What if, in spite of their huge differences, they could’ve ended up singing each other these songs in front of his entire village? Yes, the thought terrified her, but it was a letdown to know it would never even be a possibility.
Jane stood by Queen Grace, who watched as her daughter was pacing, her eyes wide with worry.
“Dori,” the queen said, putting her arm around the princess. They stood with their arms around each other, and Jane smiled, looking around for Nicklas. She saw him then, walking towards the stage. Please let it be Dori’s song. Please let it be Dori’s song.
When Nicklas sang the familiar notes into the night, cheers erupted, and Dori turned to hug her mother and father. Jane was surprised and touched when she also received a hug before Dori joined Nicklas on stage. He reached for her hand as he finished the song, pulled her in after the last word, and kissed her in front of all gathered.
When they parted, Jane watched as they both laughed nervously and walked off together amid the cheering crowd. The wedding ceremonies would be in the early morning hours, and Jane was eager to be a witness to them.
30
Axel
The dark room turned into an even darker forest. It was nighttime in a dense group of trees. Axel looked behind him to the see the stone archway.
“Ok, now that you see there’s no volcano, can I go back?” he said, moving to go through the stones again. The man, whom he now thought of as Smelly, unsheathed his sword, and Axel froze.
“What?” he asked Smelly, who didn’t speak. He waved the sword at Axel and pointed away from the arch.
“Over there is a town a mile away, but I’m going back,” Axel said, but the sword cut the air right in front of him. “Can’t you speak?”
Smelly pointed again, and Axel sighed heavily. How much more of his life did he have to waste on this? He began the mile walk to a town he knew would be west of the forest. It was a rural area, the best he could come up with that would satisfy the king. If he really had put the arch underwater, then the greedy fucker of a king would have destroyed his village.
The walk to the town proved quicker than expected, and they came upon a road where there were a few kids fishing off the side of a bridge. Axel’s mind sprang to life after the tedious walk when he saw an iPhone in the back pocket of one of the boys.
“Hey, I’m Axel, and we’re lost finding a friend. Can I borrow your phone for a moment?” he asked the blond-haired boy. He looked about 12 and handed the phone over to Axel with a smile.
“Thanks,” Axel said, wondering if everyone in that town was so trusting. They’d all be drained within weeks. It was apparent that Smelly had never seen a phone, and Axel ignored him as he dialed.
“Hello?” answered a familiar voice.
“Genevieve!”
“Axel?”
“Listen, I’m here. Well, I’m far from you, and I’m stepping through a portal in a bit again to go back to the homeland. There’s just too much to tell you, but have you seen Jane? Father was supposed to create a portal, and she may have gone back to her house.”
“She’s back?” she asked.
“Can you please just check?” he said.
“Well, it’s nice to talk to you too seeing as how the last time you saw me I was with a crazed gunman. And I am checking. I’m going over to knock on the door now, though it’s past midnight, you know.”
“Yes, I know. I just made a portal for the king of the citadel.”
“Shit,” she said softly. Axel heard her knocking.
“Listen, don’t tell Andrew that I’m here. Make something up— that you had heard a noise and wanted to make sure everything is fine.”
“OK,” she whispered, and then Axel heard muffled voices. He waited and waited, the kids fishing without a care or worry about the phone. Smelly watched him, mesmerized by the flashing lights on the screen.
When Genevieve spoke to him, she told him that there was no sign of Jane.
“I would have known if she was there,” she said.
“How?” Axel asked. Maybe Jane was hiding, scared, and Andrew was protecting her. Or maybe his father had made the portal much farther away like the last one. That would have been pointless this time.
“I… I just would have known, okay. So, where’s the portal?”
“I don’t know exactly, but I tried for Eastern Europe. It’s daylight here, so nowhere close to home, and I don’t know where Father made his portal. Sorry, I have to go. If you see Jane, tell her… Tell her I love her,” he put the phone down as he heard his sister yell into the phone. He hit the End button and handed the phone back to the kid.
“You’ve seen it, now let’s go,” Axel said, racing through the forest. He didn’t even turn around to see if Smelly was following. He heard the brute crashing through every brush behind him.
Jane wasn’t home yet. Maybe she’d decided not to leave yet and was waiting until the festival was over. The festival would last until the next midnight, most people hardly sleeping, some taking a few naps at odd hours. If he traveled the entire day, he might make it back in time to both stop the men from coming to rescue him and to see Jane.
Determined, he stepped back through the portal where the king sat on a chair looking bored. Smelly soon appeared through the arch, and the king’s face showed his relief. Axel felt ill as the king went up to Smelly and confirmed that it was a safe and practical portal.
He was not sure he had made the right choice, and he thought of the kid that had lent him the iPhone. Axel shook his head, reminding himself that it was either this or the murder of those he loved.
And he did love Jane. There was nothing he wanted more than to find her and tell her. She had to change her mind.
31
Jane
She spoke with some of the village women about the newly engaged couples, agreeing with them when they wished the couples lots of happiness.
“What will you and Axel do to make your engagement official? When he comes back,” said a young woman, Nayla, whom Jane had started to consider a friend.
Jane’s heart sank and her stomach churned as it always did when she perpetrated the lie. “We didn’t get to discuss that,” she said, and Nayla nodded in sympathy. These women would hate her when she left. Axel’s parents, too. They’d all feel betrayed. Jane and Axel had done it to help his father leave this world in peace, but the king was still hanging on, no worse than when she’d arrived. Axel’s plan had backfired, and she was sorry she’d gone along with it at all.
“Jane.” The queen came up to her touching her shoulder. “It’s done.” Her tone was low and sad. Jane couldn’t believe it. The portal was ready? Her fears of hurting all her new friends would happen sooner than she thought. She wouldn’t even get to see the marriage ceremonies.
The queen showed Jane to the forest where they found the king, looking more haggard than usual. He was sitting on a chair surrounded by several men, whom Jane assumed would carry him back to the tree.
Queen Grace faced her and then took Jane’s hands in hers. “I won’t be going through, and neither will any of the other human wives. We’ve all refused, but we won’t think any less of you for going through, especially since we know Axel wanted you to be safe above all else.” Which would be better: to look like a coward that couldn’t stand by her man despite the threats, or the truth— that she’d lied to all of them?
Jane looked into her kind eyes and knew she couldn’t fake it anymore, letting this woman believe her son had been abandoned for either reason. She took an uneasy breath and said, “Axel and I were never betrothed. I was never supposed to be here, and we made up the betrothal to give you peace of mind.” Jane’s eyes darted from the queen to the king and back.
“We know, dear,” the queen said. Jane blinked rapidly and looked at the king who nodded. She started to ask how when the queen gave her an answer, “Dori gave it away the other day by mistake. It’s not her fault. She’s very naïve and not great at keeping secrets. But while we were disa
ppointed that our son hadn’t found a wife like you, we’re glad he has such a loyal friend.” Friend? Jane gave a broken sigh, her eyes welling up.
The queen smiled at her. “I’ll tell everyone you said goodbye,” she said, pulling Jane to a nearby tree. “This is the new portal.” It was a large tree with a hollow trunk. Jane couldn’t stop the tears now, and they silently fell as she hugged the queen and then the king, who patted her head in gentle reassurance.
Jane felt her legs trembling as she stooped her head and walked into the trunk, only to find herself exiting the tree again. It didn’t make sense. She looked up to ask what had gone wrong when she saw she was all alone in a wooded area.
The trees, the grass, the patch of sky— everything was duller in color than where she’d just been. As if she needed more confirmation she was back on Earth, Jane heard a car drive by. She dragged herself away from the tree with a heavy heart and walked towards the road.
32
Axel
Axel saw his village. He’d traveled the entire night and day, happy and free to feel the sun on his face. Sometimes he ran. Sometimes he walked. When he saw his village in the distance, he tried again to send a message to Darick. He’d been unsuccessful so far, either because he was too far away or his abilities had weakened from creating the portal.
When he received a response from Darick, Axel nearly jumped with joy. He gave Darick the good news about his freedom and then learned everyone at home was safe. Then he lost contact with his friend again. Onward Axel went, frustrated that each step seemed to bring him only the tiniest fraction closer.
Reaching the village, he wanted to kiss the first person he saw, and he knew instantly the news that he was back would be spread. Axel raced home, not bothering to use his mind for communication. He’d rather spend his energy on greeting his family. And Jane. He hoped she was still there. When he opened the door and saw Genevieve playing with Coren, he stopped short.
“Father made the portal,” she said, running to him to give him a hug. “Jane showed it to me when she came through.”
“Jane is gone,” he said, feeling his entire world disappear.
Genevieve wrinkled her nose, “Oh, Axel, I’m sorry. I couldn’t tell her. She’s so… human. I don’t know, I think this will pass, and you can find a stronger woman. She was hyperventilating and crying on my shoulder. It just wasn’t pretty. The portal is by the road just a couple of blocks from our house, and I made her bring me.”
“And you left her in that state?” he asked, pushing his sister away.
“What was I supposed to do? Babysit the woman? I left her with Andrew. I almost wiped their memories, but I… I couldn’t.” She looked to the floor.
“I don’t know what that means, but you’re one cold-hearted bitch, Genevieve,” he said, walking past her and up the stairs to find the rest of the family. She should have wiped their memories. However, Jane not remembering him would be like a stab to his heart. He was selfishly glad she could still remember their short time together.
After finding his parents and sharing with them most of what he’d been through, Axel asked Genevieve to show him the portal.
“I just got back a few hours ago, and you got back minutes ago. Don’t tell me you’re leaving again now,” she said.
“I’m not. I’m going to destroy it,” he said. Having been tortured and then blackmailed to create a portal and finding out what it can be used for, Axel knew how dangerous they were. They all had to be destroyed, starting with this one. Then he would work with his army to plan the destruction of the one in the citadel.
“What? No!” Genevieve yelled.
Axel shook his head. “Who can understand you? You want to leave home, and you come with me to the city. Then you tell me constantly that you want to go home, and you come here all the time. Then you tell me not to break the portal. What gives, Genevieve?”
“I have a thing going on there with a guy,” she said with a shrug.
“A thing with a guy? A guy like Carl?” he said, raising his voice.
“No, Carl is in jail. No, this guy is… Well, he’s… I can’t talk to you about this shit. Especially because of who he is.”
“Who is he?” Axel asked, concerned his sister had taken up with a con man or drug dealer.
“Andrew,” she spit out. She was joking. She had to be.
“That’s not funny.”
“Actually, it’s hilarious, but I’ve decided to win him over. Sure, Jane’s return has probably put us a few steps back, but I think we were pretty solid there for awhile.”
“I have no clue what you mean, and I’m sure I don’t want to know. So Jane and Andrew, they’re not together?”
“Well, the first thing they did was tell each other they wanted to call off the wedding.”
Axel walked back and sat on the stairs. Jane had done as she’d said and broken it off with Andrew. “So she’s single. But she still left?” he mumbled.
“Not everyone can make it here. Like I said, she’s not strong,” Genevieve said, putting her hand on his arm. He swatted her away.
“You’re jealous of her, sis, and I’m sure Andrew wouldn’t find it attractive.”
“Jealous!” she laughed. He raised an eyebrow, and she quieted down. “Whatever, Axel. The point is you can’t break the portal. Not yet.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t,” he said, grabbing her arm and taking her down to the forest.
33
Jane
Jane couldn’t believe she was sitting on her own bed. After months of sleeping on a soft grass bed, her mattress seemed almost uncomfortable. It felt stiff and unrelenting.
When she’d walked home after coming through the portal, she knew she’d gotten a few stares at her skimpy outfit. No one, however, had a greater shock than Andrew when she walked into their house and saw him and Genevieve cuddling in front of the TV. Jane was surprised as well to find that her fiancée had forgotten her so quickly.
“What did you do to him?” Jane asked, pointing from Genevieve to Andrew. They separated, Genevieve standing up defensively.
“I didn’t do anything to him,” she said.
“Jane, I’m so glad you’re alright,” Andrew said. He stood up to hug her, but Jane stood back.
“Did you think I was in danger? Did you even bother to report me missing?” She accused him.
“I would have, except Genevieve told me about you and her brother running off together. I’ve vacillated from anger to worry so many times, but she told me she’d heard you two were off enjoying yourselves.”
“Hah!” Jane shouted, looking at Genevieve. Andrew looked at her as well.
“It’s really complicated, Andrew, and I wanted to tell you, but my idiot brother would kill me if I shared the whole truth with just anyone,” she said.
Jane was seething. There she was feeling guilty about her own affair when Andrew was just as big a cheater as she was. Any qualms she had about ending their relationship were instantly squashed.
“What whole truth?” he asked her.
Genevieve told Andrew about how she would go to visit her parents for some time, but she would be back. She left out things like portals, other realms, and mind reading. Andrew looked puzzled, and rightfully so.
Jane rolled her eyes. “Well, I suppose this worked out for the best. Andrew, consider us officially over. Now, Genevieve, if you don’t mind, leave. I want some peace and quiet in my house.”
Jane started to walk away but Genevieve ran up to her and whispered, “Wait, please. Tell me where the portal is.” Jane looked at Andrew, confused and sad on the sofa. She almost felt bad for him. Jane nodded and turned around as Genevieve said goodbye to Andrew.
When they were alone outside Jane held nothing in. “You certainly didn’t waste any time. Tell me, how many times have you wiped his memories? Is he going to have a breakdown like Carl?”
“No! Trust me, none of this was planned. The last thing I wanted after Carl was another human mind to erase.
But I’ve been careful around Andrew. I visited him in the hospital. I helped him through physical therapy. I’ve been there for him, and I haven’t had to erase anything.” She sounded so sincere that Jane was feeling slightly awful about yelling at them. “But I know about you and my brother, so don’t act so high and mighty.”
“How do you know? Have you talked to him somehow?” Jane asked rather desperately. Genevieve explained his phone call to her from earlier that morning. “And he sounded okay? Did he say anything about me?”
“Like I said, I know about you two. He mentioned something about being glad you’d be going home now since maybe you’d get clingy.”
Jane wrinkled her nose. They were approaching the portal. “I don’t believe that, but in any case, tell him I say thanks for saving me from Carl. The portal’s in that tree there,” Jane said, motioning to the large tree. Genevieve looked at her, and she hesitated before stepping inside, as if she was about to say something. But she disappeared before Jane’s eyes.
Finally, Jane could relax in her room. She’d kicked Andrew out to the guest bedroom and laid on the bed, wondering what her next move would be. Her job surely wouldn’t take her back after disappearing for three months. She’d have to find something new. How would she explain her sudden and extended departure to her parents? She’d had another, much longer conversation with Andrew and he said he’d told them what had happened. She wasn’t looking forward to lying to them about where she’d been. As far as they knew, she’d taken off with another man after Andrew had been shot. Oh, boy.
Her next order of business would be to call them after a long rest. It was already nighttime, and she wasn’t sure what day it was anymore. Sleep came easily, her mental exhaustion overwhelming.
A tap on the window gave Jane a start, and she lay in bed motionless as she tried to wake up from a deep sleep. The tap came again, and she jumped out of bed, pulling back the curtains. It was dark out, but a figure obscured the moonlight, and Jane almost screamed.
A Touch of Spring: Spellbound Series Book 1 (The Spellbound Series) Page 10