The Quest for Normania #1: The Door of Andrios

21. Through the Door of Andrios

That night, Ayesha, Agatha, Cecil, and Lawrence decided that each of them would stay awake for an hour and a half at turns.

Ayesha sat at the threshold. She had drawn a Lakshman Rekha with the bit of magic she knew around the perimeter of the cottage, but still, she had needed that added protection.

But as time went on and nothing really happened – except for an occasional owl or some other nocturnal animal wandering by – her mind began to wander. She thought back to the moment in which she spoke to Norin and how she had so badly wanted to ask him if he had felt the same development of a bond with her as she had with him, but didn't get to, deciding that it was not an urgent matter.

'I need him, though,' she thought. 'I hope... I don't know... I just feel this pull towards him, but there's a wall between us, so I'm unable to reach him. I arrive at a dead-end. And yet, I see him so clearly on the other side.' She sighed. "Oh Norin..." she whispered. She closed her eyes, but she knew sleep wouldn't come—her brain was too excited for that.

Suddenly, she detected another movement around the cottage and her eyes snapped open. She expected it would be another harmless creature, but she didn't want to take any chances.

There it was on a tree opposite where she sat, an owl staring at her and hooting for all it was worth.

The next instant, it vanished! Only some feathers flying about were an evidence of the owl's existence on this planet.

Ayesha got to her feet slowly. 'If it's a nocturnal wild animal, there wouldn't be an ounce of a use startling it to chase after me,' she told herself. 'That Lakshman Rekha would only protect me from evil creatures, not evil-minded creatures. Wait... that's not an Earthly creature I've seen for the past week!' She narrowed her eyes for a better focus. 'No... Oh no...' And without thinking, she yelled, "NORIN!!", before charging forward, arm raised with her quick silver dagger...

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Norin was fast asleep in his cosy bed when a flash of fiery red hair and green eyes startled him to wakefulness.

He sat up with a cry that he quickly stifled. "Ayesha!" he whispered, his chest heaving and his body trembling. 'She's in trouble! I must go!' When he got to his feet, he saw that Mithra was already sitting up in her bed.

"I saw it," she replied to his unasked question, "and I'm coming with you to help. Is that portal ready yet?"

He shrugged. "Not really, but it should still work, if there's somebody on this side to man it. Let's wake the others!"

They dressed as quickly as they could and rushed to the adjacent chamber and banged on the wooden door. It opened and a groggy Teresa and an alert Cassandra peeked out.

"It's time," declared Norin.

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Agatha, Cecil, and Lawrence, all of whom shared the same bedroom – there was only one – startled awake when they heard the shout in the middle of a quiet woodland.

They had all slept in their fighting/hunting gear and so, it was easy for them to charge right into the battle that was going on outside the cottage, even outside the line of the Lakshman Rekha. Ayesha was battling ferociously, but it was obvious that she had never before fought an opponent smaller than her as the Darkarous creature was. It was in his human form, but shorter and therefore wirier than the eurin.

"Stay away!" she cried upon glancing at them. "Stay within the perimeter and do not wander out! Help is on its way! I can sense it!"

"I think by that," quipped Lawrence, "she means that boy she's been conversing with back in her world. I wonder if he alone is enough?"