“Why is the council holding this meeting then?”
“For a lot of them, it’s personal. For example, when the Ardaks got through yesterday, they killed Lord Zekrail’s wife and daughter. They were waiting by the portal to go to the pegasus world. He threatened to hunt every portal guard and kill them.”
“That sounds perfectly reasonable.” Valdjan scoffed.
“Yes, well . . . that was the final act to turn the council’s sentiment against having the portals open. Plus, the people on the council tend to be the most traditional among us. They might have invested in expansion, but at the end of the day, none of them have been off-planet themselves.”
“So, we have to change the minds of ten out of the eleven member of the High Council, all of whom are traditional, narrow-minded cowards. Great. What else do you know about them?”
“All the information is in the files.”
Valdjan shook his head. “I’m looking for information that isn’t in the files. Who influences whom and why they may want to close the portals.”
Elberos looked at the ceiling, obviously thinking. “Well, there are three men who—in my opinion—seem to be the leaders. Besides the head of the council, of course.” He looked over Valdjan’s shoulder at his LINK device and pulled up three photos. Beneath the photos were notes about their families and positions.
“It says here that Lord Tahlavel’s daughter is on Aurora. Why would he want to close the portals?”
“Aren’t you from Aurora?” Elberos asked curiously.
“Yes, but the merpeople aren’t bad in my time. Not that I know of, anyway.”
“Then I don’t know.” He frowned. “There must be something there, though. Some reason he wants to cut her off from this plane. Because once the portals are destroyed and there is no more magic to run them, there’s no going back. Ever.”
“Ever?” Valdjan raised an eyebrow.
“Well, maybe if we remade all of the portals from scratch and we could find the Aeschynite-Y that the portals are imbued with. But the substance is so rare that it’s almost impossible to find. We used almost all of what we had in the first round of portals. There is only one place we know of where it could be mined, but it’s virtually impossible to maintain a presence there, so we only go to the planet when it’s absolutely necessary.”
“That’s why the elves never reopened them,” Valdjan muttered to himself.
Elberos leaned closer. “What are you talking about?”
“Never mind.”
“No, I heard you.” The elf was silent for a moment. “You said the portals were closed fifteen hundred years ago. You’re telling me they never reopened them?”
“Right. The portal to Aurora is still closed. The elves there don’t know anything about their past, at least the elves I know don’t.”
The elf regarded him for a moment, his expression shuttered. He clearly wasn’t sure whether to believe the information. Finally, he sighed. “If it’s true, that’s horrible.” Elberos’s voice was sad. “I’ve been to many planets doing scientific research for the empire, including Aurora. I never thought it would come to this.”
“Well, it did. And this is what we need to prevent,” Valdjan said determinedly.
“Perhaps the first thing we should do is find Lord Uhlsfel.”
“Why?” Valdjan was still perusing the information on the LINK screen when Elberos pressed the button to close the LINK device.
“Lord Uhlsfel is one of the two who we know are actually going to vote for keeping the portal open. I suggest we try to protect him if we want him to vote.”
“Maybe he will have more information about others who might vote his way.”
“He might. Lord Uhlsfel is the only member who’s been off-planet, and he’s been gone for three years building a new tribal headquarters on New Sumlan. But it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”
“Which portal is he supposed to be coming in through?”
“The only one left open is in a building across town. It’s highly fortified with soldiers and relatively secure.”
Relatively secure didn’t exactly encourage confidence, but it was better than nothing.
“So security is debatable inside, and once he leaves, it’s really going to be a mess.” Valdjan guessed.
“Right. The soldiers stay with the building,” the elf agreed. “Getting them back across town is where we can help.”
“How are we going to get there?”
“We can’t stay on the ground and our ship isn’t cleared to fly . . . so, that leaves a shuttle.” Elberos suggested. “There are a few parked out in front of our ship here.”
“Our ship would have better protection.”
“Don’t worry, the shuttle doesn’t have weapons, but it’s made to protect political refugees, so it can take quite a beating.”
“Fine. Let’s go before this crowd gets any worse.”
Elberos took the lead, weaving his way across the landing bay and toward the docking platform where several shuttles were parked among the different ships.
He had never seen a flying machine so small. With just enough room for a pilot and copilot, and perhaps three in the back seat. Had Valdjan been in his own body, he probably wouldn’t have fit in the contraption.
“These shuttles have a small bit of magic,” Elberos explained as he climbed in. “They have the ability to fly and shield themselves but not much else.”
“Is the other building far?”
“Like I said before, it’s on the other side of the city, but I doubt anyone will recognize me. Why don’t you slink down a bit so people don’t recognize Lord Ilphthal?”
Valdjan shot him a glare, and he grinned unexpectedly.
“Come on. At least until we leave the government sector.” He raised the craft and took off quickly, pushing a few buttons with one hand, steering with the other. “Leaving the protective shield in . . . three, two, one—”
As the craft rose higher, Valdjan slouched down in his seat, reluctantly admitting to himself that it was probably better this way due to his fear of heights. He hung on to the armrests tightly, still trying to see as much as he could out the front window. He saw the tops of buildings rising so tall they seemed to touch the sky.
When Elberos gave the all clear, he took a deep breath and sat up, marveling at the city around them despite his fear. It must have extended as far as the distance from the Ardak base to Renwyn back on Aurora. He’d never imagined a city such as this.
They flew at a height about halfway up the buildings, and he peered out the window to his left and saw that the streets were teeming with elves. A few threw fireballs at them half-heartedly, but the magic wasn’t at full strength and the shuttle easily dodged them. Valdjan kept his breathing slow and steady as the craft darted from side to side, weaving around the fireballs.
It took about twenty minutes to arrive at the building with the second portal, and Valdjan breathed a sigh of relief when they landed. Elberos pushed a few buttons and landed the shuttle on its roof as five security guards rushed out to meet them.
They made it inside and to the portal without incident. Too bad that also included the incident of Lord Uhlsfel arriving.
“Would you be willing to send us there so we could look for him?” Valdjan cut in when it didn’t seem as if Elberos was going to let up on questioning the guard anytime soon.
“That would be an exceedingly bad idea. Especially because he’s on one of the bad worlds.”
“But what if he needs help?” Valdjan argued. “Surely, with all these guards here, it wouldn’t hurt to open it for a few minutes.”
The elf still hesitated, so Valdjan turned to the guards. “You aren’t afraid of opening the portal for a few minutes, are you? The only thing that may come through would be more elves.”
The guards glanced at each other, but no one said anything. Finally, the guard in the center said, “Open it. We’ll be here.”
The guard Elberos had been arguing with turned to t
he portal, gathering his magic before tossing the familiar-looking powder into the center. It flashed gray, and Valdjan got a very bad feeling in his gut.
“Fucking,” Elberos muttered under his breath before stepping into the portal.
“Why can’t any of you elves use that word correctly?” Valdjan groused, stepping in after him.
There was the familiar disorienting nothingness, and when he emerged on the other side, the headache from the day before came back swiftly and brutally.
It was violent enough to have Valdjan bending forward in pain, and when he opened his eyes again, he wasn’t sure if his lack of vision was because of the torch someone had stabbed him in the head with or if there weren’t any lights to see with.
Someone grabbed him firmly. “Lord Ilphthal! Thank the gods!”
He heard a huge crashing, thundering noise. “What is that?”
“Those are the centaurs,” the voice answered. “We’ve been trying to hold them back for days.”
“Centaurs?”
“Half-human, half-horse beasts who have superior brains and brawn to either. And violence twice that of both. If we don’t leave now, they’ll kill us all.”
Valdjan’s eyes were adjusting enough to the darkness that he could make out the shadowy forms of other elves around him.
“Everyone into the portal, let’s go!” the unknown elf shouted.
There was a huge rush of bodies past him, and then whoever held him dragged him back through the portal.
He emerged in the middle of a pile of dirty, bloody, relieved elves.
“That was great timing back there. You literally saved our lives!” The elf, who still held on to his arm, grabbed him in an enormous hug.
Valdjan forced his focus away from his headache just long enough to be relieved that they had actually managed to find the one elf they had been looking for. “Lord Uhlsfel, glad to be of service.”
“Of service? You saved us!” Lord Uhlsfel pulled a female elf closer, the smile on his face tired but relieved. “Amaryll said she knew someone would come. Didn’t you, sweetheart?”
“Of course.” Valdjan gave a small bow, not having any clue who the female elf was but trying to play the part. His best guess was that she was his mate.
Elberos cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Lord Uhlsfel, we’re here to escort you to the government headquarters.”
His gaze turned sharp. “Why do we need an escort? What’s happening?”
“What has happened on your planet has happened on several others, and the High Council is voting on whether or not to close the portals.”
“Close the portals?” His voice was filled with disbelief. “You mean . . . permanently? That was why they called me back?”
“Yes. The entire city is rioting, those who want to close the portals and those who want to keep them open have all taken to the street and neither group is happy.”
Uhlsfel nodded and took his mate’s hand, following them swiftly up the stairs and across the roof toward the shuttle. They all clambered in, Elberos steering with Valdjan to his left and Lord Uhlsfel and Amaryll in the back.
Elberos steered the shuttle straight up on liftoff, taking off quickly.
Uhlsfel stared down at the angry protestors. “And I thought things were bad on New Sumlan.”
“So many are angry about closing the portals.”
Uhlsfel snorted. “I don’t want to close them either. I never would have gotten off the planet if they had closed all of them.”
“Right. And no one else will either. But the populace is literally divided down the middle. Half want them to remain open, and half want to close them to protect Melamar.”
“When did they close the government portal?”
“They closed almost all of them two days ago without warning after the dragon attack and Ardak attacks.”
“Attacks?”
“Yes. The dragon came through first, and the next day several Ardaks came through and had an altercation with the soldiers.” Elberos glanced at him in the rear viewer. “One of them killed
Lord Zekrail’s wife and daughter.”
Uhlsfel whistled. “That’s a shame. I liked Amala. She and Zekrail have been together since they were children—over two thousand years, I believe. Zekrail must not be taking that well.”
“He isn’t.”
Uhlsfel rubbed his forehead. “I’ve been out of the loop too long.”
“That’s another problem. Having so many planets has made it difficult for the council to keep control.” Elberos’s voice suddenly grew sharp. “Everyone strap in. This ride may get bumpy.”
Elberos had been speeding above the streets, the protestors below ignoring them. But they had slowed to take a corner and someone must have recognized them. Elves began hurling full strength magic at them; fireballs, ice, and stones began to pelt the shield around their shuttle.
Two other shuttles rose and caught up with them, flanking them on either side.
“What the hell are those?” Uhlsfel asked. “I’ve never seen shuttles like that before.”
“They look like military craft, but those definitely aren’t government sanctioned,” Elberos replied.
Valdjan snorted. “Obviously. Who would they be?”
“Who knows? Perhaps they have an agenda about the portals or maybe they just hate the government,” Uhlsfel replied. “It’s possible to get almost any tech you want if you have enough money.”
Magic continued to pelt the craft, and one of the shuttles shot a blue blast at them.
“Traako,” Elberos muttered, evasively maneuvering the craft left and right as they flew. “The shield is good, but there are thousands of elves down there. I’m not sure our shield can keep all this magic at bay and there are too many to dodge.”
“Can’t we just fly higher?”
Elberos shook his head. “No, these shuttles have a limit and the computer won’t allow it.”
Uhlsfel tapped Valdjan on the shoulder. “What is the status of the vote?”
“Is now really the time for this?” Amaryll bit out.
“I don’t see how waiting will help anything.”
“You’re distracting the driver. If we die it won’t really matter.”
Uhlsfel harrumphed as the craft darted to the left. “And if we don’t die, it’s vital that I understand what’s happening with the council! Look at this mess!”
“Two for keeping them open and nine against,” Valdjan broke in, cutting the argument short.
“What about Rauvesel?”
“He’s for closing them.”
“Then you’re voting against? Why are you helping me?”
“No, sorry,” Valdjan amended. “I’ve changed my vote. I want to keep them open. So, it’s three to eight. Do you know anyone else who might change their vote? We need three more votes on our side.”
“I know them as well as you do, Ilphthal. In fact, you know Tahlavel better than I do.” Then he sighed. “Yes, I guess we’re going to have to make some house calls. Why don’t we start with Tahlavel? You know he’s only doing this because of his hurt pride. I’ve been telling him since the beginning that he should forget about his ego and focus on the good of the people.”
Valdjan couldn’t ask, so he nudged Elberos.
“Pride, sir?”
“Yes. He’s angry with his daughter, Ithyll. He doted on that child for at least a hundred years, far after most elves are out on their own. He was trying to keep her close because he knew she wanted to train for off-planet work. When that didn’t work, he went as far as to forbid it. He was devastated when she left anyway. Disowned her.” Uhlsfel stared out the window. “Pride. It has been the downfall of many an elf.” Then he leaned forward. “But, you know, I wouldn’t be surprised if Tuhlann secretly keeps in touch with her. Mothers and daughters, you know?”
Ithyll.
She’d said she was young and gone to Aurora as an explorer. He shook the thought aside. “Maybe we can use that to our
advantage.”
“If we live through this,” Elberos broke in. The shield had held for long minutes, sucking up the energy, but finally, it was too much and the entire shield caught on fire.
“Traako,” Uhlsfel cursed.
“That can’t be good,” Valdjan muttered.
“Fucking,” Elberos said. “I’m going to have to drop the shield to put out the fire. Everyone hold on. We’re almost there, but I’m going to have to outmaneuver them for a few more minutes.”
The minute he dropped the shield, Elberos rolled the shuttle to the right, flying it on its side to go between two adjacent buildings. He banked hard right again and then took two lefts.
Valdjan craned his neck to see if they’d lost the others. For a moment, it appeared they had, but then the shuttles reappeared behind them. This time, there were four instead of two, all of which were loosing blue blasts of energy at their craft.
“Jaffete!” Elberos punched the button to activate the shield again a moment before they blasts would have hit them. Seconds later, they were inside the shield of the government building and he was setting the shuttle down next to the other crafts.
Their engine clunked and sputtered as it cut off, leaving the four of them sitting in a hollow silence for a beat before Elberos kicked open his door and slid out first. “The fire is out, but that was close. These craft weren’t built for this.”
Uhlsfel hit the back of the seat. “Look at us, fighting each other, and for what? The empire so large, yet the populace so small. All of us have blood on either side we’re trying to protect.”
Valdjan disembarked, viewing the shuttle. The outside looked much the worse for wear and sported blackened singe marks from fire and the blasts that had hit the ship.
A hand clapped him on the shoulder. “Ready to see Tahlavel?”
“Yes.”
“You know, you’re his best friend. You have more chance convincing him without me.”
Valdjan paused. “So, you’re saying I should go alone.”
“Yes. Let me take on Zekrail. I want to offer condolences on his family, anyway.”
Valdjan squared his shoulders. “All right. Good luck.”
“You, too, my friend.”
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