Eranox- Cursed

by Katlin Murray

  It occurred to Luna a moment too late that even if they did have other family in Eranox, they could already have been cursed.

  “Yes Luna.” Her mom answered whimsically, “Your dad was an only child, and his parents had both passed before we left, but I had some family still… I wonder if you met any of them…” She stared at Luna.

  “I don’t know…” Luna smiled, glad that her mom was finally talking about her life in Eranox, she seemed so much happier despite the evacuation. It was like she was getting to go home, except her home was coming to her.

  “Come on, sit down.” Luna’s mom found herself a seat at a table in the camp, waving Luna towards her, “You need to hear some more about Eranox.” She smiled, her eyes twinkling.

  Luna was still listening to her mom’s stories when Lucas appeared in the camp a few hours later, “Am I interrupting anything?” He slid in at the picnic table and waited for a reply.

  “Oh, Lucas, I was just telling Luna about… well… life before the curse…” She shook her head, “It must be close to nightfall.” She looked up at the dimming sky.

  “Are the tethers ready?” Lucas asked, searching for a Knight who might have an answer.

  “We should get ready.” Luna agreed, rising from the small table to stretch her legs, “It won’t be long.”

  Lucas nodded and disappeared into the camp to find one of the Knights who could help him.

  “Are you ready for it?” Luna’s mom asked.

  “Yeah, Lucas said he’s done it before, it should be fine.” She smiled, leaning in to give her mom a hug, “I’m going to go wait for him in the clearing, I’ll see you when it’s over.”

  “Okay, I love you Luna.” Her mom smiled.

  “I love you too mom.” Luna hugged her again and started towards the clearing.

  It was hard to find when you weren’t taking the path, she found herself lost in the camp trying to find a way out for several minutes before she finally caught a glimpse of a firefly flickering as it prepared for the night.

  “There it is.” Luna sighed, pushing her way through the tarps to the clearing on the other side.

  Lucas was already waiting with a strange harness strapped over his shoulders, behind him one of the Knights was tying the rope to a tree.

  “You should get ready.” Lucas pointed to a second harness.

  Luna felt for the stone around her neck, carefully checking that it was still intact before she started to strap herself in.

  “Make sure that the straps are secure Lady Blackwater.” The Knight finished his knot on Lucas’ rope and moved towards her, “You will be tied off, we will pull you in when they are all through.”

  “Okay.” Luna was a little nervous about hanging in the place between worlds, but Lucas had assured her that it would be fine, though that didn’t make her any less worried.

  “All set.” The Knight called to her a moment later, Luna turned back to check her rope, giving it a tug to make sure that it was secure.

  “Come on.” Lucas had stepped forward to the place where the portal would appear, he was watching the sky as it grew darker.

  “You ready?” Luna asked, stepping forward to his side.

  “I just want to get this done with.” He admitted, a nervous smile on his face.

  Fireflies flickered around them, swirling as they prepared for night to fall and the portal to be activated by the two waiting travelers.

  Luna took a deep breath, and then it happened.

  There was a flash and she felt herself pulled forward. The harness bit into her shoulders and she screamed. She hadn’t been expecting it to be so sudden. She had been pulled into the space between Earth and Eranox, the light was blinding, even with her eyes closed.

  She tried to reach up and cover her eyes with her hands, but the force pulling against her was incredible. She wasn’t sure how the Knights would be able to pull her out of it, and she certainly couldn’t reach her harness.

  She could feel the others passing by, like a train passing by while she was standing on the platform, they rushed by her in a surge. And then it stopped.

  Suddenly a strange panic set in. She couldn’t see where she was, she couldn’t move, and she was sure that she was about to be trapped in the portal.

  Then she felt the tug.

  Luna whipped back, landing hard on the ground, her head spinning. Someone was screaming beside her, she reached for the rope, giving it a tug to see if she had landed on the right side. She still couldn’t see, her eyes were burning from the bright light, struggling to readjust to the darkness around her.

  For a second she thought that she had gone through to Eranox, and then she reached the end of the rope and felt the tree; she was back home.

  The screaming came again, right next to her, it was a guttural sound, pained and raspy. Luna turned, still trying to see the clearing, “What’s happening, who’s hurt?” She asked, hoping that someone would hear her.

  “It’s the Queen dear,” Margie’s hand landed on her shoulder, “she’s in labor.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  By the time the spots had faded from Luna’s eyes enough to see again, the Queen had been carried off. Lucas stood next to her, still rubbing his eyes, his harness still fastened around him.

  “Luna?” He turned, blinking until he could see, “Where did they take her?” His eyes were wide, he knew what was happening.

  Luna reached for her straps, trying to unfasten herself so she could find out, “I don’t know, but the baby is coming.” She whispered, though by then the whole camp must have known, the Queen’s agonizing screams echoed through the trees.

  Luna would be surprised if half of River Falls hadn’t noticed.

  “Could you help me get out of this?” Lucas was struggling with the straps on his harness, trying to get out so fast that he couldn’t get the buckle to release.

  “Calm down.” Luna stared into his wild eyes, reaching for the clasp and clicking the button, “She’s going to be fine…” Luna assured him.

  “She just went through a portal,” Lucas reminded her, “I don’t even know what happens to a baby when it goes through a portal….” He was already walking away, leaving Luna to rush after him.

  “My mom came through when she was pregnant with me.” Luna shouted, trying to keep up, “And I turned out fine….” She trailed off, not sure that she was the best example, she had messed up the cure and left Eranox in an evacuation, there was no telling how portal jumping really affected a baby.

  Lucas followed the sounds of his mother screaming, and Luna followed him. Eranoxians moved quickly out of their way as they rushed through the bustling camp trying to figure out where the Queen had been taken.

  Finally then ran into Luna’s mom. She was standing outside of a camping tent, her arms crossed over with worry.

  “Is she in there?” Lucas asked, taking a step towards the tent as his mother screamed again.

  Luna’s mom held out her hand, “Not now Lucas, there isn’t room for you.” She held him back.

  “A tent?” Luna stared at her mom.

  “I offered them the house, but she was already too far along…” She shook her head, “It was this or the forest…”

  “Are they going to be okay?” Lucas asked, his face was pale, he still hadn’t stepped back, Luna’s mom was holding him up with the arm that she had put out to stop him from moving forward.

  “She should be okay, and the baby too.” Luna’s mom turned Lucas away from the tent to face her, trying to calm him down. “The portal puts a lot of pressure on the body,” She tried to explain calmly, “and your mother was very pregnant, that baby was coming any day… the jump just helped her along.” She smiled, tipping her head to Luna, “Same happened with that one…” She smiled.

  Lucas’ mom stopped screaming and another cry came from inside the tent. Lucas turned back, “Is that?…”

  “That would be the baby.” Luna’s mom nodded, “Sounds like everything was okay.”

&
nbsp; Lucas took a step towards the tent.

  “You should give them a moment.” Luna’s mom cautioned.

  “What now?” Luna asked, the camp was bustling around them, the Knights seemed to be getting everyone settled on their own.

  “I’m going to head back to the house, get them some clean blankets.” Luna’s mom turned towards a break in the trees, “Let me know if they need anything else?” She suggested, disappearing into the darkness.

  ***

  The night was long as Eranox moved into the camp, even longer as the Queen’s transition onto Earth included the arrival of a new son.

  Luna waited with Lucas outside of the tent where Margie had ushered the Queen to give birth. The baby had arrived over an hour ago, and the King had already departed to deal with other duties, but Lucas was still waiting patiently outside to meet his new sibling.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to go?” Luna asked him for the fifth time in as many minutes. He seemed nervous about meeting the baby on his own, she was sure that he was just wishing that Ezzie was there with him.

  “No, stay, you should meet him, and she might need something…” Lucas nodded, pausing as the flap to the tent finally opened and Margie poked her head out.

  “Prince Lucas, Lady Blackwater,” She nodded to each, “the Queen would like to see you.” She beamed.

  Lucas took a deep breath and walked forward, Luna followed behind.

  The Queen was sitting in a small cot that had been brought into the camp for her to use. In her arms was a small bundle wrapped in blankets.

  “He’s so strange looking.” Lucas looked down at his new brother.

  “You looked the same.” His mom answered tiredly.

  “I wish Ezzie was here…” Lucas whispered, reaching one finger towards his brother.

  “I do too dear.” His mom smiled sadly, leaning back as though she was about to fall asleep.

  “She’s going to need to rest dears.” Margie whispered, quickly she shooed Lucas and Luna out of the tent.

  Lucas led the way out of the tent and back into the camp. It was hard to think that only a few hours earlier the whole place had been empty, now that Eranox had arrived there were people everywhere.

  “You can stay at the house tonight if you want.” Luna suggested, “Give your parents some time with the baby…”

  Lucas chuckled sadly, “Ezzie was right, the baby got to go to Earth before her.”

  “There is still a way, she can still be cured.” Luna reminded him of her mom’s findings.

  “And if it turns out to be nothing?” Lucas was starting to sound skeptical.

  “Then we find the mirror.” She answered, more determined than ever.

  “We’re still going to have to talk to him, my dad, about that blog.” Lucas shook his head, “It’s going to be impossible to explain to him… you know because if the internet thing…” He stared ahead at the house.

  Luna fell silent as they crossed the backyard to the house. Lucas was right, trying to tell the King that they had found a lead wasn’t the hard part, figuring out how to explain the internet, and computers; it wouldn’t be easy.

  When they walked in the back door they found that the King was sitting with Luna’s mother deep in conversation.

  “Oh good, you’re back.” Luna’s mom waved Luna and Lucas over.

  “Lady Blackwater, Lucas.” The King tipped his head in greeting, “How is your new brother doing, has she given him a name yet?” He asked.

  “No,” Lucas shook his head, “Not yet, I think she was going to get some rest.”

  “I was telling your father about the information I found, that place that might have some answers.” Luna’s mom smiled, she had clearly found a way to explain it to the King without confusing him.

  “It does sound like we might finally have a way to get to the old Avidauran council, even without finding the Mirror here on Earth.” The King tipped his head to Luna’s mom, “There might still be a way to get Eranox back…”

  “I was hoping you would approve.” Lucas watched his father’s face, “I would like to go and see…” He sounded like he was asking for permission.

  The King shook his head, “Normally I would prefer to send Knights,” He looked at Lucas, frowning, “But you are the one who has learned about this world.” He waved his hand at the inside of the house, clearly it was strange to him.

  “So I can go?” Lucas asked.

  “Yes, I think you should be the one to go, and perhaps Lady Blackwater should accompany you.” He nodded.

  Luna nodded her head, watching her mom for confirmation that it was okay for her to accept. Her mom was smiling.

  “I should get back to your mother Lucas, it has been a long and trying night.” The King rose from the table, “In the morning we will discuss your departure, for now I should go and be with your mother.” He turned towards the door, a Knight already waiting to guide him through the camp.

  Luna’s mom sighed and slumped forward. “Okay.” She looked up, “I need you two to see something, and then I think we all need some sleep.”

  “What did you find?” Lucas asked, following her back to her office.

  “There was a new post today.” She turned her laptop around so they could see, “Dark Fairies.” She smiled, “And I know you can only find them in Avidaura…”

  “So you think it’s real then?” Lucas skimmed through the blog, glancing over the posts.

  “It has to be.” Luna stared, “And look at the picture…” Luna leaned in, “Home of the Saneville Saints…” She read the banner. “I know how to find them.”

  Luna’s mom closed her computer, standing behind her desk with a wild look in her eyes, “What do you think Luna? Is it time for your first quest?”

  Luna smiled, “I’m in.”