The Portal to Sidhe
Book Three
By Kelsey Schaeffer
Copyright 2020 © By Kelsey Marie Schaeffer
The Portal to Sidhe: Book Three
First Edition
Published 2020
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be copied by any method or reproduced without formal written permission from author Kelsey Marie Schaeffer (Formally, Kelsey Marie Hahn), or where permitted by law.
Printed in United States of America
Cover created by Kelsey Marie Schaeffer
All names, characters, places, titles, and ideas are products of fiction and imagination
After our long awaited wedding, my new husband, Ben and I were preparing to head to the dining room to enjoy a celebratory feast. Before we even made it down the hallway, we heard a commotion in the grand hall, near the portal that led to Earth. We looked at one another in confusion.
“It must be Virgo and Sophia coming to join the feast,” I said as I looked at Ben and shrugged.
“I didn’t realize they were coming, but we should greet them,” Ben replied with a smile still bright from our wedding ceremony. His handsome smile and bright blue eyes were things that I could never get enough. Even now that he was human and beginning to show age, he was still tall and attractive.
The two of us headed towards the portal entrance, and as the entrance glowed a familiar bright green, we waited for the guest to emerge. Suddenly a small foot covered in a tall black heel appeared from the green glowing portal. Ben and I stood calm as we assumed it was our good friend Sophia.
As the rest of the woman's body came through, I threw my hand over my mouth and felt my stomach begin to churn. Ben quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me close, as my horrible, great-grandmother Desmorelda casually waltzed through the glowing green portal. I gasped in horror as a horrendous smile spread across her perfectly milk-white face. The portal still glowed as if another would soon come through, while Desmorelda stood still, staring amusingly at Ben and I. Neither of us knew what to say or do, but moments after she appeared, a man emerged from the portal behind her. It only took a moment for us to realize who had followed behind her as Taylor, my vile, biological father stood by her side.
Hand-in-hand, Desmorelda and Taylor stood, as demonic smiles drew across their faces. I screamed as Ben held me tight while the horrifying couple howled into the night.
Part One
Chapter 1
Desmorelda’s laugher was horrifying, sounding like an animal in anguish, nearly splitting my eardrums as the noise blast through my ear canal. Her nearly black eyes narrowed in spite; they were beady with revenge. Her husband Taylor remained silent, only staring at me in disgust, his midnight blue eyes wide and his face crumpled with hate.
As the two made an awful scene, my husband kept his arms wrapped tightly around me—though there was nothing he could do to keep me safe from my evil great-grandmother and her husband. Desmorelda and Taylor had been sent to the depths of Hell several years before, but somehow they had returned through our portal that went directly to Earth. I stood shaking in horror knowing Taylor or Desmorelda would kill me—and likely kill my entire family. Instead, they both stood there smiling and staring as if they were wild fools.
After several horrifying moments, their laughter died down, and Desmorelda burned her dark brown eyes into me. Although she looked just as eccentric as before, there was something different about the way she dressed. Her near black, curly hair was piled like a mountain upon her tiny head, which held a small gold crown full of glistening rubies. Her lips sparkled with shimmering red lipsticks and her plump, red cheeks dazzled just as bright as her lips. Her eyes appeared just as demented as her personality with red dust smeared across the lids with sparkling gold glitter on top. To match her red makeup, she wore a long, skin-tight dress in red that heavily exposed her cleavage—so much that I feared her breasts would tumble free if she merely moved an inch. As always, strappy black stiletto heels were attached to her tiny feet.
Taylor’s wild look had drastically changed since I last saw him, as his blond hair had grown some and was elegantly slicked back. He wore a refined navy pinstripe suit and a tie to match Desmorelda’s seductive red dress. He looked surprisingly dapper in his attire.
As the four of us stood staring at one another for several moments, I was the first to speak. “How are you back?” I scowled, unsure of what to say or do.
Desmorelda let out another high-pitched laugh before she said, “Oh you stupid girl...you didn’t really think you could keep me away...did you?”
“But...but—” I began
“Hush and let me speak!” the horrifying woman screeched. Then she smiled wide and she said, “My dear, dear child, I am the most powerful supernatural creature ever. Nothing...nothing can kill me or remove me. Do you understand?”
I nodded my head in horror of what she would do now that she had returned. If I couldn’t kill her or keep her away, I had to quickly figure out what to do to everyone safe. “What will it take,” I said, “to keep you away? What do you want?” I knew bargaining was the only way. It appeared this wild fairy could not be defeated.
Her smile never faded and only grew bigger as she said, “Actually...you will no longer have to worry about me my dear. It turns out Hell is much...much better than Sidhe. Actually, Taylor and I were welcomed so fondly that the King and Queen of Hell passed down their reign, and now the two of us are the rulers of Hell.”
I froze.
Taylor and Desmorelda were the King and Queen of Hell—this couldn’t be real. As I began to think about what Desmorelda was saying, I began to wonder if her new rule was the best thing for everyone. Humans were sent to Hell to be punished after their death. There was no better of a punisher than Desmorelda and her psychotic husband Taylor, who was also my biological father.
As Desmorelda stood still, looking pleased with herself, my biological father continued to stare at me with great disgust. Although Desmorelda’s surprising news could be good, I knew things couldn’t be as simple as she was making them seem to be.
“If you’re so happy in Hell, why did you return?” I asked.
“Well my dear, that’s what I was going to tell you next!” she giggled. “I’ve come to request one of your children.”
“No!” I hissed. She had simply requested one of my children as if she was asking for another helping of dinner.
“Absolutely not!” Ben snapped, finally speaking up.
Desmorelda’s smile never drifted from her face as she said, “I figured you would say that, which is why I have something to offer.”
“Nothing you offer will motivate me to give up one of my children,” I hissed.
“I think you should listen anyway,” she said with a smirk.
I nodded my head for her to continue.
“I wanted your son Benny, but obviously that didn’t work out for me.” She giggled and casually waved out her hand, “He was too self-righteous anyway…” She eyed my husband and winked at him, “just like his father. Instead, I will allow you to give me your child of choice. I mean...you have so many, and…” she reached out and caressed my stomach and batted her outrageously long eyelashes, “you have another on the way. I could just take her the day she’s born.”
“No!” I howled. Ben wrapped his arms protectively around my stomach as if to protect his unborn daughter from this evil fairy.
“Then I guess I’ll just have to take Luke or Alice!”
“No!” I screamed, as I wondered how she knew so much about my children.
“Then listen to my deal!” she hissed as she scrunched her face angrily. Just as quickly as she had bec
ome cross, her smile returned and she continued, “I will give you five years to make your decision.... but…I do not want Benny. He’s much too old and set in his smug ways. Luke, Alice or your unborn daughter will do. You can choose, and I’ll only take one. But...if you refuse...or can’t make up your mind, I’ll take all three. Then I will kill the two of you, your other beloved husband and your self-righteous son Benny, before I destroy the entire Realm of Sidhe.”
I began to tremble, but I tried to show no fear as I said, “So what is your deal?”
“That is my deal,” she smiled, “If you willingly give me one of your children in five years, I will leave this realm and everyone in it unharmed, and I will never return again. You have my word.”
“No!” Ben yelled as he pointed at Taylor, “I don’t trust either of you!”
“Trust us or not,” Desmorelda giggled, “I will be back in five years to claim my child...or my children.”
“What do you want with my children?” I howled.
She scratched her chin as she glared at me. Then she said, “Well...if it makes it easier, I will tell you.” She paused
Ben and I stood nervously still waiting for her response.
“We would like a child of our own,” she smiled.
“So have one!” I hissed.
Desmorelda only giggled and said, “My dear, I am much too old. My body no longer works that way. Roger is my only heir, and what a disappointment he is—far worse than even Benny! And your mother and her sister...bah!” she howled. She smiled and said, “Our bloodline was thin...until you! Unfortunately you won’t do either...but,” she paused dramatically before she said, “You do one thing right… making many, many babies!”
I frowned at her, wishing she would get to the point.
“Like I said, I need a child, and since my son is useless, I will have to adopt. And it seems to work out quite well that your children all have not only my blood, but my husband’s as well. Your children, except Benny, are so innocent and can be easily molded. We need a young child to raise as our heir, someone to pass our reign too.”
“I will never...never give you any of my children. There is nothing you can do that will motivate me to give up my children.”
“We will see my dear…If you wish to be difficult, so be it,” she hissed. “I tried to be reasonable, but my dear,” She smiled. “I will gladly take three of your children instead, and kill everyone else.” She paused as a smile pressed across her face. “Don’t you want to hear the rest? If nothing else, this will motivate you.”
“What!” I growled, as my blood boiled through my veins. I was prepared to kill them both and send them back to Hell, even if they could easily return.
“Well my dear...” she paused dramatically as to add suspense before she said, “The reason we need an heir, is because I am growing quite tired of life. I have been around for so long, and life has become...quite a bore. I hate Earth...and obviously the creatures of Sidhe have turned their backs on me. The other side of the Veil was nothing spectacular...and Hell has been fun, but now I'm growing quite uninterested.”
“So?”
“So,” she began, “I can ascend.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Well my dear, it means I will dissolve. My body, my mind, my soul...gone. I can’t come back. I will truly...truly be dead, and Taylor has agreed to ascend with me, as he is the true love I have waited for my entire life.”
“So then just do it!” I hissed, as I still felt hatred for my biological father. Despite being my father, he had tried to kill my precious son just before we sent him to Hell; he was nothing to me.
“Unfortunately we cannot,” she said.
“Why?” Ben chimed in.
“Ascending isn’t easy,” she began. “Only the highest in standing can ascent from Hell—the king and queen...but not only that, they must have at least a single heir. An heir who has been a ward of the king and queen at least one years.”
“But my children aren’t your heirs. Roger is your heir...and he won’t go!”
“We don’t want Roger!” she growled. “Our heir can be anyone from our bloodline. I want one of your children!” She screamed. “Don’t you understand, when I ascend, I will be gone—no longer a problem for your pathetic worlds!”
I stepped back as Ben embraced me tighter, and Taylor gave me a scowl.
Desmorelda regained her composure as she said, “I’ll return in five years, and I expect a decision to be made.”
As she turned to leave, I contemplated killing her while I had the chance, but she caught me by surprise when she turned around.
“Oh yes,” she said as if she had forgotten something. “I wanted to give your this.” she handed me a silver necklace with a small charm hanging from it. The charm was shaped like a small flame, and held a small orange gemstone inside. “This my dear, is your key to hell. Just put this on and step through the portal. You will be taken straight to Hell, and I will instantly know of your arrival.”
She saw the look of doubt across my face and said, “Don’t worry, it can take you back to Sidhe just as easy.”
She smiled at me one last time. As she turned around, I threw my hands forward, prepared to blow her body apart, but she quickly stepped through the portal before I had a chance.
The second Desmorelda and Taylor were gone, Ben looked at me with shock. “We can’t give her any of our children.”
“We won’t!” I cried as I fell into his embrace and began to sob.
“Oh, my sweet Miranda,” he said as he lovingly kissed my head, “We’ll tell Damon and the council, and we’ll come up with a plan. We’ll find a way to keep her from taking any of our sweet children. But…maybe we should keep this necklace a secret for now.”
I nodded my head, but deep down I knew there was nothing we could do to keep Desmorelda from getting her way.
When we walked into the dining room, everyone could see the horror written across our faces. Before explaining our despair, I asked my oldest son Benny to take the children back to our house and quickly told the others what happened.
“I’ll gather the council,” my grandfather Roger cried as he charged out of the room.
The rest of my family followed my husbands and I to the throne room, as most of the guests were either on the council or wanted to help.
As soon as we all took a seat, Brandon, the liaison between Earth and Sidhe, too initiative and began to speak. “I will talk to Pine Lake as soon as possible, but I’m sure they will do all they can to help.”
“Certainly!” my mother cried as she eagerly nodded her head.
My father nodded along with his wife, and no one seemed to disagree.
“What the hell are we going to do!” Damon, my husband and the King of Sidhe bellowed in anger. “That bitch is ruthless! Nothing can defeat her!” He slammed his fist into the table so hard it shook; the guests stared at my husband in astonishment.
“Damon,” his father Nathen said calmly, “We’ll figure something out. We have to have hope. We have defeated her before; we can surely do it again.”
Damon grunted, shook his head, stood up and walked out the door. I threw my hand against my chest in nervousness as the door slammed so hard, it shook the walls and echoed into my chest.
I saw Nathen shaking his head, as he looked at his wife and said quietly, “I don’t know where this rage is coming from.”
His wife Delia shook her head but said nothing and only looked disappointed in her son’s behavior. Desmorelda’s return had set my husband off, but I knew there was much more to his anger than the others could see—this was just the first time he had acted out in front of so many others.
Ben looked at me. His pale blue eyes appeared blank and hopeless. “I was hoping Damon would have some answers,” he said quietly. “He’s better at these things than I am...and he’s the king. Ben looked down.
“Now Ben,” my father said after overhearing what my husband said to me. My father had a hopefu
l look on his face. “You are just as smart as Damon is, and you have been on the Sidhe counsel for eight years.” My father was surely the wisest man in my life and always knew the right things to say…to nearly anyone.
Ben nodded his head, but he showed no confidence as his exquisite blue eyes fell to his lap.
Although Ben had been the human representative for the counsel for several years, he was a father before all, and his life revolved around taking care of our children. Damon, on the other hand, was king first and father second. While Ben made up for Damon’s frequent absences in our household, Damon was an amazing ruler of Sidhe.
After Desmorelda and Taylor had tried to steal my oldest son Benny, I stepped back and put more focus on my children. While I was still queen in title, Damon took on the majority of the burden, and the counsel handled the rest.
“We need to build an army,” Vic said with confidence. Vic was a vampire representative for the counsel and the head of Sidhe security. He continued, “I have at least a hundred vampires underneath me, and I am sure we can round up several more.”
“We will help!” Ben’s best friend spoke up. Loxes, a vampire from Pine Lake, had been attending our wedding as a guest. As he spoke up, he nodded at his wife Jewl, another vampire. Jewl nodded in agreement.
“I will gather volunteers from the Pine Lake warriors.” Damon’s brother, Victor said. Along with being Damon’s brother, Victor was the leader of the Pine Lake Warriors. The Pine Lake warriors were a small but mighty team of superhumans who trained to protect the small town of Pine Lake on Earth.
I looked at Victor; then I looked at Vic and said, “I have an idea. Pine Lake has always been there for us, doing what they can to help us, and we do what we can for Pine Lake. We’re always working together anyway. I want to bring joint forces...your warriors and our vampires, plus new recruits. We will turn the warriors into an army of superhumans, vampires and fairies. Strength, power and magic for one super army protecting both Earth and Sidhe.”
The Portal to Sidhe: Book 3 Page 1