Portal (Nina Decker)

by Anna, Vivi

  “I forget how fragile you air breathers are,” said Dashrael. He swam around me. His body was as sinewy and as graceful as I had imagined it. Comparing him to an Olympian was a disservice. A professional athlete could only dream of attaining a body like his.

  “I’m sure she’ll get over it,” I said to him. Despite Dani’s warning I swam next to him. I’m a good swimmer but I felt like a clumsy, dog paddling child next to the merman. His swift, graceful movements through the water made my insides a little warm.

  He said, “I must confess I wanted to talk to you in private.”

  “We’re alone now,” I said.

  He dove down. I treaded water in the center of the deep end. The place became deathly quiet and I grew a little nervous. Dashrael came back up.

  “You have a fine form,” he said. "And strong muscles. I would almost believe you had some merfolk in you.”

  “I’m having enough trouble being high fae,” I said.

  This close I could see that his skin was made of perfect tiny scales. I hadn’t noticed when he was dry. Despite this he looked as ravishing as ever.

  “Is that what you wanted to talk about?” I asked him. “My form?”

  “Not at all. I was hoping I could be a friend to you the way Lady D’Aniela has been,” he told me. “You need many friends here.”

  “That’s kind of you.”

  “As a friend I should tell you what you did yesterday wasn’t smart.”

  “Oh?”

  “Severin Saint Morgan is hated here. You didn’t win yourself many allies.”

  “I didn’t come here to play politics,” I said.

  “Neither did I,” Dashrael confessed. “But I ended up playing the game anyway. No task is ever pure or simple. There’s always politics.”

  He seemed genuinely tired and sad and regretful. A rare difference to the rest of the political players of court.

  “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.”

  He reached out to brush away a damp strand of hair from my face. I let him. I expected his touch to be rough from the scales but it was smooth. His hand lingered on my cheek and moved down my neck.

  But then I remembered the attack at my pond back in Vancouver. Something had reached out of the water, grabbed me by the neck and tried to drown me. I recognized that hand and that touch.

  I backed away from Dashrael. I was still a several strokes away from the pool’s edge.

  “You,” I said. “It was you!”

  I tried to swim for the shallow end. But Dashrael cut me off without any effort.

  “What are you talking about?” he asked.

  “You tried to kill me back in Vancouver.”

  “Princess N’Lina, you are mistaken.”

  His hand shot out towards me. He gripped my shoulder and pushed me under, then quickly let go and I popped back up.

  “I’m trying to help you.”

  He grabbed my upper arm and yanked me down again. I was underwater less than a second and came up.

  “I’m trying to keep you from meddling in court affairs.”

  Down I went again. The constant ducking was worse than being held under. When I popped back to the surface I tried to take a breath only to be yanked back under.

  “And I don’t try to kill people,” he hissed.

  “Stop it!” I yelled before he pulled me back under. Water rushed down my throat. I surfaced and spat it out. My arms flailed about as I panicked in the deep water.

  “Those whom I target, die,” said Dashrael.

  I went under again before I could take a breath. The world began to spin and I fell into blackness.

  Chapter 15

  I was drowning, the slow painful demise as air escaped my lungs not to be replaced by anything but water. Dashrael kept pushing and pulling me under, letting go then then pulling me down again. I tried to steal a breath of air and sucked down more water.

  Then he let go and I scrambled for the pool edge. As I took a long ragged gasp, I looked up and there was J’Tara with a group of armored guards. Dani was next to them with her towel wrapped around her body.

  “Is there something wrong here?” asked the captain of the guard.

  “Perhaps I played a little too roughly with the princess,” said Dashrael, with a smug look on his face.

  Dani pulled me out and threw a towel over me. Even though my legs wobbled I wanted to get away as fast as possible. We left J’Tara and Dashrael. As we wound our way back through the gardens I felt a little better.

  “Are you all right?” Dani asked. “When he held me underwater he told me to get out of there. I didn’t know what else to do so I got the nearest help I could find. I’m sorry for leaving with him.”

  “He’s kind of scary.” I wondered what if anything would happen to him. “Think he’ll end up in a cage in the town square?”

  “Unlikely. He’s down a lot of dirty work for Lord Wolfstriker in the past. You weren’t hurt or least not that bad.”

  And I’m not exactly the favored grandchild, I silently added.

  Just then J’Tara caught up to us with long strides. She was the last person I wanted to see.

  “I hope you’re all right,” she said. There wasn’t a gram of sincerity in her tone. I got the feeling she would have been happier to find me floating face down.

  “Lord Dashrael explained to me it was all a misunderstanding,” she went on.

  “That was some misunderstanding,” I sputtered. “I could have drowned.”

  “Oh if Dashrael wanted to kill you he would have succeeded, especially in water. That was just how merfolk play. Besides, why should he want to kill you, who will decide all our fates?”

  Dani was holding my wrist. She squeezed it extra hard when J’Tara brought up the little prophecy. I gathered that bit of information was supposed to be on the QT.

  “You’re talking about the Great Codex,” I said.

  “Some scribbles Simeon discovered,” said J’Tara with a grin. “I tell you if there’s anyone who should want you dead it’s me.”

  “What do mean?”

  J’Tara said, “I meant no insult, princess. Just look at it from my perspective. I have trained as a warrior my entire life. I have worked my way up the ranks to become Nightfall’s supreme military commander right alongside Lord Wolfstriker. For this coming war, and yes there will be another war because it is inevitable, I have spent countless days and nights planning and preparing. I have drilled my soldiers relentlessly and prepared miles of defenses. Yet according to some all of that is for naught. You see all my skill, talent and several lifetimes’ worth of effort don’t matter at all. It will come down to one half breed royal to decide who wins and who loses. I might as well have spent the whole time sitting on rump and getting fat eating sweet cakes.”

  She drew up to her full height. She was nearly a head taller than I was and I was 5’ 9’’. She glared down at me which clearly meant to scare the piss out of me. And she was doing a pretty good job of it.

  “Fortunately for you I don’t believe in such nonsense as prophecies. I believe we make our own destinies. If I thought otherwise, well, I might have held you under myself.”

  I realized we were alone with J’Tara. She wore a sword and her hand gripped the pommel. Then it relaxed.

  “But I do not believe such things. Come let us get you to your nice dry chambers.”

  I practically ran the rest of the way with Dani beside me.

  I went to my room. The door didn’t lock so I moved a chair against it. I didn’t take my meals. I didn’t even let Dani in.

  “I’m sorry about what happened,” she said from beyond the closed door.

  “It’s all right,” I assured her.

  Poor Dani, I thought. After all she did to get me out of my room here I am back in it, a scared little mouse.

  That was exactly what I wanted her to think. That’s what I wanted the rest of the palace to think. I was scared that was for certain. But I was also angry. I was angry at J’Tara, Das
hrael, Lord and Lady Wolfstriker and all the other schemers in the castle. But most of all I was angry at myself for wasting a whole day on self-pity. I had been led around far too often since coming to Nightfall. I had been nearly drowned then threatened. They had tried to terrify me so I would be docile and easy to control. They wanted to make me into one of those black steeds that obeyed their rider’s commands without question. But they weren’t going to break me that easily. From that moment on I was going to decide my own course. And the first thing I wanted to do was see Severin. I had to talk with him.

  I waited for it to get dark out. Then I changed into my olive pants and black top. I opened the window and checked for guard patrols. Once I was out of my room I headed back into town.

  I reached the bottom of the hill and returned to the thorny ditch. There was no clear path through but I could feel the plants calling to me. They wanted to help. I crouched low, out of sight of the guards on the stone bridge and touched the ground. Like in the forest, I felt the souls of these plants. They weren’t old and grumpy. They were young and playful. And they were willing to play “Let’s Make a Path for Nina.” Instantly the thorny bushes pulled back and I found a path to the other side.

  The town was quiet and dark. Everyone had gone to bed. There were a few guardsmen about. They carried lanterns before them so I was able to spot them before they spotted me and I made my way to the town square unseen. The crowds had left him alone by now. The cage was smeared with stains and rubbish was strewn about. Severin sat in the corner wrapped in Coldiron’s fraying jacket. The cage was made of both iron and silver. It made me sick just to get close to it but I had to.

  “Severin,” I said.

  When he saw me, his face softened. He thrust his arm forward even though it caused him pain. I grasped it and I kissed it.

  “I’m sorry for what I said in the tower,” he told me. “I didn’t mean any of it.”

  “You tried to protect me,” I said. “Just like you did back in the forest. But what I need now is the truth.”

  Severin sighed. “The whole truth may not be that comforting. When I originally saw you my first thoughts were about revenge. Revenge on your grandparents and your mother. I was still full of anger and hate over that day. But then I met you.”

  “What changed?” I asked.

  “Everything. I didn’t want to hurt you or see you hurt. Soon I realized I’d do anything to keep you safe. Then I started to think about the day of the attack.”

  “You didn’t lead the attack. You came to stop it.”

  Severin nodded, “Shana and Tristan had grown up together. They were best friends. Where one went the other was sure to follow. Even after I married Shana that didn’t change.”

  “Was the attack their idea?”

  “For a long time I thought so. But no. They were tricked. And then they were killed to keep them quiet.”

  “You wanted to be captured so at the trial you could learn the truth.”

  He nodded. “I thought if I could champion myself I would at least have the chance. But your grandfather took care of that. There’s no escape for me now. Some here would call that justice.”

  “Don’t say that.”

  “Nina, I never told you about my past here in Nightfall because I was ashamed. “

  “Ashamed of being a slave?”

  “No, ashamed of what I did before that. You heard the story so you know about the Second Lycan War. My clan was part of that. Linus Coldiron insisted that we free our people and leave. My grandfather wouldn’t listen. He convinced the others to stay here and become rulers. I was born here, not as a slave but as a baron. I ruled over some of the fae and I was a bad ruler. After my father and grandfather were killed I and a few others insisted on staying. That’s how we became slaves. It was our own fault.”

  Severin gripped the cage bars. The silver burned his hands. “Nina you have to promise me you’ll leave here, regardless what happens. You can’t stay. There’s this-“

  “I know about the Codex and what it says about me.”

  “It’s not just that. Nina, you can’t choose a winning side if you’re dead. If they think you’re not on their side, they’re going to kill you.”

  Chapter 16

  When I left Severin, I promised him I would do my best to get out of here. I just didn’t tell him that we’d be leaving together.

  I made my way back across the ditch. The thorn bushes parted for me again. As I made my way back to the great hall I pondered my next move. How was I going to free Severin? And then how would we find my father? And then how were we all going to escape Nightfall and get back home? I wished I still had my longbow from earlier. I thought maybe I could locate the armory. I knew where the stables were. That would give us weapons and transportation. But I’d need a lot of help and the only person I trusted even a little bit was Dani. She was no warrior. I couldn’t even consider asking her to help me in this.

  Without alerting the guards, I made it back to my room. Climbing back through my open window was a little difficult without someone to lend me a hand. I was strong enough but it was just awkward getting my legs over the sill. I tumbled inside. It was dark inside except for the embers of the fireplace. I used them to light a candle. That’s when I saw it.

  There was a glass bottle with a stopper lying on my bed.

  Someone had been in my room. The chair was still propped against the door. It was exactly as I had left it. Whoever had left the bottle must have come through the open window.

  I didn’t touch it at first. But then I remembered Dani’s playlist bottle. It must be the same idea. I picked it up and removed the stopper. Words poured out. I thought it might be a trick. Maybe it was another ruse to get me to do something. I swore to myself I wouldn’t fall for it. But when I heard the voice in the bottle I nearly dropped it.

  It was my father’s.

  “N’Lina,” he called me. “I want you to go to the town tomorrow and…”

  I was so shocked I almost missed the instructions. They were detailed. Towards the end my father rambled about brownie food and pixie music. I slowly poured the last of his words out, savoring each one. It had been so long since I heard his voice. When the last word came out I whispered to the bottle “I’m going to find you. I promise.”

  I barely got any sleep. I thought it might still be a trap or a trick. But after all this time I’d finally heard from my father. Da would never intentionally lead me astray. This was the first clue to his whereabouts. I had to follow through with the plan.

  The next day I put on one of the many dresses I’d been supplied with. Most of them were bright and colorful. I looked for something a little more muted and found something that looked formal and dour and a little plain. It was probably meant for a state funeral or some similar occasion. I told the servants that I’d take breakfast in my room. When the food arrived I thanked them, then after they left I slipped out the window. I walked across the wide lawns and down the hill. Spying a large group of fae lads and lasses passing over the bridge into the town, I quietly joined their group. It was much easier than charming my way through the brambles.

  The town of Nightfall was bustling in the daytime. Fae, brownies and pixies went to and fro on their daily errands. I slipped in among them. No one seemed to recognize me as I made my way through the streets. I didn’t have my entourage with me.

  My father’s instructions told me to go to the Red Hawk Inn near the town gates which were an imposing structure of iron and silver. Just off to the side was the inn. It was tall and had a tiled roof. I noticed that its upper floors overlooked the spiked top of the wall.

  I stepped inside. The public room was full of patrons sipping beer and wine. Buxom fae serving wenches went from table to table. I heard a small voice come from below.

  “Lady Bellflower?” the man asked.

  I gazed down and saw the brownie innkeeper. He was only five feet tall, and had more wrinkles than a Sharpi puppy. His thick black beard nearly touched the floor
.

  “You are Lady Bellflower are you not?” he asked.

  I sputtered for a moment then remembered my father’s words. “Yes. I am.”

  “Your rooms are ready,” the innkeeper said.

  He led me up the stairs. At the end of the hall he opened the door. I went inside. The room was sparse. There was a bed, a stool, a standing mirror and a large chest. I wandered to the window and gazed out. I could see over the spikes of the wall and to the green forest beyond. This was as close as I had come to escaping the palace.

  “Your luggage arrived earlier today,” the innkeeper said.

  I gazed at the chest lying at the foot of the bed. The innkeeper left and shut the door behind him. I opened “my luggage.” Inside was a suit of armor.

  I took it out and examined it. It was made for a female form. It was metal but did not burn or hurt me. It must have been aluminum or something like that. I held a piece next to my forearm. It snapped into place by itself. It opened easily when I tried to take it off. I put the piece back on then moved my arm around. The armor was light and comfortable to wear.

  There was a knock at the door. The innkeeper said, “Lady Bellflower your horse is ready. If you just take the stairs to the right of your door you’ll come out in the alley behind. There you will find your mount.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  My heart raced. This was a very, very bad plan. I had no idea who was helping me really. Maybe they weren’t really helping me. Maybe this was a set up to get me killed. But I was out of time and I didn’t have any better options. I took off my dress and changed it for the suit of armor. In the Middle Ages getting into and out of armor was an involved process that required servants. But this armor literally attached itself. The torso piece even gently folded my wings next to my back. I put on the gauntlets and helmet on last. I peered through the helmet’s grate and looked in the mirror. There I stood, a fae warrior in full armor.

  I took a deep breath. So long I had tried to hide my heritage. I’d hid it even from myself. I tried to think of myself as just a girl, a normal human girl. The fae in me, I associated with everything bad and evil in the world because of my mother. Even here in Nightfall I had tried to hide from that part of myself. I had tried to separate myself from the fae I saw and spoke with. But I could no longer deny my true self any more than I could deny my true feelings for Severin.