“Obviously she learned without being taught. She’s very powerful.”
“But she never practiced drawing power from water, stone, and forest as a child. All the rest of us use the elements without a second thought by the time we develop our major gifts. What if she never learned to draw from the elements? What if instead, she drew from a different source? What if every time she uses her gifting—major or minor—she draws from a finite source rather than an infinite one?”
With each question, the expression of wide-eyed horror grew on Bardamen’s face. “The soulmate bond?”
“The soulmate bond.”
~ 15 ~
The room outside the portal appeared to be a cave comprised of dark rock with crystals sparkling in the rounded walls. A number of torches shed wavering lights and shadows from their wall mounts across the smooth stone of the shore to dance across the surface of the water. From her perch inside the open portal door, Alora observed the water from the pool. Though the level was a few inches above the opening at her feet, the water was somehow suspended from entering the portal. A prevailing sense of doom made her slightly queasy, but nothing felt particularly close by.
“So Daegreth was right,” Wesley remarked, peering over Alora’s shoulder. “It does open right into Vindrake’s caverns. That’s not good.”
“I wonder how deep the water is?” Alora mused aloud.
“I should go first, as I’m the tallest.” Kaevin spoke behind her. “If it’s deep, it’s a short distance to swim.”
“Vindrake probably has his lair warded against transporting,” remarked Jireo. “This entire expedition may be futile.”
“You may be correct,” Kaevin agreed, “but Nordamen believes Vindrake’s wards may defend only against incoming transports. Vindrake’s protections may prevent Alora from transporting into his lair with Stone Clan warriors. Vindrake may rely on his iron belt to prevent Alora from snatching him away, rather than warding his entire lair.”
“We won’t know until you try, Alora. Your next move should be to test a short transport,” Uncle Charles urged.
“Great idea. I’ll test it by transporting from here to the shore, since I don’t mind leaving my metal knife behind.”
Kaevin nodded. “Arista and I will wait here inside the portal door. If your transport works, I’ll slide out into the water first and test the depth. Hopefully, I’ll be able to stand and support Arista when she comes out into the water. Then she can seal the portal.”
“That’s right.” With her knees already wobbling from trepidation, Alora urged, “Arista, you need to work fast, because I’ll be waiting on shore by myself. As soon as you’re done, I can transport you both to me, right?”
Arista drew her knife, the polished metal flashing in the eerie portal light. “No, don’t transport us. Kaevin and I want to keep our blades until we transport to Laegenshire. We’ll swim or wade to you.”
“We’ll be fast,” said Kaevin.
Alora smothered the fear in her gut. I have to be brave like Arista and Kaevin.
“And we’re left hauling all the gear back by ourselves,” Wesley complained in a light-hearted voice. “You’ve got the easy part.”
A nervous chuckle escaped Alora’s throat. “Yeah, anything but hauling a heavy pack on cross country skis again. I’d rather be tortured by Vindrake.”
Her unfortunate attempt at a joke fell flat, and the group slipped into a sober silence.
Arista was the first to recover. “No use in delaying. Guards could be coming this way at any moment.”
“Okay. Wish me luck.” Alora’s armpits felt damp, though the air inside the portal was cool. Blood pounded in her ears as she took a deep breath, steeling her nerves. In an instant she stood on the shore. Whirling around, she panicked when she couldn’t see her friends. Of course I can’t see them—they’re inside the portal.
Alora’s eyes strained to peer across the dark waters. At the back of the pool, the flickering torchlight revealed a disturbance on the water’s surface, movement, and then Kaevin’s head. He appeared to be standing rather than swimming, so perhaps the water wasn’t too deep. Still, it would be over Arista’s head. Alora felt a general nausea like she was carsick. Hurry, hurry. There’s a terrible darkness in this place.
Arista appeared all at once, sitting on Kaevin’s shoulders. Kaevin turned until they were sideways to her. Arista waved her hands in the air a bit—or at least that’s how it seemed to Alora.
That’s all it takes to seal a portal? This is easier than I thought. Within ten seconds, Kaevin was wading toward the shore with Arista on his shoulders. Bending to set her down in the shallow water, they splashed to Alora.
“It’s done. Take us to Laegenshire.”
Alora linked arms with Kaevin and Arista, breathing a prayer of thanks as she performed the transport to Laegenshire.
But they didn’t move.
*****