Magic Portal (Legends of Llenwald Book 1)

by DM Fike

  Kay braced himself against the side of the car, his complexion pale. “I truly hate these carriages.”

  “Sorry,” Avalon said, applying gentle pressure to ease them out of the parking lot.

  “If you puke, do it out the window,” Nobody said. “You don’t want to know what vomit smells like in this heat.”

  “Oh yeah!” Vimp agreed, bouncing in the back seat.

  * * *

  Despite all the windows rolled down, they baked inside the car. Whenever her bare skin touched the vinyl seat, it would stick like glue until she shifted. Kay suffered beside her in his long-sleeved tunic. He tried rolling up his sleeves, but they would only go so far. Nobody’s hair sopped with sweat. Only Vimp seemed happy, sticking his head out the window, tongue lolling to one side.

  “We should stop for cold drinks before we melt,” Avalon announced after driving for a half hour. “Nobody, where’s the nearest gas station?”

  “Back at Marfa.”

  “Isn’t Marfa the town we passed right after hitting the highway?” Avalon asked.

  “Yep.”

  Avalon glared at Nobody through the rearview mirror. “Are you suggesting we go back?”

  “I’m suggesting we keep on driving. Who knows if this lime will start again if we stop? Besides, we’ve got less than an hour to my buddy’s place.”

  Avalon sputtered but knew Nobody had a point. They circulated the water pouches they had filled on Llenwald. The water was warm, but it at least kept them hydrated.

  Silence filled the car. Avalon fiddled with the radio knob and gave up when she only found a single Spanish-speaking channel. At some point, Vimp snuggled against Nobody and they both fell asleep. Kay pressed the side of his head against the window, presumably to get some rest.

  Avalon tried to keep her mind off the heat by finding interesting things to look at, no easy feat with completely flat, uniform desert with the occasional car passing the other direction. An SUV with tinted windows did tail them for a dozen miles but eventually veered off a lonely country road. At one point, a newer square building appeared off to one side. Avalon thought for sure she saw the words “Prada” with handbags in the window. She did a double take, but it had flown by too fast.

  “I must be going crazy,” she muttered.

  “You seem sane enough, given all you’ve been through.”

  Avalon glanced over at Kay, slumped over to one side. He hadn’t bothered to open his eyes. “I thought you were asleep.”

  “I may pass out from this heat, but I am not sleepy.”

  Awkwardness crashed over her. Where she had once felt so comfortable with Kay, she had no idea how to treat him now. He had his own history: family, friends, a hometown, a whole former life. She suddenly felt ashamed for judging him solely on a period of his life where he had been so vulnerable, relied so heavily on her.

  “I’ll call you Marcus.”

  Kay tilted his head in confusion. “Excuse me?”

  Avalon’s face reddened. “I just realized I still think of you as ‘Kay.’”

  “I don’t mind.”

  This time, it was Avalon who did a double take. “Why not?”

  Kay stared out the windshield. “It’s a fine nickname.”

  The two drifted into silence. Avalon assumed the conversation had ended, but then Kay said, “I am sorry.”

  “Sorry?”

  “I should have told you sooner that my memories had returned, that I recognized you the instant I spotted you in the Emerged Falls courtyard.” Avalon had to strain to hear him against the air whooshing into the car. “I could try to explain it away as protecting Desert Rose, but the truth is, I betrayed you.”

  Although Avalon’s heart sank like a lump of lead in her chest hearing Desert Rose’s name, she quickly pushed it aside. “You were put in an impossible situation.”

  “But I should have protected you back at Saluzyme.”

  “You’re not my knight in shining armor,” Avalon said, her tone angrier than she had intended.

  Kay slumped his shoulders. “You should be angry. I am no hero to you.”

  Avalon tightened her grip on the wheel. “What I meant to say is that you have no obligation to look after me. You didn’t cause any of this mess. In fact, I should be thanking you, not asking your forgiveness. How many times have you helped me, even saved me from death?”

  “Nearly as many times as you have aided me.”

  Avalon refused to look at him. “Then I guess we’re even.”

  Kay sighed. “I did not wish to upset you.”

  “You’re missing the point. I’m not upset that you couldn’t protect me. I’m upset about Desert Rose. She obviously doesn’t give five flips about me. She’d throw me off a cliff if she got something out of it.”

  Avalon was poised to continue her tirade until she stole a glance and recognized pain in Kay’s face. Her anger quickly sank into a deep pit of emptiness. “But that’s not the point either. The point is that you, Kay, don’t represent Desert Rose. You were only doing what you thought best.”

  “I am not sure what the difference is between her and me. We are both children of Guardians. Trained warriors. Best in our class. United in our experience.”

  Avalon glanced at him, dumbfounded. “But divided in everything else.”

  “I don’t see how.”

  She set her jaw. “The difference is that you do things out of love.”

  Kay jerked as if Avalon had slapped him. “I do care for Desert Rose, but…” Kay drifted off.

  Avalon bit the inside of her cheek, creating a little physical discomfort so she could keep the tears at bay. It was then, staring forward, that she thought she saw a tendril of smoke drift up from underneath the hood of the car.

  Avalon squinted, trying to determine if it was just a trick of light.

  Kay continued, “But I also care for you.”

  Smoke suddenly streamed into the car. Avalon yelped at the temperature gauge. The arrow pointed all the way past the “H” into angry red, indicating the car had overheated.

  “Nobody!” Avalon yelled, his name a curse on her lips.

  Nobody sputtered awake, blinking groggily. His fogginess cleared as he caught sight of the smoke billowing from the hood. “Whoa, mamacita!”

  Avalon cranked on the heater and everyone in the car immediately groaned as it brought the temperature up several notches. “It’s either this or we pull over and walk,” Avalon reprimanded. “We’ll be lucky if we make it to the next stop.”

  Houses dotted the landscape with a sign for a gas station a mile down the road. Avalon managed to steer the fuming car into the gas station parking lot. With a convenience store and a bank of pumps for long-haul trucks, it could have been busier, but thankfully, only one minivan parked nearby. The father of the minivan, refueling the vehicle as his family remained buckled inside, gawked at the green-haired gremlin and translucent-winged fairy as they fell out of the steaming car. Vimp, thankfully, hid himself in the bushes, otherwise Avalon was sure the man would have fled in terror.

  “Well, we’re stuck here until the car cools down.” Avalon wiped her beaded brow next to the sweat-drenched men. “Guess we’ll make the best of it.”

  “They have milkshakes!” Nobody pointed toward the fast food restaurant sign.

  “I’ll buy some.” Avalon held out her hand for money. “You guys are already giving Father of the Year over there a heart attack.” Minivan dad locked his vehicle even though he was still outside the car. Two small kids’ curious faces pressed against the backseat window, noses smushed against the glass.

  Nobody withdrew the envelope from his pocket and threw her a wad of twenties. “Try to stay out of trouble until I get back,” she pleaded with all three of them.

  “I am a master of stealth,” Nobody insisted. He pointed at his purple cape for emphasis.

  Avalon walked past the minivan. The father positioned himself between her and the car. She gave him her brightest smile.

  “W
e just ran away from the circus,” she said apologetically. “Clearly, we should have stolen the clown car.”

  His fingers unclenched as he gawked. Avalon winked at the kids, and they waved enthusiastically back even as their mother scolded them from the front seat.

  The store had a decent number of amenities, including a hamburger joint, high shelves of convenience foods, a glass counter of local knick-knacks, and even showers for the truck drivers. Avalon noticed a sign for the restrooms and decided to make a quick pit stop before buying anything.

  The restroom was simple but clean, with older tile and two brown stalls. Avalon relieved herself quickly and stepped up to the only sink, struggling to get soap out of the dispenser. She heard the door open and shut but did not look up at the other customer immediately. Avalon figured the person sidled up close behind her to wash their own hands.

  “I’m almost done.” She glanced casually into the mirror.

  And found Desert Rose.

  An arm grabbed her in a headlock. She struggled but could feel her breath being cut off. Her vision slowly faded until she completely blacked out.

  CHAPTER 42

  AVALON FELT THE humming of the vehicle underneath her as she regained consciousness. Harsh sunlight pierced her vision, and she had to blink through the haze of orange before she could finally see the scattered clouds outside zooming by.

  Something cool brushed against the side of her neck, causing goosebumps up and down her arms. A click sounded next to her head. “Don’t try anything,” a harsh voice warned.

  Avalon found herself staring down the barrel of an automatic handgun. This time, Desert Rose held it properly with finger on the trigger. Desert Rose let it linger for another second before placing it back in the driver’s side door. Avalon instinctively jerked away and found her hands had been bound by a zip tie, one part of the loop going through the belt buckle. Her feet had also been tied to the reclining bar underneath the passenger seat.

  Dressed in all white from slacks and blouse to athletic sandals, Desert Rose could have passed for a college-age student on a road trip. Her green emerald necklace sparkled in a ray of sunshine around her neck. She steered down Highway I5, houses and businesses crowding the landscape, overtaking most of the desert. A sign declared they were only a few miles outside of Salt Lake City.

  “Where’s Nobody and K… Marcus?” Avalon demanded.

  “Don’t know and don’t care. After driving without any water in the radiator for 75 miles, they’re not in any capacity to follow us.”

  “Wait,” Avalon flinched. “You sabotaged the car?”

  “I tracked you down,” Desert Rose corrected. “That’s what I do.”

  Avalon wished she could strangle her right then and there. Kay had agonized over this loser. “Your job was to protect Emerged Falls.”

  Desert Rose set her jaw but didn’t reply.

  Avalon wished for nothing more than a lightning bolt to zap Desert Rose right in her beautiful face, but just her luck, she did not feel any familiar sizzle in her gut. She’d lost her unreliable magic again.

  Desert Rose sensed her frustration. “At least without magic, I don’t have to freeze you again.”

  “Like you did with Marcus?” Avalon sneered.

  “He got in the way,” Desert Rose said, her tone flat. She merged the vehicle into the right-hand lane of the freeway as signs indicated the University of Utah approaching. “I was protecting him.”

  “Protecting him?” Avalon repeated with sarcasm.

  Her voice rose a in pitch. “He should not have gotten involved.”

  “You disappeared without a trace. He thought you might have died. He searched everywhere for you because he loved you.”

  “I never asked him to!” In her unbridled anger, Desert Rose’s face twisted into an ugly mask, a red hue spreading across her dark cheeks. The temperature inside the vehicle fluctuated between a chilly breeze and hot blasts of steamy air. “He should have stayed out of it!”

  Avalon knew she shouldn’t poke this volatile situation, but emotion overrode logic. “You should have stayed out of it!” she yelled right back. “He almost died because of you!”

  Avalon waited for the fury, an icy chill to freeze her back into unconsciousness or a fiery blaze to scorch her. When nothing happened, she glanced over at Desert Rose. A single crystalline tear slid out of one eye, traveling down to her jawline before sizzling away into nothing.

  “What’s done is done,” she said, back to monotone.

  The two did not speak again as Desert Rose drove the last few blocks to Saluzyme. The vehicle curved onto familiar streets near the university, trees overlooking some of Avalon’s favorite hang-out spots. They passed a farmer’s market at one busy intersection, the vendors taking down booths and packing carts into trucks. A quiet Saturday afternoon.

  When Avalon saw several black SUVs with green hexagon logos, her chest tightened. Desert Rose parked the vehicle next to them, then cut Avalon’s zip ties with a knife from her belt. “I will use this.” She flaunted her gun.

  Avalon glared at her but exited the car and walked dutifully in front of her as she directed them to the Saluzyme building entrance. Desert Rose punched in a personal code and ushered Avalon inside first.

  Boxer and a half dozen other men in black suits with Bluetooth headsets immediately surrounded them in the lobby. Boxer scowled at Desert Rose, a white bandage spread across his wide nose. “We’ll take it from here.”

  “I have orders to deliver her to Bedwyr,” Desert Rose said. “You are not Bedwyr.”

  “You are a traitor,” Boxer hissed. The men around him cocked their guns. “You will hand her over or else.”

  Desert Rose’s neutral expression lingered as she snapped her fingers. The men in suits shouted in pain as one by one, they dropped their weapons. The metal gun handles gleamed red hot, sizzling as they hit the tile floor.

  “Escort us to Bedwyr,” Desert Rose repeated calmly.

  Boxer’s skin turned a shade of violet—and violent—red. He growled as he backed away. Gingerly retrieving their weapons, the men in suits surrounded the two of them, a living wall. Boxer motioned the crowd not to the elevator, but down a side hall on the first floor.

  Avalon’s stomach heaved as they entered the narrow corridor. Her father’s lab had been down this hallway. She hadn’t visited it since the remodeling of the building. She had never wanted to see it again.

  It was where he had died.

  Unlike the rest of the building, the corridor remained unchanged – the same narrow hallways, the same lack of windows that necessitated harsh fluorescent lighting, even the same faded pale paint on the walls. Avalon prayed that they would pass by her father’s old lab toward other research facilities, but she knew they wouldn’t. Boxer led her straight through the metal doors.

  To her surprise, the research lab showed few signs of fire damage besides the occasional scorch mark on the ceiling tiles. The rows of pristine worktables had been removed, leaving much of the room barren, but his workstation hummed along the back wall. Additional computer screens displaying various graphs loomed above her father’s stool. A half-dome helmet hung on a boom from the ceiling, wires running from it like veins and arteries. Underneath it, a large metal table replaced what had been the patient’s examination chair. Cuffs for arms and legs had been crudely drilled into place, the table itself tilted at a 45-degree angle.

  The Entelegen.

  Avalon’s mind reeled from the sight of it. James had told her the entire wing had gone down in flames, but the room appeared as if her father would come walking into it at any moment, tablet in hand, making note of any changes from a test he had run overnight.

  “How is this possible?” she yelled.

  “There’s a lot you don’t know.” Boxer grabbed her by the crook of the arm. She tried going limp, but he towed her along. She kicked as he slammed her back first onto the table. Two men in suits helped restrain her as she flailed. Aim as she might at sensit
ive body parts, none of them connected. Shackles around her wrists and ankles clicked into place, binding her to the table.

  Panic drenched Avalon as Boxer released a lever, and the table tilted back at a steeper angle. Avalon caught Desert Rose’s steady gaze from across the room. “How could you?” Avalon screamed. When that didn’t faze her, she added, “What would Marcus think?”

  Desert Rose had the humanity to look away, staring vaguely at the computer screens.

  Avalon resisted as Boxer put the dome helmet over her head. He managed to stick more clammy electrode suction cups on her neck and forehead before she landed a solid head butt against his forehead. He hissed in pain, raising his hand to strike her face. With great restraint, he pulled back.

  “Just do what Bedwyr wants,” Boxer growled.

  “I could care less what Bedwyr wants.” Avalon arched her spine on the table as he approached with more electrodes. “Let me go!”

  “I am afraid we cannot do that, Avalon,” a familiar voice said from the doorway.

  Avalon craned her neck as much as the dome would allow. The men in suits parted to let a man in a lab coat enter the room. Tears filled her eyes.

  “James,” she cried.

  CHAPTER 43

  JAMES APPROACHED AVALON with measured glides, his movements graceful even walking across the dingy room. His shoulder-length silver hair shone iridescent under the harsh fluorescent lights, completely covering his ears. He flicked a switch next to her, and the Entelgen whirred to life. Another button summoned classical music into the room. His calm demeanor reminded her of past examinations, each gentle, each performed with reassurance.

  They had all been lies.

  For several seconds, Avalon struggled to breathe. She knew James had to be involved, but this? She tried to ask any number of one-word questions. What? Why? How? The words could not escape her constricted throat.

  James raised an eyebrow of concern over her plight. “Clear the room please,” he said over his shoulder.

  Boxer insisted Desert Rose exit first. The men in suits followed. Boxer paused at the doorway to give Avalon one last withering glare, then shut the door behind him.