Krollia

by Steven Donahue

really are a Savior,” she said.

  Pinto recalled the rebel troops and they marched back to their village. With the information provided by Jake, the citizens of Krollia were no longer dependent on Rol for their water. They knew that the hidden containers would be heavily guarded, but at least they knew their locations and they could begin to plot missions to get the water. It wouldn’t take long for Rol’s regime to fall.

  The Narlands held a huge banquet that night to celebrate their victory. People ate, drank and danced while the village’s perimeter was guarded by a few rebel soldiers. Mia introduced Jake to everyone, and they were both treated as heroes. After eating and drinking with the villagers, Mia brought Jake to meet Brax in hopes that he found their way home.

  Brax shook hands with both kids before offering them seats in his hut. He sat across from them and smiled. “It is truly amazing what the two of you have done,” he said. “Thanks to you, we will soon be free of Rol and his soldiers.” Mia hugged her brother tightly for a moment.

  “Thank you, Brax,” she said, letting go of the boy. “I don’t want to be rude, but you know why we are here. Have you found our way home?” she asked.

  Brax’s expression darkened. He rubbed his hands together. “Yes, I have created an energy portal that will send you right back through the mirror with your bodies intact,” he said. The kids smiled and thanked him. “However,” he continued, “there is only enough energy to send one of you back to your world.”

  “What?” asked Mia. “Just one of us?”

  “I’m sorry, but that is true,” said Brax. Mia stood and walked around the room in silence. “I could try to explain the scientific principles to you, but it wouldn’t make a difference,” said Brax. “Only one of you can go home.”

  Jake rose unsteadily to his feet. “I’ll stay,” he said. Mia turned to him and protested, but he put up his hands to silence her. “It makes sense, Mia,” he said. “I’m the reason we are here. I’m the one that messed with the mirror. If I hadn’t, none of this would have happened.”

  “It’s not your fault. You had no way of knowing this could happen. And I can’t go home without you,” said Mia. “I won’t. It would break my heart.” She took one of his hands. “I can’t lose you again.” She turned to face Brax. “There must be something else you can do,” she demanded. “Some way to boast the power.”

  “I wish there were,” said Brax. “Maybe over time I could harness enough power to send the other home, but there’s no guarantee I could do that,” he said. “I don’t want to give either of you false hope.” He leaned dejectedly back in his chair.

  “Then its settled,” said Jake. “Send Mia home.” Mia could see from his expression that there was no changing his mind. “When can she leave?” asked Jake.

  “The portal is ready,” replied Brax. “She can go whenever she wants.”

  Jake hugged his sister tightly. “Go soon,” he said. “The longer we are together, the harder it will be to say goodbye.” He kissed her right cheek. “You go and I’ll stay here with the rebels. Maybe I can help them finish off Rol and his men for good.”

  Mia nodded and left the hut. She made her rounds and said goodbye to Pinto, Jola and everyone else she knew. She finished by saying goodbye to Crey and Soren, and she told them how happy she was that they were reunited. Mia returned to Brax’s hut, where Jake was sitting and waiting for her. “So how do we do this?” she asked Brax.

  Brax tapped a button on a wall of his hut and a circular vortex appeared in the wall. “It will only stay open for a few seconds,” he told Mia. “So you must hurry.”

  Mia turned to Jake and hugged him again. They both cried as they embraced. Then she pulled back and kissed his forehead. “You take care of yourself Jake Sword,” she said. He nodded. “And come home right way. I love you.” She hugged him and turned to face the scientist. “I just walk through?” she asked.

  “Yes, walk through,” said Brax. “And please hurry. There isn’t much time left.”

  Mia took a deep breath and stepped through the opening in the wall. She closed her eyes as a sharp electrical pain ran through her body. It lasted only a few seconds, and she found herself sitting in the dark. The vortex made a swooshing sound as it closed behind her. She felt around in the dark until she found the light switch. She turned on the light and looked around her.

  Mia was back in her attic. Everything looked exactly as it had when she left. She carefully approached the antique mirror and felt the heat emanating from it. The girl covered the mirror with the long blanket and vowed to keep the mirror in good condition until Jake came home. Mia took a deep breath and headed for the attic door. She opened the door, extended the ladder and wondered how in the world she would explain this to her father.

  About the author:

  Steven Donahue was a copywriter for TV Guide magazine for 14 years. His first novel, Amanda Rio, was published in 2004. He released three novels in 2013: The Manila Strangler (Rainstorm Press), Amy the Astronaut and the Flight for Freedom (Hydra Publications), and Comet and Cupid’s Christmas Adventure (Createspace). His fifth novel, Chasing Bigfoot (Createspace) was published in 2014, and his short story Grit was also included in the anthology Hero’s Best Friend by Seventh Star Press in 2014. In 2015, he published his sixth book, Where Freedom Rings: A Tale of the Underground Railroad (Createspace).