Disclaimers - I do not own any of the WoT series or characters, just the ones that I think up.
Chapter One
Portal
Sighing, Lorena slumped into her favorite chair. Kicking off the heeled pumps, she scrunched her toes and then stretched them. It felt so good to get them off after the day she had had. Nothing in the world could have been worse than working for that creep of a boss.
Grunting, Lorena sat up and reached for the remote to her radio. Tapping a couple of buttons, Celtic music floated from the speakers. Smiling, she got up and headed for the bedroom, peeling the black blazer from her shoulders. Tossing it onto the bed, she then shucked her purple silk shirt and black skirt. Standing in her bra and panties, Lorena searched the closet for her most comfortable pair of jeans and old-fashioned lawn shirt. Next she hunted up a pair of socks and grabbed her knee high moccasins from the closet floor.
What she needed was some time in the sword master's gym, she thought. Smiling, she pulled the bastard sword from its hook and slung it over her shoulder. The weight wasn't heavy, but it reassured her.
Giggling now, Lorena walked back through her little apartment and shut off the radio and lights. Grabbing her keys, she took a small wallet from her purse and stuffed it into her back pocket. Looking around the darkened room one last time, Lorena backed into the hall way and locked her door.
Almost laughing, Lorena strode to the elevator and waited for the cab to come down from the fifth floor. She could take the stairs, but she preferred to ride down. You never knew who you would run into. So far she had met half the buildings residents this way. She wondered if the Williames were on their way out or if it was that nice man from the corner of the building on the fifth floor. She couldn't remember his name, but he seemed to be a nice guy.
Then again, it could be the weirdo from the other end of the building. Lorena's forehead wrinkled as she frowned. He wasn't a very pleasant person. He dressed funny, but then again, Lorena's own dress was a little odd for the city, but his was off the wall. He wore robes with weird designs and runic writing on them. His speech was heavily accented and he had a funny looking goatee. His white hair was slicked back with tons of styling wax and that ridiculous goatee was waxed to a point. His youthful face was all the time screwed up into a scowl and every time he saw Lorena, his eyes would bore into her and make her feel as if he were taking her apart.
She shuddered and hoped that he wasn't on the elevator. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she was that he was on it. Not wanting to face the queer little man, Lorena turned to go to the stairs. Three flights wouldn't be that bad to do tonight, she assured herself. She hit the corner and had the stairwell door open when she heard the ding of the elevator as it came to a stop on the third floor.
Never more glad to have escaped her building, Lorena waved to the doorman and started for the gym. She loved the this place, this city, this time of year. She could smell the apple cider a vendor was selling down the street, the sweet cinnamon tempting her. A window display showcased the myriad costumes and accessories one needed to be the best princess one could be. Laughing to herself, Lorena reminded herself to check into the little costume shop to see if they had the accessories that she would need in a few days time.
Leaves fell from the trees lining the street. Tempted beyond redemption, Lorena stopped at the vendor and bought a mug of mulled cider. Thanking the man, Lorena tipped him and complimented the cider. He smiled and gave her a refill for free. Lorena thanked him again and headed for the gym.
The master wasn't expecting her, but he would welcome her into his place. Sword Master Leonard Peeks was a man to be reckoned with. Standing at only five foot nine, he wasn't very imposing. But one look at the way he could handle a long sword or the way that he could float over the floor was enough to make a large man rethink taking the little man on. His footwork was amazing and the way his well built arms flashed as he swung a sword, or even a katana for that matter, was breathtaking. Lorena had fallen in love with swords after watching the man perform at a local craft fair a few years back.
Hell, she was lucky that he took her on. He didn't like women to put it mildly. Master Peeks thought them weak and fragile. It had taken Lorena lifting the impossibly heavy long sword over her head to prove that she was willing to take the pain and punishment of learning the sword. She remembered the day very well.
"Woman, you will never be able to lift that thing over your head!" Master Peeks had shouted at her. "What do you think you could do? You're just a woman! Weak. Fragile. Nothing."
"Shut up, old man!" Lorena had shouted back as she drug the long sword to the center of the gym floor. "You think a woman weak? You think them fragile? What of the women that have fought to keep their families safe? What of Joan of Arc?" Lorena grunted as she shifted the sword.
Master Peeks snorted and hooted in laughter. "Joan of Arc? You've got to be kidding. That female wasn't able to fight at all. She was just a brilliant thinker and stayed back in the lines and let the men do the fighting."
"Think again, old man," Lorena smiled cryptically. Using the muscles that she had aquired working on the family farm back home, Lorena planted her feet and lifted the sword above her head. Trying to keep her balance and that of the sword, Lorena smiled evenly. "You see, old man, women can be pillars of hidden strength. We are far stronger than any man can imagine. Men have kept us physically weak and drummed it into our minds since the beginning of time."
Lorena could feel the weight of the sword tearing the muscles in her shoulders and upper arms, but she wouldn't let it down until she proved to the bigoted old goat that he was wrong about her. She didn't know why, but she felt that if he saw what she could do, he would teach her the sword.
Sweating now from the effort, Lorena continued, " I am not weak. I am not fragile. I have lived through some of the most horrifying things a person could ever live through. I have lived through the murder of my parents, the death of numerous family members, back breaking farm work, working two jobs to put myself through college, and now I am enduring the most painful test of my life and what do you see, Master Peeks?" Lorena frowned and then shouted, "Tell me!"
Master Peeks had watched her the whole time, smiling. He knew she would pass his test. She had the fiery soul of a swordsman beating within her breast. Her will was strong or she would have given up long ago. Her strength was phenomenal. Not many well muscled men could even lift the long sword above their shoulders, much less their heads, yet this small girl was making them look small in comparison. He could see the sweat beading from her face and rolling down her bronzed neck.
Nodding, Master Peeks answered the girl after a lengthy perusal. "I see a woman of strength and determination. A woman that puts the men that I train to shame with her abilities. I see a woman that can wield a long sword. I see a woman that can outlast even the strongest of my fighters because of her determination and quick mind."
Master Peeks has been circling her as he spoke. He had seen the strain that the girl was hiding. He could see the muscles in her shoulders standing out. Making a quick decision, he made a grab for the sword from behind. Lorena, sensing a movement near her head ducked and spun, bringing the sword down and away from the movement, but at the same time slipping her foot behind Master Peeks and jerking back on his ankle.
Master Peeks looked surprised as his feet left the floor and he tumbled to the mats behind him. Before he could pick himself up, the girl had the sword pointed at his throat and was staring into his eyes with coal bright sapphire eyes. He held up his hands and didn't move.
"Do you yield, old man?" Lorena asked quietly, her eyes boring into his black ones.
"I yield, woman," Peeks had said. "You have the makings of one of my better fighters. You are still slow. You should have sensed that move a second more than you did, but you did well." Peeks looked at the sword still pointed at his throat. "Do you mind?" he said as he pushed the blade from him.
Lorena, tired and worn out, her muscles screaming in pain, clasped the sword in both hands, planted it square in front of her and fell to her knees. Her breathing started to come hard then. She could feel the sweat rolling down her back and between her breasts. She hung her head in pure exhaustion.
Peeks became worried. Only himself and some of the best swordsman in the world could have endured the strain of a fifty pound sword hanging over their heads. The girl had pushed herself beyond endurance and had probably strained every muscle in her upper body to prove him wrong.
Kneeling by the girl's side, he took the blade from her hands and set it aside. "What is your name, child?"
"Lorena Diar, Master Peeks."
"Master is it? Well, I can't have my newest student lying in the floor," he said lifting her slight frame and grinning at her weak smile.
"So you'll take me on?" she asked, finding her feet. "Even though I made a fool of myself?"
"My child, everyone is a fool, it just takes a wise person to admit it," he answered with candor. "I was once like you and did the same thing. It is what separates us from the weaklings." He walked her to a chair and set her in it. He sauntered over to a cooler and pulled out a bottle of water and brought it back to her. "That was impressive. None of my students have been able to endure the weight of that monster for very long, but you, my dear, have outlasted even me."
Lorena not sure if she was hearing him right, peeked up at him through her brown hair. "Huh? What do you mean?"
Chuckling, Peeks sat down next to Lorena and explained. "When I sought out my master, I did the same thing. Lifting the long sword over your head and balancing it was a trick that knights of old would do to pick the best fighters to train. I held that sword for well over five minutes, and let me tell you, that was the longest five minutes of my young life. I couldn't have been more than fifteen at the time. But you, Lorena, you lasted almost ten minutes. You even talked and ranted at me while holding that blasted thing. I rarely use it myself, but I am proficient with it." He paused and patted her hand.
"I would like you to become my new student. I will personally teach you what I know. I want you to be very good at what you do. What do you say?" He looked into her eyes to see her reaction. It wasn't a light thing he asked, it required many hours of practice and hard work. If he was thinking correctly, this girl could be his successor, just as he was his master's.
Lorena stared at Master Peeks in wonder. Then her eyes lightened to a stunning shade of turquiose. She smiled brilliantly and wrapped her arms around the grumpy man beside her. He couldn't have been more than ten or fifteen years her senior, but he acted like he was over a hundred. He grunted as she hugged him and suspected that he was trying to hide a smile and to keep from hugging her back.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Lorena chuckled as she entered the gym. That had been five years ago. During that time, she and Master Peeks had become best friends. He still had a thing about women, but he thought of her as a sister. A rather pesky one at that.
Smiling, she slipped the strap from her back and opened the case. She pulled the bastard sword from it's bed of blood red silk and cotton. Taking a small piece of silk from the case, Lorena polished her sword. Filigree wrapped the blade in Celtic knots and vines. He Horned God and his consort, Danu, sat at the base of the blade. A Maltese cross, with sapphires inlaid in center of the wings of the cross, graced the black leather bound hilt. The pommel winked in the light. A small sapphire was set deep into the silver and iron alloy hilt.
Sensing something behind her, Lorena spun and jumped at the same time, hearing the wind rushing past her knees. Her sword crashed down onto the pike's haft, shattering it. Lifting the sword to block the sword now flying at her head, Lorena dove to the left, rolling and coming to her feet, sword at the ready.
Two men she had never met, stared her down. Shifting to a more comfortable stance, Lorena motioned for them to come and get her. Looking at one another, they rushed her. She smiled crookedly. Leaping into them, she surprised the one with the sword and slammed her fist into his face, hearing and feeling his nose break. Swinging her sword lightening fast, she swept the shattered haft from the others hand and kicked his feet out from under him. At the same time, she grabbed Broken Nose's face and swept his feet out from under him and slammed him into the ground. His sword clattered to the gym floor. Lorena scrambled to pick it up and hold both swords at the men's throats.
Breathing heavily, Lorena stared at them. "Do you yield?"
"Screw you, bitch," Broken Nose said through the blood pouring from his nose.
The pike man glared at her but answered, "We yield. But you shouldn't have broken Seth's nose. It was just a test."
"And you are?" Lorena asked, lowering the swords and backing away from them.
"I'm Donald. We're friends of Master Peeks," Donald said, pointing behind her.
Not taking her eyes from the pair, Lorena called behind her. "Leonard?"
"Yes, my dear?" Peeks answered back.
"Who are these men? And why did they attack me?" Lorena wanted to know really bad. She was actually starting to get a little upset.
"This was your final test, Lorena. You have passed with flying colors it seems. And may I introduce you to Masters William and Drago. They are masters of pike and short sword," he replied, walking out of the shadows. He helped the bleeding Seth to his feet. "Really, dear, did you have to break his nose?"
Lorena stared. She had never beaten Peeks when they battled, but to defeat these two Masters with little effort was astonishing. She was only trying to protect herself. A bubble of mirth came to her lips, but she tried to hold it back. Failing miserably, her laughter bounced around the gym in tinkling counterpoint to the moans of Seth.
"Whath's so funneh?" Seth asked, glaring at her.
Bringing her mirth under control, Lorena smiled prettily at Seth. "Forgive, Master. I was just shocked."
Seth muttered something under his breath, but kept glaring at her. Peeks, smiling, came over to her. Hugging her then kissing both cheeks, he stood back.
"By the Holy Order of the Dragon's Heart, I hearby dub thee, Sword Master Lorena Diar, Mistress of the Blade." He made the sign of the cross and bowed to her. Both Donald and Seth crossed themselves and bowed. Confused, Lorena could only stare.
"What just happened?" she asked when her voice came back.
"My dear child, you are now one of us," Peeks said, grinning from ear to ear. "And my heir."
"Your huh? What's going on?" Lorena demanded. She slung her blade onto her shoulder and waited.
Donald and Seth exchanged looks and shrugged. "Tell her, Leonard." Donald insisted, giving Seth a napkin to clean the blood from his face.
Leonard nodded at his friends and allies. "Yes, I think it's time. Come, Lore. I need to fill you in on what this is all about." He guided her to his office and sat her down. "We," he pointed to the three Masters, "are part of an Order that has existed for well over three thousand years. Each one of us brings a skill to the Order that has no equal in the specified field. I am of the long sword, Donald, Master William, the pike, and Seth, Master Drago, the short sword.
"We do not involve ourselves in the petty squabbles of the world, we just keep the life of the sword alive. Our talents are used to keep history alive. We travel the world to showcase our skills. But," he paused and looked to the two men, "we do fight battles that do not concern this world."
Lorena blinked. "This world? What do you mean?"
Smiling at her confusion, Leonard motioned behind her. " I would like you to meet, Saris."
Turning, Lorena came face to face with the creepy man from her building. He was staring at her intensely. His clothes were the different. He was wearing buckskin breeches, a green lawn shirt, and a rapier strapped to his side. His hair was waxed to perfection as was his goatee.
"I am pleased to meet you, Mistress Diar," he said, coming to her side and bowing. "You are a most excellent swordswoman. Not many can compare to you, except maybe the Maidens of the Spear."
"The who?" Lorena asked, completely confused. "Why are you here?"
Saris smiled a little and answered, "I have been watching you for some time now. Leonard pointed you out to me when you came to him five years ago. He had told me that he had met a woman that could shake the foundations of the Dark One's confidence with her intelligence and her sword arm. So he set me to watch over you." He paused and nodded at Leonard, as if to thank him. "From what I have seen, you are what we need back home."
Lorena shook her head and just stared at Saris. "And I'm supposed to know what you are talking about?"
Saris chuckled and it transformed him. He was actually quite handsome, if a little short. "My lady, you could guide my home to a new path."
Leonard waved at Saris to stop him for a moment. "What we want from you is some understanding and a little imagination, Lore. We are offering you a chance to travel to a new world and experience new things. This world is very conflicted at the moment and requires our special skills. Saris' home is under great strife at the moment. He needs us to come with him to help the world become what it once was."
"Okay…" Lorena agreed. What could it hurt? She had nothing here to keep her. Her job was dead-ended. Her apartment was hers until she sold it. Her bills… "What about my bills?"
Donald spoke up at that. "That will be taken care of. Some of our friends will make sure that you have a place to come back to."
"Does this mean that you will join us, my lady?" Saris asked, kneeling by her side.
Lorena thought for just a second and then nodded her head. "I won't regret this will I?"
"Not at all, my dear." Peeks stood and came to her side. "But you will be shocked. I was when I first stepped into Saris' world. I came face to face with my nightmares. I learned to accept the fact that there were things that couldn't be explained. You will soon know this too."
"What do you require of me? What do I need to bring with me?" she asked Saris, her sapphire eyes bright.
Turning, Saris brought a bag to her. "This is what you will need until we reach my estate. Do you know how to ride, my lady?"
"Yes. I grew up on a farm."
"Good, we must not delay now. We are expected," Saris announced to the group.
"What about my nosth?" Seth whined.
"There is a Yellow ensconced at my estate. She will take care of you when we reach our destination. You must bear the pain for a day or so, though." Saris replied apologetically.
Confused again, Lorena looked askance at Saris. "You'll see when we get home. Now, we must leave."
With that, the group gathered the various bags from outside the door. Lorena hadn't noticed them earlier, but shrugged. She trotted to her sword case and placed her sword inside. She would have to get a belt strap to keep it by her side. Coming back to the waiting men, she gestured for them to proceed.
Watching in fascination, Lorena observed Saris make a gesture and mutter something. A small hole formed in a blank wall in front of them. Blinking, Lorena thought it was just the light, but watched as it grew in size. Looking at the men around her, she noticed that they weren't troubled by this phenomenom. Shruging her shoulders, Lorena went with it. She trusted Leonard with her life. If he thought this was fine, then it couldn't be all that bad. And he said that he had been to Saris' world before.
It never occurred to her that she was seeing something that hadn't been practiced in millenia. She was just excited. Maybe this would be good for her. She had no one, but Leonard and now the three men taking her away from her home. She didn't feel threatened at all.
Saris smiled to himself and looked back over his shoulder. The girl was calm, as if she had seen and done this before. He hoped that she would keep that calm when she found out about him and his world. He needed her. Hell, his world needed her. Maybe Trisain could do something with the girl's attire. She was lovely, but the breeches and shirt would have to go. It wasn't natural to his way of thinking.
Coming back from his reverie, Saris gestured to his friends and watched them cross the Gate. He held his hand out to Lorena and waited. She took his hand and closed her eyes. He smiled and stepped over the Gate's threshold.
Saying one final word, the Gate closed on the world of Earth and opened on a brown and hot plain. A mild wind blew over the group. Several horses and men milled around, waiting on a word from their lord.
Lorena could hear them, but she wanted to experience this new world through her other senses first. She could hear the men and horses, she could smell the heat of the day, the dust that blew through the air. She knelt down and touched the parched earth, running the dirt through her fingers and bringing it to her nose. It smelled dry and dead.
Opening her eyes, Lorena blinked to adjust to the brightness of midday. When they had left home, it had been pitch black. She glanced at Saris with a question in her eyes, turning them a deep ocean blue.