Gasps came from the crowd surrounding the king. As they moved away, I saw what had caused the commotion.
Geth’s corpse lay near the king’s, although it was no longer the corpse of the goblin leader. The bloodied remains belonged to Nehor, one of Geth’s men. I stared, confused.
Why had the body transformed?
Looking closer, I found two empty vials lying near the body. Transformation potions.
One to transform as Firro. The other to appear as Geth.
The Caxon’s leader was not dead.
“Gods help us,” one of the Wults whispered beside me.
If Geth wasn’t here, then where was he?
We had to get back to the mainland. The crowd of elves and Wults had grown panicked as they realized the enormity of the situation.
Geth wanted us out here, as far away from the mainland as possible. This journey to restore the magic had been nothing more than a diversion to distract us from his real purpose. He’d never meant for the magic to be gone forever. He’d counted on us to restore it. But, why?
To make the elves suffer.
He’d conned us.
Princess Euralysia found me in the crowd. Her face revealed her panic. “We must return to Lauressa! Can you use your magic?”
“To transport everyone?”
“Yes. Our ship is destroyed, and to leave anyone here on this desolate isle means they will die. I will aid you with my own powers. Will it be enough?”
I’d only used magic to travel once before. It had been to transport myself, and I’d almost killed myself doing it. “I don’t know.”
“But you must try!”
“And if I fail? We could all die.”
My father appeared from the crowd. His skin was no longer the pallid shade I’d become accustomed to. The magic was restoring his health. “I will aid you as well,” he said.
Several more elves gathered. “And we will help,” they chimed in.
I looked at each face, at every person, at the fierce determination they all shared. Everyone knew this quest could have cost their lives, and they had been prepared to pay. We’d all known the danger when we’d set out. They, like me, would give anything to restore their home. And now, when it mattered most, I couldn’t deny them.
But I couldn’t do it alone.
“Princess,” I said, “I’ll do what I can, but we must all work together. Gather everyone under the tree. We will have to use its powers to aid us. Otherwise, the enchantment will never work.”
We congregated under the tree, although I couldn’t find Kull in the crowd, which bothered me. We couldn’t leave him here, yet I knew he needed time to be alone. I had faith that he would return, though, so I turned my focus back to those gathered around me. I instructed the Wults and non-magic users to stand in the center, and the elves surrounded them.
“We must all hold hands,” I instructed them. “The magical link cannot, under any circumstances, be broken. The magic will act as a current of electricity, traveling through each person.”
I scanned the crowd as we all gathered, but where was Kull?
I finally found him standing over his father. He lifted the body and severed head, then stalked toward us with heavy footsteps. His eyes didn’t meet mine as he stood in the crowd.
My heart fell. I didn’t want to contemplate Kull’s attitude. If I did, I feared I would lose my control, and I couldn’t afford that right now.
He would come to his senses soon enough. Wouldn’t he?
My father and the princess stood to either side of me. With the tree’s branches swaying overhead, I closed my eyes and clasped hands with them, and they, in turn, clasped hands with the encircled group.
Faythander magic swelled within me, giving me a sense of hope, of newness, and of familiarity. My magic mingled with the elves’ magic. The tree’s branches swayed gently, tinkling like tiny bells. My heart leapt in my chest as I felt the tree’s all-encompassing power combine with our own. Its magic stole my breath.
The only thing left to do was to envision the elven city.
If the high lord were in danger, I would travel to the central city. In my mind, I conjured the image of the elven hall. I pictured the marble pillars, the dome with the sun-patterned ceiling, the tables arranged to appear like the rays of the sun
I focused on every detail I could remember, and then I whispered the word that would take us there.
“Enter.”
My father squeezed my hand. His magic was so strong that I barely felt my body lose substance as we traveled the long distance from Verutith to Lauressa.
The magic brightened beyond my closed eyelids. Spots of color faded in and out of my vision. Wind echoed as if from a great distance, as if we stood inside a bubble. I imagined the ocean passing below us, its white-capped waves blurring as we sped to the elven capitol.
My hands tingled as the magic’s strength waned. Blood pooled away from my extremities and into my central organs. The farther we traveled from the tree, the less its magic aided our own. I stayed focused, though it took every ounce of my energy to do so.
Almost there. Stay focused. Almost there.
In my mind’s eye, I watched as we approached the mainland. We passed over Fan’twar’s chambers.
My heart was filled with joy as I watched him sleeping peacefully on his dais. His strength wasn’t restored yet, but his magic had returned, and soon his health would follow. The ugly scar Geth had given him had faded, and shiny pink scales grew over the stump of his severed arm.
We traveled away from the dragon caves and on to Lauressa.
Storm clouds gathered over the city. Lightning illuminated the darkened sky. Flames engulfed some of the central buildings. My heart dropped at the sight.
Were we too late?
Focusing on the main gathering hall, I let my last stores
