The Portals ( book 1 )

∞8∞ Redland

Keira Goldwyn was not the most patient person she knew. Especially not when she had just been ditched by the only person she knew in what was quite possibly, yet unbelievably....another world. She sat on the bed for a while, sinking into the soft woolly layers of the blankets. Her mind drifted to her parents.

She remembered once, years ago, she'd gotten lost in the city's park. She'd been terrified. It was the most lost and alone she had ever felt. She felt sort of like that now. The point is, she remembered her parents' faces when they had found her half an hour later, a mixture of relief and fear. They had seemed more scared than she was.

They'd probably have gone to the police by now. With a start, Keira realized her phone had been in her jeans pocket when she had left home. She checked, even double checked (quite pointless, really) but it was gone. She rifled through the blankets and checked the nightstand in case Zach had pulled it out. It was nowhere. She came to the conclusion that it had probably fallen out at the supermarket when she had....disappeared? Shifted. That felt like a better word.

The brief search for the phone had kept her hands and feet occupied but her mind was racing with worry and grief about her family and her predicament. When she had finally given up she sat back down on the bed. Her head dropped into her hands. Breathe in. Breathe out. Panicking wasn't going to help. She had to stay calm and figure a way out of... wherever this was. Besides, Zach looked willing to help, for whatever reason. She normally wouldn't want anyone doing her many favors, but what choice did she have? Zach had seemed to be very confident in this man Saga, the respect in his voice had been evident.

She had been startled by the sudden way in which he had left. She felt like she could trust him, despite his slight cockiness and pre-21st century dialect. It didn't help (A/N: OR DID IT??) that he was a teensy weensy bit breathtakingly beautiful. Wherever he was, she hoped he would come back soon and possibly bring help.

When she got tired of sitting in one place, Keira began to explore the tent. It was round and quite spacious, the sandy floor had been completely covered by an embroidered rug. It was sparsely furnished: the bed across from the entrance, the chair on which Zach had spent the night and a block of reddish stone that served as a desk or a nightstand. The oil lamp was resting on the nightstand, along with the bowl of water and the rag. A bottle of strong-smelling ointment was uncapped next to the bowl. She now remembered feeling its cooling effect on her forehead during her uncomfortable sleep. At least she had gotten to sleep a little bit, unlike Zach. She thought once again how it was strange of him to be helping her, but then again, the faster she got home, the faster he got rid of her.

The slit in the wall that served as the entrance was open and fluttering gently. She peeked out and saw more white tents in rows, with mounted sconces at intervals between them. They were unlit but had been burning all night, there was a light smell of smoke in the air. There weren't any people in sight. As Keira began to step into the morning sunshine, she heard voices speaking in the same language Zach had been using (though they probably weren't being as profane). A group of children appeared next to a tent a short distance away. Keira immediately drew the cloth and tied it with the drawstrings, Fraternizing probably wasn't the best idea.

As she turned back her foot struck something hard jutting out from under the bed. She cursed, hopping on one foot. This often happened to her. Yep, she was Keira the Klutz. She bent down and saw that it was an old leather chest, with the word Redland embossed on the lid in gold. Was Redland like Gucci? Probably not.

The chest was unlocked. Though she didn't think that Zach would take kindly to her rifling through his things, she didn't have much to do. The chest was filled with several books, most were dusty and brown, while a few were slightly newer looking.

She pulled one of the thick, old books out. She opened it and a bit of dust flew around. To her disappointment, it wasn't a fantasy-fiction or dystopian future. Even a sappy romance novel would have worked. No, she was holding "Auburnazia: A Complete Study". On the top corner off the first page, someone had written "Aldan Redland" in a scrawly handwriting and a few other words in a different script - the strokes light and graceful. "Well, it's a book," Keira thought, "Might as well try."

∞

Zach sat still while Saga looked at him pointedly. Saga had never been known to express much emotion, but Zach knew him well enough to see the cogs ticking in his powerful mind. After all, Zach had lived with him for the past 8 years.

Saga and his wife, Leka, had been Zach's guardians ever since his parents had died. His father had been close friends with Saga, they had studied together, and the Ramadans had looked after Zach as if he was their own child. Saga was seen as foreboding and intimidating by all children and most adults. Zach considered himself unafraid of most things, and despite being close to Saga, a single glare from the wise and respected man chilled the blood in his veins. It was even sometimes claimed that Saga's extensive wisdom had its roots in sorcery, but Zach knew this was untrue. The two had a stiff relationship, but somewhere deep deep down they cared about each other.

Leka, on the other hand, was the kindest warmest person possible. She had coddled Zach, much to Saga's disapproval, and loved him like the baby boy she never had. She was also a revered healer and knew the medicinal desert shrubs better than anyone in the land. The three lived in the capital city (Kata) of the largest country of Auburnazia (Dakka), where the King of Auburnazia resided in his Redstone Palace.

When Zach had walked into the tent, he had known what to expect. Saga hadn't waited to sit down and had started off, "Zacharo, you missed class. I thought we had discussed that you must perform exceptionally well at Miner's Camp, it is expected and is in your blood. Need I remind you that your parents were the most brilliant scholars and miners this country has seen?"

Zach felt the familiar chill in his gut that he felt whenever someone talked about how great his parents had been. The chill that meant he was a disappointment. And that he would never live up to that legacy. And then there was that little annoying fact that Zach had buried away because it made him hate himself deeply. The fact that he didn't want his legacy.

"No, Sir."

"Is skipping class how you excel, boy?"

Zach felt like there was no point trying to explain how he had been trying to save an alien girl. "No, Sir."

Saga sunk into his chair and took a deep breath. "Zacharo, look at me. Your parents were great people who loved you more than anything else. We cannot both let them down."

"Yes, Sir. I understand. I promise I'll try harder." He meant it. He paused for a second. "Sir, this is something important and I think it should be brought to your attention..."Zach proceeded to tell Saga the entire story of Keira Goldwyn.

Now Saga was looking at him in deep thought. "Sir?" Zach asked.

Saga immediately got up. "Take me to this girl. We will bring Leka on the way to treat any possible ailments." He added under his breath, "She's better at talking anyway."

∞