Passage to Portos

By Richard Mandel

"Riding in an old AMC Gremlin is a terrible way to start an adventure."

That statement marks the beginning of an incredible adventure for three young college students who are spelunking when an underground earthquake causes them to fall into and through an interdimensional portal and leave Earth behind. They wind up in the pocket universe known as Portos-a place that is connected by at least one portal to all the known possibilities of space and time-and it is here that their true tale begins. From chameleon men slavers to a dazzling kingdom of humans straight out of the Arabian Knights, from rebellious religious zealots to a kindly little Grey, from tales of other humans from other times to the intrigues and politics of the present, theirs is the adventure of a lifetime, and it is only just beginning.

Welcome, readers and would-be fellow travelers. Welcome to Portos.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 21, 2019
• ISBN: 9781645447665

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Passage to Portos

Richard Mandel

Copyright © 2019 Richard Mandel

All rights reserved

Second Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2019

ISBN 978-1-64544-765-8 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-64544-766-5 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Induction

Transition

Education

Preparation

Presentation

Intrigue

Suspicions

Cascade

Insurrection

Nexus

Introduction

Ihave a lifelong love of fantasy. I am also quite catholic in my fantasy tastes. I’ve enjoyed all kinds of fantasy over the years—from the high fantasy of Tolkien all the way down to the earthy tales of John Norman, and a lot in between. Roger Zelazny, Marion Zimmer Bradley, E. H. White, C. S. Lewis, George MacDonald, Piers Anthony, Anne McCaffery, Terry Brooks, Peter S. Beagle, William Goldman, Robert Jordan—the list goes on and on. High on that list, though, and high on almost everyone else’s list of fantasy lovers in my generation, are two authors—Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard. ERB, as he was known in his time and even now, is best remembered as the creator of both the Tarzan stories and the John Carter series. REH, who was also known by his initials then and now during his tragically short life, was the creator of Conan the Barbarian . In the wake of these two pulp fantasy giants have followed a lot of fans, as well as more than a few writers whom both inspired in their own efforts. I am but the latest.

This book is something of an experiment with me. I’ve always wanted to write a fantasy novel, and yet, when I look around, it seems that too many folks these days are beating high fantasy to death. There’s just too much of it out there, if you know what I mean—and I have honestly become sick of people confronting me about how I really need to watch Game of Thrones (I haven’t seen a single episode or read any of the books, and have no desire to do so), and also how great J. R. R. Tolkien was and so on. I’m a writer. I know how great Tolkien was, and I even dabbled in a little Tolkien tale-telling myself years ago. I don’t need a bunch of nutty Tolkienesque human dress-up dolls telling me that (laugh). That’s why I deliberately decided not to go down that road, even though I love Tolkien and the world of high fantasy as much as anyone. I’m going to follow the advice of poet Robert Frost, and I’m going to take the road less traveled by. My first foray into the world of fantasy is going to be the low road—pulp fantasy, and hopefully in that same classic ERB/REH vein that has inspired me as much as anyone else following this same path.

I didn’t have a plan or outline for this book when I started writing it. I decided to let it write itself. I would let the way that the story and characters were developing guide me as they grew, and as new and different ideas came to me. Free-form fantasy might be another way to describe it, just as there is free-form poetry and free-form song. That’s why this novel may seem a bit disjointed at times. I developed both it and the fictional universe in which it is set as I wrote it. The great part about developing the Portos universe this way is that I’m getting to experience the fun of world building as much as you will be enjoying seeing it happen, and experiencing this new world just as my characters are experiencing it themselves. I hope you’ll stay with me in this endeavor. It promises to be a lot of fun.

One more thing before I close this introduction. From the start, I conceived of Portos as an open universe—something to which other writers could contribute. That way it will benefit and grow from their own unique perspectives and ideas. I hope some of you will seriously consider making your own contributions to the universe of Portos once it becomes defined with this novel, and regardless of whether that contribution be commercial or fan fiction. I both encourage and welcome you to do so. So come on in! There’s room enough in Portos for everyone.

Chapter 1

Induction

It is said that the past, present, and future are all mutable. What has been, is now, and will be are neither preordained nor fixed in unswerving paths. Rather, as one famous fictional character put it in years past, "Time is like a river — with multiple eddies, current, and backwash." A leaf falling on the vast surface of the multiple dimensions of both space and time will flow one way one day, and another the next. The same general trend in direction will probably be the same given the environment; however, the exact path that any given particular leaf will follow is never exactly the same. There are always variances and differences, no matter how large or small, that will make each of the infinitely multiple possible paths that leaf can take particular and unique.

The truly daunting task, for those who somehow find a way to directly ply the waters of the infinite possibilities of space and time, is to first find that specific possible path desired. The next hurdle is to take it. After that, the real challenge begins of doing one’s best to stay on that particular path, and not be deflected into any number of possible alternatives. Some of those alternatives are bad, some are good, and some are…well…different. For a select handful of those brave adventurers, it is the different path that they will actively seek and explore. The end result is the experience of a lifetime. As the late poet Robert Frost said so many years ago, I took the path less traveled by…and that has made the difference.

Riding in an old AMC Gremlin is a terrible way to start an adventure, Susan Sue Talbot quipped, as she watched the scenery slide by out the window.

Oh, quit your whining, her boyfriend Todd Martin declared from beside her. Joel wanted to drive, it’s his car, and he’s paying for the gas. What would you prefer, a Cadillac?

How ’bout an SUV? Sue said. It would be better on this old road. She turned to give Todd a stare. And if you’re going to call me a whiner, asshole, then get your arm out from around me.

Sorry, Todd said meekly, as he removed his arm and let it drape by his side.

Thank you, Sue replied, then gave him a wink. I’ll give you a chance to make it up later.

I’d better take it, if I were you, spoke the young woman seated up front beside the young man driving the Gremlin. Her name was Kim Childs, she was about the same age as Joel the driver, and her likeness to him betrayed the fact that the two were brother and sister.

I will, Kim, when it comes, Todd said. You can count on that.

Beside Kim, her brother Joel snickered. You better.

I’ll remember that, Sue said. Thanks, Kim. She then turned and resumed looking out the window.

The gravel-strewn mountain road that the Gremlin was carefully ascending offered a beautiful view of the steep tree-lined slopes as it hugged every curve and contour of the mountainside. Sue idly wondered how long it had taken people to carve it out from the mountain, and how long ago that had been. Part of her was glad that they had, for the view it offered was simply breathtaking. She was drinking in every bit of it that she could, for she knew the rest of their day was going to be spent spelunking inside a cave. By the time they came back out, it would be night and she wouldn’t be able to see any of this. That’s why she was enjoying the wonderful scenery now, while it lasted.

It took them another half hour to make it up to their turn. After that, they were on a rutty road that switchbacked in the direction from which they had come, but still ascended up the slope. Another twenty minutes or so, and then they arrived at their destination. The road ended at a flat ledge large enough for four average-sized vehicles to park, or for just one to have plenty of room to come up and turn around before it headed back down. On the mountainside of the ledge was a large opening, and that extended into a large cave that ran back well into the mountain. That cave was the reason why the four of them had come up there that day. They were there to explore.

Joel parked his Gremlin right next to the cave mouth. Everyone got out, Joel popped the hatchback, and then everyone removed their spelunking gear from the back of the car and began to sort it out.

You should have worn slacks instead of shorts, Sue, Todd said, eyeing her as he began fitting on his gear harness. It’s gonna get cold inside that cave.

I’ve got some warmups in my pack, if it does, Sue said nonchalantly. She then turned and gave Todd a cross look. And I won’t need any help putting them on when the time comes, either, she growled at him.

Oooohhh, I think she’s mad at you, Joel said with a grin. He walked up beside Kim, who was struggling with her heavy pack. Need a hand?

Thanks, Kim said, smiling up at him.

That’s what brothers are for, Joel replied, as he began to help her.

Sue gave Todd a sideways smirk. Why can’t you be nice and gentlemanly like that?

Todd, who had finished with his own backpack, and was busy attaching various pieces of gear both to it and his harness, didn’t even bother to look at her. Why can’t you quit calling me an asshole? he said.

Who, me? Sue said. She sounded hurt, but the twinkle in her eyes said otherwise.

All right, all right, Joel said. He had finished helping Kim, and was now fitting the last of his own gear into place on his person. You two can settle things later. We’ve got some serious climbing to do if we’re going to make it down to see the ghost lights, so I want everyone focused. And everyone, check your headlamps too. If anyone’s got a bad battery, now’s the time to change it.

With that, everyone got down to business.

It was about an hour later, and they were deep inside the cave. Their headlamps played among the stalactites and stalagmites as they carefully made their way down one of its deeper tunnels. It was wide and high enough for them to walk upright. There were traces of a well-walked path on the tunnel floor, and every now and then their headlamps would highlight the occasional bit of graffiti from past spelunkers, but it had grown less and less the farther they went in and down. So had the carefully constructed piles of stone, which were another sign of visitors past.

I wish people wouldn’t ruin caves like that, Sue said, as her headlamp picked out one rather large piece of graffiti on a sidewall.

Human nature, Todd commented from beside her. Hardly anyone can resist the urge for graffiti. People have been doing it throughout history.

"Kilroy was here, Joel quipped. I remember my great-grandfather talking about that, from back when he was in the war."

It’s still ugly, Kim observed, as her own beam flashed across the piece of graffiti that Sue had spotted.

Agreed, Joel said, looking back at them. He stopped, and the beam from his headlamp bobbed and arced as he turned to face everyone. Okay, folks. We’re there. The descent’s about to begin, and after that we can see the ghost lights.

It had better be worth it, Kim said.

Oh, believe me. Joel grinned. It is.

The tunnel had ended in a shaft that was nearly vertical. Someone in more recent times had driven two good-sized rods with large eyelets into a nearby wall that made for perfect rope anchors. Sue and Todd fixed a line each to one of the large eyelets, while Kim and Joel fixed theirs to another. Once that was done, all four began to rappel down the shaft. Joel led the way, with Kim right behind him, Todd was next, and then Sue brought up the rear.

They rappelled for quite a distance down the vertical shaft, their headlamps playing across the walls as they did. Eventually, they came to a narrow side ledge where another passage opened into the rocks of the shaft wall. All of them safely landed on the ledge. There was a well-worn stalagmite nearby around which they looped their lines. It had been worn down over the years because of past visitors doing the same. Once they were down and their lines secured, the four of them began heading down the side shaft.

The new shaft was smaller and rockier, and they often had to twist and turn to make their way. Sometimes they had to duck or bend down due to variances in the rock roof. Eventually, after much twisting and turning, the shaft came to its end. It was at this point that Joel stuck out an arm, motioning for the others to stop. Be careful, he advised them. The ledge is narrow, and the footing is tricky.

The four of them now stood on the edge of a large chamber whose roof was barely visible, and whose bottom disappeared into oblivion. The only light came from their headlamps as the other three turned their heads this way and that, as they looked around the large chamber. Damn, Todd finally said. This is as big as a gymnasium.

And cold, Kim added. She shivered, and Joel put a comforting arm around her. Aren’t you cold, too, Sue? she asked.

Not at all, Sue responded. Her headlamp made a slow traverse of the edge of the narrow ledge. Hey, guys? This ledge used to be bigger. See those rock breaks along the edge? The surface on them is fresher than the other rocks.

Uh-huh, Joel said. It was a lot bigger, until that big earthquake three decades or so ago. Most of the ledge collapsed into the shaft below when it did, and left only the part we’re on now. That’s why hardly anybody comes down here anymore. Supposedly it’s too dangerous.

Dangerous? Sue asked. She gave Joel a cool look. You didn’t say anything about that before.

It’s a bunch of bull, Todd said from behind her. He stamped his foot on the rock surface below them. This ain’t going nowhere, unless there’s another earthquake.

Yeah, Joel said. It also cut down a lot on the crowds who used to come down here, so they could see the ghost lights too. He sighed. We’re probably the first group that’s been down here in a few years.

How’d you find out about them? Kim asked.

Dr. Galbraith at the university told me about them, Joel answered. He also told me where the cave was located. He used to come up here before the quake and all, back when he was our age. He said they were worth the trip—and he had that look in his eyes, you know? That look he always gets whenever he’s passionate about something?

Yeah, Sue said, and she grinned. Ol’ Blue Light. Oh well, if he thought they were worth seeing, him being such a good professor and all, then maybe the trip was worth it. When are they supposed to fire up?

Joel checked his watch. Anytime now, according to him.

It was then that all of them noticed the faint glow begin to form below, about two dozen feet down and into the bottom of the shaft before them. It was very faint at first, but began to brighten soon enough. Within a minute it was strong enough to light the entire shaft both up and down for a considerable way. Its center had coalesced into a churning maelstrom of blue and white phosphorescent fire, with the occasional yellow and green highlights at the tips of its ever-tumbling waves.

Oh my god…, Sue said aloud, sucking in her breath. Her tone was one of genuine awe.

That’s…that’s beautiful, Kim stammered. She drew close to Joel and put her arm around him. He did the same to her. Sue found her own hand seeking Todd’s about the same time that his found hers, and they clasped. Together, the four of them stood on the narrow ledge at the mouth of the side shaft, and watched in wonder as the seemingly supernatural pyrotechnics of the cave’s famous ghost lights danced below them.

Reminds me of Saint Elmo’s fire, Todd said. I saw it once, when my parents took me with them on a cruise to Bermuda one summer. We got caught in a storm, and about twenty minutes in, it formed and began to dance around our upper masts and cables. Kinda scary and beautiful all at the same time…like this.

Hey, the lights are still growing, Sue observed, and not without some concern. She shot a look at Joel. How big are they supposed to get?

Never any bigger than the shaft itself, and they never rise all the way up to here, Joel said with conviction. That’s what Dr. Galbraith said.

All the same…, Sue said. She gave the lights a nervous look. Hey, guys, do you mind if we back up a bit?

What’s the matter? Todd said, grinning at her. Scared, Sue?

Sue shot him an angry look, then let go of his hand and folded her arms. Well, if you’re going to be that way—

Susan Talbot never finished what she said, for at that moment the entire cave shook. There was a loud rumbling, and everything around them was suddenly in motion. The four young people found themselves frantically grabbing for any handhold they could find.

Earthquake! Kim screamed.

With that, the floor of the shaft abruptly tilted downward, and all four of them were thrown forward. The motion was so violent that it broke free any grip that any of them had somehow managed to get on the nearby rock formations. Tumbling and screaming all the way, the four young people fell down into the shaft before them, straight into the middle of the ghost lights…and vanished.

Aaaaaaaannnnngggghh…

Sue slowly opened her eyes to behold an azure sky above her. Strange… No! Impossible! She was in a cave, exploring with the others, until—

She now sat bolt upright to find herself down and at the center of a small impact crater in the side of a large dune of gray sand. Her entire body ached, but fortunately there was no pain from broken bones to accompany it. That was a good thing, she decided, judging from how deep she had wound up in the side of the gray sand dune. How far had she fallen—and more importantly, from where?

Ignoring her protesting limbs, Sue forced herself to scramble up to the edge of the crater. From there she could see more of her surroundings. There was another impact crater to her left, and two more down and to her right. Beyond those, and in all directions around her the endless gray dunes rolled toward the horizon. There appeared to be mountains to her right at the extreme edge of sight, but she wasn’t certain. The image was too fuzzy to be sure.

Another head popped up over the edge of one of the impact craters to her right. It was Joel. "What the hell?" he exclaimed as he looked around, and then then he saw her. Sue! he cried. Are you all right?

I think so, Sue said, carefully making her way down the side of the dune toward him.

About a half a beat later, Kim’s head popped up from the impact crater beyond Joel’s, and she, too, clambered out to join them. She looked scared. Where are we? she said, in a very small voice.

Not in Kansas, I can tell you that, Sue said. She pointed at the azure sky. It was broad daylight and the sky was blue before we went into the cave. Not only that—she pointed to another spot in the sky—"two suns. Two."

Both brother and sister looked up, and their faces blanched at what they saw. Ohmygawd…, Joel said with awe. I think you’re right, Sue. Where the hell are we?

Hey, guys? Kim exclaimed. She had her cell phone out. I’m not getting any signal!

The others quickly pulled out their own cell phones and checked them. She’s right, Sue said. I was getting three bars solid right before we went into that cave. Now…nothing.

That’s not all, Joel said, as he worked a program on his phone. None of the tracking or homing software works either. It’s like the satellites aren’t even there.

They probably aren’t, Sue observed calmly. It’s pretty clear we’re not on Earth anymore.

Jeezuz…, Joel said meekly. He looked around, then took a deep breath and let it back out again. The ghost lights, he finally offered. "We must have fallen through an interdimensional portal, or something like it, to…to…somewhere else. Like on Star Trek, or Land of the Lost, or something? You know?"

The three of them quietly mulled that rather disturbing possibility, one that was becoming more and more their reality with each passing second. It was Kim who broke their train of thought with another just as equally disturbing. Hey, she said suddenly, looking around. Where’s Todd?

Sue looked back in the direction of the impact crater that had been to her left. I think he fell over there, she said, pointing in its direction.

You think something’s wrong with him? Kim asked. He probably should have been out by now.

Let’s go look, Joel suggested.

The three of them walked to the edge of the impact crater and looked down. Todd was down at the bottom and at its center, but it was also quite obvious why he hadn’t joined them. His body was buried up to the waist headfirst into the sand, with his arms pinned firmly to his sides. His legs hung down limply, but disturbances in the sand around him were grim testimony to a final but ultimately useless struggle.

Oh god…, Kim sobbed, and sought Joel’s side.

Sue gulped. He must have come out of the portal the wrong way or something… She swallowed hard, and her eyes were moist.

Girls, you stay up here, Joel said. I’m going down there to get his gear. We may need it, given the mess we’re in. I’ll also see if it’s possible to dig him back out and give him a decent burial.

Okay, Sue said, choking on the word.

As Joel moved away and began to work his way down the slope of the crater, Sue felt Kim’s arms go around her and hug her tight. Her head sought one of Sue’s shoulders, and she was crying. Sue returned the embrace, and began to stroke Kim’s hair in a comforting manner. Oh, god…, Kim continued to sob. Oh, god… Poor Todd…and that could have been one or any of us too. Oh, god…

All Sue could do was hold Kim and look down in the crater, as Joel got closer to Todd’s body. She could say no more, given her own shock and horror at what had happened.

It was about two hours later. The two suns in the strange azure sky were now lower on the horizon. It had eventually taken all three of them to dig out Todd’s body from its half-in, half-out position, and then to fully bury it in his own impact crater. Once that had been done, and a few words spoken, they had moved on. There was nothing else they could do. To herself, Sue privately wished that Todd had died instantly upon impact, instead of having to suffer that terrible but ultimately final fatal struggle.

They had covered quite a distance since leaving their impact site behind. The dunes were giving out, and they frequently passed through long stretches of flat gray sand. The mountains that Sue had spotted before were definitely there, and were looming larger on the horizon, as the three young people walked toward them across the endless gray sand. Occasional rocks and pebbles, and the infrequent outcropping of stone, testified to the fact that they were getting closer to their goal. They were still a long way away from those slopes, but it looked as if they might at least get within striking distance of them by nightfall—if time worked the same way in this place as it did from where they had come.

This place kinda reminds me of the Great Salt Lake, you know? Kim said, breaking the silence that has settled over the three like a shroud.

The Great Salt Lake doesn’t have sand dunes, Joel responded. This is more like that place in the Southwest, or in some place like the Sahara, or Gobi.

No, this is more like a volcanic desert, Sue commented. That’s about the only time you get gray sand back on Earth.

Earth…, Kim said, letting the word trail off. She glanced at the others. Do you think we can ever get back?

Well, I’d like to hope for the best, Joel said, giving her a smile. We got here, didn’t we? If there’s a way here, then there’s gotta be a way back.

Sue smiled. Yeah. All we gotta do is find a cave with a ghost light pool in it, and then either jump in or wait for the next earthquake.

Kim gave her a wry look. Funny, she said.

It’ll probably be something like that, I’m guessing, Joel said. When Kim turned and gave him a stare, he explained. Look, Kim—if the ghost lights were an interdimensional portal of some kind, then it’s going to take another such portal to get back home again. He mused for a bit as he walked, and then spoke. They probably work like the green glow that’s sometimes reported in places like the Bermuda Triangle or the Devil’s Sea off of Japan, I’m guessing. A natural phenomena that works in unnatural ways. He laughed softly. That kind of thing might be perfectly natural here.

You know, Sue offered, I remember reading a story about a farmer back in the 1800s who simply disappeared one day. He just…vanished. When his wife and neighbors went to the spot where he had been standing, they swore they could hear him calling to them, begging and pleading for help. It went on for a few days, his voice getting weaker and weaker, until finally they couldn’t hear him anymore.

That’s sad, Kim said. Sounds like he fell through a hole to somewhere and eventually died. She paused, and her eyes grew moist again. Like Todd, only it wasn’t so quick.

Now don’t go crying again, Kim. Joel responded. He gave her a reassuring look. "We