Oakbrook - The Portal

The Naiad

The Naiad

Lily stepped over the threshold and turned to wave her hand at the portal standing open behind her. It snapped shut and disappeared. There was no trace of Kate, Susan, or Kokare. She nodded to herself, when she'd tried to separate Susan from Kokare she'd torn them all apart. But, she was confident she could find them. She was less confident where Kokare was concerned. He was the reason she'd stayed away, Lily was more scared than she allowed anyone else to know.

She breathed in the familiar, warm air, scented with flowers and the smell of rain on warm soil. With her feet planted firmly on the damp grass, she took a long look around her. The grass was cool, damp and very green. Vivid flowers grew through it. She was standing in a clearing amongst towering trees. Their gnarled trunks twisting above her head while the sun shone through bright green new leaves. The chattering of small creatures filled the air alongside the gentle whisper of the breeze.

There was a crushed trail of grass leading away from her. She knelt to examine it, eyes narrowed as she let her magic seep into the crushed grass, reading what had happened. Of course, it would be his path she found. Rising to her feet, she followed the trail, her face set in harsh lines, eyes like chips of splintered glass. She strode across the grass, knowing exactly where she was going. The trail wove through the trees and Lily slowed to let her hands run over the trunks. The greetings and welcome she felt warmed her heart. She had been missed but was there was still a welcome here.

Just ahead there was a spring bubbling up through some rocks. It burbled away into a shallow stream which flowed off into the trees. Lily paused there to wash her face, and hands. She crouched in the grass and cupped her hands to scoop up some water and drink deeply. The ice-cold water burned down her throat, and she felt the energy tingle right through to her fingertips. She smiled and nodded her thanks to the water, then fished a coin from her pocket. This was an old coin, worn from years of handling so only the faintest impressions could be seen, beaten from a sheet of the purest copper. She tossed it towards the point where the water slid over the rocks. A green tinged hand thrust up and caught it, held it in a delicate palm, offering the coin back.

"I have no need of tribute from you." The voice was soft and rippled like the water. A head and shoulders emerged from the water, the hand with the coin still outstretched. Her hair hung wet like water weed, long and dripping over slim shoulders. "Drink what you will, with no payment required. I give you this freely." Her black eyes flashed in amusement, a smile played about green lips. The Naiad pushed herself to the bank, and smiled a warm welcome.

"Mistress Lilith. It is good to see you after so long. Please, take your token; you can find a better use for it." The Naiad held out the hand holding the coin cradled in her palm. Lily chuckled and shook her head.

"I am Mistress no longer, but simple Lily now. But it is good to be back." Lily reached out and took the coin from the Naiad's hand, their fingers clasping for a brief moment. "My thanks." Lily said "I wish you safe while I deal with this."

"You may refuse the title but the power is still yours to command. I feel it, I see it. You are here for him?"

Lily nodded. "And the child he took, and the mother who came after the child."

The Naiad took Lily's hands. "Simple Lily, be safe." The Naiad spoke softly and Lily lowered her eyes, feeling humbled by the devotion she saw. The Naiad waited until Lily's eyes came back up and then nodded and slipped back into the water, easing between the rocks.

"Naiad?" she asked, and the Naiad inclined her head slightly. "Find the child and return her to her mother. Oran may be able to help."

The Naiad smiled her acceptance of the task.

Smiling to herself, Lily walked on.

"I'm sorry." The Naiad whispered as she sank beneath the water.

At Kate's house, Sam was on the phone. "Hi, Heather, it's Sam Brewer, Kate and Lily's friend?" A pause. "Yes, we've met at Lily's once, years ago. She asked me to call, she says can you keep Andrew for a day or two? If you can't I can come and get him? Or you could drop him round here?" Another pause while she listened, "Oh fantastic, I'll let her know. No, I haven't got the foggiest, something important she had to do apparently. Friday would be fabulous, thanks." She chatted a bit longer, thanked Lily's sister again and then hung up. "Somehow I think that shouldn't have been that easy." She frowned. "I wonder if her sister knows?"

As Lily walked on the trees became darker and more twisted. She became more wary as she pressed deeper through the trees. The path had changed since her last visit, many years before. It twisted and narrowed, the trees hung almost menacingly over her head. The path was darkening with every step, tree branches woven tighter above her head. Lily pulled her coat tighter around her, pulled her collar up, and thrust her hands deep into the pockets. There was movement behind the trees, out of sight, but obviously tracking her. She frowned as she walked on. This was almost too easy.

She bent down to place the palm of her hand on the earth beneath her feet. She smiled in grim satisfaction. This was still the right path. She had not been lead astray, not that she thought he could. She set her shoulders and walked on.

The trees now grew thorns and the breeze quickened into a wind that made the branches moan eerily.

"Is that the best you can do?" Lily called out into the air, "That is so typical fairy tale, so human. I hoped for better from you!" She shook her head, hair flying in the wind. She brushed it out of her face with her hand, wishing she'd thought to bring something to tie it back. She laughed out loud at herself, reached out and plucked a leather thong from empty air. Lily had more power here than she had in Kate's world. Deftly she wove it through her hair to secure it back from her face. Thrusting her hands back into her pockets and chuckling to herself, she strode further on.

Distracted, she walked straight into the ambush. Dark shapes leapt from the trees to surround her, each carrying a short sword or spear. These were twisted parodies of the regular forest dwellers. Short, stunted creatures with twisted limbs and hunched backs. They were dressed in hard leather and armed with polished bronze. Tufts of coarse hair burst from sleeves and necks and sprouted from their misshapen heads. Sharply pointed ears adorned most of them. Although they each had the normal complement of two eyes, a nose and mouth, their faces were gnarled like tree bark and their features hid amongst folds of skin.

The largest leapt at her, showing a bravado she had not expected. Lily backed off a step instinctively.

"What are you?" She demanded. "You are not of my realm."

"We are not of your realm." The creature sneered in agreement. "You abandoned this place, abandoned us. This is your realm no longer." It squared up to Lily, swiped at her with its spear. She leaned back to avoid a blow.

"You were once mine." She observed, looking more closely at the misshapen dwarf before her and the ranks of his fellows behind him. "What happened to you?"

"No longer!" He was angry and emphatic. "We are his now. He took the dark places and made them ours. We are of the dark, of the shadows." He swiped again and as Lily raised a hand to fend him off he lunged, catching the palm of her hand and ripping it open. The spearhead flicked in a blur of motion and caught her coat on the side. She felt the fabric tear, and skin open. A warm trickle began down her side.

"I have no wish to harm you!" Lily cried as the rest swarmed towards her. She flung a bright but diffuse light towards them, and they slowed but did not stop. She made the magic stronger but still they did not stop. Concentrating on the leader and her defences she missed the smallest of the troop creeping behind her. His spear thrust out, jabbed into the back of her calf, and tripped her. Lily landed heavily, and they swarmed onto her with no hesitation.

Lily refused to harm them, and so was hampered in the ensuing fight. She was unarmed other than her innate power. The creatures were unhindered and jabbed with no qualms about hurting her. In the end their sheer weight of numbers overwhelmed her. Bleeding in dozens of places, she fell and was swiftly bound to be carried off.