CHAPTER III

Talion doubted if he could trust either Raine or Lyra, no matter what it looked like on the surface. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out which of the two had the stronger character. Lyra might have given the impression that she was in charge, but it was an illusion meant to give those around them the wrong impression. Raine was the one who made the plans and called the shots. If she thought she would stand a chance to get free, Talion suspected she would send Lyra a signal, and her friend would try to make a break for it. Well, he didn’t feel like playing games, not now.

With a flick of his hand, Talion conjured cups of steaming tea for the girls and another for himself. He sat in the chair opposite them and watched the two women exchange looks before reaching out to accept his offerings. As Raine and Lyra sipped at their tea, he began the conversation. “I will assume none of us needs to be told what we are, not after what I have seen and heard.”

Lyra nodded. “We didn’t know who or what you were in the beginning, but when you reacted to each other the way you did, there was no doubt you were like us. That is beyond rare in this part of the world.”

Talion agreed. “It is more rare than you believe. Do you realize we are the last three Elves left on this side of the boundary?”

In a sullen voice, Raine asked, “Are you sure of your facts?”

Talion nodded. “I am.”

Raine wasn’t ready to believe what Talion said based on his word alone. “Where did you hear this?”

“There is a book that holds information about the locations of the portals, as well as the number of Elves still living here. When Emperor Lothriel learned some of his subjects were on this side of the boundary, he ordered them to return to their homeland. To make things even tenser, the remaining portals have been collapsing. Now, only one remains in existence.”

Raine sniffed. “I suppose you know the exact location of that last portal, too.”

Talion nodded. “I do. It is in a cave barely a half a mile from where we are sitting. It’s not very secure, either. It wouldn’t take much to make it collapse, which would strand us here.”

Raine snorted. “Then you better run to where it is so you can be sure not to be stuck amongst all these humans.”

Talion shook his head. “I am not about to leave two of my own kind alone when they are in danger. This is especially so when one of them is my Life Mate. You have no idea how much trouble you are in.”

Raine didn’t believe this strange Elf for a moment. “I haven’t felt any signs of danger, have you, Lyra?”

Lyra shook her head. “Then again, we had no warning Talion was going to show up, although he hasn’t told us anything we didn’t suspect.”

“Talion hasn’t told us where he comes from. How do we know he is telling the truth?” Raine pointed out.

Talion answered, “I have nothing to hide. Emperor Lothriel sent me to escort you home.”

Raine objected, “This is our home. We were born here. Our ancestors were born here. We have lived here, and like those who came before us, we will probably die here as well.”

Talion shook his head. ”If you stay, you will undoubtedly die young. You are being stalked by enemies who are more dangerous than you can imagine.”

Lyra asked, “What makes you think we are being stalked when we haven’t seen nor felt any signs of this happening?”

Talion figured it was a fair enough question. “We have dealt with them in the past. The emperor told us about the tasks the Fates gave the Guardians. It was why other members of the Elven Empire were sent to stop these people from killing anyone who was in charge of portal secrets in the same way you two have been doing.”

Raine was quick to jump on what Talion said. “If you were able to save the others, how come the portals still collapsed?”

Talion replied, “The portals are weak because they have been battered by the forces of nature and mankind over the millenniums. When the emperor called our people home, we found only one gateway strong enough to handle the amount of traffic expected. There are, however, limits to how much anything can be abused. Hundreds of Elves had to go through the gateway, and, when the Guardians to each portal go back to the Elven Empire, the portals close. This happens because they take the books they were entrusted to keep safe with them. As a volume is carried through the portal it was created to register the history for, the gateway collapses and ceases to exist.”

Lyra looked thoughtful. “And now you are trying to tell us this one is the last, weak as it is?”

Talion nodded. “That is right. Do you know how close it is to winking out of existence?”

Raine answered, “One tremor away.”

Talion studied her for a short time before he spoke again. “If you know this, why didn’t the two of you leave as you were ordered?”

Raine sighed, “Because our duty wasn’t finished. There are things happening here you have no knowledge of. We are not in a position to pick up and leave. What you said is true, the enemy is hunting us. We didn’t say anything because we weren’t sure of how much to tell you. We just met you, what if you weren’t who you professed to be? Now that isn’t the case, we can tell you what we are certain of. What we know for sure is that they sent a tracker after us, and it isn’t human. The only reason it hasn’t found us yet is because the snow cloaks our scent, and we are keeping the shields on this area tight. Despite this, we can feel them getting closer. We hear them calling to each other.”

Talion warned, “You can’t put off crossing through the portal any longer. We need to leave as soon as possible. If we don’t, the portal will close and we will be stuck on this side forever. We may be strong, but our enemies will overtake us by sheer numbers.”

Lyra exchanged a look with Raine, and after a few moments, Raine gave a curt nod. It was time for Lyra to pass their secret on. “We can’t use the portal; no one can. We haven’t got dragons to carry us to the other side of the boundary, nor are we Elven Wizards powerful enough to open gateways strong enough to walk through as you did.”

At the look of shock that crossed Talion’s face, Raine finished telling him what Lyra had left out of her blunt statement. “The portal is not only too unstable to be used, it is impossible for anyone to gain access. Two years ago, the lava pool that lay under the ledge where the gateway rests expanded. Now, there is a thirty-foot stream of molten rock to cross before we can reach the opening. Also, it is very likely the doorway will close on them while they are entering. They could be stuck in the void that exists between the two sides.”

Lyra added, “Still, the portal exists, and it is up to us to make sure no one goes near it or tries to use it. What we do is a matter of honor, a task passed on from one generation to another since the boundary was raised.”

With his eyes shut to hide his thoughts and fears from Lyra and Raine, Talion gave a sigh and then sat back. They were stuck here, and he had no idea how he was going to get back home. He was going to need time to think about it, because there had to be a way out of this predicament.