Tagan's Child by ammyford1 Page B

“Oh,
right.” I said, my eyes wide. This explained why Ahran and Elaya
were able to get here so quickly.
    “It would be
very strange if someone just materialised in the middle of a busy
shopping mall,” he continued.
    It was just as
odd materialising in a wood, I thought to myself.
    “So what do we
do? Just walk through it and bingo we are there?”
    “Yes, pretty
much,” he said without any further explanation.
    It seemed so
easy. I had expected spaceships and flashing lights, I couldn’t
help feeling more than a little relieved.
    “What’s Ramia
like?”
    “Dinara, which
is the kingdom I am from, is very beautiful, you can see for
yourself if we go now.”
    “Now?” I said
in a high pitched voice.
    “The sooner we
go, the quicker we can get back.”
    “We can’t go
today,” I argued. “I want to see Audrey and I need to speak to
Sandie and I need to pick Toby up from school at 3.15.” I knew I
was stalling. Suddenly, I didn’t feel comfortable travelling to
another universe through a portal. What if I disintegrated or
something? It was alright for Ahran he was a superhuman and used to
it, I was a mere, what did he call me? Sapien?
    “We could be
there and back in a couple of hours,” he reasoned.
    I stared at him
feeling a little dazed, I’d run out of excuses. “Okay, if you are
sure we won’t be long,” I said hesitantly.
    Oh hell! What
had I just agreed to?
    “Just give me a
minute.” A hefty dose of fear was beginning to settle in. I went
upstairs to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. Wild
panic was now galloping through my veins. “I can do this,” I said
to my reflection, trying to ignore the terror in my eyes. Please
don’t let me burn up, I prayed. I splashed some water on my face
and patted it dry with a towel. I grabbed my bag from the bedroom
checking I had everything I needed. What did I need for a trip to
another universe? I hadn’t a clue. Before stalling much longer and
changing my mind, I went back downstairs.
    “Shall we go
then?” I said nervously. Ahran nodded and followed me out of the
back door. I locked it and put the key under a nearby plant
pot.
    The thirty
acres of woodland behind the house belonged to me and I often
walked through it with Mungo. Little did I know that anything like
a space travelling portal existed in it. We walked through the back
gate. Ahran took the lead and we started down a worn footpath.
    “Are you okay?”
he asked.
    “No,” I said
shakily. I scrutinised my familiar surroundings suspiciously and
couldn’t see anything that resembled a portal, not that I had any
idea what one looked like anyway.
    “You will be
fine,” he said with a hint of a smile. I narrowed my eyes at his
back as we continued to walk down the path. That’s easy for you to
say!
    We veered off
the path and I carefully picked my way through the dense
undergrowth, trying to avoid the tree roots and the tangle of
brambles that clawed at my ankles. I tripped a couple of times,
crying out as the brambles hooked my flesh. Ahran slowed and
offered me his hand. I hesitated before taking it. It galled me
that he didn’t seem to be having any trouble walking through the
vegetation.
    “Not far now,”
he confirmed. “I should perhaps mention that people are affected
differently when they travel through portals. It is a bit like
travel sickness, some people get really sick and some people are
not affected at all. Do you get travel sick?” he asked.
    “Not
generally,” I said, wincing for the umpteenth time as a sharp stick
jabbed into my leg. “I’m not great on boats though,” I said, not
feeling heartened by this most recent piece of information.
    “You won’t know
how you are affected until you travel through one,” he
explained.
    My stomach
started to churn at the thought and I had a horrible feeling I
might be one of those people who got sick.
    “It’s over
there,” he said pointing to a big oak.
    “What, that
tree?”
    “No,” he