Chapter 25 (redone)

As soon as I step into the door-portal, an indescribable pain rips through my entire body. There is nothing but pain. My brain stops functioning, my being spasms. I’ve never been ripped apart limb by limb, but I’m sure this is what it would feel like.

I feel like screaming, only I can‘t. You see, the thing about portals is that you kind of…disintegrate while going through them. It’s like your body isn’t there, but it is. You can’t move your body, but you can feel things happening to it. I don’t know what in tarnation is happening to me, but it’s wrong.

The agony is so intense, it feels like I’ve been in the portal for at least half an hour, Earth time. But my rational side (which is somehow subconsciously working) knows that it hasn‘t even been three Earth seconds. This is confirmed when the portal spits me out, nearly on top of Aoife, who was just getting up. Wynn follows me after about five seconds, and Astulad five seconds later.

I lay on the hard, hot earth, waiting until my lungs remember how to breathe. My mind automatically disconnected from everyone, leaving me alone in the darkness of my own head. The Energy waves from everyone are distorted, and they’re distracting me from the healing ritual Lorik taught me. I know that my waves must be all kinds of messed up, so I slowly calm myself until they “reset”.

I sit up, ignoring the leadenness in my muscles. Everyone else is lying face down, twitching slightly. Strangely, I don’t see Group One anywhere. I kneel next to Wynn and quietly enter his mind, fixing his Energy output so that he recovers. “Thank you,” he says hoarsely. I move on to Aoife, then Astulad, and finally Ikah. Once they’re all oriented, we go to Wynn and wait for his orders. Astulad and Aoife share a concerned look; they are obviously as surprised by the pain in the portals as I am.

“Krystal,” Wynn calls me. “Can you locate anyone from Team 009 or the accompanying Instructors?”

I close my eyes for a minute to concentrate better. I’ve heard that it’s normal for the portals to move around a little, so the other groups easily could have been dropped off five Earth miles from where we are. I search for Lorik, since he is stronger than Kyle and will be easier to find.

I can‘t find him; it‘s like he doesn’t exist. Neither does anyone else from Team 009; just my group. “Wynn, I can’t find anyone. I’m sorry, its just like they’re not here.”

“Interesting,” he mutters, apparently not too surprised that two thirds of his Team are nowhere to be found.

Ikah sways around, and she looks little green in the face, so, acting on friendly instinct, I step over and steady her. She doesn’t reject my assistance. Lovely. I’m helping Ikah, and she’s okay with it. Now I know we’re in trouble.
For a few seconds, no one says anything. Then Astulad breaks the silence. “Well, looks like we’re on our own.”

“Wait, waddaya mean ‘on our own’? What happened?” I demand.

Astulad takes a deep breath. “The portals are obviously malfunctioning.”

Wynn speaks gravely. “Garthor?”

Astulad exchanges glances with Aoife. “Probably,” he says, not too hopefully.

I only have a vague idea of who Garthor is. Madara mentioned him in Battle Practice a few times..

Thankfully, Aoife picks up on my confusion. She answers my unspoken question in her soft, almost breathy voice. “Garthor is the enemy of all things good. He destroys for the pleasure of it. He finds joy in the death of innocents.”

I sink to the ground. “This cannot be happening,” I mutter. I’m not ready to fight some serial killer! I can’t even drive yet!

“Calm yourself, Krystal,” Astulad commands sharply. “This is no time to let your emotions run rampant.”

I smother my thoughts immediately and put my panic attack on hold. Astulad is right; there’s no time for this. Instead I finally think to evaluate my surroundings. We are in a wide-open area, sparsely covered with a strange plant that reminds me of crab grass. As far as I can see, there are no trees or cover to hide from any enemies.

Ikah speaks up quietly, having gotten over her nausea. “I don’t see the Assembly,” she says. She is right. There is absolutely nothing here. Not a single person in sight, much less an Assembly of multiple thousands.

“Well, it seems that the portal took a wrong turn,” Astulad says. “And now--”

“Wrong turn? So we’re lost?!” So much for reining in my emotions.

Astulad looks away and answered quietly. “I’m afraid so.”

I panic. Yeah, that whole “calm” thing I had going on kind of falls apart. Ikah starts hyperventilating a little, and Aoife pales. Well, she’s pretty darn pale already, but she looksickly pale instead of delicate pale. Understandably, too, considering the implications of Astulad’s statement.

We are lost somewhere in space and time.