“I am going,” Leif said, silencing them again. “This exchange will happen between king to king with our guards in company. No Rangers.” His gaze flicked to Dyna and Cassiel. “No outsiders. Altham will keep the same number of his own Kingsguard in the Blood Keep. That was our oath, and it must be followed to the exact terms agreed upon.”
Dyna clenched her jaw.
“Does that mean we cannot go?”Keena whispered from where she sat on Lucenna’s shoulder.
Zev’s eyes glowed yellow when he met Dyna’s gaze. They silently agreed those terms wouldn’t apply to them. They didn’t come all this way to stay behind.
Cassiel was quiet beside her, and for once she couldn’t read him through their bond. It had been silent since last night. Sowmya and Yelrakel stood motionless like sentinels behind their chairs.
“Sire,” Commander Camsen came forward and bowed. “I will step down as a Ranger, as will my company. We will join your seventy as part of the Kingsguard.”
Lieutenant Handuril stood with the other warriors. “As will we.”
King Leif nodded. “I expected nothing less. I am sure Altham is also searching for ways around our terms. See that your men are ready.” He glanced at the old Magi Master next. “Eldred.”
He stood. “Sire?”
“We will cross tonight when the moon is high. Prepare what you need for the Gateway Circle. Enough to reach the Covenant Pass.”
“Yes, sire.”
“Thank you, that is all. I will now speak to our guests.” At Leif’s dismissal, the elves bowed and began filing out of the room. Only Eldred and Camsen remained. Once it was empty, Leif linked his hands. “I am sure you have many questions.”
“We do,” Cassiel at last spoke, and his silver gaze fell on her. He was giving her the floor first.
Dyna straightened in her seat. Whatever their standing, in this moment, they agreed on what mattered. “My first question, Your Majesty, is due to my curiosity. What is a Gateway Circle?”
“It is magic of Greenwood,” Camsen replied warily. Clearly something they did not readily share with outsiders, then.
“It is all right.” Leif nodded. “Hilos is no stranger to secrecy.”
“A Gateway Circle is a portal,” Eldred told them. “It works similar to a courier portal, but it can transport people. They only open within what some would call a fairy door, or rather an Elder Tree.”
Dyna inhaled a shallow breath. Gods, why didn’t she realize it when they arrived yesterday? The strange round tree outside in the courtyard was an Elder Tree. There had been runes carved into the stone surrounding it, and one of them had beenRaido.
The rune for journey.
“Fae that hold great power can open gateways within Elder Trees at whim,” Camsen continued, and Keena nodded in agreement. “The rest of us rely on crystals.”
Eldred placed two small stones on the table, one white and the other pale blue.
“Moonstone and Tanzanite,” Lucenna murmured, her wide lilac eyes fixed on the stones. The white stone was no bigger than a pebble. It wasn’t big enough to fit her Luna Medallion, but it was fascinatingall the same.
“Highly rare to find, yet they are the only crystals that can activate the Elder Tree,” Eldred said. “The range with Tanzanite is limited and their magic lasts only once. The best are Moonstones. It has unlimited uses, and its range is substantial.”
“How far can it take you?” Klyde asked.
“If we wait until the moon is at the highest point in the sky, far enough to reach the East Wall. It’s our barricade that lies fifty miles west, within the gorge of our western borders.”
Of course, that made sense. Moonstones were very powerful. Most had been lost or destroyed in the First Age, but something else tugged at the back of Dyna’s mind. Something she struggled to remember.
“Only elves and fairies can activate Elder Trees?” Lucenna asked.
“Whomever wields Essence could.” Eldred leveled her with his astute gaze. “However, it requires the power level of a Magi Master or a Grand Magus. Should any untrained attempt it, the force of creating a gateway would tear them apart.”
Dyna’s stomach flipped at that.
Von crossed his arms, his brow creasing as he studied the elves. “I take it you have a contact on the inside. Crossing enemy lines requires special planning, and I can only assume it wouldn’t be wise to leave anything to chance.”
