Jack Gregson & the Forgotten Portal (16 page)

“Anthrow?” Jack whispered.

“Maddox!” Anthrow said as he gave Jack a
wink and look of reassurance that wasn’t very convincing, “You’re
looking…thinner than I remember.”

Great plan, though Jack. Stupid compliments.
He watched the Shadow Man for any reaction to being called Maddox.
Could this really be his father?

When the Shadow Man didn’t respond, Anthrow
continued “I see you found Theorden without my help in the end. How
is that working out for you?”

“You!” The Shadow Man hissed. “Yes I
remember. Helping my family once more I see. Are you working for my
wretched mother or is this puny child pulling your strings like
that of a pathetic puppet. Tell me boy,” he said turning to Jack,
“which one of my siblings do you spawn from, to steal from me the
mantle of heir to Gregson Manor?”

Jack paused. Maddox didn’t know who he was!
Part of him was relieved. His father wanted him dead, but not
because he was his son.

The rest of him was revolted. How could this
monster be his father? He suddenly didn’t want this Shadow Man to
know who he was.

“Tell me now child. Theorden wants you alive
for now, but he didn’t say in what condition. Do I have to make you
bleed to find out what I want to know?”

“I’d have to know who you are to answer that
question. Maddox? I’ve heard of no Gregson by that name,” said
Jack. “Perhaps you were taken off the role call.”

The Shadow Man seethed in anger, “Everybody
will know my name! Theorden will crush your world, with me at his
side. You will learn to speak to me with respect. If you manage to
live that long, young Gregson.”

“Until then, perhaps we should move this
along,” said Anthrow. “If I’m to die today, I’d rather not have to
listen to speeches from an egotistical gaseous fart such as
yourself. I’m sure Theorden will have plenty of nonsense to
‘enlighten’ us with when we meet him too.”

“What are you doing,” whispered Jack. “Try
not to piss him off too much!”

“I’m nervous! This is why I try to avoid
situations like this!”

Maddox laughed deeply, “Like children in a
game. Come then, let us go. You’ll soon learn we’re not
playing.”

He turned away, saying, “Bring them! And
bring me the book. We have some catching up to do. I want to know
what’s so important about my old friend.”

Large hands wrapped around Jacks shoulders
as he and Anthrow were pushed towards the portal.

Jack’s eyes widened as Maddox body started
to drift apart, losing its human form to become a long tendril of
smoke.

A man about three feet in height with green
skin and wearing a comically formal brown suit appeared from the
shadows of the rock. He held a large red orb up in the air, the
smoke that had been Maddox floated into it.

Once he had disappeared into the vessel
completely, the small man turned and ran through the portal.

So that’s how he’s able to travel between
worlds, Jack thought. It also explained why he hadn’t chased them
the first time they’d met in the Grotto. He needed someone to help
him. Just like the Horde, he didn’t carry enough weight to travel
through the portals.

“Your turn,” the man behind Jack said
gruffly as he pushed him into the passageway. The portal grabbed
him and once again he was thrust through darkness, floating back
towards the Grotto.

***

Jack sat, his hands and feet bound. He
watched Maddox from afar as he stood surrounded by the black mist.
His eyes were closed, and Jack guessed that he was communicating
with someone through the Horde.

“Any ideas?” asked Anthrow. He too was tied
up and watching Maddox.

The minute they’d arrived back at the
Grotto, they’d been bound and searched. From Anthrow they had taken
the box of rings Vonsant had given him and his charm of speed. He
had pleaded to keep it, which had resulted in cruel laughter as
they snapped the chain from his neck.

Jack had managed to take the ring off his
finger and hide it in his back pocket while this happened, so when
it was his turn to be searched they only took the book, and the
black ring that hung from his neck.

“No ideas, Anthrow,” said Jack. “We’re tied
up and surrounded. I can’t see any way out of this…yet.”

Theorden’s men were seated nearby, keeping a
careful gaze on the two of them as they awaited orders from
Maddox.

They were also at least fifty metres away
from the closest pathway that could lead them to a portal and
freedom. With the amount of men surrounding them, there was no way
they could make it.

Jack looked over and watched the Horde. Two
animals had risen from the mist and were fighting. One was a wolf
and the other was a deer or antelope. Beyond that he could hear the
thousands of voices within the mist. Lives taken. Lost and talking
at once.

There was something else, he thought. A
magic hum that was always there, but hidden, unless one
concentrated on it. It was similar to the magic of the black ring
that had been taken from him.

He tried to match the tone of it, much like
he had done with the ring when they’d last turned to mist. Once he
thought he had it, he pulled the hum into himself and tried to
conjure the magic that would turn them to mist.

It’s working! He thought as he saw his hand
slowly turn black.

Maddox had finished his conversation and was
returning towards them. His featureless face was impossible to
read, but Jack thought he seemed agitated as he glided towards
them.

He quickly pulled back from the hum of the
Horde and his hand returned to normal.

“It appears your earlier companions have
managed to delay the armies move into Earth by sealing the portal,”
he said angrily. “I told him using Alice was a stupid idea. She
would have spilled everything once my mother confronted her.”

Yes! Thought Jack. David and Rosie had done
it! They’d managed to get home and recover the blue emerald.

“Don’t think we are beaten yet. Bring me the
book!” he said.

The small green man rushed over with the
book and held it up. Not only was Maddox not able to travel through
portals, he was unable to carry anything. Jack wondered why he
chose to be in smoke form. It had some benefits, but being like
that all the time? How did he eat?

“This book knows the location of something
called the Forgotten Portal. It’s rumoured to be on Coran, and can
take you anywhere in the Universe…but I believe you know all this.
Don’t you, Gregson.”

Jack stared at Maddox but didn’t respond. He
wouldn’t tell him anything.

“How else could you have reached Diamond
Lake? We’ve had that portal guarded for weeks. You will take me to
this Forgotten Portal so that we can create a new one to Earth. I
will then remove the enchantment on the portal in the Western
Gardens so that Theorden can bring his army through.

“Why would I help you to do that?” asked
Jack. “You’re just as mad and evil as Theorden. Find the Forgotten
Portal yourself!”

“You know I cannot, heir to Gregson Manor.”
He replied in a condescending voice. “We both know how the book
works. It will only reveal the location of the portal to you. As
for why you would help me? Theorden said I could not kill you, but
he said nothing of this one.”

The Horde approached from behind Maddox, two
large wolves morphing out of the mist. They walked towards Anthrow
snarling and began to circle him.

“You will take me to the Forgotten Portal or
your friend here will die.”

Chapter
Eighteen

Chaos Reins

“Get up!” said Maddox.

Jack had fallen down on one knee, exhausted
from the pace they were being forced to walk.

They were back on Coran, leading Maddox, the
Horde and Theorden’s men to the Forgotten Portal. Once Maddox had
threatened Anthrow’s life, Jack knew he had to take him there.

Anthrow had told him to refuse to help, not
to worry about his fate.

Jack couldn’t do it. Even if it meant
Theorden overtook Earth, he could never forgive himself if someone
was harmed because of a decision he made.

Jack slowly stood back up and resumed his
walk. He was leading everyone around the mountain, as there was
nowhere on this side of it that men could safely climb to the
peak.

He actually had no idea if there were places
to climb on the other side of the mountain either, but the book had
refused to give him a route to take, so he had lied to Maddox and
convinced him that this was the way to the portal.

“Jack, you can’t lead these people to the
portal,” said Anthrow who was walking beside him. “You would be
dooming everyone everywhere to Theordon’s rule.”

“What other choice do I have? He threatened
to kill you,” replied Jack.

“A small price to pay! And that’s coming
from me that has no interested in being dead.”

“We’re not giving up.”

Jack continued the walk around the mountain,
looking for an opportunity to escape to present itself.

***

Jarl arrived to Coran with a pop and a
shower of gold dust.

She had been searching for the young man and
his friends ever since she had refilled her pouch with magic dust.
It was getting very boring.

She had returned to the little shop on
Bowlandose to find the one eyed men still having fun with the
changes she had made to their bodies, but the young man and the
rest of his companions that had been lying under the tables were
gone!

Perhaps they had gone in search of her, she
thought. Silly people! She was much better at finding things. He
had been leaving signs everywhere he went, signs only a pixie such
as her could see, and she felt that she was close to catching up
with him. I’m coming young man!

What was this? More of those one eyed men!
They had other friends with them, and that weird black mist she’d
seen more and more recently.

There he is, she cried in joy to herself as
she saw the young man leading the group. He had found more people
who wanted to play and he was looking for her!

She reached into her pouch with both hands
and grabbed two handfuls of dust. This was going to be fun!

***

“Oh crap, we have to get out of here!” said
Jack to Anthrow as the chaos pixie flew past him. Was it the same
one as before? It was too small to tell.

“Well if you have any ideas, I’d love to
hear it!” said Anthrow as he held up his tied hands to Jack.

Suddenly there were screams from behind
them, as one of the men morphed into a massive snake like creature.
It was at least ten metres tall, and Jack watched the change in its
eyes as its comrades turned from friends to food. It grabbed one of
them and ate him whole.

“Again, if you have any ideas!”

Theorden’s men were in disarray, running in
all directions as the pixie threw its dust down on them, creating
chaos everywhere.

The horde was also stirring as all the
voices wondered what was happening.

Then Jack knew what they had to do. “Anthrow
hold on to me,” he whispered. “We’re getting out of here.”

He once again tuned into the hum of the
Horde, drawing on the magic that bound the mist together. Jack now
understood how it worked and he drew it in as he wove the magic to
his will.

“What’s happening?” asked Anthrow.

“We’re getting out of here,” Jack replied as
their bodies turned to mist. “I’ll lead us.”

He turned them away from the chaos happening
around them and started up the mountain, the mist he’d created
clinging to the rock as they climbed vertically towards the
peak.

Jack looked back as they continued upwards.
The men were spread out, running in every direction in hope that
the Chaos Pixie didn’t decide to target them. More fantastical
monsters had joined the snake, tracking down men for an afternoon
snack.

The Horde remained where it had been before,
curious but unperturbed by the happenings around it. Maddox was
nowhere to be seen.

“Where are we going?” asked Anthrow.

“To the Forgotten Portal. I know a
shortcut,” replied Jack.

He pushed them up to the peak of the
mountain, the magic he weaved thrummed through him. As he reached
the top and headed down the other side, he saw the silver tree and
stopped, the illusion of fear washing over him.

“Why have we stopped, we need to move to the
right.” asked Anthrow.

“No we need to go left, towards that
tree.”

“There is no tree to our left, but I know we
don’t want to go that way. This way seems better.”

“Anthrow we do need to go this way, I’ve
done it before. Close your eyes and allow me to guide us.”

Jack stepped forward and fought the will to
turn away. Now that he knew what to expect once he broke through
the illusion, it was somewhat easier to resist the ancient
magic.

“This can’t be right!” Anthrow yelled, even
with his eyes closed, his mind feared what lay ahead.

“We’re nearly there,” replied Jack as he
reached the silver tree.

He broke the barrier of the illusion with
one last push and they were through to the small forest.

“Ah, better,” said Anthrow. “That
was…unpleasant. No wonder this place has been kept so well
hidden.”

Jack was looking back to the peak, making
sure they weren’t being followed. Once he was satisfied, he turned
to Anthrow. “We’re safe.”

Anthrow smiled. “So that’s it then. David
and Rosie have resealed the portal to Earth and judging by the
lightning at Diamond Lake, I’m guessing we destroyed the Horde that
had taken over your yard. Your mission is complete!”

Jack forced a smile in return. They had done
it. Against all impossible odds, his cousins and him had prevented
Theorden from invading Earth. So why did he feel so empty? He
should be itching to return home and celebrate with his cousins,
but the thought of doing so made him feel anxious.