by B. T. Narro
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Hoping to avoid Penny, Basen separated from Effie and Alex after the announcement at Redfield and went to his campus house. It was his home until this was over and he could reunite with his father. The news of Henry leading the rebellion against Tauwin made his chest swell with pride, yet it didn’t compare to simply finding out his father was alive. Basen hadn’t realized how worried he was until the news came and a crash of relief had filled his body as he found himself holding back tears.
There was still more to worry about, however, such as his immediate plan to use the akorell stone to create a portal. He, Alex, and Effie would wait until night was fully upon them and most were asleep. Terren’s meeting with the instructors after the announcement obviated the option of speaking to him and Jack Rose about joining them, and Effie convinced Basen and Alex it wasn’t necessary anyway after she made a few choice insults about their cowardice.
The plan was simple. They would meet at the training area of the Group One classroom. There, they would stand where no one could see them without coming around the walls and into the area. Basen would practice opening portals and eventually use the energy of the akorell stone to open a large one. Hopefully they could find some way to conclude where it led without going into it.
Basen would feel more comfortable if he, like Effie, believed there wasn’t someone out there who could feel portals opening. What made him even more nervous was that he had no practice resisting psyche, like she and Alex did. Judging by their conversations about it, however, it seemed that Alex had far more talent for it than Effie.
He could hear someone shuffling around in his room when he came home.
“Annah?”
“No, it’s me.” Alabell stepped into view and leaned against his doorway, a lamp dangling in her hand. “Sanya took me to Cleve’s house so I could be reintroduced. I hadn’t formally met many of them. It was a surprise to find Annah there after what Sanya told me about her. But she seemed friendly. I wonder if Sanya should give her another chance, like you did.”
Basen gladly joined Alabell in his room. He sat on his bed and hoped she would sit beside him. “Annah gave you her key?”
“Just so I could speak with you. I’m to return it afterward.”
“Is there something wrong?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to talk to you about something.” She paced in front of him instead of sitting. “I haven’t mentioned the akorell stone to anyone except Sanya, but that’s only because she saw you trying to give it back to me. When you left, all I told her was that I took it from the castle during the attack because I was already in the room where it was kept. I mentioned nothing about your request to check on it, and I haven’t said a word about your portals.”
“Thank you?” Basen didn’t understand what she was getting at.
“So was I right to withhold this information from her? It makes me feel dirty. She’s been a great friend, and I trust her.”
“There are many people I trust who I haven’t told about the portals or the stone. For now, I think it’s best if we keep the information contained.”
Alabell’s frown showed she didn’t like this suggestion. “Well, I started asking her about her father’s akorell stone. She told me she thinks he took it with him, but she doesn’t know where he went before he was found dead in Trentyre. Someone might’ve taken it from his corpse if it was still on him. I just thought you should know in case you plan to use yours today. It might open a portal wherever one of the other two stones are.”
“So you’re calling the stone mine now? It’s yours, Alabell.”
“I have no use for it. I want you to have it.”
He stood. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“Thank you.” Basen had never received a gift as valuable. He thought to offer a hug, but Alabell didn’t seem interested as she glanced around his room.
“Where is it? I was looking for it while you were away. You’ve done a fine job hiding it.”
“It’s in Effie’s room for now. We’re waiting for everyone to fall asleep, then we’re going to use it to create a portal for practice.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes, because my mage instructor has ordered me to hand it over to her. I won’t before seeing what I can do with it.”
“Where? And who’s coming with you?”
Basen pressed his lips together. “Out of all of my friends, Alabell, I have to keep you the farthest from this. You’ve done nothing but help me, and you’ve already been through so much. I can’t let anything else happen to you. If you know anything, it might be used against you.”
She considered his words for a long moment. “You think whoever is out there could really be that dangerous?”
“I do.”
She glanced down the hall—toward Nick's room. “Have you figured out what this person might want?”
“I’m fairly certain it’s to have no more portals opened.”
She chuckled. “I mean have you figured out why? What did Jack Rose say?”
Basen sighed. “I only had the chance to speak with him once so far, and we didn’t get into the theory of how energy is related to portals or how someone might detect them. I’ll speak with him again tomorrow. This time I’ll have more information to bring to him depending on what we find on the other side of the portal.”
“I would like to be there, Basen. I know you think it’s dangerous, and you might be right, but I know more about portals and the akorell stone than you do. I should be able to help.”
He shook his head, letting his regret show. “The more people who come with us, the more likely we’ll be seen or heard. I want to ensure that if someone finds us, they do so because they could feel the opening of a portal. Then we’ll have found the murderer.”
“And you’re worried about me,” she realized.
“Yes. This feels too inauspicious. I haven’t made a portal since the night Nick died. If nothing happens tonight, I’ll feel much better about the idea of showing you the spell next time.”
“That’s fair.” She finally sat down beside him. The brush of her shoulder against his stirred something in his chest. “The news about your father couldn’t have been better. I haven’t known you long, but that was the most excited I’ve seen you, when you jumped up at the stadium.”
“I didn’t realize how much I missed him until then.”
“You saw him every moment of every day for months. You can’t miss someone until you’re separated.”
He lightened his tone. “So that’s why I miss you so frequently; we spend too much time apart. We should change that.” He gave her a half grin.
She patted his hand. “I’m afraid my company isn’t worth much these days while I’m grieving. I can’t think about anything else but that one evening over and over, the attack on the castle, my great-uncle’s body on the floor, my mother—” Her words got caught as her features collapsed in sorrow.
He quickly brought his arm around her.
“See what I mean?” She half sobbed, half chuckled as she rested her head on his shoulder. “Not very good company.”
He held her firmly but gently, giving her the silence she seemed to want.
“I’m not ready for another war,” she eventually said, her voice regaining some of its usual fortitude. “I wasn’t even ready for the first war.”
“I don’t feel ready, either.”
She straightened and gazed into his eyes. Her crying had ceased. “Why don’t you seem scared?”
He reluctantly let his arm drop. “I am worried.”
“No. Scared. Like the rest of us.”
“I don’t know. Maybe something’s wrong with me,” he quipped.
She laughed and put her head back on his shoulder. “If so, I wish the same thing was wrong with me.”
His arm naturally came to hold her once again. “I just wish I had more time to learn everything I want to. Without the risk of being murdered.”
They sat together in silence, Basen enjoying her proximity. He offered his free hand, and she slid her fingers into it. He let go of his worries as he focused on the feeling of her touch.
It was soothing to be overwhelmed by someone so gentle and beautiful, so sweet and caring. Alabell was the balance his body craved after everything he’d endured.
After blissful minutes went by, Basen couldn’t delay any longer. “I must be going,” he said as he let go of her and started toward the door.
“Thank you.” She took in a long breath. “I needed that.”
He smiled. “So did I.”
She took a long look at his face, as if memorizing every detail. “Be careful.”
He did the same with hers, drinking in her warm brown eyes and tender lips. “I will.”
The impulse to feel her lips against his stopped him from moving. She tilted her head and wore a look as if she knew what he was thinking.
He walked toward her. She stood and reached out for his face as he came close. Their lips came together, intense at first, then softly as they parted.
*****
Basen seemed to be the first one there and took the opportunity to explore every possible hiding place in and around the training area and the adjacent classroom. Just to ensure no one could climb the wall, he set down the sheath with the metal sword his father had recommended he purchase and tried his footing. It only took a moment to realize no one could climb it, though there might be some men who could jump and grab onto the ten-foot apex and pull themselves up. He gave it an attempt just to see how far his hand was from the top. It was a good foot below.
The sound of Effie’s laughter turned him around. “What are you doing?” she asked. Alex was at her side.
“Keep your voice down,” Basen reminded her. “We don’t want anyone hearing us. If someone comes by, we want to know it’s the murderer.”
She rolled her eyes “Were you seeing if someone could jump high enough to reach the top?”
“I was. Can Cleve?” Basen asked them.
Alex answered, “Maybe with enough bastial energy boosting his legs.”
“Warriors use bastial energy?” Basen had never heard such a thing, meaning it was unlikely that Tenred’s warriors could do it.
“Only the most talented ones. BE is part of why he can finish three laps around the field before anyone else, even at his size.”
“So meditation and casting portals aren’t the only things I should be learning.”
Effie let out an exaggerated shush. “Better keep our voices down,” she whispered with a smile. “Can’t let anyone but the portal sniffing murderer find us.”
Basen gave no reply toward her lack of caution as he put on his belt and drew his sword for a practice swing. “You both brought your weapons?”
Alex drew his sword while Effie took out her black wand and the akorell bracelet, still enclosed in the block of sartious energy, from her pocket. With a brush of her wand, the green energy broke into dust, leaving just the bracelet. It brightened the entire training area.
Basen carefully picked it up by one corner and tied it onto his wrist. The potential power of the stone abated his dread as he mentally readied himself to make a portal. “I’m not going to use the extra energy from the akorell stone yet,” he explained.
“I was just about to warn you not to,” Alex agreed.
“So I’m the only one who doesn’t want to wait?” Effie asked.
“It isn’t prudent to start with a burst of energy that’ll take more than a day to recoup,” Basen said. “Not when I can make a mistake.”
“I’m not talking about prudence. I’m talking about excitement. But fine, start with a normal portal.”
Alex shushed her playfully, but then she shushed him right back, going to her toes to stick her face close to his.
He laughed as he pulled her finger away from her lips and gave her a quick kiss. Basen, meanwhile, gathered the necessary cluster of bastial energy.
“Get ready,” he warned them.
Effie crouched and collected sand in her fist.
Basen let the energy disperse. “What are you doing?”
“What else could you mean by ‘get ready’? I was going to throw something through the portal to see if it works.”
At first, it seemed like a terrible idea. But the more Basen thought about it, the more he realized she was right. He gathered the energy once again, then felt for the familiar heaviness. He squeezed his mind into it at the center of the bastial energy, a feeling like prying into hardened mud. It began to crack, allowing him deeper within it and giving him a better grasp. Once he had enough leverage, he ripped open a black sphere.
Nothing could be seen within it. Basen held it steady as he raised his head to look down from above, finding utter blackness.
“It’s the Tenred oven,” he grunted out through the strain of holding the portal open. “No one should be in the kitchen at this time.”
Effie hurled sand at the sphere. The grains went in and did not come out.
“Shit, Basen!” Alex whispered, barely containing his excitement. “It really is a damn portal!”
Basen could feel the destination of the portal in his mind. It was like falling into a memory. He tried to change it to the training center in Oakshen, but his mind was locked on the oven. It felt as if he were trapped in a dream, the kind where he realized he was in fact dreaming yet still couldn’t escape.
He tested a footstep. Yes, he could move. He just didn’t have the power to alter the portal or move it once it was open.
He couldn’t hold it open any longer, so he let go. It had been about the size of his fist when it closed in on itself, and he wasn’t sure he could make it much bigger without the akorell stone. While he regained his breath, he explained what he’d tried.
“See if you can make the portal lead to the training center in Oakshen now,” Alex said, then shook his fist. “This is unbelievable. A real portal mage. You’re going to be a legend.”
Effie grabbed their shirts. “We must be included in the history of this moment. The mage and warrior who helped Basen discover it.” She lifted her palm poetically. “And then Effie Elegin cast the first grains of sand through the portal, proving its existence. Basen and Alex turned to her and bowed, acknowledging that without her brilliance, none of this could’ve happened.”
Alex raised his hand in mimicry. “And then Alex told Effie to—” He spun and shushed her.
She flicked his finger away from his lips so that it came back and smacked him in the face.
Basen let them have their fun as he got ready for the next portal. This time he imagined himself back in Worender Training Center as he created it.
The portal was black, but with streaks of light within the sphere.
“The training center’s closed,” Alex said, “but there must be some light coming in from windows of shops nearby.”
“I want to stick my finger into it,” Effie said, “but I know it’s a bad idea.” Basen noticed her looking around for something to use instead. “Should’ve brought a damn stick. I’m not putting my expensive wand in there.”
“Can you make it any bigger?” Alex asked.
Basen heaved, feeling the strain in his mind while it burned in his chest. The sphere went from the size of his fist to the size of one hand wrapped around his fist. He couldn’t hold it for longer than a breath, though, and exhaled sharply as it collapsed and disappeared.
Alex clasped his back. “I don’t know how you’re doing this, but it’s amazing.”
“Thank you. I’m going to try to make a portal that leads to another one about ten yards from here,” Basen said.
He was too eager to let himself fully recover. It took a few moments to get his mind wrapped around the idea. He pictured himself standing at a mirror ten yards away, so that as he made one portal in front of his wand, another would appear ahead of him where the imaginary mirror stood.
He gathered the bastial energy, then qu
ickly pulled open the portal.
“Bastial hell!” Effie exclaimed, and Alex quickly shushed her.
Basen leaned to the side to see that two black spheres had been created, both with images of the sand, the walls, and the starry sky.
Suddenly, something flew out of the one near him. It struck him in the face as he shrieked and tumbled backward, swiping at his cheeks and forehead to get it off him. Effie’s laughter made him stop and realize it was just sand.
“God’s mercy, Effie! I thought bugs from another world were attacking me!”
She snickered as she hopped over and threw her arms around him in an apologetic hug. “I couldn’t resist! We had to test if it would work, anyway.”
“Effie!” Alex chided with a smile.
“I know, shhhhh!”
Basen pushed down his palms to seriously request quiet. The three of them listened for any sounds, but the night was dead quiet as it should be around the classrooms at this time.
They walked over and sat together with the training dummies behind them, Basen catching his breath while Effie and Alex held hands.
After a long silence, Effie finally spoke. “I’ve seen many amazing things. The underground Slugari colony, giant Dajriks fighting each other, the chasm of the Fjallejon Mountains, but none compares to this—something so small. You must practice, Basen. This is an incredible skill.”
“There’s one problem with that.”
She fluttered her hand. “I know, you think someone can tell when you make them and wants you dead for it. But we’ve been out here a while now and there’s no one.” She pushed herself up. “See if you can make a portal into the castle in Kyrro City! Imagine if we could get to Tauwin.”
He got up and attempted to make one leading into Alabell’s former quarters, for it was the room he could remember the best. It wouldn’t work. He could feel the heavy energy there in front of him, but it wouldn’t open no matter how hard he tried.
“It needs to be somewhere where bastial energy has been pulled in on itself many times, somewhere mages have practiced in the past.”
