by Mary Twomey
There were too many things to say. Too much confusion and emotion to be rational. I was in this beautiful field, and Jens was giving a small piece of my parents back to me.
I tried hard to think of something to say to make sense of things, but I stopped short when an arrow flew through the air and landed square in the center of the large non-fruit bearing tree. The tip sunk deep in the circle that had been carved into it, evoking a girlish squeak of surprise from me. I was feeling childish for overreacting, but when my gaze fell on Jens, a lump rose in my throat.
On alert all at once, Jens released me, and then grabbed my shoulder to make sure I was looking at him. “Run! Get inside and find Foss. Stay right with him, Loos. Go!” He pushed me toward the cabin.
Tenderness over. I was too scared to argue, given the concern in his eyes. I obeyed, bolting as fast as I could.
He hoisted himself up in the branches, yanked the arrow out of the tree and pulled out a quiver and bow hidden in the limbs. I screamed as an arrow flew overhead, as if in answer to the other.
Jens slung the weaponry over his shoulder and followed behind me, passing me with his larger gait. He flung open the door and shouted, “Now! Something went wrong with Jamie and Alrik asking King Johannes for permission to destroy the portal. Journey starts now, guys.” He snatched up his red pack and shoved some food from his cabinets inside. He spoke above the commotion to Nik, Foss and Tor. “King Johannes hates me. Jamie just sent a message his dad’s coming for me. I have to turn invisible to get us out, which means like it or not, we’re all holding hands.”
Tor spoke up, hefting his pack on his back with a ready expression. “Yer not strong enough ta vanish all of us. Ya’ve only got two hands.”
I could tell Jens was irritated at the solid logic. “Fine.” He switched his backpack so it was hanging off his front. “Lucy, get on my back. Nik and Foss, take my hands. And Tor…”
“I can vanish Tor,” came a quiet voice from the doorway. Britta spoke with her chin high and a knife in her hand, though I could tell she was scared. “Don’t argue, Jens. We don’t have the time if you want to get to the portal before King Johannes comes for you.”
Jens stared at his sister with a grave expression. “Fine, but you’re to come right back after we reach the border. Understood?”
Britta nodded. “Of course. I can vanish Lucy, too.” She held out her hand to me.
Jens shook his head, his eyebrows knit together. “No. She’s my charge.”
“Alright. Let’s go, Tor the Mighty.” She tucked the knife in a small sheath in her apron pocket and clutched Tor’s hairy hand. In the next breath, they both vanished before my eyes.
There was no time to comment on this. Jens pulled me onto his back and grabbed onto the other two, turning all four of us invisible as we stepped out the front door. His quick decisiveness meant that no one was pursuing us just yet, and Jens made quick use of the small advantage we had.
I clung tight to him, not holding back my small noises of anxiety at danger creeping up on us so fast. An adventure with Uncle Rick sounded doable, but actually starting out and feeling the fear of the chase was a new thing entirely. While the others would surely be in trouble for pissing off the Tonttu king, I could only imagine what they would do to the human oddity if they were mad at me. I held tighter to Jens, since he was my ticket out of here. I could feel his heart beating hard as I palmed his chest, and wondered how far he would have to run us to get us all to safety. I heard footsteps ahead of us, accompanied by Tor’s occasional grunts at trying to keep up with the female gazelle.
We ran toward a rectangular structure about a mile away between Jens’s house and a landscape of ominous gray mountains. When we neared the rectangle, I cringed when I realized it was a door made of bones. It had a faint glow of blue wafting out of it, and when we finally reached it, Jens passed Nik and Foss off to place a hand on Britta to be vanished.
I slid off Jens’s back, but he grabbed my hand and moved it to the waist of his jeans at the small of his back. “Hold onto me,” he instructed, fishing through his red pack and pulling out the rake. “No matter what, don’t let go.”
“Okay,” I answered, my voice pinched. I saw armed men charging from the castle that was miles away toward the village where Jens’s house stood.
The portal was in the middle of a few clusters of trees, tall and thick, but were it not for the vanishing, we would have been seen for certain. Jens was breathing hard as he held up the rake like a hockey stick. I stayed directly behind him so I wouldn’t get my head taken off by his powerful swing.
In one swoop, Jens knocked the bones of the crest of the arch to the grass. The blue light turned red like a silent alarm, and I tried to keep my fear to a mere whimper. Jens finished the job in three more whacks, and I watched the red light power down like an overused battery.
Jens stuffed the rake into his pack, hoisted me up on his back and resumed his hold on Nik and Foss. Tension was high as they all made excited comments while we ran toward the mountains.
The first portal was destroyed, and it hadn’t really been all that hard.
We were half a mile away before we heard angry soldiers shouting. Despite his obvious fatigue, Jens picked up his pace. We were running toward rolling green hills and a space beyond that which was entirely rock, followed by towering mountains. I gulped and tried not to think of my fear of heights. Jens would stay with me through the whole journey. Every step would be guided and guarded by him. For reasons I was not ready to delve into, this quelled my fear.
I looked over my shoulder when we reached the top of the first large green hill to catch one last glimpse of the beautiful farming land. Jens slowed and turned, too, and we gasped as one. In the spot where his home was now stood a towering flame that was quickly catching onto the trees in his orchard. Jens allowed a noise of despair before returning to the flight out of town.
Now the scope of the journey was sinking in. There would be no peaceful encounters with these people concerning the portals. We were on a mission with grim odds, and there was no way out but forward. For me and now Jens, there was no going home.
Fourteen.
Temperamental Tom
The moment the green vanished beneath us and was replaced by the gray solid rock, Jens slowed. Britta and Tor were a few yards away, catching their breath with wide eyes. Nik and Foss dropped their hands and instantly became visible. Jens and I were still invisible, judging by Britta’s head bobbing around looking for her brother.
Jens was not ready to be seen. He covered his face with his hands and breathed heavily into his palms. His home with his scant belongings would not be waiting for him when we returned – if we returned. He was now cast out of his society, and the burden weighed heavy on his shoulders. I debated sliding off his back to give him some space, but it felt cruel to abandon him in such a devastating moment. My grip around his shoulders turned into a hug, and I pressed my cheek to his, my fingertips stroking his half a sideburn. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” I whispered, my mouth inches from his.
His hand moved to my messy hair and gripped the locks in solidarity. He took a few deep, steadying breaths, and then did something I did not expect.
Jens turned his head and kissed my cheek.
I like to think of myself as a fairly unshakable person. I mean, my family up and dying shook me pretty hard, but other than that I think I’ve handled new schools, hardly any belongings and very few friends pretty well. Judging by the way my heart fluttered, I could tell that when my first real kiss came along, it would shake me up more than I would be able to suppress with a cool joke and a smile.
My cheeks heated at the small token of affection from Jens, and I was grateful I was still invisible from the others.
I pushed down the girlish butterflies and focused on the trouble at hand. All the obligatory things people said to me about my family dying popped into my head, and I despised each one. Instead of reaching for the staple, “It’ll be okay” or “I�
�m sorry for your loss”, I whispered in his ear as my heart thudded against his, “We’ll get through this together, Jens.”
I rested my forehead to his temple for as long as it took for his breathing to return to normal. He nodded and relinquished his grip on my hair, and then slid me off his back, switching his pack to his back as we both reappeared to the others. I slid my hand in his and felt his grip hold mine fast.
He’d had my house burned to the ground, but no one had been there to hold my hand through it. Strangers though we were, I couldn’t do that to him. It wasn’t in my nature to look the other way while someone was suffering.
The four were entrenched in a discussion of how quickly the Tomten took action, and what this would mean for our plan of getting permission from the peoples to destroy each portal. “We can talk and move,” Jens stated, looking up toward the mountain we were expected to climb. “Tomten won’t scale these mountains because of the rift with Elvage, but I don’t want them to know for sure which way we’re going in case the Mouthpiece is nearby.”
My lungs felt cold and my mouth went dry. I touched Linus at my collar, hoping for a burst of camaraderie or strength. I’m not a huge fan of heights, especially the harrowing kind that stretch up to the clouds.
Britta’s eyes fell on our joined hands, causing a barely noticeable intake of breath to pass her excited lips. I dropped Jens’s grip, but instantly felt a traitor.
When she followed along with the others in the direction of the mountain, Jens stopped. “No, Britt. You can’t come. It’s too dangerous.”
Britta’s quiet, feminine voice had a note of resolve in it I began to appreciate. “They burned your house, Jens. How long do you think they’ll let me go without questioning? How long do you imagine I’ll hold up without a male in the family to speak for me?”
Huh?
I could tell Jens wanted to argue, but the logic could not be bested. He shook his head as he hugged his sister in defeat. “This is not what I want for you. I would never have let you take Tor if I knew this would happen.” He released her. “You don’t even have any provisions on you.”
“She can share my stuff,” I said, taking in her Amish-style dress and the seven inches she had on me. “I don’t have much, but it’s better than nothing.”
Britta’s smile showed her gratitude. “It’s settled, then. You all heard Jens. Let’s go.”
Jens led the way for a few meters until he huffed irritably – the first sign of his personality resurfacing. “Loos, you take the lead. You shouldn’t be behind me. I don’t like not being able to keep an eye on you.”
Oh, jeez. “I’m not going to disappear if I’m out of your vision for ten seconds. Unclench, Jens.”
“No. I’m your Tom, so do as I say.”
There went the glow of our truce. Even my dad knew better than to boss me around like that. I couldn’t remember what possessed me to let him kiss my cheek or why I held his hand, the jerk. I blame it on temporary insanity.
My hands found their way to my hips. “I think your mission of keeping me alive doesn’t matter when you’re trying to keep yourself alive, as well.”
“I’ll decide what matters.” The others passed by, leaving us to our argument. “If I say you walk ahead of me, that’s what you do, with a happy little smile on your face.”
“Fine!” I tromped on ahead to catch up to Britta, tossing over my shoulder, “Permission to breathe, captain?”
“Only if it pleases me!” he fired back.
Foss growled. “This is why I didn’t want any females along on the journey. And now we’re saddled with two? We’re all going to die.”
Oh, I wanted to strangle both Jens and Foss. Martin Luther King, Jr. would not approve of the number of murderous thoughts I had in the arrogant Tomten’s presence.
Tor turned around to give us a well-deserved talking to. “Look, ya two. It’s goin’ ta be a long hike, so make up and shape up. Yer worse than Nik and Foss!”
“Sorry, Tor,” I said, reining in my anger.
“Sorry, Tor,” Jens mimicked in a higher-pitched imitation of my voice. “Suck up.”
The urge to retaliate was strong, but I resisted, hiking with Britta ahead of Jens, who took up the rear. “Is he always so charming?” I asked his sister bitterly.
Britta smiled and let a small giggle surface. “I’ve never seen him work his charm so hard before. You know, I always wondered about you and your family. He spent so much time away. Now I understand.” She gave me a knowing look I tried to ignore.
“What’ll happen to Jamie and Uncle Rick?” I asked the group to change the subject.
Nik answered, turning his head to look at me. “Alrik most likely disappeared as soon as things went south with King Johannes. Toms can go invisible, but Alrik’s an elf. He can transport himself from one location to another without detection.”
Foss had something to say to this. “Other Elves can sense if someone transports themselves. Magic like that leaves an imprint even we can see.”
Nik rolled his eyes, as if I should know Foss was being impetuous. “Sure. Everyone knows that. Alrik will find us soon enough, little human. No need to worry about him.”
Britta stepped over a large rock as we began our hike around and up the unsteady mountain path. “Jamie will have stayed in the palace. He’ll be safe there. The King would never hurt his son. Jamie’s beloved by the people. But Johannes’ll keep him there to stop him from running away from the kingdom or going off to destroy the portal. Unless Alrik ported him to Elvage with him.”
The way Britta spoke about him took away any question I still had as to their connection. They were involved in some serious moonbeams, rainbows and heartstrings love. It was the stuff I’d read about, but never experienced.
I stepped over a jagged rock, adjusting to the steep incline. I wasn’t exactly athletic, but I didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of the seasoned climbers. Even Britta in her long dress was faring better than I was. This was their first experience with a human, and I was determined not to make a fool of my kind by breaking a bone on the first leg of the adventure.
Fifteen.
Tightrope Walker
Nightfall came faster than I was anticipating. Probably because the few dusk hours where my eyes could tolerate their sun felt like noon to my senses. Their moon was massive, as their sun had been, but it had a red hue that gave only the bare minimum of illumination. Britta yawned, and I could see other signs that the travelers were tired, but we trudged on.
“Best ta travel at night.” Tor took it upon himself to narrate for me, since I was the outsider in the band of thieves. Nik was a ways ahead of us, scouting the area so we didn’t come across any nasty surprises. What those could be, I wasn’t sure, and didn’t want to find out. “Foss, yer awful quiet. Ya thinking we’ll get tha same welcome with yer people?”
Foss had not spoken in nearly half an hour, now that Nik was not near enough to fight with. “I’m certain we’ll get it with every nation we visit. We don’t come with great news. We come to destroy an old artifact that they see as a service to the people. We’ll be hanged for this if we’re caught.” He shook his head as he helped Jens push a roadblock out of the way. It was scary how strong they were. Foss looked like a Mediterranean version of The Rock, and apparently had the strength to complete the picture. “No, it’s best we move quickly and quietly. Do the deed and live with the secret, if we live at all.”
“Well, aren’t ya just a bucket of sunshine.” Tor grumbled under his breath and broke wind at the same time. It was really a thing of misfortune that he volunteered to take the lead behind Nik. He couldn’t walk a whole minute without oozing some noxious gas out his rear end. It was a good motivator to stay quiet. Didn’t want any of that nonsense wafting into my mouth.
Nik came jogging back toward us with news that stayed our progression. His white-blue hair shimmered in the red moonlight, making it look like it had tiny glittering stars in the tresses. “Up ahead’s a spindel
lair. We can try to scale up or down the mountain if we don’t want to chance it.”
They debated this while I wondered what a spindel was. Since no one bothered to clue me in, I assumed I would not be granted a vote. We were high up – too high up on the mountain for comfort. I gulped and decided to keep closer to the inside of the trail.
I was right. Neither Britta nor I were asked our opinions when it was decided we would forge through, due to lack of proper climbing equipment. This bothered me not for my own pride, but for Britta’s. She did not take offense at being discounted in such an obvious way, but I did on her behalf. I doubled the silent treatment I was giving Jens. Doubling the punishment entailed not speaking… even more. I decided I wouldn’t even look in his direction. This did little to hurt him as I hoped it would, since he was behind me and there was precious little reason to look at him anyway.
We reached another roadblock due to a rocky avalanche that had made our path its resting place. The boulder was as high as my shoulders, and had a bunch of smaller, but still giant rocks atop it, making it impossible to move or climb over. The path we’d been walking on was wide enough for someone to always walk on my right, keeping me a healthy distance from the edge. The barrier left only a couple inches of space from the steep drop-off to tiptoe on.
This would be a challenge. I tugged at my necklace, my nerves bundling up inside me, making my hands and feet stiff.
Nik wasn’t worried about maneuvering the giant obstruction. “I once fought a Were on a precipice not unlike this one. Not a scratch on me when I finally killed the beast. I could probably dance on that ledge with my eyes closed and be just fine.” He tossed me a cheesy game show host grin that I tried to return, but my smile was faked and cracked with fear.
“Let’s see it, then,” Foss challenged, pointing to the less than half a foot of clear road right on the edge of the path. The drop was abrupt and several stories down, ending in a rocky death. “Dance us a jig up there, Nik. Give us a twirl like a good little barmaid.”
