I nodded, my heart racing with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. “It leads to just beyond those trees, right?”
It was maybe thirty yards away at most. I could totally do it.
Theo nodded. “We’ll be right behind you.”
Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward into the shimmering light. There was a moment of disorientation, a brief sensation of floating, and then my feet touched solid ground again. I emerged on the other side, exactly where I’d intended, about thirty yards from where I’d started.
“I did it!” I exclaimed, turning to watch Phoenix and then Theo step through the portal after me.
“Brilliantly done,” Theo said with a wide smile, pulling me in for a side hug. I couldn’t help it, for just a moment, I allowed myself to smell him, and immediately knew it was a mistake. Theo smelled amazing.
Phoenix clapped a large hand on my shoulder. “That was perfect for a first attempt. How do you feel?”
“Good, actually. I could probably do a few more before I need to rest.”
“Let’s try increasing the distance,” Theo suggested, pointing to a clearing visible through the trees about a hundred yards away. “Can you anchor a portal there?”
I nodded, already reaching out with my magic to find the axis points. This time, the process felt more natural, more intuitive. Within moments, a new portal shimmered before us, larger and more stable than the first, maybe six feet tall now.
“You’re a quick study,” Phoenix said with an appreciative whistle, his copper-brown eyes warm with something that looked like pride, making something in my belly flip.
As we continued practicing, gradually increasing the distance of each portal, I felt more and more comfortable. After no time at all, I was able to successfully portal to the other side of the garden, about three hundred yards away. I couldn’t wait to text my mom later and tell her about it. She was going to freak out.
“Let’s try something different,” Theo suggested. “Instead of thinking of a physical location, try anchoring to a person.”
I frowned. “Is that possible?”
“In theory,” he said with a shrug. “Every person has their own unique magical signature that creates a sort of axis point in itself. If you know someone well enough, you should be able to use that signature as an anchor.”
“It’s more advanced,” Phoenix added, “and usually requires a strong connection to the person. But it might be worth trying.”
I thought about who I might use. Lydia or Tye would be the obvious choices, but they were too far away for a first attempt. My mind briefly flickered to the Nightfall Shield, but I shut that down immediately. No way was I opening that door again.
“What about Jamie?” I suggested, thinking of our shared dreams. “I feel like I know his… uh,energypretty well.”
Theo and Phoenix exchanged a quick glance I couldn’t quite interpret.
“That could work,” Phoenix said. “But remember, if you succeed, you’ll be portaling directly to him. Might want to make sure he’s not in the shower or something. I texted him a half hour ago and he was heading to the changing room.”
I laughed, feeling my cheeks heat slightly. “Good point. Maybe not Jamie for the first try.”
“How about Lucas?” Theo suggested. “He’s probably in the combat hall right now. Predictable schedule.”
“That works.” I shut my eyes and focused on my memory of Lucas, the distinct feel of his magic when we’d trained together over the last week.
Finding his axis point was more difficult than locating a physical place. It was like trying to grab onto smoke. But gradually, I began to sense something solid, a fixed point in the magical fabric that felt distinctly like Lucas, the magical equivalent of a scent.
I pulled, watching as a new portal formed, this one with a slightly bluer tint to its shimmering surface.
“Did it work?” I asked, squinting my eyes to see.
“Only one way to find out,” Theo said with a small grin, gesturing to the portal. “After you.”
Taking another deep breath, I stepped through the portal. The disorientation was stronger this time, making my head spin briefly before my vision cleared. I found myself standing in the combat hall, exactly as Theo had predicted. And there was Lucas, in the middle of a sparring session with a freshly-showered Jamie, both of them freezing mid-motion to stare at me in shock.
“Jupiter?” Lucas said, lowering his practice blade. “Did you just?—“
“Portal in? Yes I did!”
