Even though she knew she couldn’t say more, that he wouldn’t want her to, she was still terrified. It ate at her, hollowing out her heart, until it felt like nothing more than an empty husk. She was afraid that someday, in the future, Alex would look back on this moment and he would hate her for not saying more, for not saving him when she could.
He watched her and seemed to read something of the anguish going on inside her mind. His eyes softened. “I’m a warrior, Allyra,” he told her gently. “I’ve trained my whole life to go into battle, and I have been chosen by the Source to be the Elemental High Master, to take my position as the leader of the Gifted. It is my duty to lead, but know that I go willingly to war, if it means protecting those I love. I understand the risk, and I know there’s a chance I may not make my way back.”
Alex leaned closer to her and whispered words meant only for her. “I’ve learnt to accept my future even though it will hold a measure of pain and death. Know that I walk toward it with a steady heart.”
Allyra nodded, biting the inside of her cheek, fighting to keep her emotions in check.
“Alex,” Mandla prompted gently. “We need to go or else we’ll be late.”
Alex hesitated, his eyes searching hers. “We’re going to enter through the Elemental Gate,” he explained.
Allyra shook her head adamantly. “No, it’s not safe.”
“It’s where I need to be. This is a coordinated attack, Elementals will be entering the Between through each of the Great College Gates. It’s too late to change the plan now.”
“You’ll still travel through the Elemental Gate and arrive at Sanctuary Hill. You just do it from somewhere hidden, so that your bodies will not be left unprotected.”
“Our physical bodies will be within the protection of the Great Hall, and we will put up wards for further protection. We will be safe.”
“You need to trust me in this.”
Alex considered her words, studying her with that extraordinary stillness that only he possessed. It was a long time before he spoke again, and when he did it was to quote a poem.
“Spring to stream.
Stream to raging river.
Bound in confluence.
Together, we will forge new paths.”
Spoken with his lyrical voice, there was something magical about those words, a magical pull that tugged at her.
“What is that?” she whispered.
“An old saying. A vow of sorts, shared between two people before they become Tethered. It’s old, a tradition that is mostly forgotten, but somehow, it reminds me of you. I can’t help but feel that our fates are entwined even if we are separated by the power of time.”
Alex turned to Mandla. “We’re following her.”
“Alex…” Mandla cautioned.
Alex placed his hands on Mandla’s shoulders. “I know I haven’t always been the best friend or the friend that you deserve. I have done some things recently to threaten your belief in me. But will you trust me once more?”
Mandla’s lips curved into an easy smile. “Yes, I trust you. I will always follow where you lead and stand by your side in battle. We have survived too much for me not to. In fact, I’m not sure you can be trusted to survive anything without me at your side.” The last was said with a small burst of laughter, lightening the somber mood. Allyra ached at the sight of their effortless friendship, in the knowledge of what was to come.
“Thank you,” Alex said with a smile. He turned back to Allyra. “Where are you taking us?”
“A tree is not just the trunk and branches and leaves you see. Its life comes from the roots below. And so, the Gate cannot only be opened from the surface, but also from beneath.”
Realization sparked in Alex’s eyes. “The Tunnels,” he said.
Allyra nodded.
“But no one can know what exists in the Tunnels, there is a powerful protection there, one that we cannot pierce.”
She nodded again, and once more, she saw the understanding begin to take root in his eyes. Alex was starting to understand that the danger lay not only within the Between, but also here as well. She wondered whether she would be strong enough to deny him if he asked the question directly. But he didn’t.
“I see,” he said quietly, his jaw gritted stoically. “Lead the way.”
Allyra led them down the spiral walkway from the Council Chamber, through the rooted entrance to the Tunnels. She walked deep into the Tunnels, but this time was different—the corridors didn’t twist or shift, and no Sentinels barred their way. If was as if the Tunnels, or at least the energy that governed it, understood their purpose, and supported it, smoothing their journey. None of it made the lump of iron in Allyra’s stomach weigh any less.
All too soon, they were standing before the massive, iron-barred doors. She ran her fingers across the shapes engraved into the metal. Bracing herself, she forced the tiger tattoo into motion, fighting the weakness as they came to life, flowing from her wrist like a stream of liquid metal and taking the rounded shape of the engraving sunken into the metal. She leaned her forehead against the door and fought to catch her breath. Pressing the ring into the metal, it clicked into place and turned silently, opening the door. She turned to Alex. “You know what to do.”
With a lot less effort, the dragons twitched on Alex’s forearm, unwinding a scaled tail from around his wrist and then appeared in his hand as the ring-shaped key. Once the door opened in his time, she led them into the marbled room.
“Extraordinary,” Mandla murmured as he took in the endless white columns
