The Baron and his Lady

Thirty-four: Ripples

Outside world
Tristane's pov

I sat there, tired and restless. I have been awake since last night and I've used my magic more than twice now, normally I'd pass out or get a nose bleed. But, fortunately, I was just tired.

It must be because the dark entity lent me power or Emma's magic flowed through me now. There was no way I'd be sure. But I knew that as soon as the fifteen minutes was up, I would need to reopen the portal or Lucian and Krista will remain trapped there, forever.

"Will you able to open it again?" Claus asked.

"I can. But wether they make it back or not, I have no way of knowing."

"So even if you manage to open it again if they cannot make an appearance you'll have to close it back?"

I sighed, "Yes."

"Why?"

I stared at the man I had known to be dead all these years, he wore Patrick's face but I can see it was Claus. His eyes were angry. Can't blame him.

"If the portal remains open for long it would start to suck everything from our world."

"You mean, anything?"

"Yes. Rocks, trees, animals, even you and me." I let him absorb that before adding, "And once we are inside, we can't come back. It's like a door that can only be opened from the outside. No one knows what other side looked like."

"You sent Lucian there without an assurance he can come back!"

"I did."

He was suddenly upon me, his hand pulled my collar, the events of how he choked me to death was very fresh. I lifted my hand to free my neck but he only loosened his hold, "Let me go Claus."

"You knew. You knew there was no certainty he can ever come back, yet you sent him back. What did my brother ever do to you?"

"B-brother?"

"Haven't you looked enough at my memories? Lucian and I are brothers. I was our father's bastard. I grew up knowing that but I was raised a servant. I did what I could to protect my brother. And now that we have finally seen each other again, you sent him back to that oblivion!"

With that said, Claus released his hold and I sprawled on my back. My neck hurt and I was sure it would bruise. So that's what he meant on his journal, his love for Lucian was brotherly and we assumed it was something else. I wanted to kick myself.

I watched Claus stand by the tree, his hand touched the trunk. When his back was turned, I called my ability back. It was a gift my father or his father did not have, the ability to see other's past or dream.

I saw Claus, a child so thin and sick, wrapped in nothing but rags. His hair turned brown because of dirt, his face covered in soot and blood. He was walking limply towards Penthurst Manor.

The doors opened and Lucian's father came  out, he was dressed in his finest and was on his way to visit his mistress. He saw the boy and his face contorted in disgust. He was about to call the servants to take him away when the boy looked up. Claus looked at him with deep set blue eyes. His eyes.

Dear lord. The child was his!

There was a sudden commotion when his wife came through the door and saw Claus, she felt pity for the boy and took him in. She nursed him back to health and gave him to the servants to be raised as their own.

Claus never remembered his mother or how he got there. All he knew was, he was hungry and tired. The Manor was the first thing he saw in days or walking. It took weeks for him to talk again.