I think I'll Manage

Chapter 23

*Cafeteria*
"What the hell...?" There's a gigantic purple and black swirling portal in the middle of the cafeteria. But there's no monster. They look around and even wait for a few minutes but still don't see anything.
"Um how are we supposed to fight a portal?"
"Everybody shush!" Hope says "Kaleb do you hear that?" They both listen to hear the faint clink of pots and pans. "It's coming from the kitchen!" When they get through the door they see Landon on the other side of the island throwing pots at an old man who is ducking them with ease. He's short, with a long grey beard that has streaks of purple. A matching purple robe and a scepter, which in the center looks like a smaller version of the portal in the cafeteria.
"Hey!" Alaric steps closer to Landon "I don't know who you are, or what you want with Landon, But you need to hop back in that portal and go!"
"Who me? He pointed his wrinkled old finger to his chest and feigned shock "Why I, good sir am a Das Tor Magier. Or in your simple language the PORTAL WIZARD!!!"
Hope and Josie smirked and giggled at the same time.
"Hey what's so funny?!"
"Nothing.! So you're a monster from Malivore?" Hope could barely contain herself. He looked like a little old man playing dress-up. She couldn't take him seriously.
"Dear girl I am no monster! Although I was trapped in that dark and lonely dimension. I am a wizard you see!"
"So you can do spells? Doesn't that make you a witch?" Josie really didn't wanna be supernaturally related to this raisin.
"I am no witch! I'm a portal wizard. I can create and open portals capable of reaching any place I so choose! Now that we're done with introductions hand me the Dark Angel so I may go and continue my work!"
Everyone just stared at him. Dark Angel?
Alaric blinked "Um excuse me? A Dark Angel? We don't have any of those here."
"I MAY BE OLD BUT I AM NOT BLIND. HE IS STANDING RIGHT THERE!" He angrily pointed his wrinkled old finger at a very confused Landon
"Wha- me? Oh no I'm not a dark angel. Whatever that is. I don't even have powers. Or too much believe in religion so......"
"Are you that daft boy that you don't know what you are?? A dark Angel is the third key to Malivore and I will NOT be denied. I am the PORTAL WIZARD!!"
"Okay calm down we heard you the first time!! But Landon is not going with you!"
With a flick of her hand Hope ignited the stove and flicked the gas flame onto the wizards robe.
"AHHHHHH!!" He anxiously patted the flames out. I will not be disrespected!! You've made a grave mistake!" He tapped his scepter twice and disappeared into the portal that appeared behind him.
"That was weird." Hope said "Guess we gotta go study portal wizards now."
"Oh my God did you see his little pointed shoes? He looks like something out of a Halloween movie." Josie couldn't stop laughing even though it was a serious matter.
"Hey, thanks for standing up for me. That was pretty cool of you. What did you say your name was again?"
Hope almost forgot she wiped his memory. "Um Hope. My names Hope.."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Landon. I'll be honest I don't have many friends here but I'd love to hang out with you sometime....if you're free. I mean, I might need protection again" he laughed. She didn't.
"Yeah I don't think that's a good idea...."
Josie grabbed her hand and put her head on Hope's shoulder. Clearly making her position known to a clueless Landon.
"Oh.. Oh ok that's cool. Thanks anyway" he kept a smile on his face. Man this is gonna crush him when he learns the truth.
"Alright gang let's head to the library. We need to learn all we can about this portal wizard before he does any more damage. " Hope is thankful for the relief from having to talk more to Landon. She still is unsure about how the spell will work if he sees her often enough. Hopefully it holds up. And was Josie jealous?? That's a problem she didn't want to deal with. Nonetheless they all trudged to the library and started what was clearly gonna be a long day.
After about an hour flipping through books Alaric holds up one very small and tarnished one. Its dusty and made of old leather. Bound together only by rope. "I think this is it guys. It says here portal wizards hail from Germany. And they don't have the ability to do spells that's why they're not considered witches. But they have been known to use illusions and poisons for defense. They live a mortal life which they spend traveling and once they die of old age receive their scepter after spending time in the afterlife realm which gives them the ability to open the portals"
"Can they time travel?" Kaleb asks
"I don't know. Unfortunately that's all the book says. But we do know he can't get his hands on Landon. If he really is the third key to Malivore. "
"Yeah and what's a Dark Angel?" Landon asked.
"I got this one. I wrote a paper on them for a class but never turned it in. A Dark Angel is the child of a regular angel that got disgraced called the fallen. They're said to be guardians of the after life to keep the realm peaceful from demons that escape from hell. Up until now they were just a myth since no one has ever died and fought one then came back"
"That's amazing Josie" Hope all but swooned over her smart girlfriend. And her smile made her heart jump. She gave Josie a kiss forgetting her dad was even there.
*ahem* Alaric clears his throat "Thank you Josie for that information. Hope can you put a boundary spell on Landon.? We're gonna have to do a round the clock watch for him while we find out more information. And if he can't leave the property he'll be that much safer."
"Can do."
*zrrtt* tiny shocks start to form as if the air is electrifying right in front of them
"Um Hope.....this isn't a boundary spell" Josie grabbed her hand hoping she was feeling ok
"This isn't me!" She pulled them both back against the wall
Everyone else jumped back as a portal appeared.
"Reading up on me eh? Well I could have told u what you wanted to know. He stepped out into view and Josie pushed Hope behind her. If it wasn't such a serious situation Hope would've smiled.
"Airias Saldo" Josie pushed her hands sending a gust of wind knocking the old man back into his portal which closed behind him.
Hope grabbed her from behind for a victory hug when the shocks started again this time closer to Alaric. "You'll have to do better than that to get rid of me my dear. And you really should nicer. I could easily conjure up a dinosaur to come and devour you all! But. I won't. I have a geschenk! A gift! For you, fraulein Mikaelson"
Hope pulled up a fireball ready to hurl it at whatever stepped out of that portal.
He reached into the portal, smiling wickedly and threw his "gift" on the floor. It looked like a person but there was a silky black Cape covering them. Nobody moved.
"Who is that......." Hope's voice shook but she kept her fireball ready to launch
"A person you can keep Fraulein Mikaelson, IF and only IF you deliver me the Dark Angel in 24 hours. No tricks! No spells! Or I send this one straight into a portal to Malivore. He stepped back in his portal and was gone. Hope cautiously pulled the covering off the mystery gift....
.
.
.
.
"DAD!?"
"Hope."