Chapter 16

Stone had been back in Taelgonoth for a week now, and every day just got worse than the one before. Even after bringing the thieves to his king, justice had not been served. King Helix Kapion was not happy to know that not a single gemstone had been returned. The king was even angrier with Stone when he heard from King Sethor that a witch in Mura had the stones and she had been using them to do magic.

It seemed Sethor had seen Persimmon using the stones trying to open the portal. He told Helix every magical feat she'd accomplished and now Helix wanted the stones more than ever. Stone explained to him that only the Chosen One of the gods could use them. That was a mistake. Because now he wanted Persimmon, too. Especially when he discovered that she was the daughter of the sorceress, Luna.

Stone and Aithrod rode their horses along with the traveling party that consisted of Helix, Sethor, Rancor, Filip and about a dozen of Helix and Sethor's men. They were headed back to the cave where the portal had opened. Every day they took a trip here, waiting for it to open again. Sethor and Helix were good friends now, even though Stone and Aithrod divulged the information of how Sethor wanted to take over Taelgonoth. Of course, Sethor turned the story around, saying he would never do such a thing and Rancor and Filip backed him up. Helix wanted to get back to Mura, and Stone only prayed that if that portal opened again, Sethor's men wouldn't be there waiting on the other side to come through and seize Taelgonoth after all.

They dismounted and walked into the cave. Stone felt saddened knowing he was never going to see Persimmon again. She had said she'd come with him even though he told her not to. He suspected she would do it anyway, but thankfully it had been a week now and she hadn't showed up. That told him that she'd listened to him, after all. And while that made him happy because it secured her safety, it made him sad that they would never end up together. Not to mention, he missed his dog.

"Mayhap Persimmon will come through the portal today," Aithrod whispered.

"She's not coming." Stone's heart ached. "If she were, she'd be here by now."

"You miss her, don't you?"

"I miss her more than you can imagine. I miss Fang, too."

"I miss them as well," said Aithrod, speaking softly so the others couldn't hear them. "We're all alone here now. We really have no one but each other."

"I know that. And I am thinking that we made a huge mistake in coming back. Aithrod, we should have stayed on Mura where we were happy."

"Stone, what do you think Helix will do with us now? I don't understand why he hasn't put us in the dungeon or killed us already."

"He's probably planning on using us to try to lure Persimmon into opening the portal again somehow. If she does open it and comes through, I pray she doesn't bring the gemstones with her. Ever since I told our addled king only one with magic can use them, he has his mind set on getting them anyway. I just don't understand it."

"I want more than just the gemstones," said Helix, having overheard them. "I want the girl as well."

"Why? If she does come through the portal, I'm warning you not to touch her."

Helix laughed. "If she can truly see the past and future, then she will come here on her own."

"She might come to save me and Aithrod from your clutches, but I assure you she is powerful. She won't put up with the likes of you."

"On the contrary, I believe she will come and it won't be for you two. She'll be coming here to see me."

"Nay, she'd never," spat Stone.

Helix chuckled again. "And when she hears what I have to say, she'll help me instead of hurt me, I promise."

"There is nothing you could possibly say that would make Persimmon want to help you."

"You are wrong," said the king. "She is going to want to stay with me because I am going to tell her the truth. That I am her father."

They had just entered the cave when Stone noticed the shimmering colors swirling around and knew the portal was opening.

"I see it!" shouted Rancor. "Someone is opening the portal from the other side. It's finally happening again."

"Draw your weapons," commanded Sethor, unsheathing his blade.

"Don't hurt my daughter, but kill anyone else who steps through," ordered Helix. "I want the girl unharmed. She is going to be my new secret weapon."

"Persimmon is no one's weapon and she won't be treated that way," shouted Stone.

"You two stand back," commanded Helix. And don't cause me any problems."

"If they do, I'll kill them myself like I should have done the first time they came to see me, snarled Sethor. "I told you not to bring them, Helix. Mayhap we should tie them up. They are not to be trusted."

"Too late," said Helix. "Look, I see someone emerging through the portal now." An evil smile crossed his face, making Stone feel sick since he knew Persimmon was coming through.

To Stone's surprise, instead of Persimmon stepping through, The Blackseed brothers stumbled out of the portal with their weapons drawn.

"Kill them!" shouted Sethor. "They're no friends, I assure you."

A fight started between the brothers and Kings Sethor and Helix. The king had taken away Stone and Aithrod's weapons, so Stone used his bare hands to fight. He'd taken down two of the guards when he saw Persimmon step through the portal next to join them. She was holding out her hands, keeping the portal open.

"Fast, go through the portal," she told Stone and the Blackseeds. "I don't know how much longer I can hold it open."

"Persimmon, stay with me," called out Helix. "You are my daughter and this is where you belong."

"What?" She looked over at Helix and when she did, the portal started to shrink.

"If we're going through, it's now or never," shouted Darium. "The portal is starting to shrink."

"Stone, won't you and Aithrod come to live at Mura?" asked Persimmon, her hands still raised, holding the portal open. "Please. I want you to. We all do."

"You don't have to ask me twice." Aithrod bolted through the portal, disappearing with a snapping sound.

"The rest of you go. I'll hold them off," said Darium, his sword clashing with more of Helix's soldiers who had just entered the cave at hearing the sound of the fight.

"I see the bag of stones. She has them attached to her belt." Filip reached for them, but Sethor struck him down dead.

"The stones are mine," said the greedy Sethor. "And all deals with you are off, thief!"

"Nay, those gems are not yours. They belong to me and my daughter." Helix fought his way over to them. "Persimmon, stay here on Taelgonoth with me. You are the daughter of a king and you deserve everything I can give you. I will treat you like the princess that you truly are."

"Y—you're really my father?" asked Persimmon, getting distracted and seeming extremely shaken. When she lost her focus, the portal started closing more.

"We're going to be trapped here, now get going," Darium told his brothers.

Rhys and Zann jumped through the portal. When Rancor was about to go through, Stone grabbed him, took his sword and threw him to the side.

"Not you," he said. "Mura doesn't want your kind. It'll never be a dark place like Taelgonoth if I can help it."

"We're losing the portal," shouted Darium. "Move quickly."

"Go!" Stone told him. "I'll hold them off and come through with Persimmon."

"Are you sure?" Darium was reluctant to leave. "I left you once before and regretted it later."

"I can handle this. Go on, there is no time to lose," shouted Stone.

"Behind you," yelled Darium. Stone turned in time to see Rancor charging him with a knife in his hand. Stone took him down with his sword, killing the man instantly.

"All right. I'm going. Now follow me through. We'll wait on the other side with our weapons in case anyone else comes through with you." Darium backed up to the portal with his blade still drawn, and stepped back and through the portal leading to Mura.

"Give me the stones, or I'll kill you." Sethor grabbed Persimmon and put a blade to her throat. Her hands lowered and the portal became less vibrant.

"No, not again," mumbled Stone, seeing Sethor threaten Persimmon's life for the second time now. He was about to save her when something else happened.

"Those stones are mine!" Helix bolted forward, sinking his blade into Sethor's back. King Sethor fell to the ground with blood spurting out from his mouth and his eyes bulging. If Stone wasn't already certain that Helix's soul was too dark to be saved, he certainly was now. What kind of a man would stab another in the back without giving him a chance to defend himself? This man was greedier and even more evil than Mura's King Sethor. He knew that now.

"Persimmon, quickly. We need to go." With his blade still pointed outward, he grabbed her hand, meaning to go through, but she pulled away.

"Wait," she told him.

"Persimmon? What are you doing?"

"Stone, I came here not only to get you but to find my true father." Her gaze traveled back to the king.

"And now you have found me, daughter," said Helix, holding out his hand. "Come with me. Let us go back to my castle where you belong."

"Nay!" shouted Stone, fighting off another guard. "Don't do it. Persimmon, he is evil. He just wants you for your stones and powers."

"I'm confused," she said, looking at him with tears streaming down her face. "Stone, this might be my true father. If so, I'd like to get to know him."

"Nay, you don't want to know him. I assure you, he is evil. Walk away now while you still can."

"Come, Persimmon. I've been trying to get to you since that night your mother and I conceived you. There is so much I want to tell you."

"That's a lie, Persimmon," Stone warned her. "He didn't even know you were born until I foolishly mentioned it when I returned."

"Oh, Stone. I have lived my life without a true father. It has been a hole in my heart. Mayhap you should go without me."

"I won't do that," he said. "You are coming with me and not staying here. You're confused. I won't let you do it."

"You can't give her the life she deserves, but I can," said the king, walking forward, still holding out his hand. "Come, daughter. We have many years to make up for."

"F—Father?" asked Persimmon, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"That's right," the king answered with a smile.

"Did you love my mother, Luna?" she asked, surprising Stone that now is the time she chose to ask that.

The king stopped and blink. "Why would you ask that? What does it matter?"

"I need to know. Did you love her when you coupled with her?"

"Don't be silly," spat the king, laughing. "No man truly loves his wife. It's unheard of. Besides, I wasn't married to Luna. We were just having a little fun."

"Persimmon, please. I can't hold them off much longer and the portal is closing," cried Stone, still fighting off man after man.

"She's coming with me." The king grabbed her hand and pulled her to him.

"Naaaay!" cried Stone. "I love her. And even if I can't give her all that you can, I will still treat her like a princess with my love."

"That is nonsense and means nothing," yelled the king.

"Well, it means the world to me." Persimmon used her powers to throw the king across the room. And when a slew of his guards rushed forward with their blades drawn, she used her mind power to stop them, pushing them away as well.

"I love you, Stone, and I believe we can be very happy together." She took his hand in hers. "Let's go home."

They stepped through the portal together just as it closed. Since they'd barely made it, they were thrown to the ground with force as the portal snapped closed and disappeared behind them.

"We made it. We're back." Stone looked up smiling, but then he groaned. "Oh, no. I forgot about the damned gnomes."

Whooping and hollering, dozens of gnomes sped forward and rappelled down from the cave roof. Each of them had their weapon of choice, and they were all aimed directly at Stone.

"Get up, sweetheart. Hurry." He pulled Persimmon to her feet. "We've got to get out of this cave. We're being attacked by gnomes."

"Don't worry about that," she said with a smile. "Father. Fang? Can you help us out?"

"What?" asked Stone, turning to see the crazy elf sitting atop Stone's dog.

"I could use my powers to rid us of the gnomes, but I'm afraid I might hurt them," Persimmon told him. "I think this way is much better."

Elric bolted around the room atop the dog and the gnomes ran in fright. Elric shouted nonsense and Fang barked.

"Good to see you, Fang," said Stone, laughing.

"We've got everything handled," she said with a wink, reaching up to kiss him.

"Yes, I can see that. Everything is exactly how it should be." He kissed her back and took her hand, heading out of the cave. Damn, it felt good to be back on Mura.