The Portals of Tartae- the Land With the Two Moons

by Marcia Soligo

  “What are you two thinking? Can you please tell me?” said the woman, getting closer to Olivia and Trevor. Her tone was severe, and her small eyes were filled with concern. “And what are you waiting for? Are you going to be stuck in the middle of the street waiting to be devoured … or worse? Come on now! Hurry!” She wrapped her arms around them and started pushing Olivia and Trevor, leading them in the direction she came from.

  She kept rambling, repeating the same things over and over again: How could they? What were they thinking? What a reckless thing to do! Who would do something like this, on a day like this? Olivia and Trevor only exchanged puzzled looks. They were being pushed around while the woman was still complaining and mumbling.

  “Excuse me, ma’am. Even though you seem very kind, we cannot follow you wherever you’re going. We would like an explanation first. Where we are going and who are you would be a very good start,” Olivia said, stopping abruptly.

  “And what would be worse than being devoured would be great to know too … I would strongly appreciate if you would tell me more about that,” said Trevor with wide eyes.

  The woman looked deeply into Olivia’s green eyes as if she were trying to figure something out. As if she were hoping to hear Olivia say that she wasn’t being serious. Olivia faced the woman with a defiant look. And with even bigger exasperation, the woman finally said: “Oh, please! For Ourivio’s beard! Just follow me and trust. This is not the place for conversations, especially this kind of conversation … and you two should know that. You should know better than this.”

  For some reason, they obeyed. Olivia and Trevor kept walking with the mysterious, annoyed lady in complete silence, and they felt that somehow it was worth risking it. At least for now. After all, she appeared to be the only living soul in this place. Hence, the only person who could help them.

  They walked for little more than ten minutes until they finally reached a beautiful terracotta house. The place had large windows and a small porch. A magnificent garden spilled across the large lawn; however, it was considerably wild. The flowers grew freely everywhere, and branches invaded the porch and created what looked like a small forest. Ivies climbed up the walls, covering the house almost completely. Ferns adorned the roof. It was the right amount of wild.

  While the woman approached the door, Olivia and Trevor intentionally stayed behind.

  “Olie, do you think it’s safe?” Trevor whispered. His curious eyes studied everything around them, including the lady, who they still didn’t know anything about.

  “What other choice do we have? At least we’ll get some answers. She seems like a good person, and she sounded worried about us. Let’s just go in and get some answers.”

  “And then we can go home.”

  “Yes. And then we’ll go home.”

  The tall lady opened the door, clapping her hands twice.

  “Trevor, Olivia, come on in. Hurry.” Her tone was now calmer. It was as though being inside was enough of a protection. Olivia and Trevor stepped inside the house and the woman studied the street for a little while, until she finally closed the door behind her.

  Her now serene expression made things seem a little better and her face even more trustworthy. A warm feeling of protection filled Olivia and Trevor in the exact moment they entered that house.

  It was a beautiful house. Tall ceilings rose above them, classical furniture adorned the area and antiques delicately decorated the amber walls. The place was very neat and organized, but at the same time, there were a lot of things everywhere. The living room was considerably overflowing with details, showing somehow that someone had been living there for a long time. As though all of those things were telling the story of a well-lived life.

  Right in the middle of the living room, a big fireplace warmed up the whole room. Over the mantel was a picture of a number of keys, framed by olive branches, flowers, and incomprehensible words, at least to Olivia. At the far right, polished and shining wooden stairs led the way up to the top floor.

  The lady went straight to the kitchen, and even in the other room, it was possible to hear her complaining outrageously about something Olivia and Trevor had done, although they had no idea what that would be. While alone in the living room, the two friends planned to question her again about everything. They had to find out where they were, what they could do to go back home, and how this woman knew their names. But everything was so interesting and calm and warm that for a moment they forgot about their current situation and just lost themselves in the small discoveries of that extraordinary living room.

  The pictures hanging on the walls were very detailed. They appeared to tell a story, complementing each other in some way. One of them showed what resembled a pine tree with leafless branches and a small flower at the top. Another was a snapshot of the sky, with two stars shining brighter than the others. The drawings were made on a delicate parchment, braided in a way Olivia and Trevor had never seen before. The strong lines were written in black ink, and a number of other figures danced in the margins, designing colorful frames. Blue, green, red, and purple tones highlighted in contrast to the pale parchment. Olivia and Trevor were under the impression that the lines were subtly moving, making the pictures look more pleasant to the eyes and also very hypnotic.

  Placed in a glass dome over the mantel was a silver dagger with a big red stone decorating the guard. The stone shone with a sad glare, one that made one’s heart hurt, like in a song about loss, about death. Olivia struggled to take her eyes off of it; the sorrow of the object filled her until she was lost in it.

  An unusual scent drifted from the kitchen. The lady entered the living room carrying a mirrored tray with three white cups and a teapot. She rested the tray on the wooden coffee table and sat down in a yellow armchair, looking profoundly to Olivia and Trevor. She looked into their eyes intensely, making it very clear that a thousand thoughts were going through her mind. Her thoughts were so loud that Olivia felt she could almost hear them all.

  “Ma’am, would you please tell us your name?” asked Trevor once more, sounding overly polite.

  “You don’t know my name?” she asked.

  “No. We don’t. Could you tell us what it is?” repeated Trevor. The fact that she kept avoiding to answer was making him worry more and more.

  “You don’t remember anything? How you got here? Do you have any recollection of that?” said the woman, still ignoring what Trevor was saying.

  “We fell,” answered Olivia.

  “We fell and now we’re here. A huge fall, actually. Now please, could you tell us where we are and your name?” repeated Trevor resolutely.

  The woman lost her gaze inside the trembling fire and finally gasped: “Alas.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Allandrio

  “My name is Cordella Terraciem.” She sighed. “I’m one of the Guardians of the Portals. And it’s most unfortunate that you two don’t remember. It’s unfortunate and extremely dangerous. I’m afraid I can’t answer all your questions right now. I thought we would still have some time, but my worst fear was realized today. This much I can say: you two have been coming to Tartae for a while. In the dark of the night, you leave your world and travel here, always returning to Leve before dawn.”

  Olivia and Trevor’s eyes were wide open in disbelief, but the lady was too serious and paying too much attention to the story she was telling to notice any kind of reaction from them. Olivia sipped her rosy tea for the first time. It tasted like cinnamon, but it was even more warming and calming. The liquid gave her the sensation that something was hugging her heart and making all her fears and anxieties go away. Olivia looked inside the cup and lost herself in there for a while, thinking about how she got to that place and what she could possibly do to get out of there, if she should or should not believe in that complete stranger who was telling them a bunch of weird things. Things that could easily not be true.

  “I’m sorry, Ms. Terraciem. But I think you’re wrong,” said Olivia,
putting her teacup back on the coffee table and exchanging a decisive look with Trevor. “We didn’t come here on purpose today, and we have never been here before.”

  Cordella studied Olivia carefully. It was clear that she was analyzing every movement and every single word the girl was saying.

  “No, Olivia. We met years ago. I mean, years ago here, in Tartae. Is your wrist paining you?” Cordella looked at Olivia, who was quietly massaging her right wrist.

  “I beg your pardon?” asked Olivia with a puzzled expression.

  “Your wrist? I have been trying to heal you, but unfortunately, I haven’t been completely successful yet.”

  “How do you know about my wrist? I’ve been living with this pain for a while, and I have no memory of what happened…” said Olivia. With every passing minute things were making less and less sense. She had no idea how to organize her thoughts in order to ask the right questions, but she tried anyway. “Where are we? How do we leave this place?”

  “My dear Olivia … Going back to your world now wouldn’t be easy, considering all that’s happening. Handling the Portals would be extremely dangerous and terribly audacious. The Portals’ energy is altered and turbulent now, with you two arriving this way. However, staying here or going back to your world was always your choice.”

  “What do you mean by ‘handling the Portals?’” asked Trevor. “Can’t you just show us the way back home? The way back to Leve?”

  “No, Trevor. It’s awfully more complex than that,” answered Cordella. Her eyes now had a strange look, as though she were drowning more and more into despair. She didn’t even seem to make an effort to hide it anymore.

  “And what the hell are these Portals?” asked Trevor, raising his voice a little and putting a pinch of comedy into his tone.

  “For Ourivio’s sake! What a disrespectful way to talk! I wasn’t aware that you had forgotten your manners too on this unexpected journey here. Or did you knock your head when you fell?” Cordella got up, grunting once more, and her cheeks were flushed. She went back to the kitchen and was apparently getting ready to sleep, turning off all lights and closing the curtains.

  “You shouldn’t have done that …” whispered Olivia carefully.

  “Done what?”

  “Talked about these Portals that way!”

  “But I don’t know what these Portals are! And she never explains anything! Did you notice that she got up and never answered my question? I even wonder if she was really offended by the language I used or if she was just trying to get away.”

  “I think you played with fire there. Who knows where she can send us using these Portals?” Olivia gave a discreet but mischievous laugh.

  “I won’t do that anymore. And who the hell is Ourivio?”

  “I’m pretty sure you should avoid speaking about this man like that too … He seems to be important around here.”

  Cordella came back to the room carrying a glass of water. She didn’t sit again and seemed more direct now.

  “Olivia, do you remember your magic?” she questioned with a hopeful expression, while still standing next to a big lamp gleaming a yellowish light.

  “Huh?” Olivia half-smiled. She was certain the woman was trying to prank her. How could nothing make sense?

  “This is worse than I thought … You two don’t remember anything because you didn’t get to Tartae the way you were used to or supposed to. Every time you traveled using Portals it was all rehearsed and measured. You came here protected and were able to fulfill your purpose.”

  At this moment, Olivia and Trevor started to speak, but Cordella waved her hand, stopping them, and continued. “We don’t have time, and we must be cautious. The allandrio tea should be working by now, and you will soon be able to rest. I won’t say any more today … There’s no time. Your bedroom is ready, as always, and tomorrow morning we will leave.”

  “Where is our…?” Olivia started to ask but Cordella interrupted her.

  “Upstairs, second door on your left,” said Cordella, and she added, “I just ask you to trust. We cannot say much more here.”

  They trusted, but they didn’t feel that they would have enough strength to do anything else. Olivia’s body was heavy and her muscles completely relaxed. All of her troubles seemed now to be a faraway, blurred reality, something lost in the past. It was clear that the allandrio tea had made her feel this way. She would be scared if she weren’t so cozy and if the allandrio allowed her to feel anything besides complete relaxation.

  Cordella quickly went to her room, disappearing down a hallway near the stairs. Olivia and Trevor went upstairs slowly, arriving in a broad corridor surrounded by doors made of dark wood that led to the rooms on the second floor. At the end of the hallway, an oval mirror hung over a side table, which was decorated with a vase filled with colossal sunflowers. They opened the second door to their left and found two beds covered with navy quilts full of silver stars. The quilts were quite childish but very beautiful. Over the dresser, Olivia found a black notebook. She opened it and instantly recognized her handwriting, her sketches, some dreams she remembered faintly.

  “Trev, I’m starting to think that we’ve been here before. This notebook is mine, look.” She showed him her sketches and her handwriting. Trevor looked into her eyes, and they could feel the same shiver, at the same time.

  At the foot of each bed, there was a wooden chest, and they looked like actual tree trunks. They were majestic, carefully adorned with small blue stones and flowery writings. Olivia’s name was written on one, and Trevor’s on the other.

  As they opened them, they found weapons. Inside Trevor’s chest was a wooden bow and a number of arrows, all green, adorned with green feathers. His bow had small three-leaf cloves engraved along its length. It was an astonishing work, something otherworldly. In the other chest, Olivia found a long silver sword with small leaves engraved on its grip. The weapon was almost too big to fit into the chest. The scabbard was violet, made out of something that resembled velvet, but much more resistant and solid. The material became hard when protecting the sword, but when empty, it was just a light fabric. Olivia also found small glass bottles filled with multicolored liquids. Some of them were biphasic, some had bubbles flying around, and one had just white smoke. She didn’t dare to open any of them.

  There were also some carefully folded clothes over the beds and two pairs of sneakers on the floor as if they were waiting to be stored by Olivia and Trevor. Everything was very clean and well-kept. Tons of books with marked pages, maps, and parchments were resting over a desk next to the bedroom window. Olivia and Trevor looked around and felt an urge to read and discover more, but they couldn’t. They were now so sleepy that their eyes were closing involuntarily.

  After so many discoveries, Olivia and Trevor fell asleep fast and almost without even noticing it. Deep down, they still hoped to wake up in their beds, in the world they so comfortably knew. However, when Olivia thought about that possibility, she didn’t feel as happy as she would have thought. There was something interesting about the unknown, a growing feeling of excitement when considering what could happen in that foreign place. It was new, it was adventurous. It was considerably different from the life she had at the peaceful City of Leve.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The First Steps of a Journey

  Olivia woke up after a restful sleep. She didn’t remember having any dreams; nothing good, nothing bad. She only had the feeling of complete relaxation and peace that usually overflows one’s body and mind after a good night’s sleep. The sleep of the righteous, as some might say.

  She opened her eyes and forgot where she was for a second. She ran her hand over her face and sat up in bed, looking around. The big bedroom window was still closed, but the white curtains were letting weak orange sunlight in. It was very early in the morning. Trevor was still fast asleep, and everything seemed to be suspended, on pause. Waiting for something to happen.

  Olivia was always quite weird about these thin
gs. She always felt–or sensed–that something was about to happen. But she never had a vision or saw clear images, and she didn’t dream about the future, read tarot cards or know how to do a palm reading. She could only feel something inexplicable all around, like a discreet alarm that made her shoulders heavy and her heart ache. However, she never knew what it was or when it was going to happen. She could only feel the changes, the heavy weight on her back, the beast eating her stomach. It was like that when her parents passed away. During the entire week before the fire, Olivia had this disturbing and unsettling feeling as her companion.

  She felt this way now. And even though the morning was calm and the sunrise beautiful, she was certain that something was there, lurking, waiting for an opportunity to make something evil happen. Olivia thought about her home in Leve, and her heart shrank a little more. What if they were never able to come back? What if the magic of that place was so strong that people would simply forget their existence? All of her thoughts danced inside her mind. She wanted to know everything, ask everything, but truly, she had no idea when her questions would be fully answered or even if the answers would bring her what she needed to hear.

  Magic… Cordella had asked about her magic. Olivia knew that spells were a myth. She believed that love, friendship, and hard work could work like magic, but she understood that magic was too powerful to be human. Something that could easily change people, end lives, crush beliefs. Magic was too dangerous to be real.

  A delicious scent coming from outside the room woke her from her thoughts. She looked at Trevor, who was still sleeping, breathing soundly and slowly, and walked to the door. As she opened it, the scent became more intense, and her stomach howled at the promise of breakfast. She went down the stairs as if she was being pulled by that aroma until she got to the kitchen, where she found Cordella taking a cake out of the oven.

  “Good morning, Olivia! How was your night?” Cordella’s eyes were filled with expectation. It was clear that she hoped Olivia would remember everything after a good night’s sleep. However, her face fell as she looked at Olivia.