Alora: The Portal (21 page)

Pounding feet alerted her to Nordamen’s arrival. “Kaevin? Alora? What are you doing here?”

“There’s a fire at Jireo’s home,” Kaevin answered. “The house was full of smoke, and his parents might still be in there.”

“No, Jireo’s parents are traveling to stay with family until the expedition is over. However, other homes may be in danger.” Nordamen called out orders to the townspeople who darted into the square from every direction, and a flurry of activity ensued.

Beth held her hand against Jireo’s neck as she called up to Alora. “His heart is still beating. Get us to Wesley’s house. Dr. Sanders will know what to do.”

As Alora transported them back to Montana, she murmured a prayer.

Kaevin pulled Alora against him
, wrapping her in his coat. He rubbed her back as he soothed, “Shh… be calm.”

“But if Jireo dies, it’ll be my fault. Why didn’t I take him straight to the hospital?” Why did I bring Beth to us in Laegenshire? If I was going to bring someone, I should have brought Dr. Sanders.” Her muttered words were almost lost to his ears.

“I sincerely doubt Dr. Sanders would have appreciated his first transport being a total surprise. It’s of no consequence. Jireo will recover.”

“You don’t know that.” Alora looked up with red-rimmed eyes. “Didn’t you hear Dr. Sanders just now? He told us Jireo might not make it.”

“Alora—”

“I’ll never be able to forgive myself if that happens. You’ll never be able to forgive me either if I killed your best friend.”

“Be still, Alora.” He lowered his voice, dragging her to the side, away from the listening ears in the waiting room. “You’re upsetting Arista and Beth.”

“They’re going to hate me, too.”

“No one will hate you. You made difficult decisions with no time to consider the options. Had we immediately transported to the hospital with Jireo, we wouldn’t have had time to warn anyone of the fire. Would you want the deaths of others on your head?”

“No, but that won’t make me feel any better if Jireo dies.”

“Alora…” Kaevin hesitated, glancing behind him to be certain no one else could hear.
Dare I tell her about the defender bond? I’m not even positive we’re bound.
“Alora, I’m confident Jireo won’t die. I’d know if he was going to die, in the same way I knew he was in danger before we went to Laegenshire.”

“How? How could you possibly know for sure?”

“Jireo and I… When we were young, we promised to guard each other. We cut our hands and sealed the promise in blood.”

“Oh, I think you mentioned that one time. You’re blood brothers.”

“We call it a defender bond.”

“No matter what you call it, just because you promise to defend each other doesn’t mean you know what the future holds. Unless you have some kind of crystal ball.”

“Crystal ball?”

“A crystal ball. You know… you look into it and see the future? Never mind. The point is, you can’t
know
Jireo’s going to be okay.”

“Very well. Suffice it to say, I have a very strong feeling Jireo will recover fully. I’m not worried at all.”

Alora took a deep shuddery breath. “Okay. I guess that does make me feel better. That and the fact our heads quit hurting.”

“Yes, the absence of pain is a wonderful thing.” He pressed his lips to her forehead, noting the intoxicating scent of her hair had been tainted with smoke.

“Oh-oh. Here comes Uncle Charles and your father, and they don’t look particularly happy.”

Kaevin pivoted to face the expected berating. “This won’t be pleasant,” he murmured.

“Too late to run and hide.”

Her mouth kicked up on one corner, an expression he’d come to adore. Somehow, with Alora at his side, he felt he could handle his father’s disapproval.

The parental pair wore identical scowls. Charles spoke first. “Graely and I would like to speak to the two of you in private before Doc comes out with the results of the scoping procedure. He said we wouldn’t be disturbed if we use this room.”

Alora’s hand gripped tight to Kaevin’s as they followed his father and Charles through a door labeled ‘Consultation Room,’ her lips trembling on the background of her pale face.

Alora grimaced at her uncle’s stony expression. Graely had evidently been chosen as spokesperson, and so far his barrage of questions and indictments showed no sign of subsiding.

“You’ve still given no reasonable explanation for your behavior.” Graely’s jaw muscles flexed so hard, Alora could almost hear his teeth grinding. “Why would you go to Laegenshire to retrieve Jireo, in direct opposition to our prescribed plan, without consulting me first? As your father and your clan leader, I demand obedience in these matters.”

“I’ve tried to explain, Father, but you aren’t listening. I had a strong urge to go to him at once. Considering Jireo’s dire circumstances, don’t you feel we made the correct decision? Is it your wish that we’d ignored the feeling? Jireo might very well be dead now, had we not arrived when we did.”

“And our headaches are gone, too,” Alora added. “We think it had something to do with Jireo.”

“I’m glad you’re both pain-free and, of course, I’m glad Jireo lives. However, you can’t make decisions based upon your feelings. You must obey orders. You have to trust the wisdom of your leaders and your elders. Not to mention, the disrespect you demonstrate by your disobedience.”

Kaevin’s fists clenched as two bright red patches appeared on his cheeks. His temper barely held in check, he opened his mouth to speak. Alora held up her hand before he said something he might regret.

“Wait, Kaevin. Maybe I can explain it.”

Graely sat back, crossing his arms. “Please. I’ll be happy if I you can enlighten me.”

“Well, I’ve been thinking, maybe Kaevin and Jireo really can sense each other. Remember how Kaevin heard Jireo crying out when Arista was kidnapped? Then we both heard Jireo call out during the last battle. Then today, our heads quit hurting after we saw him. Maybe they really do have some kind of connection. It could be because they were practically raised together. Kaevin’s told me lots of stories about growing up with Jireo. Or maybe there’s something to this bloodbrother thing. Or maybe, since they spent almost every—”

“Bloodbrother thing?” Graely sat up straight in his chair.

“No, that’s the wrong word. What was it? Oh… they’re defenders. Right, Kaevin?” Alora looked to Kaevin for confirmation, but his eyes were glued to the floor.

“Defenders? Are you referring to the defender bond?” Graely’s brows dipped low over his eyes.

“That’s it. The defender bond,” Alora confirmed. A glance at Kaevin found his face in his hands.

“Tell me she’s mistaken.” Graely spoke between tight lips. “Tell me the two of you weren’t foolish enough to perform the ceremony.”

“It’s not a big deal, sir.” Alora could feel the tension between Kaevin and his father; it was even worse than the vibes she was getting from Uncle Charles. “Kaevin told me about it, but it’s not a real ceremony, you know. That’s an old wives’ tale. Kids do that all the time here in the States, but nothing really happens. It’s not like sharing your blood makes any actual difference.”

Graely squeezed his eyes shut, his hands balling into tight fists. “Tenavae is
not
Montana. Blood
binds
in Tenavae.” He opened his eyes to plead with Kaevin. “You didn’t say the ceremonial words, did you, Kaevin? Tell me the truth.”

“We did, but it may not have been binding.” Kaevin pushed his fingers through his hair. “We only had six years at the time.”

“Six years? How came you to have knowledge of the ceremony with only six years?” Graely’s jaw hardened.

“You may remember, Father. Two actors performed the ceremony during a play when you took us to the fair in Glaenshire. We only did it as a lark.” Kaevin picked at a piece of lint on his pants.

“Then the fault is mine, if you two are bound.” Graely looked to the ceiling as if the answer to his problems might be written on the acoustic tiles.

“What does the ceremony do?” Alora asked.

“The binding of blood is a life-long commitment.
To defend. To serve. To follow. To lead. To guard. Until death
.” At Graely’s serious expression, Alora’s stomach clenched.

“That almost sounds like a marriage,” Uncle Charles remarked. “Surely, two little kids can’t make that kind of commitment.”

“Yes… yes, that must be correct.” Graely’s tight features relaxed as the words left his lips. “Two children having only six years could never accomplish the defender ceremony.”

“So it’s not like being soulmates?” Alora breathed a little easier.

“No, it’s different. The defender bond is a voluntary ceremony, quite common among adults. Defender partners agree to guard one another until death,” Graely explained. “When one’s life is at risk, the other is compelled to defend him or her. Many times, warriors will take the oath together… especially married couples.”

“But why bother? A married couple’s already committed for life, right?” Charles asked.

“Those who take the oath receive a gift; one always knows when the other’s life is in danger, despite separation. During a battle, of course, this would simply be a constant awareness. At other times, the gift serves as a warning. Defenders would never want to live far apart, since the compulsion is so strong in the face of a threat.”

“So it’s something Kaevin and Jireo might’ve chosen to do at some point in the future?”
So the soulmate bond will interfere with Kaevin and Jireo’s close friendship… just one more thing Kaevin will resent me for.

“Denalae and I were defender partners.” Graely’s voice dropped almost to a whisper. “When she died giving birth… I knew it was happening, but there was nothing I could do.”

Alora sensed Kaevin’s guilt over his mother’s death and reached out to grasp his hand. Kaevin bowed his head as he spoke. “Father, I apologize for my actions. I certainly never intended to show disrespect.”

Graely nodded, reaching out to grip Kaevin’s arm. “I believe you, Son.”

The fierce expression on Uncles Charles’ face had softened during the discussion. “I think the main concern your father and I have is that you might change the plan in midstream on this portal expedition without consulting us. I can’t help being worried when you make decisions based on your feelings. Although this time I can’t deny you arrived in the nick of time.” He reached out to touch Alora’s chin with gentle fingers. “Just be really careful. Okay, Alora?”

“I will. I promise.”

Kaevin’s mind wandered as Dr. Sanders gave his report to the group. Even before the healer explained he expected Jireo to fully recover, Kaevin knew his best friend would survive. More and more, he suspected their childish attempt at the defender bond ceremony had been truly effective. He needed to speak to Jireo as soon as possible.

Arista had appeared terrified at the prospect of losing her brother. In Kaevin’s mind, it was a good sign she had the ability to recognize the real possibility of death. Her glib attitude toward danger brought him no comfort, knowing the peril they would face on their quest to close the portal. Perhaps she was normal after all and merely put up a brave front to keep her fears under control.

“With only slight damage visible on the scoping procedure and a high oxygen saturation, I’m going to release him to go home,” Dr. Sanders said. “But I have a list of warning signs, so he’ll have to be observed closely. If his condition worsens, you need to get him back here immediately.”

Dr. Sanders removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose between bloodshot eyes. “This has been a very long day, and I’m ready to collapse.” He looked behind his back, obviously checking for interested eavesdroppers. One eyebrow lifted into a point as he spoke in a quiet voice. “I’ve learned all I care to learn about
Tenavae
for now. Please spare me any more details until I’ve had a chance to get some sleep. For heaven’s sake, could you be a bit more careful? It’s like you’re all trying to get yourselves killed.”

Dr. Sanders chucked Charles on the shoulder before departing, pushing a large silver button on the wall, at which the double doors slowly swung back against the walls like a yawning giant.

“I must return to Laegenshire. I worry about the damage from the fire, and I can only pray no one lost their lives.” Graely turned to Charles. “The expedition should begin as soon as possible, but I leave the decision in your hands. I’ll be belted in iron so Alora may speak to me, and we will have Darielle to communicate with Jireo after Alora enters the portal.”

Charles nodded, but by his expression, Kaevin knew he still had reservations about the plan. Kaevin started when his father’s forceful hug nearly choked him and put pressure on his tender rib.

“God-speed. Know that my thoughts and prayers will be with you and Alora and Arista.”

Kaevin returned the embrace, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“When do we depart?” Arista interrupted. “Since my brother will go home tonight, can we leave on the morrow?”

“Charles will determine the group’s departure when Jireo is well enough to go. Do not forget your promise to obey him in all things.” Graely’s tone was gruff, but his mouth kicked up in a half smile at Arista’s obvious enthusiasm.

As Kaevin grasped Alora’s hand for the transport, he heard Arista prattling on to Beth about the expedition.
Did Arista say something about finding treasure? I must have a serious talk with her before we embark.