“I agree,” Sath said flatly. “But which one?” He looked around, looking past the still staring Lord Taanyth at the archways that Gin meant. She had noticed them when they landed on the most massive rock and Sath ‘knew’ through the bond. They all appeared to be the same, though each one had a banner floating to one side of the opening. “Hey, Gin, what does that hammer look like to you?”
Gin studied it a moment, and then her eyes lit up. “It looks like the ones carved into the mountains where the dwarves live! Sath, do you think that’s where that one leads? If so, we know how to get home from there safely, AND we could stop in and see Tee.”
“Aye, that’s what I was thinking as well,” Sath said as he beamed a toothy grin her way. Gin lowered her head and looked toward the portal, then back at Sath.
“Well, there’s only one way to find out!” He held out a hand to her, but she pushed past him, headed for the portal at a dead run.
“GIN!” he roared. “WAIT!” She disappeared through the archway, and Sath dived through it, hoping to catch hold of her on the other side. Gin had closed her eyes when she hit the arch, and when she opened them again, she found she was still in the Void, just in a different part.
“Ikara’s TEETH!” she swore loudly. “It was a decoy! That was wasted time!”
Sath crashed to the ground behind her but swiftly got to his feet. “Okay, ouch—so that didn’t lead us anywhere productive. Now what?”
Gin stood with her hands on her hips. “Well, there was a story that I remember reading in the Draoch’s journal about an Ikedrian he befriended who escaped captivity when she didn’t even know where she was being held—but you are going to have to let me try it first,” she said. “Don’t make that face at me—my tracking is much better than yours. Do you trust me, Sath?”
He smiled at her. “Of course I do,” he said, wishing that it was entirely true.
“Well, anyway, STAY THERE,” she said, holding up one tiny hand to him. “I’m serious, don’t follow me right away because if it doesn’t work, I don’t want you to get hurt. You just stand back,” she said, grinning at him as she channeled Elysiam in word and bravery—and potentially foolishness: “I’m going to try something.”
“What? Gin, what are you…NO!” She ran toward the edge of the rock they were standing on and then jumped off into the Void.
“DOWN!”
Sath ran to the precipice and looked down to see her falling, and then she disappeared. He roared in frustration and anguish. “GIN!”
“I’m right here,” she called out. Sath leaned over as far as he could to see if he could spot her, expecting to see her hanging onto something underneath one of the rocks. “Careful, Sath, you’ll…” He lost his balance suddenly, and though he scrambled to steady himself, he could gain no purchase on the rocky surface, and he fell. He tried to brace himself for impact, but then he just…wasn’t for a moment. It was almost the same sensation as one of Gin’s transport spells, but it ended almost as soon as it began. He opened his eyes to find himself seated on the ground with Gin standing over him, her hands, as always, firmly planted on her hips. “. . .fall.” He scanned the area and found that they were back where they had first entered this strange place.
“What the…”
“I don’t know, but I guess I should be thankful that I didn’t fall to my death there, right?” Gin said, chuckling. Sath leaped to his feet and swept her up into his arms, crushing her to his chest. “Hey! Can’t…breathe…Sath?” He loosened his grip, and she coughed hard until she caught her breath again. “Really?”
“I thought you were…Don’t do that again, do you understand me? Don’t you ever…” His tone was reminiscent of the one used for putting errant Qatu in their places in the throne room, and it made Gin grin wickedly.
“Yeah, yeah, Rajah, as you wish and all that. Put me down, and I’ll put my forehead on your boot or whatever I’m supposed to do,” Gin teased. Her smile faded as she saw the fear in the Qatu’s teal eyes. “Sath, I’m fine.”
“Don’t jump off anything again, am I clear?” he hissed at her. Gin’s eyes widened at his use of her language. She nodded, and he put her down carefully. “That’s better. You just can’t do that, Gin. Okay? Just…don’t.”
“Okay, I won’t. But Sath, I-”
“Suddenly, I was right there again, watching you fall off the side of that tower…you cannot keep doing that, please? I…just don’t, okay?” Sath put his face in his hands for a moment, and Gin gave him space.
“So…back to the escape plans…we know now that we can’t jump off, cast a spell, and land back in the Forest—meaning we are not in the Forest any more, so that’s out,” she said as she watched him warily.
“That’s what you were doing?” Sath stared at her as she nodded.
“I think all that’s left is to try another portal. Maybe we will end up back where
