The portal felt to Darian like walking through a barrier made of syrup. The air stuck to his skin, and he closed his eyes as he pressed into the light. Pausing for a moment, he felt his body being tugged forward by an unseen force. Something like wind brushed his cheek, and then everything faded away.
***
Heat pressed against Darian’s face, bright light nearly blinding him as he opened his eyes. The warmth reminded Darian of one thing, something he had nearly forgotten the feeling of.
Sunlight.
He reflexively recoiled from the ball of fire in the sky. Covering his face, he was sure he would erupt into flames at any moment. But then seconds passed, and his eyes adjusted to the brightness.
The light in the sky was not the sun, but some kind of massive sphere. And blinking at it, Darian realized there was no sky, but instead the top of a massive wooden dome. He was standing in an enclosure, walls about a man and half tall forming a semi-circle around him. These short walls seemed to be separating the massive chamber into sections. Both them and the high ceiling were made out of twisting vines and thick, winding wood. The sphere was embedded far above at the center of the dome, radiating warmth that filled Darian with a sense of loss.
Darian was standing on the other side of an archway. The portal still hummed to life behind him, and he noticed five other arches along the walls, but these lay dormant. Besides these, several hedge lined tunnels split off from the enclosure.
“Good day,” a cheery voice said.
Darian nearly jumped at the man’s voice, having been so distracted by the scenery. “Hello…”
The man was only a man from the waist up, his bottom half being that of a goat. I think these are called satyrs?
“Your friends arrived a few minutes before you,” the satyr explained. “The wounded were taken to be healed, and the others are being shown to their quarters.”
“A few minutes before me?” Darian questioned. “But I went into the portal right after them.”
The satyr ran a hand through his dark brown hair, and sighed. “Traveling through a fey portal is not instant. It takes time to ferry a person across time and space.” He glanced over his shoulder at one of the hedge tunnels. “One of your friends did not take well to this news and thought we were trying to trick him. He caused quite a commotion until his companion arrived.”
He must be talking about Isaac and Krast. Krast came through first with Isaac going in behind him. “I apologize. I think he’s heard some bad stories about the fey and this situation has frightened him.
The satyr smiled. “Some fey see the mortal races as lesser and commit evil deeds against them, so I do not blame anyone for being afraid of us.” He chuckled. “But it has been many years since someone took a swing at me like that. Your young friend is quite spirited.”
Darian groaned. “I’ve been needing to have a chat with him about that. Guess I’ll get to it after I’m done here.”
“The boy has a potential,” the satyr explained. “Foster it, and one day he could prove to be a useful ally on the battlefield.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Darian strode forward and down a short series of stone steps.
Besides the satyr, there was no one else in the enclosure. But Darian could hear not only the distant call of bird song, but the sound of dozens of voices. Many of these were singing, and over the top rim of the walls Darian spotted fairies darting in and out of massive trees that lay in chambers beyond.
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“Where exactly is this place?” he asked, wondering just how massive it was. With his enhanced vision, he could tell the far wall of the dome had to be several miles away. “Someone said it was in between realms, but what does that mean?”
The satyr motioned for Darian to follow him. “This place was nothing but an empty void before our master, The God of Seasons, arrived here. With his new sun, he brought life to the darkness.”
“So behind these trees and vines, there’s nothing?”
“Precisely,” the man said, pausing at one of the tunnels. “There is a nearly infinite sea of Darkness all around the sanctuary, but the enchanted walls keep it at bay. But such magic comes at a heavy cost.”
Darian was about to ask what he meant when the portal shimmered and Almeda appeared. In the light of the fake sun above, she looked less alien than she did in the forest, and she smiled genuinely as she approached.
“Zander,” she said, nodding at the satyr. “Have the others been tended to?”
“They have,” he replied with a bow. “And the severely wounded man has been brought to your father for healing.”
“Good,” Almeda turned to Darian. “Then we should go see him.”
“Be seeing you,” Zander said, clapping Darian on the shoulder with surprising force.
“The portal should close on this side soon,” Almeda said. “But be vigilant. Our enemies will look for any opportunity to slip inside.”
Zander bowed and then walked to stand a few paces in front of the portal, his hands crossed behind his lower back.
“Expecting company?” Darian asked as he followed Almeda through the tunnel.
“Atarax the demon God has been harassing us fiercely these past few months, and his children are always trying to find a way into the sanctuary.”
Darian glanced back at Zander, noting the man didn’t carry any weapons. “Will he be alright on his own? Especially if one of these demons shows up?”
Almeda snickered. “Zander has been my father’s companion for centuries and nothing short of a small army or the demon God himself could make it past his fists. Besides,” she gestured at the walls. “Many treekin slumber here. If the sanctuary is ever truly threatened, they will rise to defend it. We are safe here. Well, as safe as one can be during these tumultuous times.”
The tunnel opened up to something like a street. It wound down a path edged by berry bushes and trees. Many of these trees had doors built into them, and Darian realized these must be the dwellings of the fey.
“How many fey live in the sanctuary?”
“Hundreds,” she answered. “Most here are outcasts. The fey queen she…has not been well this past century. But those she casts aside find a home here.” She smiled at a few satyr women who sang from a balcony above. “And there are people of other races here. Humans, elves, dwarves, and one rather stalwart orc.”
Walking along the path, several fey stopped to greet Almeda. Being out in the light made Darian uncomfortable, and he found himself shrinking away whenever Almeda paused to speak to someone. But everyone here, they all seem so happy. Darian had set off from Fria’s village to explore the world, but also to find a safe place for vampires to exist. And fey blood, it doesn’t trigger our thirst. He’d realized that after fighting the winter fey. He didn’t know if it was because fey originated from another world, but their blood did not offer sustenance or temptation to vampires. Maybe this place could house me and my kind. He blinked up at the fake sun. Or maybe her father can teach me to make my own sanctuary.
They traveled for nearly an hour before reaching a tunnel ringed by guards. Many of these were the treekin Darian had already seen, but others were fey like Almeda, with dresses made of leaves and braided hair made of vines or roots. Besides them, several fairies hovered above, and Satyrs with bows sat perched in treetop platforms along the path they’d taken to get here.
“My father waits for you beyond these doors,” Almeda said. “Please be patient with him. He can be a bit…off depending on his mood.”
Darian inspected the oak double doors. “Will Jorg still be in there?”
“My father has likely already healed him. He will be with your other friends.” She stepped back. “And he wished to speak to you alone.”
That’s slightly foreboding. “Anything I should know before heading in there?”
Almeda tilted her head to the side. “Just be respectful. And know that you are not a prisoner here. Any offer he makes can be rejected. That is all I can think of.”
“Thank you.” Darian placed his palms against the door, the guards watching him with keen eyes. “Please tell my friends I’m here, if you don’t mind.”
“I can do that.”
“Alright then,” Darian whispered to himself. I guess it’s time I meet a God. He pushed the doors open and stepped into the dim light beyond.