Allyra led them to the central arch of the Elemental College, and for a moment, her vision wavered as she saw both the Alex of the past, standing beside her, and the Alex of her present, lying still and silent on the marble slab before her. Feeling sick to her stomach, Allyra stumbled, and Alex reached out instinctively to steady her but remembered himself at the last, his fingers closing over nothing but air.
She gave him a wry smile. “The Elemental Gate,” she said, gesturing to the central pergola.
“Extraordinary,” Mandla said again, walking beneath the graceful arches, his fingers gently tracing the roots. “This is all five of the Great College Gates, all in one place. Did you know this was here?”
Alex shook his head silently, consumed by his own study of the room. “I think,” he said slowly and then hesitated. “I think it was hidden for a purpose.” He shook himself from his reverie. “We need to get started.”
“Wards?” Mandla asked.
“I’ll do them.”
Alex and Mandla stepped onto the platform beneath the Elemental Gate, leaving Allyra standing alone—watching helplessly.
“I’m not going to ask if I’ll see you again,” Alex said. “Because I know we will meet again. We are a confluence, Allyra—together we will forge new paths.”
Allyra nodded, words caught in her throat.
Alex closed his eyes and began to call on his Gift. With a start, Allyra realized she could sense it, like a well of water bubbling to the surface. She closed her eyes and watched him work—weaving green, yellow, red, and blue threads together in patterns so complicated and beautiful it made her heart sing. She could see it so clearly, the power of his Gift, somehow, in this room, time felt less significant, bringing the two of them even closer together.
Carried by overwhelming emotion, her own Gift sparked to life, and she mirrored his weaving, matching thread for thread, and adding her own designs, creating a picture that was more than just his or hers alone, something that sang with the power of both their Gifts.
His eyes snapped open, finding her, with wonder blazing like wildfire within them. They poured themselves into the ward, their Gifts flowing and dancing together. When the ward was done, it formed a complete sphere around Alex and Mandla. The dragon tattoo appeared as a small dagger in Alex’s hand, and he twisted it against his palm until a few drops of blood fell, crimson on white marble.
“A blood ward,” he explained.
The drops of blood swirled together, forming a thin thread, changing from red to silver. Alex wove the thread of life through the already complex pattern, adding yet another layer of protection.
Allyra drew a dagger from her belt and followed Alex’s lead, her own silvery thread joining his—the same, yet somehow very different.
Alex reached up, putting his hand against the ward. She mirrored him and placed her palm against his. She could almost feel him, his palm warm against her own, his skin callused—the hand of a warrior.
So close.
“Thank you,” he whispered, his eyes swirling with unspoken emotion and promises he knew he could not make. Slowly, he drew away, his eyes never leaving hers. He lay down on the marble slab, and the Gate opened—a black, mirrored surface, constantly in motion, like tiny waves over the surface of an almost still lake.
Finally, Alex closed his eyes, and she felt him slip away as he stepped through the Gate.
The past became present, leaving her alone with his still and silent body.
Chapter 30 – Allyra
The world was covered in white. A bitter wind sent ice crystals swirling around her face, each one sharp and painful against exposed skin. Not that much of her skin was left exposed. She was covered head to toe with layers of bulky, white clothing. A balaclava was pulled down over her face to her shoulders, and she had goggles over her eyes. Allyra imagined that she resembled the Michelin man more than she did herself.
“Can you do something about this?” Jason screamed over the wailing wind, vaguely gesturing at the swirling ice and snow. He was similarly attired and almost unrecognizable.
Allyra reached for her Gift and created a bubble of Air around them. Instantly, the world stilled though the wind continued to rage against her Gift. Without the wind sending shards of ice flying into them, the temperature seemed to rise by a few degrees, and Jason lifted the hood from his head and the goggles from his eyes. He shook his head, seemingly in disbelief. “What in the world were the Oceanics thinking when they chose this particular slice of hell for their Great College?” he muttered darkly.
Allyra shrugged. The effort of trying to find words seemed beyond her reach. Her lips were numb with cold and her mind equally sluggish. She was a child of Africa; she came to life in the warmth and blossomed under the sun. It was hard for her mind to imagine that cold this bitter existed anywhere in the world. Especially since the heart of winter would only arrive in Antarctica in a few months, but already the hours of daylight were limited to no more than three or four hours of the day. And the temperature—well, perhaps once it dropped below minus thirty degrees Celsius, there was no point in measuring it any further. One thing was for sure—this was no place for humans.
Jason seemed to notice her lack of reply and glanced at her. “You okay?”
She gave a short nod in reply, and when he continued to look at her with concern bubbling to the surface of his dark indigo eyes, she finally forced her tongue around some words. “Just
