**** Chapter Thirty Eight: SECRET PORTAL

****

Chapter Thirty Eight: SECRET PORTAL

I looked at him as if I didn't recognize him. I saw his lips move but I heard nothing.

He didn't insist on my comprehension. He looked away and tugged at my hand,

dragging me along behind him. I followed like a zombie – the countless corridors, the dim passages and airless stairways – then there was that room.

Someone opened the door and I went in. I didn't know what else to do. I stood there in the middle of the space, not really beholding anything. It was as if I couldn't see; couldn't think; couldn't breathe. I turned around and saw that the door was still open.

There was Arela standing there telling someone to unlock the room opposite mine.

Demon was there – in my doorway – and he was looking at me.

My mouth went dry. Murderer! I looked away. Savage! I closed my eyes and bit my lip. When I looked back at him, he wasn’t there and the door to my room was closed. I was alone at last.

I took a deep breath and realized I was thirsty. I looked around for a pitcher of water or anything to drink and found that there was some food left on one of the tables. And there was a pitcher of cold water there. I marched to it, drank some and splashed some on my face. When that didn’t calm the nerves, I doused myself with the remaining water. The ice cold liquid as it trickled down my throbbing head and neck and shoulders and seeped into the crevices of my bodice, I felt a surge of perception return to me.

And it brought pain.

My heart started to pound. I knew Demon was a fire demon but I had never seen him kill anyone before. The image of Nivis burning to death in excruciating pain kept rolling in my mind like a bad song stuck in a broken record player.

And Demon – he hadn’t even flinched. Not even for a second!

I slapped the empty pitcher back on the tabletop and walked away. Didn't even look at the food. I sprawled on the bed and listened to my thumping heart for what seemed like hours. One thing was very clear to me now – Demon could take care of himself. It wasn’t him under any threat. In fact, he had said something of the sort to me that same morning while he was yelling at me – he was usually yelling at me. Why was he always yelling at me?

Focus please!

I sighed heavily and realized that Arela’s claim of leaving poor Demon alone held no ground. He could single handedly destroy them now if he wanted to. There was no reason for him to wait till he was human and powerless. Then, why didn't he? I also remembered something Demon had said; something about a stone. Bloodstone – was it? Neither Arela nor Aoibheann had mentioned it to me so that meant they hadn't told me the whole truth.

Something was off.

I got up and went out into the dark corridor. Next I was knocking on Demon’s door. Perhaps it was a bad idea but I couldn’t wait till morning to get all my facts straight. I knocked and as usual he didn’t answer. I nudged the door a little and it opened. I went in. The room was bigger than mine but had the same décor, more or less.

“Demon,” I called him softly, wondering if I had the right room. I noticed the bed with its tousled covers. Perhaps he was asleep. I jerked off the duvet. Nobody. Where could he be? I looked around but the room seemed vacant. I heard a sound at the door and a strangely familiar perfume spread in the air. On an instinct I hid behind a dark curtain draping an unlit corner of the room and peered from behind.

It was Aoibheann.

Still clad in her warrior clothes and the Key hanging loosely on her thigh, she held out a big knife with a large blade glinting sharply. She tiptoed across the room to stand over the bed. She raised her knife and was about to strike when Demon’s voice surprised both her and me. He was standing in the bedroom doorway.

“My, my,” he said to her very slowly, “now why would you do that, love?”

“Arela’s gone mad. I don’t trust her anymore.” Her eyes gleamed like a cat’s. “She’ll come up with a way to appease you and keep the Scepter all to herself. Well, I don’t care for the Scepter. I just want you dead!”

“Well, I don’t care for the Scepter either,” he said stepping forward, “I just want – you.”

“Trying to charm an enchantress, are you?” Her eyes sparkled.

“Is it working?” He smiled. He came closer to her and she lowered her dagger.

“We’re not lovers anymore Antinoos,” she said.

“I’m not looking for love.” He pulled her close.

“Your Syhlain is breathtaking.” She said it with a hint of bitterness.

“As are you,” he replied and kissed her neck. “Turo ven khuban, Aoibheann – em firash un itin!”

Behind that stifling curtain with my breath held as if I needed air no longer, I was trying not to blow up. I closed my eyes hoping to escape the agony of sight but the sound of his passionate kisses – or hers – was louder than thunder.

“Oh, Antinoos,” I heard Aoibheann say and my eyes popped open. I saw her melting in his arms as he picked her up and gently laid her on the bed.

That’s it! My heart screamed. Leave! Now!

I bent down on all fours and slipped out of the room. As soon as I was out, I ran to mine and almost banged the door shut once I was inside.

“I hate him! I hate him!” Tears stung my eyes. “I so hate him! Bastard!” Scumbag!

Jerk! A thousand foul words bubbled to my lips and spilled out as tears.

I plopped on the bed but recent images swam in front of my eyes. I rushed out on to the terrace and leaned over the railing as far I could. The cool night breeze soothed my aching body but it couldn’t mend my torn soul.

I came back in and stood by the terrace glass door, wondering where I could go to freeze myself and be rid of all the ridiculous fancy dreams I had conjured up. Why couldn’t I be sensible? I had a quest of my own and I kept falling off track like a lovesick boy crazy slut!

He doesn’t love you, Aoife! Wake the hell up! How many more times will he have to make that clear!

I looked at my reflection in the balcony glass door – all frilly and pretty – why am I in this?

I tugged at my hair and pulled out the pearl necklace. Hateful trinket! This was the thing that started it all! I threw it away across the room floor and watched it disappear in some dark corner. My tangles spilled over my naked shoulders all the way down to my waist. I was about to undo the corset strings and wiggle myself free out of that fashion monstrosity when Demon burst into the room.

I shrieked, “Can’t you knock?”

“Oh, please honey, don't undress on my account,” he said quickly, “we’re leaving.”

“Your account?” I ground my teeth. “Get out of my room!” I wanted to smash his face in!

He didn't reply but kneeled and knocked on the floor of the room at various spots with his knuckles, as if looking for something.

“I’m talking to you! Do you even hear me? You can’t just barge in like –”

“Come on.” He grabbed my hand and lead me to a spot in the room near a far off wall. He bent over and knocked it too.

“What are you doing?” My frustration reached new highs.

He didn’t reply but took out Nivis’s dagger, which he had kept after killing him, and stabbed the floor. The blade of the dagger cut through the stone like butter and went in to the hilt. Demon cut open the tile like a gaping wound and made a crack big enough for one person to squeeze through it.

A trap door!

“How’d you know?” I asked him.

“There’s one in my room.” He looked up at me. “These rooms were in Nivis’s care and wizards love to make portals. I figured there might be one in yours too. We have to leave. Now.”

“Where are we going?”

“Away from here.”

It was then that I saw a long, thin bronze stick hanging from his neck under his unbuttoned shirt. Yes the unbuttoned shirt! God knows what colorful bliss he’d just – and he got the Key too?

“My God, you’ve killed Aoibheann!” I said. “That’s the only way she’d part with it!”

“Uhm – no – there are other ways. Don’t ask.” “Ra em khai,” I said, sounding anything but breezy.

He looked at me, a bit surprised.

“What?” I snapped. “If you’re done digging up the entire Realm maybe we can leave?”

He shook his head as if to say whatever and then jumped inside the hole he’d dug.

“Come on now, we haven’t got all night!” he called from inside the tunnel.

I hesitated for a second, frowned and then followed.

****