Chapter 16 #2
“Come, stand next to me and hold my sleeve. I’ll take you there.”
Fionn did as he was told and within seconds, he felt himself sucked into a vortex and found himself standing in a large cavern with smooth walls, lit with so many torches, he could see the entire space.
“I can make it larger if you’d like,” offered Mystia.
Fionn took several steps, looking at the immense space and smiled.
It was the perfect size for his hoard. Turning to Mystia, he said, “Thanks, but this is fine. You might want to step back over there while I bring it here.” When Mystia had moved, Fionn called upon his magic and, in a flash of fire, moved his hoard to its new home.
Then, he slowly walked among his treasures, fingering the diamonds, rubies, sapphires and the other precious gems his mother had bequeathed to him.
He loved touching them, knowing her hands had caressed them.
The gold bars, the ancient cups of a long extinct Roman empire, medieval crowns embellished with so many diamonds the gold beneath was hidden.
On he walked, surveying these artifacts of his heritage, making sure nothing was missing.
It had been way too long since he’d spent time with his hoard and he could feel it renewing his magic, feeding his dragon and quieting the anxiety he felt when the time between visits became too long.
When he was sure it was all there, he headed back to Mystia, grinning. “Thank you, this is perfect.”
“Good, now let’s do the portal. I want you to pick a password that has no connection to your family, your life, your past or anything your father might know about.”
It took several minutes before Fionn thought of one. “Okay, I have one. Now what?”
“Once the portal is created, you will find a screen next to the entrance, enter your password then wait until it tells you to enter it again. Once you’ve done that, place your palm on the screen until it turns green. Then the portal will open.”
“Okay, I guess I should’ve asked this before, but how do I find the portal when I want to visit my hoard?”
“Once you complete the setup, I will give you the words to summon the portal wherever you are. It will only transport you here and then it will either return you to the place you came from or you can enter a new place you want to go to on the screen.”
“Got it. It only gives me that choice when I leave here.”
“Right. Ready?”
“Yes.”
Mystia waved her wand, uttering the words of the spell silently, and suddenly a portal appeared in front of them. “I can either turn my back or I can leave and return when you’re finished.”
Fionn eyed the portal, totally impressed with it, then remembering what he had to do, located the screen he needed to use to set his password. He turned to Mystia and said, “Please stay, I haven’t ever used one of these, so I think it’s better if you’re here in case I do something wrong.”
Nodding, Mystia turned her back to the portal. “Remember, you have to enter your password twice, then place your palm on it until it turns green.”
“Got it.” Fionn quickly followed Mystia’s instructions and when the screen turned green, he removed his hand. “Okay, I did it. So how do we know if it works?”
“Now you will enter the location we came from, step into the portal and you will immediately be back in Scotland. But first, these are the words you use to summon the portal.” Once she was sure Fionn knew them, she stepped back and said, “Also, this is the only time the portal will allow another person to enter it with you. After this, if someone tries to join you in the portal, they will die once they step into it. If you want to change those settings in the future, let me know and I will tell you how. But for now, I think it’s safer if only you can use it, n’est-ce pas? ”
“Oui,” Fionn said smiling. “So, how do we do this?”
“Take my hand, then on the count of three, let’s walk into it.”
His heart was beating fast as they entered the portal—suddenly he was back in his bedroom inside the bubble with Mystia next to him. “That is fucking cool,” Fionn exclaimed, looking behind him, seeing nothing but his room.
“Okay, before I leave, I want you to summon the portal, use it, then return here. Oh, one more thing, never say the words out loud. They will work even if you mouth them silently. Okay?”
“Yup.” Fionn summoned the portal and was instantly at his hoard again.
Before he returned, he selected something to give to Mystia as a gift for her help.
He hadn’t realized how much his worry had consumed him until he saw his hoard safe and sound, in a place his father would never find.
Delaying no more, he returned to see Mystia sitting in a chair, waiting to give him something else.
“This is from Jackson,” Mystia said, handing him an envelope. “In there you will find your new identification, some charge cards and a debit card in case you want to use cash. If you need anything else, ask Logan and he will take care of it.”
Holding the envelope, Fionn stood dumbstruck, tears filling his eyes.
The only person who had shown him this amount of kindness was his mother and since her death, no one cared if he lived or died.
In a trembling voice, Fionn said, “This means more to me than you will ever know. Thank you so much, Mystia. You are a very kind witch and I’d like you to have this for everything you’ve done for me.
” Fionn took out a small, ruby-encrusted broomstick pin from his pocket and handed it to her.
“My mother told me it belonged to a powerful witch she helped once. I think she’d be pleased to see another witch owning it again. ”
Touched, Mystia rose, hugged Fionn tightly and, removing the bubble, disappeared.