Page 73 of Trapped By Claws
"What happens if it's too much for you?" I staggered a little as another muscle tremor nearly took him down.
"Well…I guess I don't wake up." His voice broke as his gaze dropped to my bloodied arms where my sleeve was riding up. "Was this me? Did I do this?"
"No. It's fine. I'm fine." I tugged him forward, struggling under his weight. "You'll be fine."
There was still one more venom-dripped claw. The mate bond between us had supported and strengthened me, but it wasn't enough for him yet. How could he survive yet another dose with all this blood loss?
We had to get him through the portal.
This temple was so much smaller and less impressive than what I'd expected. But I was glad that we didn't have far to stagger before we reached the chamber with the staircase and the portal.
Setting Corvin down, I placed the orb beside him. Tagger sniffed Corvin and curled up against him, squeaking more.
The doors.
I had to get the doors shut.
The king's warriors would be here soon. And when they arrived, well—we really weren't in any condition to fight. I'd fought off bandits before, but not in situations like this. The sagging doors resisted at first, but I pushed each one shut, then twisted the warped lock as far into place as I could.
Corvin gestured toward the staircase. "I'll shore up the doors." He motioned toward some of the urns and furniture as well as the cracked columns and stones that had fallen near the doors.
I ran to the top of the staircase, my footsteps echoing around me as Corvin grunted and huffed. He struggled to push the broken stone against the doors. Pebbles and rubble crunched beneath his feet. It looked like he might pass out against it.
But I had to focus on this stage. If we didn't get the portal working, we were dead anyway. There was nowhere else for us to go.
A fine layer of dust filled the wide-mouthed basin at the top of the staircase. My nerves tingling, I set the bag down and the orb down and squinted at the page. It took only a few minutes to grab the materials and combine them. The wood had only gotten a little wet on one end. And the blood—well, I was already bleeding from his claws in my arm.
I made the fire and dropped the flames into the basin, then dipped my fingers in my own blood and mixed it with the ash to mark out the runes on the archway and sides of the staircase on the platform as the book instructed.
The runes in the staircase lit up with pale-blue light, similar to the orb. The entire room was bathed in its peaceful glow. That lightning-like scent intensified, sharp and bright. The light built and grew at the end of the platform before the staircase, and the air crackled before a mirror-like opening appeared.
My heart leaped.
Yes!
It was working!
The portal looked out into a sandy-soiled forest during what looked like the afternoon. A camp had been set up around the staircase. And there—a familiar form huddled on the stairs, her moss-green shawl wrapped tight around her shoulders. A small broken mug and a bit of fish sat on a leaf on the lower step. As the portal hissed into existence, Mama sat up, her eyes widening. She jumped up and raced to the platform, her voice sounding like it came from the end of a tunnel. "Philomena!"
"Mama!" My breath caught in my throat, and tears filled my eyes. I smiled even though I was scared because I was so happy to see her. All I wanted to do was hug her. "Mama, it worked! The portal worked!"
"It did!" Her eyes widened, and her hand clapped over her mouth. "It's working. It worked! All you have to do is walk through." She gestured for me to come through. "Hurry, darling. Hurry!"
"Corvin, get up here. Tagger!" I gestured for them wildly. Tagger bolted up the stairs, squeaking and chirring. He halted at my feet, rising up on his hindquarters as he sniffed the air.
Mama's face fell, her hand covering her mouth. "It's not just you?"
My heart sank. The soft way she said that. Dread nipped at my mind. "No. Corvin is with me. He's the reason I'm here. And Tagger." I brushed my fingers over the otter's head.
Mama pressed her hand to her mouth, seeming to almost shrink inward as her brow creased. "Oh, sweetheart, this portal—it's only strong enough to transport one."
UNDERSTOOD
Those words might as well have been daggers. They stabbed right through me.
"What?" I stared at her.
"The strength of the magic between these two portals is limited," Mama said, her gaze fixed on me. "This one can only take one person. Maybe you could carry the otter through. But it isn't strong enough for two people to be transported safely."
