Page 61 of Queen of Vengeance

It was like he was standing in an open maw of a monster or teetering off the edge of a great abyss.

Where did the port powder transport him to? Was it another world, or perhaps it was what was waiting for him at the end of his life, after all of the terrible things he had done?

He blinked once more, and when he opened his eyes, the darkness had disappeared, and the morning sun had flourished over the land. A moment, to gather himself before deducing where he had landed. With all the excitement, he forgot to imagine where the powder was supposed to take him, but he did manage to land in the woods in Dask. “It worked…”

He spun around, taking in the hot, dewy morning. “I can’t believe it worked!”

“With a position like this, I’ll have no problem being recognized and signed on. It would end up being a walk in the park for my agent. It might be worth it to approach a potion’s producer without Anzul.”

After taking a moment, Jax realized where the port powder potion brought him. He stared down the hill and could just barely see a thatched roof in the distance.

It was the hill behind Lea’s house.

“Why did the port powder take me here?” Her face flashed into his mind for a moment before he was able to push it back down. “Don’t get distracted!”

He made his way back to his home, taking great care not to look in the direction of Lea’s house as he did. He spent the entire walk reminding himself that he needed to focus on his target next time in order to impress the big boys in the Federation of Setas.

Jax made it home and entered through the front door which shocked his mother.

“What were you doing out so early? I didn’t even hear you leave your room!” She reached out, rubbing his sleeve before dropping her hand to her side again.

Jax only chuckled. “I can’t afford to rest. Today is a big day for us.”

“Oh, I only wish I could go with you to see you work your magic. I just know you’ll make your father and me proud.” His mother clasped her hands together in a delicate manner. “And I’m sorry about last night, dear. In a lot of ways, I still see you as my little boy, but you’re a grown man now. I have to trust that you’ll make the right decisions.”

Jax’s smile faded for a moment, but he recovered so quickly that she didn’t notice. “You don’t have to worry about me, mother. I’ll make you proud.”

He then turned for his room, grabbing everything he would need and dressing in his finest clothes.

His green eyes caught themselves in the mirror as he fixed his crooked collar. A sense of pride ballooned within him. He finally saw the man he wanted to be in the mirror.

As soon as he collected everything he needed, he made his way out the door.

There were things written on his mother’s face that she wanted to say but couldn’t bring herself to. It was probably for the best anyway. Nothing she was going to say would stop him. Besides, wouldn’t his mother want him to succeed and be all that he can be? Why would she try and hold him back?

Jax made his way to the Kronos Key Portal, utilizing the port power to cut the travel time by more than half. Once he was able to hone and perfect this potion, it would be invaluable.

“Mr. Ransom, you’ve returned. I hope you didn’t bring any more problematic friends with you.” Anno looked behind him seeing that he came alone. “Smart. For men like us, it’s better to keep everyone at a distance. You’ll find they’ll always disappoint you.”

“No kidding. Don’t worry, I’ve learned my lesson. I’m not interested in friendship. I’m interested in power.” Jax raised his head high. There wasn’t a hint of hesitation on his face. The bitterness he felt toward Zane had corrupted what last little humanity he was holding on to.

“Excellent. If you’ll come right this way then.” Anno guided him toward the key portal before pulling out a long golden key encrusted with different colored gems.

Jax watched enviously as Anno inserted the key in a hole on the side of the portal.

“Step forward when you’re ready. It might feel a little strange at first, but that’s normal.” Anno motioned Jax to move forward.

Jax did as he was told and stepped up in front of the portal.

The swinging circles of metal were intimidating. Even someone like Jax, who had seen more than his fair share of dangerous situations, was concerned.

As Anno turned the key, the rings stopped spinning erratically and instead lined up with the other rings, creating a circular entryway.

Jax wasn’t able to see on the other side of the portal.

There was a layer of magic that blurred the view to the other side.

“I assure you, it’s perfectly safe. Almost every person has made it across alive.” Anno assured him, but Jax concerned himself with the “almost” part of his sentence.

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