The Portal to Sidhe: Book 3

by Kelsey Schaeffer

  “Luke, that’s horrible!” I cried, “Nick’s your best friend. He’s taking care of your sister.”

  “I’ll say…he’s taking care of her,” Luke laughed callously.

  Nick and Alice both turned red.

  “Stop, Luke. Please!” Alice pled as tears began to flood her eyes. She had so much pain in her eyes that it was nearly unbearable for me to look at her. Nick held her and tried to comfort her, but her fragile heart was breaking, leaving nothing but misery left behind.

  Luke suddenly looked ashamed as if goodness had been momentary restored. Instead of apologizing to his sister and friend, he quickly looked away. “I’ve had enough. Please leave,” he said as he casually collapsed onto his bed, trying not to let anyone see his face.

  “Desmorelda will be here for you any day. We just got here. Won’t you spend a few more moments with us?” I said.

  Luke grunted and said, “No. I’m tired of all of you. Get out of here. Give me a damn break!”

  I heard Alice whimper as her heart tore, and she began to shudder in Nick’s arms. I placed a hand on my daughter’s shoulder, but she was so heart broken, she only noticed her own pain.

  I nodded my head. I quickly wiped away a tear that had fallen from my eye before I asked, “Could you just give your sister a kiss…through the bar? Please.”

  Luke gave me a disgusted look and grunted. I knew the answer. His response only made Alice cry harder, and my heart shattered for them both. My sweet children, my poor sweet children—all but Isabella were so broken and in pain. Through it all, who could be blamed? None of my children deserved this…none of them, yet my three oldest children were suffering more than I could bear.

  As tears slowly fell from my eyes I grasped Alice’s hand as Nick took her other hand in his. Alice was now sobbing, while tears pooled up on the concrete floor. In sorrow, the three of us headed up to the main castle, only hoping that one day this pain wouldn’t be so great.

  When the portal door opened and we meandered out, I knew something was clearly wrong. There was an eerie sense of silence loitering the halls, and the guards typically posted were nowhere in sight. The peculiarity of the atmosphere was enough to quiet Alice, and she began wiping her tears away as she looked around nervously.

  The eerie silence had me concerned, so I whispered, “Lets get back to the house.”

  Nick nodded in agreement, and the three of us quickly headed towards the mansion. Something didn’t feel right, and I didn’t want Nick and Alice going off on their own. As the three of us creped down the halls, we carefully looked around, wondering anxiously what awaited the next hall—something seemed off. Just as we turned the corner down the hall that would lead us to the mansion, two guards came running from behind us.

  Startled, the three of us came to a halt. Alice screamed in surprise, and I felt my heart beating out of control. The two guards quickly stopped to give us orders, but when they realized who we were, their faces went soft.

  “Ma’am,” one the guards began to speak. He had an odd sense of compassion across his face. “Where are you headed?”

  “We’re headed home. What’s going on?” I asked sharply.

  One guard looked to his feet sheepishly, but the other looked towards me with a distraught look across his face. “You don’t know?” he asked. His face went soft as his eyebrows sagged in grief.

  “What’s going on?” Nick demanded. Although he was only seventeen, he was more mature than most adults.

  Alice clenched my hand tight, as she knew bad news was coming.

  The shamefaced guard who had gazed towards his feet quickly looked up and said, “Madam, Desmorelda is here.”

  Chapter 17

  I heard Alice gasp as Nick wrapped her in his arms. I wanted to cry but instead I nodded my head.

  “You should go to Benny, he’s in the throne room,” one of the guards said. “We have guards looking for Ben and Damon. We will send them your way as soon as we find them.”

  I nodded my head. Then I looked at Alice, “Find Isabella. I want the two of you to go into my closet and lock yourselves in. Take your grandparents if you can find them, but don’t wait for them.” I looked at Nick and said, “Go with her and keep my girls safe.”

  Nick nodded. He looked nervous, but tried to hide it with bravery.

  Finally I looked at the guards, “Can you go with them, and keep them safe?”

  “Of course, Ma’am,” they both said.

  As I ran towards the throne room, I heard my daughter cry out from behind, “Mom, please be okay.”

  I nodded my head as my mind went blank, not knowing what to expect when I saw Desmorelda again.

  When I arrived at the throne room, I quickly took a deep breath, and opened the door. Benny and his father were both seated at the table, with Desmorelda sitting at the head, in Benny’s seat.

  “Well, well, well. Finally!” Desmorelda cried when I opened the door. She smirked and said, “How I’ve missed my great grand-daughter.” I ignored her sarcasm as I entered the room. “Have a seat!” she giggled.

  I quickly took a seat, and waited for her response. She smiled and said, “Now that you’re hear, you can tell me which child you will be handing over.”

  I wanted to cry, but I gathered all my strength to stand up against this horrible fairy, “Where is my father?” I asked.

  “I left him at home…he’s getting on my nerves,” Desmorelda said casually. “But he offered to raise our child, which is something I really don’t want to do, so I’m keeping him around.”

  I nodded my head, feeling some sense of comfort, knowing my father would be raising Luke instead of Desmorelda.

  “I figured we just hire a nanny, but Taylor insisted,” Desmorelda rolled her eyes. She paused for a second and smiled, “Okay, bring him here. This place reminds me of my defeat…and I need a manicure.” She giggled.

  “Not so fast,” Benny said. “My brother is quite hysterical over all this, so we need to give him a sedative.”

  “Whatever,” Desmorelda cried in annoyance, “Just hurry. Please.”

  I quickly looked at her with pleading eyes and said, “Can my family say goodbye to him. Please. We’ll be fast.”

  Desmorelda looked annoyed as she quickly checked her watch. “Fine,” she hissed. “Say goodbye, give him the sedatives and bring him back.” She paused and said, “You have a half hour. If you’re not here…I’ll take care of this myself.”

  I nodded my head as I quickly rose to my feet. As I headed out the door, Benny and Ben were close behind.

  “The two of you go,” Benny said, “I’m going to keep my eye on Desmorelda.”

  I shook my head as I tried not to cry, “No Benny. You need to see your brother one last time. Just say goodbye.”

  Benny looked down and muttered, “I don’t want to see him ever again.”

  Ben gently took his son by the arm and said, “We don’t have time to argue. Do this for your mother…please.”

  Benny hesitantly nodded his head.

  “What about Damon and the others. They need to say goodbye,” I said.

  “I can find them,” Ben said.

  “But Ben, you need to say goodbye. You’ve been there for Luke since he was a baby.”

  “I know,” he said. “I’ll have time. Benny will be by your side.”

  Benny nodded his head and took my hand, and the two of us headed off to the dungeon. When we reached Luke’s cell, Benny began to anxiously slow down as he released my hand.

  “I don’t think I can,” he whispered.

  “You don’t have to say anything,” I said. “You just need to see him one last time. Think of him as the little brother you used to love and cherish. The little boy who looked up to you, and came to you for everything.”

  Benny nodded his head, and the two of us walked on until we reached Luke’s cell. When Luke saw us coming, he jumped off his bed and gave us a smirk.

  “Look who it is,” Luke howled. “My brother.”

&
nbsp; I could hear Benny sigh in frustration, but he didn’t speak.

  “Luke, it’s time to say goodbye,” I said quietly.

  Luke only gazed at me, but for a moment, his expression seemed to grow melancholy. But just as quickly as he allowed his human emotion to shine through, he let out a snicker.

  “Good,” he laughed. “I can finally get out of this dump!”

  I ignored his hostility and said, “Can I hug you? Please, honey.”

  Once again, Luke looked sullen, but he quickly pressed his eyebrows together and shouted, “no!”

  I did everything I could to hold back tears, as Benny reached out and took my hand.

  “I’ll just stay with him here until time is up.”

  Benny nodded his head, but said quietly, “We need at least ten minutes to sedate him and take him out of the dungeon.”

  I nodded my head.

  “I’ll have one of the guards get the sedative,” Benny said as he quickly went off to speak with a guard.

  As my oldest son walked away, I remained still, standing as close to the bars as I could, wishing I could hold my son one last time. I watched my son’s thick golden blond hair bounce as he collapsed back onto his bed and turn on the television. I watched his deep blue eyes as they glazed over the screen, deeply involved in the program, with care for nothing else. As my gaze burned towards my youngest son, I remember him as a child, the sweet boy he could be, always anxious for a hug and a kiss. I felt guilty for missing out on almost the entire first year of his life, as I waited, stuck in a hunting town for Alice to be born. My youngest son had quickly forgotten my absence, and we developed a close bond.

  While Ben had always been very close to our daughters, my strongest relationship was with my two sons, both Benny and Luke, that is, until Luke turned vile.

  It was just my son and I, in that moment, quiet and alone, but that moment came to a quick end when Alice, Nick and Ben came running in.

  “Dad told us!” Alice said as tears flooded her eyes. She quickly grasped onto the bars between her and her brother as if it somehow brought her closer to him.

  Ben grasped onto his son and I, as Nick wrapped his arm around Alice to console her.

  “The others?” I said quietly to Ben.

  “Nathen is getting Delia, and Lexi is trying to find Damon.”

  I nodded my head, hoping they would join us soon, as time was ticking away, and we would soon have to sedate my son.

  Only moments after Ben arrived, Nathen and Delia came running towards Luke’s cell, tears falling from both their eyes as they came to see their grandson one last time.

  “My mom? Damon?” I asked.

  They both shook their heads.

  Just after Nathen and Delia’s arrival, three guards with a gurney joined our group.

  “Not yet,” I said, as I feared Damon would miss saying goodbye to his only son.

  Benny looked at the guards and said, “Two minutes.”

  The guards obediently nodded their heads.

  Time was ticking by, and my mother and Damon were nowhere to be seen. Two minutes quickly ticked by; two more guards entered our group, as the original guards entered Luke’s cell.

  Luke stayed on his bed, with an annoyed look on his face.

  I didn’t hesitate as I followed the guards into my son’s cell.

  “Ma’am…” one of the guards began.

  “It’s okay,” Benny said softly.

  “I want to go too!” Alice cried through thick tears.

  Benny nodded his head, and Alice charged into the cell.

  “What are you doing?” Luke demanded as one of the guards took his arm and began wiping an alcohol pad across it.

  “We’re going to sedate you son,” the guard said.

  “I’m not your son!” Luke said as he quickly pulled his arm away.

  “Please cooperate,” I pled as I reached for son’s hand. He quickly yanked it away, with a look of disgust across his face.

  “If you don’t cooperate, we’ll have to hold you down,” the guard said firmly as he looked towards Benny.

  Benny nodded his head.

  Two of the guards quickly grasped my son down as they held him against the bed. Luke did everything he could to fight them away, but they were much too strong. On top of the guards, I wrapped my arms around my angry son, to comfort him one final time.

  To my surprise, my son suddenly relaxed as I heard a frantic cry. I looked up at my son’s face, and saw that tears were running down his eyes.

  “I’m scared Mom. I’m scared.”

  “I’m here. Momma’s here.” I said softly as I wiped his tears away and kissed his cheep.

  Through her sobs, Alice grasped onto her brothers shoulder as she tenderly kissed his forehead. Unable to move, I watched my son’s lips softly graze his sister’s cheek as she pulled away from him. As Alice looked down at him, Luke kept his gazed fixated on her.

  “I don’t want you to go,” she wept. “Don’t leave me,” she begged, but there was nothing Luke could say. Fate had already been decided and soon Luke would be gone.

  Tears fell from all three of our eyes as the guard took out a needle, preparing to pierce my son’s skin. Just as the needle touched his arm, I heard a voice shout from just outside the cell.

  “Wait!” Damon cried as he charged into the cell, panting for air.

  I looked out, and saw my mom had joined the crowd. I smiled through my tears, knowing that Damon’s entire family was there to say goodbye.

  “We have to do it,” the guard said as he quickly prepared the need once more.

  Damon and I nodded.

  “I love you son,” Damon said through tears.

  “I love you,” I said quickly as the guard inserted the needle into Luke’s arm.

  Through tears, my son looked up at the three of us, just as he had as a little boy and said, “I love you, and I’m sor…” but he couldn’t finish as the strong sedative quickly set in.

  As Luke’s eyes fell shut, Alice let out a horrifying scream and collapsed to her knees as if Luke was actually dead.

  “Let’s go! Let’s go!” the guard said as he and another guard quickly pulled Luke away from the three of us.

  Damon wrapped his arms around Alice and lifted her off the ground as the guards quickly lifted Luke and laid him on the gurney. My son looked lifeless and innocent as his body lay still. While the guards quickly wheeled Luke out of the dungeon, his entire family followed close behind, with Damon, Alice and I in the lead.

  When we entered the portal, I kissed my son’s head as I stroked his lifeless cheek, while tears flowed from my eyes. The final moments I shared with my son, I felt as if I were breaking inside. With my hand on my son’s shoulder, I quickly gazed at the others, and realized the rest of my family shared tears of sadness.

  Our shared moment quickly came to an end, as the portal came to a stop and the doors opened.

  “We have five minutes,” Benny said, as the guards took off running while pushing the gurney along. With Alice still in his arms, Damon handed her off to her brother as the two of us used our superhuman speed to run after them, leaving the rest of the family pacing to catch up.

  Worn from the race, we finally reached the throne room where Desmorelda awaited inside.

  “My, my,” she said with a smile. “You’re actually doing it.”

  Neither Damon nor I said a word as we followed our unconscious son into the throne room. Benny was behind us, and he was still carrying Alice who was screaming and hitting at his shoulder, trying to get down. He quickly left her screaming as Nathen tried to calm her down before he followed behind us. Ben followed his son into the throne room, but the others remained outside.

  “Well,” Desmorelda said with malice in her tone. “I wasn’t expecting you to do this so simply. I figured you would return with an army, ready to take me out.”

  I shook my head, “I’m not dumb. This is the only way to ensure safety of my other children and the realm. Now give me y
our word you won’t return.”

  “Of course I won’t return, my dear,” she said. “How old is your fifteen, sixteen…”

  “He’s sixteen,” Damon said hastily.

  “Well then, in two years, I’ll be gone,” she dramatically bounced her fingers through the air and said, “ascended for good.”

  I nodded my head, “Good.”

  She clapped her hands together and stood up. “Lets go. Time for my manicure.” She didn’t hesitate as she headed out of the room.

  Benny nodded his head at the guards who followed behind Desmorelda, while they pushed Luke out of the room. Damon and I followed the guards hand-in-hand until we reached the portal.

  Our small group stood together quietly for a moment until one of the guards said, “How will we get him through?”

  “Just toss him in,” Desmorelda said without concern, “It’s a wild ride, and it’s best he’s knocked out anyway.”

  Once again, tears began streaming from my eyes as it felt as if my heart was being torn from my chest. I looked deep into Desmorelda’s dark hateful eyes, only hoping she had some ounce of love as I said, “Please take care of him…please Desmorelda.”

  Her expression didn’t change, instead she said, “I already told you, that isn’t my job. Your father will care for him. I just came to fetch him because my husband is incapable of anything useful.”

  With tear soaked eyes, I nodded my head, with only the hope that she was telling the truth and that Taylor had truly changed. I grasped onto my son’s arm so hard his skin turned red as I sobbed in pain. Damon stood across from me crying and shaking. Soon Benny came to my side and pulled me away.

  “It’s time, Mom,” he said softly.

  As I walked away, I watched as Ben and another guard pulled Damon away from his son. Damon collapsed to the ground in tears and curled up like a child as he trembled in pain.

  “Someone get Delia,” Ben cried.

  Two guards carefully lifted Luke from the bed and carried him towards the portal. They stood awaiting Desmorelda’s direction.

  “Go ahead,” she said as she rolled her eyes. “Him first.”