A Prince: Part 1

    Short blurb today :)
    My 7 year old has been down and out all week with a stomach flu followed up with painful, bleeding loose teeth (because why only have one thing hurting you when you can do it in multiples, right?), and my 4 year old's mystery fever has now decided to show true colors as a likely bladder infection. I've been tripping on anxiety all week, compounded by physical symptoms from the weather bouncing all over the thermometer and barometer. And my hubby has been beat up by a multi-day weather headache combined with the flu the kids had.
​    Who needs sleep? (Little voice from the back of my mind: "me... please.") Oh well. Off to find a walk-in clinic because our family doctor is on vacation. Hopefully the 4 year old is just fighting off a regular bladder infection and not some strange germ-bug. She's done the strange germ-bug thing before and it wasn't fun. We did (finally) get an antibiotic that worked after almost two weeks of *almost* getting better. I don't want to do that again.
    Writing has been slow this week, for I hope obvious reasons, but I did get a bit of editing done. I also got to do a bit of reading, and I can't call this week completely awful when there are still books to read. 
    Hope your weekend is a good one!

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The Portal Problem - Episode 1: A Prince
1. Getting Oriented

        Aston slapped out a hand to break the circle and then landed with a thud. Just like last time, he waited for the world to stop spinning before opening his eyes. He picked up the handful of stones that had brought him here without thinking about it, knowing he had them all from the tingling that erupted up his arm when he palmed the last one, and dropped them into his pocket.
        Once assured that the stones were safely stowed, and fairly certain that the earth holding him up was no longer treacherously tilting and heaving, he allowed his eyes to slit open. He had landed in the middle of what at first glance appeared to be a forest, but the terrain still looked like it was shifting so he closed his eyes again and waited for the nauseous feeling to pass. Aston wasn’t immediately concerned where he was, his instincts told him that this time he was at least alone.
        Grimacing at the fresh talon wound in his back, Aston sat up and put one hand to his forehead so he could massage both temples at the same time. His other hand gently probed at the bottom half of the bleeding gash to test how deep it was. He stretched a bit to test his back and was rewarded with everything still working like it should, which meant that the wound wasn’t too bad. He’d definitely had worse.
        The angry dragon had seemed to be waiting for him at the last location the stones had dropped him. Before Aston had said anything, it had accused him of using the portal stones in an attempt to sneak around for a bit of thieving in the dragon’s lair. He briefly wondered if word of the stones was getting out but quickly passed off the thought. Dragons were usually paranoid, the stones had been created in secret, and Drevin wasn't one to allow secrets to be let out.
        He mumbled quiet curses at his older brother for allowing the stones to be made, then at the mages who had created them, and then he cursed at himself for volunteering to be the one to test the kingdom’s newest magical item. Then, while he was at it, he cursed his father for ailing at a very bad time for the kingdom. Aston instantly regretted the last string of expletives, following it up quickly with a plea for forgiveness and another string of cursing aimed at himself.
        The idea of creating the stones had come up when Kort, their King (and also Aston and Drevin’s father), became too sick to travel by ship off their island kingdom. Drevin and the Advisors had discussed it with the High Mages, and the mages came up with the idea for creating a method that allowed non-magic users to travel through a magical portal instead of by more conventional means. This would allow the ailing King the ability to continue necessary trade negotiations with their neighbors, without the hardships of traveling. The rumors of their nearest allies preparing for war started during the development of the portal stones, and the King’s health failed to the extent that he wasn’t able to lead the army who volunteered to go to their ally’s aide when the rumors became fact.
        Once the time came to begin testing the stones, Drevin had already been sent to the mainland with Tovin – Drevin’s teacher and personal Advisor – to lead the small army of volunteers they were bringing to the war, and Aston couldn't stand the thought of his sick father being the first to attempt the portal after the mages had proven it safe. So, after being shown how to use them, he had set the first circle and stepped through. Right into the middle of nowhere. That had been weeks ago, and a lot of things had been trying to kill him since that first day.
        Aston sighed heavily, cringing at the protest from his wounded back. What sounded like a young girl's giggle from somewhere in front of him startled him out of his moping. He forgot his current injuries and pulled himself into a quick crouch, making a grab for his sword. His hand closed on nothing but air above his empty sheath. His sword was lying on the dry riverbed at the base of the valley below the dragon's lair. Beside his pack. And all the rest of his supplies.
        Out of time to grab for his knife, he forced his eyes to focus at the point of the giggle's origin. He was ready for anything except what was there.