Alora: The Portal (Alora 2)

“Do you want me to send you back to Wesley?” she asked.

His eyes grew wide. “No! That is… you have more important things to do. I’ll find him myself.” He slipped away before she could protest.

Kaevin pointed overhead. “Take us up—we’ll have a better vantage point.”

Joining hands, she moved them to the roof, happy to find it relatively flat. Only moments later, shrill screeching greeted their ears.

“Do you see it?” he asked, staring in the general direction of the sound.

“Yes, but it’s too far away.”

Below, terrified Stone Clan warriors began to scatter, seeking shelter from the invisible winged monsters. Even knowing their bondmark protected them from the wendts, the Water Clan warriors were ducking into hiding as well. Having witnessed it in the last battle, Alora knew the creature would snatch victims and fly away, tearing them apart in the air. She had to transport the beast somewhere before he could reach his target.

“I can’t lock onto it from here. It’s got to get closer. What if I can’t do it?” Alora’s muscles were trembling with her nerves on high alert.

“You can do it. I believe in you.”

Taking courage from the pressure of Kaevin’s hand and his mumbled words of reassurance, Alora set her mind on sending the wendt to Vindrake, wherever he might be. As the wendt approached, his proximity spurred a new wave of nausea, eliciting dry heaves in her now-empty stomach. The sinewy monster circled the open area as warriors scattered in all directions, fleeing from the shrieking attacker. The ambling flight altered. A straight line. Diving toward a warrior who pounded desperately against a door. Faster. A piercing squawk. The warrior turned toward the sound and screamed his terror. He ran. The wendt closed in on his target.

“Go, go, go. Please go,” Alora muttered under her breath. “It’s not going to work. Oh God, please! It’s not going to work. Please, please go.” The wendt swooped down. Long talons stretched toward the fleeing figure.

The wendt disappeared. Alora sagged in relief. I did it. I sent him somewhere. I hope he went all the way to Vindrake in Water Clan. She found herself wrapped in Kaevin’s arms, her tears wetting his shirt. When did I start crying?

“I’m proud of you, Alora. I knew you could do it.” He stroked his hands on her back, kissing the top of her head.

Whipping her head around as another shriek sounded, she spotted a wendt flying their direction.

“Is it coming back already?” asked Kaevin.

“No, it’s a different one. This one is smaller. I hope there aren’t many more of these things.”

“You can transport it away,” he urged. “You did it once—you can do it again.”

He stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders as she put all her energy into her task. But this wendt wasn’t tracking one of the Stone Clan warriors. The hideous monster was soaring in a straight line toward her and Kaevin. She clenched her teeth against the scream threatening to burst from her lungs.

“Alora? Do you see it?”

Frozen in fear, she couldn’t answer. She couldn’t think—she could only feel. Panic. Terror. Dread. Repulsive wickedness.

“Alora, where is it? Did you send it away?”

She lifted a shaking finger toward the plummeting wendt. I can’t do it. It’s not working.

He stepped in front, tucking her behind his back, but she knew Kaevin couldn’t save them. We’re going to die. The beast approached with his huge jaws gaping, until he was so close she could see blood and tissue on the razor teeth.

Alora screamed, burying her face in Kaevin’s arm.

“Alora! Kaevin! Where have you been? You didn’t have permission to transport anywhere.”

Alora heard Uncle Charles ranting, but his voice sounded small compared to the blood pounding inside her head. We’re alive! We escaped the wendt! She flung her arms around Kaevin, sobbing.

He held her tight, as if he could squeeze her terror away. “Shhhh, everything is fine. We’re alive. Calm down.”

“Kaevin? What happened?” Raelene asked.

“Yes, what’s going on here?” asked Charles.

“Vindrake attacked Laegenshire, and we’re outnumbered. He sent wendts, at least two of them. For some reason only Alora and Wesley can see them.”