Gate Ways

Part Two

Midnight intrigue

Jane leaned against the second-story studies window watching the activities going on in the courtyard. They had been here for a few days now and she resumed with Lewis’s studies, much to his displeasure, but she couldn’t get the mysterious aspects of the place out of her thoughts. When they had first arrived here, it looked like a medium-sized cabin in the middle of the woods, but she had since learned it was far larger than that.

“Why must I study.” Lewis blurted out, frustrated with a lesson he was having difficulty understanding. She glanced at him and gave him a small smile, before pushing away from the window to approach him.

“Because, little brother, if you are uneducated; then people will be able to fool you into doing something that they wish for you to do. If you want to join the business circles, you must first learn how to read and write, then how to understand how the business game is played. That is why you must do well in your studies.” She explained taking a seat across the short table from him.

“Haven’t you noticed, sister our father is rich.” Lewis blatantly pointed out, folding his arms across his chest.

“I have noticed that our father is a wealthy man, but you and I are not wealthy. We shunt forget that our mother was unwed and didn’t have two pennies to rub together. Our father turned out wealthy, but it isn’t us, who will inherit it upon his death. Now keep that in mind while you proceed with your studies. I won’t take an easy on you while I grade them. You need to learn so that you can create a life for your own family someday.” She gently stated, standing back up to return to her place by the window.

“Do you honestly think that our brother would leave us out in the cold, should something horrible happen to our father?” Lewis asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

“I don’t know,” She sighed. “I only know that if he does, should that time come. Then, we must be prepared for it. Seems the smarter choice would be to learn our lessons and apply them to our business ventures, that he wouldn’t have power over.”

“You’re a girl, you can’t start a business. Society wouldn’t allow it.” Lewis was just making jabs at her now, in an attempt to upset her.

“I most certainly can. Society has no control over me, I most certainly am not going to give them that sort of power over me.” She calmly countered.

“Do you think father will marry you off to a rich man then?" Lewis asked.

“I am finished, with this conversation Lewis. So, focus on your studies, instead of things that you shouldn’t be worrying about.” Jane firmly said, as her attention zeroed in on Justin, looking sketchy. (Hmm…. What is he up to?) She breathed straightening up her stance. Why did he seem so paranoid about being seen in the courtyard? She watched for a moment longer and her patience was rewarded, a man dressed in animal hide crept out from behind a tree and pulled Justin off to the side.

“So, he doesn’t want anyone to see him meeting with the man….” She whispered and readjusted her stance to get a better look. He seemed worried about something and looked around once again before he accepted a small piece of paper from the guy. She narrowed her eyes when she noticed Justin slip the folded-up piece of paper into his sleeve and then give the man a shilling for delivering whatever it was. Suddenly they both looked up at her and she quickly pulled the curtain shut, only peeking out a tiny bit, to witness the stranger run up the wall and go over it before Justin spun on his heels and disappeared under the balcony that stretched along most of the back wall.

“Why did you shut the curtains,” Lewis complained, startling her and causing her to spin around to face him with her hands clasped behind her back.

“It was getting cold,” She quickly answered and then recomposed herself, “You shouldn’t be worried about it anyway, I don’t believe you have mastered your lesson, quite yet and you should be focusing on that.”

“I am bored.” He winced.

“You can venture outside once your assignment is complete.” She folded her arm and squared her shoulder. “Unless it’s dark by then. In that matter, you’ll only be venturing to the kitchen for the evening meal and then to the bathing room, for bath, before you are sent to bed for the night.” She smirked. He groaned and started working on his assignment again.

He hadn’t been able to go outside and play since they had gotten here, and she felt bad for that, but it couldn’t be helped until she was able to determine the safety of the area. She didn’t want him finding a way around the wall and getting lost in the thick woods that surrounded the estate. With that thought, her mind drifted to another thought. She hadn’t seen the woods since they had arrived and now, she was curious as to why? On several occasions, she had ventured down to the lobby where they had first entered, but there was no door leading in or out, so she had become confused. The place was far too, large on the inside and her mind was having trouble accepting that it wasn’t normal.

“You know, why don’t you go ahead and take a break.” She sweetly offered, moving to mess up Lewis’s hair. The excitement on his face warmed her heart, but it didn’t help her nerves.

“Really?” He asked.

“Yes, but only for an hour or two, then I expect you back here to continue with your studies.” She firmly told him. He leaped up from his old wooden chair and bolted out the door without another word. She exhaled, watching him disappear out the door. “I do hope he stays out of trouble.” She clicked her tongue, before heading for the door herself.

She was just about to exit when Justin’s hand circled her neck and pushed her back into the room. He didn’t look happy, and she was a little frightened but refused to show him that. His hands remained firmly in place as she walked backward until she was pressed against the very window she had been looking out.

“Why are you spying on me?” He quietly growled, his face mere inches from hers.

“I wasn’t, I was simply enjoying the view.” She stammered and he tightened his hold on her throat slightly, still, it wasn’t enough to truly hurt her, but it did increase her fear of what he was capable of.

“Don’t lie to me. I saw you.” He hissed leaning closer to her face, and she turned it to the side as far as she could.

“What are you up to, Justin?” She boldly asked in little more than a whisper before daring to look him in the eyes. He was a lot larger than she was, but she pushed that detail out of her thoughts. “Some underhanded business dealings, perhaps. What are you so afraid of? Come on big strong guy like you can’t possibly be afraid of a small female like me, so go ahead and tell me. It's not like; father would listen to a word uttered from my lips anyways.” She taunted.

He remained silent for a moment and then abruptly let go of her causing her to instinctively cover her throat with her hand.

“It's not your concern, just stay out of my affairs.” He growled and stormed out of the room leaving her to recover from the encounter.

“Not a chance.” She quietly stated, and straightened her gown, before gracefully exiting the study. There was no way she was going to sit around and wait to see what he was up to, especially if it could potentially affect her and her little brother’s living arrangements. As she stepped out of the door, she quickly looked in both directions to determine which way her half-brother had gone and caught a glimpse of him turning the corner in haste. He was going somewhere or was trying to hide something. Knowing that if he had the chance to hide what he didn’t want to be found out, she would never get to the bottom of it. So, instead of going to find Lewis, she cautiously followed Justin. It took a few minutes, but she finally managed to catch up to him.

Sticking at a distance, she pressed her back against the wall peeking around the corner at where he had come to a stop.

“I told you to keep her busy.” He quietly hissed, pinning her maid in waiting to the wall. “She is getting too nosey and I can’t have her catching on to what I am doing until I want her to.”

“But, my lord, she was with the young master Lewis, helping him with his studies, surely she hasn’t managed to cause mischief in the short time that I have been away.” The girl purred. “Why don’t you let me help you relax.” the girl pouted, as she reached up to massage his shoulders. He looked at her hands as if turned off by the idea.

“There is nothing you have to offer, that I desire. Just do your job, or I shall find someone else who can.” He coldly threatened and then pushed away from her to continue storming down the long-isolated hallway.

“You’ll change your mind.” The maid smirked and lazily pushed away from the wall to head in the opposite direction. Gasping slightly, Jane pressed even tighter against the wall as the girl fluttered on by where she was hiding. Once she turned the next corner, Jane crept around the corner and proceeded to follow Justin, hoping that he hadn’t gotten too far ahead of her.

“Drat.” She quietly cursed, when she had lost all sign of him. “Hopefully, he hasn’t the mind to hide the answers I seek.” She sighed and turned on her heels to head back toward the study. Lewis should be returning to the room soon, to continue his schooling and it would probably be best if she was already there. She would have to try to follow Her older half-brother later in the day, perhaps after the evening meal. One way or another she’d find out what he was up to and act accordingly.

Justin

“Your midnight activities, come to a stop now.” Justin’s father demanded the moment he entered the council room. Justin sighed and closed the door behind him, it wouldn’t do anyone any good for the staff to hear them bickering.

“What activities are you referring to, father?” Justin calmly asked, standing up straight and clasping his hands behind his back.

“Don’t play stupid with me son, I am very aware of your dalliance at the local ‘Wolves Den’, and you will no longer visit there. We cannot have the others thinking our favor lies with them. It wouldn’t do no good for hold.” His father scolded, slamming his hands down on the meeting table, before taking a seat and massaging his temples.

“Father, I must inform you that my visits to the tavern in question, are not for a random dalliance. I currently gathering information on an important matter, and they seem to possess some knowledge that I need.” Justin carefully explained, keeping calm and collected was far harder than it should be at this moment.

“Pray, tell, what important matter, holds such credence; that you would need to frequent that establishment so often?” His father asked, narrowing his eyes in that intense penetrating gaze he used on the noble houses of court.

“I am looking into the true identity of our current guess, father. I am concerned that they are not who they claim to be.” Justin admitted, trying to get his father to see his point of view on the matter.

“Oh…” his father tiredly sighed and shook his head, “Son, you have to let that go. I know exactly who they are, and it would service none to continue with this fruitless endeavor.”

“I don’t think that you do know father, forgive me for speaking so bluntly. However, should they be who they claim, then why was it the other side of the gate that they came to us from. Our kind can’t survive in that realm, since it has smothered its magic, for lack of belief and selfishness. No, father, I cannot accept that they claim truthfully, for that instant alone.” Justin respectfully spoke his mind but gave no sign that he would end his pursuit of the truth.

“You, dare question your lord and father?” His father roared standing back up a dark angry expression on his face.

“For the security of our, kind, our home, the keep and those who live within our walls, yes father I will boldly question you and methods of procuring these guests. I will not end my investigations until the truth is known.” Justin challenged holding eye contact with his father.

“You will End it Now!” His father commanded, turning red in the face at his challenge.

“I will not!” Justin raised his voice, standing his ground.

“Then I will be forced to remove your, right to rule upon my death.” His father threatened.

“So be it.” Justin calmly stated and turned to leave the room but was stopped by the guards barring his path.

“Take him to his chambers and post a guard around the clock, while he thinks about his decisions and how he is going to apologize, for his actions.” His father commanded and sat back down in his chair, to await the council's arrival.

“You can’t be serious.” Justin protested, the thought of it.

“I am quite serious.” His father darkly stated, “Take him away. I business to see too.”

With that, the guards took his weapons and drug him off toward his chambers. Justin remained silent as they locked him in his room. His father has yet to learn that merely locking him in his room would not stop him. He would simply exit the window like he had done many times before. He would wait though. The meeting with the Wolf Shaman wasn’t until midnight, so he had time to plan his escape.

Jane

Jane stood at her chamber window wishing that she could go outside and breathe the fresh air. Her maid had long since left her to rest, but sleep was an elusive butterfly on this dark moonless night. The candles flickered throughout her room, only lighting up a few places of importance. Lewis was fast asleep, and she had heard that Justin was confined to his quarters do, to disobedience. She supposed that was a good thing considering everything he was trying to get away with. Whatever it was, she still hadn’t figured out anything on that topic and it didn’t appear that she would be able to, at this current time. Still, she felt kind of bad for him, it must suck being confined like a prisoner in your own home. Then again, isn’t that exactly what was happening with her and Lewis?

She was about to try and go to bed when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Someone was running through the shadows, of the courtyard below. Her jaw dropped when she realized that it was Justin who had just escaped the balcony that connected to his room.

“I can’t believe this. I even felt bad for him.” She gasped to herself and hurried to her wardrobe to pull out a long dark hooded cloak and then quickly slipped her feet into her winter boots. “Well, if he is making a move tonight, so am I.” She hissed and opened her window to step out on her balcony.

Swinging her cloak on over her shoulders, she looked over the railing and searched for a way down but saw none. Cussing she used the outside of her robe to dust off the new-fallen snow and carefully climbed up onto the railing, deciding that she was going to have to make a jump for it. That was the only way if she had any hope of tailing him. Gulping, she looked around one more time just to be sure that there wasn’t another way down and spotted a cart, of loose straw just off to the side of her position. Of course, that meant she would have to venture out on the custom-made ridges and hope she didn’t fall to her death before she was directly above it.

The outside of the house was icy as she found handholds and carefully stretched her foot out to position her toes on the head of a gargoyle statue. She gasped when her foot slid off from it, but she managed to hold on and try again. This time she was able to get a secure footing and shifted her weight onto her outstretched foot. By the time she reached the section she was aiming for, her fingertips were numb, and she slipped more often than not. Taking a deep breath, she launched herself off from the side of the house and into the wagon of straw. She landed on her back with an “oomph,” the loose straw flew up around her. Spitting some of it out of her mouth she clumsily climbed out of the wagon.

She quickly followed the faint path that Justin's footprints had left. Where was he going at this hour? Did she even want to know? Those questions raced through her thoughts as she suddenly slid to a stop and ducked behind a thick snow-covered bush when she caught up to him. She had barely managed to hide before he saw her. He was being very cautious and had stopped long enough to scan the area to make sure that he wasn’t being followed. She held her breath hoping that she had been fast enough, to hide before he had seen her. It was a close call, to say the least. Silently exhaling she peeked around the bush in time to see him slip out the wall; through an opening that was hidden by vines and decorative bushes. Waiting for a moment longer, she listened for the soft crunching of his feet in the snow before continuing to follow him. She carefully stepped in the larger tracks that his feet had left behind, which kept her footsteps silent. Sure, that he had gotten far enough ahead, she pulled her hood up and down low on her face before, she silently, slid out the same way.

The moment she slid out of the wall, she felt a wave of distortion wash over her and had to stop for a moment. Thinking that it was because she had not had much sleep lately, she waited for it to pass and then began to follow the tracks once again.

“Watch it, lady!” Someone shouted at her as a horse fulling a carriage reared up at her sudden movements. Gasping she stumbled back and looked at the odd-looking man driving. He was bald and had extremely large ears. His skin was wrinkled and looked like it had some green tint to it. He couldn’t have been much taller than Lewis, but he was a grown man.

“Sorry.” She quickly apologized, unaware of her wide-eyed expression as she stared at him.

“What are you looking at girl. You act like you never saw a Goblin before.” He scowled at her, furrowing his brow. “Ah never mind, you absent-minded creatures. Human’s…...” He growled snapping the rains to get the horses moving again. “Stay out of the road.” He yelled at her, as he went past. “Humans…... Little more than animals….” he was grumbling, as he drove further down the cobblestone road.

“Goblins…...” She breathed in disbelief, there were no such things as Goblins. Let alone one that drove a wagon over a cobblestone road. “Wait a road, where did that come from?” She questioned as her gaze shifted to the well-traveled road in front of her. How had she missed that? What else had she missed while being focused on Justin’s tracks?

She figured she should look around before continuing on her current path. She could make out Justin’s tracks just on the other side of the road, and the Grove of trees was in the distance. She saw the tiny figure of her half-brother heading for those trees. Looking both ways, she saw that the Goblin-looking fellow was heading towards, a small housing development. She saw small houses, that she would have to duck into, should she ever visit one. Then in the opposite direction, there was a vast central city, laid out in the style of the ruins of the dark ages, that she had visited when she was a child.

Eyes wide she stepped out onto the now empty road and looked at the city, that laid out before her. Was she dreaming? This couldn’t be real. There was no possible way she could be seeing this right now. She was in America, and nothing like this existed in America. Hell, she had only seen ruins of this sort of place in Europe but never had any of them been in such functioning condition. She blinked her eyes rapidly and shook her head. This had to be one of Justin’s tricks, he probably slipped her something in hopes of keeping her from following him. She just needed to focus on his tracks, and it wouldn’t matter what her eyes saw in the surrounding areas. She could beat him at his own game and that is exactly what she intended to do.

Backing up a few steps she turned toward his tracks once again and shot off in that direction. They were getting harder to follow now since the falling snow was beginning to cover them up. Once this mushroom or whatever he had slipped her faded then she would confront him about it, but until then she needed to find out what he didn’t want her to know. Focusing on the task at hand she quickened her pace only to slow down as she neared the trees, Justin had gone into the trees according to his tracks, but she didn’t know how far, and she would have to use caution when entering them.

Justin

Justin felt like he was being followed, but every time he looked around there was no sign of anyone. So, he began to believe that it was the shaman he was meeting, that followed him to make sure that he wasn’t followed by anyone else. Holding onto that thought he stopped in a small clearing and patiently waited for the guy to reveal himself. This was the moment that would bring the truth to the light, and he wasn’t all that sure that it was a truth he would want to know. Resting his hand on the hilt of his sword that hung down his side he closed his eyes and raised his face to the stars, just to feel the fresh snowmelt on his cheeks. The snowflakes were large and beautiful as they glided down from the night sky. Winter had always been his favorite time of the year, for this simple reason.

“You relish Nature, this is good.” A male voice came to him from the thick trees that surrounded the area. Justin opened his eyes and looked in that direction. Standing just inside the tree line, he could see the shaman, clothed in furs and symbols of his tribe.

“You know why I am here?” Justin calmly asked, keeping his voice quiet. The tranquility of the area demanded he speak just above a whisper so; he would not disturb it.

“Yes, Young Lord, I know.” The Shaman answered stepping out of the shadows so that he could be seen. He was an aging man, but still, as fit as any young warrior of his people. A medicine man, like him, was a gift among their kind and rarely happened.

“If you know my question, pray, tell, what is the answer I seek?” Justin asked, a little baffled at how the man knew what he had come here to ask. It didn’t surprise him though; their kind was known to possess some sort of mystical knowledge.

“The answer you seek, you already know. You need only to look inside of yourself and see the memories of your inner child to gain the knowledge you desire.” The man said in a mysterious tone as if he was aware of something that Justin was not aware of and that confused him even more. The guy's dark eyes seem to dart toward the trees on a few occasions, but Justin figured that was to make sure that they were alone. “Take heed young lord, the time has come, and your world is about to get a lot more dangerous. Our time here is done, be on your way.” The man stated, and then turned on his heels and disappeared back into the trees.

“Wait what do you mean?” Justin called after him, louder than he had intended, and was answered only by the snow that had piled onto the trees, as it fell to the ground around him.

He flinched, startled by the sudden plopping of the snow, and closed his eyes to silently cuss at how jumpy he was. This meeting had revealed nothing to him, at least that is what he had thought until he turned around to head home only to find, Jane standing in the trees with her shoulder bunched up and covered in the snow that had fallen on top of her. She seemed surprised that the white powder had fallen directly on her, and she hadn’t noticed that he was now staring right at her. Smirking he folded his arms and silently waited for her notice. She looked cold, as she dusted the fallen snow off from her, but it served her right for following him anyway. He had told her to stay out of his business, but she still didn’t listen. Her eyes widened and she snapped her opened mouth shut when she finally looked up at saw him leering at her.

“An unmarried, young woman out at this hour. It's rather scandalous don’t you agree?” He finally spoke, as a flush of pink covered her cheeks at being caught. “Especially with a young man, who is not your brother.” He added to embarrass her further.

“But you are my brother…” She weekly protested, squaring her shoulders despite her flimsy, position at the moment. “And a young unmarried woman has every right to venture out with her brother, without it being a scandal in the eyes of society.” She continued to try to strengthen her argument.

“Except,” He began as he approached her, his arms still folded over his chest, “Nobody, knows that, and far as high societies, awareness; you are their lord's ward, not daughter. Do you know what a ward, is?” He questioned coldly as he leaned forward to be at eye level with her. “That means you are the daughter of one of the nobles, that died in the service of our lord. Therefore, no familial relation is between you and I. Now, our little brother Lewis bears my father’s name, there is no question about his familial lineage, given that my father’s blood runs through his veins. You, on the other hand, bear no resemblance to our family heritage, in fact; with your pale features, extremely light hair, and vibrant blue eyes, one would assume you belong to the Star People of Yore, who have disappeared over the centuries. You appear to be what we call a star seed. You see, a star seed is a distant descendant of the Star People, who thought it wise, to mate with humans until their descendants were nothing more than human, themselves. Your appearance is a genetic variance of that long-lost lineage.” He smugly taunted her as he plucked a piece of straw out of a strand of hair that had escaped her hood.

“Y-your lying, because… because you were caught, and should I tell father about this… this whatever it was. You will be in trouble for sneaking out of the house after dark. That, that is the rule is it not. We do not leave the house after dark.” She blurted out not wanting to admit that she had lost this argument.

Justin laughed in amusement and looked around holding his arms out to the side, a smug knowing on his features.

“Look around you, you, pretty little idiot.” he laughed more. “You’re out in the middle of heart Glen, with your non-brother, at midnight.” He pointed out and she looked around her blush deepening. “This is where our young nobles come for romantic intrigue before they are wed. Our parents are fully aware of this location, even if they pretend like they're not. Most of them participated in their dalliances here.”

“Oh my,” She shyly looked around, she hadn’t considered that.

“Let us not mention, that the last time I checked, midnight was well after dark and you dear Janellia have also broken that rule.” He couldn’t help himself. It delighted him to see how uncomfortable she was becoming. “With that being said, I highly doubt that you will open your mouth to my father about this. So shall we return to the castle before both of us are discovered?” He finished and took a hold of her arm just above her elbow, to pull her back the way they had come.

Jane’s head was spinning with this realization and didn’t fight against him pulling her along. How could she have let this happen? Why hadn’t she thought about any of this, before doing it? How disgusting it would be if rumors of this got out and people thought she was having a dalliance with Justin of all people.

“Get out of your head and tell me how you escaped your room for the night. So that I can make sure you find your way back in unnoticed.” Justin’s words were like a distant echo but brought her back to the situation at hand.

When she looked around, they were, just outside the wall where they had exited the safety within. He pulled her to a stop and waited for her answer.

“The same way you did.” She absently answered him, only to have him suddenly cover her mouth and narrow his eyes at the sounds that came from the other side of the wall.

“Be quiet.” He whispered near her ear as he pulled her back against the wall to further hide her. She looked up at him confused, he was focused on something. “Something is not right.” He breathed and then she could hear the grunts, and shuffling, inside. She occasionally heard the quiet clang of swords closer to the house.

“Lewis…” She gasped and tried to get through the hole, but he pulled her back and her tight against him to stop her from doing something stupid.

“You are clueless, aren’t you?” he quietly asked finally looking at her in irritation. “Those are not the sounds of our guards, skirmishing with each other. There is security, measures, put into place should something like this happen. Father and Lewis would have been spirited away to a safe location by now. Our butler isn’t just a giant you know. He is a personal bodyguard, that isn’t known by more than a few.”

“What are you rambling on about?” She hissed trying to get free of his hold. “There are no such things as giants.”

“Well, they are not as big as they used to be, but they do still exist.” Justin shrugged, Jane looked at him as if he was insane and prepared to scream for help. “Oh no you don’t,” He whispered pressing some pressure points on her throat to render her unconscious. “I can’t fight that many at once.” He finished and then rolled his eyes, as he kept her from hitting the ground by capturing her waste. How unfortunate, that he would have to carry around her dead weight now. He had wanted to make sure that his father and Lewis had made it out, but once again she had foiled his plans. How could a ‘Star Seed’ be so damn foolish?