Through the Portal!!

**Nora’s POV**

“One more word and her brain will scatter on your lap”, Sypha snarled, pointing her gun at Meghan, and I looked towards Ronin.

Rorik snatched away the gun from her, giving her a razor-sharp unforgiving snare.

“Enough, Sypha, behave, or you are going back. If not for uncle and mom’s persuasions, we would have never brought you here. Zach will handle the gun part. I hope I made myself clear; if one more threat out of your mouth, I will forget that you are my sister,” Rorik gave a final ultimatum to her, but as expected, she rolled her eyes.

Rorik ignored her and turned to me, “Nora, don’t make it difficult for us. Whatever the repercussions, we are going. There is only one way now, and that’s inside this portal.”

I, too, rolled my eyes, looking at Liam and Meghan.

“Okay, I will come with you but at least spare them; why should they risk themselves for your stupid suicidal motives?” I told Rorik.

“They will go”, he snapped and nodded at Ronin.

Ronin fluttered his tail as he prepared for his descent into the crater. The hissings of neon serpents were making my skin crawl in fear. My most dreaded nightmares were coming true. “Shit! I can’t go inside,” I muttered as tears rolled down my eyes and a nervous drop of sweat formed on my forehead.

Rorik held my hand, and he helped me on Ronin’s back. This time he sat in front, while others adjusted behind us as Ronin roved the crater’s crusty, uneven black interiors. As the distance to the bottom of the pit got closer, the hissing and slurping motions of the venomous creatures intensified manifold. I was dying of anticipation of what would happen when Ronin reached the bed of these neon crawlies. Surprising as if they were sensing him as their own, the serpents gave away space to Ronin, niching the path for him to pass through. As Ronin passed through the trail, my eyes fell on the flanks, onto the yellowish fire coated eyes of these serpents; the hunger in their rattling was enough to carve cold shivers through my spine as my fingers tightly clutched on Rorik’s shirt, almost digging in through his back.

The billion-fold hissing echoed through the walls. Ronin kept going, no idea where, just following the trail, the serpents gave. A large fracture on the right bottom of the cave opened into a tunnel. The opening was less in height, so we had to crawl down from Ronin’s back to save our heads from thrashing onto the uneven rocky ceiling. The insides were free from the serpents and casket-black as no illumination from those neon-glowing serpents, and it gave me a creepy feeling that we won’t get out alive. This place was a deadly nightmare for the claustrophobic people. The mingling effect of cool, musty air through the cracks in interiors and the primal fear of darkness sends the waves of shudders through my bones. Ronin took the front while we made the two groups trail behind. Rorik supported me by firmly gripping my hand, guiding me by helping in footing and angling my body through the narrow passage. The dampness and musty scent were getting my nerves on alert as an impeccable bout of nausea engulfed me.

Ronin halted as the tunnel branches out into two, hissing as if asking me the way. Rorik focused his graze on me as I closed my eyes to let Rebekah take over. My fingers instinctively felt on the wall of the left opening, trying to clear the rusty deposits from its surface. With Rorik and Meghan’s help, scraping the sediments gave way to a few letters etched on the surface. I remember writing it, but now I don’t know this language. Rorik quickly interpreted by narrowing his eyes, almost slitting them to get a good view, ‘Azra,’ he said as we slated ahead onto the left tunnel. Almost walking through for a couple of minutes, the extremities of the tunnel came in view, and the sharp rays of light glowed on the other end. The coldness and musky vibes turned humid and dry as Ronin’s Orynx form started convulsing and facing violent shuddering.

“Shit! he is transforming”, I mumbled in fear.

“Everybody out! Now!” Rorik shouted as he rolled his backpack towards me and followed others outside the tunnel. Soon Ronin was in human form, panting and gasping for breath, lying naked on the floor.

“Are you okay?” I asked him as I brushed my fingers through his face. He blinked his eyes in affirmation. I opened the backpack and took out a pair of clothes. Once I was done dressing him, a loud rumble echoed through the passage. “Fuck! This is closing,” I shouted, and I quickly helped Ronin on his feet, and we both strode out the tunnel joining others. The tunnel closed behind us and disappeared as if never existed, erasing all the proofs of its actuality.

“I told you there is no turning back”, I gasped as I desperately searched for the tunnel opening. Others also seemed tensed.

“It’s okay, Nora, don’t get panicked. There must be some other way; I am sure Rebekah will guide you,” Meghan said, holding me tightly, assuring me and saving me by scratching myself against the thrashing of the rough surface of the rocks, which took the place of the tunnel opening.

We all settled on the ground for a few moments as my vision fell on the surroundings.

The Land of Azra!!

I was a bit wary at first, but slowly my insecurities blurred away as calmness took over. The same serenity that soothes you when you are in your homeland. The nostalgic feelings coated me as if I had been here before and lived a good part of my life here. The familiar scent of soil, greenery and fauna send contentment to my wavering mood. This place looks quite the opposite of Crixus, which had barely any vegetation on the surface and felt more like Earth. The area around us seemed like a forest, a dense one.

I turned around to look at others. Meghan and Liam seemed uneasy and unsure. Zach was alert, scouting for hostilities beyond the enemies’ lines in unknown terrain. Ronin was still recovering from his abrupt shifting while Rorik was assisting him. Sypha seemed curious; her slut mind was already searching for some trouble words.

“What a shitty welcome! I thought we would be pounced upon by creatures like zombies, succubus, witches like her, some demonic beings or maybe three-headed Ornith. What the hell! I am disappointed,” she snarled.

“Shut up, Sypha”, Rorik snapped at her.

“Can you please stop taking her side? I don’t know what witchy potion she had to feed you? Or even better, how many times had she fucked you?” she sneered, looking at me.

Rorik was about to say something, but I interrupted him, “If you don’t stop your filthy blabbering now, I will kill you”, I warned her.

“Oh really, your talisman is with us; you can’t even touch me”, she snarled back.

“But I am sure you are aware of other ways of killing like um...without the use of magic,” I smirked.

“You-” She gritted her teeth to say something.

“No more word Sypha!” Ronin stopped her.

“This witch threatened to kill me!” she snarled at him.

“If you were not my sister, I would have gladly allowed it”, Ronin retorted as Sypha gave a sharp look to Rorik to defend her.

“I’ll pass”, Rorik mustered and ignored her.

She gave me a dejected look and cursed underneath her breath.

I ignored her, and I lifted my gaze at Meghan. Suddenly, a loud sound pounced on my ear flaps as they perched towards the source of the sound. A wild raptor-like bird fledged my way, directly aiming my face.

“NO!” I screamed.