The Book of Willow- Princess of the West

31.

"So," Aswen whispered with a conspiratorial look, scooting closer to Maia in the back seat of Chance's range. "How is this going to work? Do we cast a spell or call on a deity to open the portal?"

"Well," Maia slid closer. Cupping her hand around her mouth she pretended to whisper. "I'm going to need a chicken, the blood of a virgin, Himalayan sea salt, five white candles, and a bottle of  Russian vodka."

"Vodka?" Aswen said wide-eyed. "For what? For a spell?"

"No, it'll just make me feel better about us ripping a hole in the universe," Maia giggled.

"Stop messing with her Maia," Chance shouted over his shoulder before turning to focus on the road.

Miles turned, shuffled around in the front seat to face the girls. "Maia's just playing Aswen. Her mother will be doing the tearing."

Aswen's face wrinkled with confusion, "Then why didn't we just do it at her house? Why do we have to drive out to the middle of nowhere?" She was having a hard time keeping up with this new life and all its rules.

She didn't understand how she could be the only member of her considerably large family with these unique gifts. Amber told her that only certain members inherited the trait. Her proximity to Maia is likely what caused this ability to surface. Otherwise, she'd have gone through her life never knowing what she was.

She still didn't understand the breadth of what she could do only that she could walk through magically erected barriers. She was also apparently talented with bow and arrow. Glorfindel insisted she fire off a few shots the very same moment she arrived at Maia's house. He seemed pleased but not surprised that she didn't miss any of the targets. Aswen never fired an arrow before in her life but it felt right. As if the wooden bow was an extension of herself.

Maia stared ahead at the black Charger driving in front of them but she didn't seem to see it, her gaze was far off, "Amber said the portal would be too loud and too obvious. Besides," She paused and turned to Aswen, "We need to do it near something called a lay line. Kind of a place where the worlds overlap."

Aswen mouthed, "Oh," She considered for a moment before saying, "Why are you calling her Amber? Isn't she your mother?"

Maia's lips twitched to a snare. She glared hotly in Aswen's direction.

"Uh... Aswen just leave it alone." Miles said interrupting a conversation that could get very ugly, very quickly.

"Look," Chance announced, "They're turning off the road. I think we're here."

The Charger turned off the road and rolled on a dirt path ahead of them through dense old-growth woods. The trees were are large as buildings and reached skyward for meters on end. 

After about an hour of nothing but grasslands and trees, Maia let out an indignant grunt, "How much longer is this gonna take!" She bounced childishly in her seat. 

"Relax, Princess Peach. We'll get there when we get there. You must be excited to go play the hero?" Chance said over his shoulder.

"Hero?" Maia scoffed, folding her arms over her chest, "Fuck a hero. Heroes suck."

"What are you talking about, Maia. Heroes make the story." Miles interjected.

"No," Maia corrected, "Villains make the story by wreaking havoc. Heroes just die in the end. They go all soft and wreck themselves over shit they couldn't do a damn thing about and people they couldn't save. Villains say fuck the world and live the way they want to. I mean look at Morgoth or whatever. He's living his best life."

Aswen chuckled, "Sounds like you want to be a villain."

The corners of Maia's lips lifted, "It's still under heavy consideration."

"We're here." Chance said, throwing the shifter in park and removing his seatbelt. "Now, I already did my part and got us here. So, if you need anything, ask anyone but me." He gave Maia and Aswen a cheeky grin.

"Shut the fuck up, Chance." Maia reached forward and shoved him before jumping from the car.

They left the vehicle, meeting Amber, Brom, and Glorfindel in the center of a field. Brom covered his car with brush hoping to shield it from the elements. Chance made obscene kissing noises at his Range Rover before Aswen tore him away, rolling her eyes.

"Stay together," Amber said looking at each of them, "Be wary children. Things will be very different from here on out."

Her eyes changed, glowing with a soft white light. She floated a few feet off the ground, soft spectral light radiated from her body. She waved an arm and the air around them swirled, folding on itself. A loud whooshing noise deafened the night silence.  A strange low but steady humming sound started when dark fissure materialized. As the fissure grew longer and the humming grew louder.

"How is she not obeying the laws of physics," Miles shouted to no one in particular.

"Shut up Miles," Aswen, Chance, and Maia said simultaneously.

Amber's phantasmal light grew stronger, a galactic burst of color that covered her clothing and hair. Maia expected heat to radiate from the light but it felt cold and distant just like the starlight it mimicked.

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGH!" Amber screamed flexing her arms and pulling them apart forcefully, compelling the fissure to widen into a gap.

"Go now!" Amber's voice echoed ethereally.

A tunnel of blinding white light lay ahead. Nothing of what was beyond was visible. Fear shot through Maia. She'd never been afraid of anything her whole life. Suddenly she was afraid to move. 

Glorfindel stepped toward the opening, stopped, and he turned reaching his hand to Maia. "Princess, your destiny awaits. It is time."