Portal Combat (32 page)

Authors: Bryan Cohen

Tags: #Kids, #Teen, #Fantasy and Magic, #Fiction & Literature, #Fiction - YA, #Fantasy, #Fiction

BOOK: Portal Combat

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"Let's get outta here."

Jennifer helped Erica limp back to the van, as Dhiraj and Redican assisted Travis and Sheriff Norris into the other side. Before the door closed, Erica looked back at the senator lying on the ground. The emotional ache made her physical agony even worse. When Erica tried putting weight on her leg, she felt like she might pass out from the pain. She slumped alongside the other two gunshot victims in the back and slammed the door of the van closed. Dhiraj put the van in reverse and hit the gas before Vott and his agents could fire a single retaliation shot. Erica looked through the side of the van as if she could still see the spot where the portal hung above the ground.

"I failed. Adam's alive and Ted's gone."

Jennifer put her arm around her friend. "We can get him back, right?"

Erica had tears in her eyes. "I'm not sure." Jennifer squeezed her friend tight as they sped away from the rally.

Sheriff Norris called in two favors and found an abandoned warehouse and an old buddy who was willing to help. Kelly, a former Army medic with a massive beard and kind eyes, stopped the bleeding and disinfected the wounds. Redican said that when his powers were recharged, he'd get them into a proper hospital with disguises. Erica made sure she was the last person to be treated. She wanted the bullet to stay inside her for as long as possible as a sort of punishment. She'd lost the living soul and one of her best friends, and she had no idea where they could be. The portal could have led anywhere. They might be dead already.

The gang moved locations multiple times over the next few days to avoid detection. They eventually made it out of the city to a safe haven: Kelly's family farm a couple of hours west of the city. It was peaceful and green out there. Jennifer had said it was the kind of fresh smell you never get in the suburbs. It reminded Erica of her village during her first lifetime. It was exactly the kind of place they needed to be to figure out what to do next.

Erica sat on an old wooden bench alone with her thoughts. Sheriff Norris was still in bed recovering. He, Kelly and Redican were talking about livestock or something else farm-related in the house. Dhiraj finally convinced Jennifer to leave her father's side and go on a walk to see some of the 30 acres that surrounded them. Travis came up beside Erica.

"Seat taken?"

She gestured to the empty spot and he took it. They both looked out into a field with corn as far as the eye could see.

Travis let out a deep breath. "You've been quiet."

She nodded. "Never got to thank you for taking a bullet for me."

"All in a day's work." He rubbed at his eyes. "Do you think Natalie's alive?"

Erica wished she knew the answer to that one. "I don't know."

Travis leaned forward. "If she is, do you have any idea how we can get her back?"

Erica let her back press up against the old wood and the bench creaked beneath her. "There's only one way I've thought up so far."

Travis turned toward her. "What's that?"

Erica pictured Ted. She thought of wrapping her arms around him and pressing her lips against his. The one way she might be able to save him involved her never having the chance to do those things ever again.

"I might be able to find them if I go back to the Realm of Souls." She paused. "And the only way for me to do that… is to die."

Epilogue

Razellia watched her youngest daughter play from the corner of their yard. It could hardly be called theirs, as everything was technically owned by their leaders, but it felt better for Razellia to claim some kind of ownership. Her daughter Vella had an unparalleled imagination. She was running around pretending to be a warrior who could slip between worlds with ease. Razellia thought about the rumors of the gatekeeper who'd been turned to their side. She didn't know what to believe. For all she knew, the war had been over for years and their leaders kept the truth a secret to continue oppressing them. It was amazing how many people were willing to live on scraps in order to serve a greater cause, even if they had no idea what the cause truly was.

Vella ran to one corner of a makeshift fence and stood upon it. When her daughter looked out into the barren fields, Razellia knew she saw grand mountains and massive oceans. She was able to imagine away the dust and the withered crops. Razellia wondered how her daughter contorted the ever-present smell of death into something more magical. Perhaps she conjured up the aroma of the sweet treats her father was able to obtain once every few moons.

How long has it been since she's seen you, Torrin? Would she even recognize you anymore?

Razellia's thoughts were interrupted by a sound resembling thunder high in the air. A flash of blue caught her eye. Vella shrieked with joy, as if her imagination had somehow manifested itself in reality.

"It's a gatekeeper! It's a gatekeeper!"

Sure enough, a blue marvel hung in the middle of the sky for all to see. It stuck out amid the gray dust clouds.

Vella ran up to her mother's leg and pulled at her dress. "Do you see it, Mom?"

Razellia nodded. "Yes, honey. Can you run inside and find your father's old scope?" She anticipated her daughter's protest. "We can get a closer look."

Vella let her mouth hang open in a smile before she dashed inside. Razellia wasn't quite as convinced the spectacle was worth smiling about. She strained her eyes to see more, but there was no chance without the scope. Several other members of her village had spotted the commotion as well. She even spied a child on the thin roof of his house trying to get a better look. Razellia's thoughts lay more with hopes the roof would hold than the blue phenomenon when her daughter handed her the scope.

"Can I look, Mommy?"

Razellia smiled and took the scope. "Let me look first, darling girl, and make sure it's safe for kids to look at."

Razellia let her eyes focus through the scope. As clear as day, the blue speck in the distance was a shining portal high in the air.

Why there? Why now?

Razellia absent-mindedly handed the scope to her daughter and propped the girl up on her shoulders.

"Wow!" Vella started laughing with glee. "It's so beautiful."

Until something comes out of there.

"Look, Mommy. A boy just came through."

Vella handed her mother the scope. Razellia looked back through the glass to see a boy with dark hair and a long, narrow face outside the portal. Surprisingly, he didn't plummet when he exited through the gateway. He sort of hovered there. Razellia noticed something on his side that dripped into the wind. Crimson blood was coming down his side.

Razellia gently lowered her daughter back to the ground.

Vella shook with excitement. "Mommy, can I look again?"

Razellia's eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry, dear, but there are some things only grown-ups can see. I promise I'll tell you all about it when you're done playing."

"But I'm done playing now!"

Vella's eyes were so cute and blue, it was tough to say no to anything she asked. But Razellia had plenty of practice saying no.

"You head inside and wash up, then."

Vella hung her head and walked into the house. Razellia knew she'd go right up to her room and look up from her window, but at least her daughter wouldn't have the detail of the scope. When she heard a gasp from one of her neighbors, Razellia looked back skyward. Through the scope, she saw that another figure had come out of the portal, this one with some kind of rope attached to her. Razellia knew right away that the girl was trying to rescue the boy.

Razellia saw the sand blow the girl back. The rescuer had a determined look on her face and willed herself through the air. With great effort, she finally put her arms around the boy and tried to pull them back toward the portal.

Razellia felt her heart speed up when the gateway started to close. She tore her eyes away from the scope and looked at her neighbors. They were all farmers and shopkeepers. What could they do to help?

But we have to try.

She watched as the two floating children went completely vertical. The girl struggled to hold onto the boy in the middle of the sky. She looked back at the house and saw her daughter's mouth hanging wide open.

"Vella, you close that window right this instant!"

Her daughter hesitated but eventually complied. When Razellia looked back toward the portal, it had completely closed, ripping the rope and sending the boy and the girl dropping out of the sky. Razellia's heart sank.

"No!"

A cloud of dust whipped around their bodies as the boy and the girl vanished out of sight and into the badlands. Razellia was afraid for their lives, but she felt something she hadn't experienced in a long time: purpose.

Razellia gathered her neighbors in the middle of the road. "We need to help those kids."

One of them laughed at the suggestion. "Since when did you get so generous?"

It was a good question. Most people in town were focused only on themselves. Razellia was no different, but there was something about those two. And the portal.

A kinder neighbor walked across the dirt path and placed her hand on Razellia's shoulder. "Not even the General could survive a fall like that."

Razellia slapped her neighbor's hand away. "Fine. Then I'll go out alone."

Once Razellia left Vella at the neighbor's house, she packed some food and water and began the trek to the badlands. It would take until suppertime for her to get there and back, but she had to know who these kids were and how they'd summoned the portal. Could one of them have been the dark soul gatekeeper everyone was talking about?

Razellia walked past a few shops, one of which had propaganda painted on the side. It was one of many such pieces of art throughout their village. This one showed the General of the dark soul army as an innocent boy prince. His black hair was coiffed with a crown, which was adorned with emeralds to bring out his hazel eyes. Razellia figured his long, narrow face was painted in dozens of different ways in countless villages.

When she walked past the edge of town, Razellia stared out upon the dusty wasteland before her.

"In the name of the General, if you two survived, I'll find you."

The dust kicked up around her heels as she began the long trek south.

About the Author

Bryan Cohen is the author of the
Ted Saves the World
series and a collection of creative writing prompts books. Bryan is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2013, Bryan appeared on an episode of the nationally televised "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." He did just fine. Bryan lives with his wife, their cat Rocket, and their Netflix account in Chicago.

Acknowledgements & Legal Info

Thank you to everybody who made this book possible. My beta readers Julianne Clancy, Tim Matson, Barbara Pohland and Torsten Spooner made a difficult project much easier with their notes. James Olsen did a great cover, and Oomphotography did an amazing job with the key art. Thanks to Alisa Rosenthal for helping out and to Michael Silberblatt and Cordelia Dewdney for bringing the characters to life. Ashley Gainer went so far above and beyond this time. Craziness. My wife put up with a lot of late hours on this one, and I'm so happy she puts up with me.

I'd like to dedicate this book to Julie, Tim, and Ashley for helping me find the story and my confidence with this book.

Click here to see copyright info for
Portal Combat.

Thanks from Bryan

Thank you so much for reading my novel
Portal Combat
. Would you be willing to post a review of the book on Amazon? It would mean a lot to me.
Click here to post your review.

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Ted Finley will
return
… in book 4 of the
Ted Saves the World
series in March 2015.

Table of Contents

PART ONE