dresses were in the same shades of the doors she had just seen.

  �
�Does everything meet with your approval?” Mathius’s voice sounded directly behind her, softer than she had known he was capable. She turned and noticed his brow was furrowed in worry. Does he really think I wouldn’t like, no love, all of this?

  Quickly, in a hurry to reassure him Aggie spoke, “It's beyond my wildest dreams. Yes, it's perfect.”

  Sighing audibly, Mathius’s shoulders squared and he was back to himself in mere seconds. “Good, I’ll leave you to freshen up and I’ll knock when we’re ready to head to the prince’s chambers.” Without another word he turned and the three men left and shut her door firmly.

  Being alone, Aggie squealed quietly and jumped up and down with excitement. This was her room for as long as they needed to stay. It was more beautiful than any hotel room and came with clothes and a snack. She was in her own personal heaven.

  Chapter 5

  Knocking startled Aggie from her silent reverie. Reluctantly she rose from the plush mattress. It was the most comfortable bed she had ever been in and regretted standing immediately. Grasping the ornate doorknob, she pulled the door open and was bombarded by all the guys waiting in the hallway.

  “Are you ready?” Gryson was the first to speak and as she took in the other guys she noted mixed expressions. Mitchell stood with his arms crossed leaning against the opposite wall. Mathius stood stoic and a scowl set firmly in place. Liel was impassive just as she expected with his arms crossed behind him. Ren smiled as her eyes ran past him and she couldn’t help but smile back. Xavier and Eldon were patiently waiting expectantly for her answer. Aggie chose not to look in Kyrel’s direction for fear of the pull retaking its hold. Rubbing her hand over her face to clear her thoughts, she then leaned down to slip her shoes back on.

  “I suppose so. I wouldn’t want to hold up the party.” Closing the door behind herself, she hesitated. “Are my things going to be safe in here?” She had noticed she was the only one who had brought a bag with her. Did they know something she was unaware of?

  “Your things will be fine. If there is anything else you require, simply let me know and I will have it brought to your room. I mean anything at all.” Mathius was being kind to her and Aggie didn’t know how to respond to that. His mood swings were giving her whiplash and she wasn’t sure how to take them. Who was Mathius and which version of him was a front?

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” Closing the door securely, “Let’s get this show on the road.” Aggie let Mathius take the lead but didn’t wait for the rest of the guys. She stuck close to Mathius since he was currently being nice to her.

  Before long, they stopped in front of a room. She was surprised not to see the door heavily guarded. Instead, there was no one waiting outside the door. “Where are the guards?” Aggie finally asked.

  “They don’t need guards. The room is magically locked.” Liel supplied. Aggie then realized that Mathius’s hand was on the handle and it was glowing silver to match his eyes.

  “Are all the doors locked under magical keys in this castle?” Aggie was right behind Mathius and he glanced over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes.

  “When someone can merely dust themselves into any space, it makes it safer to magically lock down private areas.” Mathius didn’t elaborate beyond that and went back to unlocking the door.

  “So, do you have to know the spell or is it a list of approved entry, like at a dance club?” Aggie’s questions were obviously getting on Mathius’s nerves because she could have sworn he actually growled but opted to remain silent and focused on the task at hand. Moments later the latch clicked and the door swung open. Mathius grabbed Aggie’s arm to stop her from entering. The rest of the guys filed into the room and got to work like a well-oiled machine.

  “The locks are more like a list as you so basically put it. Though it is released by magical fingerprint.” Aggie was surprised that Mathius had been forthcoming and answered her question.

  “If it is a fingerprint why does it take so long to unlock everything?” She was pressing her luck, but Mathius had calmed slightly since unlocking the door.

  “That is where the list comes into play. The magical fingerprint is sifting through the list one by one. If you break contact in any way, it starts over on the list.” Mathius pushed her into the room with the guys now that they had begun.

  “That isn’t very high-tech for a magical locking system. There are faster ways to do that with human technology with actual fingerprints.” Aggie was a little dumbfounded. She assumed that magic made life easier, in this case it seemed like a harder process.

  Mathius held his hand out flat toward her. Aggie looked at him confused, “Magical beings don’t have fingerprints.” He left his hand there and Aggie couldn’t help herself. Reaching for him she clasped his hand to examine it closer. Before she could get a good look, she realized her hands warmed under his touch and a feeling vibrated from her chest. Aggie gasped and dropped his hand, the feeling and the warmth disappeared in an instant.

  Eyes wide with disbelief, “What was that?” Aggie was rubbing her hand against her chest trying to understand.

  “I think you and I need to have a chat. Now is neither the time or the place though. Can I come to your room tonight so we can speak in private?” Aggie raised one eyebrow at Mathius. Had he gone from growling at her to asking to come to her bedroom in private?

  “Are you sure that is a good idea?” Aggie feigned coyness and did everything she could to hold the face.

  “I promise you will be perfectly safe in my care. There are just some things you need to know about your role as Gatekeeper that you might not want to discuss with all of us present. If you don’t want to talk with me I’m sure I can convince Liel, or even Kyrel to take my place if you would prefer.” There was a subtle hint of humor in his tone.

  Aggie burst out laughing, drawing the attention of all the guys. “No, I think you will do fine. If we are going to have an actual conversation, I’m not sure I can handle Liel’s analytical tone for much longer. Don’t even get me started on Kyrel.” She covered her mouth to stifle her laugh and keep her tone lower. The rest of the guys moved back to their individual projects. Mathius smirked knowingly and Aggie found herself captivated by his smile.

  Turning her attention back to the space, the guys were working and she tried to stay out of their way. Walking over to the wardrobe, she realized upon closer examination that the prince was quite young. She was under the impression he was a child, but not as young as the size of his clothes led her to believe. “What’s the prince’s name?” Aggie realized they had just been calling him the prince and no one had referred to him by his given name.

  “Rikan.” Mathius’s voice came from directly behind her. He hadn’t let her get far away from him in the room. The closer he was to her she realized her body hummed in appreciation. Was this a side effect of our touching? She wondered and the more she thought about it, she realized that was the first time any of the guys had touched her skin to skin. Then she remembered Gryson had touched her and she felt something then to but didn’t know if it was the magic swirling from the gateway. Was that significant or only her imagination running wild?

  “I’m guessing he is about eight or nine, judging by these clothes.” Mathius nodded once at her assumption. “How many other kids have been abducted? Are they all about the same age?” Aggie was slowly going through Rikan’s clothes as she thought through her questions. Her heart was breaking for Rikan’s parents and all the other children’s parents, as well.

  “The children are all around the same age seven to ten. None have come into their full powers yet, but the powers are there none the less. Something traumatic can force it out. We need to get to them before that happens.” Mathius was very passionate about this, it touched Aggie's heart.

  “Did they only kidnap boys?” Aggie’s brain was going a million miles an hour and it was hard to settle on one question at a time.

  “No, they haven’t been consistent with any particular gender.” Mathius was the only
one answering and Aggie took in the rest of the room. Ren and Mitchell were wandering around the room, what looked to be aimless. When she looked a little closer she could see their noses twitch. She watched them for a couple minutes and in different areas they stayed longer than others.

  “Are you getting anything?” the twins turned at the sound of her question. It was as though they knew it was directed at them. Ren raised an eyebrow at her, but to her surprise it was Mitchell who answered.

  “There isn’t any scent here that is out of place. It is all demon, aside from our own now that we are here. There is a latent scent of,” Mitchell hesitated and scrunched up his face like he was trying to find the right words.

  “Starting fluid,” Ren supplied.

  “Why would there be starting fluid in here? This is an eight-year old’s room. So, unless your olfactory make-up is similar to the human construction and your children have a propensity for getting high, there has to be another explanation.” Aggie was racking her brain for answers but she wasn’t an investigator or a scientist. All the things with that smell were likely endless.

  “No, none of our chemical makeup is quite like a human. We can’t drink your alcohol and become intoxicated. Taking your kind of drugs doesn’t make us under the influence. Our metabolism is significantly faster than yours. Some are more than others but all are faster than humans.” Liel gave her his usual overly detailed response.

  “You could have just said, no.” Aggie smarted off to Liel and smiled to show she was only joking. “If Rikan wasn’t using it for recreational purposes, then what else could it be?”