The Portals ( book 1 )

∞7∞ Saga Ramadan

Zach had listened to Keira's entire story. Twice. It still didn't make sense. The back of her neck didn't hurt at all, but it was a little red. Her fever was gone too, but that hadn't stopped her from panicking.

There had been points in the story where he had been unfamiliar with some words, and each time Keira had looked at him with utmost bewilderment. When she was done, she looked at him expectantly, waiting for his reckoning.

He waited a second and then said, "It is nothing I have ever heard of before."

"Yes, but you believe me?"

Zach realized that that was what the look had been about. She just needed someone who believed her when she couldn't believe herself.

"I do." He was surprised. But he did. She exhaled. "Thank God," she muttered.

Zach couldn't help himself, "You seem like a very religious person."

Keira was taken aback for a second, "What? Oh, you mean..." she smiled a little, "No, not really it's more of an expression. But if God gets me back home, then you bet I'll be." She smirked a little, and immediately Zach felt the edges of his mouth quirking up. "So...what do we do now?"

Honestly, Zach didn't know, but he wasn't going to say that. "Saga would know what to do."

"Who's Saga?" Keira asked. "He is Chief Counselor of The Miner's Camp and the wisest man I know. If there's anyone who can make heads or tails of this it's Saga Ramadan." Keira looked unsure but she didn't really have a choice. "Is he here?" she asked. Zach took a moment to reply, "Well, currently he is taking the morning lesson..." Zach's face paled. His hand raised to slap his forehead.

"Descatro!" he exclaimed with such venom Keira was sure she didn't want to know what it meant. "What's wrong?" she asked, taken aback. The placid boy didn't seem like someone who could be shaken very easily. A string of more foreign words followed. "Hello? English please!" Keira said.

Zach got up. "Stay where you are. Do not move. Do not get out. If anyone comes, hide." "Zach, what the hell...?" but he was already bounding out of the tent, his agile legs not touching the ground long enough to sink into the sand.

∞

As Zach ran he passed tent after tent, all in rows radiating from the center, like the rays of the Sun. Under normal circumstances, running against the morning wind, with the scent of the night's fires and the blooming honey-nettle would have pleased Zach, but there were more pressing matters on his mind at the moment.

He ran towards the center of the camp, sprinting madly and mentally chiding himself. Saga was going to kill him. They had already been arguing about Miner's Camp, but missing a lesson....how could Zach have been so lax. He'd barely had any sleep last night, since he'd stayed up trying to keep that girl's fever down. Zach was annoyed, angry even.

He reached the main classroom, a large central tent, just as the last few students filed out. He caught one of them sniggering to another, "Seems like Golden Boy can sleep in now because old Saga's going to go all soft on him." The small band of boys and girls erupted into snorts just as the entrance to the tent parted.

A tall man stepped out, his crisp robes skimming the sand. His dark eyes shot a look at the group of students and they disappeared faster than the Eastern Wind. The single golden hoop in one of his ears glinted in the sunlight. The hood of his robes was drawn away from his dark, smooth head. He wasn't young but his face was timeless. In a clipped cold voice he said "Zacharo. Come."

"Yes, sir." Zach could do nothing but bow his head and follow Saga into the tent.