Chapter Four
“I’m sorry about this one,” Margot said. “Jhosa’s harmless.”
Jhosa put Morrigan down only when the portal guardian’s token was given to Margot.
Of course Morrigan could have snapped her fingers and been out of his firm hold, but that wouldn’t have gained trust.
“I don’t know what it is. I always seem unpopular with people’s husbands and wives,” Morrigan joked.
“I wonder why that is,” Jhosa said with menace.
“Jhosa, stop.”
Margot led them over to an alehouse near her blacksmith’s and got them a table outside. A waitress brought over three jugs of beer and set them down.
“So, what happened on Danus?” Margot asked.
“I’ve been living, off and on, on a world called Earth. My brother Balor—”
“Balor?” Jhosa said.
Margot looked surprised. “I thought Vorka and her people had banished him to a realm where he’d never escape.”
Morrigan took a sip of her ale and nodded. “It was supposed to be a prison, but he had the help of a witch. But the paranormals of that world came together to stop him, and I was crucial to that plan.”
“Crucial?” Jhosa folded his arms.
“Well, maybe not crucial, but I helped. Anyway, when he was being banished, one of the wolves was caught in the crossfire and flung through the portal. I said I would help try to track her down.”
“Does she know about our realm and the portals?” Margot said.
Morrigan sighed. “No. Just that we were trying to stop Balor escaping from his.”
“I hope your friends know how hard that will be,” Jhosa said.
“I did explain, but I had to try. This is why Vorka sent me to you. When I came through the portal on Danus, Vorka and the monks’ temple had been attacked by the Abnobians.”
“Bastards.” All eight feet of Jhosa stood up and smashed his fist down on the table.
Margot scolded him. “Jhosa, we don’t know who is watching us.”
“Sorry,” he said quietly. “They just seem to be everywhere at the moment. We are supposed to be making their influence smaller, and all they do is continue to grow. Before long they’ll be—”
Margot pointed at her husband. “Don’t say it.”
“They’ll be running the whole realm like they used to.”
“Didn’t I say don’t even say it? No negativity here. We will prevail.”
Morrigan held up her hands. “As much as I like watching two married people fight in public, I had a reason for coming.”
“Sorry. Go ahead, Morrigan,” Margot said.
“Vorka sent the Map Keeper away as soon as they knew they were under attack. While I was with Vorka, they received intelligence that a werewolf, speaking in a language they didn’t understand, stepped in and saved Camber.
The werewolf and Camber were last seen going through a portal, one after the other. ”
“So your quarry has found the Map Keeper?” Jhosa said.
Morrigan nodded. “Vorka asked me to gather the portal guardians and for us to work together to find both of them. She couldn’t risk sending a signal, so she sent me with that token.”
“Okay,” Margot said, “we’re on board. We have to keep the Map Keeper safe. I don’t think we can ever afford to get other rebels involved.”
The rebellion was an organization of cells whose purpose was to attack and protest the Abnobian Empire. The portal guardians, the lead cell of the rebels, were led by Vorka, and she relied on the portal guardians to lead the rebels when needed.
“Where do we go to next?”
Jhosa rubbed his beard. “Thane? You haven’t offended him recently, have you?”
“Me? Never. I haven’t seen Thane in…a very long time, but he holds grudges,” Morrigan said.
Margot laughed. “You don’t sound too convincing.”
“Honestly…I don’t think so.”
“This breeze is like heaven,” Brogan said.
Camber couldn’t believe Brogan had lasted till they had nearly crossed the bay to talk for the first time. She gave Brogan a pointed look.
Their boatman chewed on his hujal root, a practice that was addicting and detrimental to life. He took it out of his mouth and spat the disgusting brown saliva overboard.
“Your friend doesn’t look like she’s from around these parts. She’s burning up in our heat, and that accent! Not to mention those blue coloured pantaloons she’s wearing.”
Brogan looked down at her jeans. “These are—”
Camber cut her off. “They are spiritual clothes where she’s from.”
Brogan raised an eyebrow to Camber.
She continued, “I met her on my travels and promised to bring her to see the two moons at nightfall.”
“Ah, there is no more beautiful sight.”
That appeared to appease him. The boat travelled past Temple City, and Brogan looked at it in awe. “What is this?”
“It’s the Temple, where the gods commune with us, if we are lucky,” the boatman said.
Brogan was obviously not good at taking instruction, because she kept talking.
“It looks like Egypt.”
“Egypt?” he said in a questioning voice.
Brogan cast a worried look to Camber. Good, she knew she had to shut up.
“It’s just a place I read about once.”
“Hmm. How long since you’ve been back to Temple City?” he asked Camber.
“Not long. I last met my family there, when my sister’s baby was to be blessed.” Camber thought she’d covered that quite well.
“The gods are a blessing to this world.”
“Yes, a blessing.”
Camber managed to keep Brogan quiet until their journey was over. She thanked the boatman and started to clamber over the sand dunes. There wasn’t an elaborate dock here, as very few people travelled this way.
As soon as they were over the dunes and the boatman started on his way back, Camber rounded on Brogan.
“What is wrong with you? I told you to be quiet and follow my instructions if you wanted my help, or is it that you don’t want my help? You’re trying to expose me?”
“Expose you?” Brogan took steps forward until she was inches from Camber. “I could have done that many times, but no, I haven’t, and that’s because I’m telling the truth about who I am, but you don’t want to trust me.”
“I trust no one, and I’m going out of my way to help. I haven’t come on this journey lightly. I could have been gone.”
“Don’t ever shout in my face like that,” Brogan said.
“Why don’t you just find your own way.”
“Fine, just give me my things out of your little magic bag, and I’ll be gone.”
“Suits me,” Camber said. She took out Brogan’s shirt and a portion of the food and water and left it on the ground. “I’m sure you’ll find a blacksmith to take off the cuffs.”
Camber began to walk away.
Brogan looked down at the food and water. Camber could have left her with nothing. She was hit with remorse.
“Camber? Camber, I’m sorry.”
Camber stopped walking but didn’t turn around.
“You didn’t deserve that. I’m just frustrated and worried if I’ll ever get home.”
Camber finally turned and walked up to her. “Everything I tell you is for a reason. I know these places, you don’t, and if you really want to get home, then we have to blend in to the background.”
“Okay, I’ll behave better. I promise. Can we take these handcuffs off now?” Brogan asked.
“No chance of that, Wolf. They are my insurance policy.”
“For the Goddesses’ sake. You are the most distrustful person I’ve ever met.”
“If you had been hunted your whole life, then maybe you’d understand why.”
Brogan sighed. “I’m sorry. You are helping me, so I’ll play by your rules.”
“Thank you. Right, let’s go. We’ve got a lot of walking to do,” Camber said.
Brogan put her shawl back in place. It would at least protect her from the unrelenting sun. “Where are we going?”
“The Temple.”
“What?” Brogan said in a high pitched voice. “The boatman took us past the Temple not long ago.”
“Calm down, Wolf. We need to go in a side entrance, and I don’t want that journey to be traced back to us.”
“Okay, I’m walking, I’m walking. How long will it take us to get there?” Brogan asked.
“A couple of hours. You got the fitness, Wolf?” Camber asked.
“Anytime. Lead the way.”
They’d been walking for about an hour when Brogan stopped. “Can I have a drink?”
Camber opened up her bag and handed Brogan a pouch of water. Brogan gulped down a long, long drink.
Camber watched as beads of sweat trickled down Brogan’s muscular arms. Watching was making her feel hotter than the sun beating down on her.
Camber hadn’t been in the company of wolves very often, unless it was the occasional lone wolf that was sent to track her down, and she couldn’t help but drink in Brogan’s physique the way Brogan was drinking down that water.
She shook off that stupid sense of attraction. Camber was used to that. Her position in the realm meant that she could never give in to any romantic feelings, because love, romance, made you vulnerable, and that was something that could get her killed.
Brogan handed her back the water, and they started to walk again.
“Sorry I’m holding things up, but I’m struggling with this heat.”
“Your pack lands are in a cool part of the world?” Camber asked.
Brogan chuckled. “You could say that. Rainy, cold, miserable. In fact the Irish Filtiaran pack have the nickname the sea wolves. We love to swim in the cold sea surrounding our pack lands, catching fish and having fun.”
“I’ve never known wolves like that.” Camber saw how much the heat was affecting Brogan, so she decided to keep her talking. “Tell me about your world, Brogan—that’s assuming you aren’t undercover for the Abnobians.”
Brogan sighed. “If I was, I don’t think I’d pretend to be a wolf who’s dying of the heat, following you across this desert world, while trying to work for the bad guys.”
“You’d be surprised what people will do to try to capture the Map Keeper. As long as you keep on those cuffs, I’ll play along. So? Your world?”
Brogan plodded along, trying to keep up with Camber. She had never been this hot in her life. Sweat was pouring off her. If she’d been by herself, she would have stopped for a longer break, but Brogan wasn’t showing any weakness to Camber.
“Ah, Earth is a beautiful place. Can be a beautiful place, but humans sometimes make it not so nice.”
“How so?” Camber asked.
“We pollute the oceans, chop down forests, and cause pollution in the air with our vehicles. Well, werewolves try to protect the forests and landscapes in our pack lands.”