Thoughts for a portal, p.17
Thoughts for a Portal, page 17
part #4 of Tales of Lentari Series
“I’ll second that notion,” Cecil softly murmured.
“So where were we?” Steve asked, anxious to get the conversation back on track. “Anyone remember where we left off?”
Quinn cleared his throat. “I believe you and Luther were discussing what would happen if the portal were to be sealed in this time, thus preventing anyone from falling in at a later time.”
Steve nodded. “That’s right. I was curious what would happen to us if measures were taken in this time to keep us from ever going in.”
Sarah shrugged. “Logically I would imagine we’d reappear in our own time.”
Steve smiled and nodded. “So that’s how we can get home! Awesome! We just need to get Kri’Calin to seal the portal. That shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“But then you’d be changing your own future,” Quinn pointed out.
Steve’s surprised eyes looked up at the Lentarian teacher.
“Care to run that by me again?”
“The normal course of time can be represented by a straight line,” Quinn began, sounding very much like he was addressing a group of school children. He drew an imaginary line in the air for added emphasis. “That line has already been drawn, since the existence of the portal has survived for over a hundred years. If the portal is sealed at this point in time,” Quinn drew another imaginary line but this time added a few dips and turns, “then a different set of events will transpire and could conceivably have more negative repercussions than positive ones.”
“What do you suggest?” Steve asked the teacher. “What would you do if you were me?”
“Leave this time line alone and figure out what to do without altering it any further than it already has.”
“What about the people that fell through and were never heard from again?” Sarah sadly asked. “Isn’t there a way we could help them?”
Rosamund, who had been quietly sitting on an overstuffed arm chair, cleared her throat.
“I might be able to help with that.”
Everyone turned to the diminutive saloon owner.
“I was asked to see if I could locate anyone in town that might have appeared under strange circumstances.”
“And?” Luther prompted.
“I’ll relay what I have learned,” Rosamund informed the group. “A man had appeared in the middle of town. People swear one minute no one was there and the next a man was seen sprawled out on the street. He was dressed strangely, they said. He had a foreign bow, a quiver full of arrows, and several knives with strange markings on them. Once the man awoke he appeared to have no recollection of how he got there.”
“How long ago was this?” Steve asked.
“Nearly thirty years ago.”
“I wonder who it was.” Sarah softly asked, not really expecting an answer.
“I can even answer that, too,” Rosamund proudly announced. “I asked him that yesterday when I saw him. I’ve known him for years and never knew his history.”
“Who is it?” Steve pressed, curious.
“You’ve met his son.’
“We have? Who’s his son?” Steve wanted to know.
“Hank.”
“Hank’s father is Lentarian?” Sarah asked, amazed.
“Hank’s father is a man by the name of Ruan. I told him others from his world were here, looking for a way back.”
Quinn leaned forward.
“Ruan? You said his name was Ruan? Oh, that makes perfect sense.”
“Do you know him?” Sarah asked.
“By reputation only. I heard all about the story of Capily’s most skilled hunter, and of his disappearance, the moment I accepted the position of schoolmaster. I didn’t know him personally.”
Steve waited with baited breath. When nothing else was forthcoming he let out the breath he’d been holding.
“Well? What did Ruan say to the notion of returning home to Lentari?”
Rosamund smiled. “He gave me a message to pass along to you. He knew who you and Sarah are. He said that he wishes you the best of luck and to not worry about him. He would much rather remain here, with his family, rather than return to Lentari where he lived by himself.”
Quinn drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair.
“Even more of the future has been changed. A man who wasn’t supposed to be in this time has appeared and had children. What if one of them becomes a bank robber? What if one of them becomes a murderer?”
Rosamund’s face became stern, her thin lips pursed together.
“Hank is neither a robber nor a murderer, Mister Quinn, and I’ll thank you to not judge a person’s character without having met them before.”
Quinn’s face reddened. “My most profuse apologies. What I meant was what if a descendant of Ruan’s does something that affects Steve and Sarah back in their own time?”
Rosamund’s expression softened. “Oh. I’m terribly sorry, dear boy. I misunderstood. I think I understand your concern. I am just unsure what can be done about it.”
“We can go crazy if we stop to think about all the possible ramifications of what could and could not happen,” Steve told them. “The only way to prevent that from happening is to seal the portal and thereby create even more problems. It’ll have to be one way or the other. I say we take our chances and hope everything turns out alright.”
“You’re taking a big chance,” Sarah whispered to him. “Quinn has a point. We could seriously jeopardize our future.”
“It’s a chance we’re going to have to take. If that portal is sealed on Lentari then we’re going to cease to exist. I personally don’t want that to happen, thank you very much.”
“We wouldn’t cease to exist,” Sarah chided. “Stop overreacting. We’d just appear back home with no memories of this ever happening.”
“That’s right,” Steve said, nodding. “But us right now, us with all of our memories of what’s happened, that’d be gone forever. We’d essentially be dying.”
“I think that’s a bit on the dramatic side,” Sarah confided, “but I do see your point.”
“Good. Then it’s settled, right? The portal stays as it is and the sheriff should come back with us.”
Luther cleared his throat and raised his hand to signal he wanted to say something.
“Speaking of the sheriff, who will take over his duties in the town? The mayor is going to want to know what happened to him.”
“We tell him the truth,” Sarah decided. “He was corrupt and decided to skip town before he could be brought to justice.”
“Would the mayor be the one who would appoint a new sheriff?” Steve asked.
Cecil shook his head.
“It doesn’t work that way. The position of sheriff is determined by election.”
“In that case, how in the world did he ever get himself elected?” Sarah wondered aloud. “How did he remain in office?”
“By fear,” Rosamund answered. “Fear, threats, and his influence. I will say that you’re almost right, Steve. A mayor can appoint an acting sheriff until such time as one is elected by the people.”
“Do you think the people are ready for a new sheriff?” Sarah asked.
Luther, Cora, Cecil, AnnaBelle, and Rosamund all scoffed at the same time, causing a fit of giggles to break out immediately afterward.
“Of course they are,” Rosamund confirmed. “They’d be ready and willing to elect a new sheriff and would throw a parade in your honor if they were to ever learn you were responsible for his ousting.”
“I wonder who they’ll pick for an acting sheriff,” Cecil mused.
“I already have a person in mind,” Rosamund announced.
The entire room full of people stared at her in silence.
“I’m friends with the mayor,” Rosamund explained. She smiled at each of them. “I can’t make any guarantees but I feel confident the mayor will listen to my suggestion.”
“And who will you be suggesting?” Steve asked.
“Hank.”
“Hank is too timid to be sheriff,” Sarah told Rosamund. “I don’t think he has the temperament for the job.”
Rosamund shrugged. “Not yet, he doesn’t, but he will. You don’t know the boy like I do. He’d be perfect.”
Steve took his wife’s hand and turned to Luther.
“Well, the future is as secure as we can make it. I’d say we need to figure out what we’re going to have to do in order to make it home. Don’t get me wrong, Luther; you and Cora are living in a much simpler time than Sarah and I and I think you’re very lucky to be living here. However, this isn’t for us. Speaking for the two of us, we would like to go home.”
“Me, too,” Lissa quietly added. “I miss my father. I’m all he has left. He must be devastated.”
“I am unmarried, so I don’t have anyone waiting for me back home,” Quinn admitted, “but I would like to see my parents again. I don’t want to stay here, either.”
All eyes turned to Luther, who turned to regard Steve.
“Were you able to get a jorii?”
Steve slowly shook his head. “I asked. The king said he was out of them. I asked how he could get some more of them but was told that it wasn’t an easy feat.”
Luther’s face became stern. “Be that as it may, Steve, if there is to be any chance of me being able to change our portal’s destination to have it deliver you to your world then I am going to need a jorii. I will need my jhorun’s full strength and even then I’m not sure I can do it. But I will try.”
“You said the king is out of jorii?” Sarah asked Steve. Her husband nodded. “How does he get more?”
“You know what? Kri’Calin asked me that same question. He claims that a jorii is made or created by some special process and that since I didn’t know how it was done he elected to keep the procedure to himself.”
Sarah’s surprised expression made him smile. “Why would he do that?”
“That’s a question I’ve been asking myself over and over. He’s piqued my curiosity, no doubt about it. The jerk.”
Sarah giggled. “I doubt very much the king would allow their supply of jorii to simply become exhausted.”
Steve shrugged. “Hey, he told me they were out and didn’t have any to spare. Why did you say that? Do you think he was holding out on me?”
“He has to have at least one of them lying around,” Sarah insisted. “Something. Anything! Even if he has a partially used one. Something is better than nothing.”
“I agree,” Luther agreed.
“Well, I have to go back to Lentari anyway,” Steve admitted.
“You do? Why?” Sarah wanted to know.
“I, uh, created a little bit of a mess for Pryllan. I can’t leave things the way they are. I have to find a way to fix it.”
Sarah fixed him with a gaze.
“What did you do?”
“Hey, it wasn’t my fault. The only way we were going to get an athe crystal in a timely manner was to arrange for a little dwarf girl to ride on a dragon. I had to convince Pryllan, that’s the Pryllan of the past, that she and I would become friends and that she, namely Pryllan of the future, trusted me implicitly. Thankfully she agreed and she allowed the little girl on her back.”
“So you owe Pryllan a favor? That’s not too bad.”
Steve shook his head. “No. You didn’t let me finish. It turns out that the little girl was dying,” to which Sarah, Cora, AnnaBelle, and Lissa all clapped a hand over their mouth in shock, “and by putting a dying child up on a dragon’s back created something called a shachar.”
“What’s that?” Sarah asked.
“It’s some type of life-debt,” Steve answered. “Until the girl can repay the favor then she’s indebted to Pryllan and her life is going to be miserable until the shachar is either lifted or absolved.”
Sarah stared at him in shock.
“You’ve been busy.”
Steve grinned. “Lady, you have no idea.”
“How are you going to break this debt?” Sarah asked. “How are you going to free this little girl? Speaking of which, was the girl cured?”
Steve nodded. “Little Aislinn is alive and healthier than she’s been in her entire life.”
A loud thump echoed throughout the room, causing everyone to jump in their seats. As one everyone turned to look up at the ceiling. It had come from upstairs and had been strong enough to cause several picture frames to rattle on the wall. Then several softer thumps were heard as someone began walking across the floor. Luther and Steve eyed one another.
“What was that?” Cora asked as she turned to Luther. “Did that come from Mina’s room? Is she alright?”
“I checked on her after we secured the sheriff. She was sleeping soundly.”
“Did she fall off the bed?” Sarah asked. “Perhaps one of us should go check on her?”
Luther rose to his feet. “She’s my sister. I’ll do it.”
The next thing they heard caused everyone to gasp with alarm and leap to their feet. They could all hear chiming, the same type of chiming an activated portal would make.
Steve tore past Luther and took off up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time. Continuing on up to the top floor he skidded to a halt as his brain refused to process what he was witnessing. Luther, Cecil, and Quinn appeared directly behind him, just as the women neared the top floor.
The sheriff stood before the activated portal. He turned to his audience and gave them all a lofty sneer. He raised his hand and touched two of his fingers to his forehead in a mock salute and stepped through the portal. Steve and the others rushed forward, intent on making it through the portal before it deactivated and returned to its inert form.
They didn’t make it.
Just as Steve bunched his legs and prepared to launch himself through the portal the path in the woods, visible through the portal, was replaced by two very hard, very solid, wooden doors. Steve slammed on the brakes and angrily turned to his companions.
“The sheriff knew about the portal? How the hell did he know that? And how could he have possible found the portal key? This isn’t making any sense whatsoever!”
Luther nervously cleared his throat. “The portal key is my fault. I hadn’t put it away since I had talked to the king. I was caught up in the excitement of seeing everyone again and must have set the key down on the banister there. I don’t know how the sheriff knew it was up here. Perhaps he saw it when we brought him upstairs?”
“Weren’t you carrying him?” Sarah asked, confused. “There was no way he could have seen the key if he was unconscious.”
“He must have been faking,” Steve surmised. “Damn that guy. We have to go after him! Where’s the key now?”
A quick check of the surrounding area gave them more unwelcome news. The green crystal key was nowhere to be seen.
Steve groaned. “He took the damn key, didn’t he?”
Luther was crestfallen. “I am so sorry. This is all my fault.”
Steve shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Sarah is here. She can get us to Lentari.”
Sarah frowned. “Not right now I can’t. I’m sorry, I still can’t focus enough to bring up a vision.”
Steve cursed. “I am really hating that guy right about now.”
“That’ll give him a long head start,” Quinn observed. “Do you think he knew that would happen?”
Sarah nodded. “He knew I was still drugged. Until that opium is out of my system I can’t focus enough to teleport. He knows that. He must also know that the drug will eventually work its way through my system and that I’ll eventually get full control of my jhorun again. However, based on how slowly I’m getting my senses back I’d say I won’t have full control for at least another few hours.”
“So we aren’t going to be able to do anything until morning,” Steve deduced. He cursed softly. “That gives the sheriff way too long of a head start, if you ask me.”
“What else can we do?” Cecil asked, exasperated.
Steve shrugged. “There’s nothing we can do about that now. Sarah needs to get her full strength back. I can’t get to Lentari without her. This is literally a waiting game now.”
Luther gasped aloud. Without another word he bolted downstairs. After a few seconds of stunned silence Steve motioned for the girls to stay put and followed Luther down to the second floor. Steve slid to a halt. He looked down at his hands and noticed both had ignited. He flicked them out.
Luther had gently opened one of the bedroom doors and was silently observing the person within. Steve came up from behind and peered over Luther’s shoulder. Both men breathed a sigh of relief.
Mina was fast asleep on the bed. Her mouth was partially open and a thin line of drool was visible dripping from the corner of her mouth to the pillow her head was resting on. Luther gently pulled the door closed and turned to face his descendant.
“She’s safe. I’m sorry I startled everyone. I had feared the worst. However, once more your own future is in jeopardy and I have no one to blame but myself. What should we do?”
“Is everyone alright?” Cora called down from the floor above them. “Is Mina safe?”
“She’s safe,” Luther assured her. “I don’t think the sheriff knew she was here.”
“Even if he did he wouldn’t know who she was,” Steve told him.
Luther gave him a sardonic look. “Do you think that would stop him?”
“Probably not. Hey Lissa, are you up there?”
“Aye, I am here,” the youngster’s startled voice came down to them.
“Could you come here a moment?”
As soon as the girl had appeared Steve issued his next set of instructions.
“I need you to do me a favor.”
Lissa nodded enthusiastically. “Of course. What can I do?”
“Make Sarah another cup of tea, but this time knock her out. She needs to sleep and regain her strength. I don’t need her tossing and turning and worrying about what will happen. She needs some good, solid rest. Will you do that for me?”
“Aye.”
“Good. Remember, we need her to rest as much as possible but I also want her to wake up tomorrow morning. Don’t give her too much of whatever it is you’re going to give her, okay? Remember, we will need to be at full strength once we go after the sheriff tomorrow morning.”
