Gate Ways

Gate Ways

Game On – part 4 -

“We need to make the pass by nightfall,” Lorale’s mother called back to the cage, where Lorale was silently staring Jane down. Jane narrowed her eyes and remained silent. Was this girl seriously trying to intimidate her?

“It’s almost nightfall and we might not make it to the pass,” Lorale smirked at Jane. “If we don’t all our warriors will be in here with you tonight, and some of them are not too gentlemanly.”

“Well, now that is a surprise,” Jane said in a sarcastic, yet polite manner. “I suppose that I shall be doing the world a favor, then, by creating more women, for it.”

“Are you threatening our men?” Lorale gasped.

“Why would I do such a dreadful thing, such as that? I was simply stating a simple observation concerning the sad state of things and suggesting a perfectly sound solution, that I would be more than happy to assist with.” Jane politely smiled. “What world wouldn’t be a better place, without a group of rapid dogs, that walk on two legs?”

“You are nothing, but a simple little human born with a star seed gene, so, who are you to threaten your superiors. You and all these pathetic little races are beneath fairy kind. Once we take power you will be taught your place.” Lorale hissed, showing her dark side.

“Yet, you fantasize about, keeping Justin as your nighttime pet. Seems a little off, that someone of your, self, proclaimed stature, would so desperately want a mere human, as a consort.” Jane smirked, keeping her tone calm and refined. “Let us not discuss, how the mighty fairy realm, is at the mercy of mere human, with the star seed gene. If I have heard correctly your kind can’t take the seat power without me, a mere pathetic, human girl.”

“You are a snide little snit, aren’t you?” Lorale looked her over in disgust.

“Perhaps,” Jane gave a small fake laugh, “But, I seem to be the most sought-after female in the realm, what does that say for you and all your feminine wiles. Poor thing, your sexual allures have fallen short, in comparison to the allure I seem to possess. That must infuriate you, all that sexual animosity is quite unattractive, just some friendly advice, woman to woman.” Jane sweetly stated, clicking her tongue in disappointment.

“I have had more men fall to my sensuality than you could ever hope for….” Lorale began.

“And that is a good thing, by what standards, an easy roll in the sheets, do you honestly think that is what a man truly wants?” Jane interrupted. “I’ll let you in on a little secret because we’re such good friends. Men are natural hunters; they relish a challenge. If they don’t have to work for it, they don’t want it, past that instant moment of physical gratification. It’s the things they have to work for that they hold permanent value towards, and when they finally achieve that grand hunt’s bounty, they are forever in thralled with it, until something that poses a greater challenge comes in, and then one might have to worry about, becoming a challenge once again. But, for something that comes so easily, as your favors, isn’t all that appealing to them, except for in the heat of the moment.” Jane taunted.

“You think you are so special, yet Justin had no problem throwing you away for the highest bidder, he has never done that sort of thing to me,” Lorale stated gleaming a little magical insight off of Jane’s thoughts.

“Do you ever think that he did it because I make him think about a future and that scares him, so he reacted poorly? Yet he has never put you and a future into the same category. That doesn’t say a whole lot for you, does it? Since you have been very generous with yourself when it came to him, and I never even gave him the time of day,” Jane arched a brow and leaned forward to rest her elbows on her upraised knees. “Now let us evaluate, who exactly does that speak more highly of? Hmm, come on you're a smart girl. When he thinks about me it’s all about the future, but when he thinks about you; it is only for a fleeting moment of carnal activity. Think about it, I’m just telling you this; to save your heart from painful revelations.” Jane never thought that she would use the polite cruelty that noble girls in high society often used when competing with another female for the attentions of a handsome young lord, but it just seemed right to do so, at this moment. Not, that she wanted anything to do with her fake half-brother or anything, but this girl got on her last nerve, and she was tired of playing nice.

Lorale, looked like she was about to strike her but held herself back. Instead, she scowled, waved her hand, and vanished, reappearing on the seat next to her mother, where she folded her arms and pouted over the whole conversation. Jane leaned back against the bars of the cage and couldn’t help, but smile over this small victory, as she began trying to figure out how she was going to escape this situation, that Justin had put her in.

Dominic

(“We found fairies positioned at ice glacier pass.”) One of Dominic’s scouts telepathically communicated as the small group of wolves silently jogged through the white powder that, dusted the forest floor. Their massive paws covered more ground than they would have been able to cover in their human forms.

(“Sit tight and wait for them to signal, to their clan, that is all clear. Then we strike and take the star seed, by ambushing the fairies.”) Dominic mentally instructed shifting into a low silent jog, that indicated to the rest to slow down and be patient. His main reasoning was to get the girl safely out of harm's way, first and foremost. With the sun setting and the moon, not coming out this night, it would be easy to extract the girl, but keeping her warm in ‘Ice Glacier Pass’ after dark; was going to be the real trick. She was a human, despite her unique status, and didn’t have naturally heated blood flowing through her veins. Blood, that would keep her warm while going through the pass. It was a concern that he would have to deal with when the time came. For now, he needed to focus on getting her out of the fairies' control and safely out of harm's way, he owed that to Justin.

(“Dominic, they sent the signal, and everyone is waiting for your orders!) His second in command telepathically broke through the shielded thoughts that ran through Dominic’s mind. He was the only one in the entire pack you had learned how to shield his thoughts from the others, so they couldn’t penetrate them. They only heard what he wanted them to hear and that was it. So, they could never figure out what was going through his head half the time. It is also what has kept him in the role of their Alpha. He could best any challenger easy enough by hearing their thoughts and acting before they even knew what move they were going to make, but they couldn’t predict his moves at all.

(“Move in, but be subtle about it, we don’t want them to get the chance to send a warning to the approaching party. Subdue them or kill them silently and make sure they are hidden and cannot be seen. We’re on our way.”) Dominic instructed and then let out a howl that told the members of the pack, traveling with him; that it was time to run.

Without any further hesitation, they shot off through the snow-dusted trees of the mountain forest in the direction of the pass. They weren’t normal wolves so they closed the distance with exceptional speed, agility, and flawless maneuvering until they came to the ridge that looked down at the only domesticated path that could be traveled through this area. After strategically placing his pack members throughout the area, all that was left was to wait for the right time to perform the ambush. Fairies weren’t a joking matter on the battlefield. Most of the time they tried not to kill, but there were worse things than death; especially when it came from the mischievous minds of magical pranksters. Silence fell over the area and in his mind. Everyone was focused on the task, and he found the sudden silence deafening. The roaring of his heart, from the excitement of the hunt, echoed in his ears and his wolf, could hardly stand the wait.

Jane

Jane felt the sudden shiver of fear, run down her spine, causing her to shift onto her knees and look, out the bars at the snow-covered scenery. Her eyes scanned the trees, as the sense of being hunted washed over her. She wasn’t so worried about the fairy warriors that road next to the cage anymore. The area was far too silent even, for this time of winter, where were the animals that should be racing away from the sound of the rattling cart moving along the cobblestone road? Even the wind seemed to be silent as they approached the ice-covered bluffs of what she assumed was the pass her kidnappers were discussing earlier.

“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you.” Jane absently warned them as her gaze scanned the bluffs. Having come from a country that had been riddled in a war up until recently. To her the pass screamed potential ambush and it had a predatory feel about it.

“Nonsense, you silly girl, our people have already signaled that it was safe to enter.” Marigold waved the warning off.

“Suit yourself,” Jane stated and looked around for a potential weapon, should she need to protect herself from yet another kidnapping. From what she had heard lately, she could be looking forward to several more attempts to take her in the future. When she couldn’t find anything, she began to chew on her bottom lip and tried to think of other ways that might help her at least gain some tiny measure of safety from whoever was going to be holding her captive, after taking her from the fairies.

“Relax, little rabbit, your safe enough.” Lorale taunted, trying to make Jane feel less than. It didn’t work though, Jane was almost sure that since the fairies paid little attention to her warning and were probably even ignoring their feelings on the danger, they would find themselves in, she wouldn’t be there, so-called guest anymore. Instead, she was fairly sure she would be at the mercy of whoever stalked that canyon. She wasn’t entirely sure that was a bad thing, nor was she convinced it was a good thing. She knew far too little about this realm and the beings that resided in it.

“At least permit me an extra shawl then, I have seemed to have caught a chill, and I am a mere human after all.” Jane politely stated, allowing them to think that she had excepted her place as a lesser being and therefore weak and fearful.

“Very well,” Lorale rolled her eyes and shoved a shawl through the bars at her. Jane cast her a small smile and picked it up draping it over her shoulders, until the girl turned away, and then she began to quietly tear it into strips, to tie them together with solid hunting knots that an old soldier had taught her during the war.

In the knot at the very end, she hid some, of the walnuts that she had palmed of the table of the tavern, where they had stopped to eat. All the fairy lore that she had read as a child told her that she shouldn’t accept food from them, so she had politely refused despite being rather hungry. When she palmed the wall-nuts, she was sure that if anyone saw her, they would assume that she was hungry, and the fact that walnut was hard to crack tickled them pink when they thought about watching her try. Mischievous creatures, they were, at least according to everything she had read about them as a child.

Making sure that the knots were secure and wouldn’t come undone, she coiled the thing with her arm and hid it beneath her cloak. Once again, she was wishing that she had at least gotten dressed in a winter gown before following Justin that night. It seemed like forever ago, now and she pushed it out of her thoughts and forced herself to think of a strategy for when the time came to escape captivity.

Justin

Justin was almost back to his normal self when he shot through the doors of one of his family's safe houses. It was a hunting lodge hidden in the woods, and he had been able to get to it rather quickly.

“Justin, where is our sister?” Little Lewis asked rushing up to him the moment he entered the place. He looked at the kid, unsure of what to say, and then pasted a smile on his face as he crouched down in front of him.

“She is visiting one of the noble families, don’t worry she is safe, and I am fixing to bring her back, okay.” He gently said laying his hand on the back of the kid's head to press his forehead to his, in a sign of affection. “Run along now, you know she won't be happy if she learns of you neglecting your studies.” He added standing back up and motioning for him to go back into the study with one of the females that had once tutored him in his youth.

“Awe, this, sucks.” Lewis groaned and slumped his shoulders in disappointment.

“I know, but it is something that we must still do.” Justin calmly stated and then nodded towards the room once again. The boy grumbled under his breath and reluctantly returned to his studies. Once the kid was sitting back down, he quickly headed into the weapons room and started gathering weapons.

“Where have you been?” His father asked, in a calm tone, which was more frightening to Justin than when the man was shouting at him.

“I went into the forest and Jane followed, when I found out about it, I insisted that we returned home and that is when we saw that our home was under attack, so I spirited her to safety at least I thought it would be safe. Turns out that fairies are just as power-hungry as the rest of this Gad Forsaken realm.” Justin growled.

“I told you not to go out, but you didn’t listen.” His father hissed, “Now look at the mess that you have caused.”

“You should have been honest with me about who she was, and then I wouldn’t have had to venture out to find the truth. Had you been honest, I would not have had to find out on my own.” Justin, challenged, he was in no mood to put up with his father’s contradictions.

“I kept it from you for your safety.” His father feebly defended.

“No, you kept it from me because you thought that I would use the knowledge to gain the power that she could have provided. You did not trust me to maintain honor and integrity. So don’t pull that righteous card with me.” Justin growled, the fact that he was hurt by his father’s lack of faith in him, shined in his eyes. “You are a hypocrite father, you always taught that honor and truth should be upheld in everything we say or do but look at you, wrapped in a web of deceit and dishonor. I could have helped you keep her safe, had you only been honest with me in the beginning.”

“You will not talk to me with such disrespect, I am your father and lord.” His father raised his voice, as tears pooled in his eyes.

“If I talk to you with disrespect, it is because I no longer respect you, My Lord!” Justin coldly stated and then turned to walk away, grabbing a bundle of silver-tipped titanium arrows, and a bundle of matching crossbow bolts. Then, he draped a bow across his chest and tied the small leather strap of a crossbow to his belt, before he armed himself with a sword and hunting knife.

“Justin….” His father called as he headed out the door. “Where are you going with silver-tipped weapons an enchanted sword?”

“To save my fake sister,” Justin growled and then headed out of the door of the room.

“Be careful son.” His father’s voice cracked causing him to hesitate only briefly before rapidly storming out of the lodge altogether. He swung up onto one of the horses, that his father’s men rode in on and ignored the fact that his father and Lewis had moved to the porch to watch him go. He spurred the horse into a full-out run and shot through the trees toward the park, where he would start his search for Jane.

Vesperan Tribe

Valick, sat on his horse in front of his army that was gathered to fight the fairies, but he held them in place as he watched the wolves set up their ambush, fowl creatures wolves, their sent was nauseating but such was the discomforts of war. His night-stalkers couldn’t venture into the sunlight and the sun hadn’t set completely yet, so here they were sitting in the shadows of a bluff halfway through the pass. They might be able to venture out, with the thick winter clouds hiding the sun and dimming its light, but there was a risk in that since the clouds could move in a split second.

Although he was willing to take that risk, the arrival of the wolves, saved him from having to. He smirked at the scene playing out in front of him. Why not let the wolves, retreat the star seed for them and then collect her after the sun had set?

“What should we do Valick?” Argo, his right-hand man asked reigning in his horse next to his. “The wolves aren’t an easy opponent, should we be forced to take action against them.”

“You fail to see the larger picture, my friend. They will exhaust their strength fighting the fairies and will be far easier to deal with immediately after they have claimed the girl. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. At this moment the dimwitted fairies, are our best friends. They won’t give her up easily and although our doggy nemesis, may have built up a slight immunity against their magic, Large doses will still affect them.” Valick calmly explained, keeping his gaze on the gilded cage.

“And should the fairies, find good fortune and win this battle?” Argo asked bringing up both sides of a possible outcome. He was good about that and that was why he was Valick’s best friend and blood brother.

“Unlike, the wolves, we are naturally immune to their fairy magic, what could they possibly do to stop us from taking the girl from them. I am far more concerned about the wolves, they are led by their young Alpha, and despite being a pathetic little dog, he is exceptional. It will be harder to kill him than it is to kill his pack members. I might even consider letting him be my pet when this is over. Having him guard my tomb during the day might not be such a bad idea when I sit on the seat of power.” Valick mused, shifting into a more relaxed position in the saddle of his night horse.

Argo quietly laughed at the joke, and Valick grinned, he wasn’t worried at all, to be honest. Even if he had to fight the young Alpha, the wolf was outnumbered and after this battle, his pack numbers will be far too few to take on, Valick’s entire army. He was more worried about having to take on an ugly bride, he had no idea how the star seed looked, he only knew her general description, but that didn’t mean that she was pretty. However, for the seat of power and the ability to raise his tribe to the top of the ruling chain, he would sacrifice having a beautiful bride. It was a big sacrifice sense, he would have to turn her and in doing so, he would be binding himself to her for eternity. Not only that, but once he did claim her as his eternal bride, he wouldn’t be able to participate in the simple pleasures with other females.

“Perhaps, I’ll let you marry her and become emperor of the realm.” He said out of the blue, giving Argo a somewhat serious look.

“What do you mean, you are our ruler, and our people will always follow you. It is not my place to rule.” Argo, flatly stated, returning the look.

“What if I don’t want an ugly bride, or what if I don’t want to give up my nightly pleasures?” Valick pointed out, the thought of making such a vast commitment to one lover was nearly unbearable to think about.

“Well, I wouldn’t think less of you if you decide not to pursue the acquiring of this star seed. Our kind isn’t meant to be in the spotlight. We are night stalkers and move through the shadows to hunt down our prey, but if you do not acquire the girl and take one for the realm, then the Ugora clan will, and they will devour this realm as well all the others connected to it. The hunger and lust for complete dominance will spur them into destroying every living being that is not one of them. Would you like to live under that sort of ruler for however long it takes, for a new star seed to enter our realm? If one ever will again, after they make sure their reign is supreme.” Argo evenly explained an indifferent expression on his face.

Valick’s nose wrinkled up at the thought and then he sniffled, running his finger under his nose as if handling an itch before he turned his gaze back to the cage, where the hunched-up figure sat hidden in robes.

“That would be a disaster, wouldn’t it?” He quietly admitted, he hated the idea of living under the Ugora, just as much as he hated the idea of being tied down to one person.

“I couldn’t say one way or the other, Sire.” Argo casually said shrugging to hide the fact that he purposely called his best friend; Sire to play to his ego in this matter. The man did like being the center of attention and an emperor would be the center of attention.

“Very well, I have decided, that we will proceed in procuring the Star Seed and claiming the seat of power, so that the Ugora tribe, will not harm our realm or have the power to harm other realms. I will make this sacrifice for the good of all living beings that reside in our realm,” Valick sat up straight and squared his shoulders proudly. “And those other realms too.”

“That is a brave and noble idea, Sire. The realm couldn’t be in better hands.” Argo boosted his friend's ego even further, as he turned his attention back to the fairy line growing closer to the entrance of the pass. “We will await your signal.” He added and then turned his night horse around to spread the plan throughout the troops.

“Maybe, she’s not all that ugly…...” Valick whispered to himself once he was alone, as he loosened the color of his shirt, feeling a little too warm for comfort. “I hope….” He gulped, there was no turning back or changing his mind now, he would lose face in front of his men and that would never due. No, he could do this, he had to. Even if the seat of power could be achieved by different means, there was no way the Ugora could be allowed to ascend the throne. There was no question about that. They were a vile and cruel tribe, to have a ruler like that would bring only despair and suffering to all the races. It couldn’t be allowed to happen, nor could they leave the protection of the realm in the hands of dogs, whose only instinct was to hunt and sniff each other’s butts. It was distasteful and disgusting, how in the world would creatures like that be able to intelligently protect the realm from extra-dimensional attacks that occasionally happen.

Justin

It didn’t take long for Justin to figure out what path, the fairies would have taken, the problem was that he didn’t know how long he had been out before Dominic had found him in the snow, which meant he was going to have to travel fast and continuously if he hoped to catch them before they entered the pass and into the Vesperan territory. Most likely they would be in on this power hunt too, and he wasn’t sure who would be the hardest to fight, the ‘Wolves’ or the ‘Vesperan night stalkers both were powerful and deadly.

His horse was on its last legs when he came to a tavern that was run by a variety of races, as a neutral zone to rest and replenish supplies when traveling. He slid off his horse and gave the stable handed some coins to see to its needs before he purchased another one from them. He hadn’t been stopped for long before he was once again racing off towards the pass. He was focused on getting to where he was going as fast as he could and failed to notice the thin wire stretched across the cobblestone road. When he hit it, it threw him backward off his horse and he hit the road hard, knocking the wind out of his lung. Coughing he gasped to reclaim it and rolled onto his stomach, then pushed himself up onto his knees, using one hand to cradle his ribs. He was pretty sure that the impact on the cobblestone had bruised them, but he couldn’t worry about that now.

“We got him, sister.” A young kid about seven years old squealed excitedly, as he rushed toward Justin, whose vision was full of stars.

“So, we have. Give us your money and your weapons, and we’ll let you go.” A female about his age suggested as she stepped out of the trees. He shook his head and his vision cleared as he stood up, still a little wobbly from the fall.

“I will gladly give you my money, but the weapons will stay where they are. I have more need of them than you.” He said in a raspy voice as he held his hand out to keep her at a distance.

“You are in no position to bargain, sir.” She laughed and boldly stepped toward him. He didn’t hesitate to draw a sword and press the tip against her throat, as he tossed what was left of his money on the ground at her feet.

“No, my lady you are in no position to bargain. There is your money, it's more than enough to give you a comfortable lifestyle, so you no longer have to resort to robbery, but you dare try to take my weapons, I will not hesitate to run you through where you stand. I will need them to find and save my sister and if you try to take them anyway, you will find yourself bleeding out in the winter snow before you even see my blade striking you.” He coldly stated, narrowing his eyes at her, daring her to try.

“You’re a nobleman?” She asked looking confused, about how a nobleman could so openly threaten the life of a common female, in front of her younger brother.

“I fail to see your point, my lady. Yes, I am a nobleman, but I believe, in, equality, and you are so openly willing to threaten my well-being, then it only seems fair, that I return the favor. Honor is Honor and it doesn’t matter to me, what your status is. If you are so bold as to behave like a common man, then I will treat you like one. Try to get in my way, I will cut you down. You have caused too much of a delay already so, make your choice. Attack or take the money and go, so I can return to my mission of saving my sister.” He growled, he wasn’t playing around, every female he has encountered lately has betrayed his trust and nearly killed him, he wasn’t feeling all that friendly toward the female persuasion at the moment. The only one that seemed to be authentic to her true nature, was his fake little sister, who continuously got on his nerves, but at least she was honest.

“We can help you.” The girl quietly said bending down to pick up the money pouch. He lowered his sword but did not put it away as she stepped forward and held the pouch out to him. “I apologize, we didn’t expect you to be an honorable man, so we were going to rob you so, we could escape the chaos.”

He still didn’t trust her, but he accepted the pouch all the same. He could understand wanting to escape all this and he didn’t blame them, which is why he gave the money up so willingly. He stood there staring at them with suspicious eyes for a moment before he decided he couldn’t delay any longer. If they proved to be unworthy of his temporary trust, he simply, kill them and continue on his way.

“Your sister, she is the star seed, isn’t she?” the female asked.

He didn’t answer her question, because he didn’t trust that she wouldn’t try to claim the power for herself. This realm had become something dark and corrupt since the knowledge of a star seed had spread through it like wildfire.

“We know a shortcut to the pass, that is where the fairies are taking her. The wolves are on their way there too, and that is Vesperan territory. It isn’t safe to enter that region at night.” The little boy blurted out as he joined his sister.

“We can help you, find your sister and free her. My brother is very good at picking locks and pockets. If you hope to free her, you will need his skills, they’re keeping her in an enchanted cage.” The girl quickly insisted, and Justin looked at the boy who smiled proudly at the acknowledgment of his skills.

“Nobody can pick the lock of an enchanted cage.” Justin quietly stated and sheathed his sword before turning on his heels and heading up the street where his horse had come to a stop.

“I can!” The boy called out, “A magical fairy lock can only be picked by a fairy, and I am a half-fairy, so I, have that ability.” The boy called out causing Justin to stop in his tracks. “My father was fond of humans, and it got him banned from the fairy realm. I can help you get her free and it would provide a little vengeance for my father who died as a result of them stripping his powers from him. Unfortunately for them, I was already in my mother's womb before his magic was ripped from him.”

“Fine, you may come and help me, but if I think you are going to betray me for even a second, you both will be joining your father as a result.” Justin grudgingly accepted their help. He didn’t know if they could be trusted, but he could use the help with the fairy magic if what the boy claimed was true. “And you, my lady what are your gifts?” He asked wanting to know exactly what he would have at his disposal.

“Just my charm and intellect, my lord. Unlike my little brother, I am simply human.” She answered.

“That’s just great,” He grumbled, most humans didn’t have his skills and he wasn’t sure what her skills were, he only hoped that she wouldn’t become more of a liability than a help. “We’ve wasted enough time lets go.” He added more loudly and started walking once again. His two companions had to jog to catch up to his long strides.