Alora: The Portal (8 page)

Brian recognized the danger. “Graely! Get back! You can’t see him, but he’s coming for you.”

Graely stiffened, raising his sword and sharpstop. “I’m not retreating.”

From the ground where she knelt beside Kaevin, Raelene looked up. “Graely—he’s been poisoned. You can’t let the blade touch you.”

Brian wrenched the sword from Wesley’s grasp, moving to intercept the warrior before he could reach Graely.

“Get back, Brian. I know you mean well, but you don’t know how to wield a sword.” Graely grasped his elbow, but Brian shook him off.

“At least I can see him.” Brian raised his blade.

The dark warrior stopped, poised on the balls of his feet, lifting his sword to strike. Alora cringed as the scene unfolded before her. Mr. Franks didn’t even have a shield. She couldn’t tear her eyes from the warrior, his swarthy face sporting a malicious grin, the vileness shining through his pupils. His blade sliced through the air. Brian dodged, narrowly deflecting the blade with his own. The warrior quickly drew the sword back, and plunged the tip toward Brian’s unprotected chest.

But the blade flew from the warrior’s fingers and clamored to the ground at Brian’s feet. The warrior’s eyebrows flew up and, for a moment, he stood frozen, his mouth open wide in a silent scream. Then Alora saw blood on his neck—a lot of it, and he crumpled on the dirt. Where the warrior had been stood Uncle Charles, wiping his knife on his pants.

Alora jumped when her grandmother called out. “Alora! We must take Kaevin to the healing house at once.” She dropped down beside her soulmate, shocked to find his face swollen and unrecognizable.
He’s unconscious. That’s why the pain is less intense.
Without another word she moved, with them, to Laethan’s feet.

The healer seemed cool and composed, as always. But Alora could sense the fear creeping into the edge of his words. “Is… is that Kaevin? What happened to him?”

“Some invisible warrior cut him on the arm with his sword, and this started happening seconds later. I don’t know what’s going on, but I know it hurts because I feel his pain. And he’s making wheezing sounds and struggling, so I think he can hardly breathe.”

“It’s surely some kind of poison,” said Raelene.

“Can you help him?” Alora asked. “Is it magical poison? Do we need Nordamen or Bardamen?”

“I’m not certain—”

“What happened?” Beth appeared behind Laethan, peering over his shoulder. “Oh no! Is that Kaevin? I barely recognize him! That looks like an allergic reaction. We’ve got to get him to a hospital right now.”

“But what if you’re wrong? What if it’s a magic thing that can only be fixed here?” Alora glanced uncertainly at Laethan.

“This is beyond my abilities. I cannot heal him. Perhaps Nordamen could do something to reverse the damage, but it would probably be too late.”

“Alora, he could die. We’ve got to go.” Beth was squeezing her arm.

“But, do I leave everyone else here? If I die, no one can get home.”

“Bring them here, quickly.” Raelene stood up and cleared a space.

This time, the three other travelers stumbled into the room, almost falling down.

Gasping for breath, Uncle Charles said, “We were on our way here, running as fast as we could. What happened to Kaevin?”

“He needs to go to the emergency room right away, Mr. Whitford,” Beth explained.

“Who should go back to Montana, and who’s going to stay here?” Alora asked.

“Let the young people go,” Mr. Franks said. “Come back for us when you can.”

Uncle Charles nodded, placing an arm around Raelene’s shoulders. “Brian’s right. The young people need to go. Hurry.”

Wesley knelt, levering his arms under Kaevin and lifting him up, straining with the effort. “Let’s go.”

As they grasped his elbows, Alora’s last vision of her uncle was his tear-streaked face, watching them leave. He mouthed,
I love you
, and they were gone.

Vindrake tossed away the sightstone
, useless with the death of the warrior who wore it. At least Zaester had accomplished his purpose before dying. Standing, Vindrake confronted Malphas, who approached at a trot, his straight brown hair plastered to his head with sweat, his cloak billowing behind him.

“Master Vindrake, we must make haste. A great number of Stone Clan warriors have joined the fight. Our warriors are overrun.”

“Yet it seems you’ve escaped without harm.”

“I only hurried away when I saw the extra fighters arrive. I wanted to warn you, lest Graely send a force and discover your proximity. You’ve moved even closer to the town walls, so it’s good that I came.” Only a slight tremor of his chin belied his anxiety.

“And where is my other shaman?”

“Arioch was foolish. He thought to challenge Nordamen directly, but he misjudged his own strength.”

“So I assume he’s dead, then?”

“Yes, Sire, consumed by his own flames.” Malphas’ upper lip shuddered in distaste.

“And what of the third wendt?”

“A third wendt? I wasn’t aware you’d made three.”

“I created another out of necessity when Alora killed the first two and sent them back to me. But the third has not returned, so I assume it still lives.”

“Alora’s here? In Laegenshire?”

“Indeed. If Graely had been wise, he would have kept them both beyond my reach. I’ve already taken advantage of Graely’s mistake. Alora and Kaevin are both dead, or they soon will be.” The words tasted sweet on his tongue. He’d wondered if he might experience a pang of regret at his daughter’s death, and was happy to find he felt none. His only regret was losing the opportunity to use her powers. “I saw Kaevin fall with a slice from the slaying sword.”

“You were able to make use of the slaying sword? That’s wonderful news indeed, Sire.” He looked over his shoulder. “But we should hurry and return to the safety of Portshire so we can plan our next attack.”

“Your obvious cowardice is quite disappointing. Fortunately for you, I happen to agree. And I’m in great spirits.” With a lingering backward glance at the walls of Laegenshire, he limped to his waiting steed. Strange he should be so content with Alora’s death, despite her familial relationship. On the other hand, he’d learned long ago the ties of kin and the bonds of love weren’t trustworthy.

“Where is he? Where’s Kaevin?” Graely bounded into the healing house, breathless from his haste and frantic with worry, with Jireo on his heels.

“They’ve gone to Montana, Graely. It was his only hope.” Raelene’s usual calm demeanor broke as tears flowed freely down her face.

“I see Charles is still here. Surely they haven’t left yet.”

“Alora couldn’t transport everyone at once, so the adults remained behind.”

“I had no opportunity to speak to him, and now I may never see him again. He may even now be dead.”

Her sad eyes rounded at his words, and she laid her hand on his arm. “Lower your voice Graely. It will not do for the people of Stone Clan to see their leader in panic and despair. You must keep up a strong front.”

“I’m tired of pretending. And I will not… No, I
cannot
act is if I’m unconcerned about the life of my son.” His muscles trembled with rage as he struggled to keep his temper in check.

He stiffened at Raelene’s sudden embrace. Then his composure broke, and he clung to her as if she were his only connection to his son. “I can’t lose him. I can’t. He’s all I have left.”

Graely felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to face Jireo, his young face bearing the evidence of both physical and emotional drain. “He’s not dead, Graely. I’m not certain how I know, but I speak truth.”

Graely pulled away, covering his hands with his face. “You can’t know Kaevin’s still alive in the other realm—there’s too much separation.” But even as he spoke the words, he recognized their falsehood. He could sense his son’s spirit, as he had when Alora had taken him to Montana three moons ago. He was alive, at least for the moment.

Across the room, he spied Charles on a bench against the wall, and their eyes locked. He recognized a common fear in the harried look of Alora’s uncle.

The breath he’d been holding whistled through his lips. He closed his eyes tight against the threatening tears and drew on his sense of duty to hold his emotions in check. When his eyes opened, he’d regained his outward control.

“I’m sorry for my outburst, Raelene. And Jireo, you’re correct. I can sense his lifeblood. It’s faint, but certain.” He turned to study the young man who was gingerly adjusting the binding on his arm. “But how can you know this? You don’t share blood with Kaevin.”

He shrugged. “Nordamen hasn’t discerned the explanation for it, but we seem to be more connected now. Perhaps because his gifts are strengthened by the soulmate bond. Or it might be because I have the gift of farsight now.”

“If… no,
when
Kaevin returns, we should explore this bond.”

Charles approached him. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down before he choked out his words. “What can we do to help? I can’t stand sitting around here, just waiting. I need something to do.”

“If you’re finished chatting, there’s plenty of work to be done here.” Graely jumped at Laethan’s scathing voice behind his shoulder. He turned to find Laethan working feverishly on a nearby patient. “Someone can start washing out all those bloody rags piled in the corner. Someone can take over Beth’s job and sort the patients as they enter the healing house. Non-life threatening injuries go to the far left; my assistants can handle most of those. And if you’re not afraid of a little blood, I could use a hand right here.”

“I can handle blood.” Graely moved to Laethan’s side as Raelene, Charles and Jireo scurried around to carry out his commands.

Alora struggled to force her eyes open, but something had glued them shut.
Where am I?
She heard a voice… a girl… Beth.

“It’s like back in December, Dr. Sanders. You have to keep them together if you want them to recover. They don’t have to be in the same bed; you can just keep their hands together like this.”

What happened?
The details floated in Alora’s mind, just beyond her reach.

“We have Kaevin stabilized. He was in anaphylactic shock, and he probably wouldn’t be alive if you’d gotten him here five minutes later. But we don’t even know what’s wrong with Alora. Her breathing, heart rate and blood pressure are normal, and there are no signs of injury.”

The horrific events tumbled into Alora’s mind. She remembered Kaevin lying on the ground with a red and swollen face, struggling to breathe.

“Kaevin?” Alora croaked.

“Alora? She’s waking up. See? I told you.” Beth’s excited voice moved closer.

“Where’s Kaevin?” Alora managed to wedge her eyes open to peer through tiny slits. Beth was smiling, relief evident on her face.

“He’s right beside you. You’re holding his hand.”

There. I feel his hand.
She tightened her grip, blinking to clear the sand from her eyes. Dr. Sanders came into focus. “Is Kaevin okay?”

“Kaevin is in serious but stable condition. But we nearly lost him. His blood pressure dropped, and his airway was almost completely closed off. We had to make a surgical opening to ventilate him. How long ago did this happen? And what caused it? Was it a seafood allergy? Or peanuts maybe?”

“Are you sure you want us to answer that question?” Beth gave Dr. Sanders a crooked grin. “Because I’ll tell you exactly what happened if you really want to know.”

Sanders examined the ceiling and released a heavy sigh. “On second thought, just tell me what you think I need to know. Leave out all the details unless I ask for clarification.”

“It was some kind of poison, we think. I wasn’t there when it happened.” Beth patted Alora’s hand. “Can you tell him what happened?”

“He got a cut from a sword… I mean, a knife… and then he just fell down and started swelling up.” Alora shivered from the vivid memory, as she struggled to lift her head.

“Here. Let me elevate your head.” Dr. Sanders pressed a button on the side of the bed, cranking her into a sitting position. “Poison, huh? You don’t have any idea what kind of poison?”

“If we knew, you probably wouldn’t want to know anyway,” said Beth.

“Fine, I’ll make something up for the record.” Dr. Sanders scowled. “But who’s going to sign his papers? I don’t suppose his father is in town.”

“No, Graely’s out of town with Uncle Charles.” Alora chewed her lip. “I could go get Uncle Charles, I guess, but I hate to get too far from Kaevin.”

“Why don’t you just fetch Uncle Charles here?” asked Beth. “No one would see. You don’t have to go there do you?”

“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. Raelene said it’s rude to transport people without their permission, but I guess it’d be okay in this case.”

“Alora, I don’t think I want you to…” Dr. Sanders’ words dropped off as Uncle Charles appeared, holding an armful of blood-soaked rags. “I didn’t see that. I didn’t see that.” He turned without another word and strode out of the room.

Charles dropped the rags and threw his arms around Alora. She hugged him back with her free hand.

“Alora, I was so afraid. I thought I’d lost you.”

“Not to mention the fact Kaevin and Alora almost died, and you’d have been stuck in Laegenshire forever.” Beth’s eyes fell on the pile of bloody rags. “You know, if the police see those, they’re going to arrest you for murder.”

Brian approached Laethan, hoping for a job to pass the time. He listened with growing concern to the heated exchange between Laethan and Graely.

“Who is this man?” Graely frowned, indicating Laethan’s patient who was tightly bound with ropes.

“He’s just a boy. I don’t think he has twenty years. He’s lost so much blood I doubt I can save him. Still, I intend to try.” Laethan responded without lifting his eyes from his work.

“But he’s one of Vindrake’s men. I can sense the bondmark even though he’s unconscious. Why are you wasting your time with him?”

Brian cleared his throat, but neither man acknowledged him.

“It’s your job to kill men,” Laethan retorted. “It’s my job to save them, and that’s what I’m trying to do. Where is your mercy? You know this young boy had no choice in taking the bloodbond. He can’t help what he’s become.”

“I resent that remark,” Graely growled. “I don’t kill for the sake of it—we fight to protect the lives of our people against Vindrake. This boy may not have had a choice in the matter, but he can’t change what he’s become either. We’ve found no solution for the Water Clan prisoners we’ve captured in the past. There’s no way to reverse Vindrake’s bond of fealty, so we must keep them bound at all times. If we let them go, they simply return to attack us again. What will you do with him if you save his life?”

Laethan locked eyes with him in a lethal stare. “You’re the clan leader. It’s your job to determine what happens to him if he lives. I refuse to let this boy die without attempting everything in my power to save him. I took an oath, and I’ll not back down.”

“Excuse me—” Brian touched Graely’s elbow, but Graely jerked it away.

“Are there not some of our own warriors who need your attention, Laethan? I don’t understand how you can bear being so close to his bondmark, anyway.”

“I wouldn’t worry so much, Graely. Your wish will come true soon enough. This boy will undoubtedly die from blood loss despite my best efforts.”

Brian forced his way between them. “I’ll help him. The boy doesn’t bother me at all, and neither does the blood.”

Laethan shot a grateful smile Brian’s direction. “Thank you. Remind me of your name again. I know we met briefly at the council meeting several moons ago.”

“I’m Brian—Wesley’s father.”

“Graely, go render aid to one of my assistants. Or attend to your own warriors and leave me to my duty.” Without sparing a glance, Laethan dismissed Graely, who muttered something unintelligible as he stomped away.

“This boy reminds me of my own son. Not Wesley—I have an older son. His face looks very similar, though my son is clean-shaven and not as muscular. His hair is dark and curly like this, just like my wife.” Brian endeavored to clear the eerie thought from his mind. It was disturbing to picture his own son with such a grievous injury. “What can I do to help you?”

“I’m trying to staunch the flow of blood from this wound, but nothing seems to be working. I’ve already seared the injury with a hot iron, but the blood still flows.” He grimaced as if the memory of the procedure was painful. “Thankfully, he passed out again right after the burning, but it didn’t work. As soon as I release the pressure the bleeding starts again. His breathing is slowing as well, so I fear he doesn’t have much time left in this world.”

Brian nodded, replacing Laethan’s hand with his own and bearing down on the bloody cloth covering the wound. “I’ll stand here and keep pressure on it as long as I need to. If the boy dies, he won’t be alone. I can’t sense this bloodbond thing you guys were talking about, so it doesn’t bother me at all.”