Portals

by Wilson, Maer

  We clinked our glasses in a silent toast. Thulu turned on the TV and found a movie we hadn’t seen. It was a light comedy, something that didn’t take much concentration to follow. It wasn’t particularly funny, but it did pass the time.

  Sloane popped in after being gone for about an hour.

  “Jones will return as soon as possible,” he informed us, as he settled back into his previous chair.

  “Thank you, Sloane, that was very kind of you,” I said, with a smile.

  He nodded. Thulu turned off the TV, and we filled Sloane in on our ghost army. He raised his eyebrows appreciatively.

  “Parker is one clever being.”

  “Yeah, Sloane, he really is,” I agreed. “Such a shame he only lived to be fourteen. I bet he would have done awesome things had he lived.”

  “I cannot comment on that, but he does awesome things while he’s dead,” retorted Sloane.

  I had to agree with that, too.

  My phone sang to me. I put it on speaker.

  “Hi, Jones, I’ve got you on speaker so we don’t have to repeat everything.”

  “Do you and Thulu always have so much going on? I was not even gone one day.” Jones’s tone was admonishing.

  “So what is going on back on Phaete?” I asked, ignoring his comment.

  “May I join you by portal?”

  I shrugged. “Sure, Jones, come on over.”

  I hung up as the portal began to form in what had become its usual spot. Jones stepped through. He seemed preoccupied, but smiled slightly.

  Thulu retrieved another bottle of wine, and he poured a glass for Jones.

  “Do you want something to snack on?” I asked. “I can put together some cheese and crackers.”

  “Thanks, I ate in Phaete, but that was some time ago. Food would be appreciated.” Even Jones’s voice sounded distracted.

  “Thulu, why don’t you fill him in on our end while I go get something.”

  In the kitchen, I quickly pulled out several boxes of crackers and arranged them on some plates. We usually had several kinds of cheeses, and I took different blocks from the fridge and sliced off some healthy chunks. There was still a bit of Brie left too, and I added that as an afterthought. Balancing everything on a tray, I returned and listened as Thulu filled them in on our day.

  Sloane added in his impressions of the creature that he’d felt. Jones frowned when he heard that even Aurelia and Belus had not been familiar with its mental touch.

  After we’d given him every detail we could think of, he sat lost in thought for a long time. He helped himself to cheese and crackers, and we were quiet while he thought.

  I couldn’t even imagine what it must be like to go through thousands of years of memories to find one that might fit.

  “Sloane, can you show me this barrier?” he asked

  Sloane agreed, and he leaned over the table to grasp Jones’s arm. They both closed their eyes, and we had a repeat of the Reo and Sloan effort earlier. Right up until Sloane sat back with a startled cry. He looked at Jones in amazement. Whatever it was they had experienced, Jones was still in. We didn’t dare break his concentration.

  The expression on Jones’s face was grim, his eyes tightly shut, hands clenched on the arm of the chair.

  I felt a moment of vertigo, as my mind connected to his, just as it had before he killed Gabriel. I felt his emotions: determination, curiosity, finally knowledge. I also felt his strength as he slammed at a mental barrier I could only see through his mind. Jones was through, and the creature felt his power.

  I felt the fear as the being tried to flee from Jones’s mind, only Jones held it immobile and slowly began to crush its life-force from it. Jones was far more powerful, but the creature itself was not weak. Its power was dark and malignant, and I tried to not bring attention to myself. The entity struggled against the pressure exerted by Jones and finally gave a massive wrench and was gone. The barrier exploded in shards of light. Jones’s attention went to what had been behind the barrier, and I saw a room lined with old bricks and the figure of a woman on the floor.

  I heard a voice say triumphantly, “I’ve got her! Fi, I have her location. I know exactly where she is. Whatever was blocking me just disappeared.”

  I was back in my own mind as Thulu grabbed me and hugged me.

  Oblivious to what had happened with me, Thulu stood and moved to Jones who stared forward, lost in thought.

  Jones’s glance touched mine briefly, and I wondered if he had intended the mental connection. I didn’t know, maybe didn’t want to know. The whole thing made me feel uncomfortable. I hoped he never did that again. If he didn’t know I was a passenger at times, then I sure as hell didn’t want to alert him.

  Thulu pumped Jones’s hand, “Jones, you are awesome! Thank you so much.” Thulu reached for his phone and quickly touched the screen several times.

  “Hey, Jeremy, I have an address for you. I don’t know what kind of shape she’s in, but she’s alive.”

  I took a long sip of my wine. Okay, fine, I took a gulp of my wine.

  “So, what happened?” Thulu asked.

  We looked between Sloane and Jones.

  “We came up against the barrier,” explained Sloane. “I was thrown back with tremendous force. It was all Dhavenbahtek after that.”

  Jones took a sip of his own wine before elaborating. “The barrier was very strong. I am not sure how this creature is on Earth or why it is interfering here. It is not here alone, though. It has also subverted or seduced humans to its side. I felt their connection to the one who had created the barrier.”

  “What are they, Jones? What kind of creatures?” I asked, wondering what the hell we were up against.

  He didn’t answer for a long time. Finally he sighed, “As the saying goes, ‘we have met the enemy and they are us.’ A very, very long time ago, we had some bizarre mutations crop up among the daemon population.” He paused, seeming to choose his words carefully. “They were dangerous, mad, more animal than daemon. They would attack without warning, turn on their families, kill suddenly, without provocation. We did not wish to kill our brethren, but we could not have them running rampant across the worlds. It was decided to banish them to a world where they could thrive or die as the fates willed it. They were all moved to a world which was completely capable of supporting them. It was sealed off from all other worlds by the best and most talented among us.

  “I must once again travel to Phaete and let my brother know that our ancient shame has escaped. I am sorry that they have found Earth. It makes no sense.”

  “I have an idea about that,” I said and explained how I thought that the fabric between the worlds might be thinning in places, and that Earth was possibly at a crossroads. “Maybe the portals opened spontaneously due to that?” I shook my head because that didn’t feel quite right. Something was eluding me, but I couldn’t get it pinned down.

  “You are saying you do not think that Gabriel opened the other portals?” asked Jones.

  “Exactly. I think it’s possible that it was either someone else entirely or a metaphysical event. Of course, I’m just guessing here.”

  “An intriguing guess. I shall run it by our experts,” mused Jones, as he looked at me intently. My eyes slid away from his.

  “As will I,” said Sloane.

  “For now,” continued Jones, “I shall be going. I will be back and in touch with the two of you. Do not do anything to attract their attention. Do not look for them. Call back your dead and let them know what has transpired and warn them to stay away from them.”

  “Do they have a name?” Thulu asked.

  Jones smiled wryly, “Well, if Jane were here, she would probably call them ‘demons.’ It is close enough. A mutated form of our name suits them, since they are a mutated form of our people.”

  “The elves had no knowledge of this. At least not common knowledge.” Sloane’s tone was bland, but I got the impression he didn’t like it when the elves didn’t know everything. �
�May I have your permission to inform Belus and Aurelia? Both experienced the creature and neither recognized the race,” said Sloane.

  Jones had risen and moved to where he formed his portals. “Yes. This happened before they were born. We did call in elves to attempt to heal those who had mutated, but even the elves were not able to stop it or reverse it. I do not know if records were kept. Perhaps the elves were not happy at having a failure,” Jones suggested mildly.

  Sloane stiffened. “We do not hide our failures or mistakes. We document them in hopes that someone in the future can learn from them.”

  Jones chuckled. “Fine, then. You will have to ask your own people. I would not be concerned about it. It would not have kept the elves’ attention. Since we banished the ones who were tainted and that world was sealed, there would be no reason for the elves to have contact, unless they just happened to go to that world. We cast very strong spells and wards on it to keep everyone out.

  “I shall speak to you tomorrow. Remember, to warn the dead away from them, La Fi.” Jones thanked us, formed his portal and stepped through.

  I wasted no time calling in the dead. Soon the room was populated with them. I let them know we had found Daria and thanked them for their help. They were happy about finding her. We also let them know that there was an unknown and very dangerous race lose on Earth and under no circumstances should they attempt to interact with them. There were surprised looks all around and Devon asked the question that had crossed their minds.

  “But surely, they cannot harm us?”

  “Our understanding is that they can in some way hurt you,” I answered. “So if you see something you don’t recognize, then get out fast.” I looked around, worried that some might not heed my warning. “Seriously, everyone, this warning comes from the strongest of the magical people we know. Don’t count on being dead to save you. Just run first and ask questions later.”

  There were nods from the gathered throng, and I was sure those who knew me would take heed. I was less sure about those I didn’t know and could only hope they did too.

  They drifted away, one by one until it was only our family left. We filled in Nana Fae, Mama Deb, Evan and Parker on the rest of the news that the new threat was most likely mutated daemons with some humans thrown in for good measure. None of them had anything to add and they soon left, except for Parker, who said he’d do a couple circuits outside.

  They hadn’t been gone long when we heard from Lassiter. Thulu put the call on speaker.

  “Good job! She was exactly where you said she was.” Lassiter sounded tired, but very pleased. “Daria was in the basement, unconscious, but alive. She’s at the hospital now, with her sister. She still hasn’t regained consciousness, though, and that has the doctors concerned. They can’t find any injuries, so they’re running a bunch of tests.

  “And we arrested two people.”

  “Are they human?” I asked.

  “Well, sure -” Lassiter paused. “I guess so. They look human.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything, Jeremy,” Thulu said.

  His answer came after another pause. “I see. Well, how do we know then?”

  Thulu looked at me and I nodded. “Is there a way for La Fi to see them? Without bringing any attention to her?”

  “Sure. La Fi, do you need them live or will pictures work.”

  I had to think if I’d ever noticed someone not human in pictures before. It wasn’t like there were tons of supernatural beings masquerading as human.

  “I don’t know, Jeremy. I’ve never looked at pictures with the idea of seeing if they are human. Hang on a minute.”

  I retrieved my digital camera from where I set it on my desk in the study. I flipped through the pictures until I came to one of Jones in his human form. It showed a handsome man in profile, gazing up at the sky. But I saw something more. Almost like a double exposure, which is sort of what I see in person, too.

  “Okay, Jeremy, there’s a possibility I will be able to tell from a picture, but no guarantee that I can.”

  “I’ll drop by in the morning with pictures. If need be, we can set up a line up,” Lassiter said.

  “I don’t want them to see her, Jeremy. It’s not just a matter of her staying under the radar with the other cops. The kidnappers cannot see her, either.” Thulu’s voice was firm.

  “No problem. We’ll slip her in during the day when it’s super busy, and if anyone asks, I’ll say she’s a witness. We do have several actual witnesses, so adding her to the mix should be simple enough. And I’ll just skip any paperwork.”

  That night, Thulu and I spent longer than usual in our bedroom window seat, quietly watching the city lights. Eventually we went to bed since we were both exhausted, but my mind wasn’t ready to sleep yet. I tried not to think, but rested my head on Thulu’s chest and just listened to the steady beat of his heart, while he stroked my hair. I went to sleep to its strong, steady rhythm.

  Chapter 19

  Jones called the next morning to say the Dark Ones on Phaete were looking into the mutants. Unsealing the world where the daemons had been exiled, even with just a small opening, was not currently an option. He said his brother refused to risk it, but they would look at other avenues to investigate how the daemons had made it to Earth.

  The distaste in his voice regarding the mutated daemons was clear, even over the phone. He promised to keep us posted and reiterated instructions to not go looking for the creatures.

  “Good god, Jones. I mean, what? Do you think we’re stupid?” I asked, frowning.

  “Not at all, La Fi. I do, however, think that the two of you manage to find trouble. I had not been aware that this was part of a Finder’s talent,” he added drily.

  “Ha, ha, very funny, Jones. Besides, trouble finds us, not the other way around and it’s only since we met you.” I retorted, not bothering to hide my crankiness.

  He actually chuckled. “You know, La Fi, my brother had something similar to say. I got the impression he would be perfectly happy if I remained on Earth for another couple hundred years, in spite of his words to the contrary when he first saw me. Perhaps he had forgotten what an interesting life I lead. I shall talk to you both when I know more.”

  A few minutes later, Lassiter called to say he was on his way over with pictures. I went upstairs to take a fast shower and throw on clothes. I had a feeling it was going to be a long day. When I looked in the mirror, I wasn’t happy to see dark circles under my eyes. I debated dabbing them with concealer, then decided to hell with it. I brushed my wet hair, pulled it back and twisted it up and off my neck, fastening it with a clip.

  When Lassiter arrived and laid two pictures out on the breakfast table, I looked at them very carefully. I didn’t see anything to lead me to think the subjects were anything but human. Mug shots showed two clean cut guys. They certainly weren’t your typical criminal. In fact, they looked like businessmen.

  “I can’t say for sure. They look human, but judging by what little we know of the creatures involved, there’s a chance I might not be able to identify them.” I thought back to the feeling I’d gotten from the creature through Jones and tried to superimpose that over the pictures, but nothing was coming. While I was pretty sure my ability to identify other beings was strong, I had no way to know if it was one hundred percent accurate.

  I looked up at Lassiter and shook my head. “I don’t want to swear these guys are human.”

  Lassiter gathered up the pictures. “Well, then, I’ll pull them in for a lineup and call our other witnesses. I’ll call you later to let you know when to come by.” He looked at Thulu, then back at me. “I promise I’ll walk you in and keep your contact with anyone else to a minimum, okay?”

  Just the thought of going there made my stomach feel queasy. I’d had no reason to step into a police station since my parents died. I wasn’t looking forward to this visit, either. I sighed, as Lassiter left.

  Aela popped in next, eating a tapioca pearl. I looked at it askance
, since I knew that it had the effect of making fairies drunk.

  “Interesting breakfast, Aela,” I said as she settled on the table in front of me, iridescent wings coming to rest. She was back in sandals, tunic and leggings, fingers and toes sporting bright red polish.

  “Hrmph. This isn’t breakfast, La Fi, it’s my after-dinner treat,” she said loftily. It also had to be her first because she was pretty steady. After a couple pearls, she usually flew crooked.

  “You and Thulu are the topic of much gossip among the magical realms.”

  “Good or bad?” asked Thulu.

  “Neither, really. Some amazement that only two months ago, no one knew who you were and now you are connected to lots of things happening. Of course, since they are happening on Earth, we suppose it’s only natural.”

  “Why is it natural? There are billions of people on Earth, Aela.” I was feeling uncomfortable in the spotlight of attention. I didn’t want people off-world gossiping about us.

  “Yes, well, as to that, it’s not like there are lots of finders on any of the worlds, so Thulu is already a bit of a celebrity. So are you, La Fi.”

  “Awesome,” I replied. Thulu dimpled at me. “Don’t let it go to your head,” I added grumpily.

  “Oh, do you want to hear a joke?” Aela continued. “How do you find trouble? You hire Thulu, the finder.” She giggled in her high-pitched little voice, and I rolled my eyes at Thulu.

  “Yeah, Jones already told us a version of that. I didn’t think it was funny then, either.”

  “You are very cranky this morning, La Fi. Here I am, trying to cheer you up and you have no appreciation of humor.”

  I looked at the little fairy, hands on her hips, ever-present bow strung across one shoulder and her little quiver, full of arrows. I sighed.

  “Sorry, Aela. Go ahead and make fun of us and I’ll try to laugh.”

  “No, no. You obviously are not ready to be cheered up, so I shall return to my own world, where I am appreciated.” She grinned at me, sharp, pointy, little predator teeth shining bright white.