Mira stood in the middle of Tourmaline Bog staring at the vast expanse of marshy waterlogged grass. The sun was starting to set and she was once again, alone.
Her hopes of making this portal jump with Daran by her side had been brutally crushed. The only comfort she could gain from all this was the fact that she didn't have to worry about the threat of a bogwarg attack any more.
She was safe at least for the next two days. The bogwargs would protect her while she was in their territory until they could see Felix again.
All around her, the marsh gave off its familiar sounds and scents. She'd been here so many times it was starting to become familiar territory.
The greenish-brown grasses bobbed on the water's surface, hiding the little bogfrogs that croaked out their evening song. Beside her, the tiny bogdragons hovered back and forth feeding upon the pink and white flowers of the spikes of reeds and ragweed, dotting the watercolor landscape.
The bog's long-time inhabitants, those clumps of black tree trunks jaggedly sticking out in the distance no longer looked grotesque. Rather, they were comforting in their familiarity. It was amazing how much a landscape could change once the physical threat of death had been removed.
The sun's disk had begun the silent slippage down into the watery depths of the endless expanse of bog. That magikal bewitching hour would soon begin. All around her, the darkness began to creep up.
That familiar buzzing inside her ears started to hum again. With a practiced ease, she matched its intensity and smoothed the neural waves in that familiar mind game that she now practiced with barely a thought.
On her throat, the Keys to the Kingdom began to vibrate. The portal to Earth had begun to open up for her. The vibrations came before the visible sparks appeared, which was strange to Mira since she'd always thought that light traveled faster than sound.
But then again, the vibrations may not be soundwaves…
With firm resolve, she stepped through the sparkling lit doorway into the familiar backyard of her home. Dawn was breaking through above the hillside behind her house. It was starting to get warmer as June approached.
Mira breathed in the deep familiar scent of her homeland. The early morning summer air was tinged with moisture and the scent of roses. She glanced at the fountain with its clean water filled to the brim. It looked like the gardener had been here very recently.
She turned and made her way into the house. She had a full day of sunshine to do what needed to be done. There was no time to lose.
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By the time the sun was beginning its slow descent into the mountains in the distance, it was 8pm and Mira had done everything she could within the time allotted. She sat out in front of the portal area on top of the two suitcases that her parents normally used for travel.
The huge black suitcases that could hold entire kitchen sinks were currently bursting at the seams. Mira had placed them onto a dolly which she knew would immediately sink into the marsh once she was back on Ashrya, but at least it would get the suitcases safely through the portal.
To increase their chances of survival, she wrapped the suitcases in many layers of plastic bubble wrap in hopes they would stay dry through the brief time they would be going through the bog.
The distance from Earth portal to Dolmian Castle portal was only a few yards, but this was Tourmaline Bog. It could do serious damage to anything that was immersed in its environment for any extended amount of time. Only the strongest survived here.
It didn't take long for the portal to reappear. This was starting to become routine for Mira. She was actually turning into a jet-setter type of portal hopper.
The evening sky turned into the dawning of a new day as she stepped through the portal.
She had barely stepped through when she saw him. On the other side, a lone bogwarg stood waiting for her.
It was the old King Theras.
In her mind's eye, there was always the vision of a demon wolf with red eyes and bared fangs, ready to pounce on her and rip out her throat. It was a terrifying vision that was made more intense by the memories of all those near-death confrontations.
Old Theras was looking nothing like the demon wolves she had met previously. He was regal and exuded a calm exterior which allowed her to see for the first time, what a bogwarg looked like without all his teeth showing.
His eyes were bright and intelligent, without the spark of crazed bloodthirst that had been prevalent in all her previous encounters with his kind. His hackles were not raised so she could see that his fur was clean and well-groomed.
As the sun began to rise on the horizon, his coloring was evident. What she had always thought of as a muddy mangy dark color was actually a dark chestnut brown that glowed in the early morning light. He was truly a magnificent sight.
"Greetings." King Theras said.
"Hello. How did you know I would be back at this time?'
"Your dwarf told me. I came here to make sure you would be able to return to your castle unharmed. Your safety is paramount to my grandson's welfare."
Mira blinked. She was actually getting help from the King of Bogwargs. It was a strange situation to find herself in.
"Thank you. The other portal is not far from here," she pointed at the general area where she knew the other portal had been set up. Then she looked at the dolly that had almost disappeared under the marshy waters.
"These things are quite heavy. I can help you with that," he offered.
Mira bit her lip. He was already offering his protection, and now he was also offering his muscle strength.
Perhaps she could offer him something in return.
"Would you like to visit your grandson?" She quickly offered before she could change her mind.
King Theras gazed into her eyes, as if to assess whether her offer was legitimate. Finally, he sighed with resignation.
"I would not be welcomed in your world. Your people are afraid of us."
Mira's eyes flared. "I am the Queen of the Northern Realm. You are a visiting dignitary who also happens to be my son's grandfather. No one will have an opinion about this or they will answer to me."
He stood there for a minute longer, thinking the situation through. Finally, he nodded.
"Then, I thank you for the chance to see my grandson."
Mira nodded. "The portal is this way." She began yanking on the dolly's handle, but the wheels had gotten stuck in the clumps of grasses growing under the water. She turned back and threw her whole body into tugging the handle but to no avail. The wheels had sunk so deeply into the marsh it would not budge.
Old King Theras held up a hand. "Allow me."
He waved a finger and immediately, two strong bogwargs appeared from somewhere in the distance. Their powerful legs bolted through the marshy waters with a swiftness that was at once graceful and impressive.
They each picked up one suitcase as if it weighed nothing and stood there waiting for her next command.
"This way," she pointed, and the three bogwargs followed her through the portal that would take them to Dolmian Castle.
In the courtyard at Dolmian Castle, several sentries were standing about guarding the area when Mira reappeared through the portal.
"Your Majesty!"
"You there! I have a few guests who are coming through with me. Put your weapons away and stand down."
They looked at each other for a second and then threw down their swords. "Yes, Your Majesty."
At Mira's urging, three bogwargs appeared behind her. Two carried big black bags of some sort and the third one had a platform with wheels attached. It was the strangest sight they had ever seen.
She pointed to the two dwarven guards nearest to her. "You two, take these luggage bags into the seating parlor for me and have Nonna Pearla port here with Felix immediately."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The men did not even dare to look at each other but hurriedly did as she bade.
She turned towards the bogwargs. "Please forgive their abruptness. They are not yet comfortable with seeing you in my home." She waved her hand. "Welcome to Dolmian Castle."
Behind her, the red-brown bricks of the castle stood tall. Its large tower rising up behind it like a lone protective sentinel. It was a fitting fortress for the strong and magnificent Queen of the Northern Realm.
As she and the bogwargs made their way inside, she noticed the dwarves kept a wide berth, not wanting to be anywhere near the bogwargs.
Old King Theras looked around. "So this is the famed Dolmian Castle."
"Famed?" Mira queried as she led them through the hallway that led them to the main parlor where a nice big fire was crackling in the large fireplace.
"In ancient times, it was written that the human lineage that runs through our veins established themselves in and around the area that is now Dolmia."
Mira's mouth opened. "The dolmian miners are linked to your race?"
At his nod, she gasped. "They don't look anything like you."
"They don't look anything like the dwarves or the celadons either, but nevertheless, we all have the same genetics. We all come from the same human root stock, and it all started here."