The Last Portal (23 page)

He and Joe had
to hurry to catch up with the others, who were setting a frantic
pace through the streets. Curious Nethral again came from
everywhere, but this time Kaloc brushed past them without
acknowledging any of their questions. Chris told Joe and Susie what
he’d read in Sharess’s thoughts.

‘That’s great,’
Joe said, now puffing slightly at the effort of eating, talking and
walking fast at the same time, ‘now Zelnoff has an opposition of
three kids, five soldiers and one Guardian.’

Joe took
another enormous bite out of something that looked like an apple,
and purple juice sprayed all over his face and shirt. Susie
giggled. Joe groaned, then began to wipe the juice off his shirt.
This only smeared the stain further. Chris trudged off and left Joe
to his shirt, now feeling uneasy about everything.

A Battle of Wills

They reached the camp
feeling exhausted. Kaloc hadn’t allowed time for a rest, and had
maintained a gruelling pace for the whole journey back. When they
arrived, he immediately rounded up his soldiers and spoke to them
in low, serious tones that Chris, Susie and Joe couldn’t hear. But
Chris read Altac’s mind and knew Kaloc was warning them to be wary
of any Nethral soldiers. After issuing his instructions, Kaloc went
over and began rifling through some of his personal possessions,
eventually pulling out a round object neatly wrapped in cloth.
Chris watched him carefully unwrap the cloth and examine the object
in great detail. Satisfied that it was undamaged, he climbed to his
feet and walked over.

When he sat
down, Chris felt an overpowering emotion of sadness. This was
someone who had fought for so long, so hard, and always alone. He
had survived on nothing but his own strength of will and courage.
Yet, despite all his efforts, he had failed to stem the tide of
invasion, and witnessed only death and the disintegration of his
world. Chris looked across at Susie, who was also watching Kaloc.
He knew she was sensing the same as him. Kaloc was very close to
total exhaustion. The latest setback at Demoss had almost broken
him.

In both hands
Kaloc held a perfectly round stone, with what looked like something
resembling a cloud or mist suspended in it. He laid it on the
ground next to them. ‘This is called a Vizion stone,’ he explained.
‘It helps Guardians focus their thoughts when they peer into other
worlds. Normally only a Guardian could use this stone. Anyone else
would risk death by even touching it.’ He laid his staff on the
ground. ‘But these aren’t normal times. This stone should help
focus Chris’s and Susie’s abilities.’

‘But you just
said that anyone, except a Guardian, would risk death by using this
stone,’ Joe said.

‘You are hardly
anybody else,’ Kaloc said, his eyes flashing angrily.

‘Arrr…right,’
Joe replied, looking across at Chris.

‘It’s fine,’
Chris said quickly, deciding not to test Kaloc’s mood any further.
‘I’ll try.’ Before Susie or Joe could raise any further objections,
he placed a hand on the stone. Immediately the stone’s surface
became cold and the air temperature around it dropped
dramatically.

‘It’s drawing
power from the surrounding atmosphere,’ Kaloc said, leaning forward
eagerly.

The mist in the
crystal miraculously cleared and Chris felt a surge of energy shoot
up his arm. Visions, strong and intense, played through his mind.
Earth, his house, Cathora, the underworld, all flashed past,
assaulting his senses and sending his mind into a spin. Then, as
quickly as they came, they were gone. Kaloc had pulled his hand
from the stone.

‘That’s enough
for now,’ Kaloc said. For the first time the tension seemed to ease
from his face.

‘What
happened?’ Joe asked, shuffling closer on his knees and peering at
Chris. ‘Your eyes were rolling around like a couple of loose
marbles.’

‘You need to
control the visions,’ Kaloc said, ‘but the stone hasn’t done you
any harm. We will work on training you to focus your visions in the
next few days.’ He turned his attention to Susie. ‘Just put one
hand on the Vizion stone like Chris did.’

Susie looked
across at Chris.

‘It’s all
good,’ Chris said, in his most encouraging tone. ‘You see all sorts
of things.’

When she placed
her hand on the stone, as with Chris, the mist cleared. Her body
suddenly went rigid and she squealed, pulling back her hand
sharply.

‘It can be
frightening at first,’ Kaloc said sympathetically, but clearly
pleased at the outcome. ‘You will both be able to use the stone, so
I will start training tomorrow. You both need to slow the visions
down long enough to control them.’ He wrapped the stone up
carefully again in the cloth and put it inside his battle tunic.
‘We now all need to get some rest. The next few days will be
crucial if we’re to have any chance of stopping Zelnoff sending his
forces to your world.’ Picking up his staff, he rose and pointed to
the makeshift beds in the section of the cavern Altac and his men
had prepared as sleeping quarters. ‘Rest,’ he said in an exhausted
tone. ‘The next few days will require all our courage and
strength.’

The lessons started in
earnest the next day. Kaloc seemed much improved after his rest,
and laid out a vigorous agenda of mental exercises for Chris and
Susie. They spent many hours in meditation, trying to clear their
minds of all thought. Only by doing this, Kaloc assured them, would
they be able to control the stone and not be deluged with an
impossible flood of visions. But clearing their minds of all
superfluous thoughts proved difficult and extremely boring at
times. Still, the seriousness of the situation was not lost on
them, and they did their best to apply themselves. Even Joe,
normally impatient and vocal, didn’t complain in any way.

Periodically,
Kaloc pulled out the stone to monitor their progress. At first, the
visions flashed past in a blur of colour and sound they could
neither grasp nor understand. But by emptying their minds and
focusing their thoughts, the visions slowed and became clearer and
more meaningful. The stone seemed to act as some type of amplifier.
All they needed was to bend the visions to their will. But,
although they could achieve this, it proved extremely difficult to
maintain focus for very long. Only after many days of strenuous
mental exercises and headaches did they gain enough control to use
the stone effectively.

During this
period, Kaloc spent an increasing amount of time monitoring the
portal. He had managed to link it to the other seven portals
without being detected and spent much of his days absorbed in the
task of monitoring their activity. Apparently there were an
increasing number of transportations between portals. Kaloc guessed
that Batarr was running tests, ensuring their links were stable.
This activity increased dramatically in the second week, and
several times he detected that all the portals had been activated
at once. But the surge of energy required for transportation was
never reached.

Sometime during
the second week, Kaloc called them to a meeting. ‘The portals
appear to have been successfully linked,’ he said solemnly, laying
down his staff and sitting down beside Chris and Susie. ‘So
transportation to your world must be imminent.’ He pulled out a
small, ornately carved box from one of his coat pockets and turned
to Chris. ‘Batarr had something of mine to help you focus on me.
What he didn’t know is that I also have something of his.’ He held
out a small box for inspection. ‘It’s a flint box for lighting
fires,’ he explained. ‘Batarr also left it behind at one of our
meetings, years ago. I had almost forgotten I had it.’

The box was
beautifully carved and inlayed with gold and silver.

‘But what about
Zelnoff?’ Chris asked, leaning across and handing it back to
Kaloc.

‘They will have
to link their minds to perform the transportation. If you find
Batarr you will also find Zelnoff.’ He carefully placed the box
back in his coat, not taking his eyes off Chris. ‘The attempt to
disrupt the transportation can only be done once. There will be no
second chance. You must take the flint box in your right hand and
place your left hand on the stone. Susie will also have to place
her hand on the stone. The box should guide you to Batarr and the
stone should help focus your thoughts. All I want you to do is to
distract Batarr and Zelnoff long enough to weaken their
concentration. This should allow me to change the destination of
the portals, but timing will be critical. We are relying on the
element of surprise. If we intervene too early, they will abort the
transportation; too late, and I won’t be able to alter
anything.’

Chris and Susie
nodded solemnly, barely able to believe what they were about to
do.

‘What I don’t
understand,’ Joe said, ‘is what happens if Zelnoff gets hold of
Chris or Susie? You know. Drives them crazy. I mean… what happens
if Zelnoff tells them to attack us or kill themselves?’

At this
question Kaloc merely shrugged. ‘There’s a serious risk. And I
don’t know what will happen. It will be up to Chris to fight any
visions or suggestions Zelnoff throws at him.’

‘Well if I see
anything strange, I will be taking away the Vizion stone,’ Joe said
defiantly.

Chris
immediately saw Kaloc’s eyes flash. ‘I will control when Chris and
Susie will break contact!’ he replied, in a voice, which sent
shivers up Chris’s spine and set off butterflies in his stomach.
‘You will not interfere!’

Joe swallowed
involuntarily and went red. ‘That’s cool. That’s cool,’ he said
quickly. ‘Just checking you had everything under control. You’re
right…of course, ah…you know best.’

After the
meeting, Kaloc retreated back to the portal and continued his
vigil. This time he left the Vizion stone uncovered near him and
the flint box close by, a sure sign he thought the final
transportation was imminent. Chris and Susie were terrified; for
the first time fully realising this was no game − it was deadly
serious.

After his
confrontation with Kaloc, Joe also became very serious and spent a
lot of time offering advice, which mostly never made any sense, but
they were grateful for the distraction and the good intentions.

In the next few
days, Kaloc rarely left the portal and never slept. Chris could
feel the exhaustion creeping over him and prayed that the
transportation would happen soon. Otherwise Kaloc would barely be
in any condition to divert it, let alone come to their aid if
anything went wrong. Twice he rushed Chris and Susie over to the
portal, only to stop them picking up the flint box at the last
moment.

More time
passed. Chris and Susie could barely sleep. Only Kaloc’s immense
will kept him awake. The tension mounted to intolerable levels.
Then Kaloc signalled them again. Chris and Susie rushed to take
their places, half expecting another false alarm. But this time he
didn’t stop them, he remained absorbed, with one hand on his staff
and the other held against the whirling frame of the portal. Then
his eyes focused on Chris, and for a second Chris could read all of
Kaloc’s thoughts, his fears, and the final signal to proceed.

Chris focused
on all that Kaloc had taught him. He drew a deep breath and let his
energy flow to a single point. His mind cleared and slowed. Then,
with one final steadying breath, he placed his left hand on the
stone. The visions hit him immediately, but he had control, they
slowed and stabilised. He took the flint box in his right hand and
the visions suddenly changed. He could see not one, but all the
portals swirling into blurs, spinning into vortexes. Their winds
rapidly increasing, gaining speed and intensity, and marching
toward them were the armies of Zelnoff; the Zentor, the Taal and
many strange creatures he had never seen before. He increased his
focus. Batarr appeared, his hair flying behind him in the fierce
wind and his hands on the portal, an expression of extreme
concentration on his face. Chris moved closer, trying to absorb his
thoughts. There was nothing. He threw all his concentration, all
his strength into Batarr’s mind. Suddenly he was linked; the
visions poured toward him. He felt a powerful presence, bent only
on one purpose. Zelnoff knew he was there, but refused to be
distracted. Chris increased his effort, throwing visions at him,
trying to penetrate his mind. But his mental powers were vast, too
disciplined, too strong. Chris met a wall of mental thought he
could not breach; nothing he tried had any effect. Then he felt a
second presence. It was Susie. She merged into him and gave him
added strength. His mental abilities soared. He renewed his
onslaught. The mental barrier started to weaken. Small holes and
cracks, leaking thoughts, appeared. He drove in harder and more
thoughts leaked out − war, battles, conquest, power. He pushed even
harder, sending visions into the breaches he had already created:
children dancing around a Christmas tree, children opening
presents, sunsets, anything that was opposite to what Zelnoff was
thinking. More thoughts were seeping through the barrier. These
thoughts were less focused, confused, indecisive. Yes, he screamed,
and drove in again. Zelnoff’s mental grip on the portal was
weakening. He sent another wave of children playing on a beach,
eating ice cream, building sandcastles, singing nursery rhymes. The
breach became a flood of angry, wild, insane thoughts. His grip on
the portal was almost broken. He poured in more thoughts: school
assembly, his favourite cartoon programme, a heavy metal rock
group. The link to the portal snapped.

Chris felt an
enormous mental giant turn his attention toward him. He felt the
rage building, searching for an outlet. A wall of thought struck
him. Horrendous scenes of slaughter and carnage, battles bathed in
blood and death, but he expected this and he mentally removed
himself, became an impassive observer to the spectacle. Then, as
quickly as they appeared, they were gone, there was nothing.