The Borderlands (Book One): Journey

by Aderyn Wood

  One night Ness came to her and dropped a bombshell. “We have to return soon.”

  Dale looked at her sharply. “What do you mean?”

  Ness’s blue eyes sparkled. “Can’t you feel it, lass, the pull?”

  Dale frowned and shook her head slowly. “No.”

  Ness sighed and stood, depositing Cat onto the floor. “We are bound to Earth, child. It pulls to us. We can only stay here for short periods then we must return.”

  “But I feel no pull.”

  Ness looked puzzled for once. “Mmm, you will soon.”

  “But, I thought I was from here.” Dale struggled to understand the workings of this larger world she was awakening to.

  “You are from the Borderlands, Dale. But you are a changeling. You were swapped at birth. So you are bound to Earth, as am I. There must be balance.”

  “So I must return there. Do I have to stay?”

  Ness shook her head. “No, but I want to show you some things so that you have closure, as they say these days.”

  “What things?”

  Ness’s eyes sparkled. “I’ve discussed it with your mother. You’ll see when we are there.”

  “So when do we leave?”

  “Soon.”

  In the days that followed Arcadia became shrouded in the serious business of preparing for war. The city streets had little music now. Dale learnt more about the coming events. The council had decided to keep the battle in the Borderlands, or the Verge to be precise. They took Rhys’s advice and set up a group to begin strategising for a future war on Earth. The whole city became involved in the preparations. In recent times the Seelie Court had only put in the resources to try to halt the assault on the Verge. Now they intended to fight back. They had little choice. If the Unseelie weren’t stopped they could end up in Arcadia. Jaral painted an image of darkness telling her what would happen. Dale imagined evil creatures carrying off the children and shivered.

  Arcadia was abuzz with action as the whole city readied for the battle. Weapons and supplies were packed in large carriages and vans to be pulled by the strongest horses. The combat soldiers increased their training and drills. Sa’r Conaril no longer had time to supervise the acolytes. He spent his days with other councillors looking at maps and planning their approach. Capable sorcerers, under the leadership of Master Aethyll, likewise planned strategies for the battle ahead.

  Finally the day came for the host to leave. The men and women, warriors and sorcerers, cooks and healers assembled at the field across the river at the foot of the city. Most were on horseback already eager to go. Many carts, brimming with supplies, would follow them.

  Dale watched on, alone. She looked for him, wondering whether she would see him again. He was to leave with the host, to fight with them as a Seelie sorcerer. There was a chance he wouldn’t return and the thought caused a lump of fear in her throat that was hard to swallow. The dust from the horde of people, carts and horses made it difficult to see. But she spotted him. He was on horseback, and armoured. Their eyes met through the din. She felt the fiery sensation she always felt whenever she looked him in the eyes. He returned that stare. Like the first time in the classroom at St Nino’s. Like an owl. That unmoving, dark gaze. She gave him a little wave, and then felt foolish. But he approached on his horse. Her heart drummed in her chest. Her eyes locked with his. She wanted to tear her gaze away, but couldn’t.

  His horse came within an arm’s length before he stopped and dismounted. Dale tried to think of something to say, but everything she came up with sounded stupid, inept. He threw the reins over his horse without taking his eyes from her and stepped closer. Dale bit her lip. I’ve got to say something!

  But his stare continued to ignite her blush and she trembled slightly as he walked to her. She stumbled back but he caught her, his arm behind her back, while his other hand caressed her neck and drew her chin toward him. Dale’s heart galloped. He’s going to kiss me!

  His full lips, hot like fire, caressed her own, tenderly. She leaned toward him. His body blazed with warmth. His fingers combed her hair. Then passionately, she felt his teeth bite down on her bottom lip, his hand gripping her hair, before he tore himself away and pushed her back.

  He was breathing, hard. Fire danced in his black eyes.

  Then he was gone. On his horse and bolting in the morning sun. Dale’s heart bolted in time.

  32

  The day came for Dale to return. Her mother woke her early, putting a bundle of clothes on her bed – jeans and a top from another life.

  “There’s something you should know. Before I tell you I need to ask.” Anwyn looked at Dale with eyes that spoke fear. “How would you describe your relationship with your Earthen family?”

  The question struck her like a cold slap. She had hardly thought about her Earthen family since she left them. Dale realised she did not miss them at all.

  Victoria meant nothing to her.

  “I don’t feel anything. You are my mother now.”

  The queen embraced her.

  “Is that why you chose that family, so that I wouldn’t miss them when I came here?”

  Her mother smiled and touched her cheek. “That was just a convenience. It was Rhys we chose, not the family.”

  They embraced again.

  “The thing you must know is – they will not know you.”

  Dale pushed back. “What? How?”

  “They have been enchanted. Rhys did it. It was hard for him but he did it.”

  “What about everyone else?”

  Her mother nodded. “Everyone you ever knew has been reprogrammed. They think you have left with your family.”

  Dale frowned. “So they will know me. Will people still see me the same way?”

  Her mother nodded. “Yes.”

  “So, experiences, things that may have happened to me, they will be remembered?”

  “Yes.”

  Dale closed her eyes. Prudence’s party trick will be remembered.

  “How did it happen?”

  Her mother bit her lip. “It is an enchantment, a permanent one. It is easy for us to make the Third believe whatever we want them to. Mostly we don’t do this, although the Unseelie do it all the time. That was one of the reasons why Rhys had to go back.” She shook her head. “But enough about this. Ness awaits.”

  Dale found Ness on the other side of the river. Cat was with her, too.

  “Are you ready, lass?”

  Dale nodded slowly. “I think so.”

  “Your mother told you what to expect?”

  “Yes.”

  Ness pursed her lips. “You’re content with that?”

  “I’m fine with it.” She bit her lip. “I actually feel a bit relieved. I wasn’t looking forward to this. I didn’t want to have to deal with Victoria again, but now I’m off the hook.”

  Ness reached out and touched her arm. “That bodes well, child, but if we see them you might have a different reaction. You need to prepare for that.”

  Dale nodded. “I’m still not sure why we have to go back, I know you said it’s because we are pulled there, that we cannot stay here for too long, but I still don’t feel the pull as yet.”

  Dale had been in the Borderlands for roughly a month, she guessed. Although time was not easily judged here.

  Ness pursed her lips again. “It’s an interesting thing you say, lass. I feel the pull very strongly now.” She raised an eyebrow. “We are bound to Earth and our essence pulls us back toward it with every heartbeat. Sometimes I can stay here for long periods, other times I have to return the very day I arrive. It has a lot to do with the astral tides, but that is a very complex matter and I don’t have time to explain. Come, let’s go, I will show you how to make a portal.”

  Dale’s eyes widened. “A portal, like in Stargate?”

  Ness laughed. “Not really, you’ll see.”

  They walked along the river, Cat following.

  “So we don’t have to go back to the jetty where Joy i
s?”

  Ness shook her head. “No, that is how you approached. It is a natural entry point. Many people sail past the Borderlands not realising that they have entered another realm. There are a few natural entry points. Mostly people enter and leave them without ever knowing. Some get lost and never return to Earth. Others find their way to the Borderlands. The Seelie comfort them and feed them, then send them back with a strong enchantment so that they don’t remember.

  “But we don’t need to go to the entry point. You passed the test the Borderlands set. Soon you will learn how to open a portal, here or on Earth. We need a place where three elements meet. Earth, fire, air, water or the aether. If you find three together you can form a portal.”

  Dale looked around them. Water flowed in the river to the left, obviously air was all around and the earth beneath was solid. She wasn’t sure what aether was. “We have three here don’t we?” she asked, indicating the river.

  “Yes, I like to find something that creates a frame, like an arch of a doorway. It makes the imagining easier. I also like to create it away from others so that my concentration isn’t broken.”

  They had walked at least a mile along the river, and the last of the houses could only just be seen through the thickening trees.

  “This will be perfect.” Ness gestured toward two slim birch trees. Their trunks stood parallel and branches entwined at the top, forming an arch that framed the river.

  “Stand there and watch. You will see the portal open. I’ll tell you when it’s safe to enter.”

  Dale nodded and bent to pick up Cat.

  Ness closed her eyes and stilled her breathing. Dale recognised the breathing pattern and the relaxation technique. She had mastered it three times over. Ness seemed to go into a very deep meditation. Her eyelids fluttered and her mouth slackened. It lasted a few minutes. Then Ness’s face changed to an expression of concentration. Her forehead furrowed and her eyes tensed. She drew elaborate patterns in the sky with her hands, murmuring a strange language.

  That’s when the fog came. Just like the heavy mist when she entered the Borderlands on Joy. It spilled out of the archway so that eventually the river couldn’t be seen. Ness opened her eyes.

  She looked at Dale and held out her hand. “Come, let us go.”

  When the mists swirled away Dale recognised the woodland clearing by the river where Gareth used to work on Joy. Cat jumped from her arms and bounded off to explore the familiar ground. This is his home. Dale thought. Only Gareth’s not here anymore. A lump formed in her throat as she remembered her old friend.

  Ness embraced her. “It’s all right, lass, you’re allowed to grieve him still.”

  She felt a tug on her chest and noticed the crystal necklace that Brutus had given her.

  “You need it now. Your sprite looked after it when you were in the Borderlands, but you must have it at all times whenever you return to Earth,” Ness said.

  Ness’s sapphire had also returned, its blue shimmer matching her eyes.

  They walked along the path that Dale knew by heart, toward the old hospital. The long grass and weeds seemed to be taking over.

  “Will old Joan be there?”

  But when they came to the courtyard Dale got her answer. The vegetable garden was overgrown. A profusion of tomatoes, corn, beans and peas and many other produce stood wilting, unattended.

  “She’s not here, is she?”

  Ness shook her head. “No.”

  Dale looked up to the sky as her vision blurred. So much had changed.

  She opened the door to Gareth’s quarters. Everything was much the same as before. Cat bounded in and pawed his old pillow. Dale patted him. “He’s not coming back, Cat.” Tears fell over her cheeks and wouldn’t stop no matter how much Dale scrunched her face.

  Ness took her hand. “This visit will be difficult for you. In a way, it is meant for you to say goodbye.”

  Dale stood and wiped her face, breathing deeply. ”Am I never to come back?”

  Ness shook her head, slowly. “You will come back, of course, from time to time. But you will be bonded back to the Borderlands. The ceremony has been arranged for a year from now.”

  Dale frowned. “Why from now?”

  Ness pursed her lips. “It is your seventeenth birthday today.”

  Dale blinked. “Oh.”

  “On your eighteenth birthday you shall be re-bonded. It has been prophesised.”

  Dale wiped her nose with the back of her hand and considered this new information. “So, I will no longer be a changeling?”

  Ness nodded.

  “And Rhys, what will happen to him?” Dale recalled the way he had kissed her before going off to battle. She had thought of little else since.

  Ness looked her in the eye. “He will be re-bonded here. There must be balance.”

  “Oh.”

  “Come, we must visit your old family.”

  It was an early September morning. The streets were not yet busy and Dale guessed it was the weekend, probably Sunday. Everything seemed so foreign, hostile even. There was so much ugliness in this world – the advertisements, the gaudy fast food outlets, the pollution, the loud noise of a jet overhead. It made her yearn for the tranquillity of the Borderlands.

  They walked down Springfield Gardens and soon came to her house. The house she had once called home.

  “How do you feel?”

  Dale looked at Ness. “Okay, I’m okay.”

  “Good, let’s go.” Ness pushed forward to the front door and was about to ring the bell.

  “Wait,” Dale hissed. “What are you doing?”

  Ness looked at her calmly. “You have to see for yourself. You have to see the connection has been severed.”

  Dale gulped. The thought of facing her mother, no, Victoria, made her heart race, and her palms became moist. Ness rang the bell.

  The wait seemed like an eon. Dale’s senses were heightened making her aware of every movement. Were those footsteps?

  Finally the door opened to reveal Nina. Dale’s heart thumped and she stopped herself, just in time, from saying, “Hi.” But the look on her sister’s face told her it would have been a waste of time. There was no hint of recognition.

  “Good morning, lass. My name is Ness and I am looking for someone who I thought lived in this house. Her name is Dale. Could you tell me if she is at home?”

  Nina shook her head quickly. God she looks like Victoria – no – she looks like Rhys. Dale swallowed.

  “No one called Dale lives here.”

  “Would your mother be in?” Ness persisted.

  Dale felt like screaming, NO, you’ve proved your point. I see that they no longer know me.

  But Nina nodded and returned into the house.

  Dale breathed deeply and Ness gave her a wink. “Be strong,” she whispered.

  There were more footsteps and then she appeared in the hall. Dale froze. Oh god, is she going to scream at me?

  But Victoria put on her fake smile and crooned at Ness. Dale noticed Ness was overdoing her old woman look.

  “Hello. Can I help you?” Victoria said.

  Ness repeated her request. “I am looking for a girl called Dale. She is seventeen years old and I was told she lives here.”

  Dale held her breath. Victoria hadn’t even looked at her yet.

  Victoria shook her head. “No, I’m afraid I haven’t heard of that name. Is she a relative?”

  “Dal, Dal.” It was the little voice of Benny. Mina had him on her hip and had walked up behind her mother, no doubt to see what was going on.

  Benny, looking straight at her, held out his little chubby hand and kicked his legs. He smiled and laughed and said her name again. “Dal, Dal, Dal!” he shouted.

  It took all of Dale’s strength to stop herself from holding and embracing him. He had been her family. He had been the only one she had loved. And he remembered her! This was heartbreaking. She blinked and looked at the sky in an attempt to stop the tears returning.

>   Victoria looked at her son, and then slowly turned and her eyes locked with Dale’s. Dale’s heart stopped.

  “It seems my son thinks he knows you.” She laughed. “I’m sorry, I can’t help you.”

  In Victoria’s stare Dale saw not a shred of recognition. Relief washed over her as the woman she once called Mother turned and shut the door.

  As Dale and Ness walked back down the street they could hear Benny cry as he called for her, screaming now so that the whole street could hear it. “DAL, DAL!”

  “Damnation!” Ness spat as they turned the corner.

  “What is it?”

  “He recognised you.”

  “So that’s a problem?”

  “It could be a big problem. If our friends find out.”

  Dale felt a chill up her spine.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Rhys’s place.”

  “What?”

  “You heard, lass.”

  Ness pushed on along Gallowgate Road. Dale wondered if perhaps they were going to catch a bus. She wanted to ask Ness where Rhys’s place was but she sensed urgency in Ness, so she bowed her head and followed.

  The Glasgow streets were sleepy, typical for a Sunday. Dale wondered if her old family still attended Christian Central. A shiver worked its way along her spine when she thought of that place. Would Ricardo still serve there?

  Dale was just about to ask where they were going exactly when Ness turned off the road and into the Eastern Necropolis. The old trees that lined it stood like sentinels, guarding the secrets of the ancient crypts. Ness picked up her pace and Dale nearly had to jog to keep up. She was fit for an old woman. How old is she anyway?

  In the centre of the Necropolis the old tombs stared down at them.

  “Is this where Rhys lived? In the necropolis?” Dale finally found her voice.

  “Aye,” was all Ness said as she walked.

  Dale’s eyes widened. She remembered the owl she often saw flying over at night. That was him. Had he seen her naked that night? It was such a trivial thing to recall, considering everything that had happened. But she felt herself blush all the same.