The Voyager

Chapter Eighteen

Maximus motioned for Elex to sit opposite her in one of the chairs. She was stationed at her desk, with Delbert across from her. I stood for a moment, not sure if I was wanted in the room.

"Do you want me to leave?" I ask.

"Of course not." Elex said just as Maximus said "I'd like you here."

"Okay." I say softly, slipping down into the chair. The dress slides up slightly and I pull it back down, with three pairs of eyes on me.

"Elex, you must get to the palace. The Realm will not survive without you. You have some work to do." Maximus says.

"And now that this Realm will be run in a decent fashion, I need to get a message to the Immortals in The Life. Therefore, it is time to finish Victoria's training." Delbert said, standing. "Shall we go?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah." I say, standing. Elex stands as well. He leans over and kisses me. It is like he is directing all of his emotion into this kiss, it is very intense. He pulls away from me, leaning his forehead against mine.

"Just in case I don't see you before you leave The Realm." He says, kissing me again.

By the time we leave, it is well into the afternoon. Delbert and I walk to his hut and he leads me into the back. This time, instead of stopping just behind the house, he leads me past my hut. I follow, silently wondering where we are going.

He brings me up to two posts, about three feet apart, rising taller than a house. The poles are very large in diameter. The ground between them is worn and grassless. They are beautifully carved of wood. There are pictures engraved into the splintering wood. One is of a person standing before two poles, arms spread wide and a lighter line waving between the poles. On the other pole it depicts two poles, the lighter waved lines even more waved and a person stepping out from between the poles.

Delbert walks up to them and gestures to them, his hands wide.

"This is your portal. You see," he says, walking between the poles, "that if I walk between them, nothing happens. Now, you walk through them." He says, pointing for me to go.

I walk toward them slowly, unsure of what will happen. Then, as I step off the grass and onto the worn dirt, I feel a slight pressure, then WHAM! I hit something hard. It feels like hardened Jell-O, but I don't see anything. I put my hand out, and I feel it. My hand presses flat against a hard, jiggly surface.

"What is it?" I ask.

"That is the Medium Aquae. You must move it to leave. In the Realm, this is the only place to enter or exit. In the Life, you can conjure it from anywhere." He explains. "You only have to split the Aquae to go through. Once you do, I have a message for you to give to an Immortal." He says.

"I don't know where to find them." I say. He smiles.

"I know, Child. One will find you. You will know who she is when she does. Now, when she does find you, you must give her a message. Tell her that the Realm is now in much better hands. I also need her to give you a list of what is happening there, and who she needs back and who she would like to stay." He says.

"But, why not just send everyone back?" I ask. "It would be much simpler." I say.

"No, it wouldn't. Ask the Immortal. She can explain better than I." He says. "Now, try to go. An Immortal will help you return if you cannot figure it out." His expression says "enough is enough."

I sigh and turn to the posts. I focus on them, on what I know is between them. I concentrate, try to move it. Nothing happens.

"What if I can't?" I ask.