Chapter 22

Aday later, we gathered outside the cabins, preparing to open the portals and hoping our friends had come through on the other side. I"d been practicing my portals all day, hoping I had enough grasp on it that I could be of good help to Oliver.

Oliver and I stood at the forefront of our makeshift assembly, flanked by Callan and Engar, my heart pounding with anticipation. The forest around us seemed to hold its breath, the silence broken only by the rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze.

"Ready," Oliver"s voice was soft but steady, a reassuring smile on his face. I nodded, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. "Do I have a choice?"

With a deep breath, we turned to face outward, linking hands to help focus our magic. Closing my eyes, I called forth the familiar magic, urging it through my outstretched arm. The air shimmered in front of us, a wide oval beginning to form. Slowly, it began to take shape, taking much longer than a normal portal would. A vortex of light and magic weaved, stretching out widely.

The cliff-laden Briar Stronghold swam into view, and it took only a few seconds for Nia and Eldrin to appear on the other side. Nia"s eyes scanned our group, softening when they laid eyes on Lily"s upturned face. Behind them, I could see the outlines of other figures, shifting and moving as they got closer to the portal.

"Stand back," Nia said, and our group cleared out of the way, all except Oliver and me, who stayed close to keep the portal open. It wasn"t as hard as I thought it might be, as long as I stayed concentrated. Oliver had told me to let him do most of the work as the more experienced one of us, so my energy drain was minimal. There were times where I felt my magic want to jump away as people started filing through the portal, but Oliver"s magic was always there to force it back into place, the edges only wavering slightly.

She paraded a procession of people from the hole, and my jaw dropped when I saw just how many.

There were elementals of all kinds, and non-magic fae as well, large weapons strapped at their hips or strung against their back. At least a hundred people filed through, many of them giving me an appraising look as they passed, but I was too busy to dwell on that and be able to keep my concentration.

Finally, the people tapered out, and the pagu began to stream through. Varus, Aura, Verdan.

Then more, at least a dozen, in varying shapes and sizes. A large, masculine pagu brought up the rear, and when Nia gave the go-ahead, we let the portal snap shut.

‘Nice to see you again.'The pagu that had walked through last looked at me, and I squinted. Did I know him? There was something familiar about his face, but I couldn"t quite place it. Was he one of the pagu I had met during my brief stay at Briar?

He blinked at me with his crimson eyes, and suddenly it hit me. "Baby cheagle?" I gasped, my shock palpable as I took him in. He was huge, his feathers now completely different colors, five times as large as he had been the last time I"d seen him. "What happened to you?"

‘My name is Dreyden,' he said warily, and now that I realized, I could tell his voice was much younger than Aura and Varus sounded. Like a teenager, if the teenager"s voice was still gruff and deep. ‘I found my bonded rider, Astrid, not too long after you helped me. Thank you. I don"t think I would have survived the night.'

Happiness bloomed in my chest, grateful that I had decided to help him that day. There was some good that had come from this whole situation, and maybe if I could hang on to that, we could make it through this after all. I bowed my head at him, then watched him trot over to a tall, red-headed fae with legs that could kill. Astrid.

Moving a bit further out due to the sheer number of people, Oliver repeated the process, and before long we had a large portal with Wolfe standing in front of it, comfortable workout gear adorning his body. For a shifter, this was dressed for war, knowing he"d be more effective in his bear form than anything else. Callan wore something similar, something easy to take off and throw to the side so they could shift more freely.

He led a group forward, another mass gathering of people, all wearing similar clothes. They were impressive, the men with bulging muscles and hardened eyes, the girls lean and lithe, sharp eyes calculating. He hadn"t just brought shifters, he"d brought warriors, used to a life in a brutal pack where your deadliness helped you survive.

I couldn"t help but be awed at watching both groups of fighters together, two entirely different cultures coming to blend together. They kept their distance, sizing each other up, but also trading respectful nods and introductions. No matter what their thoughts on each other were, they were all here to fight for the same goal against the same threat.

Here, they would be united.

Wolfe gripped Lily in a tight hug, almost lifting her off the ground as they reunited. "Are you sure you can leave the pack?" she asked, searching his gaze worriedly.

"They"ll be okay," Wolfe smiled at her, not quite ready to let her go. It wasn"t a romantic thing. No, it was the dousing, bone-crushing fear that you get when you almost lose someone you love. When you thought you might never see them again. "This is where I need to be right now."

Suddenly, the temperature began to drop. Dark clouds gathered overhead, swirling ominously as the air grew heavy with the promise of a storm. The wind picked up, howling mournfully through the trees, and for a moment it almost sounded like Finn. Unease settled over us as raindrops began to pelt our skin.

"It"s happening," Engar shouted over the weather, raising his voice so everyone in the clearing could hear him. A hush blanketed the crowd. "She"s begun the ritual. We don"t have a lot of time."

‘He's right,'Varus said as he sidled up next to me, his voice projecting out to everyone. ‘She"s disrupting the magic.'

Fear gripped my heart like a vice as I realized we were out of time. This wasn"t a natural storm, and who knows how long it would take her to complete her ritual. If we didn"t go now, we may not make it at all.

I turned to Oliver, gripping his hand as we prepared to open our third and final portal. This one was trickier, as I had to picture the in-between that I"d only been in once before. Oliver would once again take the lead, and he wasted no time. The portal started to rip through reality in front of us.

As lightning continued to dance across the sky and thunder roared overhead, the portal widened as far as we could. My friends led the way, Callan giving me a confident stare as he passed, leading the mixed pack of shifters and fae as they entered through. Everyone moved through without a hitch, which was a good sign. There was no way to tell exactly where the Queen would be, but we didn"t want her to see us entering when we would be at our most vulnerable. It seems Oliver"s intuition was correct.

The last ones through were Lily and Nia, bringing up the rear with Aura and Varus.

Then, finally, it was our turn.