The Portals of Tartae- the Land With the Two Moons

by Marcia Soligo

  The battle went by bloodily. Luckily the adrenaline was so high, and the fear was now so encouraging, that Olivia didn’t have the time to notice the blood building up in her hair, the bodies lying on the floor and all those screams. The battle was a blur. She could barely see her friends, only the creatures who burst toward her, screaming and growling. The battlefield was even more horrifying than what she had imagined.

  The sword noises echoed in her ears. At this moment, Bran got closer and yelled:

  “Let’s make them dance!” he said and smiled, and they started to fight together instinctively.

  The green creatures got closer to them, and Olivia and Bran attacked with coordinated movements, always protecting each other’s backs. They were so synchronized that Olivia felt, for a split second, like they had done it before. They knew each other’s movements, and they complemented each other’s attacks.

  Suddenly, there was a painful scream and Olivia looked back. It was the first time she had focused her gaze during the whole battle. Bran was hit by a burly, gigantic creature that was preparing its ax for the final strike. Olivia wielded her sword and jumped on the creature with all her strength, landing with her feet on the creature’s large chest. She carved the weapon into the creature’s neck and let the blade deepen as its body fell onto the ground.

  The fall gave fear enough time to take over Olivia’s heart again. She ran to Bran, who was breathing erratically until he completely lost consciousness. He was covered in blood and dirt, which made it impossible to know how deep the wound was. Olivia looked around, but no one had noticed what had happened yet.

  She dragged Bran’s body to the trees, taking him away from the battlefield. As she saw some centaurs getting closer to them, she yelled, “HELP! PLEASE! WE NEED HELP!”

  The centaurs didn’t ask a thing. One of them took Bran in his arms, and the other asked Olivia to join them.

  “We will take you to a safe place. Don’t be scared. We are friends of your people, and we are here to protect the Portals as well.”

  Olivia hesitated for a moment. None of the options she had sounded like good ones. She couldn’t leave her friends fighting those creatures alone, but also, how could she abandon Bran now? The young man’s face was quickly losing all its color. They needed to move fast, that much was clear.

  “Come on, we must go!” said one of the centaurs, grabbing Olivia’s hand. She looked at him and mounted on his back, not too sure yet if that was the best option.

  They galloped away among the trees until the field became a dense forest. Olivia kept looking back, thinking a million things and at the same time, nothing at all. She was nauseated thinking of what could have happened to Bran, imagining that this unsettling feeling of loneliness and fear could stay with her forever.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The Son of the Forest

  The centaurs were galloping extremely fast. They were much faster than any horses Olivia had ever seen—and she had known a lot of them during her adventures with her parents—and for that reason, Olivia held tightly to the centaur’s back, doing her best not to fall. The wind was blowing her hair and the ground trembled with the centaurs’ heavy steps. They went on faster than an arrow for more than an hour, going deeper and deeper into the woods until they started to slow the pace a little. As soon as they slowed down, a third centaur joined them.

  “It’s over. The others are coming.”

  “All of them? Or … or did someone stay behind?” Olivia asked, fearing the answer more than anything.

  “No one was left behind,” answered the centaur firmly.

  Olivia was relieved and the centaurs appeared to share the same feeling. For the first time, she really looked around and paid attention to what surrounded her. She seemed to be at the heart of an old forest. She was surrounded by numerous large, ancient trees all covered in moss, ferns, and wildflowers. Life spread through everything: the rocks, the grounds, the tree trunks. Everywhere Olivia looked was green, colorful and covered with dew.

  “We will take him to the healer. He needs to go quickly,” one of the centaurs said, interrupting Olivia’s thoughts. Clearly, they had arrived at their destination and Olivia dismounted the centaur. “You should come too. You are bleeding.”

  “This is nothing. Thank you, but I’ll wait for my friends. I’m feeling well; there’s no rush.”

  “By the way, forgive my manners. I had no time due to the circumstances … My name is Orion, and this is Firlo. And you are in the Laliamo Forest, where the King Belenos lives.” The centaurs took a bow. They were tall and majestic. They had low voices and always spoke in calm and courteous tones, like true gentlemen. Firlo and Orion were both strong and handsome. Their hair was as black as a raven and adorned with braids and plants.

  “I’m Olivia Halin. Thank you again for bringing us here. I hope I can return the favor one day,” said Olivia, smiling discreetly but honestly. The centaurs left and took Bran with them, leaving Olivia alone to wait for the others.

  She spent some time just looking at where she was, analyzing every tree and every leaf. And then, she started to look in the same direction she came from, waiting to see her friends’ faces again, with no blood, with no screams echoing. She tried with all her strength not to think the worst.

  There were so many unanswered questions. What were those green creatures? What exactly happened inside Strage Castle? What would they do now? A thousand thoughts went through Olivia’s mind, followed by a thousand premature conclusions. And no one knew about Baltazar Fletce yet, and she had no idea where he had gone. Olivia had waited for him to come for her in the battle, but that had never happened. There was no sign of the man after she left that foul house. She found it hard to believe that she had scared him away. So, there was another reason for him to give up killing her, and that wouldn’t be good.

  Of one thing she was certain: Tartae’s universe was more present in her world than the Clan knew about, and she could feel it, even though she still had no memory of it. Olivia now understood why she felt so uneasy about Baltazar when he paid her a visit at the Lucent Bookshop. Even then she had felt that something was wrong, although she couldn’t have known exactly what. And she had so many disturbing dreams … She knew. Deep down in her heart, she knew.

  Olivia heard some steps coming closer and looked back. A man approached her bearing a peaceful smile on his impressive face.

  “Welcome, Olivia. It’s a pleasure to have you here in the Laliamo Forest. I’m Belenos,” he said, getting closer to her slowly. His tone was solemn, and his energy was so pure that he seemed to be part of the forest, part of Olivia. Everything appeared to be united. His voice echoed inside her.

  “Thank you for having us, and for helping us,” said Olivia, feeling a bit intimidated by Belenos’ presence, which was so overwhelming. The man was extremely tall, muscular and handsome. His blondish hair fell down to his shoulders in natural waves that shone while reflecting the discreet light in the forest. His face was delicate, his eyes as blue as the skies, framed by thick brown eyebrows. His beauty was so perfect and delicate, and at the same time so masculine that he looked like a force of nature.

  Belenos stopped next to Olivia and looked in the same direction as she did. They waited in silence, staring at the path ahead of them with their hearts full of hope and anxiety. The sound of horses was getting louder and then it was possible to see all the centaurs coming back with Trevor, Alavro, Cordella, and Kirk riding their horses.

  Olivia ran to Trevor, and they hugged. They both felt a weight leaving their shoulders, a pressure leaving their hearts. As they let go, they looked at each other and smiled, not saying a word. They analyzed each other’s face: tired eyes, all covered in mud, blood, terror, and relief.

  “Where is Bran?” asked Alavro, jumping off his horse. His face was pale in despair, his voice trembling.

  “Firlo will take you to him, my friend,” answered Belenos, waving to Firlo, who waited next to the mansion’s door. Alavro follow
ed him, walking fast, almost running.

  “Belenos, thank you for having us. We will be eternally grateful.” Cordella walked toward the man, holding his hand in a friendly gesture once she got closer.

  “There’s no need to thank me, Cordella. I’m glad to be of help.”

  “We were taken by surprise in Strage, and we were outnumbered. I don’t know what would have become of us if it weren’t for the centaurs.” Cordella shook her head. Her face was dirty, carrying signs of the battle, and her robe was a little torn. “The Book of the Portals was not there. Lars got to it before us, and we put ourselves at risk for no reason at all. We did exactly what he wanted.”

  Belenos was clearly not expecting this news. There was a subtle twitch in his eyes, and for a second, he lost all color in his face. “Not everything went according to his plan,” he finally said. “You are all here, and you are all alive.” They exchanged an amiable look, and Cordella took a deep breath.

  “Trevor, Kirk, this is Belenos from Laliamo. King of the Laliamo Forest. I believe you two have met already, Olivia,” Cordella said, looking from Olivia to Belenos.

  “Nice to meet you, Kirk, Trevor.” Belenos shook Trevor’s hand, looking deeply into his eyes, as if he was looking into the boy’s soul. Even Olivia felt a shiver going through her spine just by witnessing that. There was something very enchanting about Belenos, and something quite familiar too. “Please, follow me. Here in my home you will be safe.”

  They all walked toward the manor’s doors. The place was like a big majestic tree of some sort, ancient and full of life. Its structure was all made of wood and rocks, resembling the wide trunk of a tree, but with windows made of delicate and colorful glass here and there. Moss and ivy crawled over the walls, and flowers adorned everywhere on the exterior. They grew wildly all around alongside bird’s nests, beehives, rabbit holes. It was like all life was there, and all life was created there.

  They walked through the blue wooden doors and entered a common room that was as amazing as the house’s facade. Flowers and herbs hung from the ceiling, and petals were spread across the floor. On the left, there were stairs to the second floor. Belenos kept walking along the rooms until they left the house and arrived at a more modest cabin outside. There, were three women and a man wearing colorful robes and waiting for them.

  “These are Agatha, Frico, Jasmo, and Olea. They are healers; Cordella is acquainted. You couldn’t be in better hands.” Belenos introduced them and soon left the cabin.

  The group stayed there while the healers did their job. Olivia got new bandages on her hands and Olea–a wise woman around her sixties with black eyes full of wisdom–repeated the same movements Cordella had done before on Olivia’s hands until finally curing her. Olivia was dismissed soon after that, and Orion guided her to where she would be staying for the following nights.

  Olivia took a shower in the most interesting bathroom she had ever set her eyes on. The water fell like a waterfall, and it was all made of rocks, with quartz that made everything sparkle with the slightest touch of light. After the shower, she got dressed and went downstairs, finding Cordella in the common room with the rest of the group. They were all discussing something when Olivia sat down, trying to keep up with the conversation.

  “Lars’ plans are far more advanced than we thought. We can’t go on alone, Cordella. We need a better strategy. It’s time to find our allies and be prepared for the worst. We were lucky at Strage.” Alavro had an urgent tone, but he was still calm and restrained. His face was pale and his expression rigid. Olivia figured that Bran’s situation must not have changed.

  “Lars has a plan and allies,” continued Kirk.

  “And Lars has the Book of the Portals,” said Olivia. Everyone turned to her. Apparently, Kirk still didn’t know that, and his eyes automatically filled with terror. For an instant, they all dove into their own thoughts, and there was only silence.

  “What were those allies?” Trevor asked, breaking the weird silence that was weighing on them.

  “Trolls. Greedy and aggressive creatures. I’m not surprised that they chose to fight for Lars,” answered Kirk. “They love meat from other worlds. They would have the time of their lives if they could feast over the thirteen Portals.”

  “I think you should start telling us about these vicious creatures before we have to fight them. It’s just not possible that there isn’t some kind of book that explains about them all. Olie and I can’t keep putting ourselves out there without any knowledge whatsoever. We don’t remember anything, and we have to live with this feeling of constant fear and surprise. This is not fair … It could be only fear. And by the way, what a stupid idea to hide the most important book in the world inside the house that once belonged to the person who cannot find the book! That was a ridiculous idea!” Trevor stopped speaking abruptly, maybe because everyone was staring at him and he quickly figured that–probably–the person who had this most unfortunate idea could very well be in that room.

  “I invite you all to spend some time here in the Forest with me. You need to recover, think about what went wrong and design a strategy so the Portals can be protected again. Trevor, I have a library here in my home and a number of books that can help you learn more about Tartae, and also, the centaurs are exceptional storytellers. They will be pleased to share their knowledge with you and Olivia. And I’m also available, in case you need or want my help,” said Belenos.

  Trevor only nodded and whispered to Olivia, “Now we just need to learn who this Belenos guy is …”

  Olivia gave Trevor a half smile and burst out in an uncertain voice:

  “There’s one more thing. One thing that makes Trevor’s point even more important. I couldn’t stay inside the castle for long. I decided to join you in the battle and help somehow. But when I opened the door, there was a man there, Baltazar Fletce … He didn’t let me leave, and we fought. He fought more than me, because he was very skilled in magic and I could barely defend myself. I was able to run in a moment of luck.” Cordella and Trevor looked at Olivia with despair in their eyes. “We can’t wait for long, and I don’t think we have the lead here. Lars knows Trevor and I are in Tartae, and he probably knows that we are not what we used to be, because Baltazar asked me what I thought about our surprise journey. I’m not saying that Lars knows we have forgotten everything, but he sure knows that something is not the same as before. And if he didn’t, he knows now. I could barely stay alive during that fight. If we used to be skilled warriors or if I used to be a skilled witch, he noticed that it’s not the case anymore. They’re not in the dark now. It’s clear that we need a different strategy. In my opinion, we should stay here and learn what we can, while we gather allies to go after Lars. With each mistake we make, we get further away from destroying the Portals.”

  Something changed in Belenos’ face when Olivia finished her sentence. His look was of sadness. She couldn’t help but wonder if they could really trust the man, and at the moment, she wasn’t in a very trustful place.

  Cordella got up and said, “It’s settled. We will stay here for a while, and we will establish our next move soon enough. For now, let’s just get back on our feet emotionally and physically. That’s the only way we will be ready for what’s to come.” As soon as Cordella concluded, everyone got up. When she left the room, Olivia took hold of Trevor’s hand and pulled him along, following Cordella.

  “Cordella, about Baltazar … Do you know who this man is?”

  “I’m afraid not, Olivia. But it seems to me that all of our fears are coming true. This man is clearly an admirer, a follower. Lars is gathering them, and we must beware.”

  “Something else happened. That was not the first time I saw him. A couple of days before we arrived here, he went to the bookstore where I work in the City of Leve. Trevor was there too. At that time, he didn’t do anything suspicious, he barely said a word. But this made me think that Lars is more present and knows more about our world than the Guardians know of.”


  Cordella stared at Olivia. It was possible to see that the witch was considering what to do with this new information. Olivia could almost hear Cordella’s mind working, trying to connect the dots and find sense in all of it.

  “What exactly happened during that visit, Olivia?” asked Cordella.

  “It’s like I said, nothing very important happened. He entered the bookshop a little before it was time to close. Walked to the back and stayed there for a good ten minutes. When it was time to close the store, I went to him and asked if he needed something, if he needed help. He got a book, paid and left. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, but I was left with an unsettling feeling, and I swear I heard something like a bang as soon as I got nearer to the corridor he was in.”

  Cordella took some time considering that information. Olivia and Trevor were silent, observing her and anxious for her next words.

  “You are right, Olivia. We can’t underestimate Lars, and we need to prepare ourselves for the worst-case scenario. We must be ready. Clearly, we won’t be able to close the Portals and send you two home as quickly and easily as we thought. But we will do it. I believe in this, and so should you,” said Cordella, looking into their eyes with a confident expression.

  “And can we trust Belenos? Something changed in his expression when I talked about the Portals,” asked Olivia.

  “And who exactly is Belenos? Because I don’t even know that,” said Trevor ironically.

  “Yes, I would trust Belenos with my life. And we are all alive thanks to him. The centaurs are creatures of the forest, and they live here freely. Belenos was the one who asked them to go to our aide. This place is magical; I’m sure you can feel it. Belenos was born on the first day of May, and he grew up here, in the deeps of the woods. No one knows about his parents. Some say they have never existed and that Belenos was born and raised by the forest herself. He grew up and started to keep the forest, protecting it from anyone with less than good intentions. And, since I have known him, he had been a great ally to the Guardians, as you can see.” Cordella subtly interrupted Olivia as the girl opened her mouth to ask a question. “Now, I will go to my room and rest. I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about and would like to be left alone.”