The Portal to Sidhe: Book 3

by Kelsey Schaeffer

  Benny paused as the group looked at one another. Some muttered amongst themselves. It was one of the young fairy’s fathers who spoke up first. “Benny, this wasn’t your fault,” he said. “You can’t blame yourself. The potion was faulty.”

  “My wife and Emerlee are two of the best fairies on Sidhe,” Nathen spoke up. “The potion they made was perfect. It was thoroughly tested. They ran tests on his blood to make sure it was working.”

  “It doesn’t matter!” Chris shouted. “Luke is a vile, and a vile is our enemy. He should have stayed in the dungeon, and rotted.”

  “Enough everyone!” Benny bellowed.

  The room went quiet.

  “I didn’t call everyone here today to point fingers and place blame. I called everyone here to place the blame on myself…and I wanted to tell everyone in the counsel and those affected by my brother’s actions, what I plan to do.”

  Everyone stayed quiet.

  “My brother will still be sent to Hell as planned, but with new terms.”

  The room was so quiet I could hear my heart pounding into my ears as we awaited Benny’s decision.

  “For the murder of my wife,” Benny looked at the fairy victims’ parents, “And for the assault of your daughters, should Luke ever return from Hell after his departure, he will be sentenced to death.”

  I gasped. Damon gasped. Nathen looked stunned and in pain, but the young farires’ parents had self-righteous looks upon their faces. Elona began to sob, but her husband looked furious. Some of the others looked sullen, while some looked angry.

  “I want to put this to a counsel vote,” Benny declared, “but I would like to explain something first.” Benny paused and looked at me, “I realize that some believe if we send him to hell, he will only return to cause more harm. I understand your fears, but Desmorelda will return any day, and if we don’t hand over Luke, she will take one of my sisters or kill us all. Therefore, I am prosing a counsel vote. Either he is sent to hell and upon ever returning to Earth or Sidhe, I will have his head…or he remains locked in the dungeon with no release forever…and one of my sister’s will be sent to Hell on his behalf.”

  My heart was pounding with so much fear. I could only hope the counsel would vote to send Luke to hell, and that he would never return.

  “I invite everyone in the room to vote,” Benny said. My heart sunk more in fear. “Those in favor of Luke’s being sent to Hell with terms that if he ever return, he will be put to death, please raise your hand.”

  Damon, Ben and I immediately raised our hands. Nathen looked torn, but quickly raised his hand to join us.

  “Anyone else?” Benny asked.

  Vic nodded and quickly raised his hand, quickly followed by Brian. After that, Brandon reluctantly raised his hand. It was a tie.

  “Last call, anyone else?” Benny said.

  My heart raced in fear that I would have to send one of my precious daughters away to Hell, while my son rotted in the dungeon. I looked around the room hopefully, but no one moved. Through sobs, Elona went to lift her hand. I felt my heart relax, but just as she was about to raise her had, she looked towards her husband who angrily shook his head. Elona quickly looked down at her lap.

  Just as my son opened his mouth to call for a tiebreaker, one of the young fairies’ mothers raised her hand. She looked at me and said, “For your girls.”

  I felt a sudden sense of relief the moment I knew neither of my daughters would have to go to Hell.

  “It’s settled then,” my son said. He looked around at the others, some seemed melancholy, while others seemed agitated. Then he looked towards Damon and I. “The two of you stay behind.” Then he looked at the others, “Everyone else is dismissed.”

  Everyone, including Ben, stood up and quietly headed out as Damon and I remained behind.

  Once the room was emptied, Benny said, “We’re going to talk to Luke.”

  “Right now?” Damon asked.

  “Yes. Desmorelda could come at any day…he needs to know his fate.”

  Damon and I nodded our heads, but as the three of us headed towards the dungeon, I wondered how the potion went wrong. How could it have worked so perfectly two times before?

  When the three of us reached Luke’s cell, he held a sadistic grim across his face and said, “Hey look! It’s my three favorite people.” Then he chuckled.

  Benny’s expression stayed sullen. He even looked angry, but he kept his composure well.

  “I guess you’re here to give me my punishment for killing your wife,” Luke chucked.

  I felt tears begin to form in my eyes. Benny gasped and looked as if he wouldn’t be able to hold back tears, but he took a deep breath and said, “Yes, Luke. You’re right.”

  “I guess I’m stuck here forever then…right?” Luke said.

  I shook my head in response.

  “Go ahead Mom. Tell him.” Ben said calmly.

  “What?” Luke said hastily.

  “Luke,” I began. I took in a deep breath and continued, “Do you remember hearing about your great-great grandmother Desmorelda?”

  “Of course,” Luke replied. “She’s supposedly a witch.”

  “Basically,” I said. “She’s a very bad dark fairy.”

  “Hmm,” Luke said, “What does she have to do with my punishment?”

  “She wants to adopt one of my children. She wants an heir for Hell…where she now reigns.” I said as my voice cracked and I tried to hold back my tears.

  “And?” Luke seemed amused and even excited.

  I was so choked up I couldn’t speak as I wiped my tears away.

  “That is where you’re going son. Desmorelda and your grandfather Taylor are going to adopt you.”

  Luke looked a bit stunned, but excited at the same time. Suddenly his face went sullen, “Don’t cry, Mom.”

  It was if for a moment his human nature was defeating his vile, and he was the person he was before he became vile.

  “How did you do it?” I asked. “You tricked us all.”

  Luke’s face showed a mix of emotions from anger, to guilt and even sadness.

  “I threw it up.” he said.

  “But we ran tests. How did you fool us?” I said.

  “I threw up just enough of it, so my vile would come back before I was locked back away.”

  Benny shook his head in aggravation. “Why would you do that if the potion made you good?”

  “I did it before the potion kicked in,” Luke said. “I took a quick bathroom break just after taking the potion. I had enough in my system to pass Delia’s test, but not enough to keep my vile away for the entire time.” Luke sighed, “I actually regretted throwing it up when my good side kicked in.” Luke laughed, “But once that potion wore away, I didn’t care. I didn’t care that I was bad. I didn’t care that I had all of you fooled, and I didn’t care when I killed your wife.”

  Benny’s face turned beat red, and he used his superhuman power to slam his fist into the wall. His gesture backfired, as the walls could outstand both Superhuman and vampire strength, and he injured his hand and wrist. “Dammit!” Benny yelled as blood from his injury began to drip to the ground.

  “Honey,” I said as I tried to comfort my son, but he quickly pulled away, as he grabbed his bloody hand to stop the bleeding. “Guards!” I yelled as I pointed to my son.

  As soon as the guards saw their King needing first aide, they came running to his side.

  “No, no,” I’m all right,” Benny said as he shooed the guards away. “Just get me a towel.”

  The guards quickly fetched my son a towel. While they were helping Benny, I quickly looked over at Luke who seemed to be enjoying his brother’s pain. As soon as the guards handed Benny a towel, he quickly wrapped up his hand, and he didn’t waste another moment.

  “Our mother didn’t tell you the rest,” Benny hissed.

  Luke looked smug, but he didn’t speak.

  “If you shall ever return to Sidhe or Earth, you will be put to death…a
nd I will be the one to kill you.”

  As the three of us road the portal back up towards the castle, I sobbed for so many reason. Benny wore rage across his face in a way I had never seen, while Damon looked dead as his eyes seemed hollow. With three very separate, yet justified emotions, none of us spoke after leaving the dungeon.

  It was late when we arrived back home. Ben had already put Isabella to sleep, and Alice was out with Nick. The others must have been in their rooms as the house was totally silent.

  As soon as we were inside, Benny said, “I think I’m going to stay at my place tonight.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked. Then I looked at his hand, “Why don’t we heal you before you go.”

  Benny reluctantly nodded his head, and Damon and I quickly restored my son’s hand, before he headed out the door. Damon and I were both emotionally drained as we headed up the stairs. I hesitated wondering where to sleep that night. Because of everything that had been happening, I had been neglecting my wonderful and patient husband Ben, but it was Damon who needed me more, and for many years I had neglected him. I quickly kissed Ben goodnight before I changed into my pajamas and snuggled in bed with Damon.

  The next morning, Damon was gone. I checked the girl’s bedroom, but the girls were both quietly asleep. I headed down the stairs only to find Nathen and Ben in the kitchen, and Delia and my mom in the living room. I asked if anyone had seen Damon, but they were just as confused as I.

  I quickly searched the castle, checking the pool, the massage rooms, even the kitchen, but Damon was nowhere to be found. After leaving the grand dining room, I headed to the lounge, to see if Damon was spending some time alone. I quickly checked the television area, and the library, but still, Damon was nowhere. Finally I headed to the back, where a small ball was located with a bartender on staff twenty-four hours a day. Anger inflated my chest, when I saw Damon slumped on the bar, and fast asleep.

  “Are you kidding me!” I cried out.

  The young bartender was drying a glass, and when he heard my voice, he jumped in surprise, sending the glass crashing to the ground. The noise from the broken glass was enough to jolt Damon awake. He quickly lifted his head from the bar top and looked around in surprise. His hair was mangy and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked at me in confusion; it was clear he was still somewhat intoxicated.

  “What are you doing?” I asked him.

  “I…I…um…had a drink last night. I must have been tired and fell asleep.”

  “You had one drink and fell asleep on the bar…all night?”

  “Uh...yeah,” Damon’s said as his eyes gazed around the room, and he pulled at the skin on his arms. His gestures and tone made it clear he was lying.

  I looked at the bartender for truth, but he seemed nervous as to what to say. “Is he lying?” I asked.

  The bartender quickly looked down at the broken glass and said, “Um,” which made it clear, my husband was in fact lying.

  “Forget it,” I cried. “You both are morons.” I looked at the bartender, “Don’t worry, my son will be hearing about your lack of ability.”

  “Wait,” The bartender cried. “He was here all night drinking. He just passed out…” he looked at his watch, “…maybe an hour ago?”

  I looked at Damon; he nodded his head.

  “Lets go!” I said as I took Damon’s hand.

  Damon was so out of it, he collapsed to the ground by my force.

  “Miranda,” he whined sheepishly as he hit the ground.

  I reached my hand down, and yanked him off the ground. “Come on!” I yelled. “Lets go before someone sees you like this.”

  Damon wobbled around as he used my hand to balance himself enough to stand up. Once he was on two feet, we headed began to leave. We didn’t very far, when Damon suddenly stopped and his face turned a nasty shade of green.

  “Oh,” I mumbled as I quickly backed away.

  Just as I backed away, he bent over, grasped his stomach, opened his mouth and released the entire contents of his stomach onto the ground.

  I quickly looked towards the bartender and cried out, “Call a healing fairy…and security quick.”

  “I’m fine…I’m fine,” Damon whispered as he pulled him self up with his hand still over his stomach.

  “No you’re not,” I said in agitation. “You need something to sober you up, and you need to get home. You were King, and you’re son is now King. How will it look if the realm sees you out and about drunk and vomiting.”

  “Who cares,” Damon muttered, “And he isn’t my son. My only son is locked away in the dungeon and being shipped off to Hell.”

  I shook my head, “How can you say that! You raised Benny. You love him. I know you do.”

  Damon was silent, but he nodded his head.

  It didn’t take long for a healing fairy to arrive in the lounge, and a vampire guard followed her close behind.

  “What’s the problem?” the guard asked as he quickly came up behind the fairy.

  “This stays between us…not a word said to anyone, including my son.”

  The healing fairy nodded, but the guard looked hesitant. After a moment he quickly nodded his head.

  “My husband is clearly drunk. We need to get him back home without causing a scene.” I looked towards the healing fairy, “I need you to sober him up.”

  With my directions, the guard and the fairy quickly started to work. The guard blocked the entry, so that no one would see the ordeal, while the fairy began a potion IV that would quickly sober Damon up. While the two worked, I called the bartender over to clean up the mess.

  As he cleaned up my husband’s vomit, the bartender nervously looked at me and said, “You won’t tell the King?”

  I shook my head, “What happened here stays between the five us. Understand?” I snapped.

  The bartender sheepishly nodded his head.

  It only took about a half hour to get Damon back on his feet, and when he was, I quickly yanked him out the door and said, “Lets go home.”

  “I’m sorry about this,” he said quietly.

  I shook my head, too aggravated to respond.

  The healing fairy’s potion worked well, but Damon was still exhausted and headed up to our room to sleep the day away. I had to tell Ben what happened, but I knew he wouldn’t tell another soul, not even his son.

  “So he’s drinking again,” Ben sounded disappointed.

  “I guess so.” I said.

  “Is this the first time?” Ben asked.

  I shrugged. I didn’t know. Damon was becoming a different person than the man I fell in love with so many years ago. He was the man who followed my son and I to another world and raised my child as his own.

  As Ben and I sat in silence, I blamed myself for Damon’s drinking and violent mood swings. I had allowed him to follow me into this life, and I had taken so much away from him. Now at forty years old, Damon’s only child by blood was sentenced to the dungeon and would soon be banished forever. He had already lost two children before they were even born, and no matter how hard we tried, I couldn’t give him another. Part of me wished I had let him go, to be free and start over, to start a family of his own. Now all he had was a wife and children that weren’t really his.

  “Miranda, what’s wrong?” Ben asked. After a few moments of silence, I realized tears were streaming down my eyes.

  “I…I did this to Damon. It’s my fault, and now I’m going to lose my son.”

  Ben pulled me into him, and when I collapsed, he wrapped his arms tight around me. I sobbed for what seemed like a long time until I was able to stand up and go about my day.

  The days following Luke’s sentencing were grim. Everyone was quiet and sullen as we prepared from the coming arrival of Desmorelda. I had hesitantly left the warriors after Luke’s attack on the young fairies, but Ben was still a loyal solider.

  The final days leading up to Desmorelda’s expected arrival, Ben and the other warriors and guards were around the clock guarding the c
astle. Vic and Victor kept a handful of warriors in Pine Lake in case of an attack, but the majority of the army was kept on Sidhe. Ben and the other warriors worked in sixteen hours shifts, with only a short break for rest and sleep. I needed Ben’s support as my nerves were raw in the days leading to Desmorelda’s return, but the realm needed my husband more.

  As anxiety from anticipation flooded our home, Delia and Nathen spent every moment with their son, trying to keep him calm and sober. Delia ensured he was properly taking his potion as they regularly escorted him to the dungeon to see our son. After each visit, Damon would cry in our room, while his parents tried to comfort him. At one point, Nathen told me Luke was extremely spiteful towards his father, but Damon didn’t give up on his visits.

  While Nathen and Delia were busy with Damon, my mother and I focused on my daughters. Isabella was scared and confused by all the events, but at such a young age, she didn’t seem to really understand what was going on. Alice, on the other hand, was shutting down. She was still living with Nick and his grandfather, but she came to the house quite frequently to see us. Alice had always been a complex child, a bit of a recluse—much different than her outgoing brothers. Despite her strange personality, it seemed that Luke was the only one in existence who could make her happy. Sometimes I believed that Luke was the only one who truly brought Alice to life, and now that my sweet young boy was drifting away, I felt as if I was losing my daughter too.

  Although I couldn’t allow Isabella in the dungeon, Alice and I tried to visit Luke at least once a day. While he showed nothing but hate and spite towards most of the others, he spared his sharp tongue when Alice and I were around. If for no one else, he appeared to share what little was left of his soul for his sister. Although he mostly gifted me with a cold shoulder, sometimes I caught a glimpse of his soul when he interacted with Alice.

  After each visit with Luke, Alice would lock herself away at Nick’s place. She didn’t want to talk after the visits, and I knew from talking to Nick that she wasn’t eating. Nick joined our visits on an occasion, but like most of the other, Luke treated his best friend horribly.

  “Your only here so my sister will screw you afterwards,” Luke said during one of our visits.