CHAPTER IV

In the three months after Haltom’s death, Anya had kept herself busy trying to put plans into place for the next phase of the operation. She had even sent seekers to find out what they could about her next destination, and the people in charge of the portal there. In the end, all of her precautions and efforts had proved futile. Haltom, as Anya had soon discovered, wasn’t as unknown an entity as she had thought. The police had shown up at her door a week after she got home to give her the news of Haltom’s death. Anya had acted suitably surprised and then distressed, beginning with a fainting spell that caused the officers some serious concern.

By the time Anya recovered from the shock, the officers had carried her farther into the room. After she had satisfied the authorities that she was recovered enough to continue, they questioned her, documented her responses, and then left. Anya was certain Haltom’s lawyers would be in contact with her shortly thereafter.

It hadn’t taken long for the lawyers to descend on Anya with copies of Haltom’s newly revised will in hand. She only managed to keep her temper in check by a thread, and then only for as long as there were people to witness her real feelings. The moment she was alone, she gave a scream of frustration. Haltom left her the penthouse, four cars, a mansion in California, and what would amount to four million dollars after taxes. Anya hated how fast this was happening. She hadn’t received enough notice to give her the time she needed to make changes to her finances before all hell had burst open to rain fire on her plans. Now she could only wonder what she was going to do to get out of the mess she was in. The only answer she could think of was Haltom’s project.

Anya stewed about her changed circumstances for most of a week before blaming things on Haltom’s obsession. She didn’t doubt his beliefs; how could she when she had been there when the creatures had attacked him? She had seen that strange bird kill Haltom with... Being punished for these actions angered her. Anya remembered all of the research that had gone into this project and how difficult the project had been. Now that she had lost everything she felt she deserved, she blamed those who had caused Haltom’s death for her losses, which spurred Anya onward to learn more from Haltom’s notes, to see what else she could find to help her. It was going to take time, but the revenge would be sweet when she delivered it.

Anya had been astounded by the amount of paperwork involved in Haltom’s research. She had found all the documentation neatly stored, as well as clearly marked, in Haltom’s vault. The safe Haltom had used for this project was huge, the drawers stuffed with currencies from all around the world, as well as bonds Anya could cash those in as they had both Haltom’s and her name on them. A letter written in Haltom’s messy script let her know what each of the five shelves held.

Anya

I am not sure how interested you will be in continuing with my life’s work if something happens to me, but I believe you will be willing to tackle the project when you are finished reading this. To begin with, I am acquainted with what a vindictive bitch you can be, it is one of the things that attracted me to you. When I got to know you, I realized I could trust you to take care of both of us because it suited your purpose. Later, as we got closer, I could tell you understood I was acting in the best interest of our future. This more than anything was what endeared you to me. Some women would be offended by what I just wrote, but I doubt if this will be the case with you. You don’t need me to tell you what you are, and have always been honest enough to admit your strengths and shortcomings.

You will notice there are five shelves in this safe. The top one covers the research I did in the beginning, and what led me to them. There are portals in this world leading to another land where people of great magical abilities reside. To get there is not going to be easy for we are not welcome in their lands. The portals are the only way through, and even they will resist our wills. It, however, can be done. It has always been my ambition to find a crossing that can be used continuously to take an army across to enslave the population of these elusive people. This I am certain is something you will be able to see the advantages of.

The second shelf concerns the place where I suspect the strongest of the portals lay. I closed these files because the people on the other side found out about it and destroyed the portal to prevent us from using it. Do not underestimate this enemy. Whoever leads their defense is canny and knows how to defend their territory. Now that they are aware of their portals, they will destroy them to make sure we will never be able to cross over. If they do this, we will have no way to gain access to the great wealth of their lands, or the power of their people.

The third shelf holds all of the information I was able to find on the second portal. I don’t doubt that you will be able to remember this one because you were with me when we arrived near where it once existed by the sea. We got there a few hours too late, which gave me the impression we were getting closer to our goal. I am finding we have powers of our own that can help us gain an advantage over these people. I also suspect they have found out about us and will do whatever it takes to get rid of the threat we represent to them. Be warned, for if you are reading this, it means they managed to find a way to kill me. If this happens, it will leave you high on their target list. All the files on the third level have also been closed, as they became useless the moment the second gateway was destroyed.

I wrote this letter to you just before we left on the trip to locate what I believe is the third of four portals remaining when I began this quest. If we get to the other side, like I am hoping will be the case, what is here will no longer matter. Like I said, we are gaining on them. If we miss this gateway, however, we will only have one chance left to get what we want. I can no longer help you, if you are inclined to let this drop, but I don’t think you will, and not only because of the riches involved.

Everything I have found out about the fourth and final portal is on the bottom shelf. There is more to add to that in the left-hand drawer. This one was difficult to find any information about, as even those who knew about it were hard to coerce into giving me any answers. You would be surprised what a man can find out with the right amounts of drugs and incentives. It wasn’t easy to figure out what would make these people talk, for even hallucinogenic drugs weren’t enough to loosen their tongues. It took trickery and disguises as well. They must believe you are who and what you portent to be before they will confide anything. Our powers were able to help considerably with this.

If you are going to follow in my footsteps, then begin with the file I have labeled number one and follow the numbers until you reach the end. It will answer all your questions, which are undoubtedly many and based on whatever you have learned during our time together while trying to gain access to portal number three. If you follow the steps I laid out for you, you should be able to find the guardians who are in charge. With the right degree of coercion, I am sure you will be able to gain access to the last one.

Follow my instructions, Anya, and you will gain wealth beyond your wildest dreams. As I am well acquainted with how much you like to spend, I have an idea how much this entails. It would also pertain to this side of the portal as well as the other. By doing this, you will complete the quest I began as a lad. You will prove you were true, and had nothing to do with my death. In this case, there is a codicil to my will that my lawyers were instructed to hold back. If you bring back some proof you managed to complete the goal I set out for you, the full amount of my estate, along with the extra amounts that will be made through the investments, will be yours.

Best of luck, my Anya.

Haltom

Anya sat at Haltom’s desk stunned by the scope of what she had read. Haltom’s estates were worth more than she could spend in four lifetimes, and that was only a portion of what she could get by completing his quest. It was an exciting prospect. Granted, if she decided to sell off what Haltom had left her, Anya could still live comfortably, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted everything. She wanted private jets and castles in the sky. She wanted servants and designer clothing. She wanted to be free to do whatever she wanted whenever. She deserved to own the world and everyone on it.

With her mind made up, Anya went to the safe and pulled the first of the files. It was going to take time to go through some of the notes that were inside of it, and there were reams of them. Anya, however, was determined. She opened the cover and began to read what Haltom had written.

The last portal is hidden in fire and grows weaker with the passing of each yuletide season. This means we need to move quickly or we will miss our window of opportunity.

The note had been placed on top of the rest of the papers inside the file recently, for it wasn’t as discolored as the others, and the writing matched what Anya had read in the letter Haltom had left for her. Even the color of the ink that had been used was the same, which meant it had been done at the same time. Had Haltom suspected he would never come home before he left?