Something wasn’t right. Three days had passed, and Talon hadn’t given them the signal. Aurora didn’t like it. Even if Talon convinced Eshil Domain to surrender, he would have come here and told them to go back to the School of Power. What had gone wrong?

  The first day had been an anxious one for many of the Ashtari. Aurora was pretty sure she was the only one who was calm. On the second day, more grew antsy and started to question if Talon had forgotten about them. Today was the third day, and the others were getting antsier. Even she was starting to worry, but for different reasons.

  Qidan had come to visit on the day of the battle and left shortly after giving them a brief speech on being careful and not killing too many Eshil Domain soldiers. He hadn’t returned since.

  “How much longer are we going to stay here?” Chesmarn complained. His face was full of irritation, and he blasted a small hole into the ground. “We’ve been here for days! We should go back to the School of Power at least!”

  “No,” Dorvan said sharply, standing up from where he had been sitting. “We stay until Talon comes.”

  “What if he doesn’t?” Lula asked.

  “Yeah, what she said,” Desmond added.

  Aurora watched the engagement, not missing the worry Dorvan was giving off. He took Talon’s threat seriously, as he should, but he was going a little too far. Surely Talon wouldn’t execute them if they decided to go back to the School of Power after three days of hearing nothing.

  “He’s forgotten about us. I say we leave this place. Talon wouldn’t kill a hundred of his Ashtari,” Chesmarn said. His wavy brown hair blew in the wind, and the power swirled around him like a hurricane.

  “King Talon hasn’t forgotten about us,” Dorvan said, stepping in front of Chesmarn before he could walk away. “I’m guessing that Talon is working out terms or something with King Harold. I’m sure he’s close to being done.”

  “No, I don’t think that’s what is going on,” Aurora said, seeing surprise flicker on Dorvan’s face before he got control of himself.

  “What do you mean? Why else would he wait so long?”

  Aurora didn’t respond for a moment as she debated on the best way to give her thoughts. She didn’t want to start a panic or cause the Ashtari to act rashly. “Because something went wrong.”

  Chesmarn and half the other Ashtari laughed. “Who could stop Talon? He’s the most powerful of us all!” Chesmarn said.

  “Don’t be stupid,” Aurora snapped, glaring at Chesmarn until he looked away. Nobody liked to stare her down. She liked to think it was because of her power, but she knew it was her eyes. “There are artifacts that can stop someone from using the power. Perhaps Harold brought a team of mages, and they captured him. No matter how strong he is, he can’t take a group of skilled power users at once.”

  “No mage can portal to Elysian Field, not without riding for five days. Besides, the mages wouldn’t accompany King Harold to a battlefield. It’s against their rules to interfere in battles,” Dorvan said.

  “He’s right. You’re being paranoid,” Chesmarn said.

  To be so na?ve. Aurora thought, and reached for the power, enjoying the feeling that swept through her like a river. The others looked at her. She had been the only one not to grab the power during their wait. “Then I’ll travel to Elysian Fields to see what’s going on,” she said.

  “You can’t!” Dorvan said desperately. “If you do, Talon will execute you!”

  “I have to take the chance,” Aurora said. She didn’t bother explaining her reasons; she had already told them she thought something bad happened to Talon. The mages had to be involved, and she needed to find out. It might be too late to help Talon if he had been captured.

  “Don’t be stupid,” Chesmarn said.

  “Yeah, we can’t afford to lose you,” Lula said.

  “There’s nothing you can do to stop me. If everything is fine and Talon decides to kill me, then so be it. I have a feeling he’s not there,” Aurora said.

  “I’ll go with you,” Dorvan said.

  “No, I’m going alone,” Aurora said. Before he could respond, she opened a portal to Elysian Fields and stepped through, closing it behind her. She hoped nobody followed her. If they did, she would wrap them up with the power and send them back to the Wastelands.

  She didn’t arrive directly at Elysian Fields; Aurora wasn’t stupid. If Talon was here and didn’t appear to be in any danger, she would head back to the others. Looking around, she was on a hill, a decent distance from where the battle should have taken place.

  A gasp snapped Aurora out of her thoughts. She saw an Eshil Domain soldier gawking at her and turning around. She knocked him out with a swift blow to the head with the power. She hadn’t killed the man, but he wouldn’t wake for several hours.

  It didn’t take her long to see the battle hadn’t taken place. In fact, Aurora was surprised to see both armies starting to move out of their camps. Was the battle about to take place? If it was, she would leave, but only if she saw Talon.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  A quick glance at the armies showed Eshil Domain had a far superior force. That had been part of the plan, but the difference in army size was far more than she had expected. Aurora used the power to blend into the area and snuck closer to the camp, trying to find Talon.

  Aurora walked around for ten minutes and saw no sign of the king. She saw the commander, Corvin Malice, enter a tent. She knew that Talon had told him about the Ashtari. It was risky, but she decided it would be best to talk to him and see what was going on. Releasing the power, she walked into the camp and got some odd looks from a few of the soldiers.

  It wasn’t surprising; she wasn’t dressed like a soldier. Aurora was wearing her usual red pants, silver shirt, and a red buckle on her right arm, with silver ribbons in her hair. She looked like a normal person, except for her dark red eyes, yet she strolled through the camp as if she belonged. Her training at the School of Power had taught them all to act like they belonged and to never look uncertain.

  She made it to Corvin’s tent and was stopped by two guards. “What are you doing here?” one guard asked roughly.

  “I’m here to see Corvin; it’s an important issue,” Aurora said.

  “The commander’s busy. He doesn’t have time for you,” the other guard said.

  When Aurora didn’t move to leave, both guards moved closer. “We’ll escort you out by force if need be.”

  “Let her in,” Corvin said from inside the tent.

  The guards looked at each other and shrugged, moving aside. Aurora walked past them and into the tent. Corvin was looking at a map, his gaze shifting upwards once she entered. There was something about this man that made Aurora realize why he was the commander of Azzellia. She had heard three words, and one glance was all she needed to know was that she could trust him.

  “So, you’re an Ashtari,” Corvin said as if knowing about her was common knowledge.

  Aurora’s eyes widened for a brief second. She hadn’t expected Corvin to know she was an Ashtari. Then again, he must have deduced her identity by how she had requested to speak with him. “How did you know?”

  “A strange woman requesting to speak with me could only be an Ashtari,” Corvin said.

  So, I was right. Aurora thought, shaking her head for a moment. “Where is Talon?”

  “He was captured by the mages three days ago. From what I know, the mages worked with Harold, which is why he declared war on Azzellia. To get Talon out in the open, giving the mages their chance to take him without arising suspicion from anyone,” Corvin said.

  Three days; that’s a long time. Still, the mages couldn’t have made it through the barrier preventing them from creating a portal. Aurora thought. “I knew something happened but hoped to be wrong. Do you know how many mages?”

  “Harold told me ten, but I bet there are more,” Corvin walked away from his map. There were bags under his eyes, and Aurora would bet the commander had barely slept much since Talon’s capture. “I was beginning to lose hope of any Ashtari coming. With you here, there’s a chance to save him.”

  “I’ll gather the other Ashtari and hunt these mages down. We’ll make sure Talon is returned safely,” Aurora said.

  “Wait,” Corvin said as Aurora turned around. “When you find his location, don’t go after him immediately. Come back here.”

  “Why?” Aurora asked.

  “Despite their arrogance, the mages aren’t stupid. I bet they have some reinforcements of some kind. I have a small group of people to help you,” Corvin said.

  Aurora stood still for a moment, debating how to respond. Despite Corvin’s stature, she did not have to listen to him. The Ashtari were their own group, only taking orders from Qidan and Talon. Still, her instincts told her to listen. “Fine. I’ll be back when Talon’s located,” she finally said and created a portal and left.

  When she arrived back at camp, Dorvan and many of the other Ashtari let out sighs of relief. Aurora didn’t understand why; there was no relief from what they had to do, not until Talon was found.

  “Thank Tarmella that you’re safe,” Dorvan said.

  Ignoring him, Aurora turned to the ones who hadn’t moved. “Everyone needs to gather. I have important news,” she said, using the power to amplify her voice.

  Time was of the essence. Two days remained until Talon was out of their reach. If the mages got him to Mortham Tower, there would be no way to rescue him. Aurora knew the others might disagree, but she knew more about the mages than all but a few. If the Ashtari attacked Mortham Tower, they would all die or be captured.

  The Ashtari quickly gathered, and Aurora wasted no time in explaining the situation. “We need to act fast. Three days ago, Talon was captured by the mages,” she said.

  Gasps and muttering among the others broke out. All of them knew what would happen to them if Talon made it to Mortham Tower. Aurora knew there was no way Talon could withstand the torture the mages would inflict on him for long. Like all others, he would break and spill their location and how many there were.

  “Focus!” Aurora shouted when the others began talking loudly. Some were asking what they should do while others advocated hunting the mages and showing them a lesson. She couldn’t tell who, but she heard someone say they should grab the prisoners and use them as an example. Qidan wouldn’t like that, and she didn’t want to waste time finding and explaining the situation to him. Thankfully, the others quieted down.

  “There isn’t time to bicker about this. We need to move fast to track down the mages and rescue the king,” Aurora said.

  “Not all of us can create portals to the battlefield,” Lewis said.

  “I know,” Aurora said. Thirty Ashtari had been given the trust to create a portal to Elysian Fields. That should be more than enough. She hoped. “That’s why we’ll need to split into teams. None of us should go looking alone, nor should anyone engage the mages until we are all together.”

  “What if there’s an opening to rescue Talon?” Marsha asked.

  “Nobody will go after Talon until we are all gathered,” Aurora repeated sternly. “Is that understood?”

  There was a resounding yes, giving Aurora some relief. “I think we should send someone to this camp every hour to report what they’ve found. That way, when Talon is found, we’ll all know at the same time.”

  “A good idea,” Lewis said.

  “I’m glad you agree,” Aurora said dryly. “We don’t have time to waste. Split into groups fast and move out. We will not rest until Talon is found.”

  The others moved into action, except for Dorvan, who walked up to her with a smile on his face. “You’re a natural leader. Two days should be more than enough time to locate the king,” he said.

  A leader? Aurora wasn’t sure about that. She was acting logically, whereas a lot of the others weren’t. She didn’t understand why others let their emotions rule them. She had learned at a young age what could happen if you let emotions cloud your judgment. “Find a few people to bring with you. You’re one of the thirty who can portal to Elysian Fields,” Aurora said.

  Two days sounded like a lot of time, but they had a lot of ground to cover. So many things could go wrong. If one of the Ashtari accidentally portaled in front of a mage, that would make things far more difficult. Aurora shook her head to rid herself of the negative thoughts. She had a mission to accomplish. All of their fates would be decided within the next forty-eight hours.