portal prophecies 01 - keepers destiny (20 page)

“The girl is someone to whom everything and nothing applies. She chooses her own path and then can create it. A strength which until now has never been seen. It is unclear how far she can stretch the reality the rest of us are bound to.”

Ashlyn reached for the handle and was shocked when it turned easily. She opened it slowly and turned back to the bird still standing behind her as if she wanted to ask a question.

“She isn't ready to see me yet. I am here if you need anything. She will need to talk to you about things she has seen...felt. She needs a friend she already knows.”

Ashlyn walked through closing the door behind her. The room she entered was still white without any furniture or anything, except sitting in the middle was Willow, wearing a similar white dress, which made her deep red curly hair stand out and her skin tone look darker than normal.

“Willow!”

The girl in the middle of the room looked up at her with relief written all over her face. “How did you find me?”

“Getting better at this I guess.” Ashlyn smiled. “Are you okay?”

“I saw them...the ones who destroyed our home...they were the same ones who hurt the guardian bird.” The colour quickly disappeared from Willow's face as she thought back to the images she had seen. “I saw their home world, where the others are being held. They have our people and guardians locked up in rooms. They hurt them, torture them. We have to save them.” Her mind wandered to the boy named Lance. She hadn't seen him there but she knew he was a part of that world.

“How? They have an army Willow. We aren't strong enough.”

“I don't know yet, but there has to be a way. We can't leave them and that will be where they took the survivors from the attack on or homeland as well.”

“Did you see them?” Ashlyn asked.

“No, what I saw happened before that. It was what the bird saw and felt. The torture that was inflicted on the poor thing. I thought I was going to die from the pain.”

“I think you almost did. Richard the doctor gave you a sedative so you would sleep. Aslo said that would help you.”

“Ohhhh.” A smile came over Willow's face. “Of course they can't enter my dreams. But, I can't stay asleep forever.”

“I know we are working on it.” Ashlyn thought about telling her friend about what was outside the door she had come through, but decided it was better to wait.

“Did you feel that?” Willow asked standing up to look around.

“Feel what?” Ashlyn began to answer when the room shook like they were in a mini earthquake. “Whoa!” She said putting her arms out to catch her balance.

The room shook again this time harder, then started to change. There was a fireplace and comfortable chairs with a tapestry type rug on the floor. The changes were coming closer and the white room was disappearing. Then appeared a boy. He had blue black hair with bangs that hung down over his piercing blue eyes and he dressed all in black. He smiled at Ashlyn and said, “Sorry private party,” while waving.

Ashlyn felt her body propelling backwards. The door opened, throwing her out before slamming behind her. She could hear Willow scream. Looking up she saw she was on the floor and the bird was looking over her.

“Are you okay? The girl?” it asked her.

“I don't know,” Ashlyn described what had happened during the visit.

“Lance...the boy you described, one of the princes in the world that we are fighting. This is dangerous. You need to open the door again and help her.”

“I can't, he knew I was there. He won't let me back in.” Salty tears cascaded down her pale face kissing her lips.

“Then let me in,” the bird yelled.

Ashlyn looked at it. “I can do that? How?”

“You can do more than you know child, you just haven't tried. This world belongs to you, with practice you can do anything.”

“So the boy, Lance...he is a dream walker too? That is how he made the room?”

“Yes, their whole family has the gift and they have had many years practice,” the bird said. “Just open the door and tell it you are allowing me to enter.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Everything was happening so quickly. One minute Willow was talking to her friend Ashlyn and now here she was standing in a lavish room face to face with the boy from the forest. His piercing blue eyes were staring straight into hers, as if seeing her soul.

“Hello,” he said with a smile. “I was wondering if we would ever meet again. Tell me how did you escape the necrid fire?”

“How...how did you get into my dream? What happened to my friend?” Willow barked.

“How?” he laughed. “You called me here. Actually, seems a little unfair you know my name and I don't know yours.”

Willow realized earlier she had thought of him for a brief moment. “Lance...your name. I was thinking of the forest and what happened. That was enough to call you here?”

“Yes, but how exactly do you know my name?” Lance moved to the back of a chair and rested against it waiting for a reply.

“I heard someone call you in the forest when I was running away,” she said.

“So, back to the beginning, You know my name, but what is yours?” he said.

“Why did you do it? Why did you destroy my home?” Willow asked ignoring the prince's question.

“That is a long story. Why don't you tell me how you escaped?” he asked getting a bit aggravated.

That seemed to be an ongoing theme for her with boys, she aggravated them. Willow's mind turned to a similar conversation she had with Mike. She decided after remembering the duct tape that she needed to come up with an answer for the prince.

“I...don't know,” she answered with a sigh. “I know I was in an accident and a doctor sedated me so I could rest. If you had let my friend stay longer she might have told me more.” She wasn't really lying about that, so even if he had the ability to sense an untruth he wouldn't question what she had just said. She wasn't about to give him more information than she needed to. He may be cute but she wasn't stupid.

“So, where are you?” he asked.

“I...don't know.” Again she wasn't lying, she never asked where exactly she was. Thinking back she realized how odd that was, and she also didn't know where her body was either maybe a medical facility of some sort, maybe a room or maybe lying in a field.

“You don't know anything?” he mused.

“My friend...she was trying to see if I was okay. That's why she was here to contact me.” This all not only sounded true, it was all true.

“That sucks.” He moved around and sat in a chair by the fire.

“Your turn,” Willow said moving closer. “Why did you do it?”

“I told you it's a long story.”

“I have nowhere to go,” she answered.

“Okay, well a long time ago there were six ancient races, the serpents, the spiders, the sea creatures, the cats, the birds and a dog type animal. They monitored the world and called themselves guardians. The guardians had...powers, abilities stronger than any other creature alive. They watched over things but their policy was not to get involved in the world, to let other beings live out their lives without influence.”

“Three of races felt things weren't being handled correctly. They split off and decided that to keep things the way they wanted. They confined all worlds, separate from each other, especially locking in serpents, spiders and sea creatures in different places...to ensure their way would not be challenged. They kidnapped people from the stronger realms thinking that would stop any uprisings.”

“The serpents, were the original sleep walkers and contacted different leaders among men, to find one who could help them stop the oppression which was being forced on us all. They chose my father. Together they began working on a way to make the walls between worlds disappear. At first just a small hole was all that could be managed. Knowing how much time it was going to take to complete the task, the serpent leader Apopp sent through a chalice of his venom for the King and Queen, my parents, to drink. It granted them and their family line new abilities and extended life. Now we can create an opening for long enough to enter and search worlds for the rogue guardians and make sure they have nowhere to hide. Our goal is to eradicate them, break down the walls that were put up and ultimately protect all beings from them.”

Willow couldn't believe what she was hearing. “You actually believe that?” she shrieked without thinking. She could see anger building in his eyes that she was questioning him, but she couldn't stop. “It doesn't make any sense.”

“Really,” he answered. “What doesn't make sense?”

“You say your goal is to save people from oppression and destruction. Yet you enter worlds uninvited, kill or imprison the people, force them to join your army and do what you want, then you destroy everything in their homeland.”

“It's the only way to find them, to imprison the ancients that are still hiding, to ensure they don't stand in our way or destroy any other families.” He yelled loud enough to make her stumble backwards.

She caught her balance. “How many families are you destroying doing this? How many in my world did you kill or take away? How do you even know these serpents are telling you the truth? How do you know what you are doing is right? What gives you the right to decide?”

“We are putting right an injustice that was done to us and all other creatures...We were the victims, imprisoned in a small world to ensure we could not progress further and challenge for power.”

“You're the victims?” Willow yelled. “You kill parents and children and take away free will from others for what? To ensure your world advances in power? To help a bunch of snakes take over all existence? Just because you feel you were wronged doesn't give you the right to wrong others or take life away from anyone or anything.”

“My father was there. He saw what they did, lives were lost. My Aunt Diana was taken by them as their prisoner. If it were you, wouldn't you want your family back? My father longs for the day he will see his beloved sister again.”

Willow snorted. “Yeah, it is me. I want my family back. I guess I need a hero world to go get them back for me and kill my oppressors. Oh, sorry that would be you.”

“You don't understand.” Lance said his hands forming fists.

Willow interrupted. “Yes I do. You are doing exactly what you say was done to you, except to other worlds and then justifying your actions by saying you are stopping it from happening again.” She was angry now and clear thought wasn't an option. “And when I get out of here I am going to find my friends and family and set them free. I will spend my lifetime making sure you and your sick family never hurt anyone ever again.”

“You stupid girl,” he said grabbing her arm hard. “Do you think you can challenge an empire? What is to stop me from killing you right now? Do you know what happens when you die in your sleep? You die in real life too. Our minds can't distinguish between that sort of trauma.”

She broke free from his grasp and slapped him, but he was more amused than hurt by it. His eyes were laughing at her. Still through all this there was something about the boy that excited her. He was dangerous and made her feel free, alive.

The room shook and both of them stumbled backwards. The scenery was changing again, within moments they were standing on a field surrounded by forests. Looking up, there was what looked like a large bird circling over them.

“That's...impossible,” Lance said.

“What is it?” Willow asked. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. Its wing span alone must have been three or four times the size of the largest man she knew. It was gliding majestically above them circling as if searching for prey, yet she didn't feel afraid, but she could tell Lance was. The young prince took a few steps backwards and the bird landed between the two of them.

“I recognize that scar. How did you get here...your mind was broken.”

“It has been healed,” the bird answered. “And I was let in by someone who cares for this girl. Now it is time for you to go.” The bird opened its wings and flapped them creating a wind that blew the boy back through the doorway he had entered through. The door slammed behind him and he was gone.

“Are you alright?” the bird asked.

Willow was still unsure. “Yes,” she answered, “but who are you...are you the guardian I helped?”

“Yes, my name is Shelby. I owe you a great debt. It is an honour to meet the one the prophecies spoke of.”

“You know of the prophecies?” Willow asked.

“Yes, sight is an ability of all avian guardians which we can extend to the person we are joined with. For the clairvoyant it enhances their powers. That is how many prophecies came to be, which meant at least one of us was present and experienced predictions as they happened. There was also one visionary named Iris, she shared her predictions, what she saw, with my keeper. They were the ones who decided to record the book, '
The Portal Prophecies
'.”

“So you could tell us what some of them mean?”

“No,” Shelby seemed to laugh. “The interpretation of the words of a prophecy are important. They can mean one thing to you and apply, but they can mean another to someone else and also apply. While you are the one spoken of in some prophecies, they do not all have a message for you. It is important you understand that. There are others who must contribute to your goals as well. You are not alone nor are you meant to be alone.”

“What about what happened to you? Will there be a time when I can safely wake up? Is there something I can do to help you?” Willow asked.

“You have already done all that you can, I am healing, it won't be long now. You are a brave girl with a real talent for bending rules. Thank you for saving me. Now we must rest. Think of no one my friend, just sleep.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Ashlyn sat up instantly as if she had never been asleep or sedated. She had no idea how long she had been in the dream world. Time there was much different from real life. Minutes there could be hours awake and vice versa. Looking around she could see it wasn't morning yet and to her surprise Mike was asleep on an extra bed. She figured it had to be some macho protection thing he came up with, to keep the sleeping beauties safe. The thought made her chuckle a little. Then she looked over at her friend and wondered what was happening. Had the bird been able to help or was Willow trapped with that boy?