Portal (Nina Decker) (16 page)

We?
I wondered. Something still wasn’t making sense.

“But why help me now. That was you back in my garden. You really did try to kill me before.”

Dashrael said, “I was under orders from Lord Wolfstriker.  I didn’t want to but I couldn’t disobey. My heart wasn’t in it though. That’s the only reason why you survived.”

I glanced at his right hand and saw discolored scars running the length of his forearm.  That was where I had gouged him with the iron hand rake.

“But that still doesn’t explain why you’re helping me now.”

I heard a splash, then saw my mother’s head bob up in the pool of water. Dashrael gave her a hand out. Her long elegant dress was plastered to her body. 

“I wouldn’t have helped you if not for her,” Dashrael told me. “This was her idea all along.”

My mother hugged me in a wet embrace. “Oh my darling girl.”

Emotion welled up in my throat. Years ago I promised myself I’d never feel this way about her. I always thought she had abandoned us. I’d spent twenty years hating her. But there was always love in my heart. There was always love for my mother. I just pushed it aside all that time. Now there was no more pushing it aside. It came flooding back and I let it this time. It came out as a wave of tears. And my mother cried along with me.

“Where’s Da?” I asked when I was done.

“You’ll see him soon,” she promised.

We sat down to a meal. It was raw fish but at least Dashrael had sliced them up. This was the freshest sashimi I’d ever eaten. As we ate my mother and Dashrael told me about the time before I was born. They told me Dashrael had been sent to kill my mother while she was still pregnant with me. Dashrael refused and that decision had cost his mate her life.  

My mother said, “We wanted a new dawning, a new understanding between the races, all the races.”

I glanced at the frescoes of the white haired women. Dashrael had paid a lot for that vision.

Dashrael explained, “After I found my beloved dead I headed straight for the palace. I intended to take my revenge.  But I found the then chancellor slain by Lord Wolfstriker himself. He told me the chancellor had acted without his knowledge.”

My mother scoffed at this. Apparently ours wasn’t the only strained relationship.

“He offered me the position of chancellor,” Dashrael went on. “I thought about how it could help my people and how it could bring about a new era for us all. But since then things were difficult. I had to keep weighing my conscience against the greater good. I fear my conscience lost out most of the time. Like when Lord Wolfstriker told me about the prophecy. He convinced me the only way to remove the threat to our realm was to remove you. ”

I swallowed a piece of raw snapper. Since I had arrived the king had rarely treated me like a granddaughter. That’s because I wasn’t a granddaughter to him, I was a threat, I was a problem.

“After that attack I knew something had to be done,” said my mother. “I had to return to court and speak out against any more attempts on your life. And despite the danger I took your father with me. I hope you can forgive me one day. For everything.”

I know she wanted me to say “I forgive you.”  She needed to hear me say it. But I couldn’t just yet. I promised myself I would say it after we were all safe and out of Nightfall.

“What happens now?” I asked.

“We’ll leave tonight,” my mother said. “We’ll collect your father and pass through the portal back to your house. Then we’ll cover the portal with iron. We can find a place on Earth where they will never find us.”

“What about Severin?” I asked.

“Severin,” Dashrael snorted. “You’re better off without him. If he hadn’t broken the peace you wouldn’t be in half the danger you’re in now.”

“But he didn’t,” I protested.

I told them what Severin had told me.

When I was done my mother said to Dashrael, “If this is true, then there are people on both sides who want war and they’re working together. If Severin dies that might leave his pack under the leadership of our enemies.”

“If he’s telling the truth,” said Dashrael.

             
“Then I’ll make this easy for you, I’m not leaving Nightfall without Severin.”

Chapter 19

We worked on a plan the rest of the night, me, my mother and Dashrael. When we were finally done my mother left first, diving back into the pool. Dashrael and I packed my armor into a sack and then followed.

“There are several passages down here. One leads to the lake, the others are portals,” Dashrael said as we swam. It was weird hearing him talk so clearly. All I could do was shake my head and maybe blow some bubbles.

“The portals are pretty quick. The lake passage takes some time. Unfortunately that’s the route we have to take,” he explained. “Hold your breath as long as you can. I promise you’ll be okay.”

I just wanted him to get on with it. Listening to him made my lungs ache. He took my hand and then we took off like a torpedo. The water quickly turned bitter. It was being squeezed by a giant hand made of ice. I closed my eyes. Water went up my nose and into my ears. My insides burned.

“We’re almost there,” Dashrael promised.

Then there was light above and then I was thrust to the surface.

“Are you all right?”

This was the third time I’d felt like a drowned rat. “No offense,” I told him. “But when I get back I’m moving to the desert.”

We swam to shore then hiked a short distance to a brownie village. We were greeted and showed to a house. I was given dry clothes and a warm fire. Dashrael stood guard while I waited.

It was agony to wait. I had an easier time on the swim out of the cave.  After far too long for my taste the door opened and in walked Jason Decker, my father.

“Da!” I tackled him in a hug.

“Nina,” he said with a child’s joy. “Nina, my dear, look brownies.”

“I see them, Da,” I said. I choked up. I’d almost given up hope of seeing him again.

“Oh look.” He pointed at Dashrael. “It’s one of the merfolk. You have to be careful. They’re fierce warriors. Most people don’t know this,” my dad went on. He stuck out his hand for the chancellor of Nightfall. “Me and my daughter mean you no harm, noble one. My name is Jason Decker.”

“I know,” said a flustered Dashrael. “I’ve seen you before, years ago. We’ve never met though.”

I took my father gently by the hand and led him away. “What did you do today?”

“I met a brownie today. Then another brownie. And then a pixie. And then another brownie. Oh Nina it was wonderful.”

He went on like that for hours. These last few days had been heaven for him. For that I was grateful. He asked me about the hospital. He thought we were still in Vancouver. I told him about stuff that had happened weeks ago and he nodded and smiled.

We kept talking until Dashrael came to fetch me. “N’Lina, it’s time for us to go.”

I hugged my father and told him I’d be right back. He waved good bye.

Once we were outside Dashrael told me he’d spoken to the brownies of the village. “His journey is close to the end, they tell me.”

The lump formed in my throat. I’d been through this before many times. As a nurse I’d been there when we had to tell families that these were the final moments. I thought I was prepared but I wasn’t.

I almost stopped. I almost collapsed. But there was Severin. He was still alive. I was going to lose my father. That was inevitable. But I wouldn’t lose Severin as well.

Outside the village we found two horses and another suit of armor, this one for a male. Dashrael and I slipped into the armor and mounted the horses.

“When you get to the palace gates swing around. The barracks are on the other side,” he told me and we galloped off. The road took us straight to Nightfall Palace.

I followed Dashrael and we turned at the gates Severin and I had entered. It felt like a lifetime ago. Dashrael led me down the side of the wall. We came to a large square fort attached to the palace at the bottom of the hill. It lay directly opposite the town.

“The barracks,” Dashrael said as we slowed to a trot. The large gates were manned by multiple guards. Dashrael road up to the gates and announced us.

“Lotho and Aris,” he said.

The guard checked a parchment covered tablet nearby. “You’d better hurry up. You’re almost late. See the sergeant at the palace gate and hurry up about it. ”

Dashrael muttered some apologies and we rode through.

Unlike the palace the barracks were plain and rough. The buildings were squat and made of rough stone. Men and women in armor marched about. We stabled our horses and made our way up the hill towards the palace. Again like with the town a ditch separated the barracks from the palace but this time the bridge was guarded by a stone barbican at either end. Dashrael introduced us to the sergeant again as Lotho and Aris.

“About time,” the sergeant snorted. “There’s plenty that would gladly volunteer to take your places. You’re lucky you are. Head over the town square and be quick. Ceremony is about to start.”

We apologized gruffly and headed up the hill. My curiosity was killing me. The previous night, Dashrael explained he could get us into the town square but he had been vague on the details.

Once we were alone I asked Dashrael, “So who do they think we are?”

“Lotho and Aris,” Dashrael explained. “They are the guards picked to aid in the execution.”

“What if the real Lotho and Aris show up?” I wondered.

“Lotho is my cousin and Aris is what you would call his lover,” Dashrael said. “I arranged for them to receive this honor. Then I told them both to make themselves scarce. Right now are far away on a secluded beach. Most likely they’re playing Pry Open My Clam. That’s a popular one with us Merfolk.”

“I get the picture,” I said.

It was a very long walk from the barracks up the hill to the palace and then back down the hill to the town. I was breathing hard and sweating beneath my armor when we met yet another sergeant who berated us for being late and escorted us to the town square. My heart thudded with every step.

The square was full again with spectators. Severin knelt inside his cage. Next to the cage was J’Tara in full armor but without her helmet. Next to her was a huge man in black robes and a hood who held an axe. The axe blade was glimmering silver. I shuddered as I saw the light reflect off it.

“You’re sure you can do this?” Dashrael asked.

“Yes,” I said. Inside a warm glow grew. I breathed deeply to calm myself. I had to wait for the proper time.

In the gallery was the assembled court. There was Lord and Lady Wolfstriker. Dani was in the gallery too. Nearby were R’Agan and N’Tasha who whispered in each other’s ears. Simeon was near the king and queen. He was talking to some ladies of the court.

Dashrael and I arrived next to the cage and took our places. Severin suddenly raised his head and looked in my direction.

Don’t do anything, Severin. Please
, I pleaded silently.
Stop being such a chivalrous bastard and let the fair maiden save you this one time.

The crowd applauded as Lord Wolfstriker rose to his feet. “Today we are here to see justice performed!” my grandfather announced in a booming voice.

The audience went wild.

J’Tara kept her eyes on the crowd. Maybe she was expecting somebody to try something. Someone like me.

“Let justice be carried out,” proclaimed Lord Wolfstriker. He moved back to his place in the gallery. That was good. From that distance I hoped he or Simeon wouldn’t be able to interfere.

J’Tara was still eying the crowd. She waved to me and Dashrael.
             
“Get the cage open and let’s get this mutt decapitated quickly.”

Dashrael opened the cage door. He reached in and grabbed Severin’s chain. The Executioner took a step
forward. He raised his axe.
             
Now
.

Chapter 20

The fire built up inside me. I stared at the back of J’Tara’s head. I could’ve said something dramatic and poetic but instead I growled, “You’re a fucking bitch.”

J’Tara stood stark still. Her head rotated to
wards me. The moment I saw the space between her eyes I struck.

I’d done this once before and that had been spontaneous and unplanned. This time I concentrated and tried to put as much of my power into a single space. I didn’t have a fae weapon to concentrate my magic but as it leapt from my hand I realized it was more than enough. J’Tara’s head jerked back suddenly and she went down hard.

Beside me Dashrael backhanded the Executioner and sent him sprawling to the ground.

There came screams from the crowd. The mass of people parted for four charging horses. My mother was on one and held the reigns of the other three.

“Get up!” I yelled.

Severin didn’t need my encouragement. He was on one of the horses in an instant. Dashrael vaulted onto another. I climbed onto mine.