The Endërland Chronicles: Book of Daniel

They had been quiet for a while, enjoying a moment of respite as Nemo helped Daniel give Lightning a much needed bath. The stallion seemed to be enjoying the treatment. His mane had grown twice as long after being brushed, not without some difficulty.

  ‘Do you think we’re gonna end up fighting against them?’ Nemo asked, breaking the silence.

  ‘We might,’ Daniel answered. ‘Are you afraid?’

  Nemo looked at him as if the question was completely out of place. He appeared to think about it for a second.

  ‘No,’ he finally answered, smiling, ‘I’m not. The Great Lord is on our side; what can Winter do?’

  Daniel gazed at him. He did not seem to be afraid; maybe he had outgrown his fear, or maybe he really believed his friend was the Great Lord. How he wished he could share the same faith and hope; he felt as if he and Nemo had somehow switched places. Nemo was the confident one now, and he was the one who was afraid.

  He finally put down the piece of cloth he was using to clean Lightning’s neck and flank.

  ‘He’s as good as new now. You better go get some rest Nemo; we’re gonna be moving soon.’

  ‘What about you?’ Nemo asked. ‘Aren’t you going to get some sleep?’

  ‘I am actually,’ he said, remembering that he no longer had the bracelet on and he could now go back to his own world. ‘I’m kinda looking forward to seeing a couple of friends of mine. Save me a spot, will you; I’ll be there soon.’

  Nemo nodded and went inside without saying more, while Daniel remained outside with Lightning beside him, enjoying his big friend’s easy company.

  He couldn’t tell how long he stayed out there, but just when he was about to turn around and go back inside, he noticed a figure appear from the corner of his eye. Turning back to see who it was, his jaw dropped, as he made out the familiar figure of Sam, coming towards him through the broken gate.

  Dressed as usual in her tight jeans and hoodie, with her blond curly hair let loose, she approached Daniel with a confused look on her face.

  ‘Sam?’ Daniel met her halfway and rushed to give her a strong hug. ‘What…, how did you get here?’ he asked her, bewildered.

  Still in his arms, Sam looked in his deep green eyes, and without saying anything, reached up and kissed him on the lips. Caught completely off guard, Daniel just stood where he was, surrendering his mouth to hers. He was so happy to see Sam, and being this close to her again brought back all the old emotions and questions in his mind. The fact that she smelled really good and her lips felt amazing on his, didn’t help either. It wasn’t long though, before Hëna’s image flashed in his mind, along with everything he felt about her, and he slowly drew back from Sam.

  It was a very short moment, seconds really, but still long enough for Hëna to witness from the entrance of the castle where she’d just appeared. Without making herself noticed, she turned around and went back inside, leaving the two of them alone again.

  ‘What was that for?’ Daniel asked, too shy to look at Sam in the eye.

  ‘I swore to myself that the next time I saw you, I would kiss you, and I did,’ she said with glee in her eyes, though she appeared mortified by what she’d just done. ‘I didn’t wanna lose the chance again, in case this dream ends too soon.’

  Daniel smiled at her, not really knowing how to respond to that. He then repeated his question.

  ‘Sam, how did you get here?’

  Sam gave a quick look at their surroundings.

  ‘Where is here?’

  ‘You’re in Endërland, Sam. But how? Can you sleep now?’

  Right then Sam’s face grew darker, and she recalled the last events of her waking life.

  ‘They found us, Daniel, the ones who kidnapped you the first time.’ She walked to the entrance of the castle and sat down on the cold steps in front of it. Daniel followed her. ‘They came to the little house in Sotira at night, but I took you away in the raft, and we escaped. Freddie stayed behind to lead them on a different direction, but I think they got him. I don’t know for sure though; I only heard the gunshot in the middle of the night. I thought for a little while that we made it, but they caught up with us, and the last thing I remember is getting shot.’

  She stopped talking and put her hands on her stomach, where she had been shot, but there was no sign of a wound or blood there. Daniel lowered his eyes, not daring to look at her. This was not good. Sam had tried so hard to keep him safe, and now had paid dearly for it herself. Was she still alive on the other side, or was it all over for her? This was all his fault; he shouldn’t have let her come along; he should have insisted she went home. If he had, none of this would have happened.

  And what about him? If he went back now, he would fall right into Winter’s hands, and everything they were trying to accomplish would be lost forever.

  He looked at Sam and their eyes met again, but this time there was just sadness there.

  ‘Oh, Sam, I’m so sorry. I never wanted anything to happen to you.’

  ‘Do you think I’m dead?’ Sam asked matter of factly. To her own surprise, she wasn’t worried about herself.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Daniel answered, ‘I don’t think so. You’re here; there must be a reason for that. We must find Alfie; he might be able to tell us more about this. Come with me.’

  He took her by the hand and led her into the great hall.

  ‘Who’s Alfie?’

  ‘He’s the oracle of the Great Lord, or was… It’s a bit too complicated to explain.’

  They’d just entered the bright hall, when they saw Damien coming towards them. He was now wearing brand new clothes; he had washed and cleaned himself up, and his black curly hair and beard were neatly combed and trimmed. He looked a completely different man, handsome and already healthier.

  Upon seeing him, Sam stopped walking.

  ‘What’s he doing here?’

  Baffled, Daniel stared at her.

  ‘That’s my brother, Damien; do you know him?’

  ‘Know him? I should think so; he’s the one who kidnapped you the first time and who has you now. Daniel, he’s the one who shot me.’

  Daniel looked at his older brother, who seemed to be even more dumbfounded than he was.

  ‘Sam, he couldn’t have; he’s been locked in the dungeons of this castle ever since he went missing. I only just found him.’

  Damien approached them cautiously and went next to Daniel.

  ‘I just wanted you to see what your older brother really looks like. I must have given you a scare the way I looked before. I know I scared myself.’

  He then turned to Sam, and a shy smile formed on his handsome face.

  ‘Hello! I’m Damien.’

  He extended his hand to meet hers, but she drew back even further from him, without saying anything. Daniel had already figured out what was happening.

  ‘Sam,’ he said in a soothing voice, ‘it’s not him. The man who shot you is using my brother’s body, but he’s not my brother. Do you remember what I’ve told you about the portals?’

  Sam nodded.

  ‘Well, I learned here that anyone can use them to travel back to our world, only, when they do, they wake up in the body of whoever created the portal in the first place. I think somebody went through Damien's, though I have no idea how he could have found it, if Damien is the only one who can see it.’

  ‘Have I created a portal?’ Sam asked.

  ‘You must have, that’s how it usually works. Do you remember where you woke up?’

  ‘Yes, it was right outside, just before I saw you. Come, I’ll show you.’

  She led them outside the castle again, crossing the courtyard and through the broken gate, stopping just by the entrance of the tunnel.

  ‘There,’ she said, eyes fixed at one spot on the wall of the cave, ‘can you see it? I can see part of the room from here. That’s Eddie's body lying dead; you should be behind me. My god, they’re still there, Daniel, and they’re setting the whole place on fire. They want to cover th
eir tracks. We need to do something.’

  Daniel felt the panic in her voice and went close to her.

  ‘I’m sorry, Sam, I don’t see anything. It’s like I…’ As he was speaking, he placed one hand on her shoulder, and that’s when the vision of Selim’s house became visible to him too. ‘Wait, I can see it. Sam, I see it; but how?’

  It then came to him.

  ‘Sam, I need you to do something for me please; take off your blouse.’

  Sam looked at him stunned, but did as he said and passed her top to him. The ice inside the cave had almost all melted, but it was still quite chilly in there. Sam crossed her arms around herself to keep warm and covered, aware that Damien’s eyes had not left her since the moment he first saw her.

  As soon as Daniel got hold of her blouse, her portal became visible to him again.

  ‘This is why he took your clothes, Damien,’ he told his brother, who until then had remained silent. Daniel passed the blouse to him, and as soon as he handled it, Sam’s portal and the vision of what lay on the other side became visible to him.

  ‘But how did they know of this?’ he asked.

  ‘Who cares about that now?’ Sam grabbed the blouse from his hands, and put it back on. ‘I’m about to turn into ash over there; I can’t just stand here and watch it happen.’

  Daniel turned to face her.

  ‘You could just, stay here, you know? Whatever happens back there, you’ll be safe here with the rest of us. Think about it, Sam, no more insomnia.’

  ‘I bet,’ Sam replied, outraged at the suggestion, ‘I’d be sleeping for good. Oh, Daniel, don’t you see? This is not about my insomnia anymore; they’ve got you now and I have a feeling that we won’t be safe here either as long as they do. I have to go back; I have a score to settle.’

  Daniel hated to admit it, but she was right; as long as Winter was in possession of his body, he would never be completely safe and free.

  ‘But you don’t know if you’ll make it out of that fire, Sam; you’re wounded.’

  ‘I’ll make it, Daniel; I have to, for both of our sakes. Trust me, ok; I know what I’m doing.’

  She leaned towards him and gave him another quick kiss on the lips, and then made for the portal. Just as she was about to walk into the vision, a hand grabbed her and held her in place. She turned to see Damien holding her by the wrist, but before she could howl at him, he said.

  ‘Sam, please don’t kill him; the other me I mean. I’d like to be able to go back home someday.’

  She stared at him, trying to figure out if he was joking or not, but he obviously wasn’t. He really meant it. Now what was she to do about this? Butler had shot her and left her for dead, and she was supposed to let him live? How was that justice? And even if she agreed to that, would Butler give her that choice? She shook her head, unable to think of this just now.

  ‘I’ll try,’ she simply told him and vanished from their sight and into thin air.

  In the Valley of Destiny