Portals

by Wilson, Maer

  “Why thank you, Aela. That’s very kind of you to say.” I looked around at the others. “But what do you think it means? Is it connected to the whole portal-Earth-traveling-through-space thing, do you think?”

  “I think so. Yes. What I am wondering is if all humans are going to be affected or just those who had some sort of ability before? I think this is going to be a fascinating time for your people.” She was quite pleased.

  I realized the portal had shut and started to say something. But another was forming in its place. I pointed and the others turned to watch the new portal forming in place of the old one. It took only seconds for the portal to get to full size and Jones to step forth. He was frowning as he looked around the room and Keiron followed after him. Jones waited until the fairy had cleared the portal before closing it.

  Jones moved farther into the room, but the rest of us were focused on the area where the portal had been. Jones turned to see what we were looking at and seeing nothing he looked at the rest of us.

  “I admit that was slightly odd. Twice I tried to open the portal before it formed. But why are you all so strange?”

  We focused on Jones for a moment, before transferring our attention to Thulu by unspoken agreement. Thulu rolled his eyes and explained what had been going on during the time Jones had been gone. He told him how our abilities were quickly becoming enhanced and about the portals randomly forming.

  “What is curious is that when another portal opens, it appears to close the one before it,” he finished.

  Jones helped himself to a cup of coffee, before sitting in an easy chair. He listened carefully to Thulu’s explanation.

  “Fascinating,” he said. “That is quite an interesting development. I suspected your abilities might blossom, but perhaps not quite so fast.”

  “Why did you think that?”

  “Why didn’t you tell us?” I asked at the same time as Thulu.

  “To answer Thulu, it is quite simple to see that your gifts have become stronger just in a few days. And I did not tell you because I was not expecting the changes to be very dramatic. This is intriguing, and we should continue to monitor you.”

  I scowled at his choice of words, but Jones ignored me and went on, “I, too have interesting news.” He crossed one leg over the other and set his cup on the table next to him.

  “It’s been discovered that Satorah was indeed working with the mutated daemons, as we suspected. Fortunately, it is a relatively new development. Perhaps only as short a time as a few months. They have stayed very low-key, though. Something for which we can all be thankful. Satorah intended to use them to lead a human army against the Light Ones.” He sighed.

  “Well, the two mutated daemons left police custody right about the time you left for Phaete, Jones.” I looked at him steadily.

  He nodded. “That fits in with what we have discovered.”

  We looked at him blankly.

  “She had a plan all worked out, but we are certain others were involved as well. My brother has begun an investigation on Phaete to see how many are involved. They will be discovered now that we know what to look for. The two mutated daemons stayed where they were to keep my attention focused on them. They served as a diversion of sorts. Once I left for Phaete, they had no reason to remain in police custody. We shall find them, however. Never fear about that.” He gazed to the area where he usually created portals. He changed the topic, momentarily dismissing other daemons - mutated and not.

  “So the portals that opened tonight were in the same locations as the previous ones?”

  “As far as we can tell.” I shrugged. “But who knows really? The elves?”

  Jones nodded. “Indeed. They are probably meeting with your leaders again and trying to keep things calm.”

  “The TV was pretty blasé about it,” Thulu said. “Kinda like it was all routine and no big deal.”

  “That is a good thing.”

  “They aren’t after you because of what you did thousands of years ago, Jones,” I said. I had everyone’s attention. “They’re after you because you killed Satorah. They’ve lost one of their leaders.”

  Jones nodded. “That is entirely possible.”

  “Are you sure they haven’t infiltrated Phaete?” asked Lassiter.

  “Yes -” he started to answer, before stopping. It was a few moments before he began again and his tone was thoughtful and, for one of the few times I’d ever heard, uncertain. “So easy to assume that, is it not? However, I was equally certain we would be safe on our journey to Neva. The truth is we cannot be sure. The portal is guarded on both sides.” He paused for a brief second. “Could the guard have been subverted or mind-controlled on both sides? The correct answer is that I do not know. I believe they have not appeared on Phaete. I believe my brother’s investigation after Satorah’s attack was thorough. Could a rebel have escaped? A mutated daemon sympathizer? Perhaps, but unlikely. An actual mutated daemon? I do not see how.”

  “Your investigation could cover an entire planet that easily?” Lassiter was impressed.

  Jones smiled. “Yes, detective, magic has its uses. Of course, there are ways to block that as well, but again the blocking tends to be obvious by the blank spaces. It is a bit more reliable than technology.”

  “I thought you said we weren’t magical, Jones?” I asked.

  “You may not be magical, such as we are, but you can certainly detect magic. Perhaps even use magic. Besides, I may need to reassess my previous statement and beliefs.” Jones grinned at me, teeth white against his dark skin.

  “Oh yeah? What exactly does that mean? Please don’t be cryptic, Jones, I’m not quite in the mood for games tonight.” I frowned at him and he chuckled.

  “It appears that many experts in other realms had already come to the conclusion that humans were developing magical skills and have been studying this. I was unaware that so much attention was being devoted to it. However, a race coming into magic for the first time is fascinating for many. It happens very rarely, so obviously attention is focused on Earth just now.”

  “It is possible your abilities are changing fundamentally in addition to being expanded. A popular theory is that some of you appear to be evolving at a very fast rate. This might indicate that the power source may be moving closer to include the laws of magic. Or it may not. There is some controversy off-world about this, and I admit I am not certain. Earth is most assuredly going through some major changes right now and those changes have escalated enormously.

  “I have watched this race evolve and grow, and I have never before seen what is happening now. There have always been a few who had powers, but nothing like the numbers that are being affected in the last century or so. I had assumed the greater populations had something to do with more humans having abilities. It appeared that you were evolving, but I think it is more than that. Natural evolution, perhaps, but even more so, a reaction to the location where this world is moving. The laws of magic are taking their place alongside of the laws of physics. As to how that will affect those with abilities?” He gave an elaborate shrug. “I have no idea, but it should prove interesting to watch.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m so glad we can provide entertainment for you, oh ancient one.”

  Jones gave a hearty and genuine laugh. “Oh, you do, La Fi. There is endless entertainment on your world.”

  We were saved from any further musing by his royal ancientness with the arrival of Aurelia.

  “May I enter, please?” her disembodied voice asked.

  “Of course,” said Thulu.

  Lassiter had been doing very well with all the off-worlders who paraded in and out of our house, but Aurelia struck him speechless. Her tall, majestic beauty was very stunning when one first saw her. Hell, it was stunning any time you saw her, but the first time had to be amazing for Lassiter. His expression said a goddess had just come among us. I wondered if he would throw himself to his knees and declare undying devotion or something.

  I thought h
is reaction was curious and tried to remember if anyone not used to the supernatural had ever met Aurelia or Belus. I didn’t think they had. And Belus and Aurelia were rather glowy and impressive and such, even more so than the other elves I’d seen. Still, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone actually smitten before, but Lassiter certainly was. It made me smile.

  He got control of his face, when Thulu gave him an unobtrusive nudge. He shook off whatever had happened and smiled weakly. Aurelia was gracious as ever and pretended to not notice.

  We quickly introduced her to Lassiter and she held out her hand. Lassiter was momentarily confused as to whether he should shake it or kiss it, but ultimately decided on a shake. I offered Aurelia a seat and something to drink. She accepted the former and declined the drink.

  We took turns filling her in on the portals that had formed here. Aela told her the portals were definitely magical.

  “The thing is that they snapped closed when another portal tried to form. I’m afraid that trying to step through a portal that is closing would kill whoever got caught in it,” I said.

  “Yes, we noticed that, as well. The ones that form spontaneously could indeed damage someone who was going through if they closed on them. However, portals that are deliberately created remain stable, as far as we have been able to see. We have had several of those who create portals brought here and are testing that theory, among others. So far, their portals have always taken precedence over the spontaneous ones.”

  “You have access to spontaneous ones to test?” asked Thulu.

  “Yes, there are some that are out of the public eye and we use those for testing.”

  “If these portals are also magical, then how will we know if a portal is safe to use or not?” Thulu and I had been using Jones’s portal with growing frequency, and I was having second thoughts about ever stepping foot in one again.

  “Simple. Only go through those that you are certain Jones or someone you know has opened. Since those opened on purpose are overriding the spontaneous ones, you will be fine. If we find any instance that contradicts this, we will immediately notify the magical worlds and our friends here on Earth.” Aurelia added the last with a smile.

  “What about the portal going to my dad’s?” Thulu asked.

  “Would you please contact him and ask him if the portal is still there?”

  Thulu made the call and put him on speaker. We waited until Erik said he was in the other room and that the other portal was gone.

  “Please let him know I’m making a new portal.” Jones once again made a portal.

  “I have another portal here now,” said Erik.

  “That’s good, Dad,” said Thulu. “That should be ours.”

  “Hang on a sec,” said Erik. A few moments later the ball I tossed through earlier came rolling through.

  “We got the ball, Dad.”

  Jones closed the portal with a satisfied smile.

  “And now the portal is gone again.” The relief was evident in Erik’s voice, and I felt my own heart release a little. The danger to our family, no matter how small, was putting some pressure on me. Eliminating any potential problems was a step in the right direction.

  “Okay, Dad. Let us know if it opens again, okay?”

  “Will do, son.”

  Jones turned to Aurelia. “There is another development that may interest the elves.” Jones looked at me and Thulu. “Our friends here seem to have developed some additional abilities.”

  “Oh, really?” Aurelia turned to us, interest shining from her eyes.

  “Yes, La Fi’s heretofore unreliable feelings have apparently become more reliable. She is exhibiting telepathic abilities. And Thulu can now hear the dead, where before he could only see them. Reo is doing his show, so we shall have to wait to see if his abilities have also expanded. He already had a wide range, so I am curious what changes might have happened with him. I think we should begin monitoring those on Earth whom we know to have abilities and, if possible, track any changes.”

  “This helps support your theory, Dhavenbahtek. I’m sure you’re quite pleased about that,” Aurelia said with a smile.

  “Supports part of my theory, anyway,” he said ironically. “I may have to rethink some of it.”

  “Well, it certainly lends credence that something is happening on this world and it is not Gabriel or any of the other Light Ones. I’ll pass this development on to Belus and the others for you, if that meets with everyone’s approval?” She looked around expectantly. At least she had asked us.

  Thulu nodded and I shrugged and nodded as well.

  Jones raised an eyebrow as he continued, “Also the mutated daemons who were in custody have apparently decided they did not care for human captivity and have left their cells.”

  “I’ll spread word of this, as well. Mutated daemons loose on any of our worlds is not is good thing,” Aurelia actually sounded disapproving, a tone I hadn’t heard from her before.

  “Is there anything else?” she asked.

  “How are the Light Ones doing?” I asked.

  “About as well as can be expected. Michael has everything under control and there have been no more deaths, but we have sent in empaths.”

  “What about Mihren, Barterian and Sahrok? Is their cluster okay?” asked Thulu.

  “Yes, they are fine. They have been able to adjust better than some of the others and have been helping other clusters, as well as taking in some who have lost their clusters. They should come out of this in a strong position.”

  “If there is nothing else, I shall be off.” She turned a luminescent smile on Lassiter. “Nice meeting you, Detective,” she said before popping out.

  Lassiter was beginning to look dazed. I imagined that if I was becoming overloaded, he must be positively saturated.

  I felt a strange sensation take over my mind and body as I relaxed against Thulu. It was as if a large weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Any thought of danger to my family from the mutated ones no longer bothered me. It was weird because the sensation and the thought behind it were completely unexpected. I had no clue where these feelings were coming from and tried to trace them. I wasn’t successful with that, but I found some other ideas and feelings that were equally intriguing.

  For one thing, I had a strong feeling that while the danger to our family had eased considerabley, the risk to Jones had increased. I had faith in Jones’s fighting abilities. I’d seen him fight first-hand and knew he could hold his own. Still, I felt I should let him know this latest development and felt apologetic as I filled him in. I felt silly telling him he was in danger, but I knew I was right. I also felt a bit guilty that I was relieved the danger was over for me and Thulu.

  Jones took the news with equanimity and watched me thoughtfully, his expression mild.

  I moved abruptly and stood. “I need a drink.”

  Thulu stood and followed me from the room.

  I stood in the kitchen trying to decide what I wanted, while Thulu leaned against a counter.

  “You want to talk?” he asked.

  “Not yet.” I sighed as I decided a screwdriver would be just what I needed.

  I pulled orange juice out of the fridge, but dropped the plastic bottle as a roaring sound blasted through my head. The dull thundering sound drove me to my knees. I felt Thulu’s arms around me, but couldn’t hear him. My hands were over my ears, but, of course, the sound wasn’t from outside. It was inside my head. The same roar I’d heard twice before on Neva, but magnified a hundred times. My vision dimmed, crackling black lightning around the edges. I shut my eyes and curled into a ball, trying to figure out what was happening to me. I wondered if I was having a stroke, but at my age?

  Strong hands pulled at my own and I opened my eyes to see a dim, fractured Jones on one knee in front of me. He didn’t speak, just held my hands firmly in his and stared at me. I realized he was trying to make a connection again.

  I wasn’t fond of having Jones in my head again and shook my head
slightly, but even that small movement made the roar louder, and I quickly stopped. I felt Thulu behind me holding me up in a sitting position, and I leaned into him. Long seconds passed as Jones frowned at me, seemingly unable to break through whatever had taken over my brain.

  There was surprisingly little pain, although the deafening sound was unpleasant. As suddenly as it began, it stopped. I opened my mouth to say I was okay, when another sound rang clearly through my head.

  A voice spoke the daemon language, “Dhavenbahtek has returned?”

  Figures began to form. They seemed human, but I didn’t see any details, only silhouettes. I had the sense these two were connected to the two I’d seen at the jail, but they were not the ones I’d actually viewed.

  I felt another presence and realized Jones had succeeded in joining me. It was growing very crowded inside my head, and I didn’t much care for it.

  A higher-pitched voice said, “Yes, a little while ago. I only caught a glimpse of him before he disappeared into their house. He has warded that place very well, and I cannot penetrate the defenses.”

  “Trabohren, you must keep a careful watch on his movements. We must know what he is -”

  “Stop, Khadentok! He is here, along with the Thulukan woman.”

  I felt a mental shove and my mind went blessedly blank for a few seconds. Jones lingered a moment, but also withdrew. I opened my eyes to see him frowning at me.

  “What the hell was that, Jones?” My voice was shaky. In fact, my whole body was shaky, and I was weak, much like when I’d gotten a bad bout of the flu a few years back. I felt a trickle of sweat snake its way along my hairline.

  Jones gave my hands a final squeeze as he released them. Thulu pulled me up, but my legs were wobbly, and he quickly scooped me up and carried me into the family room, where he deposited me on the sofa and sat next to me, his hand on my forehead.

  Lassiter and Stuart had trailed behind, both with identical expressions of concern. I smiled weakly at them.

  “You’re clammy,” said Thulu.