by Aderyn Wood
“And if I don’t return within the three days?”
Balak exhaled slowly. “I’ll have to ride with speed to let your mother know.”
Dale nodded. She didn’t have a lot of time. She hoped Ness was where she thought she was.
“Well, I’m ready,” she said, sounding braver than she felt.
Balak seemed uneasy as he looked to the eastern horizon. The mist lay all around now. The moon had risen and lingered an inch above the horizon. A new ray of silver light was growing stronger. “There’s Ishtaria.”
“Now what do we do?” Dale asked.
Balak turned to the copse of ash trees. “Now we wait.”
Dale took a deep breath, unsure what they were waiting for exactly. She glanced back to the eastern horizon. The silvery light grew stronger still. When she turned back to the ash trees her breath caught in her throat. A mist had formed in the corridor, swirling and billowing far too quickly to be a natural fog. The portal.
Balak glanced her way. “Come, let us enter.”
She walked with him through the first avenue of trees and the mist grew thicker. She could see just enough around her to know they had come to the centre of the cross and now had to make their way through one of the avenues.
“Which one do we take?” she asked Balak.
He glanced at all three choices: east, west, or straight on. Dale wondered if he knew which would lead them to Earth.
But before she could ask, he nodded ahead. “This one,” he said, taking a step forward.
Dale followed, and as they moved, the mist spiralled and swirled. The trees disappeared and an ice-cold wind whipped at Dale’s hair and tugged at her jacket. She had to lean into the gale, and squint as specks of ice and snow stung her cheeks.
“Are you sure this is the right path?” Dale shouted, but her voice was stolen by the wind, and Balak, only just visible beside her, kept his gaze fixed on the path ahead, never turning to answer or look her way.
How many times has he done this? Her whole body shivered, and she clenched her jaw tight in an effort to stop her teeth from chattering.
Underfoot the terrain had changed. And Dale realised when her toes ached with cold that they were now crunching over thick snow. Where are we?
When the mists cleared and a starry night appeared above, Dale recognised the constellation – Draco. They'd come through the portal to Earth. But where?
The wind had stopped and so too had the snow. The sparkling white caps of mountain alps were lit under a full moon. Two figures stood nearby.
“Who are they?” Dale asked.
But Balak didn’t answer; he simply kept lifting his feet, one after the other, in an effort to get through the thick snow. Dale shivered and followed, her heart racing. A strange mix of exhaustion and panic shot through her. Balak hadn’t mentioned any of this. He hadn’t mentioned there’d be people on the other side. A cold streak of fear ran down her spine.
She came close enough to see the figures’ black hooded cloaks. Balak kept walking a fair way ahead. Dale paused and looked back to where they had entered. There were no trees now. Just never-ending snow. She stepped forward again, and one of the figures turned to look her way.
Dale gasped.
Natalia’s eyes were glowing. Her long black hair had escaped and flew in the breeze. A smile spread on her pale face.
Then the other figure turned. Golden eyes, a widow’s peak – Ricardo.
“No!” Dale shouted. “Balak. What have you done?”
Balak stopped walking, his shoulders stooped, head bent. Ricardo was talking to him. Then the dark sorcerer moved his arm and shouted something to the sky and another portal formed. The horse master walked straight through and disappeared into the mist. Balak was gone.
Dale stood with her mouth open, then spun to face the way she’d come. She had to get back to the portal. She tried to move her legs, but they were stuck. Her whole body froze.
“You can only move this way.” The voice – Ricardo.
She struggled to move her feet again, but no matter how she tried to force them, she remained frozen in place.
“Princess Dalendra,” Ricardo said her name and she shivered all over. “It would be easier if we did this my way. That way no one will get hurt.”
Dale’s breathing was shallow and her teeth were chattering uncontrollably now. Slowly she inched around to face them. They stood side by side. Natalia’s eyes were red and she smirked still. Ricardo wore a friendly smile that only served to make him appear more menacing.
“That’s good, Princess. Now, follow my instructions and soon enough you will find yourself in a nice warm room with a hot cup of tea in your hands. But only if you follow my instructions.”
Part II
Earth
14
“Welcome to your new home,” Natalia said with a scowl, as she pushed Dale into the cell.
Dale stumbled and tripped, crashing on the concrete floor. Pain shot through her knees and wrists. The floor was cold, not icy like the snow had been, but it prickled her flesh nonetheless. She was in a small cell with pale blue concrete walls, a bed in one corner and a toilet, shower and basin in the other. A chair too. No windows. The whole sorry space was lit with a single fluorescent light and Dale blinked up into it.
“Be thankful you have a light at all,” Natalia said. “Some of our guests don’t even have that.”
Dale put a hand to her forehead as an image from her dreams returned – Ness in the darkness. “Where’s Ness?” Dale demanded, trying to put strength into her voice as she pushed to her feet on shaky legs; but coming off sounding like a frightened schoolgirl instead.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Natalia raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. She looked just the way she had when she’d bullied Dale at school. Prudence Feathertop's number one crony. But Natalia was much more than that. Centuries ago, she’d been Ness’s student in the art of magic. She’d also been Gareth's lover, but now it was Ricardo who kept her warm. It had been Natalia’s magic that had killed Ness, or trapped her, the last time Dale visited Earth.
It was Dale’s turn to glare. “What will happen to me?”
“You’ll find out when it happens.”
Dale rubbed her eyes, suddenly fatigued – a usual effect of transitioning from one world to another. She forced her arm down and lifted her chin in an attempt to appear alert and defiant in front of Natalia. Not easy. The journey with Balak had been a long one, and she hadn’t slept well for all the dreams. The shock of finding Ricardo and Natalia, and learning Balak had betrayed her, had also taken a toll. His treachery hurt like a deep wound somewhere inside whenever she thought about him.
She wondered what Balak had got out of it, why he’d done it. But Ricardo ignored her question and opened another portal instead, instructing Natalia to bring Dale. When Natalia pushed her through that portal Ricardo didn’t follow. Dale was alone with Natalia. The bitch who’d killed Cat, and probably Ness. She was likely responsible for finding Gareth so Ricardo could have him murdered.
Dale gritted her teeth. “You’re pure evil." I despise you.
Natalia smirked. Her eyes were dark brown, no longer the glowing red they’d been in the alps, or wherever the portal had taken her. “They haven’t taught you much at the Fane, have they? Evil is a matter of perspective. We all have a dollop of it. You might do well to withhold judgment, fairy girl, until you know more.”
Hearing Natalia talk about the Fane of Sorcery in such a familiar way dropped Dale’s jaw. She shook her head and straightened her shoulders. “Only a monster could treat someone like Gareth the way you did.”
Natalia scowled. “Don’t talk to me about Gareth. In the end, he was nothing but an old drunk. Fat good all his power did him when he faced Ricardo. No, I learnt to follow true power a long time ago.”
Natalia turned to leave, the heels of her boots echoing.
“What will happen to me?” Dale asked again, desperate for some in
formation before Natalia left her.
Natalia hesitated and then closed the barred door to Dale’s cell. She gave Dale one more glare before turning away, her footsteps ringing down the corridor.
Dale sighed. She’d really botched things now. Her mother would be furious. Even if the prophecy stone was true, and Dale did have the power to stop the Unseelie and set things back in balance, how was she supposed to get herself out of this clusterfuck? Ricardo had hunted her for over a year and she’d sailed the ocean and managed to avoid him to get to safety. Gareth and Cat lost their lives to protect her. And then, once she was safe, she turned around and walked right into the enemy’s hands.
She sat on the bed and put her head into her palms. She’d been stupid. Seriously stupid. There wasn’t anyone in all of history who’d been more stupid than Dale. She trusted people too easily. Master Atapole had tried to tell her mother that once and her mother had defended her. It was true. She hadn't given one thought to the possibility Balak may have been the traitor all along. Was that what the prophecy had tried to tell her when it spoke about the traitor?
Balak was often away from Arcadia on lengthy trips. To search for wild colts, he’d told them. He knew the portal and when it was open. No doubt, he’d arranged the whole thing with Ricardo. It was Balak who'd planted the seed when he told her by finding Ness she’d be contributing.
She’d fallen right into his trap. He’d fed her little concerns and even encouraged her to turn back and return to Arcadia, but he knew she had too much pride, a need to prove herself useful. Her stupid ego got her into this mess.
And what had Balak received in return? Perhaps to be exchanged. To return to Earth? He’d always asked questions about Earth. He could never hear enough about it. Everyone else in Arcadia seemed to consider Earth to be something of a second-rate world, a world that had lost its way. The Seelie either felt sorry for Earthens, or criticised them for their inferiority. But not Balak, he always listened in wonder when Dale told him about the technology and the way the world functioned. He wanted to experience it for himself. Is that what he bargained her for? A spot back on Earth?
Dale rubbed at an ache in her neck and felt the cord of leather that held her crystal. She pulled it out and studied it. Wisps of white and lavender clouds filled the crystal. A sad smile bloomed as she remembered how Brutus had given it to her when she’d left Ness’s island. The crystal was filled with raw energy from the Borderlands. And when it ran out, she should feel the pull to return there. Well, that’s how it was supposed to work. She’d never felt the pull to return to Earth before she was re-bonded, so she wasn’t so sure she’d feel the pull to return to the Borderlands now. Only time would tell.
She rolled the crystal between her fingers. She had to try something. The sorcery master had taught them many times how to make a portal. Not that she’d ever done it successfully.
But she had to try.
She needed three elements in good proportion. Glancing around the tiny cell, she spotted the sink – water would be one. She rushed to put the plug in and turn the tap, filling the sink. Air was a given. But she needed one more. She couldn’t make a fire, and there was no earth in this sterile environment. That left her aether. But to draw aether out of the environment required entering another plane of existence. And that meant using magic. If she were to draw the aether out of a plane here on Earth, there’d be little doubt Ricardo and Natalia would detect it.
She pursed her lips and paced back and forth trying to think of a solution. Her fingers twirled the crystal as she thought, and the warmth of it proved a small comfort. She froze and looked down at it.
“Of course,” she whispered.
Dale rushed to the water basin. She slowed her breathing and cleared her mind. Her pulse calmed. After a moment, the familiar sensation of emptiness took her. She needed to make an entry point first. Accomplished sorcerers could make a portal easily enough. But for beginners, a focal point like a door or a gate would help. She focussed, imagining a gate. A wooden gate similar to the one she liked in the palace gardens, the one that led to the vegetable patch. She opened her eyes and smiled when she saw the gate standing there in the middle of the cell. She reached out and touched its rough wood. Solid as the real thing. She’d done it! But she couldn’t let her excitement break her focus.
She stilled her breath and imagined where the gate would lead to on the other side. Back to the Borderlands. Back to Arcadia.
Then she said the words, drawing on the three elements, hoping her magic would work this time. “Aperiesque ostium.”
But no mist appeared. Dale frowned and repeated the phrase.
Still nothing happened, and the gate began to shimmer, before disappearing altogether. Once again, her magic hand’t worked. She slumped on the bed, suddenly feeling the heavy weight of exhaustion and failure all wrapped up.
She was trapped.
15
When Dale woke, the fluorescent light of the cell was still humming. Its sterile glare hurt her eyes and she rubbed them.
Will they never switch it off?
She’d had another dream about Ness. This time, when she looked through Ness’s eyes, she could just make out black bars, and a sink in the corner with a bed to the side. A cell identical to Dale’s, but cast in darkness.
Ness was somewhere in this very building.
Dale sat up, trying to find a clue as to where she was and the time of day. She'd viewed the world outside when she'd arrived through the portal with Balak. That was up in some mountains somewhere. There’d been snow. But even in summer, such high alps would have snowcaps.
Perhaps they were in Glasgow now?
She had no way of knowing anything at all. She got up off the bed with a sigh and paced. After only four short steps, she spun around. She was like a caged animal. Would she eventually go mad as animals in captivity did? If only she was free.
Dale froze.
“The free spirits,” she whispered. She lifted her chin, looked to the barred door and took a deep breath.
“Esme,” she said, quietly.
The fluorescent tube seemed to crackle and hum a little louder.
“Esmeralda.” Her voice gave off a faint echo.
“Esme,” she hissed.
The minutes passed with no response from her little sprite. Wherever Dale was, she was trapped well and truly. Not even Esme could be summoned.
As time wore on, Dale resumed pacing. Then she thought of Sa’r Coneril and what he’d do in her situation. Exercise. Trying to keep her body and mind busy she went through familiar routines until her heart raced and blood pumped through her limbs as she worked through a series of manoeuvers she’d been taught in the combat hall. The movements were graceful and mimicked those of a sword fight, similar to the practice of Tai Chi. When Dale finished her routine she washed her face at the sink and then sat in the centre of the cell to meditate. The meditation helped to ease her mind and pass the time, but gave no answers. When she opened her eyes, the cell seemed even smaller than before. Too long in here and Dale’s mind would lose its grip.
A loud clunk reverberated and footsteps echoed in the corridor. Dale stood and readied herself. Someone was coming for her.
A moment later two men appeared. Strangers. They wore blue security uniforms and had guns in their holsters. Dale recognised the one with the short black hair and broad nose immediately. The man Ricardo had ordered to shoot Gareth. She bit her lip, hard. Gareth’s murderer now stood outside the cell, and he was opening the door.
She took a shaky breath as she tried not to let fear override her.
He turned the lock and the bars slid open.
“You’re to come with us.” He said, holding up handcuffs.
Dale swallowed. She held her hands out and noticed they were shaking. “Where are you taking me?”
“No questions.” His voice was gruff, just like the voice from that moonlit night – when he’d asked about me.
Perhaps she was to be shot too. Mur
dered. Fed to the river, just like Gareth.
Once she was cuffed, the man spoke again. “Follow me, and don’t try anything.”
He walked ahead and the other guard trailed her. Dale raised her cuffed hands and patted the lump near the collar of her shirt. The crystal’s warmth was tangible, even through the folds of her clothes. She wished she could try something. But even if by some miracle her magic did work, the man knew how to work his gun, and wasn’t afraid to use it.
They took an elevator that ascended a fair way up, maybe twenty floors even. The two security guards remained silent the entire time.
Finally, the doors opened and Dale was led down another corridor. But windows lined it and she caught glimpses of a city lit under a night sky. The guards kept a brisk pace. It was impossible to look long enough to confirm if she was back in Glasgow or somewhere else entirely.
At the end of the corridor, they came to a large wooden double door with an electric panel to one side. The guard pushed some buttons on the keypad and the doors opened. They escorted her into some kind of foyer, then Dale was led down another corridor. They stopped at one of the handful of doors and opened it, telling Dale to go inside.
Dale stepped through and the door shut behind her. She turned as the lock clicked. Alone again, but this looked more comfortable than the cell at least. She walked the short hallway, into a large room with modern luxuries – two sofas with cushions, a faux fireplace, and rugs on the floor, paintings on the wall, a television, a large window with drawn curtains.
Past the living room, a dining area filled a snug space on the other side, and then a kitchen came into view beyond. She moved back through the hallway and opened the doors to find a bathroom and a large bedroom with a double bed and a closet full of clothes.
She heard the door to the apartment open and returned to the hallway. Ricardo stood in the living area. He’d changed into his usual black shirt and trousers. The cloak was gone, but his hair remained slicked back, and his eyes as intense as the hawk, his hysbryd.
