Through the Portal
Chapter 16

They reached the tunnels around midday and the children found out the reason for their name. Every inch that they could see was covered in a thick, green moss. It occurred to William that the color was, at least, familiar and he should be comforted by that. However, he was still annoyed at the king’s presence and couldn’t wait for him to be off.

“Well, this is as far as we can come with you,” Nicholas said, at the mouth of the tunnel. “I hope you and your companions find your way, safely, my lady.”

“Thank you for your company,” Katherine replied. “I hope you and your men quickly eliminate the threat and return home to meet us.”

The king smiled and William half-expected him to go into a lofty, romantic poem of farewell. Instead, he just gave her another fist-over-the-heart salute and led his men onward to their destination.

“Good riddance,” William mumbled, too softly for anyone to hear.

Katherine watched until they were out of sight, then turned to the group. “These tunnels are not as straight as the diamond one and they branch out, so stay close to me.”

They nodded their agreement, none of them thrilled about the prospect of being alone in a dark, moss-covered tunnel. Even if the ground was softer, this seemed less friendly than the last one. Even so, they followed her into the mouth and did their best to stay close. As it got darker, they began to worry about losing track of her.

“Does anyone have a light of some sort?” Meredith asked.

Katherine whispered something and her whole body began to glow, softly illuminating their passageway, revealing twisty tunnels, leading in all directions. “Better?”

Meredith nodded, staring at the glowing girl. “Much, thank you.” She paused. “That’s not going to drain you, is it?”

Katherine’s glowing head shook. “It takes very little energy for this and I can draw what I need from the moss.”

“Right.” Meredith decided not to ask any more questions on that subject. “So how long will our tunnel be? You said we’d be at the palace in a week, but we won’t be in here that long, will we?” She looked down one of the dark passageways, hoping that Katherine was sure of the direction they were to take. It seemed like a labyrinth to Meredith. She half-expected to see a minotaur charging at them.

Katherine smiled over her shoulder. “We will only be in the tunnels for a few days. Then there is the Silver Plain, which will take a few more days to cross. The palace is just past that.”

Meredith nodded, relieved, partially, because they would only be in the dark for a few days and, partially, because they seemed very close to the palace, considering how much they had travelled so far. It seemed impossible that they would be there in just a week. She couldn’t wait for the safety of its walls. She had grown tired of constantly fearing an attack and she wanted to be able to rest, properly.

William had never really needed a bed, but, after their long journey, he began to think it might be nice if he could have one at the palace. However, he pushed those thoughts aside, knowing they needed to focus on the task, at hand. He couldn’t allow himself to get distracted and lose sight of Katherine. He found Josie and took her hand, afraid of losing her. He did a quick headcount to make sure his group was accounted for and did his best to focus on keeping them together. It was going to be a long few days.

They stopped and set up camp at what the children assumed was late in the evening. It was impossible to know, so deep underground. Henry briefly wondered if this was really safer than someplace with a name as friendly as the “Starlight Forest”. He elected not to say anything, though, since he’d already made a significant blunder on their journey and didn’t want everyone to think any less of him. He decided he would just have to trust Katherine’s judgment. After all, she knew Mirra better than any of them and could make such decisions.

They had a dinner of berries and prepared for bed. Valda reminded her student to meditate, although he’d already known it would be expected of him. Meredith lay down next to Josie, wanting to keep her close. The twins lay closer together than usual, each afraid of losing the other. The elves showed no sign of concern for these things and each picked out their own spot for sleeping.

In the tunnels, William found it easier to meditate. He figured that was due to the lack of light and, therefore, distractions. When he opened his eyes, again, only Katherine was still awake. She had maintained the glow and reminded William of an angel in the dark. He moved to sit beside her, careful not to step on anyone. “Were you staying up for my sake?”

She smiled. “Well, it wouldn’t do for you to stumble over people in the dark. Besides, I really don’t need much sleep, remember?”

He nodded. “I remember.” They fell into an awkward silence as he tried to find the words to express what he was thinking. “So, Nicholas seems…nice.”

“He is,” she agreed. “He is an excellent king and will make a noble guardian.” She looked at William. “That’s what you were wondering about, isn’t it?”

William shrugged. “I was really wondering how he would be as a husband.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “Of course, I am certain you will make a wonderful queen.”

She looked down with an embarrassed grin. “Father thought so, as well. That is partially why he chose Nicholas to replace him. It makes sense for the people treated as the highest authority in the land to be sitting on the thrones.”

“Your father is the other guardian.” He couldn’t remember whether or not she had mentioned that before, but things were sinking in more, now.

Katherine nodded. “He’s not really my father, not by blood. However, he has cared for me for years, ever since I first came to this land.”

“You weren’t born here?” William raised his eyebrows, surprised by the fresh knowledge. He had assumed she’d always lived in Mirra. It seemed there was a lot he didn’t know about the guardian.

She just smiled in return. “I was born in your land, but that was a very long time ago by human standards.”

“Yes.” He nodded, since he’d already been told her age. “I heard it was a hundred years since you became guardian.”

“A hundred years, here.” She looked at him for a moment, her blue eyes glowing brightly. “Time in your world passes much more quickly. In Dunya, I was born three hundred years ago.”

He stared at Katherine, more shocked by this news than anything else. He remembered how stunned she had been by the cars and lights of the city. He began to understand her expression from that night. It took a moment longer for him to realize what the time lapse meant for him and his group. “So how long have we been gone, by Dunyan standards?”

She paused, hesitant to answer. “It’s been over a month, I think.”

He considered that and realized it didn’t really matter. No one would miss their group in their world. They were runaway foster kids, so who cares if they disappeared for a few months? He began to wonder just how long they would be gone and if they would ever return. Somehow, it didn’t make him as sad as he thought it should.

Katherine reached out and took his hand. “If you wish to return home, I will do everything in my power to make that happen.” She paused. “I’m sorry. I took you from your home without even asking you. It’s just…my home is in trouble and I need you to help me save it.”

“What do you need from us?” He turned to her. “What can we do to help? We would feel better if you would just explain why we are here.” He realized his face was very close to hers. The glow of her skin almost hurt his eyes. Without thinking, he started to lean closer.

Katherine turned her head away and pulled her hand back. “I will tell you everything I know when we reach the Blue Palace. It’s not safe until then.”

He blushed, realizing what he had almost done. “Okay. I’m sorry.” He stood. “Good night, Katherine.” He found a spot as far from her as possible and lay down, willing himself to sleep.

Once everyone had lain down, Katherine allowed her glow to fade, knowing it would not be needed until the morning and not wanting to draw more energy than necessary. She swallowed as she lay down, wishing she had not allowed William to make such a mistake.

The next morning, Katherine elected to pretend that nothing had happened the night before. She couldn’t allow such incidents to slow the group down. She chalked it up to the late hour and heightened emotions from the conversation, so she would just have to make sure not to be in another situation like that.

She smiled as she saw the group waking up. “Good morning.” She was glowing, again, and had some mushrooms lain out, which she had found as she explored the tunnel while they slept. She had known their provisions wouldn’t last long and wanted to be prepared. “Make sure to conserve as much as you can. I don’t know how often I’ll be able to find these.”

They nodded their agreement and finished off the berries they had packed, each person putting a few mushrooms away for later. When they were packing up, William made his way over to Katherine and spoke softly. “About last night…” He was uncertain how to go on.

She smiled at him, showing no sign of concern. “Is something wrong?”

“Look, I’m sorry if it seemed like I was trying to do something, last night.” He fumbled for words and sighed. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Katherine shook her head. “You were a little emotional last night. It’s understandable.” She shouldered her pack and stood. “Don’t worry about it, okay?”

“Okay…” He wondered if she was really as calm about it as she seemed. He found that hard to believe, but so were most things in Mirra.

She smiled, again, and turned to the group. “Alright, let’s head out and see how much ground we can cover, today.”

William fell into step with the rest of the group, holding onto Josie’s hand, for fear of losing her.

“She’s really pretty,” Josie commented, staring at the glowing form which led them.

William didn’t respond, not really sure what to say. He knew he should be relieved that Katherine wasn’t upset, but it bothered him, instead. He thought she should feel something about what happened, but she had shrugged it off as if it were nothing. He sighed, causing Josie to look up at him.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, her dark eyes full of concern.

William smiled down at the child and gave her hand a comforting squeeze. “I’m just a little tired is all. I’ll be fine.”

“Don’t go falling asleep on us,” she told him, returning the smile. “I’m not big enough to carry you, yet.”

He chuckled. “I won’t. I promise.” He looked ahead, never letting go of her hand.

When they stopped for lunch, Valda didn’t make William do any exercises due to the low light. She didn’t want him running into people. He was surprised to find he was a little disappointed about it. He had fallen into a routine and didn’t like it being disrupted. He tried not to let it trouble him, though, as he sat down and ate a mushroom, which tasted like blueberries.

“So, what is the Starlight Forest like?” Meredith asked, as she bit into her own mushroom. She’d been wondering why they had chosen dark, moss-covered caves over open-air trees.

“It can be lovely,” Katherine replied, “It’s just that there are some unpleasant creatures in the forest, which I would rather we avoid. Not all of them are entirely mortal.”

“What do you mean by that?” Meredith wondered. Normally, she would chalk such a statement up to superstition and ghost stories, but here, in this magical world, it seemed foolish to make such assumptions.

Katherine paused and looked around, seeming to focus on something in the distance. “Did anybody hear something?”

Tensing, they all began to listen, intently. However, there was no sound, save their own breathing. Valda looked at Katherine. “What did it sound like?”

“I’m not sure…” The guardian kept her head turned for a minute longer. “Perhaps I am just a little on edge.” She looked back at the group. “At any rate, we should get moving, soon, so please, try to eat more quickly.”

They all finished their meals in nervous silence, everyone listening for some unseen threat which may be lurking in the shadows. As they got up and started walking, the only sound was that of their muffled footsteps on the soft ground, but everyone continued to be alert. Josie found William’s hand, getting a firm hold on it, for fear of being separated. As always, she was confident he would protect her from any danger they may come across.

When they made it through another day of walking and bed down for the night, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. However, Katherine was still nervous, but she did her best to hide it as she watched everyone lying down.

This tunnel was smaller, so the children slept closer together while the elves continued to keep their distance. Henry was close to William and spoke softly, so most of the others couldn’t hear. “This is quite an adventure, isn’t it?”

The older boy smiled. “Not really the kind I would have picked, but it has been interesting.”

“No one gets to pick what kind of adventure they go on,” Henry pointed out. “At least, not in the stories.” He paused, thinking. “I suppose this wouldn’t make much of a story, though, us wandering around, trying to get to some palace.”

“I don’t know about that.” William stared at the dark ceiling in the soft glow from Katherine. “We came to a magical land, met some interesting people who can do different kinds of magic and we’re on a quest to find a great city. Heck, we’ve even had to escape from a few monsters.” He looked at the younger boy. “It sounds like a good story to me.”

“You make it sound very noble.” Henry smiled. “Of course, you’d probably be the main character in the book.” He held a hand up, as though painting a picture. “You’d be Sir William, the brave young warrior who learned his trade from the elves and used his skills to protect his friends.”

William laughed. “What about Henry, the brilliant tailor who made sure no one in his group was without clothes on the journey? That is a much more unique part and people would enjoy it.”

Jake pushed himself up on his elbows. “How about Jake, the skilled doctor who saves the lives of the idiots who get into the fights?”

Meredith laughed. “Well, I would be Meredith, the archer who keeps her distance and doesn’t need to be saved by any guy.”

Josie pulled on William’s sleeve. “Who would I be?”

“Well, you’d be the most important part,” he assured her. “You are Josephina, the courageous and kind girl who gave her friends the strength they needed to carry on, even when things were difficult or scary.” He tickled her.

Josie laughed and lay back down. “I think I like this story.”

Valda sat up, having caught some of the conversation. “I think you’re forgetting the elves who are much more skilled than any of the children and will likely save their lives a few times.”

“Ah, we could never forget the valiant elves!” William assured her, “Without their guidance, wisdom and short tempers, the adventure just wouldn’t be complete.”

“We’ll see how short my temper is when we are above ground,” the she-elf replied, but she was smiling.

William smiled, as well, knowing he would probably regret the comment later. He looked to Katherine. “Perhaps, the protagonist would be the fair guardian who whisked the children away for reasons known only to her, but protected them, bravely, risking life and limb to get them to the Blue Palace.”

Katherine shook her head. “I am not so noble.” She looked around the cave. “Perhaps, you will have a chance to write your story when we are done, but for now, you need to lie down and get some rest.” William nodded and obeyed. She started to hum and they fell asleep, quickly.

She couldn’t help smiling at the group as she watched them sleep, glad they were peaceful for the time being. However, she kept looking down the tunnel, repeatedly thinking she heard a rumbling sound growing ever closer to them. She didn’t know what it meant, but it gave her a sense of foreboding which she couldn’t shake, no matter how she tried. She knew she wouldn’t get much sleep, that night, as she waited for the sound to reach them.

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