CHAPTER#112

Tink hustled over to the next hole, and Beth watched her repeat the process. The ground shook beneath them, and the rats all paused to wait for several of the holes to be plugged back up before another was opened. Reggie had explained that once a hole was closed, it couldn't be used to chew a portal to somewhere else, which meant they were using one of the longer tunnels near the center of the Labyrinth. Asterion had disabled the traps, and the fairies circled overhead. All three of them were together once more, and they flitted in and out of the holes the rats made with the understanding that if they wandered off, they would get abandoned.

"Nope." Tink patted one of the rats on the head. "Good try, no husband."

"We've been at this for awhile now." Reggie rubbed his cheeks and sighed. "Are we sure she can find him this way?"

"Well... I'm going to say yes." Hope was all they had at this point. She was fairly certain that the deadline for turning the dial had passed, and she knew the Society would be eager to try and break in once again.

"Hmm." Reggie examined a globe that he had stolen from a school they had tunneled into. "It would seem that we are no closer to locating him than we were before." He had marked off portal openings using a marker. The whole globe was dotted with markings now. "if he's anywhere to be found, it certainly isn't on Earth proper."

"That's not a comforting thought." Beth picked up a rock and tossed it through one of the openings nearby. It had taken the rats several minutes to open the portals, and just as many to close them. "Any ideas on where to look?"

"It would have to be a place that was cut off from everywhere else. Folded up in on itself." Reggie made a ball with his hands. "Those are extremely difficult to find."

"Like the ones you built the tunnels through?"

"One and the same." His whiskers twitched and he turned to face one of the portals. "You've given me an idea." He gestured for a few rats to approach. They huddled around him, ears forward as he spoke.

"We've opened many portals to other realms in our time here. Speak with the others and reopen them right away." They nodded at him and bowed, then ran off.

"You think that will help?" Beth asked.

"Perhaps." He turned to face her. "This woman came through a wardrobe that had been locked by Emily's hand. If this is the case, then I imagine she couldn't have come to the house using conventional means. She must have been trapped in one of those pocket dimensions."

"That's right, I hadn't even thought of that!" She frowned. "But why would opening old portals do any good?"

"I have a theory." He paced down the hall, his eyes on his subjects. "This woman who came here was familiar with the house. Many eyes watched as she walked the halls. She was before our time, this I know. But," he held up a finger, "I remember Emily demanding that we open the portals for her. She would travel to the Library and come back with her research. Pictures, scriptures, poetry, anything that could help us find the locations she was looking for. All but one time."

"What happened then?"

"She described a tower overlooking a valley as if from memory. If she could go there, then why not simply go? We closed that portal quite some time ago, but our teeth remember. If we can open up those old portals, we should be able to find that place once more."

"Reggie, you're a genius." She knelt down and kissed the rat on his forehead. It was the best idea they had heard so far, and she hoped he was right.

"You are too kind, Lady Beth." He threw his shoulders back, suddenly looking very regal. "It is my pleasure to serve."

The ground rumbled beneath their feet, more powerfully than before, and Reggie ran off, stopping on occasion to sniff the air. Beth followed behind him, wondering what had happened. They ran down the long corridor followed by a small cluster of rats that had broken away from their projects. She felt like the pied piper, leading her army of rats to an unknown destination.

"There!" Reggie pointed at a section of the ground.

Beth stopped to rub her eyes, unsure of what she was seeing. Part of the stone floor had gone blurry, which didn't make any sense. It shrank and grew every few seconds, the air between them rippling.

Nearby, a group of portals had just been opened. The rats that came with them helped close up the holes, rapidly shrinking them down to little dots of light that finally blipped out of existence a few minutes later.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Instability. We spaced the holes just right, but the tunnel curves. We didn't account for that, and now must leave this part untouched unless we want to accidentally create our own pocket dimension. Or get shoved into a dimension-less void."

"Yeah, I don't feel like getting lost in the multiverse or whatever." She let out a sigh. "I'm glad you got it fixed."

"I'm just glad nobody was hurt." Reggie patted one of his subjects on the head appreciatively. "These were portals dedicated to Earth destinations anyway. Please check in with your team leader for new assignments."

The nearby rats saluted and dispersed.

"They seem to respect you."

"I like to think so. Our previous king ruled from the throne. I prefer to rule from amongst my people." He turned to face her, his long tail dragging through the dirt. "If you will excuse me, Lady Beth, I must attend to other matters."

"Thank you, King Reggie." She watched him leave, counting her blessings that they had managed to befriend such a powerful ally. How many other creatures like the rats roamed the world, just waiting for a fair shot at survival? Would Mike try and find them, then bring them to the house?

"Big earth shake," Tink said from behind her, causing her to jump. "Rats no find husband, but try real hard."

"Yeah, well... it's definitely going to take some time." Opening her mouth to say something else, she lost her train of thought when Asterion suddenly appeared, a dark look on his face.