Healing Fire (16 page)

"I'm sorry. I can't remember much
since I woke up here." She tensed against the lie. Blossom glanced up at
her.

The detective let out a breath of
annoyance. "It seems they have gotten to you too. Doctor, is she cleared
to leave the hospital?"

"As far as I can tell there is
nothing wrong with her. I would like to examine these things." Dr.
McCutcheon picked up the evidence bag, studying the gleaming gems.

"You had best come with us down
to the station for questioning," Detective Gortez stated firmly. From the
hard line of his mouth, Summer knew that arguing the point would be useless,
but she needed to buy some time. She had to think of something to get away and
save Melor and his friends.

"I don't have any clothes,"
Summer protested.

"We'll get you something from
lost property." Dr. McCutcheon set down the healing gems.

Summer
darted forward and snatched the bag, taking a step back. She clutched the bag
firmly in her hand.

"Mrs. Rose, hand over the
evidence please," Detective Gortez ordered, stepping forward.

Summer lifted her chin, glaring
defiantly back. "I will, once I'm dressed. Now, if you gentlemen will
please leave for a moment until they can find me some clothes…"

Everyone, including the doctor, exited
the room.

Summer ran
forward and shut the door. "God, baby, what are we going to do? We need to
get away."

"Why don't we go to Kell?"
Blossom said.

"We can't just go to Kell. We
need Melor for that and one of those portal gem thingies."

Blossom suddenly grinned. From the
pocket of her jeans, she pulled a glowing blue gem, just like the one Melor had
shown her. "One like this?"

Summer gasped. "Where'd you get
that?"

"Jane slipped it into my hand
when she heard the police yelling. She said all we had to do was think about a
place in Kell and the portal would open."

"Can you do it? Melor has told
you more about Kell than he has me." Summer glanced about the room. There
wouldn't be time to get clothes. She ripped off the bed sheet and wrapped it
around her body.

Watching as Blossom's small fingers
closed around the gem and closed her eyes, Summer waited with her heart in her
throat, praying more than hoping it would work.

"Field
of green and purple sky, where the stag run freely by the long winding river standing
tall in the distance is the crystal palace," Blossom whispered.

A wind whipped around them, and before
their eyes a large bright blue swirling portal opened up by the wall.

"Oh my God, it worked!"
Summer stood as wide eyed as Blossom, who held out her hand to her. Summer
walked over to her daughter and gripped her hand, tightly pushing aside the
fear. She loved Melor and would do anything to save him.

"If we go to King Adalardo, he
will be able to rescue Melor and his friends," said Blossom.

"Alright, we'll go in together,
on the count of three."

Blossom nodded and Summer could feel
her small hands trembling.

With utter faith in her heart, along
with the love she carried for Melor, Summer started to count. "One, two,
three." They ran towards the portal and jumped.

~ * ~

Tall grass swayed around her legs,
tickling her feet. Summer drew in a breath of sweet fresh air unlike anything
she'd ever encountered. They stood in a long open field, and down the slope a
sparkling clear river snaked its way towards the coast shimmering in the far
distance.

"We're in Kell. Look, Mom, stag!"
Blossom tugged urgently at her hand.

Summer
turned to look at a herd of strange looking creatures. They had shapes like
horses, yet had large thick necks and huge heads, some with oddly shaped
antlers. They grazed lazily on the grass.

To her right in the distance, she saw
a township shadowed by a huge sparkling castle. The Crystal Palace.

Summer struggled to get her head
around the fact she now stood on a different planet. But she didn't have time
to muse and ponder the wonders of it; she needed to get help for Melor.

"C'mon, we'll head towards the
town."

Hand in hand they started walking
towards a well-worn path. Thankfully, in the grass there were no hard stones to
hurt her feet, and the feeling of being pain and limp-free made her bounce
along.

Blossom giggled. "You okay?"

"Yes, baby. I don't even limp
anymore. I bet I can even skip. Want to have a race to that tree?"

Blossom tore her hand from Summer's
and started running, Summer running after her, laughing and breathless. Blossom
reached the odd blue leafed tree first; its branches were a reflective silvery
color.

"Okay," huffed Summer as she
caught up, trying to catch her breath. "I can run and jump, but obviously
not as fast as you little koala. You win."

"Yay!" Blossom grinned and
gave a little twirl of victory.

"We'd better not waste any more
time, baby. Melor needs us."

"Okay, Mom. Oh, look, someone's
coming."

Out from the city gates several tall
figures on stag back were riding swiftly towards them. Summer bit back her
sudden panic, reminding herself no one would hurt them.

She held on to Blossom's hand and
walked towards the obviously welcoming party. As they drew closer, Summer tried
not to let her trepidation show.

Two large dark men pulled their stags
to a stop only a few feet from where she and Blossom stood.

All of them wore similar clothing to
what Melor had been wearing when she'd first hit him with her car. Strapped to
their thick waist she could see the swords.

One of the men smiled as his gaze ran
over her from head to toe. Summer gripped the sheet tighter around her body.
The first of the men began to speak a language she couldn't understand.

"Mom, Melor speaks English,"
Blossom said, mirroring Summer's confusion.

Summer shook her head. "Do you
speak English or human?"

The two men looked at each other.

"You human, female," one
said in broken English.

"Yes." She lifted her right
wrist to show the bracelet, hoping they would understand.

The
warrior suddenly looked crest fallen, eyeing the bracelet.

"I need to help Melor."

"Melor?"

The two men suddenly got into what
seemed a heated argument, gesturing towards her and Blossom.

"Name, female?"

"I am Summer." She pointed
towards herself. "This is Blossom." She pointed at her daughter. "Need
help, please."

"I, Briac," he introduced
then slapped the other warrior almost comically in the chest. "Lug head,
Sarid. Summer, Blossom human, we help. Come, you be safe."

The warrior stepped forward. He was
very handsome, tall and buff, but no one but Melor held any interest. He
offered his hand.

"Take us to the King?"
Summer asked hopefully.

"Aye, take you to King."

Summer took his offered hand in trust,
and the one called Sarid smiled down at Blossom.

"Ride stag?"

"Yes!" She excitedly bounced
forward and the big warrior laughed, scooping her up and placing her onto the
stag. Briac led Summer towards his mount, gingerly laying his hands on her
waist and lifted her up before mounting up behind her.

Sarid and Blossom had already turned
back towards the city, her "Yippie!" happy yells echoing across the
valley.

"Pretty daughter," Briac
rumbled behind her. "Pretty lady. Melor blessed by Goddess."

"Please hurry. Melor is in
trouble. He needs help," she urged.

Briac shouted something in his
language to the other man and pushed the stag into a gallop. Thankfully, his
arm around her weight kept her steady as they raced towards the city.

"No worry, we help."

Chapter
Thirteen

It was hard not to become distracted
by the beautiful gleaming colors of the crystals in the walls, around the
windows and even roofs of the houses they passed as they rode through the
village. The only place Summer didn't see a crystal was the ground, even when
they passed over a long, large stone bridge and onto the grounds of the Palace.
If not for all the shining crystals, it reminded her very much of a medieval
palace she'd seen drawn in old fantasy books.

Tall Kell men were everywhere; she
spotted some younger boys running about in the village, but saw no sign of any
women. Her heart felt for the people remembering what Melor had told her about
the attack and death of their women and many children.

They rode down a long corridor and
emerged into a large courtyard. The stags' hooves made a clip clop sound on the
cool grey stone under their feet.

Briac shouted and some men came
running to hold the bridle of his stag before he dismounted. He turned to help
her down off the creature.

Blossom came running up to her. "Oh,
Mom, that was so much fun. I want to go riding again!"

The warrior Sarid came up and gave
Blossom a low bow before rubbing the scruff of her head. He nodded to Briac,
turned and strode off across the courtyard while other men lead the stags away.

"Perhaps Melor will want to take
you next time, baby. Right now we have other things to think about remember?"

"I haven't forgotten. I miss him,
Mom."

Summer wrapped her arm around Blossom
in comfort. "I do too, baby. These are his friends; they'll help us get
him back."

A huge dark man swept into the
courtyard. From the rich purple and red color of his robes and jewel-covered
sash across his chest, Summer could only guess he was the King. By his side,
hanging on his arm, was a beautiful red headed, full figured woman. She wore a
beautiful green colored dress which appeared to be wrapped around her body.
From the bulge under her generous breasts, it was clear she was several months
pregnant.

Briac gave a bow to the couple and
spoke rapidly in his native tongue, before taking a step back.

"Is it true, you are the
Protected of Melor?"