The Irispire Portal Read online

  Lara smiles at the sight of him. Captain Haloran maintains a visage of decorum as we step off the elven boat. Lara runs to him. He catches her in his arms, taken aback by the public display of affection.

  "I told you I'd come back," Lara says.

  Captain Haloran smiles, and hugs Lara tight, stroking the back of her head. When they break their embrace, he looks to me. He holds out his hand. I shake it.

  "Thank you, former Bearer," says Captain Haloran.

  "Ah, well. All in a day's work, am I right?" I say.

  "I do not understand your humor," he says back.

  Next to greet us are The High Councilor, Councilman Kareen, and Councilman Antenetsu.

  "Thank you all," says The High Councilor. Then he looks to Lara and Kyle. "I have never been more proud of you both."

  "We must make this quick," says Councilman Antenetsu. "There is much to be done."

  "What do you mean?" I ask. "We just got here."

  "While the masses may be celebrating a victory, the rest of us worry for the future," says Councilman Antenetsu. "The state of The Elven Nations and relations with The Nanthanoshi are—"

  "I'm pretty sure that can wait," I say.

  "Former Bearer, while I am thankful for what you have done for us, you have no business speaking on our affairs," says Councilman Antenetsu.

  Ah, screw it. He's right; it's none of my business. And I could care less right now.

  "You know what. Fine by me," I say. "Just tell me where Astraea is, and I will be on my way."

  "Who?" asks Councilman Kareen.

  "The Bearer, Astraea," I clarify.

  Lara's father looks at me, confused. "She goes not by that name," he says.

  "She refers to herself as Roxxanda Snow," says Councilman Antenetsu.

  Kyle's emerald eyes come to life. "What? Where is she?" he asks.

  "She is somewhere safe," says Lara's father. "She is not well and seems not to understand where she is or how she came to be here. It's something akin to madness, and she had to be restrained. But she is the Bearer, no doubt."

  "Father, can you please tell us what happened," pleads Lara.

  "You and I don't have much time, daughter," says The High Councilor. "We must go to The High Council Chambers at once. Now that threats have been neutralized, much has to be done in the wake of the Treaties being broken. Unfortunately, Nyyx, Levinson, and you, Kylanthansa, will not be able to join us."

  "At least tell us what happened," I say.

  "Father, they have done so much,” says Lara. “They deserve at least that."

  "Very well," says The High Councilor.

  Lara's father tells us everything, and since we got a first-hand look at what this Bearer is capable of, we are able to follow along. There is only one person alive today who has seen the Bearer in her full form. Thaddeus has. What she’s capable of, though it saved their city, also scares the living crap out of those that witnessed it. It did me. How could one person have the license to wield such power? Now I know why the Treaties were needed to dampen it.

  It was after The Bearer cleared Superior of all its enemies that they saw Astraea high in the sky. Her angelic army went back through The Field Eternal, and then he says they saw an explosion of pure white light. Then after the flash, they saw a lone figure plummet to the ground, and land hard in the middle of the battlefield.

  When they went to check on the body, they watched as broken bones healed and set themselves. They saw her neck and limbs crack back into place. Then she woke up. Wild and feral, she fought back some of their best erolith, until she was put into an arcane sleep.

  "High Councilor," I say. "May we see her? Levinson and Kylanthansa are the only links this woman has to her former self. It may help to calm her. Trust me. I've been through the changes she is going through. Astraea was far more equipped to handle them, but now without the aid of a celestial inside her, she could lose her mind."

  "Very well," he says. "I will have someone take you to her. Come, daughter."

  "Yes, Father."

  As father and daughter walk away, my eyes follow Lara. She falls back a step from her father and then turns her head back to look at me with her beautiful violet eyes. I mouth the words 'thank you' to her, and she returns it with a soft smile and a short bow, before facing forward and walking away.

  Fifty-Two

  Erolith guards lead us to a recovery room. We're looking into it via a two-way mirror. The walls of the room are pitch black. There is a chair, a table, a bed, and a toilet. Roxx sits on the bed with The Destroying Angel by her side. She looks lost, her blue eyes darting here and there, still trying to make sense of what's happening. She screams, and grabs handfuls of her raven black hair and starts pulling until the pain in her head subsides.

  I know this feeling. The magic in the sword is powerful, and for someone who has never been close to that kind of power, it drives the body bonkers. That's why most humans can't handle magic.

  Roxx walks to the mirror. She looks longingly at herself. She puts her hand on the glass and lets her hand fall, squeaking against the surface. There is nothing familiar behind those powder blue eyes. She is a stranger to me. The door hisses, and before it opens Roxx somersaults to the sword and holds it up pointing the tip of its blade at the door.

  When Kyle walks in, Roxx's eyes soften. She drops her sword and runs to him, crying. They embrace. They kiss. She strokes his head full of white hair, wondering if it's him. He assures her that it is him, though he looks different from what she remembers. They fill the room with saccharine phrases of lovers reunited.

  "I think we should give them some privacy," I say.

  "I think you're right, boy," says Tamon.

  "Come on, Lev, stop gawking," I say. Then I put a hand on Lev’s shoulder and lead him out of the room and into the corridor.

  Twenty minutes later, the door opens.

  "You can all come in," says Kyle.

  When Roxxanda sees Lev a smile graces her face. Lev runs to embrace her.

  "God I've been worried about you since you disappeared," Lev says.

  "Kyle's been filling me in on what happened. I'm still a little lost," says Roxx.

  "Maybe I can help with that," I say.

  I'm standing near the door to give Kyle, Lev, and Roxx a comfortable distance so as not to presume that I am already part of their circle.

  "I'm Roxxanda Snow," she says, walking towards me with her hand out for a handshake.

  I shake her hand. "I'm Nyyx Mara. This is my friend and mentor, Tamon."

  Tamon bows with his arms behind his back.

  "I know this is a little awkward," Roxx says. "But Kyle tells me you've gone through what I'm going through."

  "Yes, I have," I assure her. "I'm going to help you as much as I can. We all are. I know there are forces exerting control over you at the moment. But I will do everything I can to help you get control of them, and ease you into your new purpose."

  "My new...I am so confused," she says.

  "I know," I say.

  We spend the next couple of hours talking. She's a good listener. Whenever she has a question, she asks it. It helps that Lev is there. He's new to this world too, and he doesn't hesitate to inject an inside joke here and there to make her feel comfortable. The entire time, she's holding Kyle's hand. Once in a while, their heads would lean against each other, making her feel at ease.

  Tamon and I provide her with the more technical aspects of the job. She has trouble wrapping her head around the fact she's an immortal, or close to it, anyway. When I tell her I’m five hundred and twenty-three years old, she considers all the implications such a long lifespan could entail. I tell her of the loved ones I'd lost, and how I had to keep moving and changing identities every thirty to forty years and assure her that if she ever needed any help with the logistics of being the Bearer, I would be there for her.

  Lara walks into the room to joins us a couple of hours later.

  "Bearer, it's nice to see you in good spirit
s," Lara says.

  Roxx stands up. "Thank you. It's been a bit of an adjustment, but these people have made it easy."

  "I'm sorry to break this up,” says Lara, “but my father, The High Councilor, would like to have you as our guest for a few days."

  "All of us?" asks Lev.

  "Unfortunately not," says Lara. "The Bearer shall stay as humanity's representative. We will need her to take part in some discussions. Much planning has to be done, and we are looking to craft a new agreement between our races. The council has also extended an offer to you, Tamon, as a representative of the Rinmar clans. But until things concerning the now-defunct Omega Treaties are settled, and a new agreement reached between our peoples, you, Nyyx, and Kylanthansa must leave our borders."

  "If Kyle goes, then I go," says Roxx.

  "Bearer, you must understand,” Lara says. “Kylanthansa must be exiled. If he stays, it will be seen as an insult, not only to us but to the rest of the Elven Nation whose representatives we have invited."

  "I don't care," Roxx says. "I am the Bearer of The Destroying Angel and newly anointed defender of the human race. Those are my terms if you wish me to stay."

  Wow. It didn't take long for her to start throwing her weight around. I'm kinda jealous I didn't do that more. But to be fair, Roxx is a more powerful Bearer than I ever was. Tamon and I look at each other impressed.

  "I like her," Tamon says.

  Lara nods. "I am sure there will be some contention within The High Council, but we shall make the proper arrangements."

  "So when are we leaving?" asks Lev.

  Lara looks to Lev and me. "Nyyx Mara," she says. "We delivered your vehicle outside Silanthanos’ mountain valley. It shall be safe for you to operate without Ashyanthinasi's interference. Outside this room, two erolith are waiting to escort both of you out of our borders."

  "I would say it seems kinda rude to be kicking us out, after all that we've done," says Lev. "But I want to go home."

  I chuckle. "My sentiments exactly.”

  "Don't worry, lad," says Tamon. "I'll take care of the Bearer."

  "Then she's in good hands," I say to him.

  "I guess we better go," I say to Lev.

  "Nyyx, please accept my apologies," says Lara. "Nothing would please me more than to spend more time with you, but you are no longer the Bearer, and these affairs are—"

  "Say no more," I say. "No hard feelings. I understand. I'm glad I got the opportunity to get to know you better."

  "And I you," she says. "Perhaps once this is all over our peoples will once again be able to coexist happily."

  "I'd like that. Come on, Lev. Let's get out of here."

  Two hours later, Lev and I are flying over the Canadian wilderness. Lev is fast asleep and snoring in the backseat. I'm in the driver's seat looking out as the sun sets behind me. I open my window a crack to feel the early evening summer breeze. I punch in the coordinates for Minneapolis/St.Paul and am looking forward to getting the kind of sleep Lev is having right now.

  I am about to doze off when I feel the air stir. It's familiar and comforting. It's the manipulation and gathering of Field energies, but not from the living. It's coming from the other side. I smile, and Astraea appears in the passenger’s seat beside me.

  'Hey,' she says.

  She always appears to me in the image of Emily Johns, my first love. This time she appears to me as Emily in her late twenties. Her dirty blond hair is cut short, above her jaw — the mommy cut. We had our first child Alphonse when she was that age.

  "Hi," I say back. Then I look in the back seat to see if Lev heard, but he is fast asleep.

  "It's good to see you again," I say to her.

  'It's good to see you too.'

  "So, what happened?" I ask her.

  'I got called back,' she answers.

  "What does that mean? How come I can see you even though I'm not the Bearer anymore?"

  'I am no longer bound to Azrael,' she says. 'I appear to you through my power and of my own free will.'

  "But how? I thought that kind of stuff was difficult."

  'There are all kinds of anomalies now,' she says. 'Throughout the universe, Ashyanthinasi has, for lack of a better word, thinned.'

  "You're kidding me," I say.

  'Afraid not, my friend. The celestial plane is a little messed up right now. Crossing planes has never been easier.'

  "You know Tamon said something strange to me a ways back. He said unraveling the Omega Treaties is no small feat, and he feared there's something bigger at work. He dismissed it by saying he may be jumping at shadows but..."

  'I think we both know by now to trust his hunches,' she says.

  "Exactly,” I say. “Maybe that’s what this was. Maybe the whole point of what we went through was so someone or something could weaken The Field Eternal, and get through from the spiritual plane. Or maybe someone here wanted to make it easier to summon someone from over there and bring them over.”

  ‘Those are a lot of ‘maybes’,’ she says. 'So what do you want to do about it? You want me to do some digging in the spirit world?'

  What she says makes me laugh. She laughs with me — Emily's throaty laugh.

  "I guess that's not our jobs anymore, huh?" I say.

  'No, it’s not,' she says. 'After I wiped out Thaddeus' army, I was exorcised. I was sucked back to the celestial plane along with the spirits who possessed all of Thaddeus' followers. Ever since then, I've been lost, like I had no purpose, and I had no idea what to do.'

  "That's the way I've been feeling too," I say. "I guess this is what it feels like being retired. Lost and relieved at the same time. So what happened with Thaddeus? Did you banish Dracul?”

  ‘He wasn’t there,’ she answers.

  “What!”

  Lev stirs in the backseat, but quickly falls back into deep sleep.

  “What do you mean he wasn’t there?” I whisper.

  ‘He was gone by the time I got to Silanthanos,’ she says. ‘He must have known we’d won, and booked it as soon as he got wind of our victory at Laksona.’

  “Well this is unacceptable,” I say. My blood begins to boil. After nearly five hundred years of dancing with that clown, I finally think I can get some rest knowing he’d met his end, but I guess not. My mind starts running through all the places he could be hiding.

  ‘Nyyx…’ says Astraea.

  “Yeah.”

  ‘It’s not our jobs anymore,’ she says.‘With the new Bearer, the dwarves, and the Elven Nations, I’m sure Thaddeus can’t hide for very long. He’s public enemy number one now. They’ll find him, and they’ll give him what he deserves. The only thing you need to do now is rest.’

  I take a deep breath.

  “You’re right,” I say. "It’s just hard to let go, I guess. Plus, I'm kinda gonna miss having you as a sidekick."

  'Whoa, hold on. I was never your sidekick,'

  I start to laugh. "No, you weren't. You were my friend."

  'I'm gonna miss you, Nyyx,' she says.

  "I’ll miss you too. How long do you have?" I ask. "Can you stay with me until we get home?"

  She shakes her head. 'I gotta go. I've used up too much energy already.'

  She smiles at me the same way Emily used to. It was her parting gift, to give me one last look at the love of my life, and give me a chance to hang out with my friend one last time. Who knows how long she'll be gone. She's a celestial. Time means nothing to her. Twenty years could pass here on Earth, but it could be mere minutes to her on the other plane and vice versa.

  'Take care of yourself Nyyx,' she says. ‘And enjoy the rest of your new life. You deserve it.’

  Astraea smiles and gives me a wink. I know what's coming. She's going to disappear. So before she does, I try to catch one last glimpse of the form she's assumed. I take one last look at Emily. I admire her cute up-turned nose, her hazel eyes, and the Cupid’s bow curve of her lips before she goes from the clear, to the wispy, and then eventually fades.

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  Robinson Castillo is a Filipino Canadian author. His family immigrated to Canada when he was nine years old. It was in this wonderful new country that he watched the movie which made him fall in love with action and adventure: Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade. He has now written his first action-adventure, futuristic, urban fantasy novel titled The Irispire Portal. This is the first book of The Bearer Series. Robinson lives in Winnipeg Canada, the land of bitter winters, with his loving wife and two amazing kids.