The Hacone

The next morning dawned golden and cheerful, the lanterns coming back to life with alacrity. After a breakfast of cheesy toast and apples Linden led Valerie back down the path to the village.

It was surprisingly busy for it being so early, with shops already open and steadily conducting business. All of the dryads seemed filled with a serene contentment, chatting lightly as they met on the paths. There were a few He-Dryads about, fully grown and busy at work. One manned a forge at the end of the village, beating his hammer rhythmically on the anvil. Valerie saw another perched on a roof, mending a hole. She hadn’t been expecting to see any He-Dryads besides Linden and had a difficult time not staring as they passed by. She wanted to say something, but felt uncomfortable bringing it up.

“Asher helped my father finish the roof on our house,” Linden said, saving her. “My father liked him, so I’ve heard.”

“I…” Valerie hesitated.

Linden glanced at her. “You thought I was the last one,” he said, reading her thoughts. She nodded awkwardly.

Linden smiled. “It’s a common misconception,” he said lightly, waving at Asher. The He-Dryad lifted a hand in response, smiling warmly at them. “I’m not the last, just the youngest. There’s several others who survived the Giant Wars.”

Valerie furrowed her brow. “Then why…” she stopped herself, her ears turning pink.

“Why haven’t more He-Dryads been born?” Linden asked. “Because dryads only reproduce every fifty years. It’s pretty slow going.”

“Fifty years!” Valerie exclaimed.

“It’s not that long when your lifespan is practically endless,” Linden pointed out.

He introduced her to some of the shopkeepers as they passed, all of whom were fascinated by a human visitor. Each insisted on giving her a present and soon Valerie’s arms were laden with gifts. Finally they came to a stall filled with woven rugs and wall hangings.

“Ooh!” Valerie breathed, staring at all of the vibrant colors and elegant designs.

“Welcome to Galon Tir, She of the Raven Hair.”

Valerie looked up quickly. “Miss Ashley!” she cried, delighted. The botany teacher inclined her head gracefully. “Good morning, nephew,” she said, addressing Linden.

Valerie’s jaw dropped. “She’s your aunt?”

Linden nodded sheepishly. “Yeah, she’s my mom’s sister.” Ashley grinned impishly, as if the whole thing had been a perfectly executed prank.

Valerie looked back at Linden. “Why didn’t you say anything?” she demanded.

“Hey, you waited a month to tell us your uncle is the headmaster, and that was only after you got detention for breaking Ealis’ nose,” Linden shot back.

Ashley raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.

“I see you’ve acquired a few gifts,” she said, gesturing to Valerie’s armload. “Allow me to present mine.” She reached under the wooden counter and pulled out a neatly woven basket. It was made of light straw and had a pale green ribbon woven into the handle.

“Thank you,” Valerie said gratefully, carefully depositing her gifts into the beautiful basket.

“I’m giving Valerie a tour. We’d better keep going if we’re going to see everything,” Linden said, lifting the full basket off of the counter. He allowed his aunt to place a kiss on his forehead before they continued on.

“It’s cool that she’s your aunt,” Valerie commented, hooking her thumbs into the straps of her knapsack.

“Why do you say that?” Linden asked.

“Because she’s...amazing,” Valerie said, feeling a little awkward.

“She’s very loving, but some of the dryads think she’s odd.”

“Odd?”

“Yeah, because she accepted the job at the academy. She likes to do unexpected things.”

“Is that so bad?” Valerie wondered.

“No, but she’s considered pretty young by our standards. Some would argue that she’s too flighty and inexperienced to handle a teaching position.”

Valerie shrugged. “Dryads must have different standards than humans, because I think she’s one of the best teachers Damaris has.”

Linden gave an odd little smile. “Thanks,” he said quietly. He glanced up at the lanterns hanging in the high branches above them. “It’s almost noon. Let’s drop this at the house and I’ll take you somewhere a little less crowded.”

After leaving the basket by Valerie’s bed and eating a hasty meal they set out again. Linden showed her his childhood haunts, a hollow oak tree and a large smooth rock on the edge of a brook. They sat on the rock while Valerie told Linden stories about growing up in Maine, about wild storms blowing in off of the coast, about foggy school mornings when she and her sister would make pancakes. She told him about Nicki, who hated living in Maine and left the day she turned eighteen.

As the sun began to descend Linden stood up, stretching his arms. “There’s one more place you have to see,” he said, pulling Valerie to her feet.

They walked for a while, the ground steadily sloping down as they went. At the bottom of the hill was a cave with a wide, squat mouth like a giant in mid-yawn. A thick carpet of dead leaves lay at the entrance, whispering as they entered the cave.

The cave was made of brown stone with streaks of ore running through it. “Is that gold?” Valerie gasped, pointing at the sparkling vein.

Linden nodded. “That’s not even the best part.”

He led her deeper into the cave until they came to a shallow pool of black water. Linden felt around on the ground and picked up a small pebble. “Watch this,” he said, tossing the pebble into the water.

As soon as the pebble broke the water’s surface the pool began to glow an eerie shade of purple, the light casting stark shadows on the cave walls.

“What is it?” Valerie asked, looking at Linden.

Linden grinned. “It’s a portal,” he said excitedly.

“A portal to where?” Valerie wondered, peering into the murky water.

Linden shrugged. “I don’t know. No one else knows it’s here. If they did, they’d destroy it.”

“Why?”

“Because…” Linden paused, chewing his lip. “A millennia ago, there were lots of portals between the realms all over the place. Some of them were natural, like this one,” he said, gesturing at the pool, “while others were artificial. People traveled back and forth all the time.”

Valerie crossed her legs. “I’m guessing that didn’t last,” she said grimly.

Linden shook his head. “Tylwyth and Gaia aren’t the only realms,” he said.

“Gaia?”

“Earth, whatever. There’s a third realm called Cythraul. It’s not as pleasant as Tylwyth, but it wasn’t bad. They have a grey sun that only rises for a few hours a day, so it’s pretty gloomy from what I’ve heard.

“There was a large group of Cythraulians that thought we didn’t deserve to live here, so they tried to invade Tylwyth. When we withstood them, they set their sights on Gaia. It was a terrible war, with losses from all three realms. We defended Gaia and eventually drove them back to Cythraul. The Gaians wanted nothing to do with the other realms after that and demanded that we destroy the portals.”

“But you fought for them! Why would they do that?” Valerie exclaimed.

“They had suffered a lot of loss, and to them we were no different from the ones attacking them. What was stopping us from doing the same thing a few centuries later?”

Valerie fell silent, pondering this. It pained her to admit it, but that was a valid point. “So you did it. You destroyed the portals.”

Linden bit his lip. “Well, almost all of them.”

Valerie cocked her head to one side, confused.

“A few of the portals were so powerful that we couldn’t destroy them,” Linden explained. “So we set up guards to keep people from using them without special permission.”

“But if the portals are the only way through, and no one’s allowed to use them…” Valerie thought for a moment. “How did I get here?” she wondered.

“You mean you don’t remember?” Linden asked, astonished.

Valerie shook her head. “I remember falling asleep in the car, then waking up in my room at Uncle Reginald’s house. I guess I assumed we’d just driven really far.”

Linden furrowed his brow. “My guess is your uncle got permission to use the portal to go get you,” he said finally. “Maybe they gave you something to keep you from remembering and telling other people.”

Valerie didn’t like the sound of that and strived to put it out of her mind. “How do you use one of these?” she asked, gesturing to the dormant portal.

“That’s the thing,” Linden said, excitement coloring his voice. “Portals can only be activated by certain people, or even a certain species.”

“So what about this one?” she asked, peering into the murky depths.

Linden shrugged. “It didn’t respond to me, so I’m guessing dryads can’t activate it,” he said.

“What about a human?” she asked.

“Valerie...”

Valerie plunged a hand into the water and gasped loudly. The portal began to glow hotly and they could hear a faint crackling. The water began to burble and roil, steam rising off of it like a witch’s brew. Suddenly it calmed and Valerie jerked her hand out, panting. The pool was still, but continued to glow brightly.

“Looks like we have a winner,” Valerie said dazedly.

“Are you okay?” Linden asked concernedly.

Valerie nodded, wiping her hand on her shirt. They stared at the portal for a few moments, unsure what to do next.

“I wonder where it goes,” Valerie murmured.

“Absolutely not,” Linden said, shaking his head. “For all we know we’ll end up in Cythraul. Just deactivate it and we’ll leave.”

“What?!” Valerie exclaimed. “Are you kidding me? You finally get the chance to activate this thing and you won’t even explore it?”

“Valerie, we don’t know where it leads,” Linden repeated. “It’s too dangerous.”

“Portals are two-way, right? We can go through and if we don’t like it we can turn around and leave,” she said stubbornly.

Linden seemed unconvinced. “I don’t know…”

Before he could protest further Valerie grabbed his hand and pulled them both headlong into the portal.

They pitched and tumbled through a blinding pink light, the only constant being Linden’s hand gripped tightly in her own. Almost as soon as it began the light faded and they landed hard on a wooden floor.

Valerie remained still, her eyes adjusting. She could hear Linden groaning and she sat up stiffly.

They were in a tower of some kind, judging from the conical roof and stone walls. The only light came from a deeply recessed window and Valerie crawled over to it, looking out cautiously.

A barren, grey plain stretched out in all directions, with black hills visible on the horizon. The sky was overcast and a weak sun was beginning to descend.

Linden joined her at the window, took one look and groaned.

“Don’t tell me,” Valerie said quietly. “Cythraul.”

“We need to leave,” Linden said, pulling her hand urgently.

The bleak landscape creeped her out and she stood quickly. They turned to leave and stopped.

The portal was gone.

*       *      *      *      *      *

Nyree reached up and gently unhooked Talin’s claws from her tunic. Her mother’s cat hissed softly and bounded away.

“Talin, be nice to Nyree,” Nyree’s mother crooned absently, studying a chart pinned to the wall.

Nyree straightened up. “You wished to see me, Mother?” she asked respectfully.

“Yes dear,” her mother said, tearing her gaze away from her chart. “How go your lessons?”

Nyree shifted slightly. “Casimir is pleased with me. He wishes for me to begin the fourth order soon.”

Her mother smiled. “Excellent. Well done, daughter.”

Nyree smiled slightly at the praise.

“I’ve been planning something, Nyree, something that will change the balance in our favor,” her mother said, picking up Talin. “Soon everything will be in place and all I will have to do is act. But I need your help.”

Nyree blinked. Her mother needed her help?

“I will be gone for several moons and will not be able to manage affairs here. I would like you to fill my place while I’m gone.”

Nyree’s heart swelled with pride. “Of course, Mother. I won’t let you down,” she said, keeping her voice even.

Her mother nodded. “Good. Casimir will be here to advise you, of course, but I want you to learn how to keep the realm in check. This will be your role someday.”

Nyree nodded. “Thank you, Mother.”

Her mother waved her hand. “Go now, I still have much to do.”

Nyree left her mother’s sanctum and broke out in a wide grin. In charge of the whole realm! It was what she had been training for since childhood. Casimir would be so proud of her. She began bounding up the winding staircase to her room. She had a lot to plan.

*      *      *      *      *      *

Valerie’s heart plummeted to her stomach. “Where’s the portal?” she said, looking around frantically. They scanned the whole room but couldn’t find even the smallest glimmer of purple.

“This is bad,” Linden said, mopping his forehead with his sleeve.

“How do we find the portal?” she asked him.

“You’ll just have to feel around until you do.” he said.

“You mean it could be anything in here?” Valerie said, looking around the large room. It looked like a bedroom, with a chest, a bed and a large mirror on the wall. A stocky wardrobe stood against one wall and a shelf hung next to it. It was supremely functional, if a little sparsely furnished.

Linden nodded. “Try the floor first.”

Valerie got down on her hands and knees and began feeling the faded floorboards, hoping for a flash of light at any moment. None came and she stood up jerkily. “Nothing,” she said, breathing hard.

“Okay, try the walls,” Linden instructed. Valerie began running her hands over the wall, feeling a little silly as she did. “Why aren’t you helping?” she demanded.

“It won’t activate unless you touch it. I’d just be in the way,” Linden replied, watching her closely.

There was a tapping noise and Valerie paused, listening. “Footsteps,” she said, her eyes wide with panic.

They looked desperately for a hiding place and Valerie’s gaze settled on the wardrobe. “In there!” she hissed, flying across the room. She pulled the heavy door open and they piled in, pulling the door closed behind them. Thankfully there wasn’t much in there and they wedged themselves against the back, gasping.

They heard the door open and close and they held their breath. The person walked to and fro for a while, humming quietly. Valerie remained as still as possible, until she realized Linden’s elbow was digging into her stomach. She carefully shifted her body and the wardrobe gave a loud creak, much to their dismay. The pacing and humming stopped and they froze.

The person resumed and Valerie let out a small breath of relief. Suddenly the door was thrown open and they were caught.

It was a girl, around Valerie’s age, with long black hair and pale skin that glowed in the dimness. She had black eyes that were like windows into a bottomless void, shining and terrible.

The girl grabbed them and pulled them out of the wardrobe, throwing them to the floor with a surprising amount of force.

“Speak or I shall remove your tongues from their place,” the girl commanded, looming over them menacingly.

Valerie and Linden scrambled to their feet. “Look, this was an honest mistake,” Valerie began. “We found this…”

“A mistake!” The girl thrust her hand out and a blast of air threw them back against the wardrobe. They remained there, pinned tightly.

“No one breaks into Bruixa’s castle by mistake!” the girl hissed, keeping her hand outstretched. Valerie realized this must be some kind of magic and her mind raced frantically.

“We aren’t lying!” she insisted, struggling vainly. “We were experimenting with this portal and I wanted to see where it went, so we came through and ended up here.”

“A portal?” The girl narrowed her eyes and stepped closer to Valerie, staring deep into her frightened eyes.

“Please,” Valerie pleaded, “this is my fault. I insisted that we try the portal even though we didn’t know where we’d end up. Linden tried to stop me and I dragged him along anyway. If you have to punish someone, punish me. Let him go.”

The girl stepped back again and let her hand fall, releasing the magic. Valerie and Linden dropped to the ground, landing soundly on their knees.

“You aren’t lying. I can always tell when a human is lying, especially to save their own skin,” the girl said, watching them get up. “But you neither lied nor tried to protect yourself. Why?”

Valerie brushed herself off hastily. “Because I...I deserved it, I guess,” she admitted.

The girl cocked her head. “You’re an odd human,” she stated, turning away from them.

“We’re really sorry we disturbed you, Bruixa,” Valerie said apologetically.

The girl gave a bark of laughter. “I’m not Bruixa, my mother is. If she had found you, you would not still be breathing.”

They shuddered at this. “The portal disappeared and we couldn’t find it to get back,” Linden explained, finding his voice again.

“Can you help us?” Valerie asked.

Nyree folded her arms. “There haven’t been any portals in this area for centuries,” she said. “But if one has formed naturally…” She dropped her arms and began pacing, looking around the room carefully. She paused suddenly, as if something had grabbed her attention. She extended a hand and little pink flecks of light began appearing, resting on her hand like snowflakes. She moved from side to side and more pink flecks appeared. “Interesting,” she murmured, resuming her pacing. The flecks increased as she neared the mirror hanging on the wall and she snorted. “Of course,” she said, dropping her hand. She made a throwing motion and the flecks flew off of her hand and onto the mirror’s surface.

“Here’s your portal,” she announced, examining it critically. Valerie let out a sigh of relief and stepped forward.

“Wait,” Nyree said, holding up a finger. She approached the mirror and put her palm up to it, letting it hover a few inches from the glass. A pink mist swirled up and suddenly she drove her hand into the mirror. It allowed her hand through, rippling like water. She put her other hand in and twisted her arms hard. The glass disappeared and gave way to the now-familiar purple glow.

“Hacone,” Linden hissed. He grabbed Valerie’s arm and pulled her away from Nyree.

Nyree rolled her eyes, “What did you think I was, a mermaid? My mother and I are the greatest Hacones in a millennium.”

Valerie looked from Linden to Nyree. “Does anyone want to explain what a Hacone is, or do I get three guesses?”

Nyree tilted her head. “Everyone knows what…” her voice trailed off and her eyes widened. “You’re Gaian,” she breathed.

“No she isn’t,” Linden said firmly. “She just doesn’t get out much.”

Nyree took a few steps toward Valerie, looking at her intently. “You’re definitely Gaian,” she said decidedly. “My mother took me there once. It was many years ago, but I remember the eyes. Such innocent, unwitting eyes.”

Valerie shook Linden’s hand off of her arm. “So what if I am?” she said defiantly.

Nyree ignored her inflammatory demand. “A Hacone is...oh, what would be the Gaian word?” She thought for a moment, then gave a haunting smile. “Oh yes - a Hacone is a witch.”

Valerie jumped back in spite of herself and Nyree laughed. “Yes, we do have quite a reputation. A Hacone can activate any portal after mastering the third order of Daina. All of the portals were destroyed after the war, so I had never been able to try until today. Thank you,” she said, giving a little bow.

Valerie came forward again, her hands on her hips. “You know something? Witches may have a reputation for being evil and cruel, but I don’t think that’s who you are.”

Linden drew his breath in sharply, but Valerie didn’t pause. “Any decent witch would’ve locked us up or killed us, but you helped us find the portal.”

Nyree shifted uncomfortably. “I told you, I just wanted to try and activate it,” she insisted, biting the inside of her lip.

Valerie shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

They stood in silence for a moment, contemplating each other. Nyree sighed and looked away. “Just go,” she said, jerking her head toward the portal.

“You’re letting us go?” Linden said in disbelief.

Nyree looked back at Valerie. “Yeah,” she said quietly.

Valerie smiled a little. “Thank you, Nyree,” she said softly. She stepped toward the portal, but Nyree stopped her. “Wait,” she said. She put her hands on either side of the mirror and pulled. Her hands glowed blue and the mirror began to extend. She lengthened the mirror until it touched the floor, now large enough for someone to walk through. She let go and the light faded from her hands.

Valerie put a hand on her shoulder. “That was amazing!” she said. Nyree seemed a little taken aback at her touch, but nodded mutely. Valerie and Linden walked up to the portal, joined hands, and walked through, Valerie giving Nyree one last glance.