by Pamita Rao
“I do not understand your message,” she said. “How do you know so much about the pendant?”
The man smiled. “It is a long story, and you are in a hurry. Suffice to say that it will protect you from evil.” His eyes darted to Neelahaim and back to her. “I wish for your sake that you never need to seek protection from one of your own.”
Alaira understood his meaning. After seeing Neelahaim’s powers, she was starting to believe what Creed had said about Neelahaim. She watched the fear in Neelahaim’s eyes and shook her head. She could not allow Creed to change her mind. Neelahaim was only a little child, scared of what he had done. Neelahaim used his powers only to save her life, then why would she require protection from him?
Their boat shook in the rough seas, almost throwing them out. The man immediately lifted his hands, palm facing down to the sea, forcing the waves to calm themselves.
“We must hurry,” he said. “Soon the crust of Myrth will open, and the sea will be filled with fire.”
More trees crashed to the ground, animals scurried in fright, and the forest they had just seen was now ablaze in front of them. She could no longer see her family. Elora and Horace had disappeared from sight. Were they alive? Had they escaped? She had not seen Freddic and wondered if he was still stuck in the maze. Freddic had risked everything for her, and she had not saved him from the maze. Please protect him, she prayed to the gods above.
Alaira heard a soft sob, and she bent to wipe the tears that ran down Neelahaim’s cheeks. Neelahaim had never seen death before. Even when cattle died in Freddic’s farm, Alaira and Horace never allowed Neelahaim to watch the procession Freddic’s family had for dead animals. Now, she watched helplessly as animals burned alive in front of them.
“You must remember that this was not your fault. You were only trying to protect me.” She embraced him in a hug and tried to soothe him, but he continued to cry. He was terrified, but so was she. Would they escape from Myrth before it burst to pieces?
All her life she been a warrior, a trickster, to get her way, but at this moment, she was at a loss. Sailing through the sea, with fireballs forming in the sky, burning the air they breathed, she had no more tricks that could save them.
Golden flames erupted in the sky and crackled. These flames attracted other flames, forming giant balls of fire, which descended in various directions, some directed towards them. One crashed into the sea and hissed as it touched the cool waters.
“What is happening?” she asked as their boat shook. Alaira watched in horror as a fireball pelted towards them. It hit near their boat, which almost toppled. The man held onto the boat, and Alaira held onto the sides, grasping Neelahaim.
“Hold on tight,” she told Neelahaim. The boat swayed as more fireballs seared through the skies in the direction of the sea. The boat was nearing the shores, and soon they would be free. The thought alone kept her from screaming every time her body was thrown against the sharp wooden edges of the boat. Gods have mercy, she prayed as one of the fireballs headed towards them.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Gates of Heaven
The ball of fire aimed itself at them, and just before it hit them, Neelahaim screamed. His voice echoed in her ears, and the entire place froze. The waves in the sea, the movement of the boat, everything around her stood still. The fireball hung in air while an enchantment surrounded their entire boat, shielding them.
She touched Neelahaim’s skin and gently rubbed his arm, calming him. As he calmed, the freeze lifted and the fireball hit the shield and shattered. Alaira looked into the eyes of her nephew and kissed his forehead that still burnt with the heat of his power. He was gaining more powers, and she did not have the strength or the skills to stop it from happening.
“We are reaching the shore,” said the man as the fog in front of them lifted and several snow covered mountains emerged. It was as if glittering white stones covered the mountain, which towered over them like giants. Alaira felt herself grow an inch smaller under their enormity. The mountains seemed to grow in size as they neared the shore. The boat shook as it hit the rocks, and Alaira jumped out, lifting Neelahaim into her arms.
“Are you coming with us?” she asked the man.
He shook his head. “I spent many centuries as an immortal, a face in the sea, protecting the gates of heaven, but now, because of your nephew, I will finally have a chance to die. Farewell, Alaira, and remember, when the day arrives to make a choice, do what is best for everyone.” He glanced at Neelahaim and then smiled at her and left, back into the sea, rowing his boat towards a ferocious wave heading his way.
Alaira stood frozen to the ground. He had asked her to make a choice when the day arrived, but how could she harm her own nephew, even if he turned evil some day? Such thoughts had never occurred to her before, but today, she had seen with her own eyes what Neelahaim had done. He could be capable of more. What would happen when he finally grew into his powers?
If what Creed said was true and Neelahaim turned evil, then would she be able to lift a sword to his neck? Alaira shook her head. It was not possible. She would never harm her nephew; she loved him as a mother would her own son. She cared for him, and she would protect him until her dying breath, just as she had promised Elora.
Alaira trudged up the snow-capped mountains, even though her feet and back ached from carrying Neelahaim. Gust of cold wind blew in her face, and she closed her eyes, avoiding hail that pelted upon her.
The creases on Neelahaim’s forehead relaxed, and he raised his head to look ahead. “There is snow.”
Alaira nodded. “Yes, my dear. Now we must find the gates of heaven,” she said, uncertain with her own self at finding it. In front of her, as far as her eyes could see, the land was filled with snow-capped mountains. They could not travel such a vast distance themselves. She had not forgotten what Groel, the older troll, had said to her. The gate will show itself to you.
Maybe we must keep walking through this snow until they finds us, she thought.
Her feet sunk in soft snow and cold seeped into her body. She shivered as a chill crept up her legs, and she turned to see her land, her home, burning under the flames. She thought of all the innocent families whose lives were in danger, and she could not do anything for them. The old Alaira would have gone back to save as many as she could, but it was too late.
“We will reach the gate soon,” she said, trying to soothe Neelahaim without realizing she was trying to soothe herself. The snow-capped mountains shook and rumbled.
Alaira plodded through the snow, starting her slow ascent up the first mountain. The great glaciers were intimidating in their height. How are we going to climb this? she wondered. Her legs were slowly losing life, and her arms were becoming numb. She wanted to stop. She wanted to rest, but fire from the skies above showered onto the mountains, crashing into the snow, melting the ice into steam. If they were not careful, the heat could burn them both.
“Are you all right?” she asked Neelahaim, running a hand through his hair.
Neelahaim lifted his eyes to meet hers, and she instantly felt a pain in her chest. He was tired, hungry, and scared, but he bravely nodded.
Another fireball steamed as it hit a snow-covered area near them and she jumped. If they stayed here, they would surely die. They had to find a way to the gates of heaven. Surely, they could see them. Father had said that the gate on Myrth could sense them and would allow them to pass. If so, where was the gate and why could it not see them?
As Alaira tried to think of a way to make their journey easier, her eyes fell onto the wand nestled between Neelahaim’s hands. Why had she not thought of this before? She placed a hand over the wand and turned to Neelahaim. “Ask the wand to take us to the gate,” she said. This was their only chance to escape. If Neelahaim could not find the power within him to take them to the gate, then they would die along with the others on Myrth. She held Neelahaim’s hand as she had done before, and they plunged the wand into the snow together.
&nbs
p; A rumble went through the ground below their feet, and the mountain shook. Alaira clutched Neelahaim as they fell and rolled down the path she had just climbed as the ground beneath them gave way. Snow moved apart, creating a pit, and it pulled them along with it into the opening. As the pit’s size increased, Alaira felt her grip loosen, and Neelahaim slid further away from her.
“No!” she screamed as she watched in horror as his little head disappeared into the pit, his tears and his screams engulfed by the hole beneath. She called out his name as the snow dragged her in the same direction. “Neelahaim!” she screamed, but the pit pulled her with a force, engulfing her in darkness.
She did not know how long she fell into the dark pit, but her thoughts never left Neelahaim. He would be scared, alone, screaming out to her, and she could not hold him, protect him. If anything happened to him, then she would stay back in Myrth to die.
Alaira drifted in and out of sleep, dreams about her past playing a game of hide and seek with her. In her dreams, she saw her mother making her famous stew. Horace gurgled in the cradle, his legs lifted, his toes in his mouth. Elora smiled and tickled him on his tummy; she giggled when he tried to move away from her. She looked so beautiful. Her plaits were tied tight with no hair out of place. Her face shone under the sun’s glare that fell on the steps where she sat.
Alaira saw herself trying to catch a ball that her father threw towards her. She cried when the ball fell into a pool of muddy water. He came running towards her, lifted her in his strong arms, and twirled her. His hands were warm, protective, and soon her cries turned to gleeful screams.
“Father, put me down!” she laughed as he gently put her back on her feet. Her gown, sewn by her mother, was crisp and elegant.
Elora clasped her hand. “He smiled at me, Mother!” she said, jumping to her feet. Father and Mother rushed to Horace and watched in amazement as he did it again. His lips lifted in a soft smile, and that glimpse was all they needed to burst out into cheers.
Little Alaira seemed happy. She peeked inside the cradle to find Horace smiling. Father ran a finger over Horace’s bald head, making funny faces, while Mother brought out a tray of snacks and trailed a hand over Alaira’s hair as they all sat down on the floor. Alaira looked from one to the other. They were happy, in that moment, with each other. That was life. That was what she would hold onto.
“Khala, wake up!”
As her dream broke, her eyes opened, and she saw Neelahaim crouched beside her. Suddenly, the memory of the last few moments came rushing back to her.
“My child! Are you hurt?” She pulled Neelahaim towards her and searched for any marks on him.
“I am fine,” he said.
A warm glow flickered at the end of the tunnel they were in, and Alaira strained her neck to see where they were. It must be a cave, she thought to herself, her shadow dissolving into the surrounding darkness. She pushed herself to her feet and clutched Neelahaim’s hands as they walked towards the light.
“I am scared,” said Neelahaim.
“I am here; there is no need to worry.”
Drawings of many creatures she had never seen filled the walls of the cave. These creatures had large wings and they breathed fire. One of the drawings showed a man fighting these creatures. Father had mentioned dangerous creatures killing many beings in Myrth. Could these drawings be of the battle that Balthasar had won, after which they had sealed the enchanted forest?
She trailed her hands over a few drawings that were embossed with ancient scriptures, with drawings of men and women, wearing ornate clothes with gold and silver. Their faces were not clear, but their bodies emitted a strong glow. Who drew these? She touched the inscriptions on the walls. Who were they? she thought, moving towards the light.
Their shadows played tricks on the wall, and Neelahaim clutched Alaira with a tight grip.
“They are just shadows,” she said, trying to soothe him, but he yelped at a small sound and clutched her legs. The warmth from the stones beneath her feet seeped into her legs as she crouched to carry Neelahaim, hefting him onto her shoulders. The wand seemed to have brought them into a cave, but Alaira wondered if they were lost.
As they walked, the only source of light flickered and died. She draped her hand to cover Neelahaim. It was difficult enough to see; now it would be almost impossible. Her breathing became heavy. She tried to stay calm for his sake. There had to be light somewhere. She had taken a few wobbly steps when something metallic hit her legs. She squatted to touch the thing that hit her and felt the edges curve.
“A lantern!” she said, picking it up and examining it. Who left it here? She could smell oil within it. Surely, someone must have left it here not long ago, she thought. Now all she had to do was find a light and she could set it ablaze. Before she could say anything, a flurry of wind blew past her, lighting the lantern. She jumped and moved away.
“Who is it?” she asked, her voice echoing in the cave, but only silence greeted her. It must be a trick, she thought. The dim fire from the lantern cast a warm glow on the walls, and she squinted, holding the lantern in front of her as she walked through the cave, her feet wobbling on the uneven surfaces.
She did not know how long they ambled in the cave, but her pace slowed, sweat dripped off her forehead, and her breath became heavy. The lantern’s light dimmed, and Alaira panicked. Where was the exit to this cave? Would they be stuck in here forever? The tunnel in the cave dragged on, and Alaira had almost given up, deciding to turn back, when a noise caught her attention. It sounded like someone sweeping the floor. The noise came from a tunnel they had skipped and she retraced her steps, entering the tunnel to follow the noise.
Her eyes went wide. The small tunnel expanded into a wide hall. In the center were seven seats of stone, arranged in a semicircle. On the other half of the semicircle were stairs leading to a larger stone. The arrangement resembled a stage in Nimah where villagers made announcements. The seats were marked with a symbol of a circle within a triangle, and a chalice rocked on the floor, as if someone had only just left it there. Alaira picked up the chalice. Someone must have been here before us. She walked through the empty room, examining the walls. What was this place? Who sat on these seats? Why was there a stage in the cave?
Alaira walked up the stairs, and similar symbols appeared, carved onto the center of the stage. She stood on top of it and carried Neelahaim, who was now tired of walking. Just as she roamed onto the stage, the air around her shifted, gushing around them. The spot where she and Neelahaim stood radiated with a million hues and the rays lit up the entire cave. She held onto Neelahaim’s hand and pulled him away as a door appeared on the very spot they had stood. The bright colors swirled and reshaped on the spot of the triangle and formed an opening. Alaira raised her eyes in amazement as it emitted a bright glow. She had never seen anything like that.
Alaira’s heart raced. This had to be the gates of heaven. They was showing themselves to them.
She peered through the opening and found nothing but more brightness. She extended her hand to touch it and felt nothing but air. Following Alaira’s gesture, Neelahaim reached out to touch it, and his hand disappeared. He sucked in a breath and pulled his hand back to safety, rubbing and checking to make sure it was still there. She stepped away. They had come this far, and now the gate had opened for her and Neelahaim, but she hesitated. Father had warned her that the gate would decide which realm they would reach and she would have no choice. What would she do if the other realm was more dangerous than Myrth?
Cold seeped into her hand from the metallic surface of the chalice. Alaira threw it into the opening, and it went through the opening with ease and vanished. She paused. Maybe the world on the other side would not be so bad after all. Stepping into the unknown was difficult, but she had always been fearless, and the last few days had taught her how uncertain life was. The ground beneath her vibrated, and Alaira fell forward with force, her knee grazing against a stone. She squeezed her eyes as pain seared throug
h her leg. She pulled Neelahaim as the ground cracked around them. Dust fluttered and settled on her shoulders. Alaira watched in horror as rocks separated from their grooves on the ceiling and crashed near them. They jumped as cracks beneath them expanded. Hot lava sputtered out of the cracks and sizzled, melting the stone seats perched on it.
She had never thought even in her dreams that she would want to escape from her own land. If it were any other day, she would have gladly given her life, for the beings of Myrth, but she had promised Elora she would protect Neelahaim.
She took a deep breath. “Hold on tight,” she said, clutching Neelahaim to her chest, tightening her grip around his waist. She calmed her mind as she took her final breath on Myrth. Images formed of her father with his pipe, the puff of smoke that surrounded him. Her mother’s smile. Elora twirling in the rain. Horace, still a baby. They were her life, and they had given up everything for Alaira and Neelahaim to survive. Someday we will be reunited. We will meet again, I promise. Until then, rest in peace.
She opened her eyes and put her first foot through the gate. It disappeared behind the glow. She was just about to lift her other foot and jump into the opening when heat grew within the cave. Walls had started to melt, and the cave cracked, rocks falling around her. As the split in the ground beneath her feet expanded and the cracking stone fell into a deep abyss, Alaira lifted her other foot and jumped. An empty abyss swallowed the entire ground beneath, and the walls caved in, filling the entire cave with rocks and dust. Hot lava surfaced, burning everything around the cave, and engulfed everything within it.
The gate closed behind her, protecting them from the heat, but she had been hurt, her mind numbed, and Neelahaim slipped from her arms. She felt herself being pulled into the heart of the brightness that surrounded them. She tried to open her eyes, tried to grasp Neelahaim, but she was blinded and felt nothing but air.