Solstice sisters

Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Ivy's POV

My heart was still racing after the fight at the restaurant. I gripped my dagger tightly in my hand, jumping at the slightest noise. I felt a hand reach over and pry the dagger out of my tight grasp.
'Calm down, you're safe' said Zack as he threw my dagger onto the back seat while keeping his eyes on the road ahead. 'And even if we were in danger, we'd be fine, you fought really well tonight. I'm proud'
I felt my cheeks heat up at the compliment.
'Thanks Zack'
'We make a good team'
'We do don't we?' I smiled at him through the darkness of the car. 'So what's the plan now?'
'We'll go to your house where we'll meet Damon, he'll work some magic on your parents while you go pack your things, Summer will do the same' he explained, It still felt wrong to mess with Helen and John's minds. But if would keep them safe then I was willing to do anything.
'Then?'
'Then we'll return to the Manor and we'll go through the portal to the town Tavina, where the palace is located, in Eremay.'
'Will it take long to get there? I've never travelled by portal before'
'No, it takes seconds'
'Is there any other way to get to Eremay' I asked curiously.
'No, portal is the only way'
'So is Eremay in another dimension?'
'It's hard to explain' he began 'Eremay is on earth but no one can see it from the outside, it moves at a different time to the rest of the world so it's like it's not really there when it's always been there, if that made any sense at all'
'I think I get it, how may portals are there?'
'Well, we have one at the manor and from what I know there are more scattered around the world. There are some others in Eremay, in the major cities'
'Like Tavina?' I cut in
'Yes, like Tavina. And one in Draycott where the war took place and your parents..er...where the fire was' he said tactfully.
'So do you use portals to travel everywhere in Eremay?'
'No only if you need to get somewhere quickly or really far away. Usually everyone uses horses to get around. If you need to get somewhere undetected then you use a horse instead of a portal. You don't know what could be waiting for you at the other head of a portal.'
'Do you have any safety precautions on the portals?'
'Yes we have guards stationed on them twenty four seven, three hundred and sixty five days a year, also we have to send word to the royal guard before we pass through or we could get arrested the second we set for in Eremay'
'Did you learn that one the hard way?' I laughed
'Maybe' he said sulkily. I grinned at his sheepish little smile.
'We're here' Zack said suddenly and my smile dropped.

I left Zack in the car and began walking towards my front door. What time was it? Did they wonder where I've been all night? I reached the door and raised my hand to knock on it when I noticed something on the dark paint. I looked closer wishing the lamplight was brighter. I recoiled from the stain on the door. It was blood. Panic surged inside me for a second time that night. I pushed the door and watched in horror as I swung open easily, the frame was splintered and the lock broken. Someone had broken it down. Swallowing my fear I stepped over the threshold and into the hallway.
'Helen?' I called out as loud as I dared 'John?'
No one replied. I felt sick as I spotted more pools of blood. Bloody handprints marred the innocent white walls of the hallway. The hall table had been smashed to pieces, a large dent in the wall suggested someone had been thrown at it. I fought the urge to throw up as visions of John smashing into the wall and then destroying the table with his limp body filled my mind. I shook my head to rid them. I bent down and picked up a photograph from the mess of glass and wood. The picture was unharmed, it showed a smiling family of three. I was six when it had been taken, we were on holiday in Paris, the photo showed me, John and Helen stood in front of the Eiffel Tower. I remember being so amazed by the sheer size of it, we'd been sightseeing all that day and I was so tired that I fell asleep on Johns lap on the underground. He carried me back to the hotel and I slept between him and Helen that night. I smiled at the memory, then the reality of the situation I was in right now regained control of me and my smile dropped immediately. I sat back on my heels, what was waiting for me round that corner? Slowly I stood up and forced myself to take a step forwards. Then another. And another till I reached the corner of the hall that would lead into the kitchen. The pools of blood were thicker and more frequent here. With everything I had I prayed that they were alright, that this was just another horrible dream, I was going to wake up from this and they'd be sat at the breakfast table like normal. I turned the corner and knew it wasn't a dream.