Sahara Ashdell: Rebirth of Patreek (Book 3)
Chapter 4: A Portal

Sahara stands up from the floor where she has been hiding and feels pain pulsing through her veins. “If my father’s visions were never wrong, then mine can’t be either.”

“What are you doing here?” The Aran looks surprised.

“The declure showed me that if Brystol dies Holestroy will fall to Patreek. So, both my father’s vision and mine cannot be true.” Sahara continues to speak, ignoring the three elves’ dismay at her hiding from them. “Brystol has to be saved!”

“This is not your decision. And you should not be here.” The Aran says scoldingly.

“Why is her vision any less valuable than Freyton’s?” The Tari asks in defense of Sahara.

“Because she has misinterpreted them before.” The Aran says in annoyance. “I said we were not getting the Grey Elf. End of discussion.”

Sahara has known the Aran long enough to know that he means what he is saying and that she is better off dropping it, but she just can’t help herself. “Where is the Grey Elf?”

“I will have you thrown in prison.” The Aran says giving Sahara an authoritative stare. She remembers the special cell he had just for her but she does not feel threatened. “You are to stay out of this matter. It does not concern you.”

“I disagree. He is my betrothed.”

“And he is my son!” The Aran bellows angrily. “You have no ground here young Aranel.” Sahara feels somewhat intimidated by the Aran’s tone and authoritative glare. “And you are not to assist her in any deception, or I will have you imprisoned as well.” He says to the Tari.

Sahara shakes her head in annoyance at the Aran’s unwillingness to even listen. “Where is the Grey Elf?” Sahara asks looking at Tari Nathila.

“Do not answer her.” The Aran says sternly.

“If the child goes to get the Grey Elf, it should not affect your thrown,” Threvoyn says reminding everyone of his presence. Sahara had completely forgotten he was there. He continues to explain, “Freyton told you not to go after the Grey Elf, but she is not you.”

“Choose the other option.” The Aran says thoughtfully.

“I am the other option,” Sahara says knowing that it must be what her father meant.

The Aran looks down at the pail Brystol before looking back at the Tari, who asks, “Did he say more?”

The Aran shakes his head with his response, “No. All he said was that if I went to get the Grey Elf the kingdom would fall to Patreek, so I needed to choose the other option.” They all turn to look at Sahara in concern.

“I am the other option. Please. Tell me where he is. I can teleport there.” She looks over at Brystol’s pale face in concern. “Brystol doesn’t have much time.

“You can only teleport to places you have been before can you not?” Threvoyn asks.

“Well, no if there is a picture or an elf there that I have seen. I can teleport there.” Sahara answers.

“She will never be able to teleport there,” Threvoyn says in worry.

“Yes, she can.” The Aran says confidently. “Listen very carefully, Sahara. The Grey Elf resides in the Drow region. If she is discovered in any of our kingdoms…”

Tari Nathila cuts him off. “Perhaps it would be better to not tell her so that if she is caught she could honestly deny knowing the consequences of the matter.”

The Aran considers the Tari’s words for a moment before speaking again. “Fine. The Grey Elf is in Heldomvey. She is the aunt of your old friend Slagwart. That is all I know about her.”

Sahara smiled knowing that Slagwart would help her and that she could replace him easily. “Thank you.”

“Sahara!” The Tari says stopping Sahara from teleporting. “This is a dangerous task. Be careful!”

“I will,” Sahara says with a smile before teleporting to Slagwart.

Sahara realizes that she is in a darkened room suddenly with no light. She can’t even see her hand in front of her face. She causes a ball of light to appear in front of her and she jumps in surprise as she notices Slagwart standing in front of her with a stick-like item as if he was about to hit her. “Sahara?” He asks in surprise.

“Are you about to hit me?” Sahara says holding up her hands in defense.

“I didn’t know who was here in my room in the dark!” He says tossing the stick-like item to his messy bed. “Wait, how did you even get in here?”

“I can teleport.” She says shrugging her shoulders at him. She figures there is no reason to lie to Slagwart. “Brystol is in danger, and I need a favor.”

Slagwart seems unphased by her being able to teleport or that Brystol is in danger. “You need a favor from me?”

“Your aunt,” Sahara says and it causes Slagwart’s face to look oddly in confusion, so Sahara feels she should clarify. “The Grey Elf.”

“Aunt Acrista?” He says with a scuff. “You can’t be serious.”

“He is dying from dark magic and no one has been able to help him.” Sahara’s tears cloud her vision as she speaks. “Your aunt is our last hope. He doesn’t have much time left Quinton. Please?”

She watches Slagwart’s facial expression soften after she says his name. “You are the only elf I would ever let call me by my first name.” He shakes his head and Sahara knows he is going to help her so she wraps her arms around him tightly. “Yeah, yeah.” He says slightly hugging her back with one arm. “If we haven’t much time, let’s get on with it then.”

Sahara releases him from her hug and wipes her tears. “So, where do we replace your aunt?”

“Where?” Slagwart laughed in response. “More like when.”

“When?”

“Shhh.” Slagwart hushes her as he cracks open his bedroom door and peeks out. Sahara hears voices travel into the room from a distance. He quietly closes the door and turns back to Sahara. “We need to get out of here undetected first.”

“Where is here?” Sahara asks realizing she has no idea where they are.

“The Elven Inn.”

“In Yetya?” Sahara asked in surprise.

“Of course,” Slagwart says with a handsome smile.

“Of course?” Sahara felt confused by his response. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t very well watch over you from another kingdom,” Slagwart says opening the window.

“You are watching me?” Sahara asks feeling nervous. “Why?”

“The Aran asked me to.” He said quietly. “To make sure you were not in danger while here.”

“And?” She asks wondering why Phylan would have been the elf the Aran would go to for such a task.

“Two ellons are watching me.” He points down the street to a pair of elves leaning up against the wall of a building “I can’t shake them, no matter what I do. You can teleport but I must replace a way around them. Wouldn’t have any ideas, would you?”

Sahara stays in the dark shadows of the room as she peeks out of the window. She tries to think of a way to get Slagwart out without them seeing and finally remembers a spell she learned a few weeks ago from Hexaria. “Maybe.” She steps up closer to Slagwart feeling nervous about attempting such a complicated spell. “But you need to trust me.”

Slagwart smiled gently at her in response. “I trust you.”

Sahara takes a deep breath and nods her head sharply once. “Good because I have never actually tried this on an elf. It was just on objects.”

“Perfect,” Slagwart says, not looking a bit nervous.

Sahara feels nervous as she twists her hands together trying to remember the words of the spell. She feels Slagwart’s warm hand touch hers and it causes her to look up into his eyes. “You got this.”

“I can make objects invisible, but I was never able to make them visible again.” She says anxiously.

Slagwart looks less at ease as he responds. “Well, that sucks.”

“Hexaria is arriving in a few days to finish teaching me that part,” Sahara says scrunching her nose.

“Well. Perhaps we could replace another way then.” Slagwart says, looking down toward the ellons on the street. “Because you would never be safe with my aunt if I were not visible.”

“Why?” she asked curiously.

Slagwart looks at her with a smirk. “What have they told you about the Grey Elf?”

“Nothing. I only heard of her an hour ago before coming to replace you.”

“Then let me warn you. She is Drow first off, so evil.” He says closing the curtains to his room. “And she never does anything for another without a drastic payment of some sort.”

“I have plenty of money to pay,” Sahara says, knowing her fortune and the Treegan’s fortune.

“No,” Slagwart says, briskly shaking his head. “Not that kind of payment. The payment she will require will be something else. Like a wand or something invaluable to you.”

Sahara quickly slides her fingers into her pocket touching the cold glass of her declure. She nods her head at the thought that she could part with her declure. “I can pay that way too.”

“But will the Aran? Is this request not his?” Slagwart asks

“No. He refused to involve the Grey Elf. This was my idea.” She knows it is mostly true.

“Hmm,” Slagwart says obviously not believing her. “Well, then be prepared to give up what she asks.”

“Ok,” Sahara says trying to think of a way to get Slagwart out of the Inn. “I might can make a portal for you.”

“You portal?” Slagwart says surprised.

“No. But how hard can it really be?”

Slagwart rolls his eyes. “Harder than you think, I am sure.”

Sahara claps her hands together with her words, “I got this.” She nods her head as she tries to think of how she could do it. She had seen Verdiwild do it before, but she never really understood how he managed to. She throws both of her palms out toward a wall with her word, “Portal.” When nothing happens, she tries again saying, “Open portal.” She tries again. “Entrevinous.”

“I don’t think that is even a word,” Slagwart says, with a snicker.

“Be quiet. You are breaking my concentration.” Sahara says trying to remember the word for portal in the elven language.

“Telkinasika.” Slagwart’s word sounds painful and it causes a small black spark to ignite in the middle of the room. Sahara is surprised by Slagwart’s knowledge of portaling. The black spark quickly disappears and Slagwart’s heavy arms fall to his side as he seems out of breath from the spell.

“You could have told me sooner that you knew the spell,” Sahara says feeling embarrassed, but Slagwart does not respond as he continues to breathe heavily, as if he had just run a marathon.

“Telkinasika,” Sahara says while throwing out her palms toward the wall again but nothing happens.

“You have to feel it,” Slagwart says sounding less out of breath than a moment ago.

Sahara tries to think of something that angers her so that she can use her emotional magic. “Telkinasika.” She says in an angry voice as she feels her vision redden. She feels more anger when again, nothing happens.

“Not anger,” Slagwart says calmly behind her. Sahara feels Slagwart’s body moving up behind hers as he continues to speak softly. “Close your eyes.” Sahara does as he asks as she takes a deep breath to calm her anger. “Now relax.” He whispers in her left ear before moving to her right ear and whispering, “and move past the feeling of electricity in the air. Then past the feeling of water vapor and the pulsations of living things.” She feels his fingers lightly trace up her arms sending tingles up her as he continues to whisper slowly and gently in her ear. “And replace the small, delicate holes in the fabric of the universe.” Sahara can see the small black diamond-like shapes in her surroundings. “Can you feel them?” Slagwart slides his fingers down her arms gently causing her to feel tingly again. “Can you feel them Sahara?”

“I can see them.”

“Each hole links to another place. Find the hole that links to your room in the castle.” Sahara squeezes her eyes tighter as she tries to look through one of the holes, but she can’t seem to see through it. She feels Slagwart’s lips kiss her neck before he says, “Use what you are feeling to replace your way through.” Sahara manages to look through the hole and sees a room filled with elves. She sees more holes in the crowded room. She replaces one that is sparkling brighter than all the other holes. “Keep sorting through the layers,” Slagwart says as Sahara feels his warm lips brush against her cheek.

“I found it,” Sahara says seeing her bedroom in the castle of Yetya.

“Then open the holes that lead there,” Slagwart says gently as his fingers slide up Sahara’s neck and he kisses her cheek.

Sahara thinks about opening the black diamond-like shape and whispers “Telkinasika.” She sees the black diamond-like shape in her mind begin to widen but then it starts closing. “Telkinasika.” She says again feeling strained. The black diamond-like shape widens a bit more for only a moment before it begins to close. “Telkinasika!” She says trying to stop the opening from closing, but it feels too heavy to hold it.

“You have to want it.” She hears Slagwart whisper as his warm breath touches her lips. “Do you want it, Sahara?”

Sahara thinks of how badly she wants to save Brystol but also about how badly she wants Slagwart to kiss her. “Yes.”

“Try one last time,” Slagwart says gently against her lips.

“Telkinasika.” They say the word together and Sahara feels a gust of air as the hole surges open.