Chapter 5: The Meadows

Where did the Portal take them?! Read Ch. 5 to find out!

             I step out of the growing shadows. I jumped over the brick wall and into the alley when the strange people weren’t looking. I must look very rough and menacing. I think, seeing the shock and fright in the girl’s eyes. My light brown hair hangs annoyingly in my face and my clothes are smudged with mud and dirt from my fight earlier. I brush some loose hair out of my dark blue eyes and look at the girl.

                              

It’s hard to see much in the faint twilight light but I see a fiery spark behind the girl’s strange purple eyes. She wears her hair long and loose, unlike anyone I’ve seen before. Her soul seems to be about my age, maybe 16 or 17 years old, but she looks a couple years younger than that. A woman who she called Mother is an older version of her. A boy, Ky, stands up and faces me, his green eyes ablaze with a protective fierceness from behind his shoulder-long golden hair. His hand darts to his belt and I realize he’s reaching for his sword.

 

“Whoa, whoa. Take it easy. I won’t hurt you.” I raise my hands, palms facing towards him. He simply stares at me with a curious look. He glances behind him at the girl as she stands up.

 

“Ba, ba. Rigas klyan.” He says to her, shaking his head. He turns back to me. “Qen zhia ood?” he asks me.

 

“I… um…” I hesitate. I point to my head and shake it. “I don’t know what you’re saying.”

 

The girl steps up to the boy and places a hand on his right shoulder. “Ky. Cryyo quan veryia ood.” The boy steps back, bowing his head. He still holds his hand on the hilt of his sword.

 

“Crisha.” He whispers.

 

“Utique.” She says. She squeezes his hand then turns to me. “Speak you… foreign language.” She stutters and I look at her, confused. “Um… speak you… English?”

 

I nod my head. “Yes. I speak English. What do you speak?”

            She bites her bottom lip quizzically and repeats what I said to herself. She’s trying to translate! I realize with a jolt. She says something in her language before slowly relaying it to me.

 

“I… ver-“ she cuts off. She doesn’t know the word. How can I help?

 

“Repeat.” I tell her, motioning at my mouth then hers. “Repeat.” She nods.

 

“I speak...” I start slowly then motion to her.

 

“I… sp-speeek…” she draws out the ‘e’ before trying again. “I… speak… Cedarykian.” She says the last word with a strong confidence.

 

“Se-dAr-i-kII-yan.” I repeat slowly.

 

“Utique, Utique! Cedarykian! I… speak… Cedarykian!” she exclaims giddily, clasping her hands in front of her.

 

“Okay. Next question.” I wait for her to think about it. She nods at me to signal for me to ask.

 

“What is your name?”

 

She thinks for a while before replying. “Ryku. Call I Ryku. Etu?”

 

“’Etu?’” I ask. “Oh! And you!” I translate. “I am Jake. Jake Silsmith. ”

 

“Zhayk.” She pronounces my name with a soft ‘j’ sound. Her voice is silky and quiet. Her eyes are full of wonder and adventure. I can see her soul glow a strong orange color. So she’s kind and adventurous, helpful and caring but independent. Wait, blue? I see a small, hard core of blue at the center of her aura. This means she is full of sorrow and bad chi. But why? I snap out of my thoughts to see her looking intently at me. She asked me a question and I missed it!

“I’m sorry. Can you repeat that?” I apologize.

 

“Said I can help you us?” she repeats.

 

“Oh, umm… sure, I guess.” I scratch my head, thinking. Emi’s gonna kill me! “Sure. Let’s use a Portal to get to the House faster.” I grab a Portal Pearl from the small pouch hanging on my belt. I close my eyes, imagine the House, and drop the Pearl on the ground. A small puddle, big enough for a person to fit, grows from where the Pearl hit the sidewalk. An image of the House forms. I motion for the people to jump in first. They simply stare at me with blank expressions. I motion for them to follow me before jumping in. I don’t have to wait long before the girl, Ryku, is flung up and out of the Portal. I reach to catch her but she lands as gracefully as a cat with all the experience of Emi.

 

“How...? How did you do that?! Have you used Portals before?” I asked, shocked.

 

“Utique. Make I Portals!” She grins and grasps the boy’s arm as he lands unbalanced.

 

“Zhias tu baane, Kyrin?” she asks him.

 

“Utique. Zhio ya baane. Gratzi, Ryku.” He hugs her quickly before reaching to support the woman who now jumped out.

 

“Zhio ya baane, zhio ya baane. Gratzi.” She says.

 

“What did you just say?” I ask. “Can you translate for me?”

 

“Utique.” She thinks a short moment before replying. “May I have a moment?”

 

“Sure.” I say, suspicious.

 

“Gratzi… or uh… thanks. In English.” She looks at me for a moment before she looks down at her left arm. I watch in amazement as thin black lines appear where she traces with her right finger. When she is done, she translates.

 

“This is a Hearing Rune.” She points to a small circle with a dot in the middle of it on her wrist. It looks like a target. “This is a Speaking Rune.” She gestures just above it, on her forearm, to a circle with a line running up and down through it. “This one is an Understanding Rune.” She points to a Rune on her palm. It’s an Egyptian-style eye, flat on bottom and rounded on top, with a dot in the center and a circle around it. “These, hopefully, will help me understand you and speak more fluently. I think they are working.” She says this a little slow but clearly.

 

“Well, I certainly think they’re working. How did you do that?”

 

“It is Royal Magyk. It is now Ancient and Forbidden. Runes are a lost Magyk in the Rolyks.”

 

“I see. So anyway, what did you guys say a minute ago? I still want to know.”

 

She laughs quietly before she translates. “I asked Kyrin if he was okay. He said “Yes, I am okay.” Then Mother said “I am okay, I am okay. Thanks.””

 

“Oh! Okay!” I laugh, too. “So, what are your names?” I ask the other two people once Ryku puts the Runes on them.

 

“I am called Kyrin Anthos. I am the bodyguard of Ryku.” He says in the same accent as Ryku, bowing slightly.

 

“I am Yatrise Sylvera, Queen of Tyrilic and mother of Ryku.” The woman presents. Her accent is similar to Ryku and Kyrin’s, but slightly different.

 

“Wait… so Ryku is a Princess?”

 

“Utique. I am Arch-Princess Ryku Sylvera of Kryton. Apprentice Kyrin Anthos is my Elite Guardsman and Queen Yatrise Sylvera of Tyrilic is my mother.” Ryku explains.

“Okay, I kind of get it. Well, let’s go in, shall we?” I offer, sweeping my arm in a wide arc to my left, motioning through the gates and towards the House.

 

“But, there is naught here… Oh! Magyk! He is using Forbidden Magyk Illusions to hide it!” Ryku realizes, tugging on Kyrin’s sleeve in excitement.

 

“Forbidden Magyk? No, it’s a glamour. We use them to hide things from the banals. Now, let’s get inside the walls, at least. Then no one else can see us.”

“Okay. But why hide your Manor as a broken… sky tower?” she wonders, struggling to finish the sentence.

 

“Sky tower?” I look at her quizzically. “You mean a sky scraper. And this isn’t a manor. This is the House. It’s the headquarters for all the Las Vegas Keepers. We glamour it so that banals don’t see it. They don’t know about the Shadow Realm nor about the Keepers who protect them from it. We keep order and uphold the Laws of the Aixedoc to-” I am interrupted by Ryku.

 

“Did you say ‘Aixedoc’?” she asks.

 

“Yeah, why?”

 

“We have the Aixedoc! It’s our book of Laws for the Rolyks! How did you get one?” she’s speaking so fast she stutters a few times before mumbling excitedly.

 

“I… I don’t know. The Aixedoc is older than Keepers’ history.” I’m shocked at her excitement.

 

“Okay. Well, can I see it? Please?” she begs, clasping her hands.

 

“Alright, alright. Just settle down! And be quiet! I don’t want Emi to hear us.” I push the mahogany doors open slowly, trying to keep them from creaking.

“Don’t want me to hear what?” a familiar voice rings harshly in my ears.

 

“Oh, no.” is all I say and finish opening the door completely. Once we’re all inside the figure raises her hand and the door slams shut behind us. She’s mad! I’m in for it now!

 

“Hi, Emi.”  Is all I say, blushing guiltily.

 

“Where were you and what were you doing? I haven’t seen you since dinner last night! You can’t just run-” She breaks off at the sight of Ryku, Kyrin and Queen Yatrise. “Who are they?!” her voice rises dangerously.

 

“These are, uh, people… I think.” I start, turning to whisper to Ryku. “You are people, right? You’re not demons or something?”

 

“No, no! We are most definitely human!” she laughs. Her purple eyes twinkle in the faint blue glow of the brujaluces.

 

“Yeah, they’re people.” I report to Emi.

 

“Where’d they come from? And why did you bring them to the House? You know we can’t just bring in whomever!” she raises a black gloved hand to brush her shoulder-long light brown hair away from her chocolate brown eyes. She adjusts her dark blue metal glasses on her curving 25-year-old nose before taking a few steps forward. I see Ryku glancing around the room curiously. She nearly blends into the shadows in the dark oak foyer, but her pale skin stands out in the blue glow from the brujaluces hanging around the room.

 

“Who are you, where are you from, and what are you doing here?” Emi spits out these questions as fast as she can talk. Ryku closes her eyes and mumbles to herself. “Well? Don’t you speak English? Come on! Answer me!” she shouts, only an arm’s length from the poor girl.

 

Ryku opens her eyes and glares menacingly. A raging fire sparks from within their shadowy purple depths. She traces two quick Runes on her left hand, on the tips of her index and middle fingers, then reaches to touch Emi. As soon as her hand connects Emi freezes. She stands straight and looking directly ahead. She tries to say something but it comes out as a little breath. As Ryku pulls her hand back I see that she transferred the Runes from her fingers to Emi’s hand where she touched. Ryku raises a finger and slides it slightly through the air. Emi’s head turns to follow.

 

When she finally speaks Ryku has an air of strong, hidden power. “I have used a Silence Rune and a Control Rune on you. I am Arch-Princess Ryku Sylvera of Kryton. My mother, Queen Yatrise Sylvera of Tyrilic, and my Elite Guard, Kyrin Anthos, have accompanied me to this world. We jumped in a Portal of my making and were teleported to this strange and menacing world. Jake has been very kind in allowing us into your…” She broke off to look at me.

 

“House. We call this a House. It is our safe place and headquarters in the city.”

 

“House. I will release you now, but only if you will behave yourself in the presence of Royals. Do I make myself clear?” she lowers her voice for the last sentence to a menacing tone. Emi nods her head. Despite her quiet voice I can hear Ryku, dark and menacing, as she makes this promise. From the little I’ve seen here and the way she speaks, I know she possesses the power to keep her threat.

 

“Good. Now, tell me your name.” Ryku says more lightly, releasing Emi with a Release Rune.

 

“Your Majesties and Sir, my name is Emilia Hawthorne. I am in charge of this House. I ask your forgiveness for my behaviors.” She curtsies low, staying down, until Ryku curtsies back.

 

“No need to be so formal. You may address me as Ryku, her as Yatrise, and him as Kyrin.” she points to each in turn. “I simply hate it when people have no respect for their guests!”

 

“Ryku? That’s a funny name!” a girl’s voice giggles quietly near the steps. I hear her thick French accent.

 

“Hush! No need to be rude, Jackie! Did you see what she did to Emi?” a boy’s voice scolds her in the same accent.

 

“Jaqueline! Simon! Come here! Quit hiding in the shadows!” Emi calls, and the 10-year-old twins sulk from their hiding spot under the stairs. Their pale blonde hair hangs from their heads, masking their mischievous green eyes. Simon’s hair sits level with his ears while Jaqueline’s is in two braids at her waist. “What were you doing there?”

 

“We wanted to know…” Jackie starts.

 

“…who was at the door.” Simon finishes.

 

“Twins! I love twins! They always seem to know what the other is thinking! Tis amazing!” she exclaims, kneeling down. “Come here.” The twins step towards her. “Now, what called you?”

 

“I am Jaqueline, but everyone calls me Jackie.” She pulls at one of her braids, a habit she does only when she’s nervous.

 

“Zhakeleen. A pretty name, a strong name. Tis wonderful! Perhaps later I may help you with your hair?” Ryku coos, smiling at Jackie’s hair. “You did this?”

 

“Yes, ma’am. I’ve been getting better, but I would love it if you helped me!” Jackie beams.

 

“Wonderful, wonderful! I shall help you in a few minutes, okay, Zhakee?” she smiles and gently tugs Jackie’s braid, who takes up pulling at them again, although not nervously.

 

“What called you?” Ryku turns to Simon.

 

“Simon. I don’t have a nickname, but Jake sometimes calls me Sy.” He tugs down his black shirt and looks at Jackie.

 

Silly boy, Sy. You get so nervous with new people! I think to myself with a quiet chuckle. I raise my right hand to brush my hair out of my eyes. I see Simon staring nervously at Ryku and step towards them. I lay my hand on Simon’s right shoulder while Jackie watches us from Simon’s left side.

 

“Simon. Tis a smart name! Oh, how wonderful!” Ryku clasps her hands in front of her. “Smart and adventurous spirits! So strong and beautiful! Now, let’s away to do your hair, yea Jackie?” Ryku announces, standing up and holding out her left hand for Jackie to take.

 

“Yes, ma’am. Follow me. My room is upstairs.” Jackie leads Ryku to her room.

 

“Now, now. No need to call me ‘ma’am’. Called I Ryku.” She smiles and follows Jackie across the room and up the stairs to the left.

 

“Ryku. That’s a silly name!” Jackie laughs. “But it’s very pretty!” she quickly amends.