Hidden Realms Awakening

The Castle

I can't tell what's worse. The searing pain that feels like knives stabbing my head, or the whirling world and twisting stomach makes me want to vomit.
"Portals," I pant after arriving at our destination, "Out of all forms of transportation, it Had to be portals."
"Oh, stop complaining and look around you," Steph says.
I breathe in all the fresh air my lungs would permit. Warm salty air greets me. We're in a dimly lit cove. Moonlight shines through the giant curved opening in front of me. A dark ocean stretches beyond the opening, out into the open sky. Murky waters surround the island we stand on. The rocky island is covered in grass and moss. Two ancient oak trees are behind us. Their first couple of branches intricately weave together, creating a single arc, while the other branches make a leafy canopy above. Dancing inky waves reflect the pale light onto slim crystals on the ceiling, looking like falling stars. Something tugs my memory.
"I had dreams about this place," I whisper, recalling last week's reoccurring dream.
"Are you sure they were just dreams?" she asks, casting a curious glance.
"I'm not sure anymore..."
The falling star crystals, the two trees, and the cove had all been in the dream. The only difference is, that Aunt Steph hadn't been in the dream. I'm creative and have vivid dreams, but there's no way I could come up with this place on my own. Plus, the dream had constantly replayed every night for a week. Is it an old memory? Could this all be real after all?
She smirks, a slight victorious gleam in her eyes. With a small grunt, she bends down with her stiff leg and pats around. Thud. The metallic sound makes her dust moss off a rusted handle. She opens a small door and pulls out a twisted, handheld silver cone.
"Alright, stand beside me. Wouldn't want to mess up your hair, now, would we?"
I obey and watch her closely. She grips the odd object tighter, untwists the base of the cone, and a tornado bursts out. Inky water parts into two walls, creating a path toward the opposite side of the cove.
She confidently walks forward, as if there isn't a tsunami about to wash her away. She's crazy, and yet I find myself walking by her side. Well, I suppose I've officially gone crazy too.
The blasting winds hold the dark liquid walls until we reach the other side. She hands me the cone and its lid. The cold, twisted metal is awkward to hold, but I grip onto it regardless.
"Whatever you do, don't put the lid on yet."
Steph grabs a thin orange stick from her boot. With a shaky breath, she draws some sort of symbol inside a large rectangle on the rocky cave wall. The rectangle and symbol glow a neon orange for a few moments. Bzf! The rock inside the shape disappears. I blink twice, my mind is not willing to accept that Steph just made an entrance out of thin air. Yet, a small, white circular room awaits through the new entrance.
She slides the stick back into her boot, hidden from plain sight. "Hurry up. It'll close in just a few seconds."
I hesitantly step forward. I didn't want to faceplant into solid rock. Steph rolls her eyes but gives a tiny grin. I walk through and she quickly follows suit. The door disappears, and the original rocky wall returns.
"How did you do that?" I ask, nodding to the wall.
"What? The water or the rocky passage? Oh, you can close that cone now."
"Oh," I close the cone. Suddenly, water outside crashes against the wall, and the wind rushes back into the cone. "All of the above."
  "There's an enchanted piece of crystal at the bottom of the cone. It absorbs the air around us and keeps it circulating in the cone until it's ready to be used. Sort of like a fan that's always on, just without electricity and it's fifty times stronger. A Gustier invented it when the cove's old stepping stone collapsed," she explained.
"Okay, I'm not even going to ask about the 'enchanted' part or what a Gustier is right now. However, that's pretty cool, but what's cooler is the whole magic-appearing door."
"Oh, you mean the LZ Wand. It's great when you're in a bind or trapped. All you have to do is draw the area you want to be moved, draw the Elvin symbol, and while the laser glows, it causes a temporary particle burst. It only lasts roughly thirty seconds though before the particles reform."
"That's absolute genius. Though that doesn't quite make logical sense."
"Well, Klinn is a genius when it comes to anything tech, and there's a lot humans don't know when it comes to science."
Humans. I don't think I'll ever get used to that, listening to someone refer to the race I grew up in as if I'm not one of them.
"Wait, if Klinn made the Wand, then does that mean he's an elf too?"
"Well, about that...We'll discuss that topic later. I don't want to overload you."
"It's a little late for that but okay."
She shrugs, pulls a long lever on the ground, and looks up to the endless black sky. My stomach lurches. We shoot up the long cylinder tunnel. I stumble into Steph, nearly knocking her over when we come to a halt. Gold doors above slide open and the circular platform moves once more. Aged green stained glass and beige walls flash by. A few more seconds pass, and we come to another bumpy halt.
We're far above the cove in a tall tower connected to a shorter one. Clear glass wraps around the entire room. The gold floor shimmers in the starlight. Old paintings cover the slanted cone ceiling.
Steph steps a step back, head tilted, and observant eyes. I look out and inhale sharply. A castle that looks like it's straight from a fairytale sits on a mountain. A large village rests on the mountain's ledge. Far below the village, water ebbs onto a rocky bay that leads into a vast forest.
"Welcome home, Your Highness," she says gently.
"It's amazing," I breathe.
Three massive towers made of elegant stained crystals and smooth tan stone protect the main part of the castle. This isn't any regular Germany or Walt Disney castle. On its gigantic base, five diamond-shaped windows meet in the middle, creating a star. The top diamond almost touches the tip of another huge window that spans to the peak of the castle. To the right, is a small tower, similar to the one we stand in, just out from the main palace. From what I can tell between the night and angle, there seems to be another tower coming out from the left as well. All the angled roofs swoop in a way that reminds me of Japanese architecture.
"I wish I could've shown you it when it wasn't in shambles."
It's then I notice some shattered windows, the scorch marks on these walls, and crumbling arches of roadways that wrap around the castle and lead down into an abandoned village. No light aside from the moon and stars illuminates the ghostly town or castle. Chills creep along my arms and down my back.
"What happened here? Why are we the only ones here?"
She sighs. Sitting down on the floor, she looks up at me. Her deep brown eyes flood with grief and agony.
"Jamie, you need to understand that your mother has every right to hide this realm from you. It was to protect you, to keep you out of harm's way. The less you knew, the better."
I slowly nod, trying to follow along her warning trail.
With another sigh she begins, "You first need to realize, that elves and humans aren't the only species out there. There were once ten. Humans, elves, fairies, fawns, goblins, merpeople, dwarves, centaurs, gnomes, and ogres all lived in unison at one time.
"But to save you from all the gory details and long history, for now, something we call 'The Purge' happened. You were only a few months old. All elves and creatures alike were driven out of their homeland. Those who stayed behind were either killed or forced to join King Raygor, a merciless ogre, who ripped the realms apart."
"Wait, the humans never talk of this supposed event sixteen years ago," I break in, leaning against the glass wall and gazing out over the castle.
"That's because we haven't had contact with humans in hundreds of years. They'd forgotten about us, telling only these ridiculous fairytales. That was until we had to flee to them for shelter as Raygor molded the realms to his image and corrupted them."
"So, you're saying you and a couple of elves have been secretly living among humans for sixteen years because of some crazy ogre king?"
"Well, sort of. You see, there were so many of us that we made our own town."
"So, you're telling me that everyone I just met today was an elf?"
"Yes, basically."
I sit down. Propping my head against the wall, I study her. Her expression is nervous and tired. She holds her injured leg out. I don't know how she hasn't passed out yet, but something irritates me.
"Why doesn't anyone do anything about this king?" I ask after a moment.
She tilts her head and eyes me, "You are so much like your mom."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that you two share the same fiery spirit. It is what makes her such an inspiring leader."
"Leader? I thought you guys were banished from here. How can she be the leader with nobody to lead?"
She presses her thin lips together. "I think it's about time we get back."
"No, you said I deserve answers and that this should be my choice. And by the way, what did you mean by choice?"
"Jamie, it's really time we get back."
"No, just answer the questions."
"They're not safe to answer here. You aren't even supposed to be here technically."
"And yet here we are."
She frowns and gives me an annoyed look. "We seriously need to get out of here."
"Just answer the questions!"
"Jamie-"
"Steph, please. How do I know that I'll ever be able to come back to this place again? You just dropped the biggest bomb of my entire life on me. Do you realize how misplaced I've felt all my life? Like I never belonged anywhere? You tell me I'm not supposed to fit in and for a good reason. Then you show me why, but refuse to answer two simple questions."
"Jamie, I'm serious, we can't stay any longer," panic rising in her voice, "I promise to answer any questions, but only back at the ranch."
"How do I know you won't use some telepathic trick on me as soon as we get back?"
"I am seriously about to call your mother," she mutters.
Something beeping passes behind me outside. Steph scrambles over, yanks me down, and presses us both against the wall. She holds her breath. Tension fills the air. Red neon light streams through the glass, scanning the inside of the tower. I dare not move.
The light finishes its sweep, not detecting us. The mysterious probe buzzes away, light searching the ground. Steph exhales in relief.
"That's why we need to go," she whispers.
I nod with the understanding sinking in. We slowly rise. I take one last glance at the forgotten castle. I sigh and bow my head. I finally found my long-lost home, just to have it ripped away.
A siren screech outside. BOOM! I look outside. The smoking probe crashes to the ground. I glance at Steph, who's as confused and shocked as me.
"We need to leave, NOW! Someone must have shot the probe."
She ushers me back to the circular platform and goes to pull the lever when we hear a thud against the window. Some sort of winged creature, as if a mole and a bat had a baby, lays motionless against the glass. It makes squeaky noise as it slowly slides down.
With a sigh and gritted teeth, Steph mutters, "That's it. I'm going to kill him."