“Are you ready, Lora?” 

Allora De Annen looked up from the swirling mass of arcane script that filled the circle on the floor of the laboratory. Silvery-white geometric designs had been painstakingly drawn into the polished black marble floor over the course of several hours with imbued ink by the cambion across from her. The metal flakes of gold and silver that had been mixed in glinted in the soft glow of the mage lights that were affixed to the wall around the room. It was difficult to pull her eyes away from it.

The spell, even though not yet empowered with Revos’s own mana, was a sight to behold. Allora had never seen its like before and it was far beyond her abilities to create on her own. It was so powerful that it had already started to pull ambient mana from the space around them and she could see a slight rippling along the edges as the magical energies were drawn in. She thought she could detect an eagerness about it as if it wanted to be empowered. It was said that the most potent spells could sometimes take on a life of their own and she supposed that it was possible since mana was the magic of life itself but she didn’t concern herself with those things. She was no theorist.

Pulling her eyes from the spell forms on the floor she met Revos's black-slitted golden eyes, a snake's eyes, and nodded. He nodded in return and the light glinted off the black horns curling elegantly around the sides of his head. Lora felt her chest tighten. A single bead of sweat slid down her spine. It was just the heat, she told herself. Iletish was a desert, after all, and they were only a few risings from High Sun. Even underground the heat could be oppressive. Just then she missed the cool forests of Awenor. The lush rolling fields and misty glades. None of which could be found in Revos’s adopted home. The heat didn't bother him. He had demon blood in his veins. 

But no, she wasn't ready. She wanted to run, to break from this place and flee screaming into the desert wastes beyond Revos's cozy if austere walls. This was too much for her. Too much for any one person. What was she thinking? She'd been on the run for almost two years. She could hardly think anymore from the constant exhaustion and fear. I am not trained for this! I have not even finished my training! How could anyone expect me to—.

She shoved the thoughts aside. If not her, then who? She was the last. The gods had given her this task and it was for her to complete. She tried to calm her breathing and hold fast to that simple truth. It helped. A little. From deep in her memory, almost as if from another life, a familiar voice called out. “Protect the monarch!” She shuddered at the sudden image of a ruler bleeding in her arms and a small onyx stone emerging from his chest as his life left his body.

“Keep your gemstones close at hand,” Revos said. “There is little magic in that world, it is a place of technology and great machines. It will take you hours—days even—to replenish your mana if you are careless. Then you would be defenseless.”

Allora glanced down at the sword and dagger at her waist, the hilts just barely visible in the loose-flowing clothes. Revos followed her gaze to the weapons.

 “Well,” he corrected, his smirking lips curling to reveal shockingly white fangs against coppery red skin. “Almost defenseless.”

The clothes were the best she could manage off of Revos's sketches and descriptions from his attempts to scry the people of that other world. The tailors in the marketplace had been confused at the strange designs but had agreed to her requests without protest. Allora hoped she wouldn't stand out too much. She missed her armor.

“The locator will work with the amulet but the storage capacity of each linked gem will only give you a half dozen uses at best, so don't waste them!” he cautioned. “They won't recharge like you will. You can power it yourself but since we don’t know how long it will take your mana to replenish there, it will be risky.”

“We have gone over this already,” Allora reminded him.

He pressed on as if she hadn't spoken. 

“And when you get him, her, whoever, make sure you smash the sapphire into the transducer when it's placed at the center of the circle. You can't power this spell yourself. You don't have the mana capacity for it, even if you could cast it. If you don't use the transducer the spell won't work and you'll be stuck there. And you both need to be in the circle. You've got the diagrams to draw it yourself. I’ve schooled you enough on the shapes and designs. With magic this powerful you will have little margin for error. Do it wrong and not getting back will be the least of your worries. Place the transducer in the center and stand in your spots. Only once you're both there do you smash it!” 

She gave him a weary smile. “I kno—”

“Also, there is the comprehend language spell.” he continued. “I've given you enough star rubies that you should be fine. The spell doesn't require much mana. However, anytime you need to talk to someone or find out where you are or where you need to go, you'll have to rely on it, so you'll need to watch the levels carefully. Don't waste time when you're out!”

Revos began pacing, ticking things off on his fingers. “Food shouldn't be a problem for you. The little I was able to gather from the scry suggests they're humans so their biology should match well enough with yours. Whatever they eat, you should be able to eat. Remember not to put your hair up as there are no elves on their world and it will hide your ears.”

Allora listened to him as his pacing continued. She realized then that he was nervous for her. Perhaps even scared. She walked around to his side of the circle and reached up, placing a hand on his shoulder. This snapped him from whatever mental lists he was reviewing in his head. She looked up into his golden eyes – a bit of a challenge as he was almost two meters tall. 

“Revos,” she said, her voice calm despite the trembling in her chest. “I will be okay. The gods would not have put me on this path if I could not see it through.” 

Actually, she didn’t feel okay. She felt like she wanted to vomit. But there was nothing for it. 

Revos snorted. 

“You'd be surprised how many people died with those words on their lips.”

“Even so,” Allora countered. “I must have faith. They led me here, did they not? And none of this would have been possible without you.” 

He turned to face her fully and placed his powerful hands on her waist, his long fingers almost meeting at her spine. 

“Don't go, Lora. Stay here, with me! Leave Awenor to its fate. I've grown rather fond of you these last several days. You'll be safe here and Milandris will think you dead. Iletish isn't so bad, once you get used to the heat. And the sand. And the clorvols. Oh, and the—”

“They are my people, Revos,” she interrupted. “They are suffering and it is my duty. I must see a new ruler on the throne. It is the only way to renew the bond and protect them and the land. You know Milandris seeks to kill Awen. You know what it means to kill an elemental. Would you see what happened to Iletish happen to Awenor?”

Revos looked away from her, incomprehension and frustration plain on his angular face. He was not one for duty and honor. He was a decent enough sort but ultimately served only himself. He was a lecherous old goat, just as Gilriel had told her he was, but still, he was sweet in his way. Even so, someone without loyalty could not understand someone like her, who served a higher purpose. She couldn't stay with him, even if she'd wanted to.

“You knights,” he said, at last, letting out a frustrated sigh. “Do they insert that stick up your ass on the first day or is it part of the graduation ceremony? As stiff and unyielding as a priest of Stolar at high sun.”

He leaned down, kissing her forehead, then gently on her lips. His lips were hot. Almost too hot.

“Are you sure you won’t consider my offer? Consider me?” he asked, his voice thick with promise.

Almost, she did. The years of running and fighting for her very life had left her exhausted. Allora was tired of being alone, of going to sleep afraid every night. Tired of the nightmares where her hands were covered in blood. Most of all she was tired of having the weight of an entire kingdom on her shoulders. It was too much for any one person. But as she had told herself a thousand times before since the coup, if not her then who?

She inhaled and let it out slowly.

“I cannot,” she replied, her voice heavy with the burden she carried.

“Let's be about it then, my brave knight.”

“Yes,” Allora said, giving herself a mental shake and trying to focus on the task at hand. “Let's.” 

She hoped her voice sounded more confident than she felt.

Releasing her, Revos walked back to the head of the circle and knelt where he began breathing deeply, focusing himself. Once more she noticed how spotless the smooth marble floor was. Allora could not find a single speck of sand. 

“Hornier than a sailor with a nose full of gloam dust he might be but Gilriel was right,” Allora thought to herself. “Revos knew his spell work.”

Not needing to be prompted on her part, Allora checked again that her weapons, bag, and pouches were secured to her person. Finding everything in order, she stepped gingerly into the center of the circle, careful not to scuff any of the lines.

“I hope,” Revos began, his voice deep and calm as the magic for the spell gathered, “that the people of Awenor know what you do for them. If there were any justice you would be their ruler and magic bond be damned.”

Allora smiled. It was high praise coming from one who took very little seriously.  

“I am a knight, Revos. It is my duty to serve them. I do not do it for fame or glory. I do it because it must be done.” 

How quickly her father's words came to her lips. She hadn't understood them when she was young, but at that moment, she felt the truth of them. You were right, father. I wish you were alive so that I could tell you that.

Her skin prickled as the magical energies began to coalesce around her. “Pity,” was all he said in reply. A sad smile played about his full lips. “Good luck, Allora De Annen, last of your line.”

A hum had begun in her ears and her insides began to quiver. She saw his lips moving but could no longer hear what he said. With a platinum-lined sevith on each hand, he brought his palms down to the lines drawn so carefully this afternoon, the culmination of a week of research, study, and preparation. He brought the glowing pink sapphires locked into each palm segment to the contact points of the circle that would allow him to channel his own mana through the gemstones and into the weaving, powering the spell and sending her to another planet in another universe.

Closing her eyes, she felt the magic build to a crescendo, the energy racing along her skin, almost burning in its intensity. She could see her long black hair begin to float up in a halo about her head, arcane energy sparking out of the tips. The magic continued to build and, right as she thought it would tear her apart, the whole world went white.