Chapter 20 - Lorelei

Every time I traveled by portal, I was reminded of just how unpleasant it was. It flipped my stomach upside down while somehow twisting it into a pretzel and releasing butterflies into it. I grimaced as I seemed to spin and not spin at the same time. I squeezed my eyes shut, but that only made it worse. Bile rose in my throat, and I wondered what would happen if I threw up while traveling through a portal.

It turned out I didn’t need to find out. Though it had felt like a century, it was only a handful of seconds before I stumbled out of the portal on the other side. I staggered forward, groaning and collapsing to the ground on my forearms and knees. I tried to pull myself out of the queasiness, forcing myself to focus on the sensation of cool, damp grass and soft dirt beneath my palms and between my fingers. Sweat that hadn’t been there moments earlier prickled on my brow, and I groaned again.

I glanced around, taking in the familiar sights that I hadn’t seen in over a month. It felt strange being back here. My cottage, normally a place of solace and comfort, looked cold and sterile with no lights on. The garden I tended had overgrown and filled with weeds. The door hung off its hinges from when Orin and the others had broken in, a moment that felt like a century ago.

It was strange. I had expected a pang of longing or joy the first time I saw my cottage after all this was over. Instead, I felt something like regret. All I remembered was the years of isolation there. Looking back on what I had experienced over the last couple of months, my craving for solitude didn’t feel as strong as it once had. In fact, I realized that as much as I loved my cottage out here in the woods, it wasn’t what I wanted anymore.

That knowledge slammed into me, blowing me away with the force of an epiphany. But before I had time to digest it and what it might all mean, a foot nudged my ribs, dragging me back to the very real and prevalent threat before me.

“Get up,” Inara commanded. “Or I’m going to assume you’re intentionally dawdling, and you don’t want me thinking that, darling.”

I pushed myself up, clambering slowly to my feet. Orin and Inara looked perfectly at ease, neither of them looking the least bit green from their time in the portal. Inara examined her nails, brushing the hair from her face with disinterest before finally deigning to look at me again.

“Where is this place, exactly?” she asked, her eyes still glinting greedily.

I brushed the dirt from my knees, taking my time before answering. I still needed to find a way out of this, or no one was getting out alive. The problem was, I still hadn’t come up with any satisfactory idea that could give me a solution on how to get out of this mess. And time was running out. I couldn’t stall much longer. I didn’t regret running away, but I thought I would have more time to come up with something. Instead, Inara had forced me onto a speeding track I had no safe way of getting out of.

“It’s this way.” I jerked my head down a familiar trail. “Hope you brought your walking shoes.”

I turned, heading down the trail without looking to see if they were following. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Orin materialize at my side, ready to spring into action should I do anything he didn’t like. I ignored him, continuing to press forward. I deliberately dragged my feet, wanting to give myself enough time to think of some way to get me out of here.

Unfortunately, no matter how much I stalled, it wasn’t going to be long enough. We reached the clearing in what felt like no time. Any time I’d had to contemplate my options had vanished.

The clearing was more overgrown than I remembered, with over a decade of undergrowth creeping past the trees, blurring the once crisp outline of the area. The grass around the boulder had grown in tufts. Yet, the stone itself looked as though it was in perfect condition, untouched by the years of weathering.

I walked up to the boulder, running my hand along it. That crackling sensation of lurking magic rushed to my fingertips. How had I missed it all those years ago? As I ran my finger along the stone, I found sharp etchings carved into the surface, crisp and well-defined as if someone had made them earlier today.

“This is it,” I said.

Inara beamed. “Brilliant. Good girl. Now, you can’t do any magic with those on, now can you?” Inara flicked her wrist, and my handcuffs fell to the ground with a soft thunk. “I’m sure that feels better, doesn’t it?”

I didn’t answer, rubbing my wrists as I considered the symbols in front of me, trying to remember exactly what the spell book had said.

“I’m getting bored,” Inara said, her voice sharp. “If you don’t move faster, I’m going to assume you’re stalling, and I’m not in the mood to tolerate time wasters. Open The Trove before I lose my patience.”

I shot her a glare. “Threatening me isn’t going to do anything,” I said. “We both know that.”

Inara cackled. “I’m not threatening you, dear,” she said. “I’m threatening her .”

A wave of her hand, and another figure materialized. Holly stood there, her arms bound behind her back, a shift-suppressing collar locked around her throat. Her black hair whipped around wildly as her head moved from side to side, her arms wide as she got her bearings. Her gaze caught me.

“Lorelei?” she asked. “What’s going on?”

“Lorelei here is helping me with a problem.” Inara’s fingers rested possessively on Holly’s shoulder, pinning her in place. “And you’re here as her encouragement.”

Holly shook her head. “Don’t do whatever she wants,” she implored me. “It’s—”

Inara, bored, flicked her wrist, and Holly cut off abruptly. She opened and closed her mouth, but no sound came out. She shot Inara a glare. It bounced off the witch with no effect. A moment later, a dagger materialized in Inara’s hand, and the witch placed it against Holly’s throat above the metal choker.

“Now, get to work, or I’ll slit her throat,” Inara told me. “And then I’ll move on to the next. And the next. Have I made myself clear, dear?”

I glanced at Holly, my stomach twisting in guilt. I had grown to like these girls. I couldn’t let anything happen to them.

“I need a knife,” was all I said.

One appeared in Orin’s hand, and he held it out to me. I took it, imagining plunging it into his chest even as I knew it wouldn’t do me or Holly any good.

I stepped toward the stone. Taking a deep breath, I drew the knife across my forearm near the crook of my elbow.

I gave a sharp intake of breath at the sharp pain blooming along my arm. Gritting my teeth, I stuck out my arm, letting the blood drip splatter onto the rock face and the sigil carved there.

Something began to glitter, a shimmer appearing in the air like a mirage in a desert. I gaped, staring at the image as I felt magic surge around me, electrifying at a magnitude I’d never experienced before. I froze, letting the sensation wash over me, temporarily forgetting what I was doing or why I was here.

“Get on with it,” Inara snapped behind me, bringing my focus back to the problem at hand. “Or your friend will spill some blood of her own.”

The sharp intake of breath told me Inara had pressed her blade deeper into Holly’s throat. I tried to force myself to stay calm. I had to figure out a way to get out of this.

“You threatening her isn’t going to make the magic work any faster,” I fired back.

Inara blinked away surprise before her eyes narrowed. But I turned back to the boulder, ignoring her, and watched the ripple of air as I recited the words I remembered from the spell book.

It felt strange. I had never done anything remotely this complex, yet the words flew out of my mouth easily, as if I had known how to do it all along. I wasn’t sure if it was the blood magic at work or something else, but either way, it felt like I had done it for centuries.

The air ripped open, much like a portal, but cleaner and sharper, like it had been torn with a scalpel. The opening widened. I sucked in a breath as I caught a glimpse of what lay inside.

Piles of treasure, glittering in a light that came from no source, appeared on the opposite side of the portal. I saw swords and staffs, even stacks of gold and presumably enchanted jewelry. The whole room shimmered from its contents. I stared at it like an idiot, eyes wide. I had always wondered what The Trove looked like, but I couldn’t have imagined this.

“Excellent,” Inara said. “Now, you and Orin go inside.”

I frowned, turning to glance at Orin and then at Inara. “Aren’t you going in?” I asked her.

“Hmm, that doesn’t seem like the best idea to me,” she mused. “For all I know, you might have some trick up your sleeve. I know you know more about what’s in there than you let on. I think I’ll stay out here and get to know Holly a bit better.”

“Your threats aren’t exactly subtle, you know that, right?” I asked.

“Subtle threats rarely get the same effect,” Inara said. “Now, get a move on.”

Orin shoved me into the portal ahead of him. The world flip-flopped along with my stomach as I stepped over the threshold, but it didn’t feel as bad as before.

The air was the same temperature as my skin, that sweet spot where you could barely feel the air around you. I could feel the crackling thrum of magic emanating from the objects surrounding us.

“Any idea where it is?” Orin asked, reminding me I wasn’t alone.

“Nope,” I answered.

He frowned. “Then let’s get moving.” He shoved me in the back, forcing me to stagger forward the way he’d done countless times when I was in captivity.

Heart pounding, I tried to think of a way out of the solution. I couldn’t let Orin find the diadem. There had to be something in The Trove that I could use to stop him and Inara. I pulled up my mental catalog of everything I knew was in The Trove. My family had a rough, though not exhaustive list. The diadem, obviously. There was also a staff that could remove any curse. A cursed box that made anyone who touched it insane, and shoes that forced the wearer to dance until they died. There were swords and daggers, but nothing I could grab with any subtlety. I would have to outthink him.

The problem was, I needed to find a way to stop Orin that didn’t put me or the baby in danger. My mind raced but came up blank.

At one point, Orin shoved me too hard. I stumbled, losing my footing and falling to the floor, toppling over an ornate weapon display. My eyes snagged on a dagger inches from my fingers, out of Orin’s line of sight. Hope fluttered in my chest for the first time since we had stepped inside.

“Get up,” Orin snapped, nudging me in the ribs. I took my time, moving slowly and slipping the dagger into my waistband next to the other object I had taken from Mark’s house.

Maternity clothes, it turned out, were fantastic for concealing things.

We kept walking, Orin behind me, not letting me stop for even a second as we wandered through the space, looking for the mythical diadem.

Then I saw it. It rested on its own podium, the gold circlet encrusted in rubies. It lay there almost as if waiting for us. Each jewel looked like a drop of crimson blood. I could feel the power and magic crackling off it, so intense and potent that it drowned out everything else in the room.

Orin saw it at the same time I did. He gave a triumphant smirk as his eyes locked on the elegant gold and ruby diadem.

“Excellent,” he said. He reached out to take it, then stopped.

“What?” I asked innocently.

He turned, frowning as he studied the podium. He turned back to me, a knowing and smug look spreading across his face.

“You do it,” he ordered.

I hesitated, glancing at the podium and making a horrible realization. I could sense the crackling magic around the diadem and its stand, but some of it felt warped, corrupted. Almost sinister.

There was a curse around it. Whoever took the diadem off the podium would be inflicted. I didn’t know precisely what would happen, but I didn’t want to find out.

I stayed rooted to the spot, folding my arms as I glared up at him.

He scowled. “Take the diadem and hand it to me, or I’ll make sure you watch all your friends die,” he hissed.

I exhaled, jaw clenching as I knew he was telling the truth. Taking a deep breath, I reached out with one hand and grabbed the diadem.

My hand erupted in pain the instant my fingers wrapped around the diadem. I screamed in pain as I lifted it off its stand. I watched as blackness began to encrust my fingertips, creeping upward.

Even as I crouched in pain, Orin snatched the diadem, now safe to handle, from my hand. He grinned, marveling at it. I forced myself to my feet, my hand slipping to the dagger.

“Beautiful,” he whispered.

Before he knew what was happening, I lunged, the dagger arcing through the air. The knife plunged into his chest. His eyes went wide as he staggered backward. His fingers tightened on the diadem, but I knew before he hit the floor that he was gone.

I panted, staring at his body. What I had done began to hit home. I wanted to be horrified, to vomit, to feel a shred of remorse for this man who had helped keep me captive, but I couldn’t. Even if I’d wanted to, I didn’t have time.

Hand trembling, the black now to my wrist, I pulled the diadem from his fingers and ran. Panting, grimacing at the pain creeping up my arm, I staggered deeper into The Trove. I could stop the curse if I could find that curse-lifting staff. The problem was, while I knew it was here, that didn’t mean I knew exactly where it was, and this place was more expansive than I thought.

Maybe it was fate, or maybe I just got really, really lucky, or maybe I had some deeper connection to this place because of my family. Regardless, I rounded a corner and found it. A simple wooden staff resting against the wall.

The instant my black fingers closed around the staff, the pain vanished. I watched in wonder as the withered hand healed and became whole again.

I let myself marvel at the magic and savor how wonderful my hand felt with the curse lifted, but only for a moment. I didn’t have the luxury to linger here for long. I grabbed the staff, knowing I only had a few precious minutes. Inara would suspect something was wrong before too long. I needed to get Holly away from Inara before I did anything else. My mind spun as I tried to come up with a way to do so without Holly ending up on the ground with her throat slit.

I debated trying to trap Inara in The Trove and destroying the door forever but dismissed that idea. Even if I could trick her into The Trove, there were plenty of artifacts in here that could get her out if she learned how to use them.

Right now, all that mattered was getting Holly and me out of this situation. I could worry about Inara when we were both safe.

I could use the diadem; I wanted to. But the instant I stepped out of the portal with it on my head, Holly’s neck would be slit, so that wasn’t an option. I needed something more subtle.

My mind began to craft a plan. It might not work, but if it did, Holly and I might both get out alive.

A few minutes later, I staggered out of the portal where Inara and Holly still waited.

“Where’s Orin?” Inara demanded.

“He touched a cursed object,” I lied. “Nothing I could do.”

Inara tutted. “He always was a bit impulsive.”

She looked at the staff in my hand, the faintest frown crossing her features as she saw it. Before she could ask about it, I held up the diadem, pulling her attention away from it.

Her eyes glinted again with that avarice, and she broke into an almost psychotic smile. “Excellent,” she breathed. Shoving Holly to the side with so much force that she stumbled and toppled onto the grass, Inara stepped forward, stretching her hand out. “Hand it over.”

I glanced over at Holly, trying to silently communicate to her that she needed to run. I didn’t know if she understood my meaning or just had strong survival instincts, but she scrambled to her feet and hurried into the woods, far away from Inara’s grasp.

I held onto the diadem, white-knuckling it. Inara stopped, watching me.

“I told you to hand it over,” she hissed. “You’re going to listen to me.”

I tilted my head, my brow furrowed as if considering an offer.

“Nah,” I said. “You want it? Come get it.”

Without waiting for her to respond, I took the diadem and flung it back into the portal, where I heard it clatter to the floor. While Inara looked on, stunned, I turned around, pulled out the inscribed hammer I had taken from Mark’s house, and slammed it down on the boulder, directly on the sigil keeping the door open.

My ears rang out as the stone shattered, cracking right through engravings. The stone split, large chunks tumbling away. I turned just in time to watch the portal ripple and destabilize before vanishing entirely, leaving only a clearing with a shattered stone behind.

Turning back, I saw Inara, her mouth partly open as she stared at the empty air where, moments earlier, we could see a wealth of magical items. She stood rigid, staring at the spot in disbelief, as if her mind refused to accept what she was seeing. After a long moment when the only sound was that of the wind blowing through the trees, Inara’s head slowly turned toward me.

Her eyes flashed with a harpy’s rage, her face contorting in fury as she let out an ear-piercing shriek. She held out her hand, uttering an incantation. I crouched, squeezing my eyes shut as I sensed the magic careening toward me.

The magic dissipated a foot away from me.

I cracked one eye open and nearly burst into laughter at the outraged expression on Inara’s face as she tried to understand why her incantation didn’t work. She hurled another spell toward me, and I watched a mass of dark magic speed toward me, only to vanish in a puff of smoke before it slammed directly into me.

Inara stared, eyes wide in bewildered confusion, until I pulled an amulet out from underneath my shirt, an elaborate sapphire and emerald-encrusted piece with elegant symbols covering every surface.

“It’s really fun what I found in there,” I said, letting the piece fall against my chest. “This one prevents all magic from affecting me, even the things normal talismans don’t protect against.” I gave Inara a sly smirk as I tilted my head. “You really should have come in with me. I’m sure you would have loved it. I guess you won’t get to see it now, seeing as the way is closed forever.”

“You bitch,” Inara hissed. “I’m going to make you suffer for this.”

I shrugged. “Catch me first.”

I tried to keep the relaxed, at-ease facade on my face as Inara stalked forward, but that didn’t stop me from taking several steps back. Even if I was protected, I was no match for her when it came to magical talent. I couldn’t stop her. All I could do was avoid her, but she would catch up to me eventually.

I turned and sprinted for the woods, but I slammed into an invisible barrier. I turned, and there was another one. And others on each side. She had trapped me in an invisible two-by-two box.

“Caught you,” Inara smirked, holding out her hand. A fireball emerged in her hand. “Let’s see if that amulet keeps you fireproof, too.”